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Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Guentzel/Oilers Destiny in Kyle Dubas’ Hands Right Now

Elliotte Friedman dropped a bit of a bombshell on those Edmonton Oilers fans who want Jake Guentzel on the team. We’re going to talk about that as well as four NEW names for the rumor mill for Edmonton and the other thing I want to point out about the fact that some believe the Oilers are handcuffed trade-wise this year. I don’t believe that to be true and I’ll tell you why.

I should start prefacing these blogs with the fact that I write them a day in advance and because we’re getting so close to the deadline there’s a good chance I might write about a player or a team and it be old news by the time it gets to your beautiful eyes. If that happens, my apologies!

But before we get to that, give us a follow on the socials!

The Latest Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors

New Names from the Oilers MSM
  • Patrick Kane ($2.75M, UFA 2024) – “This is someone the Oilers have had interest in in the past. All Kane has done is produce for Detroit, which makes him a suitable top-six candidate.”
  • Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($750k, UFA 2024) – “He’s also a two-time Stanley Cup finalist and is posting elite underlying numbers with Seattle… The price is certainly right, and Holland has picked up cheap forwards at each of the last two deadlines”
  • Lars Eller ($2.45M, UFA 2025) – “All Eller has done for years is put up sound underlying numbers in a supportive role. He’s doing it again in Pittsburgh with a team that’ll be hard-pressed to make the playoffs.”
  • Dennis Gilbert – “Perhaps he’s a throw-in if the Oilers acquire Tanev.”
  • Mike Reilly ($1M, UFA 2024) – “You could do a lot worse that picking up someone closing in on 400 games of NHL experience to fill out your roster.” – The Athletic
  • Nice to see DNB joining the 2xKane party. If Kane is willing and the Red Wings fall out of the playoff race, he should be priority #1 for the Oilers top-6 RW spot.
  • It’s hard to argue against Bellemare at 4C for Edmonton’s run to the Cup this year. Lots of experience and his fancies tell me that he’s the kind of player you’d want on the ice when the game is tight and you’re up by a goal or even in a tie game attempting to get the match to an extra frame.
  • Another thing with Bellemare is that he’s under no illusions with regards to his role on the team and the Oilers could use more of that. A 4th line of Ryan, Gagner, and Holloway is too small and what’s the identity there?
  • Lars Ellers’ contract is too high for the role he’d play if acquired by Edmonton.
  • Who the hell is Dennis Gilbert?
  • Mike Reilly is a guy I swear the Oilers had interest in way back in the Chiarelli days. Funny enough, there are scouts on the team that remain from the Chia regime. So maybe there’s something to this but I don’t know if Lou Lamoriello will be interested in trading him.
  • What about Tommy Novak in Nashville? 800k center who can bring some offense.
Are the Oilers Handcuffed

“I believe the Oilers can’t afford any player making more than $4.5 million, without having to clear out more than one roster player. At that point, Holland risks upsetting his excellent chemistry and compromising what little depth Edmonton has.”

“They’ll be in the mix for a forward like, say, Scott Laughton, and also a premier defenceman like Tanev. He doesn’t have the assets or cap space for both.”

“If they can land the forward work, Holland’s secondary acquisition will be a veteran depth defenceman. A Zach Bogosian, Josh Brown type who can push young Philip Broberg to eighth on the Oilers defensive depth chart.” – Mark Spector, Sportsnet

  • I think with some crafty negotiations, the Oilers could bring in a top-six RW, a top-four dman, and a depth LHD and not compromise the team’s chemistry.
  • Keep in mind though, what your definition of a top-six forward or a top-four defender is might not be the same as what the club considers those to be.
  • So if $4.5M is the cutoff, why not spend to get Patrick Kane out of Detroit (if possible), deal Kulak for futures, then use the remaining cap space to bring in Jacob Megna from Chicago, Bellemare from Seattle, and Duhaime or Malenstyn from Washington?
  • There’d still be money left over if I’m correct, they could add another depth option for depth.
  • Now, if they were willing to deal another roster player like Foegele, that opens up even more possibilities. Is Connor Brown the glue that holds this team together? Probably not, so he could be dealt, too.
  • Another scenario might be dealing Kulak and Broberg to San Jose for Mario Ferraro.
  • I just think they need to add defenders who are willing to sacrifice everything and forwards who’ll do anything to get a goal for the playoffs or are so skilled that they put the opposition on pins and needles when they’ve got the puck in the offensive zone, but I don’t agree that Edmonton is handcuffed to the point that they’re only able to make one or two moves.
Is That It Dad? Did the Penguin Tell You to Do It?

“If teams are allowed to try and extend Guentzel before a trade, that hurts Edmonton. They can’t do it. The Oilers are also very aware that for every dollar that comes in, someone needs to go out. So they are doing legwork in several different directions.” – Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet

  • I don’t think the Oilers are in on him. They’d like to be but so many things are working against them right now and going forward. Bouchard’s next deal, Draisaitl’s as well, and then there’s the Connor Brown bonus that’ll eat away at Edmonton’s cap next season. Vinnie Desharnais is going to need to be re-upped. What is Edmonton’s plan with Jack Campbell?

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Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: LeBrun Says Edmonton Could Have This Former All-Star on the Cheap!

Is this the year all the pieces slot in for the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. There are former all-star wingers available on the cheap according to PIerre LeBrun and there’s a center down in Anaheim that Oilers media members and former members of the club are pining over. Lastly, the Sharks sell-off is about to begin and Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period says the Oilers have their sights set on two of them.

I should start prefacing these blogs with the fact that I write them a day in advance and because we’re getting so close to the deadline there’s a good chance I might write about a player or a team and it be old news by the time it gets to your beautiful eyes. If that happens, my apologies!

But before we get to that, give us a follow on the socials!

The Latest Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors

Sale on Russian Tanks

“Pierre LeBrun suggests that Tarasenko would likely waive his no-trade clause for Edmonton, making him an intriguing option. And, because he’s got the leverage to control his fate, it might be more challenging for the Senators to get a top-notch return unless Tarasenko gives his blessing. This could mean Ottawa taking less than the going market rate for wingers of his ability or having to retain salary in the trade, something the Oilers might require.”

“The scribes proposed a trade that involves sending Tarasenko (with 75% salary retained) to Edmonton in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2024 sixth-round pick, and an additional 2025 fourth-round pick to a third-party broker to facilitate the extra retention. If accurate, this is a price the Oilers should be willing to pay.”- The Hockey Writers

  • Get it done. That sounds perfect and if you’re a frequent reader of the site, you’ll know that I’ve been pushing for the Oilers to acquire Tarasenko.
  • If that’s all it took to get him, Edmonton would be in good shape to make one, if not, two more pretty significant trades to upgrade the team or three/four depth deals to shore the roster up.
  • As we approach the deadline here it’s becoming clearer by the day that this team wants to upgrade it’s scoring depth and aside from Patrick Kane, who’s scoring at a point-per-game in Detroit, and Jake Guentzel, a pure rental, Vladdy Tarasenko is the next best option if you’re looking for somebody who has a history of lighting the lamp in the post-season (64pts in 97gp) and has a shite tone of playoff experience to go along with a Championship ring.
  • What would an extension look like for him? Three years at $3.5M/yr? Two years at $4M/yr?
  • I don’t think it’d be unpleasant to have Zach Hyman and Tarasenko as your top two RWs, would it?
Deep Down the Middle

“According to Darren Dreger, the Oilers’ ideal scenario involves adding a forward to complement star player Leon Draisaitl in the top six. However, they are also eyeing Anaheim Ducks center Adam Henrique as a potential addition to fill the third-line center role.” – NHL Trade Talk

  • Earlier in the week Bob Stauffer and former Oilers player/coach/GM Craig MacTavish were having quite the circle jerk over Adam Henrique. So he’s obviously a player that’s getting strong attention from Edmonton.
  • Correct me if I’m wrong though, but aren’t the Ducks looking for a first rounder? Stauffer has said in the past that he thought the price tag on Henrique would be considerably less than what Monahan cost Winnipeg (a 1st and a cond. 3rd), but here’s the thing, Edmonton’s going to need Anaheim to retain or they’ll have to go searching for a 3rd party to eat some of that deal. Probably something akin to that Tarasenko proposal from LeBrun.
  • I’m very much in favor of Edmonton acquiring a veteran for the 3rd line. Be that Henrique, Colton Sissons, Scott Laughton, Mikael Granlund, or Kevin Hayes. Sometimes the kids need a calming influence when the games get down to the wire. Henrique would probably be pretty perfect there, to be honest.
  • What do you think about Morgan Frost? He seems to be on the outs in Philly. Last year, his first full-time season, he had 46 pts in 81 games.
Shark Hunting

“I’d also throw the Edmonton Oilers in the mix for both players [Mario Ferraro & Luke Kunin], as well. In either Toronto or Edmonton’s case, a contract or two would have to go back San Jose’s way to make the finances work.”- The Fourth Period

  • I LOVE the idea of Edmonton bringing in Mario Ferraro. I said way back in December that he was on Edmonton’s radar. Basically, you need to look at him like an upgrade version of Kris Russel.
  • He might be 5’11”, 185lbs, but he plays BIG minutes for the Sharks, he blocks a ton of shots and he moves the puck. He only makes a shade over $3M, too!
  • He’s 100% an upgrade over Brett Kulak.
  • As for Kunin, he’s very meat and potatoes I find. Not a lot of offense with him though. In the last two seasons combined he’s played 81 games and scored 13 goals. However, he did have a nice year with Minnesota back in 2019/20 where he broke out with 15 goals and 16 assists in 63 games.
  • I think he’s a quick player, aggressive, but from an advanced stats perspective, he is a place where scoring goes to die. Sweet Jesus, his relative fancies are FUGLY.
    • GF%/60rel: -2.72 (third best of his career!…)
    • xGF%/60rel: -5.31 (second best of his career!…)
    • SCF%/60rel: -3.17
    • HDGF%/60rel: -12.56
  • The ‘against’ metrics are even worse… Check them all out here.
  • He’s one of San Jose’s preferred penalty killers, FWIW, but that doesn’t really matter to me, he’s someone I’d probably stay away from.

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Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: How to Fail at the Trade Deadline in Three Moves

There are some Edmonton Oilers trade rumors that just won’t go away and it’s starting to get to the point to where you wonder if it’s all misdirection because Ken Holland is very experienced at using the media to help him do his bidding… So, today I want to talk about three potential additions to the Oilers and why they’re not a good idea for the club to pursue.

I should start prefacing these blogs with the fact that I write them a day in advance and because we’re getting so close to the deadline there’s a good chance I might write about a player or a team and it be old news by the time it gets to your beautiful eyes. If that happens, my apologies!

But before we get to that, give us a follow on the socials!

The Latest Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors

Preds and Oil Talking Depth Moves?

“In the latest reports from Nashville Hockey Now, Michael Gallagher highlighted speculation from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, suggesting that the Edmonton Oilers could be considering Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier as a potential trade option.” – The Hockey Writers

  • Why? Which right-shot dman on the Oilers is he good enough to replace?
  • Carrier makes $2.5M/yr. However, he is a UFA at season’s end. Still though, 14pts on the year, fancies aren’t anything special to look at.
  • I think it would be a waste of assets unless the Oilers are somehow gaining a boatload of cap room.
  • How is Carrier any better than Broberg?
Don’t Do It Kenny

“Friedman further suggested that the recent defeat of the Edmonton Oilers by the Vegas Golden Knights didn’t sit well with the team. It put an end to their impressive 16-game winning streak and prevented them from securing a share of an NHL record. The NHL insider hints this has only ramped up the Oilers’ eagerness to pursue Guentzel, someone categorized as a game-changer.” – NHL Trade Talk

  • Another baffling proposal.
  • If the Pens deal him, that’s a signal to their veteran core that Dubas is starting the rebuild and as far as I’m concerned, those old dogs aren’t ready to lay down quite yet.
  • Now, in the event that Holland is okay with the fact that this would be a rental in the purest of senses, Broberg’s gone, Holloway’s gone, one of Bourgault/Lavoie are gone, and probably a 2nd rounder goes too. Would they all go to PIttsburgh, there’s a discussion to be had there I would imagine.
  • Either way, the cupboards lay bare if Guentzel manages to find a way into an Oilers jersey.
  • I’m telling ya, the Tarasenko deal is way better… Plus, there’s a chance the deal could be expanded to include Chychrun, right? Then the Oilers can justify sending a first with Broberg, Holloway, Foegele, and Ceci to Ottawa.
  • That said, I wonder if the Flames and Sens find a way to do a deal centered around Chychrun and Tanev. That’ll give them some flexibility with Hanifin, too.
As If… 

“According to the rumoured asking price, the Flames would accept a second-round pick and an additional asset for Tanev. However, the rivalry between the two teams will drive up the price. A potential trade between the two sides looks like the Oilers acquiring Tanev in exchange for Philip Broberg, Cody Ceci, and the Oilers’ 2024 second-round pick. This is a fair deal for both sides and gives the Oilers a massive upgrade on the right side of their blue line.” – The Hockey Writers

  • I don’t see the fuss over Tanev. Every Night he’s headling down the tunnel for some sort of repairs. I think it’s the idea of him that’s got folks all in a bunch rather than the reality of him because he’s a bad hit, shot block, or a toe pick away from being done.
  • So with all of that in mind, there are still some folks that want to deal some very high-end assets to bring him to Edmonton and think that the Flames will give them the standard price. There’s no way. They’ll get the “Rivals” price and on top of that Tanev has control of where he goes.
  • I think Toronto is going to find a way to get a 2nd rounder and then they can bring Tanev to The Big Smoke to slow their blueline down even more.

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Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Insiders link Monahan and Hayes to Oilers, Perry Reportedly Signs!

Here are the latest rumors regarding the Edmonton Oilers!

Random Pontifications

“However, the Oilers sending Ceci and Foegele to the Flames doesn’t come close to getting a trade done for Tanev. For the provincial tax, the Oilers would probably have to send their 2024 first-round pick as well as a young player off their roster. For the latter, former first-round selection Dylan Holloway could make sense.” – Flamesnation

  • Jesus Christ… How brutal is that trade proposal? Three roster players AND a first for a dman who’s barely being held together by a bottle of Elmer’s glue… They’re huffing some pretty crazy shit down in Cowtown.

Trade Rumors

  • “Elliotte Friedman doesn’t believe Jake Allen to the Edmonton Oilers is happening any longer.” – NHL Trade Talk
  • ”No different from any other year, there are teams looking for centremen and depth at that position – or a top-two or top-three centreman.” He adds, “We’re looking at Colorado. We’re looking at Boston, the Edmonton Oilers, maybe even the Washington Capitals if they stay in the mix leading up to the trade deadline.” – Darren Dreger
  • “I don’t know how Kevin Hayes feels about going to play in Edmonton; however, he did do a trade deadline stint in Winnipeg.” – Frank Seravalli
  • “I think the Oilers are an authentic candidate.” – Frank Seravalli on Corey Perry

No big surprises. The Oilers are trying to get bigger in their bottom six and add some supplementary scoring at the same time. However, they would be getting slower by adding any of the players mentioned above.

Dylan Holloway’s inclusion on last night’s roster was a positive one. He added speed, skill, and grit to that 4th line and if he keeps that up it’ll make it very difficult to trade him in order to add a veteran center. That said, it’s still just one game and we probably shouldn’t be anointing him savior of the 4th line just yet.

I still think that Holland/Jackson are going to add one or two bigger older players for the playoffs just because you need them. They’ll still have the kids down in Bako to come up as the black aces as long as they don’t trade them. A Pat Maroon and/or Klim Kostin-type for the 4th line wouldn’t hurt and I say those players because they’re glue guys, there’s no mystery behind them, and the fans love them. On top of that, depth is key.

What does it cost to bring in Maroon and Fleury out of Minny?

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Edmonton Oilers Offseason Talk: Edmonton’s Next 4C and Should they be Shopping Evander Kane?

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!

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Oilersnation

What’s next for the Edmonton Oilers?
  • “In his press conference on Saturday, Ken Holland mentioned that he would like for the Oilers to add another center.”
  • “Personally, I don’t see any necessity for this depth forward to be a center. They have five players with plentiful experience at center at the NHL level (McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, McLeod, and Ryan).”
  • “Still, if Edmonton is adamant about signing a depth center, there are some UFA options available.”
    • Danton Heinen
    • Denis Malgin
    • Derek Stepan
    • Paul Stastny
    • Pius Suter
    • Rasmus Asplund
    • Tomas Nosek
  • “When a team allocates $12.5M to a defensive pairing that is consistently out-scored at 5v5 in both the regular season and playoffs, they’ll have a difficult time winning a Stanley Cup.”
  • “What Nurse needs to excel is a defensive partner that can effectively pass the puck out and defend the rush. Unfortunately, even in 2021-22, Ceci was an average rush defender at best, and an unexceptional breakout passer throughout his NHL career.”
  • “EvolvingHockey projects (Ryan) McLeod at $1.3M for 1 year. Anything around the ~$1.5M range would be ideal for Edmonton, and it seems like fair value considering his production in a high-scoring league.”
  • “They have roughly $7.16M in cap space to sign Bouchard, McLeod, Lavoie, and a 4C. Personally, I’m not opposed to the idea of running a 21-man roster to ensure Bouchard gets signed for multiple years, but realistically, it seems likely that Edmonton will move ahead with 22 players.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The few times I watched Detroit last year I thought Pius Suter was a good little foot soldier for the Red Wings. I took in quite a few Canes games and I say pass on Stepan and Stastny because the speed of the game has passed them by. I need some more time to look at Malgin, Heinen, Asplund, and Nosek before commenting on them. 

I wonder if Vinnie Desharnais gets the Nurse assignment next season in the event that Woodcroft goes with Ekholm and Bouchard vs. the other teams’ heavies. 

McLeod shouldn’t be getting more than his brother in my opinion. $1.5M this year would be just fine but I think he’s going to get a shade under/over $2M on a maybe a 2yr deal. That’s my prediction anyhow.

I feel like they’re going to get caught in an injury crisis should they decide to go with a 21-man roster. Another season of 11-7s coming up eh? 

The Superfan

Managing declining assets
  • “One concern I have heading into next season is the top six, which no doubt has some excellent pieces. The issue is that it’s getting older, with Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane all over 30 years old now and struggling to produce in the recent playoffs.”
  • “Looking at how Evander Kane has performed relative to his team’s overall performance at even-strength, we see a declining trend with his team’s gradually doing better without him than with him.”
  • “Last regular season, the Edmonton Oilers posted a Corsi For percentage of 50.93% at even-strength with Kane on the ice, a drop from the 52.55% Corsi For percentage without him on the ice.
  • The team’s shared of expected goals, which factors in shot quality, was an even bigger drop off, as indicated by the lines in blue. Without Kane on the ice, the Oilers posted a 54.70% share of the expected goals (Source: Natural Stat Trick). With him on the ice, that share dropped to 48.08%, with the Oilers getting out-chanced more often.”
  • “Just over 25% of his total ice time at even-strength last season was against elite-level competition, which is the second lowest proportion of ice time against this group in his career.”
  • “This issue also has to be on the general manager’s radar. Kane’s value remains high across the league because of his experience and past results. This might be a good time for Ken Holland to find some much-needed creativity and courage and start creating a trade market for the player, maximizing a potential return.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Yeah… I don’t know if Kane’s contract is the real stick in the mud for Edmonton. Maybe, just maybe, Nurse’s and Campbell’s come first? And I’m going to make the argument that injuries played a huge factor last season for any statistical decline. Aside from having one’s arm completely detached from their body, severed tendons and broken fingers tend to come a close second to the most goal-debilitating injuries that an NHL winger can go through. 

However, I do agree with Sunil in that the Oilers should start creating a trade market for him. With that in mind though, the Oilers aren’t going to promote from within there. If they can move Evander Kane they’ll just go out and sign/trade for the best LW they can and if he’s $5M and scores 20-25 goals a year, that’s a steal in my books. 

But, I supposed that all changes if Holloway transforms into Taylor Hall-lite. I mean, even if Kane can’t be moved, I think one could argue that he’d be better off on the third line anyhow. 

We’ll see. His health going forward concerns me, but I feel like Kane will bounce back this year after a full recovery from his injuries. 

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

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Bruce Garrioch reports Senators management continues working the phones trying to trade Alex DeBrincat.
    • TSN’s Darren Dreger claiming the DeBrincat camp seeks an eight-year, $70.2 million contract.
    • Dreger also indicated that the Michigan-born DeBrincat prefers to play in the United States for family reasons.
  • Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reporting free-agent winger Vladimir Tarasenko is mulling up to six offers from NHL clubs. Some are for one year while others are multi-year.

BLH’s Thoughts: I thought Tarasenko was signing with Carolina?

The Islanders need scoring bad. They should be all over Debrincat but who would they give up? Plus they’ve only got $1M in cap space at the moment. 

Seattle could be another team possibly but every good roster player they have own a NTC or NMC. The Red Wings have long been in on Debrincat but can’t come to an agreement contract-wise. Nashville? 

What about Washington? A Tom Wilson package would perk the Sens ears. 

Of course Chicago and Anaheim because they’ve got copious amounts of cap space and young emerging teams in addition to lots of high-end prospects. 

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