Are the Oilers Shopping for a Third Line Center?
Ken Holland's shopping list from now to Feb trade deadline after his pro scouting meetings in Vegas: No. 3 C who shoots right and can win face-offs. Love Haas's hustle but 39 percent on draws. Second line LW winger with some consistent offensive pop to play with RNH and Neal.
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) November 24, 2019
Local legend, Allan Mitchell Aka Lowetide, wrote a piece over at The Athletic speaking to this search for a stronger option at third line center for the Oilers and named three players, JG Pageau (OTT), Joel Eriksson-Ek (MIN), and Mathieu Perreault (WPG) as possibilities. (source)
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t mind Perreault and Pageau, but Eriksson-Ek doesn’t appeal to me as a fan of the team. That said, the Jets are very much in the playoff race and the war to acquire Pageau is going to drive the price sky-high.
I’m still of the belief that this Oilers team is playing with house money and they could very well stand pat and see where this roster takes them. Edmonton is battling the reigning Stanley Cup champs for first in the Western Conference, why fix what’s not broken?
Here’s a discount code for a subscription to The Athletic should you be without. If you sign up through that link you’ll get 40% off and I’ll get a tidy little coupon for Amazon.
Could Taylor Hall Be Acquired by the Calgary Flames?
The deal from Calgary was centred around forward Dillon Dube, RHD Rasmus Andersson, and a first round pick. The Devils are trying to stay in the eastern conference race at the moment, so don’t expect them to move Hall until their socks are blown off.
While I wouldn’t necessarily consider this an official rumor per se. These kind of sites are known to be very hit and miss, but I do think that the content within the provided link is worth discussion. (source)
BLH’s Thoughts: Salary cap anybody? Apart from that, I have to say, that’s a pretty solid offer and I’m not sure if any other offer is going to get much better. Dube’s got top-six forward written all over him and Andersson is already a qualified second pair defender. Now, if the Flames miss the playoffs on the off chance after picking up Hall, NJ could be getting a pretty good player via the draft.
If the Oilers are interested in bringing back Hall and the above offer is the line in the sand, would it make sense for Ken Holland to offer Jesse Puljujarvi, Dmitri Samorukov, and a draft pick? Other pieces would need to be included to set off the financial parts of the trade.
What’s Next for Olli Juolevi?
According to The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal, last week, oft-injured Vancouver Canucks defender Olli Juolevi was sent to Vancouver from Utica to get a lower-body injury looked at by the Canucks’ doctors. That’s not too much of an inconvenience, but the problem is, nothing has emerged as to what the problem is. (source)
“I was hoping to get details last week, but it is taking a little longer,” said his agent, Markus Lehto. “We hope to find out in the next few days.”
BLH’s Thoughts: It’s been a very difficult beginning to Juolevi’s career. I hope the latest bump in the road is a small one and he comes back stronger than ever as he’s still quite very young and as an Oilers fan, I can remember Oscar Klefbom going down with an injury almost every year (knock on wood). By all accounts, Juolevi was having a good start to the year down in the AHL.
Here’s a discount code for a subscription to The Athletic should you be without. If you sign up through that link you’ll get 40% off and I’ll get a tidy little coupon for Amazon.
Quick Hits
- Buffalo desperate to make a trade. (source)
- Did Mike Commodore have it right regarding former coach Mike Babcock all along? (source)
- Female Bruins fan goes nuts in stands. (source)
- A history of alternate Bruins uniforms. (source)
