Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

Edmonton Sun (Jim Matheson)

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OILERS NOTES: Mike Smith is a big fan of Zach Hyman’s competitive fire

• Goalies watch the puck, but also guys on other teams… And Mike Smith has seen more than enough of Zach Hyman in the Edmonton Oilers’ latest games against Toronto to know the winger is exactly what they need in their top-six…
  • “I’ve hated playing against Zach. He was kind of an Oiler killer this season. Every time he’s on the ice, you know he’s out there. He’s kind of the driving force on whatever line he’s on. He’s one of those players you hate to play against but you want them on your team. Hopefully we land him. Not too many players bring that kind of energy to a hockey team,” said Smith.
• Smith was tickled to have Duncan Keith added to the mix in a Chicago trade.
  • “He’s an elite defenceman who will bring a calmness to our D core. I really believe adding veteran players is important to the growth of young guys. He can solidify the defence on the left side and I’m sure he’ll help the young guys develop,”
• The Oilers passed on goalie Jesper Wallstedt at No. 20, but TSN’s scouting savant Craig Button is an Xavier Bourgault fan.
  • “Really strong two-way player, intense and competitive like (Jean-Gabriel) Pageau. Invested in the areas where the game is hard, he doesn’t play on the outside. Smart in his game like (Patrice) Bergeron, a lower-case Bergeron. He’s not exactly those guys but his approach is similar.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I love that Smith is 100% on board with what Ken Holland is doing this summer. He’s a major influencer in the Oilers locker room and he’s also somebody who doesn’t give two shits about what the fans have to say. The players get it because they’re the ones on the battlefield and that’s something the fans and chart makers will never understand.

Man, if Bourgault’s floor is JG Pageau and his ceiling is Patrice Bergeron, the Oilers are in good shape and it will help me forget about the team passing on a future no.1 goalie. 

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Edmonton Sun (Craig Ellingson)

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Oil Spills: Oilers free-agency primer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=76&v=wd-ZHMDDhwk&feature=emb_logo

• Who the Oilers can target to replace Adam Larsson, who surprisingly signed with the Seattle Kraken earlier this week just prior to the NHL Expansion Draft.
• The prospect of bringing back Tyson Barrie, last season’s regular-season points leader among NHL defencemen.
• Options among the bottom-six forwards.
• Goaltending, specifically the Mikko Koskinen situation.

BLH’s Thoughts: So, basically the answers to those questions from Matheson are:

• David Savard, Erik Johnson Travis Hamonic, or internal solutions like Philip Broberg or Dmitri Samorukov. 
  • Matheson speculated that the Oilers could find a way to get the Avs to retain $2M on Johnson in a trade because they’re looking to transition their defense to a younger group.
• The Oilers CAN bring Barrie back but they have Evan Bouchard already in the lineup and he’s an offensive dman as well. The team would still need a right-shot shutdown defenseman. 
• The Oilers would take Khaira back at 900k but are prepared to lose him via free agency. They need a third line center but that might cost upwards of $3.5M/yr.
• The Oilers are going to really pursue Linus Ullmark hard. Tristan Jarry (PIT) and Korpisalo (CBJ) are also in Edmonton’s range of the kind of netminder they’re looking for. 

Is this the summer that Ken Holland hits all his targets after missing on some big ones last year? He’s already brought in Duncan Keith, Zach Hyman looks to be a certainty, and all that’s left is Linus Ullmark and that right-shot defender whoever that may be. 

Now, every year there’s a move that doesn’t turn out, the problem is, those holes that Ken Holland is trying to fill are incredibly important areas and the team really cannot afford to shit the bed in any of them this upcoming season. 

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NHLRumors.com

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• Chris Johnston: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on a potential Zach Hyman sign-and-trade with the Edmonton Oilers:
  • “I know that there’s a narrative that we should just get something, but when you’re saving a team significant dollars on the salary cap that comes with a cost, and we’re not going to bend on that.”
• John Gambadoro: The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks did talk about goaltender Braden Holtby being a part of their trade.
  • Darcy Kuemper has been getting interest. The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the main teams interested. It would make sense for the Coyotes to explore Holtby.
• Dan Kingerski: The Boston Bruins are among the teams interested in Kuemper.

BLH’s Thoughts: Good on Dubas for standing pat. He feels like getting nothing instead of something for Hyman is the right thing to do and I’m all for it. I don’t think Holland should be paying to get the LWers rights anyhow. 

I wonder if Holtby could be a target for Edmonton should they fail to acquire a younger goalie? Maybe a Koskinen/Holtby swap would make sense?

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

The Athletic (Corey Pronman)

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Oilers’ 2021 NHL Draft picks: Grades, fit and full scouting reports

• 2021 Draft Grade: D+
  • This Oilers class is not my personal favorite. Xavier Bourgault is a great prospect and I think he will be a good NHL player. After him, though, I have questions. I think other teams were on Luca Munzenberger, but a third-round pick was rich for me. Some of their late forward picks have chances to make it, but I think this draft will likely just come down to Bourgault and how good he can become.
• I like this fit a lot, as (Xavier) Bourgault is a dynamic skill players, which is something they don’t have a ton of in their system, even if off the puck he needs a lot of work.
• (Luca) Muzenberger is a big, intelligent defenseman who can make a good number of stops and makes a good first pass.
• Jake Chiasson is a forward who can play center or wing and is a very good passer, showing the ability to make creative feeds and find a lot of seams. 
• (Matvei) Petrov has a chance due to his skill and scoring, but he will have to add elements to play in the NHL.
• Shane Lachance is an intriguing talent. He’s 6-4, has great puck skills and vision. His skating is a major work in progress though and his effort can be inconsistent.
• Max Wanner is a big defenseman who defends well at the junior level, but lacks dimensions in his skating and skill that will allow him to transport and move pucks at higher levels.

BLH’s Thoughts: Ouch… a D+ from Pronman… But to be honest, they deserve that grade. 

Ideally teams want to get at least two NHL players from every draft and I’ll be shocked if the Oilers get one out of this year’s crop. Skating should be the no.1 thing a scout looks at when projecting these prospects and if the team takes a player who needs work in that aspect, they’d better well have something else in their toolbox that is elite. With Lachance, Wanner, and Munzenberger, I haven’t really read anything in their online profiles that tell me they have something that will overcome their skating. 

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The Cult of Hockey (Bruce McCurdy)

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Edmonton Oilers 2021 draft wrap: A mishmash of prospects and projects in a difficult draft cycle

• The Oilers stayed on the straight and narrow in Round One, drafting right-shot centre Xavier Bourgault from the Quebec League, then spent much of Day 2 straying far from the board.
• The club followed its well-established practice of picking more mature prospects in the early going, as both of their top two choices were “late birthdays”. 

Some eye-opening comparisons for new Edmonton Oilers F Xavier Bourgault: 9 Things

• 9. I expect Ken Holland is going to spend some dough in the next week on 2 gaps in his roster, 2RD and 3LW. Re-signing Tyson Barrie would mean 3 puck-moving D on that right side. I think one needs to be a shutdown/PK type of guy. And I have a feeling Ryan McLeod may get a shot at 3C.

BLH’s Thoughts: There’s a lot of inference amongst the pundits that if Tyson Barrie is re-signed, Ethan Bear will be moved. I’m not against the move, but those right-shot dmen are so damned valuable. Holland should be able to get his Larsson replacement by using Bear as trade bait. *Couch* John Klingberg *Cough*

I’m willing to bet that with a summer of training and a full preseason that Ryan McLeod will easily win the 3C position if the Oilers don’t sign someone for the spot.

Now, the problem they’ll run into is winning faceoffs. McLeod isn’t great at taking them right now and that’ll mean Leon Draisaitl will have to come on for them or the Oilers will need to sign a 4C who can win draws. 

• 8. With the cap flat and elite players still getting paid, it will be critical to have ELC’s (like McLeod) filling spots in your lineup. I wonder of that reality may challenge Ken Holland’s tendency to over-ripen. It just may not be as do-able in a cap world as it was in his earlier days in Detroit.

BLH’s Thoughts: I still think Holland can continue with that policy. The Oilers don’t have to always use their ELC players to save cash. Why not just sign or trade for some capable bottom six forwards or defensemen? There’s a lot more risk in ruining a prospects development by going to other route… 

• 7. Darnell Nurse’s next contract with the Oilers was always going to at least start with at least a 7. But the yardsticks have moved, folks. Get used to hearing the number “8” associated with Nurse. And if you don’t like that, fine, who would you replace him with then? Because you’ll need to.

BLH’s Thoughts: We’ve been hearing that nurse will be asking for $8M/yr for a few years now, so this isn’t any surprise. What might be a shock is that the number will most likely start with a nine and get worked down into the eights. 

• 3. I do believe that the Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of signing Zach Hyman. But I’ve seen just enough funny things happen on the way to the Forum, I’ll wait to celebrate until he’s actually wearing the jersey in a Zoom call… Toronto did demand a 2^nd Round pick in order to seal the trade & sign…  it sure doesn’t sound like Kyle Dubas is interested in helping another team out with their cap situation. That of course is his prerogative. But these things have a way of coming around again. Meanwhile, don’t be surprised if Holland just waits out the clock and settles for 7 years.

BLH’s Thoughts: I am very curious to know how Kyle Dubas’ decision not to help out the Oilers will bite him in the ass down the road. If Stan Bowman can stand pat, send Duncan Keith to the Oilers sans salary retention, and not receive any flack for it, how’s Dubas going to be punished for doing the right thing for his club?

• 1. Maybe Jesper Wallstedt would have become a franchise netminder here, had the Oilers picked him. He’s a good goalie. But 18 others teams didn’t take Wallstedt, either. Was it because they were concerned with his relative lack of athleticism? Is he vulnerable to the lateral pass? Did his softer second-half spark worries about conditioning? Maybe all 3?

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• Greg Wyshynski: Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said that they “have gotten closer” on a Dougie Hamilton contract extension after Hamilton went out to see what the market may offer him.
• Andy Strickland: The St. Louis Blues are interested in re-signing forward Mike Hoffman. It won’t be easy to re-sign him while they have Vladimir Tarasenko’s $7.5 million contract on the books.
• Charlie O’Connor: Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher: “We wanted to get ahead of free agency. Could control the price points. But we still have work to do. Have to add a goalie. I’d look at another D and another F to add depth but we want to give young players a chance as well.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I dig what the Flyers have done. They got rid of Voracek’s ridiculous contract in return for Cam Atkinson, a winger who’s been good for 20+ goals going back almost a decade. To me, that’s a bloody steal. They’re going head into the next season with one of the most complete defenses in the league where players will be slotted correctly and on top of that, the new acquisitions are coming out of losing markets (apart from Ryan Ellis), they’re going to be absolutely jacked to play for the Flyers. 

Philly is going to surprise many next season. Mark my words. Their window is now and I believe they’ll do very well.

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

The Athletic (Daniel Nugent-Bowman)

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Mike Smith is ‘very motivated’ after his latest contract, and have the Oilers taken the next Darnell Nurse? Oilers draft day notebook

• Smith is 39 and the Oilers signed him for two years. Part of that was to get a lower annual cap hit on a player they see as part of their leadership group. But part of that is they believe he can capably fulfill the deal.
• Getting the second year on the deal was important to him. He knows this very well could be his last NHL contract. Smith said he always wanted to play next season, so it wasn’t Edmonton or bust. But he really wanted to return to the team.
• “The day I got home after we got eliminated this year, we had a family meeting and I told the kids, ‘Dad wouldn’t be away for that long a period of time ever again.’ We’ll definitely be back in Edmonton as a family this year,” Smith said.

BLH’s Thoughts: Family has been a real theme this weekend. Numerous brothers were united via draft or trade and some pundits are speculating that the pain of Adam Larsson’s father passing in Edmonton was part of the reason he wanted to move on. Also, Jake Chiasson is the nephew of former NHL dman, Doug Lidster and Shane Lachance is the son of former NY Islander Scott Lachance. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing an older Oilers team next season. The club has been relying on its youth for more than ten years to get them by and that plan has not gone well until recent. 

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The Edmonton Sun (Rob Tychkowski)

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Hands tied, Edmonton Oilers make the best of limited draft picks

• This wasn’t a great draft for the Oilers, but we all knew that six months ago. Having lost the third round pick in the James Neal deal, the second rounder to get nine games out of Andreas Athanasiou and the fifth rounder for Tyler Ennis, they knew going in that this wasn’t going to provide the same kind of windfall they’ve enjoyed in the past.
• No household names there, but with COVID-19 throwing a major wrench into the scouting process for the past 18 months, this could be the year a lot of very good players emerge from the late rounds.

BLH’s Thoughts: If the Oilers don’t come away with at least one NHL player from this draft, the scouting team has a built in excuse, COVID-19. 

Honestly though, I don’t think this year’s crop will yield many stars. Things really started to drop off after the first round and that’s when teams started throwing darts at the draft board. They’ll say they had their eyes on the guys the picked but for the amount of leagues that were shut down, I have a hard time believing them. 

So, at the end of the day, I’m not going to get too upset of the job the Oilers did this weekend. What’s more important is how they handle the rest of the off-season and free agency is set to open in a few days. 

Fun Fact: The second rounder that went to Detroit for Andreas Athanasiou was flipped to the Islanders who took Karpat winger and one-time 1st overall projected prospect, Aatu Raty. 

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Lowetide.ca

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HARVEST MOON 2021

 

• The 2021 draft feels like two drafts in one to this observer. Three picks (Xavier Bourgault, Jake Chiasson and Matvey Petrov) are classic NHL picks, players who could turn pro in a couple of years and be NHL-ready any time after the end of their draft plus two season.
• The three other selections, Luca Munzenberger, Shane Lachance and Maximus Wanner, appear to me as something close to ‘draft and follow’ picks. What do I mean by that? Well, I think the Oilers see something in each of these men, but what we see today doesn’t line up with things we associate with a typical selection. Munzenberger had a big WJ’s, Lachance spiked during the year and Wanner impressed in very few games. That’s how I see it.

BLH’s Thoughts: Connor McDavid has five years left on his deal, Leon Draisaitl has four, this year’s draft crop and next year’s really need to hit because the club will need players on the ELC to be able to be impact NHLers in order to be able to afford giving raises to the two superstars. 

I think Bourgault looks promising, but the rest of this year’s class I feel a tad underwhelmed with. I imagine as I read up on them more and hear what the pundits around Edmonton have to say on them that I’ll feel better though.

That said, Petrov intrigues me. He was drafted 1st overall in the CHL import draft by North Bay (OHL). I think the knock on him is his skating needs work and his two-way game needs to come around more. Edmonton can afford to wait on him until he’s 23 or 24 though, so those challenges will have a lot of time to be ironed out. 

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From Spector’s Hockey

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NHL Rumor Mill – July 24, 2021

• DAILY FACEOFF: The Colorado Avalanche, Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs have expressed an interest in Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper. He’s a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility and doesn’t intend to re-sign. The asking price is a first-round pick but that could be lowered considering the Carolina Hurricanes got Jonathan Bernier and a third-round from the Detroit Red Wings for Alex Nedeljkovic.
• The Anaheim Ducks are listening to offers for Josh Manson, who’s a year away from UFA eligibility. They seek a first-round pick as part of the return. Moving him would leave a big gap on their blueline.
• Wingers Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault could be available as the Vegas Golden Knights attempt to balance their forward lines. Smith can become a UFA next summer while Marchessault has three years left on his deal with an annual average value of $5 million. They could also listen on physical winger Ryan Reaves.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers are definitely talking to the Ducks about Josh Manson or I should say that they’re in talks again about him. At the trade deadline this year Edmonton inquired but Anaheim wanted to package Rickard Rakell with the dman in order to maximize the return and the Oilers didn’t have the assets to get it done. Or so I’m told. 

If Holland is going to get himself a replacement for Adam Larsson, it sounds like he might have to pay a premium or stick with what he’s got. What I was told over the weekend was that prices have skyrocketed on both the free agency front and the trade market.

The talk on Kuemper has died down again and I’m not sure Ken Holland wants to get into that bidding war if the price starts at a first rounder.

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From The Athletic (Lowetide)

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Lowetide: Ideal targets for the Oilers on Day 2 of the 2021 draft

At No. 90, Edmonton could go any number of ways, but forwards will likely remain a target. At that number, here are three players who might be available and would offer substantial value:

• RW Olivier Nadeau, Shawinigan Cataractes: Bourgault’s teammate led the team in scoring and has a skill set (big power winger with plus passing skills) that fits an area of need.
• LC Jakub Brabenec, Brno: Tall and thin (6-foot-1, 167 pounds) he has plenty of room to grow. He’s skilled, a great passer and has good speed.
• LW Eric Alarie, Moose Jaw Warriors: He has a power forward’s size and some scoring numbers that suggest he’ll score at the pro level.
• Alexei Kolosov is a teenage goaltender who played well during a KHL audition in 2020-21.
• LC Victor Stjernborg is a little undersized and will need to add strength but played in 30 SHL games during the 2020-21 season…
• Watch for overage puck-mover Janis Moser, who could be a late-round steal.
• His (Bourgault’s) comparable players from the past include a mixed bag of talents (Ryan Johnson, Sam Steel), but the comparable who Oilers fans might be most familiar with is Robert Thomas.

BLH’s Thoughts: Since this will be the late post today and the draft will be over by the time this gets published, I’ll just leave LT’s suggestions here.

For what it’s worth, Corey Pronman did a full seven round draft and here’s who he had slotted in Edmonton’s remaining picks with the players I’d probably like better in brackets who he has picked after his selection for the Oilers. 

90 – Tristan Lennox, G, Saginaw-OHL (Liam Dower Nilsson, C, Frolunda-Sweden Jr.)
116 – Nikolai Makarov, LHD, CSKA-MHL (Manix Landry, C, Gatineau-QMJHL)
180 – David Gucciardi, LHD, Waterloo-USHL (Florian Elias, C, Mannheim-DEL)
186 – Justin Janicke, LW, U.S. NTDP-USHL (Jimi Suomi, LHD, Jokerit-Finland Jr.)
212 – Talyn Boyko, G, Tri-City-WHL (Bryce Montgomery, RHD, London-OHL)

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From Sportsnet (Mark Spector)

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Oilers play it safe with decision to pick Bourgault, pass on Wallstedt

• (Tyler) Wright would never say it, but one got the impression that if Edmonton Oil King Sebastien Cossa had been available, they would have opted for the goaler ahead of the forward. But that’s a sense, not a for sure.
• The third-round pick accrued on Saturday will give the Oilers picks in Rounds 3, 4, 6 (2) and 7. That third-rounder might be quite a study in this weird draft, a pandemic lottery conducted by scouts who had very few viewings of some of these players since March of 2020.

BLH’s Thoughts: Who knows why the Oilers decided to pass on Wallstedt? I imagine that Holland has some very good sources in Sweden that’d be able to give him all the information he needs. I mean Wallstedt lived down the street from Niklas Lidstrom… 

I will be very interested in how the rest of this draft pans out. I wonder if Holland will continue to trade down and accrue more picks? It wouldn’t be a terrible plan at all considering the uncertainty of this year’s class. 

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From Lowetide.ca

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OILERS AT 22: XAVIER BOURGAULT

• I had him No. 14. This is the kind of selection Edmonton badly needed, and continues the run of six skill forwards we saw one year ago. His goal-scoring ability (20-20-40 in 29 games) is clear and he is a volume shooter (3.7 shots per game). He posted 1.38 points-per-game and has an NHLE of 32.1 points-per-82 games.Red Line Report: Smooth, fluid skater is very deceptive with the puck on his stick. Excellent speed and puckhandling ability. Soft hands for both giving and receiving passes. He’s a finisher from the circles in – accurate shot and doesn’t need much time or space. Can beat defenders off the rush with slick moves that he makes at top gear. Thinking man’s attacker.

BLH’s Thoughts: LT is a man of the math and whereas I’m not so much, I do trust the work that Lowetide puts into his forecasts and prognostications. 

The fact of the matter is, the Oilers need more skilled forwards in their system and GoGo (that’s what I’m calling him now) is just that. 

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From the Edmonton Sun (Rob Tychkowski)

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Polarizing moves part of Edmonton Oilers master plan

• The organization is at a fork in the road that everyone knew was coming, and it’s not a subtle one. This deep into the careers of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse, the only two paths left are Stanley Cup contention and abject failure.
• Hyman’s deal with Edmonton is either seven or eight years, which, of course, is too long. Everyone knows that.
• But who cares what it looks like in seven or eight years? If the Oilers win a Stanley Cup or two between now and then, it won’t matter.
• Hyman is exactly what the Oilers need. He plays with intensity. He plays both ends of the ice. He can score. He shows up in the tough games and hard areas. He gives the Oilers a formidable top five with all the size and skill needed to succeed in the post season. And he actually wants to play here.
• This won’t please the legion of armchair general managers who hate everything Holland has done so far. They would rather Holland build his team around the army of underpaid, overachieving talent willing to flock to Edmonton and sign short term deals at below market value.
• At six-foot-one and 205 pounds, and coming off a stellar college season, all indications are that (Dylan) Holloway could be the kind of sleeper who makes a difference.
• Tyler Benson is another candidate after putting up 138 points in 151 AHL games over the last three seasons.
• The Oilers need a big, physical shutdown right shot defenceman to replace Adam Larsson and Barrie doesn’t exactly fit that mould. As good as he is offensively, a right side with Barrie, Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard would never hold up in the playoffs.

BLH’s Thoughts: Some dark horses like Holloway or Benson are going to have to emerge every year in order for the Oilers to make this run to Lord Stanley’s cup a reality. 

Funny, another reporter takes a shot at the Oilers fanbase.

At this point, I’m sold on Hyman. I understand the risk involved but I love that he’s hitting his prime as he enters his 30s and I hope that he can carry that until he’s at least 34 or 35. Even if it doesn’t though, he can easily be transitioned lower down the lineup as Edmonton’s skilled prospects get better and better. 

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From The Cult of Hockey (Kurt Leavins)

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Zach Hyman: The perfect player-type to help the Edmonton Oilers reach the next step?

• Zach Hyman doesn’t have the flash of some of his current and (potentially) future Oilers teammates. But on a club often accused (and so, I might add) of having too many of the same type of player Hyman would be one “of these things that’s not like the other” in Edmonton. His skill comes along with an abundance of sandpaper and a nose for the tougher areas of the ice surface. And he’s very good defensively. Very.
• If Hyman joins them in a regular shift, plus a Power Play and a PK, then you quickly start to recoup value on the dollar: A 20+ minute a night man who is on the ice in the final minute of a game whether you are a goal up or a goal down.
• Chris Kunitz was 29 when he joined the Penguins in 2008. Over the course of his stay he reeled off 4 consecutive 20-goal seasons including 35 in 2013-14 and was a part of 3 Stanley Cup Championships.

BLH’s Thoughts: I have a feeling that as soon as Hyman signs on the dotted line with Edmonton, Jesse Puljujarvi’s time on the first unit PP will officially be over and there is a part of me that wonders if perhaps after a couple of seasons of getting his numbers alongside McDavid if Holland will look to “cash in” on him instead of re-sign him.  

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Goalie Sebastian Cossa would create buzz as first-round pick for Oilers

• They have Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa very high on their list, along with agitating left-wing shooter Brennan Othmann, who played in Switzerland this winter with the OHL shut down because of COVID-19.
• In their first-round area, they also have rangy right-winger Oskar Olausson, who played on Sweden’s world junior team last Christmas here) or any of three Quebec League forwards—Zach L’Heureux, Zach Bolduc or Xavier Bourgault.
• With no second or third-round picks, maybe they trade back from 20 for a later first-rounder and somebody’s second-round selection. Then you’ve got Swedish winger Simon Robertsson whose dad Bert played briefly here or maybe Shane Doan’s son Josh, a forward off to Arizona State.

BLH’s Thoughts: If you check the Oilers’ website in their 2021 draft area, you’ll find the names of the players they’re looking at in the first round. They have profiles posted for Cossa, Othmann, Aatu Raty, Francesco Pinelli, and Fabian Lysell.

The names I’ve heard most often are Cossa, Olausson, Lysell, Othmann, and this week, Raty. So since the goalies will be gone by then, it’ll be a forward and I’ll be honest, they may want to go with Jesse Puljujarvi’s old Karpat teammate. Aatu Raty is solidly built, he’s got speed, the hands on this guy are lightning fast, and he’s got that skip Eric Lindros had when he was building up speed. To me, he’s got a bit of a Mark Scheifele look, but I watched him early on in the season too, so things might’ve changed since then. 

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From Lowetide.ca

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ZACH HYMAN

• The numbers I pay attention to (and have for years) suggest Zach Hyman is a solid target for the Oilers. The two concerns are AAV and term. I think Oilers fans will be able to live with the AAV (a little over $5 million) and it sounds like an eight-year deal so that’s going to mean a buyout down the line.
• Holland is gathering as much talent as he can, and is willing to give term in exchange for lower cap. I don’t think we’ll see four additions to the roster, but three is possible.

Hyman vs elites five on five: 300 minutes, 46.7 percent of his overall time. 53.8 DFF%, 5.68 DFFRel, 17-6 goals.
Hyman five on five pts 60: 2.14
Hyman five on five pts 60 without Matthews: 2.01
Hyman five on five Corsi pct: 52.6
Hyman five on five shot differential: 54.0
Hyman five on five goal differential: 66.7
Hyman five on five expected goals: 60.0

BLH’s Thoughts: I have my reservations about this player too, but it’s important to realize he’s not being brought in to be the next Jari Kurri. I think the best we can anticipate for with him is something close to Chris Kunitz, like Leavins and Stauffer are saying, or maybe even Ryan Smyth. He’s a heart and soul kind of player, so what I’m hoping is that Hyman wins over the fanbase with his work rate and he stays relatively healthy for five years. If he can do that, the blue collar fans in Edmonton will grow to love him when he’s scoring and when he isn’t. Even the analytics types who are writing him off already.

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From Sportsnet (Elliotte Friedman)

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Blackhawks pushing for Seth Jones, Ryan Suter nearing decision

• According to several sources, Chicago and Columbus are taking another run at a Seth Jones trade…What the two teams are trying to do is find common ground without including either of them (Dach/DeBrincat); finding another mix of Chicago’s young players, prospects and high draft picks.
•  Ryan Suter is a popular man. Possible he makes his decision by Monday. Among interested parties: Boston, Colorado, Dallas, Florida and the Islanders.
• A unique, but valuable case could be newly-minted Stanley Cup champion David Savard, because word is he’s more willing than some of his peers to consider Canadian destinations. One GM said Thursday that he’s hearing more and more from players that they prefer not to play in Canada. “It’s a real thing,” he said, mentioning taxes, social media and tighter pandemic restrictions.
• Vancouver has stepped-up efforts to find a landing spot for Braden Holtby. I think there’s a lot of this going around the NHL these days, but word is the Canucks have given his representatives permission to aid in the search.

BLH’s Thoughts: That part about the players not wanting to go to Canada because of the taxes, SOCIAL MEDIA, and tighter pandemic restrictions should hit fans in Edmonton incredibly hard. 

The Oilers have a hard enough time getting players to come in from other markets but there’s a very loud portion of that fanbase who haven’t been helping at all. They complain and berate players who Edmonton is looking at and then do the same when the players they do have are having a tough go. 

The whole “fan how you want to” is a complete crock of shit. If you’re a supporter of the club, SUPPORT IT! It’s not just about the money you spend to go to the games or buy the merch, you have to put yourselves in the shoes of the athletes. How would you like it if a thousand people took to social media and rated your performance at work and made it extremely difficult to go out in public? There are so may hypocrites that’ll pump out the mental health promos and initiatives and then shit all of the players, coaches, scouts, and GM of the club online… WTF?… 

As a SUPPORTER, you’ve got to ask yourself, how can I help the team? Am I helping it by going on Twitter and calling player X a piece of shit or player Y a useless hockey player? Would I be a better partner to the club if I found more productive and positive ways to show my frustration? 

It’s a pipe dream, I know. The mob will always mob… 

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