Category Archives: Trades

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Was the Ethan Bear Trade Simply a “Hockey Trade”?

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!

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Edmonton Sun (Jim Matheson)

Zach Hyman is exactly what was missing in the Edmonton Oilers top-six
  • The book on him, if you’re a member of Oiler Nation, is he’s hockey’s pre-eminent worker bee.
  • His game is blue-collar where there are no days off, which is exactly what Edmonton general manager Ken Holland is now paying him $38.5 million over the next seven years for. To be the dirt road player beside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whichever centre the left-winger winds up with.
  • He is the 2021 version of the mulletted Ryan Smyth; works the boards, gets it to the net, takes a couple of cross-checks, keeps on smiling and supports the stars.
  • “His greatest trait is his compete. He’s a forechecker, he’s relentless, he’s on the puck,” said Holland. “We needed, along with the addition of Warren Foegele, forwards who can try to create more pressure in the offensive zone. We don’t want to be just a rush team.”

BLH’s Thoughts: That part about not wanting just to be a rush team is telling. The Oilers feel like their game became easy to pick apart as most of the offense created was off the rush last season. So they picked up a couple of LWers who are known for their forechecking abilities in an effort to be able to beat teams in a different manner. 

This reminds me of something Kevin Weekes said a little while ago. He was talking about the great Oilers teams of the past and the one thing those clubs had was a bit of bulldog throughout the roster. Ken Holland addressed this team’s lack of physical assertiveness yesterday when he added Foegele and Hyman on the club’s LW and I don’t think he’s done either.

The Athletic (Daniel Nugent-Bowman)

Ethan Bear on being traded, his time with the Oilers and ‘looking forward’ to opportunity in Carolina: Q&A
  • Do you feel like it’s a sour way to end your time in Edmonton given what you had to endure at the end of the playoffs with the racist comments directed your way
    • Yeah. You look around at Canadian markets and fan bases are really involved, which is awesome. It was something very tough that I had to experience after the playoffs. That’s not something any person or player wants to go through. I’m sorry about that. With the organization, it’s nothing they can control. I thought I handled it well. I’m happy to move on from that and get a new opportunity in a new city.
  • What’s the plan for the rest of the offseason? Are you going to try to get down there soon or wait until September?
    • I haven’t quite figured out all those details yet. Kelowna (B.C., where he typically spends time in the offseason) is a good option for me. I’ll see what they have in terms of training and skating coaches in Carolina. That’s something to figure out at a later date.
  • It seemed like you were part of the building process here in Edmonton. Is it disappointing to leave that behind?
    • No, I wouldn’t see it that way. This is a stepping stone in my career. Wherever I go, I’m going to keep building. I’m just trying to represent myself and my team professionally and win some games. I’m not worried about leaving here and what’s in the past. I’m more just looking forward to what’s in store in the future.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bear trained in Kelowna last summer and then came to camp in less than ideal form, which bit him in the ass I feel. Now, if he wanted to change that for this upcoming season, why wouldn’t he stay in Edmonton and train with Turris and that crew or head to Ontario and get together with McDavid’s group? Seems odd, but maybe he felt that getting out of Alberta and Edmonton in general was a better plan. 

I find it quite interesting that Bear is “happy to move on” and that he isn’t worried about leaving Edmonton. More often than not, players are a tad emotional about having to leave the team that drafted them unless something unfortunate has happened. 

So, here’s the thing, I was told late last night that Ken Holland was doing Bear a favor by trading him. I’m not going to say Ethan requested a trade but I’m not going to say he didn’t request one either.

What was passed on to me is that all the abuse he and his loved ones received after the loss in game four against Winnipeg was much more serious than what the media released. 

I don’t think that Ken Holland wanted to trade Bear and he was willing to go into next season with Barrie, Bouchard, and Ethan on the right-side and at least give the three a go but his hand was forced to an extent. He knew how much the young man meant to the fanbase and the team and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. 

As harsh as I may sound when I get into Bear’s metrics and ability versus another player, I wish him the best of luck in Carolina and I know he’s going to kill it down there. It’s a beautiful part of America and he’s definitely going to have the time of his life playing on that team. 

Cult of Hockey

Edmonton Oilers sign veteran centre Derek Ryan… DURING Ken Holland’s media avail
  • After nearly twenty years of continuous improvement as evidenced annually by either increased production or graduation to a tougher league, Ryan finally showed signs of erosion in 2021. He scored just 2-11-13 but a solid +6 in 43 games with Calgary Flames, missing 13 games with a fractured finger and seeing his ice time cut back to about 12 minutes a night. The takeaway is that he more readily projects as a 4C than 3C at this stage of his remarkable career, but still very much an NHL-calibre player.
  • The 5’10 right-shot pivot is a whiz on the faceoff dot with a career success rate over 55%, a history of mid-range scoring (four seasons of double digit goals), and capacity to play both special teams, checking a lot of boxes for “bottom-six centre” in the process. He’s a modern version of Mark Letestu, who was a pretty useful depth centre for Edmonton a few years back.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m with Bruce on this one, I think Ryan will be much more of a 4C than a 3C. That said, I wonder if he and Ryan McLeod split the TOI and then Connor, Leon, and Nuge take on some extra minutes depending on the game state.

Check out this tidbit from Jonathan Willis:

  • Derek Ryan rank among Calgary forwards last season:
    • 5v5 TOI: 12th
      5v5 P/60: T-6th
      5v5 CF%: 1st
      5v5 SF%: 1st
      5v5 GF%: 1st
      5v5 xGF%: 1st

One of Edmonton’s weaknesses last year was that it’s bottom-six was where offense went to die (basically) and if this is one attempt at cauterizing that wound, I dig it. I love the contract, I love Ryan’s ability on the dot, and I’m very excited to see what he can do for this team, I’m just fearful of another Kyle Turris scenario. 

NHLRumors.com

David Pagnotta: The Los Angeles Kings are looking for a top-six forward. Brandon Saad is one free agent they will look at.

Ryan Kennedy: Have heard that the Buffalo Sabres have asked the Vegas Golden Knights for Reilly Smith, Peyton Krebs, Nic Hague and a first-round pick for Jack Eichel.

Bruce Garrioch: The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to trade defenseman Calvin de Haan.

Michael Russo: The Minnesota Wild need to find a couple of defensemen. If they can’t find anything on the free agent market, they have to look at the trade market.

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(12/15/2020) – BLH’s NHL Rumor Roundup PM Edition: “He May Also Feel the Need to Finally Pivot by Trading a Core Piece”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Sami Vatanen, Travis Hamonic, Jesse Puljujarvi, and more!

Woodguy on the 2020-21 Edmonton Oilers. 

Watch 16yr Old Wayne Gretzky Destroy the Czechs at the ’78 World Juniors!

Watch Connor McDavid help Team Canada end a five year WJHC gold medal drought right here!

Evan Bouchard has been recalled from his loan in Sweden, now he’s got to make the Oilers or his future could be cloudy. Read about that here.

Read what TSN’s Craig Button had to say about Carter Savoie, Dylan Holloway, and the 20201 World Juniors right here!

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NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • The Athletic: If the fine folks at The Athletic were running the Toronto Maple Leafs were running the team, they’d stay the course and hope that the core in T.O. can find another gear.
    • “We haven’t seen this Leafs team find machine-like operation in the regular season. At times, their approach has been concerningly indifferent. The playoffs have left something to be desired as well. If another season goes by and similar issues emerge, Dubas’ job could be in question. He may also feel the need to finally pivot by trading a core piece like Nylander or Marner.”

BLH’s Thoughts: What kind of trade would it look like if Toronto were going to deal one of their forwards? It reminds me of when the Oilers needed to move out some high profile forwards for help on the back-end… Everyone knows your position and they’ve got you over a barrel… As Jonas Siegal says in the post (I’m paraphrasing), keep your stars and improve the periphery. I mean, we’re really just talking about the Leafs finding a better goalie, right? If I were them, I’d see what the asking price on John Gibson was and fail that, Darcy Kuemper. 

  • Ryan S. Clark/Eric Duhatschek (The Athletic): Could the Seattle Kraken trade for Jeff Skinner and take Jesse Puljujarvi at the expansion draft? Read the latest mock expansion draft from The Athletic and see what their most recent incarnation of the team looks like.

BLH’s Thoughts: If Pulju gets picked up by the Kraken, I won’t be disappointed. I’m setting up the kids here to be Seattle fans and it would be nice to be able to get them a jersey with a name and number on it. 

  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Says that news on Mikael Granlund could be coming soon because the Finn wants to get his family situated. Friedman also noted that the Philadelphia Flyers have shown interest in UFA d-man Travis Hamonic but the word is he’d like to stay in Western Canada.

BLH’s Thoughts: What’s with all this Flyers chatter? Before it was Mike Hoffman, now it’s Travis Hamonic. I was under the impression that Hamonic could take the year off until the ‘VID blows over. Guess we’ll see on that front. I mean, I could see him returning to Calgary on the cheap too though. 

  • Emily Sadler (Sportsnet): Believes Boston could be a potential destination for UFA defender Sami Vatanen.
    • “Boston, who’s currently still playing a mutual waiting game with longtime leader Zdeno Chara, could be interesting here. If Chara chooses not to return, maybe the Bruins emerge for Vatanen.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Vatanen is an interesting Catanen. He’d be a great depth pick-up for any contending club but Boston needs more than that. They need to bite the bullet and bring OEL in I reckon.

  • Wayne Scanlan (Sportsnet): Expectations are extremely low for the Ottawa Senators going into the 2020-21 NHL season but Scanlan writes about six ways the Sens could surprise critics in the Canadian Division.

BLH’s Thoughts: I will go on record and say that the Senators will not be the worst team in the Canadian Division. They’re still pretty rough looking, but Winnipeg is a team that seems out of sorts and could be ripe for a real down year. 

  • Adam Gretz (Pensburgh): Says he has an eye on five Pittsburgh Penguins this season. They’re not the best players on the team nor are they the most impactful. This group of skaters have simply piqued Gretz’s curiosity and he wants to see what they’re capable of over the course of a full season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Man. Just when you think the Penguins have finally hit that roadblock, you take a look at their roster and you still think that there’s no way Sid and Gino can carry it. Unless Tristan Jarry shits the bed this year, I reckon the Pens are going to have a really decent year. Adding Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen to that top-six will not hurt in the least. They’ve got to stay healthy though. 

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2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: New Rumor PLUS Bakersfield and Edmonton Add Roster Flexibility With New Signings

The signings are coming in fast and furious these days as the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors keep some key players in the fold, in addition to adding some fresh new talent out of Sweden. Bakersfield Condors Re-Sign Two Vets

Assistant GM Keith Gretzky did the parent club a solid by getting veteran Condors Brad Malone and Luke Esposito to sign two-year extensions with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate. The key to these deals being that they’re AHL contracts and will not count against Edmonton’s 50-man limit thus giving Ken Holland some more room to work with when the time comes.

Similar to a player like Josh Currie (also a UFA and someone I expect the Oilers to re-sign given his significance to that team and the community), Malone and Esposito are very important to Jay Woodcroft’s team as they are highly-regarded and well-respected minor league players who will no doubt have a very positive effect on the younger players that will be playing in Bakersfield for the next couple of seasons like Raphael Lavoie, Kirill Maksimov, Ryan McLeod, Evan Bouchard, and Dmitri Samorukov.

Gretzky has been busy this off-season with signings. Since the AHL season was put on hold he’s signed Liam Folkes (RW), Janis Jaks (D), Devin Brousseau (F), and Blake Christiansen (LW).

Here are some notes on Brad Malone and Luke Esposito courtesy of BakersfieldCondors.com,

BRAD MALONE (stats) – 30 years old, 6’2″, 217 lbs., Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada

  • A veteran of 583 professional games combined between the NHL and AHL
  • Over three seasons with the Condors, he has recorded 89 points (34g-55a) in 148 games
  • Was in the midst of his best AHL season in 2019-20 with 31 points (13g-18a) in 49 games
  • Led the Condors in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs with 13 points (5g-8a) in 10 games
  • Has served as an alternate captain during his Condors career
  • Appeared in 199 NHL games with Colorado, Carolina, and Edmonton

LUKE ESPOSITO (stats) – 26 years old, 5’10”, 183 lbs., Andover, Massachusetts

  • Has played 150 AHL games over three seasons (two with Bakersfield) and has 57 points (15g-42a)
  • Led the 2019-20 Condors with two shorthanded goals
  • Second on the 2019-20 Condors with two game-winning goals
  • Went to the Calder Cup Playoffs in his first two AHL seasons (2019 w/BAK, 2018 w/GR)
  • Two-time ECAC Champion at Harvard University (2017, 2015) and was named to the 2017 ECAC All-Tournament Team

Lennstrom and Haas Sign with Oilers

You had to know something was going to drop given how much chatter there was going on with regards to Gaetan Haas last week on Oilers talk radio and this week the Swiss forward took a 10k paycut to sign a one-way one-year deal worth 915k with the club.

I talked about it earlier, but I really like having Haas on this team. It’s probably a bit silly to say given his nationality but he really is a bit of a Swiss army knife on the ice and possibly even more so going forward. I wonder if he might get some time on the second powerplay unit (a place he was well familiar with during his time in the Swiss league) given his ability to tip pucks as well as more time on the second penalty-killing unit.

That said, before any of that happens, he needs to get stronger and better on the faceoffs. He’s got the speed, the skills, and the processor to play the NHL game but he gets knocked around out there quite easily and loses battles that he should be winning. A bit of added strength and a sturdier core would go a long way I believe.

At the moment, Haas is back in Switzerland with his significant other recuperating from finger surgery awaiting instructions from the team.

Last time I spoke about Teddy Lennstrom I said that it was my belief that he’ll be depth for Edmonton’s AHL team in Bakersfield and I still believe that even with the news that was passed on to me yesterday.

Unless Ken Holland is thinking of shaking up his defense in a major way, I can’t see Lennstrom beating Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, or Dmitri Samorukov for a spot on the Oilers defense patrolling the left side. Right now, Bakersfield has Samorukov as its sole left-side defender because we’re under the impression that Philip Broberg will be staying in Sweden for another year and that William Lagesson will be on the Oilers roster unless Edmonton trades him or is okay with losing him via waivers next year. Keegan Lowe and Brandon Manning are UFAs.

RUMOR

I was told, Kris Russell‘s time as an Edmonton Oiler could be coming to an end when the 2019/20 NHL season is concluded.

Ken Holland will be looking to move the veteran defender in a cost-cutting move and there is possible interest in the shot-blocking king from teams in the Eastern Conference.

Now, Russell as a M-NTC, NMC in his current deal and will need to pass on a 15-team trade list before the season starts. He’ll only be making $1.5M in real money next season but will be a $4M cap-hit for the team acquiring him.

Maybe a team like Ottawa would take a swing at him given that they’ll need to hit the cap floor. Plus they’ll have 39-year-old Ron Hainsey turning UFA and his last deal was worth $3.5M and the Sens aren’t going anywhere fast (even if they do win the draft lottery and select Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield).

The Sens also have a shite ton of draft picks to part with and speaking of teams with lots of draft picks who like gritty older defenders, the Montreal Canadiens intrigue me as another possible option. I reckon Rusty would be an upgrade on Xavier Ouellet and Brett Kulak and the Habs would only have to give up one of their three 4th round picks or one of their two 5th rounders.

I’m just speculating on trade partners and I would venture to say that anything else that’s being posted on the socials is just the same. With that in mind, anything could happen between now and whenever NHL teams are allowed to make trades again.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: The MEGA Trade That Nearly Happened With Toronto

About a month after the conclusion of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, Chris Pronger made the decision that he wanted out of Edmonton and requested a trade from the Oilers. He was arguably the best player on the club at the time and without him, the team most likely wouldn’t have made it all the way to the Final (only to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes).

Recently, Pronger was a guest on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast where he described his time in Edmonton and let us in on a little tidbit about a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that fell through. You can watch the clip below.

Just push play and it should start right as he’s talking about what teams were in on him after he told St. Louis to trade him.

The former Hart Trophy winner said that the Maple Leafs offered Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, and a first-round pick in 2007 (turned into Lars Eller) and 2008 (Turned into Colin Wilson) but then GM of the Oilers, Kevin Lowe, wanted Alex Steen instead of Stajan. John Ferguson Jr was the GM of Toronto then and he declined only to send Steen to St. Louis in the Carlo Colaiacovo trade (as a throw-in according to Paul Bissonette) for Lee Stempniak.

Other things that he talked about, he said he was sold a bill of goods from the Oilers and that was one of the reasons that lead to him requesting the deal. Also, he said he shouldn’t have signed the long-term contract with Edmonton and he would’ve been better off accepting his qualifying offer and choosing where he wanted to play.

Pronger hinted that the younger players on the team had pretty exhaustive recreational lives off the ice but didn’t really get into it. Funny how that seems to be a theme throughout the club’s history…

He mentioned that the team had good leadership and veterans on the roster though and that they were thankful that the team traded for him because the coach at the time, Craig MacTavish (a former teammate of Pronger’s in St. Louis), was running them ragged and they needed the defender to get them some days off. I’m assuming that MacT was hard on them because they were running a bit wild away from the rink and he was trying to instill some professional work ethic.

The rest is history, right? Lowe sent Pronger to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul, Ladi Smid, a first-rounder (Nick Ross) in 2007, in addition to a first (Jordan Eberle) and a second-round pick (Travis Hamonic) in 2008. Then he goes on to win the Stanley Cup with the Ducks.

I’m pretty happy with the direction that the Oilers are going now and their collection of players but imagine Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, Lars Eller, and Colin Wilson (potentially) in the copper and blues as opposed to what they ended up with (which wasn’t that bad, just not quite as good). Where would have that group of players taken the club? Probably nowhere near where they ended up, but who’s really to say? It’s not like Kaberle and Stajan were world beaters and Eller/Wilson turned into solid 3rd liners.

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2019/20 Edmonton Oilers GM63: Oilers @ Ducks – 3P2W – How Good Did Ken Holland Really Do?

That was some trade deadline for the Edmonton Oilers! Ken Holland played his cards close to his vest and made everyone think that he was going to maybe make one small move to tinker with the lineup and BAM! He comes away when all is said and done with a top-6 winger, some help in the bottom-6, as well as a veteran defender to help out with the PP while Klefbom is out. It makes me wonder where all those Oilers fans that were getting all pissy that Holland wasn’t making roster moves on their time were. Maybe they were sitting on their own hands feeling some shame…

Speaking of hands… I’ve got the BLH Instagram account all fired up! Been getting followed like crazy the last couple of days thanks to the trade deadline. If you’re on the “Gram”, head on over and follow us! I like to throw up some content over there that doesn’t reach Twitter and the website.

  • Tyler Ennis, another local boy comes home to help the Oilers! He’s going to provide some skill, speed, and veteran leadership to a locker room that will need it after the departure of Sam Gagner. This is a player that can move all around the lineup where ever he is needed, he’s positionally fluid like that. I believe this stint will be an audition for a contract with the team next year as there was interest in him over this past summer but he was more interested in going to Ottawa to play for DJ Smith.
  • Joel Persson was moved in a last-second deal to the Ducks for an ECHL goalie and a conditional 7th rounder. This deal was purely to move an NHL contract and get the team under the 50-man maximum as well as clear some cap space. Persson showed flashes here and there and both the NHL and AHL levels but he had trouble with keeping a consistent level of play over the course of the year. I think staying healthy was another problem.
  • Keep an eye on Kailer Yamamoto tonight. He got tangled up in the corner vs. LA and his ankle might be less than 100%. If he’s a no-go this evening, it won’t shock me.

Andreas Athanasiou

I’ve got a few things to say about this fella. Of all the players acquired yesterday, Athanasiou brings me the highest level of unsureness. Not because he’s having a bad year. Edmonton played the Red Wings earlier this year and he was making the Oilers’ defense look pretty bad with his speed, so I know there’s a player there. I think the doubt is stemming from a media narrative that is attacking his two-way game and a possible personality issue (more on that below).

The former London Knight plays a similar style to Taylor Hall in that he is a zone entry machine in my opinion. He loves to carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the opposition’s end as like Hall and also McDavid. Personally, I don’t think that he is a great fit for Connor’s wing. I think he’d be a better fit for Leon Draisaitl’s but good luck convincing Coach Tippett to break that line up right now.

I asked my friend SPR (The Oil Knight) who is, as you know, a big London Knights fan (where Athanasiou played junior) and a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, if I should believe what the media is saying about AA’s lack of a two-way game and selfish play and this is what he told me,

I think it’s been way overblown. He played on Detroit with guys like Glendenning and Nielsen a lot so he had to be the driver because they weren’t. It’s not like he was playing with Mantha and Larkin. Obviously he has ridiculous speed and can push the pace but I’m confident he can adjust to whoever he’s playing with in EDM. That being said, his style does remind me a bit of Taylor Hall’s in that he does attack you with a lot of speed. Would Hall and McDavid be a fit? I’m sure they could make it work. But, Draisaitl has proven he works so well with that type (Hall, McDavid), longterm that might be better option and put Nuge with Connor instead. AA is a top 6 guy, no doubt its gonna be fun to see him with McDavid tonight but dont be shocked if eventually he ends up with Leon.

So we’re on the same wavelength there. The fact of the matter is if he scores 30 goals for the Oilers in a given season, nobody is going to care how his defensive game is or if he’s a jerk.

The other thing going around is that Athanasiou played with Larkin a lot and I decided to look into which forwards he’s played with the most at 5×5 since joining the league. I just used players that had over 200 minutes with AA if possible.

  • 2015/16 (37gp 7g 5a) – Brad Richards (84:13), Gustav Nyquist (81:31)
  • 2016/17 (64gp 15g 8a) – Frans Nielsen (208:36), Thomas Vanek (200:37), Dylan Larkin (198:25)
  • 2017/18 (71gp 13g 14a) – Dylan Larkin (413:58), Tomas Tatar (239:30)
  • 2018/19 (76gp 21g 15a) – Luke Glendening (324:07), Frans Nielsen (294:13)
  • 2019/20 (46gp 6g 7a) – Valtteri Filppula (301:04)

You can come to your own conclusions but it looks to me that Athanasiou has played a lot of hockey with bottom-6 linemates. Now, is that to limit his line’s exposure defensively or were the coaches doing that thing where they put a skilled player with more defensive-minded vets to try and see if something will wear off on the kid? Something we saw countless times in Edmonton from Taylor Hall to Nail Yakupov to Jesse Puljujarvi to Linus Omark… It’s a weird habit NHL coaches have.

AA’s PDO is 0.916… That’s horrid. Ideally, you want something closer to 1.000, right? Anything down where his is tells me that it’s just not his year. Also, his SH% is hovering around 7.5% and he’s usually in double digits. To add to that his GF% rel is -11.6%. That’s… Uh…  Not great. I mean Detroit is a shitshow on an epic level this year and it’s obvious that Steve Yzerman is comfortable having a year or two like this before flipping the switch. Unfortunately, there are some good players over there that are having to sacrifice their stat lines for the greater good, Athanasiou being one of them.

One last thing, and it was something passed on to me before the Oilers traded him, that is the fear of Athanasiou’s personality clashing with a locker room that seems very tight at the moment. This is a legitimate concern but the saving grace is going to be one of the other players that Ken Holland brought in. Mike Green is going to be able to sit down with his new teammates and coaching staff and let them know everything they need to about AA. What gets him going, how he responds to certain communication tactics, any notable instances of immatureness and how to handle that. Green will be a very valuable asset in this journey with the enigmatic winger. All I can say is that I’m damned happy that it’s Dave Tippett and not Todd McLellan behind the Oilers bench right now.

Three Players to Watch for the Ducks

  • #49 Max Jones – A very strong power forward with some edge to his game. Jones can be a buzzsaw out there, but he’s also got the ability to play a skill game. If he pans out, he could be a top-6 winger for years to come in Anaheim. He’s a bit old school at times. Gotta keep your head up when he’s on the ice.
  • #34 Sam Steel – Highly skilled playmaking centre from Sherwood Park if I’m not mistaken. Spent all of junior tearing up the WHL for the Regina Pats and will someday be a no.2 center for the Ducks.
  • #2 Brendan Guhle – Was once a highly regarded defensive product for the Sabres. Injuries have slowed down his progress but there’s still time for him to recoup his career. He’s a tough two-way defender that might be trying to model his game after Josh Manson. Time will tell if he becomes that good or better.

Expect the lines below to change given Ritchie is no longer with the team. Maybe the player he was dealt (Danton Heinen) for slides right into his spot.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #28 Andreas Athanasiou – The Oilers have the three fastest players in the league right now in McDavid, Nygard, and AA. I am curious however to see how Connor and Athanasiou mesh. They both like to carry the puck with speed and we know there’s only one player on this team with the green light to do that. I figure this was why Taylor Hall was ultimately moved off of McDavid’s line back in 97’s rookie year. Just because a player is fast, doesn’t mean he’ll be a good complimentary piece to McDavid’s wing. It does give Tippett some options though if Draisaitl’s line goes cold.
  • #27 Mike Green – John Shannon said that Green was brought in to run the PP and that makes sense to me. I don’t know why it’s taking so long for Coach Tippett to give the wheel to Ethan Bear but we might be waiting a little longer for the rookie defender to be the PP1 QB full-time. Is this addition akin to when Lowe acquired Jaro Spacek in 2006?
  • #63 Tyler Ennis – Ennis is an older version of Killer Yamamoto with maybe a bit less tenacity in his game. Small, skilled, great hands, and adds offense to the team’s bottom-6. Now, will Ennis be Samsonov or Desharnais here?

I’m not sure how safe it is to assume this, but I think Athanasiou will go right up with McDavid immediately and Ennis could be inserted onto the Sheahan/Archibald line whereas Mike Green most likely will play on the 3rd pair with Matt Benning as his partner. It’s the first half of a back-to-back so I’m thinking Koskinen gets the start and then Smith will get Vegas tomorrow.

The Next Ten Games (61-70)

  • vs. Minnesota Wild (28-24-7) – Edmonton is 0-2 against the Wild this year and it’s about time the Oilers beat Bill Guerin’s boys. (WIN) LOSS
  • @ Los Angeles Kings (22-34-5) – I have to say, the Kings are a dangerous team right now. They have nothing to lose and can spoil a lot of teams’ seasons. The Oilers have won 2/3 this year against their old coach but Connor McDavid might be back in this one. Keep an eye out to see if anybody out of the ordinary is sitting for this one because the next day is the trade deadline. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Anaheim Ducks (24-29-7) – Last time out the Oilers put up six on Dallas Eakins’ Ducks. I expect Edmonton to equal that this time around and who knows how the roster will look as this is the game that follows the trade deadline. (WIN)
  • @ Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – The Golden Knights record might hover around Edmonton’s but I feel like this team is a bit better on paper plus this is the second game in a back-to-back. (LOSS)
  • vs. Winnipeg Jets (32-25-5) – Big Buff sank this team when he decided he wasn’t going to play but the Jets have stuck in the race the whole season pretty much. You have to love the heart! (LOSS)
  • @ Nashville Predators (29-23-7) – I think the Oilers can sweep the season series with Nashville. The Preds defense isn’t what it used to be and there seems to be a bit of a dark cloud floating over the team at the moment. Pekka Rinne has hit a wall too… (WIN)
  • @ Dallas Stars (35-19-6) – Edmonton and Dallas have each won one game-a-piece against each other this season so far. This will be the rubber match and I like Dallas here. (LOSS)
  • @ Chicago Blackhawks (26-26-8) – Going into Chicago to play the Blackhawks is never an easy task and the Oilers have always had a tough time winning in the Windy City. (LOSS)
  • vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (30-19-3) – Edmonton is 21-8-0 at home vs. Columbus all-time. It’s hard to argue with those numbers, right? On the other hand, John Tortorella has his team right in the running for a playoff spot in the East. This game should be a war of attrition to see who comes away with the two points. (WIN)
  • vs. Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – I like Edmonton’s chances at home against the Golden Knights. History tells us they have a better chance at beating them in Edmonton than in Vegas. (WIN)

(Standings as of February 21st, 2020)

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