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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Jeff Marek Show

Are the Canucks Really Different than Last Year

• Jeff Marek – “Everyone is going to be chasing a second-pairing D and it’s going to cost them a first-round pick.”
• Greg Wyshynski – “The draft pick part of this is very interesting though. If you’re on the bubble and you are pushing in your chips to get your David Savard, Ben Chiarot-type guy and he costs you a one (first-round pick), like are you going to be allowed to trade that one? Don’t you have to be firmly ensconced in a playoff spot, considering this draft in order to give up this first-round pick?”
• Jeff Marek – “So if a first-round pick means a couple extra dates at home, I don’t know if it might be the GMs decision but team president and right to the top team owner. I’m pretty sure they are pretty cool with it.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Look, as it stands, the Oilers are already dipping their toes into the market for defensemen. Rumors have them connected to John Klingberg (ANA) and Jakob Chychrun (ARI), right? So it only makes sense that they’ll be doing their due diligence on others as well. 

Now, if a top pairing defenseman like Klingberg is available, it only stands to reason that he’s going to cost AT LEAST a 1st rounder if not another PLUS prospects or a young established forward like Kailer Yamamoto or Jesse Puljujarvi. 

Chychrun, I’d argue is a solid 2nd pairing dman and the Coyotes are asking for TWO 1st rounders or the equivalent to that in terms of players/prospects added. 

My position on this is that if the Oilers can get a really solid 2nd pairing left-shot defender and all it costs them is a first round draft pick, do it because the personnel they have right now filling in at that spot on the roster is having a really difficult start to the year and Philip Broberg isn’t the answer this year or next.

Of course, that player wouldn’t just cost a first round pick, correct? Edmonton has themselves in a bit of a pickle with regards to their salary cap situation. So somebody would have to be included and seeing as the right side of the roster has yet to score a goal, there might be a few candidates available to make a trade with. 

The other thing to consider and it’ll be something that gets beat to death until the deadline or until it’s been traded is that Edmonton’s first rounder will most likely be in the latter half of the available selections and that should be how they’ll be for the foreseeable future. 

So my question to you is, would you part with a first rounder for the following players?

• Dmitry Orlov (WAS)
• Ryan Graves (NJ)
• Vladislav Gavrikov (CBJ)
• Joel Edmundson (MTL)
• Radim Simek (SJ)

You might be able to come up with some better left shot options, but I like these players because they’re older and they’re more stay at home. They’re a better fit to partner up somebody like Tyson Barrie or Evan Bouchard and they play on clubs that aren’t shoe-ins for the post-season. Also, for what it’s worth, I’m not 100% sure if they’re all healthy at the moment or not. So don’t hold it against me if one of these guys is hanging out on LTIR right now. 

I think it’s really easy to go through a though exercise like this when the team isn’t winning. However, I stand my by declaration that the defense that is currently being deployed by Dave Manson and Jay Woodcroft is not up to snuff. It is not a championship caliber group and requires a significant upgrade on the 2nd pairing.

Brett Kulak is a very good 3rd pairing option but not any higher.

Ryan Murray has shown to be nothing more than a no.7 defender so far and at what point do we start to make the Jason Garrison comparisons?

Markus Niemelainen is also are 6/7 defender right now but I would argue he’s the guy that needs to get getting the reps. So if that means Kulak plays up a slot, fine. Get the Finnish Ray Donovan out there and if that plan fails, then it’s what it is. Make the trade, get the proven defender and let’s roll! 

Game Six: Pens vs. Oilers

Three Players to Keep an Eye on For Pittsburgh

• #71 Evgeni Malkin – I’ve always said this, but he’s the main attraction for the Penguins. He’s so much more fun to watch that Crosby.
• #43 Danton Heinen – Has been playing so well that he’s graduated to the top line to play alongside Sid and Rickard Rakell.
• #26 Jeff Petry – Former Oiler tends to have himself some decent games when he comes back to town.

Three Players to Keep an Eye on For Edmonton

• #71 Ryan McLeod – He’s been skating very well as of recent and alongside Puljujarvi and Foegele, that 3rd line has been very effective.
• #2 Evan Bouchard – 1 assist so far. I’m looking for him to break out of this dry spell tonight. He’s way too good of a passer to be putting up such pedestrian numbers.
• #56 Kailer Yamamoto – The media in town are starting to see a little bit of blood in the water with regards to this player’s lack of offense to start the year. It’s not only that, mind you. He’s not really been as effective in the muck. We’re used to him going into the scrums and walking away with the puck, but he’s getting muted nearly every time he gets the puck… 

BLH’s Thoughts: Pens are flying right now and the Oilers are not. The Crosby vs. McDavid battle is firmly ensconced on Sid’s corner with a 3-9 record if I recall correctly. So it’ll be up to Connor’s teammates to really pull a rabbit out of their hats tonight. I mean, they did it against a very deep Carolina team, so why would it be so hard to believe that a win vs. a streaking Pittsburgh club is out of the question?

However, if you really want a reality check, click this link.

My advice, SCORE FIRST!

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

• SPORTSNET: Jeff Marek reports the Arizona Coyotes management wants to trade Jakob Chychrun, who has asked to be moved to a contender.
  • “It’s essentially the equivalent of two first-round picks, plus. So, that would be a combination of prospects, picks and players as well,”
• SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Carolina Hurricanes are expected to reach a decision soon regarding Ethan Bear. The 23-year-old defenseman has not yet suited up this season.
  • Friedman believes the situation will be resolved soon. He believes a team will make an offer that the Hurricanes will find agreeable, or he gets into the lineup or ends up on waivers.
• TORONTO SUN: Michael Traikos suggests the Maple Leafs should trade promising Nick Robertson to the Arizona Coyotes for Jakob Chychrun.
• SEKERES AND PRICE: TSN analyst Darren Dreger was asked which defensemen the Vancouver Canucks might target in the trade market.
  • Short-term options could include Danny DeKeyser, Thomas Hickey or Jason Demers.
  • In the long-term, perhaps Chychrun becomes more affordable at the trade deadline.
  • The Anaheim Ducks’ John Klingberg could be another deadline option as well as the Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk or Dmitry Kulikov, the Coyotes’ Shayne Gostisbehere and Troy Stecher, the Seattle Kraken’s Carson Soucy, and the New Jersey Devils’ Damon Severson.

BLH’s Thoughts: Do you think there’s a chance that Ken Holland would part with BOTH Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi if it meant he could get a more proven right winger as well as an upgrade to his defense? Is that something you’d entertain?

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Twitter

BLH’s Thoughts: Jesus Christ. That Oilers uni is atrocious. Do they even try anymore? The whole thing with the McFarlane jersey that made it interesting is that it completely went away from the original color and design scheme. It was navy and silver with some white. The club already has been using navy for quite a while now, why not change things up a bit? Montreal’s is a nod to the Expos, was there no appetite to go with the green and gold of the local football team? The old Edmonton Trappers baseball team’s color scheme didn’t tickle anybody’s fancy? What about the Edmonton Chimos ladies hockey team? In today’s woke culture, that one should’ve been near the top for sure. 

Honestly… The Oilers organization has SO much potential to please their fans but they drop the ball all the bloody time… 

Now, Edmonton’s RR uni isn’t the worst of the bunch. That has to go to one of Arizona, Winnipeg, Toronto, or Vancouver. The Coyotes looks like something you might deposit into the toilet after a hard night of drinking and spicy Mexican food. The Jets, Leafs, and Canucks simply took the easy route on this one. Philly’s is pretty shite too but I do like the idea of them warming up in the old Cooperalls. 

The best ones are obviously Anaheim’s, Pittsburghs, LA’s and New Jersey’s. Lots of people will say Florida’s but it looks like a beer league team’s uniform to me. 

Which ones do you like/dislike? Let me know in the comments below!

Game Three: Carolina vs Edmonton

Three Player to Watch for the Hurricanes

• #24 Seth Jarvis – I didn’t think to highly of him in his draft year because I thought he was simply a product of playing on a good team with a good coach, but egg on my face. Jarvis has taken all of three seasons (?) to go from junior to Carolina’s first line? I think it helps his case that Max Pacioretty is out injured but nevertheless, that top line of Teurovainen, Aho, and Jarvis is highly skilled, blazing fast, and extremely dangerous around the net. 
• #88 Martin Necas – Speaking of dangerous, Necas has four goals and five assists to start his campaign. He’ll be playing with Jesper Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov. Good Lord… What an embarrassment of riches this team has. 
• #8 Brent Burns – The new guy in town has four points already playing on the top pair alongside Jaccob Slavin. I’ll be curious who he’ll be tasked with stopping more, Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (should they play on separate lines tonight). Burns might be getting on in age but he’s still a very effective defenseman at both ends of the rink. 

Three Player to Watch for the Oilers

• #91 Evander Kane – Has yet to hit the scoresheet but it’s coming. He had chance after chance against Buffalo, so it’s only a matter of time before he wills one into the net. 
• #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – Another winger who’s been snakebit around the goalmouth. Jesse’s been playing very aggressively this year (finally) and he looks confident. Will the ketchup flow against one of his besties tonight?
• #37 Warren Foegele – McLovin’ goes up against his former club this evening. It would be a massive help if he was a major factor for the Oilers. A goal, some hits, his usual aggro style in the muck… I’d like to see him get a goal tonight because as thing stand, NONE of Edmonton’s wingers have a goal so far… It’s been all centers and dmen.

BLH’s Thoughts: Listen, the Hurricanes should be the favorite in the East to win the Stanley Cup. They have four legitimate forward lines even with Pacioretty and Ondrej Kase out. It’s unreal if we’re being honest. They might have the deepest team in the entire league. Their third line comprises of Paul Stastny, Jordan Staal, and Jesper fast for Christ’s sake. On the 4th line it’s Jordan Martinook, Derek Stepan, and Stefan Noesen… What!?

So, what might be Edmonton’s saving grace tonight might be that Frederik Andersen played in Seattle the other night. Therefore, it’s possible they might get Antti Raanta. Then again, the Oilers just got their asses handed to them by a career backup when they played Buffalo… 

I’m not liking Edmonton’s chances tonight. Not that he’s been that impactful, but Holloway’s probably out. Meaning another former Caniac, Derek Ryan, will get the call. They’ll probably go 11-7 again and rotate The Finnish Ray Donovan and Ryan Murray which means the defense is going to be all discombobulated. 

I dunno people, this team is supposed to be the deepest it’s been since the early 90s and I’m having a lot of trouble with that at this moment. They look more like the Red Wings before they became 1990’s juggernauts. I mean, the defense isn’t even close to being something you might consider a championship caliber blueline and as long as Skinner and Campbell are in net, the goaltending won’t be elite and that’s fine IF you have elite blueliners. Edmonton does not. 

Please, forgive me for my downtrodden attitude but I don’t feel especially optimistic about the result tonight. Enjoy the game though. There’s going to be a shite ton of skill on display and you never know, if Mike Comrie’s brother can steal the show for that Buffalo team, maybe these Oilers can outshine Rod the Bod’s titans out of Carolina. 

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

• TSN: Earlier this week, Craig Button listed two teams in each NHL conference that might benefit from acquiring Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane.
  • Starting with the Western Conference, Button suggested the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.
  • Turning to the Eastern Conference, Button believes the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers could benefit from Kane’s services.
• TORONTO STAR: Nick Kypreos believes the Maple Leafs can acquire Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes without having to clear Jake Muzzin’s salary from their books or giving up top prospect Matthew Knies in return.
  • …one could be built around two first-round picks. He thinks the Coyotes would also want one of Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren or Topi Niemela… To balance the cap hit, the Coyotes would have to accept Alex Kerfoot and his $3.5 million cap hit.
• TSN: In Tuesday’s “Insider Trading” segment, Darren Dreger said there’s a “growing list of Canadian teams” that are in the market for a defenseman. He singled out the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

BLH’s Thoughts: I will say this until it doesn’t happen, Patrick Kane to the Rangers, Jonathan Toews to Colorado, and Jakob Chychrun to the Kings. As for the Oilers, Murray and Niemelainen/Broberg aren’t going to cut it this year. They are going to need a right proper 2nd pair defender and Brett Kulak isn’t looking like that guy either but anybody could’ve told you that. 

I’ve been told John Klingberg is the guy they like and seeing as they tried to trade for him in the summer, it’s hard not to come to that conclusion, but he’s a righty. Carson Soucy is another name, but he’s a 3rd pairing guy too.

Keep an eye on names like Vladislav Gavrikov (CBJ), Dmitri Orlov (WAS), and Scott Mayfield (NYI). All UFAs at season’s end and part of clubs who might not be playoff contenders this year. 

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Gameday – Sabres vs. Oilers

Three Players to Watch on Buffalo

• #25 Owen Power – It won’t be hard to spot the 2021 1st overall pick. He’s massive. The reason I think he’s a player to watch is because even though he’s one of Buffalo’s youngest players, he might be one of their most mature and cerebral skaters. He’s big like Chris Pronger was but he doesn’t have that snarl yet. Nevertheless, he went 1st overall for a reason and he’ll be handful for some of Edmonton’s forwards. Also, he skates very well for a man of his size. 
• #77 JJ Peterka – Won’t this young man be jacked to lineup against fellow countryman Leon Draisaitl? Peterka is quick and very aggressive but not in a goonish way. He’s just very fast and relentless on the forecheck and he’s got a nose for the net as his two goals on the year (from the 3rd line no less) will tell you. He also score 68pts in 70 games in the AHL last year as a rookie if that doesn’t drive the point home enough. Edmonton’s dmen will have their work cut out for them when this young Deutscher is on the ice.
• #22 Jack Quinn – If Quinn is in the lineup this evening, you’ll want to keep an eye on him. He scored 26 goals in 45 games for Buffalo’s minor league affiliate in Rochester last year and he lit the lamp 52 times for the Ottawa 67’s in his last year of junior. He’s not yet scored this season but according to dailyfaceoff.com, he’s lining up not he Sabres’ 2nd line with Casey Middlestadt and Alex Tuch. He’s a sniper on the rise. 

Three Players to Watch on Edmonon

• #74 Stu Skinner – Ron Low 2.0 stopped all 31 shots he faced against the Flames over the weekend and in fact, it’s been a while since he’s let a goal in. I think the streak is going back to the playoffs. Either way, he’s looked fantastic in each of his appearances this season and if he continues his strong play, some pundits in town believe there’s potential for a goaltending controversy to start brewing up. But of course they do, right? If it bleeds, it leads.
• #80(?) Markus Niemelainen – IF the giant Finn laces ’em up tonight, it will decrease Edmonton’s ability to move the puck out of their own zone BUT conversely, it should increase the defensive zone entries on his side of the ice. Also, we could be confident that a Sabre or two will get lit up by him. 
• #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nuge is scoreless to start the year and dash one. He’s got to pick up the pace (Picante!) or what use does this cap-strapped team have for a $5.5M third line center who doesn’t excel at taking draws and is a lefty. Do I think he’ll continue to put up goose eggs on the scoresheet? No. But at the same time, how long will it be until he’s moved up to Leon’s wing to spark some offense out of the guy?

BLH’s Thoughts: Lots of kids on this Sabres team. Like those early decade of darkness teams in Edmonton. It was hard just to pick three to keep and eye one because there’s also Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Asplund, Mattias Samuelsson, Rasmus Dahlin (I love this player!), and Tage Thompson! Man, if management lets this team grow together and resists the urge to blow it up if it stumbles, they could be a really good team sooner than some folks think. 

That said, the peaks and valleys are massive with a young team and these kids go balls out with the puck. In turn, it leaves them open to counter attacks and when you’re playing a club like the Oilers who play a similar brand but are older, there’s a good chance there’ll be a few goals against. 

However, the Oilers are notorious for playing to the level of their opponents. So while they should be overwhelming favorites, I don’t think it’s that cut and dry. Edmonton’s defense has not had a good start to the year and the one thing they’re failing to do is move the puck quickly and efficiently out of their zone and up to the streaking forwards. They’re getting hung up by aggressive forecheckers and their forwards not coming back deep enough to help out.

Anything could happen tonight but the one thing that can’t happen is a slow start. Evander Kane said that won’t happen and I’m going to hold him to his word. 

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

• THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau believes the Arizona Coyotes must move Jakob Chychrun now while his trade value remains high. He suggests the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild as three potential destinations for the 24-year-old blueliner given their early-season defensive struggles.
  • Chychrun’s size and hockey smarts could improve the Oilers’ blueline depth and lessen the pressure on their other defensemen.
• THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports player agent Pat Brisson said his client, Patrick Kane, is taking a wait-and-see approach to this season. The 33-year-old winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
  • Kane’s teammate Jonathan Toews is another Brisson client. His declining performance could affect his trade value but his leadership and playoff experience remain respected by contenders.
  • Media speculation has linked Kane to the Colorado Avalanche, Dalla Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer’s been pouring cold water on Chychrun since the summer. He’s not convinced that the Coyotes’ dman is that good. How well can you evaluate a guy when he’s playing in Arizona though? Mind you, this guy cannot stay healthy. He’s got VIP status to the LTIR club. 

I wonder if Bob’s saying that because the ask would be Broberg plus plus and there’s a chance ol’ Phil Bruhburry might be at Chychrun’s level shortly. 

Speaking of dmen who can’t stay healthy, there’s some talk going around that he’s dinged up. Must be one helluva stinger if he’s not been able to play or practise all this time… Oilers are keeping the Swede’s status pretty quiet too… 

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Linked to Both Toews & Klingberg

• Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman stated that he could see the Oilers being a fit for Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
• “I assume Toews is going to be traded, I assume Kane is going to be traded,” Friedman said. “We both said the New York Rangers are the most likely team for Kane. Toews, I’ve mentioned Colorado. I know I’m trading everyone to Edmonton in this pod but I wonder if Toews would make sense there?”
• “This is just my prediction; (John) Klingberg finishes the year in Edmonton,” Friedman said. “I could be wrong. That’s my prediction.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Toews is definitely the kind of player you’d like to have on your team as you hit your Stanley Cup window, however, do you go through all the trouble and cap gymnastics to make a trade like that when you can have Ken Holland work his magic in the summer when he’s a free agent?

Klingberg, I’ve been told, has been on the Oilers radar for a while and continues to be. I said it way back in early-September and I still believe it to be true. If I had to guess, that’s a trade that could include Puljujarvi. 

Another player the Oilers will be keeping close tabs on is Carson Soucy because he can play both sides, is relatively cheap, and will be a UFA at the season’s end. This one is more predicated on how well Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen, and Ryan Murray perform. 

Time will tell… Time will tell…

Edmonton Oilers 2022/23 GM1: Oilers vs. Canucks

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

• #55 Dylan Holloway – Big game for the rook. Against AHL competition he was so so SO much better but against NHL players, he was less impactful. He can skate with the big boys, he thinks the game on their level, he’s not afraid to hit or shoot, and he’s not a liability, but if we’re to hold everybody who plays in the top-six to the same standard, he’ll need to produce.
• #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – JP needs to continue his strong play that he ended the preseason with. He was aggressive, confident on the puck, and a pain in the ass to deal with in the muck. He won’t have to deal with Tyler Myers tonight, so that should give him some extra room to move around with in Vancouver’s zone. 
• #36 Jack Campbell – First impressions, right? Edmonton’s worst nightmare would be Campbell getting outplayed by Thatcher Demko tonight and losing. 

Three Players to Watch for the Canucks

• #43 Quinn Hughes – He’s not 100% but even then, this guy is such a fantastic talent on the back end. His edgework, IQ, and playmaking is really Norris-level, but I don’t know if he’ll ever get the recognition he deserves playing in Vancouver. As for tonight’s game, there’s a chance with Tyler Myers out and him being paired with Luke “The Iron Boot” Schenn, he might not be as impactful. He’s still worth keeping an eye out for. 
• #96 Andrei Kuzmenko – He didn’t light up the Oilers when he face them in the preseason games, but when he had the puck you could see that this guy has some skill. The way he cycled with Pettersson was impressive and I also see him being an impactful asset on Vancouver’s powerplay. 
• #81 Dakota Joshua – During preseason he had an opportunity to stick up for Elias Pettersson after Markus Niemelainen wallpapered him in the corner and did nothing. He was soon demoted down the lineup for his lack of “effort” in that instance. I wonder if we see a more aggressive Joshua tonight as he attempts to win back some favor from BBQ Bruce. 

BLH’s Thoughts: Boeser, Garland, and Hughes might play but they won’t be at full health. Myers is out, Mikheyev is out, and Dermott is out too and I feel like those six players in their current situations is more detrimental to their hunt for the two points on the night than Edmonton’s with them possibly being without Kailer Yamamoto and/or Warren Foegele. 

So, that being said, the Oilers should really win this and it shouldn’t even be close. Vancouver’s top three when healthy has a dangerous element to it and they’ve got a right proper no.1 goalie in Demko. 

As I said above, Demko is the wild card. He could outright dominate Edmonton tonight and steal 2pts for the Canucks. I wouldn’t bet the family cat on it, but I think there’s a chance it could happen. 

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Oilersnation

Which Forward Slides Out of the Oilers’ Top Nine?

• Yamamoto, Puljujarvi, Foegele, and McLeod are the four I see battling to avoid starting on the fourth line.
• Today, I see it being Foegele or Puljujarvi who will be the odd man out, but it might only be for one game. It will be a fluid situation that changes based on how guys are playing.
• Puljujarvi is a natural right winger, so that gives him an advantage over Foegele.
• A trade that involves moving out some salary would give the Oilers more roster flexibility. But it would also weaken their top-nine depth.
• A deal hasn’t been made thus far, because Ken Holland doesn’t want to just give him away for a third-round draft pick. He doesn’t have to trade Puljujarvi. He is a bonafide NHL player. He can keep him, but it means the Oilers will have a 21-man roster to start the season.
• A trade won’t be made just because Holloway is pushing for a spot and suddenly the Oilers have 10 forwards to fill the top-nine. A trade will be done to give them some cap flexibility.

BLH’s Thoughts: Gregor makes a solid point in that if they trade Puljujarvi, it weakens their top-nine. It’s clear as day that Foegele is a bottom-six winger and that, to me, makes him an expendable asset. Mind you, he’s not the only one. I think the Oilers could move Derek Ryan, Brad Malone, or Mattias Janmark too, but each player comes with his own safety net as to why they wouldn’t right? 

Another thing, I don’t ‘think it’s a very prudent idea to have Holloway starting in Edmonton’s top-six in his rookie year as it is. Why throw him to the wolves right off the bat like that? A line of him, McLeod, and JP would be entertaining as hell! Throw Nuge back up with Leon and Kailer and have Hyman head over to the RW with Connor and Kane… RNH, a $5.5M player, shouldn’t be playing on the third line as it is. 

Of course, the above scenario would mean Foegele would be on the 4th line with Janmark and Ryan, but seeing as Woodcroft had him there in the playoffs (when he wasn’t in the press box), there should be a level of comfortability in a roster move like that. 

For what it’s worth, there are other options to sort out the Oilers’ cap issues than trading Puljujarvi or even Foegele… But it would mean moving out somebody who’s beloved in the dressing room and keeping one of the PTOs. 

https://twitter.com/DKingBH/status/1577649450008428545

Daily Faceoff

• There really hasn’t been much of a market there…
• I don’t think it’s any secret the Oilers attempted to move on from him this summer. They changed their ask. They were first looking for a player back, then looking for a pick back and I think it’s slid to this point.
• With Puljuajrvi on a one-year deal at $3 million, I don’t know if teams are out there looking at it saying ‘hey, we’re going to get a lot of value out of this player for $3 million.
• Maybe on his previous contract it would’ve been different and I think at this point, there hasn’t been enough of a market there to make the Oilers want to pull the trigger.

BLH’s Thoughts: This is hilarious. During the summer, all we heard was that teams weren’t making any offers on Puljujarvi because they were afraid of what he might get in arbitration and now we’re hearing that the market is dry because teams aren’t sure if they’re going to get $3M worth of value? What a crock of shit that is. 

Every team in the league knew that there was a chance Jesse would be qualified at $3M. All of them and do you think none of them knew about his pending arb. case last season when his salary was more palpable? Who’s this guy trying to fool?

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a little catch and release 😏 pic.twitter.com/44DpRJaMQN

— Evander Kane (@evanderkane) October 4, 2022

They didn’t make a good enough offer is what happened and what’s been happening all along because Ken Holland knows he has, at the very least, a middle-six two-way winger who is good for between 35 and 45 points. In addition to that, lets’s make an argument that every 10pts is equal to around $1M/yr, Puljujarvi, at $3M/yr is without question worth every penny he’s getting this year. Some might even go as far as to say he’s on a massive value contract. 

GMs know that Edmonton is up shit creek a bit with regards to their cap and they’re trying to pinch Holland. Simple as that. Either trade JP for pennies on the dollar or include a sweetener with Foegele. 

I know what I’d do. I’d trade Warren Foegele because we all know that seeing as the Oilers are in their Stanley Cup window right now they’ll be big fish hunting. Patrick Kane’s already been named and I think John Klingberg could be another. But make no bones about it, Holland is going to need a good young player to use to acquire these big names. Foegele can’t do that, but Puljujarvi might be able to. 

So I don’t believe Frank Seravalli for one second when he says there’s not been a market for our big Finn. What he should be saying is there’s not a market there for Jesse at the price point Edmonton’s GM has set because there’s most definitely a market for him. If there truly wasn’t, Holland could slip him through waivers no problem but everybody and their dog knows that’s not happening.