Edmonton Oilers Talk: Which Oiler is the Most Likely to be Traded?

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, Sportsnet, and TSN 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!

The Athletic

NHL trades to watch for: One player on all 32 teams who will end the season on a different roster

Edmonton Oilers: Mikko Koskinen

The veteran goaltender is in the final year of his contract and the Oilers will need an upgrade in goal to go on a long playoff run. Koskinen’s $4.5 million salary won’t be as gargantuan by the trade deadline – whether for an acquiring or for the Oilers if they’re retaining money. One obstacle, however, is Koskinen’s modified no-trade clause, which allows him to block a deal to half the league. -Daniel Nugent-Bowman

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll tell you this right now, if Koskinen is rolling, Holland will stick with him. In fact, I don’t think that the big Finnish netminder is the most likely to be traded. I reckon it’s going to be one of the fringe guys like Benson, Turris, Kassian, or Russell.

Sportsnet

NHL 2021-22 Pacific Division season preview: Can anyone topple Vegas?

At the high end are the Vegas Golden Knights, a perennial contender since the day they arrived in the NHL four years ago. The Edmonton Oilers are in a tier below, solidified as a top notch regular season team, but with lots to prove in the post-season.

EDMONTON OILERS

2021 season outcome: 35-19-2, Second in North Division, Eliminated by Winnipeg in first round (4-0)

Notable off-season roster additions: Zach Hyman, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, Duncan Keith, Cody Ceci

Notable off-season subtractions: Dominik Kahun, Jujhar Khaira, James Neal, Adam Larsson, Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones

The Good News

Well, they have the best player in the world and another one who ranks right up there as well.
The Oilers seem to have addressed a couple of lineup weaknesses, too. Derek Ryan is in as the third line centre, a player who will get PK minutes and win faceoffs. Zach Hyman not only gives McDavid a solid complementary winger, it should also remove any need to put McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line, except in specific, late-game situations, so the scoring depth should be greater.
They changed over the defence, and no matter what you think of what they gave up for Duncan Keith, it was worth taking a shot on the 38-year-old in a reduced role from his Chicago days.
The future is still strong on Edmonton’s blue line — Evan Bouchard will be a factor this season, while Dimitry Samorukov and Philip Broberg aren’t far off — so taking a shot on experience is worth it.

The Bad News

While GM Ken Holland was able to make some changes among his skaters, ideally he would have been able to bring in another goaltender as well.
There’s also a chance this defence doesn’t fit the bill — Cody Ceci and Keith are wild cards somewhat and how will Tyson Barrie do without contract year motivation?

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d argue that a rejuvenated Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a plus as is emerging all-star Jesse Puljujarvi. Warren Foegele will be a plus not only on the third line also with the penalty killing.

The goaltending isn’t as much of a concern for me until it is. Until then, the defense will be my main focus and results have been mixed so far. At this point Cody Ceci is looking like the new Kris Russell but I’m willing to give him some time to find his feet and Duncan Keith is producing at a point-per-game in the preseason, so I’m not as concerned with him.

The wildcards with this team will be Kailer Yamamoto, can he regain that scoring touch and stay healthy enough to keep his place in Edmonton’s top-six. Evan Bouchard, will the Oilers young savior defense be able to live up to expectations or is it more realistic to think that it could take a year for him to get the hang of things as a full-time NHLer?

Now, if you want to go SUPER Wildcard, where does Dylan Holloway fit in when he’s ready to go and could Dmitri Samorukov, Philip Broberg, or Filip Berglund make an appearance with the Oilers sooner than later?

Spector’s Hockey

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports there are some NHL teams interested in Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel who are willing to let him undergo disc replacement surgery, others not so much.
THE ATHLETIC: Adam Vingan reports Filip Forsberg’s agent told him contract talks with Predators management have not started.TSN: LeBrun believes the Montreal Canadiens announcement that the future of general manager Marc Bergevin wouldn’t be addressed until after this season suggests he could be a lame-duck GM.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the long-term absence of center Colin White to shoulder surgery could have the Senators seeking a short-term replacement via the waiver wire or trade market.