September 15, 2021 /

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: “Holland is still working the phones…” Says Oilers Pundit

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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Sportsnet

Holland believes ‘time is now’ for Oilers to evolve into contenders

  • To Holland, a man of process, “the time is now” means it is time to move from being a good team to being an elite team. To evolve from a team that is feared in December and January, to one capable of being feared in May and June.
“In ’93, ’94, ‘95 we couldn’t get it done in Detroit. By ’98 we had the blueprint and the recipe.”
  • When McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit down at the second intermission trailing 3-2, and the people they see across the room have names like Gaetan Haas, Dominik Kahun, Joakim Nygard and Caleb Jones, they know that the comeback is on their backs. It’s been that way in Edmonton: If No. 29 and 97 don’t win the game for you, it doesn’t get won.
“I wanted to bring in some people who have won before,” Holland opined. “(Zach) Hyman is 29, Foegele is 25 — they’re in the prime of their careers. Duncan Keith is going to have a lesser role (than in Chicago), but he’s bringing in his resume. He’s played in lot of situations at the international and National Hockey League level. He’s been brought in for what he can do on and off the ice.”
  • Holland is still working the phones, with a handful of NHL GMs having to make some tough decisions on the goaltending front when they set their rosters after camp.
“Since I’ve been here our goaltending has been a positive,” Holland reasoned. “It’s been part of the reason why we’ve made the playoffs. The big question mark is, one guy’s 39 (Smith), one guy’s 33.”

  • …in Keith, Hyman, Foegele, Derek Ryan and Cody Ceci, he has added genuine, veteran NHL players who belong in the league. They aren’t some Euro on a one-year deal, or a rookie whose “potential” comes with zero NHL experience.
“I guess I could have just said we’ll give jobs to the best of our young kids,” Holland said, “but my thinking process was to bring in established NHL players. And hopefully over the next 40 games some of these young guys become part of the solution. But while we’re waiting for them to grow, we have some veteran, established players on our roster.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The club is getting closer but I still don’t think they’re in Stanley Cup range. No doubt it’s a deeper team and a better one that in years passed, but there are still question marks,

  • Goaltending
  • Defense
  • The amount of players needing rebound seasons

When you look at Tampa’s roster last season, are there any question marks on that team?

Conversely, if you’re as high on the Oilers as you’ve ever been, ask yourself this question, could they beat last year’s Stanley Cup winner in a seven game series? 

If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll come to the conclusion I have and realize there’s lots of work left to do but, and most importantly, at least the team is trending in the right direction. 

A step back would hurt…

Oil on Whyte

Key battles to watch going into training camp

Warren Foegele vs. Kailer Yamamoto

  • … if he (Yamamoto) does come to camp he’ll be in a battle with dual winger Warren Foegele, who on paper fits more on the third line than the second, but will be the front runner to fill the vacuum left if Yamo holds out. Of course, I could see Josh Archibald or Zack Kassian get looks in that spot too. Archibald has filled in in the top six at times, while Kassian has underachieved for a couple of seasons now but has been a top six forward in his career. Maybe Kyle Turris, if he looks good enough, could be a dark horse candidate for that spot. There’s been hype about him preparing better this offseason than last.

BLH’s Thoughts: So… I don’t know who wants to break it to this writer but these two players play different positions… The better battle would’ve been between Yamo and Kassian because that’s going to end up being a real thing.

Third Line Center Derek Ryan vs Ryan Mcleod

  • Your classic vet vs. rookie scenario, this will be a battle in training camp to watch. Smart money says Ryan takes the spot at least to start the season, but Mcleod will probably be there by the end of the season at the latest. He showed some promise in a short call-up last season, so let’s see what he does for a full-time encore.

BLH’s Thoughts: This sounds spot on. I also think that Ryan might get the spot early on to give McLeod a bit of runway to earn the 3C position. By all accounts R-Mac is already flying out there at the “Captain’s Skates”. 

Third Pairing Defence – Slater Koekkoek, Kris Russell, and William Laggeson

  • Smart money says that Koekkoek is the frontrunner for this position, while Russell and Laggeson will have to make due as the extra guys. Koekkoek was hampered by injuries last season, otherwise, he probably would’ve played more. Russell is the grizzled veteran whose career is winding down. Both he and Koekkoek can play both sides on D, which gives Dave Tippett a lot of different combinations for his third pairing.

BLH’s Thoughts: Koekkoek probably should be the guy who wins this battle from the get-go, but I’ve got a feeling that Coach Tippett will want Kris Russell out there with Edmonton’s young defensive prodigy, Evan Bouchard.

Lagesson might have to push somebody in front of the Zamboni as it’s cleaning the ice to get some TOI in Edmonton this year… 

Mikko Koskinen vs. Alex Stalock

  • If the Oilers do end up going with Stalock, they’ll have to decide what to do with his (Koskinen’s) contract, as it’s not likely to be moved unless he waives his modified NTC. They could always send him down to Bakersfield (he’s unlikely to be picked up on waivers, and if he does then great we save ourselves $4.5 million in cap space), but that would stunt the development of Skinner and Konovalov by throwing another guy into the mix. Unless they just never played him

BLH’s Thoughts: Better yet, what about Stalock vs. Smith? Similar personalities, playing styles, both like to handle the puck… It might end up being a thing if the American netminder shows up in good form… 

Prospects Who Could Make the Team

  • Tyler Benson – Benson is a candidate for bottom 6 LW, but the team is deeper than ever so he’s got a lot of guys to beat out if he wants to make the team. 
  • Cooper Marody – If he doesn’t make the team this time around there’s a good chance he’ll get picked up on waivers by a team without the kind of depth the Oilers have now.
  • Stuart Skinner – Both Stalock and Koskinen have their warts so it’s entirely possible he leapfrogs over both of them and takes a spot earlier than expected.
  • Ilya Konovalov – This guy’s an even longer shot than Skinner, but rumours persist he might be good enough to play in the NHL this upcoming season.
  • Dmitri Samorukov – He’ll have to leapfrog over Koekkoek, Russell, and Lagesson to do it, but all three could be beatable.

BLH’s Thoughts: Both Bob Stauffer and Mark Spector were going off on Benson yesterday morning saying that the Oilers should really give him a shot because he’s paid his dues and if they lose him on waivers they’d have wasted all that time and the resources. So, that’s the young player I see getting a run-out out of this group. 

Konovalov is a wildcard. He’s no bigger than Bill Ranford and Curtis Joseph were when they were running the show in Edmonton all those years ago. 

Spector’s Hockey

TORONTO STAR: Chris Johnston recently suggested the large contracts signed this summer by several notable NHL defensemen could make it difficult for the Maple Leafs to sign Morgan Rielly to a contract extension. Chicago’s Seth Jones, Columbus’ Zach Werenski, Colorado’s Cale Makar and New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton inked multi-year deals worth an annual average value of $9 million or more.

THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo reports Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin admits some obstacles remain in his quest to get Kirill Kaprizov signed before the start of training camp. Part of it involves getting a work visa to travel to the United States, get tested for COVID-19 and undergoing a seven-day quarantine as per NHL protocols before joining the Wild.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports talks are continuing between the Senators and Brady Tkachuk’s representatives. While discussions have been cordial they could increase in intensity as the start of training camp on Sep 23 approaches. It’s believed the Senators have offered up an eight-year, $64 million contract.

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CategoriesArmchair GM Beer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL Rumors

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Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!