Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “There’s No Way Holland Can’t Address That Position!”

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: With Larsson gone Ristolainen could be target

Holland now needs a like-minded, hard-to-play-against shutdown right D to replace Larsson.
A trade makes more sense, like Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen, 26, ($5.4 mil cap hit), great work ethic, is tired of losing, with the caveat he’s UFA next summer. Holland has checked in on the Finn who has played 542 games; it would cost him a good prospect and a fairly good draft pick, most likely.
Or he could look at Colorado’s right-shot Erik Johnson, 33, who makes $6 million for two more years there but if the Avs would eat $2 million each year, that’s $4 million (Larsson) out and $4 mil.
If they are going the free-agent route, then David Savard, who won a Cup ring in Tampa and plays exactly same style as Larsson. But half a dozen teams will be bidding for Savard, 31.

BLH’s Thoughts: Weird, it was just yesterday that somebody on this site was saying the team was talking to the Buffalo Sabres…

I love the idea of getting Ristolainen. It flies in the faces of the computer boys and he’s a better version of Adam Larsson, in my opinion. Not only is he a mother f*cker to play against, but he puts up points AND he’s been doing it on a shitty team in Buffalo nearly his whole career.

The Sabres don’t have any NHL goalies on their roster right now, so wouldn’t it make sense to send them Mikko Koskinen, Dmitri Samorukov, and a 1st round pick to get The Finnish Ivan Drago?

I’ll reiterate that I think John Klingberg from Dallas is another option and might even be more or a realistic one given his salary is in the same range that Ken Holland set aside for Larsson.

I'm of the belief that the #LetsGoOilers are working on acquiring a notable addition to address their defense.

— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) July 22, 2021

From The Oilers Rig (Alex Thomas)

Oilers Won’t Go “Big Game Hunting” For Adam Larsson Replacement

Holland knows that he’ll need to replace Larsson. He also knows it is unlikely that he’ll be adding a star rearguard to do it. Those dreams of Dougie Hamilton signing with the Edmonton Oilers? Let’s put those to bed right now. It’s unfortunately not going to happen.
- “We won’t be big game hunting on the backend if you’re talking about an eight-million-dollar defenseman,” Holland said at his pre-draft media availability on Thursday. “Part of what I have to factor in is, obviously, Darnell Nurse is an unrestricted free agent. In a flat cap, whether the cap is $81.5 (million) next year or $82.5, I look at the players on our team right now. Ethan Bear is a restricted free agent a year from now, Jesse Puljujarvi is an unrestricted free agent a year from now, Darnell Nurse is an unrestricted free agent a year from now. I just can’t go out and spend all this money.”
- “The big game hunting is going to be term. It’s not only going to be cap numbers, it’s going to be big term. Internally, I have to make sure I have some money set aside that’s going to come off the books as I look towards the summer of ’22. We will not be in big game hunting mode on defense.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, I’m glad Holland put that silly idea to rest. The amount of “smart” Oilers fans on Twitter who thought that the Oilers could go after Dougie Hamilton now that Adam Larsson’s dollars were available was staggering.

Sure, on a spreadsheet you could make that happen, but not in the real world. There’s a human element to all of this that hockey fans, smart or otherwise, fail to get a grasp on. There are prior relationships that need to be considered as well, so it’s not just about setting up a meeting and throwing handfuls of money at a guy. There has to be a fit on so many levels and not just for the upcoming season either, the ramifications of signing a long-term deal, in the city of Edmonton no less, reach far and wide.

Dougie Hamilton and the Oilers are not a good fit, in my opinion. If you want point production and a player that actually looks alive on the ice, bring back Tyson Barrie, the league’s highest scoring defenseman from last year.

From Sportsnet (Mark Spector)

Oilers’ Ken Holland in win-now mode as pressure grows from all sides

It is time for your Edmonton Oilers to take the next step. Sure, they’ve moved from doormat to 12th place in the National Hockey League, to 11th under your watch — but they haven’t won a playoff series.
You’ve got about $8 million in cap space from those two Swedes. “Get out there and replace them,” the fans are saying.
The emotional fans wanted you to sign Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and you made him an Oiler for life. But when you sign Hyman to an almost identical contract you’re going to get crushed.
Every player whose name arrives at Central Registry as part of an NHL transaction, you should have been in on. Every player you are in on, you’re an idiot for even considering him.
He simply can’t come back with Mikko Koskinen as a backup to a 39-year-old Smith. There is no way he can’t address that position.
Holland will exercise a buy-out shortly, more likely on James Neal than Koskinen, but maybe both. He won’t qualify Dominik Kahun, who he’ll wave goodbye to, or Jujhar Khaira, who he’ll try to re-sign at a lesser number.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, as they say, if you spend your time listening to the fans, you’ll soon be sitting with them.

I do like this piece from Spector though. It’s clear that he’s getting tired of the ultras in Edmonton and good on him for having the brass balls to write about it in this tone.

That said, he is right about the Oilers having to get on their horse now. Holland has the green light and he needs to light up the opposition this summer. Getting some real competitive types like Duncan Keith and Zach Hyman will definitely help, but I think there’s still some room to add a real SOB to the lineup. Your Nazim Kadri, Yanni Gourde, Brendan Lemieux, Antoine Roussel sort of player. Somebody that’ll feature on the PK as well as play a very unique role for the team because they don’t have enough players who pull others into the game, if you will. Could that be Kailer Yamamoto? That’d help.

From Spector’s Hockey

NHL Rumor Mill – July 22, 2021

TORONTO STAR: If Hyman agrees to terms with the Oilers, his rights could be traded to Edmonton before the free-agent market opens on July 28. It’s believed the Leafs would want draft picks in return. The winger has drawn interest around the league, with one offer (not from the Oilers) said to be as high as $7 million annually. Hyman is only interested in playing for a contender.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The reason for the sign-and-trade is for the Oilers to get an extra year on the contract. Teams can re-sign players to a maximum of eight years. Unrestricted free agents from other teams can be signed for no more than seven years.
Whoever the general manager is that’s offering Hyman $7 million should be fired at once. The winger’s a good player but he’s not worth $7 million per season. With some GMs apparently succumbing to auction fever already, Hyman’s going to make a lot of money on his next contract.

BLH’s Thoughts: Is that extra year worth the draft pick? Edmonton is going to save around 400k/yr by doing the sign-and-trade? Why do it? Keep the asset and save yourself some trouble down the road. I guess Holland could save about $3.2M if he does it but in the grand scheme of it all, I don’t know if it’s the best use of his futures.