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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Embarrassing Coaching Decisions, Faltering Defense, and the Latest NHL Rumors

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Should Be Embarrassed Over Dmitri Samorukov NHL Debut
  • Just one game after making his long-awaited debut for the Oilers and in the NHL — a game in which his wife was flown in to watch — Samorukov is already on his way back to Bakersfield of the AHL. Having played a mere 2:28 of game action and he never saw the ice again after a second mistake that led to a goal by the Blues.
  • The Oilers likely didn’t expect the defenseman to make the costly mistakes he did. And, yes, they were bad. That said, there wasn’t really a need for Samorukov to be playing in this game… they had Philip Broberg available who already played well in a handful of games.
  • At this point, he’s probably going back to the AHL and wondering if he’ll ever get the confidence of the team again. What did Samorukov learn from this experience? Whatever it is, it’s probably not good.
  • …the NHL isn’t a developmental league. That said, there’s a difference between benching a player and giving that same player a chance to redeem himself. The Oilers went overboard…
  • Had Tippett — or in this case, Jim Playfair, because Tippett said it was Playfair’s decision to shorten the bench — insulated Samorukov and got him out there in softer minutes against more comparable players, the blueliner might have been able to move on from his early gaffes and played a solid eight or nine minutes. Instead, the rest of the Oilers’ blue line got overworked and they too played less effective hockey. It was a rough game for Duncan Keith as well.
  • This situation is eerily similar to one that happened with Ethan Bear not all that long ago.

BLH’s Thoughts: Thank you, Jim. These are my exact thoughts as well.

The one thing with Broberg is that I think he wasn’t playing for financial reasons. His contract was worth more than Samorukov’s against the cap.

Now, should Samorukov have been benched in the first place? The first goal would’ve never been an issue had Evan Bouchard not hung his d-partner out to dry with that giveaway at STL’s blue line and the second goal, he got beat by a potential all-star, but maybe Evan Bouchard should’ve attacked Kyrou instead of bailing at the last second and Mike Smith should’ve done a better job protecting his net. 

It was the Russian’s first game in the NHL and he got caught out doing what’s natural to him, being an aggressive defender. Obviously his nerves were rough, whose wouldn’t be in that scenario? 

Edmonton came back to tie the game and that’s when Samorukov should’ve been given some time to get settled. The game wasn’t one that needed to be won at all costs and Jim Playfair/Dave Tippett overreacted.

What I found interesting is that Tippett threw his assistant coach under the bus after the game and that is very telling. It tells me that there are some fractures that have formed within the coaching staff and if that really is the case, then there will be cracks in the foundation of Tippett’s relationship with the playing personnel as well… 

To add to that, when’s the last time the Oilers won a game with Tippett behind the bench? The last two victories came with Glen Gulutzan running the show and I distinctly remember the team playing with a helluva lot more heart and tenacity in that time. 

The Athletic

Can the Oilers fix their defence with the current personnel?
  • Things are working on special teams, but the even-strength totals are trending in a negative direction. Here’s the team’s goals against per 60 minutes in each discipline so far this season:
YEAR EVEN STRENGTH POWER PLAY PENALTY KILL OVERALL
2019-20
2.88
1.80
5.15
3.00
2020-21
2.61
0.88
6.16
2.74
2021-22
3.05
0.44
5.99
3.11
  • Keith with Ceci at five-on-five this season is losing the goal differential 12-17 in 295 minutes. The second pair is bleeding, and the only veteran replacement option (Tyson Barrie) is not a suitable option due to his offensive-leaning skill set.
  • If general manager Ken Holland is looking to replace one of Keith or Ceci on the second pairing, internal options are going to be rookies from the farm, Lagesson or Slater Koekkoek. None of these options are promising.
  • The bottom line is this: Edmonton’s defence is currently giving up too much offensively at even strength. This past summer saw a lot of reconstruction on defence, not all of it (Adam Larsson’s exit) planned.

BLH’s Thoughts: LT made an interesting observation that the constant interruptions to Edmonton’s roster has probably made it difficult for anybody to settle in and get comfortable and I think that makes sense. 

That said, Keith isn’t going anywhere with Tippett behind the bench. He loves his vets and will play them a shit ton despite glaring mistakes or obvious signs of fatigue.

What’ll end up happening I imagine is Ken Holland will move futures for somebody that is an upgrade on Slater Koekkoek and Kris Russell and with more experience than the Bakersfield bunch. Your Ben Chiarot or Carson Soucy types, right? Plus I think he’ll be looking to add some size because the defense is still lacking a bit of beef, so Chiarot and Soucy fit the bill there too. 

NHLRumors.com

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Smith’s Back, Trading Broberg PLUS the Latest NHL Rumors

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

The Cult of Hockey

Might Mikko Koskinen be the odd man out once Mike Smith returns to Oilers’ crease?
  • Firstly, the newly-announced taxi squad would be the obvious landing spot for whichever of Koskinen or Stuart Skinner is odd man out.
  • Skinner remains waivers exempt this season so could only be assigned to Bakersfield, while Koskinen would have go through the waiver route first, but then could be re-assigned to either Bako or the taxi squad.
  • As for the second issue, both PuckPedia and CapFriendly agree the Oilers had exactly $536,667 in cap space over the extended holiday break. The squad would need to open up some $1,663,333 more cap space to accommodate for Smith.
  • A return of Skinner to the farm would open up just $750,000, whereas if Koskinen were to be reassigned, that would open up $1.125 million of cap space, the maximum that can be “buried” on a single contract.
  • Even without dipping in to the Roster Emergency Exception, the club could assign Broberg to either Bakersfield or the taxi squad, which would free up both his cap hit of $863k and an additional $146k against the performance bonus limit (stick tap to Hart Levine of PuckPedia ). Call it a million bucks in total. Then the club could reassign Niemelainen from IR to LTIR, freeing up another $817k. The Finn has already missed 2 weeks of action with a hand issue and isn’t that close to returning.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bloody salary cap… It really does my head in… From the sounds of it, Mike Smith is chomping at the bit to get going here and it’s hard to blame him. 

Here’s what the Oilers actually did this morning,

  • Smith activated off LTIR
  • Skinner loaned to @Condors
  • Broberg loaned to taxi squad
  • Konovalov recalled to taxi squad

How Smith does in his return is really going to have a big impact on how the Oilers treat the trade deadline.

Now, we all know that, but there has to be a little bit of leash given from the get-go here, doesn’t there? Nobody should expect him to be Olympian Mike Smith after being on the shelf for almost three months, but how long should that leash be realistically? A week? Five games? Two weeks? 

The Athletic

Luca Munzenberger’s play at world juniors and Vermont has Oilers excited: ‘He’s like Big Bird, but a mean Big Bird’
  • Munzenberger has developed a reputation in the Hockey East division as someone who wants to “kill everybody” with a thundering check. He’s already been suspended this year for crushing an opponent.
  • “The first three or four games were a huge adjustment to him. He was running around. He didn’t understand the size of the ice,” Woodcroft said. “He was looking to blow up everybody, every shift, with a huge hit.”
  • “He’s blown up four or five guys this year where you’re just like, ‘How was that guy even walking?’” Woodcroft said.
  • “You’ve got to tone him down at times — and I think that’s a good thing,” Wright said. “Anytime you have to try to tone a kid down rather than having to try to ramp him up, it’s a good scenario.”
  • He (Woodcroft) compared Munzenberger to Jets blueliner Josh Morrissey in the way both keep the puck in at the blue line, make a quick up in the neutral zone and feed a retrieval pass to a winger.
  • He tries to emulate the way Darnell Nurse operates in terms of skating, joining the rush, tackling big minutes, defensive play and aggressive play.
  • Woodcroft sees him as a three-year collegiate player at least.

BLH’s Thoughts: When the Oilers picked Munzenberger I didn’t know what to think. I’d not read any scouting reports on him at the time, but considering how much I love throwback players, if he’s as physical as his coach is saying, I like it. 

Now, that said, I remember a local lad named Josh Healey (former Sherwood Park Crusader) that eventually ended up with Calgary who used to blow guys up in the NCAA and today he’s a career AHLer playing for the Milwaukee Admirals. 

So I hope Todd Woodcroft has that same special touch that his brother in Bakersfield has because the Oilers might just need this guy in two or three years for a playoff run. 

NHL Trade Talk

Oilers May Have to Make Tough Decision Regarding Philip Broberg Trade
  • The only reason Broberg would likely be in the discussion is if a better, more NHL-ready and playoff-producing defenseman were to come in. This is why the Oilers have been linked to a name like Jakob Chychryun.

BLH’s Thoughts: Broberg isn’t in any discussions. Trading him would mean Ken Holland would be admitting he made a mistake selecting him ahead of say… Trevor Zegras or Spencer Knight in the 2019 draft. 

Edmonton’s swift-skating Swede hasn’t shown anything to raise concerns over his long-term future and Holland is going to see this guy through.

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Ullmark, Kessel, Greiss, and the Latest NHL Rumors

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Lowetide.ca

FIVE-YEAR SOLUTIONS

You can see the potential for five-year solutions bubbling up from Bakersfield and perhaps filling holes across the roster.

  • Goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Ilya Konovalov (since December 1) both offer the organization inexpensive options and possibly major year over year savings.
  • Left defensemen Markus Niemelainen, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov could all have NHL careers, but not all of them will be playing five-plus years in Edmonton.
  • Center Ryan McLeod is the only obvious solution I see who is playing currently and coming down the pipe. Dylan Holloway is a highly rated prospect who may land as a center in the NHL, but the uncertainty over his status following two surgeries casts a pall over his possible future. If healthy, there’s a very good chance he is the top prospect in the system.
  • Left Wingers Carter Savoie and Matvey Petrov are depth picks who appear to be tracking as bona fide top-six NHL forwards in the future. A strong reminder that mirages do occur in these situations, but in both the Savoie and Petrov cases it appears the Oilers scouts have stolen players…
  • Right Wingers Xavier Bourgault and Tyler Tullio offer the biggest hope at this position. Both should be pro ready next fall and we’re likely to see some movement at the position across the Oilers-Condors roster for 2022-23. Raphael Lavoie remains a player worth following, his five-point game just before Christmas was a positive sign.

BLH’s Thoughts: LT was talking about the players who are in Edmonton’s system and end up Oilers in five years time and his point was that around one or two will turn out for every five or so.

That said, it’s been a while since the team had a crop of prospects like this. Would it shock you if all the names above played a handful of games in the NHL at minimum? And I’m not talking about pity call-ups like what Cooper Marody’s received in his time with the club, I’m saying at least 50 games. Maybe not in the case of Konovalov as goaltenders are really hit and miss, but for the players Lowetide has singled out, I can’t see a single one that probably won’t get a good chunk of NHL hockey at some point in their careers if things go well. 

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Should Trade for Ullmark if Rask Signs With Bruins
  • The head coach of the Boston Bruins, Bruce Cassidy, said that Tuukka Rask could be ready to play in three weeks. He has been skating and practicing with the team, so at this point, it is all but confirmed that Rask is going to sign with the Bruins.
  • Do they trade Swayman? The more likely solution is to move on from Ullmark if Rask is brought back for multiple seasons at a cheap price. Sure, they could have an experienced one-two punch in net, but allowing Swayman to learn under Rask could do wonders for his career.
  • Swayman started off very hot and cooled a bit before playing some good hockey again, while Ullmark struggled at the start of his tenure with his new team but has settled down nicely for them.
  • Ullmark has proven on the Buffalo Sabres in past years that he can keep the team in games despite being outshot and dominated, so with a little goal support in Edmonton, why can’t that continue?
  • He was 50-47-13 while having a .563 quality start percentage, above the league average of .53 percent. This was all done on a team that consistently finished at the bottom of the standings in points, goals for, and goals against.
  • …28 is the perfect age to be able to give his team quality starts on a nightly basis for a number of years. He is old enough and has been around long enough to be experienced and have reached his prime.
  • Ullmark makes just $500k per year more than Mikko Koskinen right now, so there wouldn’t be an issue with paying him or needing to find a solution in goal for at least another three years.

BLH’s Thoughts: If I’m not mistaken, I do believe the Jim Matheson reported on multiple occasions that the Oilers were pursuing Ullmark last year and even into the off-season, but they were aiming a bit higher (Kuemper) and got beat to the punch by the Bruins. 

I like that this guy’s only been pulled 5 times in his career (129gp) and he’s having a really decent year in Boston so far (7-5-0 .922 SV% 2.52 GAA). 

However, is it really that far fetched that Don Sweeney wouldn’t move Swayman? Rask and Ullmark seem like a more “sure thing” and he might get a slightly better return for Swayman.

Don’t know how this sort of trade works without Kassian going to Boston because they’re not taking Koskinen if Rask is coming back. Maybe Edmonton tries to send Kassian and Turris plus a sweetener for Ullmark?

Spector’s Hockey

  • BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy recently looked at some possible trade targets for the Bruins. He suggested Arizona Coyotes winger (and former Bruin) Phil Kessel as an option to replace Jake DeBrusk if they can trade the latter.
  • THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Max Bultman was asked about possible moves by the Detroit Red Wings before this year’s trade deadline… 
    • He doesn’t see the Wings parting with Tyler Bertuzzi even though he’s a year away from UFA status and missed several games because of his vaccination status.
    • Bultman suggested seeing what they could get for pending UFAs like Nick Leddy, Vladislav Namestnikov or Thomas Greiss if the Wings become sellers.

BLH’s Thoughts: Do you think there’s a chance the Oilers would move on from both Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith? If so, would Thomas Greiss make sense as a trade target for Ken Holland?

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Samorukov’s Showcase, DRY Line Getting Worse, and the Latest NHL Rumors

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: Defenceman Samorukov might get his first NHL look in St. Louis
  • Samorukov might get the nod over Broberg for the game in St. Louis because of Broberg’s contract/bonus structure in terms of the tight salary cap.
  • With the surprising play of Niemelainen and Broberg, maybe teams are circling at the trade deadline too for Samorukov if the Oilers make a move for a veteran forward to play in the top six.
  • Duncan Keith passed his last COVID-19 test after being in protocol and was paired with Cody Ceci at Tuesday’s practice before the team flew to St. Louis. So, that will be one regular defensive pair against the Blues.
  • Tippett has certainly noticed fourth-line winger Tyler Benson changing his offensive American Hockey League game to one that’s more irritating, in order to make it as an NHLer. Maybe there’s a bit of a rat there.

BLH’s Thoughts: Showcase time!!! Samorukov will be selling his talents to somebody should he get into the St. Louis game, either to his own GM or to another one. I’m looking forward to seeing this guy steamroll the first Blue to come down his wing and for him to provide some snarl in front of the Oilers net. 

All the while when Tyler Benson was percolating in Bakersfield, did you happen to notice any other outlets saying that Benson will need to pivot from a skilled forward to something of a more gritty winger in order to make it on the Edmonton Oilers? Just asking for a friend. 

The Athletic

The five most effective Oilers midseason recalls since 1979-80

1. Andy Moog, 1980-81 

  • Moog’s impact, and the reason he is the most impactful recall in Oilers history, is due to his memorable playoff performance for Edmonton in the first-round victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The upstart Oilers won the series in three straight, Moog’s .938 save percentage and 11 points from Wayne Gretzky the keys to victory. Moog’s first recall was the stuff of legends.

2. Kailer Yamamoto, 2019-20

  • Between December 31, 2019 and the season’s untimely end in March, this trio posted five-on-five numbers for the ages: In 317 minutes, the trio outscored opponents 28-8 (78 percent goal differential) with a 53 percent shot share.

3. Esa Tikkanen, 1985-86

  • Tikkanen played three games for the Oilers in the 1984-85 postseason, making him a member of a Stanley Cup winner. The following season Tikkanen arrived mid-January, and played on almost every line. Tikkanen gathered points on the second and third lines, and in the playoffs moved up to the top line with Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.

4. Leon Draisaitl, 2015-16

  • Draisaitl would score 7-10-17 in his first 10 games that year, and end the season with 51 points in 72 games, while still offering only a hint of what was to come.

5. Charlie Huddy, 1981-82

  • After his recall in 1981-82, Huddy helped in all three game disciplines and delivered quality, reliable play. He addressed a massive area of need and calmed the waters defensively for an expansion team desperate to suppress the chaos.

BLH’s Thoughts: I would imagine the club is hoping to add Dylan Holloway to that list, no? 

Just quickly, I want to point something out. LT keeps posting that the Draisaitl/RNH/Yamamoto line has been magic and I’m not buying it. Sure, outscoring the opposition 66-42 at 5v5 since they’ve been united is fantastic, but it ignores a handful of other stats and that first year (2019/20) is skewing the numbers massively. 

Year GF GA GF%
2019-2021 42 21 66%
2020-2021 14 13 51%
2021 10 8 55%

Take out 2019/20’s heater and things get cold… Fast. 

Now, let’s look at some other metrics that broaden the story on the line a bit more.

Year SF% xGF% SCF%
2019-2021 48% 49% 49%
2020-2021 42% 42% 43%
2021 40% 42% 41%

Do you notice a trend? So while they’ve been scoring goals at a marginally better rate than their opposition, they’re losing the shot game and the scoring chances game. Basically, that line is leaking the rest of the game to the other team when they’re on the ice. I mean, 60% of the shots are going the other way when this group of forwards are deployed this year? How can that be considering the level of talent on the line?

That is not a recipe for success long-term and if three seasons of publicly available stats aren’t enough of a sample size, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe the private numbers tell a different story and I’m completely off my rocker. 

The Daily Goal Horn

  • There’s a widespread belief that Holland is going to go-for-it all this season. While he has needs at defense, third-line center, and possibly in goal, adding veteran scoring wing could also be in the cards… Jim Matheson, who covers the Oilers for the Edmonton Journal believes Phil Kessel fits the bill if Arizona eats half his contract.
  • A second round pick is a more suitable return to a team that views Georgiev as their future starter. Keep an eye on the Red Wings, Senators, and Coyotes. All three have multiple second round selections in the 2022 draft.
  • … the Penguins also have an aging roster and could look to move veterans at the deadline or draft. Dan Kingerski believes the emergence of Evan Rodrigues will impact Kaperi Kapanen and Jason Zucker. Is it possible that GM Ron Hextall sees them as expendable?
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Kessel/Kane, World Cup, and the Latest NHL Rumors!

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Lowetide.ca

  • I’ve been thinking about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and chemistry. It seems to me that most agree that Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi are a good duo and Leon Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto has been magic for some time. Zach Hyman has joined the band and perhaps he can slide in there somewhere.

BLH’s Thoughts: For what it’s worth, Yamamoto and Draisaitl were magic for 392 minutes in the 2019/20 season. Ever since then, Yamo’s been a drag on Leon in nearly every publicly available advanced metric aside from GF%, therefore it’s abundantly clear to me that Yamamoto is completely dependent on Draisaitl for any sort of offense he can muster up, which at the moment is f*ck all. Maybe it’s time to get Killer in a more suitable role before anything good about him shrivels up and turns to dust… 

You’ll need to click the link above and head over to LT’s site to read the rest of his post but basically the point he was getting across is that at 5v5  Edmonton’s big boys (97, 13, 56, 29) score well when they play with him but RNH only scores well when he’s with Leon and Killer…

Zack Kassian also scores better with Nuge than both Pulju and Yamamoto, so this leads me to wonder if a third line of Hyman, Nuge, and Kassian would move the needle somewhat? 

The Score

McDavid calls for best-on-best tourney after NHL’s Olympic opt-out
  • “They pushed the Summer Olympics back one year, maybe that happens again this year,” McDavid said while meeting with the media, according to Oilers beat reporter Tony Brar. “Obviously it’s not looking that way, I think we do need to find a way to get a best-on-best tournament done at some point here.
  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on “Insider Trading” earlier this month that there won’t be a World Cup of Hockey in February as there isn’t enough time to plan for an event of that scale.

BLH’s Thoughts: I agree with Connor here. The NHL does need to find a way to get a best-on-best tournament going, but unfortunately that’s going to be a tough ask with The ‘Vid spiking again. Maybe in the summer of ’22 they could try and organize one somewhere in the States where folks seem to be pretty lax about COVID. Perhaps by then the powers that be will have a better grasp on Omicron or the next variant and its impact on the public health system. If it’s deemed that we’re over the hump and the most dangerous part of this experience is over, you’d like to think that the world could start getting back to some semblance of normality. 

Spector’s Hockey

  • Luke Fox believes the Toronto Maple Leafs will find a way to re-sign goaltender Jack Campbell as one of his three bold predictions for the club in 2022. Doing so, however, could mean attempting to trade or buy out Petr Mrazek or moving someone like Jake Muzzin or Alex Kerfoot.
  • EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson recently speculated the Oilers could make a strong play for winger Phil Kessel if the Arizona Coyotes would retain half of his salary. He cited Kessel’s two Stanley Cups playing with stars in Pittsburgh.
  • SPORTSNET: Mark Spector suggested the Oilers could attempt to trade goaltender Mikko Koskinen by the trade deadline if Mike Smith returns to action and plays well in the New Year. If not, they could put Smith on LTIR and ride it out with Koskinen and Stuart Skinner.
  • SPORTSNET: Iain MacIntyre suggested Brock Boeser could be the Vancouver Canucks’ most vulnerable core player as part of his three bold 2022 predictions… MacIntyre points out they can’t afford that figure ($7.5M) as a launch point on a new contract if they also hope to re-sign Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller in 2023 and Elias Pettersson in 2024. “Something has to give. Or someone has to go”.

BLH’s Thoughts: Kessel would be an excellent candidate to put on Leon’s wing but am I not wrong in thinking Philly Hot Dog has some sort of trade protection? If I am, why in the world would he go to Edmonton if Vegas is right there and I’m sure I heard that’s where he wanted to go in the summer…

Edmonton better get movin’ on this trade stuff because Vegas is going to beat them to both Evander Kane and Phil Kessel before the season is out… 

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