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

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Is This the Russian Defender the Oilers Need?

December 20, 2021 Beer League Hero

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!

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Oilersnation

A Look Into Potential Left-Defenceman Targets for the Oilers

Jakob Chychrun

He’s an excellent top-four defenceman. Although Chychrun went on an unsustainable shooting% heater last year, similar to Darnell Nurse, Chychrun’s underlying numbers have been exceptional. He can drive and suppress scoring chances at a high rate.

Shayne Gostisbehere

Gostisbehere used to be a prominent two-way defenceman at 5v5 in Philadelphia from 2015-2018. However, at this stage of his career, he seems like a player that excels primarily at special teams, which is really not the type of player that Edmonton needs.

Ben Chiarot

Per Corey Szjadner (@ShutdownLine on Twitter, he manually tracks individual microstats), Chiarot’s zone denial rates rank in the 20-30th percentiles among defencemen. To make matters even worse, he takes a lot of penalties.

Vladislav Gavrikov

Gavrikov is a fairly average offensive defenceman, but he is excellent defensively at suppressing both goals and chances against. Per Corey Szjadner, his zone denial rates rank in the 70-80th percentiles among defencemen. In addition, his rate of playing time against difficuly competition is roughly at the level of the average 2nd pair defenceman.

Jake McCabe

Jake McCabe is a superb defensive defenceman… Playing at a high rate against elite competition on poor teams like Buffalo and Chicago, and posting these defensive results is an impressive feat. He’s under contract at $4M for four more years, which is a pretty decent deal.

BLH’s Thoughts: Looking at Edmonton’s group of defensemen that are on hand right now and attempting to project those dmen into the playoffs, I’m thinking you want defenders that suppress zone entries and scoring chances against and by Lewis’ descriptions above, that means Jake McCabe and Vladislav Gavrikov.

No disrespect to Chychrun, but why in the world is a talent like that even available? He’s on a very good contract for Arizona and he’s not even 25 yet! The Coyotes would be off their rocker to move him… Unless! There’s something going on behind the scenes that isn’t publicly known yet, like an injury or a trade request.

My feeling is that McCabe isn’t going anywhere. He’s young and signed for quite a while and the Hawks are going to need him along with Connor Murphy and Seth Jones to lead their defense into the future.

I know that Calvin De Haan isn’t as good, but he sounds more like the type Ken Holland would bring in plus the Oilers have had their eyes on Marc-Andre Fleury for a couple of years now.

Gavrikov… I gotta be honest. I don’t know a lot about the guy. He was in the game against the Oilers the other day and maintained a 56% SF% and wasn’t on the ice for an even strength goal in 16:30 of 5v5 TOI. So considering the Blue Jackets lost that game 5-2, that’s really decent. Aged 26 years, two more years at $2.8M, and he’s 6’3″ 213lbs. There’s a lot to like there I think. Why would Columbus let him go though?…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aexGoawGFvk

Lowetide.ca

The Draisaitl line has been bleeding goals recently, Leon is 2-8 goals at five-on-five in the last four games. On the other hand, Draisaitl is one of the greatest players in the league and Yamamoto (0-4 in those games) was 62-38 in five-on-five on ice goals over the last two seasons.

BLH’s Thoughts: If I’m reading that 5v5 goals stat right, it sounds like Yamo’s riding Leon’s coattails there a bit. Actually that stat is for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons and this year his 5v5 on ice goals differential is 14-20 and below is what the stat looks like if you modify it to the “relative” form which would separate Killer from his teammates to let us know how much he, as an individual, impacted the game in that certain metric.

2019/20 GF/GA per 60: 1.96/-0.86 (The “heater” year)

2020/21 GF/GA per 60: 0.01/-0.94 (Offensive slump begins)

2021/22 GF/GA per 60: -0.42/0.11 (Production left a Dear John letter on the table)

If one or both of RNH or Yamamoto could find his offense again, the line would be deadly, but the way things are trending, I wonder if Warren Foegele might get a longer look in the top-six (weird how he gets going when he’s playing with a proper NHL center, eh?) and as a result Nuge gets moved to 3C…

If RNH stays on Leon’s wing, the Drai line could use a little KY to get it going, if you know what I mean…

The Daily Goal Horn

“Arizona GM Bill Armstrong refused to comment when asked, but it now sounds like the Coyotes are gauging the market on Jakob Chychrun,” Elliotte Friedman recently reported. I’ve heard the ask is massive, but that doesn’t mean opponents are running away. He’s signed for three more years at a very reasonable $4.6 million AAV and is a terrific player. This is one to watch.”
“A few teams have expressed interest (in Jonathan Klingberg) and contacted the Dallas Stars,” Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek said in late November. “The one team we know that has called are the Carolina Hurricanes… a team that’s always looking for a quality hockey player.”
“Edmonton is considering three areas,” Friedman said on his latest podcast. “Goalie, and Mike Smith’s health could determine that. Left defense, and third line center are what he’s looking at.”

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

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

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “His size and skill make him a strong option for McDavid and Draisaitl…”

December 19, 2021 Beer League Hero

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The Hockey Writers

Oilers’ 3 Early Christmas Gifts for 2021-22 Season

(Evan) Bouchard has produced offensively despite not being given top power-play time. He’s currently second among defencemen in points on the team with 16, one behind Tyson Barrie, who gets the time on the best power play in the NHL. Bouchard has been very efficient for what opportunity he’s been given to put up points, recording 14 at even strength.
Markus Niemelainen has been the most impressive defensive prospect recalled from the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League (AHL) team.
Matvei Petrov may be one of the biggest steals of the 2021 NHL Draft… In 29 games, Petrov is third in the league in points (49)…
Xavier Bourgault is the player chosen in the first round by the Oilers in the aforementioned 2021 NHL draft, 22nd overall… Bourgault ranks ninth in points with 42 in 24 games, despite playing fewer games than the players above him.
The Oilers have the No. 1 power play in the league at 31.5 percent, 0.9 percent ahead of second-place Toronto Maple Leafs despite struggling a ton on their recent six-game losing streak.
The team also has a good penalty kill at ninth in the NHL at 82.8 percent. Anything better than 80 percent is typically considered above average.

BLH’s Thoughts: On Christmas, I hope the Oilers open up their gifts and find more bottom-six scoring, healthier defense, and maybe an early return to the game for Dylan Holloway.

What about you? What do you wish for? Let me know on Twitter @beerleagueheroe!

The Athletic

7 AHL trade targets that could immediately improve Oilers’ NHL forward depth

Cody Glass was the first draft pick in the history of the Golden Knights and as has been the case with most of the selections by the expansion outfit, Vegas traded him before he could get established as an NHL player… High-end skill needs high-end skill and even if this player ends up on the wing, his size (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) and skill (4-15-19 in 21 AHL games) might make him a strong option for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on one of the top lines.
Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks is trying to get back into the NHL. He is currently playing for the AHL affiliate (Barracuda) and having success. In three AHL games, he has scored 1-4-5 and looked ready for a bigger challenge.
David Gustafsson is a centre with size who is in the final year of his entry-level deal with the Jets… a forward who can win battles, make plays with the puck and has an idea about positioning.
Matias Maccelli of the Arizona Coyotes is in the second year of his entry-level deal… Maccelli is posting 7-12-19 through 19 games, including 3-6-9 on the power play. He’s a natural left winger and will be applying for NHL work on a skill line.
Valtteri Puustinen is an undersized skill winger in the Pittsburgh Penguins system. At 5-foot-9, 183 pounds, scouting reports have him as a plus shooter with good not great speed… Puustinen has scored 6-7-13 in 21 games in the AHL this season after two highly productive campaigns in Finland’s Liiga.
Evan Barratt is a lefty centre in the Chicago Blackhawks system with average size (6-feet, 188 pounds) but enough skill to have a chance in the NHL if development continues.
Zach Senyshyn of the Boston Bruins is a famous prospect because of the wild 2015 draft… Senyshyn may not be an NHL talent but if he can post more than three shots a game with a shooting percentage over 10, he might be able to fill a role on an NHL team.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yeah, small skilled Euros who don’t skate well… I don’t see Holland scooping any of those up for his NHL squad.

However, I do recall watching the Gustafsson fella prior and nothing how difficult he seemed to be to play against. Not sure if he’s a realistic option this year with McLeod and Ryan seemingly having 3C and 4C wrapped up. Maybe in the future though, we’ll see.

Evander Kane, I’d be flabbergasted if the Oilers took a chance on him. He needs to go to a veteran-laden lineup with very few young players to be influenced or Vegas, who don’t seem to give a shit who’s on their team as long as he can play.

Cody Glass?… I’ll pass. He came out of the Portland Winterhawks system and they’ve got a history of pumping up their high-end prospects’ values in their draft years. He might have size and skill, but I don’t see a player who’d thrive in Edmonton’s system. The Oilers are pretty sorted in the roles and positions he can play, are they not?

The Daily Goal Horn

#7 Anton Khudobin (G), Dallas Stars
Notes: 2020 Playoff Hero is on the outs in Dallas and just cleared waivers. Teams are interested but some salary will need to be retained.
#10 Jake DeBrusk (F), Boston Bruins
Notes: DeBrusk made his trade request public, now the Bruins are looking to facilitate a move but only for equal value.
#13 Joonas Korpisalo (G), Columbus Blue Jackets
Notes: Columbus committed to Elvis Merzlikins as their #1, Korpisalo is now expendable. He could be a trade deadline rental.
#16 Marc-Andre Fleury (G), Chicago Blackhawks
Notes: MAF is playing really well for the Blackhawks and his name is now climbing up the trade bait boards.

BLH’s Thoughts: Fleury’s the only one on this list that would help AND is a realistic acquisition target for the team. That said, the better he plays, the higher his price tag gets…

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

Edmonton Oilers Gameday Reviews: Oilers Krak One Off in Seattle With McLovin’ Leading the Way

December 19, 2021 Beer League Hero

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Cult of Hockey

Player grades: Short-staffed Oilers overcome absences, two-goal deficit to grind down Kraken

#97 Connor McDavid, 8. Robbed of his regular wingers he just went out his business and played a strong two-way game… Oilers’ best on the dot at 10/16=63%. Full value for his 1-1-2, +2.
#70 Colton Sceviour, 8. His night got off to a rough start when he got drilled right in the numbers into the boards by Jeremy Lauzon, a blatant and dangerous infraction that somehow was missed by both referees… The Oilers outshot Seattle 10-2 (high danger chances 4-0) on his watch, with 5 of those shots coming off Sceviour’s own stick.
#37 Warren Foegele, 8. Finally given a real chance in the top six this week, and has responded with a series of strong games. This may have been the best of them, with a pair of hard-working goals in nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
#65 Cooper Marody, 6. His first NHL game since the man who acquired him, Peter Chiarelli, was Oilers GM… He responded to his 6 minutes of opportunity when he made a high-skill play to recover a stray puck along the side wall and feed it to Bouchard who blasted it home, resulting in Marody’s first NHL point.
#23 Seth Griffith, 6. Emergency recall played his 80th NHL game but his first in four seasons… His signature moment came on the 3-2 when he crashed the boards hard to win a puck to McDavid; said puck proceeded forthwith into the blue paint, then the back of the net.
#20 Slater Koekkoek, 6. The one piece of good news on the manpower front was Koekkoek’s return from Injured Reserve after a full month on the sidelines… Hard to argue with shot attempts to 19-11, shots of 10-7, and especially goals of 3-0 on his watch.
#16 Tyler Benson, 6. Responded with a fine performance that included a couple of sharp passes and persistent strong work in the tough areas. Dished out a couple of hits and was on the receiving end of a couple as well, but took them to make the play.
#42 Brendan Perlini, 6. Elevated to Draisaitl’s wing and responded with a workmanlike effort. 2 shots, 4 hits, and some strong skating.
#56 Kailer Yamamoto, 6. Just his second assist of the season, and his first shot on net in 8 games for that matter. 5 shot attempts in all, and a more engaged game.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve found that in these two most recent victories that Edmonton’s bottom-six has been a major catalyst for the wins. My only question is, why did it take so long for them to show up?

Three highlights stick out in my mind from this game,

#56’s clapper from the high slot on one of Edmonton’s powerplays lead to a rebound which Warren Foegele sniped home.

Yamamoto draping himself all over Jordan Eberle and somehow not getting called for a penalty. Ebs was beside himself by the end of his shift and I was left wondering how Killer got away with about five different infractions.

Killer’s backcheck on Brandon Tanev’s shorthanded breakaway. He did just enough to take most of that shot away from Tanev.

Yamamoto was much better and not just a penalty drawer in this one. He asserted his will on this game and was rewarded for it, more or less.

That said, not every game can be at home for Kailer and everybody will be looking for him to build on that performance.

Not that this means anything but the Oilers are 2-1-0 under Glen Gulutzan and Jim Playfair and the bottom six has been given extra TOI and trust which has been repaid in effort and goals. I will be looking to see if this stays the same when Dave Tippett returns from COVID protocol…

Sportsnet

Undermanned Oilers rally together for invigorating win over Kraken

Minus half of their top-six forwards and trailing 2-0 not 10 minutes into the game, the Oilers ground out a comeback win with impressive work ethic and structure that simply overran the Seattle Kraken.
The Oilers never stopped coming at the Kraken, outshooting them 41-17 in a 5-3 win despite a bunch of recent losses to COVID protocol and playing one forward shy of a full lineup.
Foegele, who had snapped a 20-game goal-less skid the game prior, popped two.
And Colton Sceviour, a fourth-line banger who answered the call with a short-staffed lineup, played 14:31 and had five shots on net and a goal.
Darnell Nurse was a horse on the back end, logging another 25:38 of ice time. Nurse played the final 3:51 of the game without going off.
In all, the Oilers had 73 shots attempts to Seattle’s 30. The ice was tilted all night long…

BLH’s Thoughts: Slater Koekkoek had himself a decent game considering he hadn’t played for a month.

The Kraken’s defense looked a bit lost without Jamie Oleksiak but Vince Dunn found a way to keep himself entertained by attaching his hip to Connor McDavid’s. I’m surprised more teams don’t get in Connor’s face more often seeing as it has to be known league-wide that he’s instructed the ruffians on is team not to retaliate if somebody takes liberties with him.

Is it me or is Colton Sceviour earning himself another contract with the Oilers right now. Somebody called him this year’s Devin Shore and it’s hard to argue with that right now.

I’m not confident that the NHL isn’t going to shut ‘er down until after Christmas or longer, but if the Oilers get to continue playing, Seth Griffith intrigues me. He brought a bit of grit and sandpaper to Edmonton’s lineup and his hit on the Kraken dman lead to Sceviour’s goal. I do wonder if he gets some extra time while the regulars are in COVID protocol?

I still don’t think Cooper Marody is an NHLer but good for him for getting on the scoresheet last night. That little move along the boards to get the puck up to Bouchard with a Seattle player on his back, it was a really clever play.

Last point, when Stu Skinner made that post-to-post save on Jared McCann, did your groin muscle split in half too?

Spector’s Hockey

GOPHNX.COM: Craig Morgan believes Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong is probably listening to offers rather than actively shopping Chychrun. He noted the New York Islanders inquired about the blueliner during the offseason.
- Morgan doesn’t rule out Armstrong shopping Chychrun and some of the club’s middle-core players (Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse and Christian Fischer) as the reality of the club’s rebuild starts to set in for some of them.

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