Edmonton Oilers Talk: Yamamoto Offer Sheets and Should McDavid Wear the ‘C’ for Canada in Beijing?

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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Oilersnation (baggedmilk)

…I was a little bit surprised to see a handful of Twitter folks in my mentions saying that they wouldn’t mind if someone hit the Oilers with an offer sheet on the former 22nd overall pick.
I know that Edmonton has more forward depth this year and that Yamo had a tough season in 2021 but that, in my opinion, was not for a lack of chances but rather an inability to finish.
The guy had all kinds of grade-A chances to score but he just couldn’t bury anything, and as a result, his season totals are lower than we would have liked to see.
Either way, when you look at what the comp would be for any potential offer sheet then you see how brutal it would be to lose an offensive guy for a measly 2nd or 3rd round pick. Even if it’s a 1st + a 3rd round pick, I don’t know that I’m really interested in acquiring picks unless they’re going to be flipped for someone that can help when October rolls around. Is that really reasonable?

BLH’s Thoughts: Is it just me or is an inability to finish a problem? I’m not sure why we’re just shaking that off as something insignificant and has anybody considered the idea that the opposition might have the book on Yamo now and with that are checking him with a bit more ease?

If somebody came in and threw an offer sheet at Kailer Yamamoto that netted the Oilers a 1st round pick AND an 3rd round pick, take the picks! Even if they weren’t flipped, the next two drafts are looking really good and Edmonton has the roster depth to withstand the loss of one of their RWs. You never know where another club’s first rounder might end up when it comes to the draft lottery, the Oilers could get lucky and net themselves their own Tim Stutzle.

Conversely, if Yamo received an offer sheet that only scored the Oilers a 2nd or a 3rd, it would be in their best interests to match it and handle any cap issues now.

The Athletic (Mitchell)

Oilers’ potential Olympians are a small group with maximum possible impact

Connor McDavid: Early chatter has McDavid’s linemates as the hot topic. Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Crosby are popular choices, although Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers) and Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights) are also compelling options…
Leon Draisaitl: He’ll arrive at the Olympics at or near the peak of his abilities (he’ll turn 26 in late October), and his recent NHL output has been outstanding. Draisaitl won the Hart, Art Ross and Lindsay awards for the 2019-20 season.
Jesse Puljujarvi: His style of play (rambunctious, aggressive puck pursuit) can at times run counter with the NHL Oilers, but Puljujarvi has always looked at home in the Finnish system. That’s likely to continue if he makes the national team for the Olympics.
Darnell Nurse: Most of the lists I see omit Nurse from Canada’s defence, and it may well play out that way… Nurse has dynamic skating and recovery skills that will have high value in a short tournament like the Olympics…
For fans of the Oilers, there are few likely Olympians, but all will play prominent roles on their national teams.

BLH’s Thoughts: I really don’t have much more to say on this. What can one say anyhow? I hope all the Oilers who’re slated to win spots on their national team’s stay healthy before, during, and after the tournament and that everything goes off without a hitch while they’re in China.

Oh! I know, there’s been some chatter as to who should be the captain of Team Canada and the homers in Edmonton are obviously saying McDavid should lead the team but I don’t think it should be him. I think it’s Sidney Crosby’s captaincy to lose or possible Patrice Bergeron’s. They’re international experience and success in the NHL speaks for itself and there’s no way either of those players should be looked over when it comes to who wears the ‘C’ for Canada in Beijing IF they make it over.

NHL Trade Talk

Canadiens Allow Jesperi Kotkaniemi to Slide to Hurricanes

…the Canadiens are saying goodbye to one of the organization’s most promising young players in Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The announcement was terse and to the point, simply saying that the team wouldn’t be matching the one-year, $6.1MM offer sheet that Kotkaniemi signed last weekend.
…the Hurricanes also now have their own salary-cap crunch. According to CapFriendly, the Hurricanes have a full roster and are $1.52 million over the salary cap… Something has to be in the works, because otherwise it doesn’t seem manageable.

Logan Brown Looking to Be Traded By Senators

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun notes that RFA forward Logan Brown hasn’t signed a qualifying offer with the Ottawa Senators and the player is looking to be traded by the organization.
… the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes (depending on the Kotkaniemi situation), and Arizona Coyotes could be among the interested teams.

Montreal Canadiens Almost Traded for Marc-Andre Fleury [Report]

…according to popular website DANLESCOULISSES.com, the Montreal Canadiens had their eyes on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury prior to the veteran landing with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Apparently, the Canadiens were thinking they might lose Carey Price to the Seattle Kraken and as a backup plan, were ready to swing a deal for Fleury.

Oilers Hit Snag in Kailer Yamamoto Contract Negotiations

Edmonton Journal scribe Jim Matheson notes that the Edmonton Oilers and forward Kailer Yamamoto have hit a bit of a roadblock when it comes to getting a contract extension signed.

“They are still grinding away, like Devin Shore working the corners, on a bridge deal, either one or two years because (A) the Oilers have dimes and nickels to spend not loonies and toonies with their cap situation and (B) they are still not sure what Yamamoto really is after he didn’t take a step forward last season. Is he a second-line right-winger with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or a 3RW with Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan?”

Matheson argues that the biggest sticking point are comparables that Yamamoto’s camp is using. This wouldn’t be a big deal except for the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers just signed Joel Farabee to a six-year and $30 million deal he had similar numbers to Yamamoto and also no leverage.