Could the Oilers be Looking at Alexander Edler

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

From the Edmonton Sun (Jim Matheson)

OILERS NOTES: No last-minute deals before protected list finalized

So, the Oilers handed in their protected list Saturday afternoon for Seattle’s expansion, and are going with the same seven-forwards-three defencemen-one goalie route as they did when the Vegas Golden Knights were coming in four years ago. The lists will be announced Sunday.
Forward: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Josh Archibald and Kassian, over top farmhand Tyler Benson.
- Kassian’s game didn’t measure up last season for his $3.2 million salary, in part because of a broken hand and a leg issue. But they need him to shoo the flies away from the stars. Archibald is their No. 1 penalty killer and hits everything that moves.
Defence: Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith and Ethan Bear.
- With Philadelphia trading for Nashville defenceman Ryan Ellis to play in their top pairing with Ivan Provorov, they’re likely out of the unrestricted-free-agent hunt for (Adam) Larsson.
Goal: Farmhand Skinner, not Mikko Koskinen, who has been vigorously shopped. He’ll be there for Seattle, who probably will take a pass.
- Mike Smith is still unsigned and reportedly looking for starter money, not the $1.65 million, which included $150,000 in bonuses for games (20, 25 and 30) played.
The Leafs traded prospect Filip Hallander, a former second-rounder of Pittsburgh, and a seventh-round draft pick (2023) for centre/winger McCann ($2.9 million cap hit). Assuming the Oilers were interested, the cost maybe would have been second-round draft pick Raphael Lavoie and a seventh-rounder

BLH’s Thoughts: That’s a hefty price for McCann, who’s now on his 4th NHL team and is only 25yrs old. Ryan McLeod looks to me to be a McCann-type, do you see that comparison as well?

I have seen a lot of Twitter GMs behaving like spoiled brats over the last week or so and that only ramped up yesterday with the news that the Oilers would most likely be protecting Zack Kassian and Josh Archibald instead of Tyler Benson. Matheson lays the reasons out very clearly and anybody who’s played on a successful hockey team will understand those reasons. Also, Kassian is a much more valuable trade chip going forward.

The question on my mind is, what would Benson bring to the Oilers that would make him more valuable to the team than Kassian or Archibald? Secondly, if you did come up with something, how do you know that for sure? You’re willing to take a flyer on a player who, despite being a leading scorer for his team this past year, was never a consideration for a call-up because his skating is below par.

With that in mind, what else is Benson going to bring to the table that would make the coaches think twice about playing two veteran NHLers over him?

The time for experimenting with young players has passed and as a fan of this club and as long as Ken Holland is at the helm, you’d best be prepared to part with young players and prospects going forward.

From The Athletic (Allan Mitchell)

Lowetide: 5 players outside the NHL who could help the Oilers

Free agency gets all the attention (along with marquee trades), but it’s often the smaller names added by an NHL team who solve on-ice problems.

Boris Katchouk (TB) – If the Oilers are looking for a bigger winger who can play a physical game and has enough skill to stay in the lineup, Boris Katchouk carries that resume. His style and skill set are somewhat reminiscent of Patrick Maroon at the same age, and he is waiver-eligible this fall. Katchouk blossomed offensively in 2020-21 with the AHL Syracuse Crunch, scoring 11-23-34 in 29 games.
Dominik Bokk (CAR) – He is 21 and played part of 2020-21 with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. In 29 games, he scored 9-9-18 after playing several years in Sweden’s top league (SHL). He is a left winger but shoots right.
Max Gildon (FLA) – The Florida Panthers loaned prospect defenceman Max Gildon to the Oilers affiliate Bakersfield Condors for the 2020-21 season. It worked out well for all involved, especially Gildon, as he made the AHL All-Rookie team. In his first 10 games with the Condors, his on-ice goal differential was 18-6 (+12), and he sparked the offence with his pure skating skills and creative passing.
Ilya Konovalov – The Oilers drafted Russian goaltender Ilya Konovalov in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He was already 21 and coming off a strong KHL season, with 45 games, 25 wins, a .930 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. Edmonton’s goalie situation is in flux, so his timing is excellent. There are some interesting stats on Konovalov, and he could surprise as early as training camp.
Martin Frk (LA) – Frk’s main skill (shooting the puck) has enormous value and should be used on an NHL power play. It’s easy to imagine Frk’s cannon cashing in on cherry passes from Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins. Frk has scored seven power-play goals in 204 minutes. That’s over two goals an hour with the man advantage. It’s an exceptional weapon.

BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting names for sure. My feeling is that Katchouk is going to get his shot this year once Tampa sorts out its wings. If he’s as LT describes him, wouldn’t he be a good replacement for Alex Killorn?

The Oilers should have an extensive book on Bokk considering he played for the same team as Joel Persson (Vaxjo) in the SHL and in the same league as Philip Broberg. Him being German and all, Leon Draisaitl might be able to contribute a word or two as well. Do the Oilers have room for him or I should ask, WILL the Oilers have room for him and what would the ask be for a player that has yet to make an impact at any professional level since being drafted in 2018?

Dave Manson works his magic again! The Oilers had best be careful or they’re going to lose their defenseman whisperer… Max Gildon had one good season, but there’s no reason to believe that he’ll be a better option than Dmitri Samorukov, Markus Niemelainen, Philip Broberg, or Matt Cairns.

Konovalov is a really intriguing prospect for me. Those KHL numbers are really impressive and the feeling I get is that he’s going to push for the starting job in Bakersfield next season and be in consideration for the backup position in 2022-23.

If the Oilers want Martin Frk, they could go out and get him tomorrow. He owns the hardest shot in ice hockey today, but obviously he’s missing some other key elements to his game or else he’d be a guaranteed top-six winger.

From The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Rumors: Landing spots for Ryan Suter; Alex Edler hitting free agency; Braden Holtby on the move; and Vince Dunn

Teams looking for a leader and mentor for their blue-line will find (Ryan) Suter a very inexpensive and attractive option. Michael Russo of The Athletic notes that the St. Louis Blues already have interest in him. Other possibilities could include; the Avalanche, Islanders, Blackhawks, Penguins, and Lightning.
Yesterday, longtime Canucks defenseman Alex Edler informed them he will be testing free agency. If there’s a team who wants a stabilizing presence and has the ability to block shots, Edler could be a fit. Look for teams like the Lightning who may be bargain hunting after they clear cap space this summer.

BLH’s Thoughts: As an Oilers fan, I skip reading anything involving Ryan Suter, but when he’s brought up in podcasts, like the 31 Thoughts pod, I’m compelled to listen. What I heard is that the Kings and possibly the Predators and Panthers could have interest in Suter and there’s a thought that he plays his best when he’s pissed off and he’s really pissed off right now…

Alex Edler is a name that I wouldn’t gloss over too quickly if I were an Oilers fan… Ken Holland loves his vets (especially Swedish ones) and the Oilers want to get bigger and they want to add more experience to their backend. Is 900+ games enough experience? There might be some interest from Edler’s camp as well given the proximity of Edmonton to Vancouver.