Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Oilers Pundit on Josh Archibald: “He’s finished here. It’s not a matter of if but when.”

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

What Connor McDavid’s Oilers history tells us to expect from line chemistry with Zach Hyman
  • I asked McDavid back in 2017 about chemistry and how long it takes to find the range. “It definitely takes a few games, 5-6 games to really get a good idea,” McDavid told me. “To really, fully get chemistry with someone you have to play together for a long, long time.”
  • Over his six seasons, McDavid has played over 750 five-on-five minutes with seven wingers.
  • The captain does value consistency, telling me back in 2017, “it’s been nice that Leon, Patty and I have been able to stick together for a long time now and I definitely hope that continues. It’s easy to find each other out there, because we’re all pretty comfortable.”
  • Hyman was a plug and play all over the Maple Leafs lineup while he was there, productive no matter the line he was playing on. 
  • If the chemistry works, and the window of adjustment for playing with McDavid appears to be five games or less, Hyman should have success and be a productive Oilers winger.

BLH’s Thoughts: These fellas are going to get a few preseason games to work out the in-game kinks and a worst case scenario might be that it takes longer than previously thought. In that case, Tippett throw up RNH or Leon. 

It’s been a long time since we seen a Ryan Smyth-type lace them up for the Oil. I’m excited to see what Hyman brings to the table and on a selfish note, I want to see him do very well on the PP since he’s taking Puljujarvi’s spot. 

Say, wasn’t there somebody out there in the Oilogosphere saying that Hyman was going to take Pulju’s spot on the PP? I’ve probably got it all mixed up with some other basement blogger’s hockey conspiracies. 

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Looking at the Defence

What is now the most realistic goal for this team – One playoff series win? Two?

  • “Has to be to win one round. Of course you want more, but winning multiple series is difficult, but this group has to win at least one this season or it will be a massive disappointment.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: Get to the second round of the playoffs. Another one for in-season will be to no longer play down to your opponent. It’s time to start beating the teams they’re supposed to and give the ones they aren’t a run for their money.

How do you compare this year’s defensive group to last and did Ken Holland do enough to bolster the blue line?

  • “I think experience certainly matters in all walks of life — you wouldn’t want to be the guinea pig for a haircut would you — so I think those at-bats will help to an extent but I just don’t know how much.” – baggedmilk

BLH’s Thoughts: The peaks and valleys will not be so apparent in 2021-22. So while you might take that as the defense will make fewer mistakes, and you’d be right to see it that way, we also have to understand that they might not make game-breaking plays as often either.

This defense is designed to be a steady ship on the rough seas. Let’s hope we see that movie from start to finish.

What is your best guess on how the Josh Archibald situation plays out?

  • “He’s finished here. It’s not a matter of if but when.” – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Brownlee here. Archibald is still skating by himself and the club won’t allow him to skate with the rest of the team… Every day he misses a bit of camp prevents him from getting prepared for the upcoming season. I’m not even sure why he decided to show up if he knew he was going to go this route… Are there some national regulations being changed soon and he thinks he’s just timing things right? I’ve got no clue. 

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that you see as opposed to the all-Canadian division we played through last year?

  • “Don’t count on a normal schedule yet. Old alignments, yes, but this fourth wave of COVID is going to be a factor again.” – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: Travel fatigue… The players will have to get used to that whole rigmarole again. 

Spector’s Hockey

THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka recently reported Tomas Hertl hinted he might be willing to accept a hometown discount to stay with the San Jose Sharks. He pointed out how former teammate Joe Thornton took less money to play with good teams.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Jake DeBrusk is on Nick Goss’ list of five Bruins to watch during the preseason. The 24-year-old winger was the subject of considerable trade speculation during the offseason. However, the Bruins didn’t move him and chose to protect him in the Seattle expansion draft.

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Oilers Rooks Spank Flames Vets, McDavid to Surpass Gretzky, and the Latest NHL Rumors!

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!

Edmonton Sun

Edmonton Oilers lay a pre-season whipping on Calgary Flames
  • This one was all Edmonton, with the Oilers outshooting Calgary 13-5 in a scoreless first period and then jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the second on goals from James Hamblin, Derek Ryan, Xavier Bourgault and Brendan Perlini.
  • Evan Bouchard started as the first pairing right shot defenceman and looked extremely good in his pre-season debut.
  • Bourgault and Ryan finished with a goal and an assist each and veteran Colton Sceviour had a pair of helpers in the win.
  • Philip Broberg looked smooth as silk with the puck on his stick. He also took a big hit from Milan Lucic in the first period and got up like nothing happened.
  • Skinner faced some early Calgary pressure, but didn’t get a lot of work after that. The shots were 23-8 Edmonton when Tippett made the goalie switch and put Konovalov in midway through the second period.

BLH’s Thoughts: Derek Ryan had a really great game I found. He’s a little water bug out there and quite clever. He gets in the muck but he’s smart about his on-ice timing too. Positionally, a really nice performance from him. 

Anybody else wondering how much that shot block took out of Slater Koekkoek? I think it might’ve happened in the third on the Flames second powerplay.

Rafa Lavoie, from a body composition POV, is NHL ready. He didn’t have the benefit of playing with the highest of skilled linemates and therefore there weren’t many chances for him, but I saw a player who is not far from getting his first NHL game. If he can add a little bit of quickness and a bit more physical assertiveness, the Oilers will have a very good hockey player on their hands. 

I was quietly impressed with Kyle Turris. He looked faster and played with some more sandpaper. He’ll be one to keep an eye on in preseason because I think he’s going to get quite a few opportunities. 

Oilersnation

Off the Top of My Head
  • … it’s not a stretch to suggest Dave Tippett’s top nine forwards are pretty much decided.
  •  Tyler Benson is right in the middle of that mix along with Brendan Perlini, Devon Shore, Ryan McLeod, Kyle Turris and Colton Sceviour as the pre-season schedule begins.
  • While there’s plenty of convincing left to do and lots of competition, Benson has found a way to stand out.
  • McDavid is entering his sixth season as team captain, a tenure in which he’s worn the C 362 games – that ranks him third in the history of team captains. Next is Jason Smith, who captained the Oilers for 368 games 2001-07 and Gretzky, who wore the letter for 377 games 1983-88.McDavid became the youngest captain in team history when he got the C in 2016.
  • Yesterday would have been Joe Moss’s 58th birthday. So many people miss you, Joey.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m going to need to see more and against better competition that the Flames meat jockeys in order to make a judgement on the skaters battling it out for the 4th line LW spot.

The underlying question that nobody is talking about is, for how long will the gentleman who wins this spot out of camp hold onto it? Dylan Holloway is coming and he’ll be eyeing the path of least resistance in order to get onto the Oilers roster this year. That path begins at 4th line LW… 

Connor will become the club’s longest serving captain at the end of this season and I think he’s going to hold that record for a very long time. 

Spector’s Hockey

NEW YORK POST:Mollie Walker recently reports Mika Zibanejad isn’t giving anything away about his contract extension talks with the Rangers or allowing it to get in the way of his preseason preparation.

THE ATHLETIC: Rick Carpiniello wondered if Rangers general manager Chris Drury will play a game of chicken with Zibanejad if he can’t get him signed before the March trade deadline.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Matthew DeFranks’ 10 questions facing the Dallas Stars this season included speculation over John Klingberg’s future with the club. 

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: How Kris Russell is Keeping the Hall/Larsson Trade Alive and the Latest NHL Rumors!

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!

Oilersnation

The Oilers pound the Flames in pre-season opener
  • The Oilers limited Calgary to just three high-danger chances all told at even-strength.
  • The Flames obviously looked totally listless in this game but they were completely outclassed whenever Bouchard was on the ice.
  • Neither of Edmonton’s goalies were tested much but prospects Ilya Konovalov and Stuart Skinner combined to shut out the Flames, making seven and eight saves respectively. 
  • Edmonton’s best forward line in the game was the Kyle Turris, Devin Shore, and Brendan Perlini trio, three players who are on the bubble looking for gigs. The Oilers outshot the Flames 8-1 at even-strength…
  • Playing on the left of Derek Ryan and rookie Xavier Bourgault, Sceviour picked up a pair of assists and had two shots on goal.
  • 2021 first-round pick Bourgault scored his first goal as a pro on Sunday with a snipe from the face-off circle.

BLH’s Thoughts: I started about 5 minutes too late. I was waiting for the game to come up on NHL.com until I found the link to Edmonton’s own site showing it… Apparently, I missed Calgary’s entire bit of offensive momentum because Edmonton controlled that match for the next 55 minutes. 

That goal from “Go-Go” Bourgault was a real snipe, wasn’t it? Right off the cycle he ripped it past Adam Werner to put the game right out of hand. The 2021 first rounder did not look too out of place competing against Calgary’s bouncers. 

I’ll maintain that I think Bourgault will replace Kailer Yamamoto at some point. 

For a guy who really needs to show well to make the team, William Lagesson was barely noticeable. Phil Kemp had a quiet game too. 

At the end of the day, Edmonton’s speed and skill rekt Calgary’s plan to use brute force to command and conquer. 

Lastly, can somebody send a memo to Darryl Sutter with instructions on how to properly wear a mask? F*ck me! Every time the camera panned over to him, his bloody mask was down by his neck… IT’S NOT THAT HARD!!!

Cult of Hockey

The Edmonton Oilers’ Josh Archibald Conundrum: 9 Things
  • I thought Yamamoto had a better 2021 than his statistics indicated. He just had trouble finishing. And while I buy “snake bit” to an extent, you also make a lot of your own luck.

BLH’s Thoughts: Tell me I’m wrong, but is Leavins suggesting that Killer didn’t give it his all last year? Woof! He must know something I don’t if that’s the case… 

  •  It was announced this past week that Kevin Lowe’s #4 would be hoisted to the rafters at Rogers Place… Also, a stick tap to veteran Kris Russell for doing the honorable thing and swapping his #4 to a #6.

BLH’s Thoughts: Sometimes the littlest things peck at my nuts. Did Kris Russell do the “honorable thing” by swapping his number? Get off it! The Oilers are retiring it! Was he going to wear the number until the ceremony and then swap it out Ray Bourque style?

I know. It’s dumb, but like I said, sometimes the verbiage I read online bugs me. 

What’s being glossed over here is that Russell found a way to keep his name attached to the Hall/Larsson trade and THAT my friends is very funny.

  • Hamblin was a valuable asset in Bakersfield last season. And has impressed so far in camp this fall. Don’t be surprised that his AHL deal turns into an NHL one.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, that pretty much seals the deal. Expect an announcement at some point that Hamblin has signed an NHL deal with the club and seeing as they have lots of room under the 50-man list, it makes sense. 

I don’t know if I’d sign him to a pro deal considering the logjam in front of him from what I’ve seen of the young man so far, but I’m on the boss. I’d probably find a AHL/NHL tweener and give him the deal.

  • If Josh Archibald stays with the Oilers but continues to refuse vaccination, COVID protocols will force him to will miss roughly 3/8ths of the season. In this scenario, the club would benefit from the cap savings from that circumstance and save that in real money (salary) as well.
  • They could bury him in the AHL as some are suggesting. If they do they also save cap space. But Archibald would also get paid in full. And the parent club loses the benefit of having the asset on the ice.
  • Archibald has never been a highly compensated player. It’s the same reason why he’s unlikely to opt out. He hasn’t made enough dough in his career to do that. So, framed by that context, leaving him on the NHL roster would seem to be a substantial incentive for him to get the jab and solve all this.
  • At some point if Archibald still refuses to comply (he’s currently un-trade-able), does the organization just waive him and try to move on? Perhaps. I somehow doubt the patience of this organization will be unlimited.

BLH’s Thoughts: See… I was saying just this weekend that I wondered when a team would find a way to do some cap circumventing with the unvaccinated players… 

The Daily Goal Horn

RFA holdout updates
  • Brady Tkachuk: Reports indicate that the hold up has more to do with contract structure and no-trade protection. It also appears that Brady has firmly planted his feet and will not compromise any further.
  • Elias Pettersson: Talks continue, with early reports indicating a bridge deal. Unfortunately for the cap-crunched Canucks, Kirill Kaprizov’s 5 year-deal worth $9M AAV, likely makes things real tough for Vancouver.
  • Quinn Hughes: He may not get Cale Makar money, but Rasmus Dahlin’s recent 3 year-deal worth $6M AAV per season is a good starting point. I would expect Hughes to be the next RFA signed.
A Jack Eichel trade with conditions?
  • “Eichel has made it clear he’s willing to go anywhere to facilitate a trade,” he wrote. “One of 1/2 doz teams involved tell me a trade is doable as long as the Sabres are willing to add “conditional” clauses around how he performs after surgery. ie .. games played, scoring etc.” – Nick Kypreos
Tomas Hertl willing to take a discount?
  • Recently, Hertl wanted to let the Sharks know that he’s more concerned about winning than money. He even referenced how his old teammate, Joe Thornton took less to play for a winner.

“I like that idea. You can go somewhere else, sign the maximum, even maybe too much, but you’re losing for the next eight years,” Hertl explained. “I don’t want to be in this position. I just don’t want to say I will take less and just take it for the team, but I think I’m a little bit for that idea.”

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Bouchard Destorys Flames, Prospects Being Blocked, and the Latest NHL Rumors!

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!

Cult of Hockey

Player Grades: Evan Bouchard leads pre-season slaughter of big, belligerent & bewildered Calgary Flames
  • Edmonton came out with a bunch of swift and smart puck-moving d-men and forwards and proceeded to stomp the hell out of Calgary, beating them 4-0, and giving up next to nothing in their own end.
  • Evan Bouchard, Filip Berglund and company shredded the Flames with swift decisions and laser passes.
  • Calgary outhit the Oilers 29 to nine. The Oilers outshot the Flames 49 to 15.
  • Brendan Perlini, 8. All kinds of chances. Had a power forward kind of game.
  • Derek Ryan, 8. He centred the Oil’s best line. Looked fast and pesky. Scored on a hard-working power play shift early in the second… He led the Oilers on the dot with 10 wins and five losses, 67 per cent.
  • Cooper Marody, 6. Pretty quiet, though he combined well with his teammates, especially setting up Benson in the third.
  • Evan Bouchard, 9. Wow! He utterly dominated the game… He got nine shots on net, six of them hitting the mark, a number of them ripper slap shots.
  • Filip Berglund, 7. He was good, really good. Smart and solid with the puck, good decisions all over the ice.He led the team with 23:30 time-on-ice.
  • Ilya Konovalov, 6. Had little to do in the second when he came in, but did fire off a nice pass up the middle of the ice. He made best Edmonton save of the night on pass that sliced across the net-front to Matthew Phillips, but Konovalov stoned him.

BLH’s Thoughts: I only included the higher scored players and a few others I wanted to comment on. Head over to The Cult of Hockey’s site and check out the full review!

I tuned into the game a tad late but just in time to see Philip Broberg get rocked behind his own net by Milan Lucic. I wondered when that would happen given the construction of Calgary’s lineup last night.

Look, it’s all fine and dandy that the 6’3″ Swede can take a hit and bounce right back but all of those checks will take a toll on him and I’d like to see the guy have a right proper 15 year career, wouldn’t you?

On the plus side, Broberg displayed some fantastic escapability on a couple of occasions, leaving his chasers sucking ass as he threw it into the next gear. 

Evan Bouchard was far and away the best player on the ice last night. We’re going to hear about his performance all day today, so I would like to throw some praise Filip Berglund’s way instead. 

Berglund was sound as sound can be. He didn’t flinch, his passes were off of his tape ASAP and right on his teammate’s nearly every time. He was an efficient checker and all in all, I was really impressed with his composure and responsible play. He looked like an NHL player. 

Cooper Marody looked disinterested. He’s very frustrating to watch, it’s as if he’s got the kind of mindset that has him thinking there’ll always be tomorrow or he’s just waiting for his big break instead of making it like his linemate, Tyler Benson, is. 

Speaking of the local lad. Benson’s quickness is much better but his skating is still kind of choppy and inefficient in my eyes. That’s just me though. I mean, you can clearly see between him and Perlini who is the better skater, right?

Now, with that out of the way, I did not mind Tyler’s game. He was involved and that newfound quickness paid off in the Flames zone when it came to jumping on loose pucks and evading defenders. Too bad he didn’t bury that chance in the third. 

I did not see Perlini’s game the same way everybody else did. To me, he was largely invisible until he wasn’t. However, he’s a big boy and the man can flat out fly. 

The LW battle between Shore, Perlini, and Benson wasn’t made any clearer in my eyes after this game. 

Lowetide.ca

THE PIPELINE 2021-22
  • Evan Bouchard will turn 22 in October and he’s been NHL-ready for some time. There’s no one blocking him from a roster spot…
  • Tyler Benson is in a fight with Brendan Perlini, and both men are looking good early. I don’t look at this as a block, however, because Benson should be able to weather this kind of competition. 
  • Ryan McLeod has a clear shot at an NHL job and with the team’s focus on speed…
  • Cooper Marody is going to get a look, but he brings pure skill and I do think he’s blocked by the depth chart. 
  • William Lagesson is getting a full look, and his status as a bubble waiver player is based on his play a year ago.
  • Stuart Skinner gets a push due to the Alex Stalock news, and the club consistently talks about Skinner as an option… I think his trajectory is similar to Laurent Brossoit.
  • Filip Berglund is earning time based on early play, there’s no pressure and no job but an injury could put him in the conversation if he can play well as the competition increases in preseason.
  • Philip Broberg is going to get a look in preseason, but the Holland plan would involve time in Bakersfield and I don’t think that’s blocking him.

BLH’s Thoughts: LT wrote this post about which of the Oilers prospects are being blocked by a veteran and on the whole, I agree with him and his assessments. When Dylan Holloway and Dmitri Samorukov return, I think the conversation can be re-visited if they are playing well and the players above them in Edmonton aren’t. 

The Hockey Writers (Rumors)

As per Matthew DeFranks’ of The Dallas Morning News, there is a lot of speculation over John Klingberg’s future with the organization… DeFranks suggested other players on expiring contracts could be departing the team as well. That includes Joe Pavelski, Braden Holtby, and Alexander Radulov, who could become trade bait at the NHL Trade Deadline.

As per Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal, he believes there may be some patience for Archibald to make a decision about getting the vaccination, but not an unlimited amount… Leavins believes there are some cap benefits to the Oilers if they leave Archibald on the team…

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: “He’s never going to have a better chance at making this Oilers team”

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!

Edmonton Sun

For Oilers’ Tyler Benson, the long wait to become an NHLer may be over
  • Through two scrimmages, Benson, who has done all he can in the American Hockey League as a point-a-game player through 154 games, looks faster, with more giddy-up in his first step, more in the battle in Jujhar Khaira’s old number. So, we’ll see if it holds.
  • He’s never going to have a better chance at making this Oilers team because they are looking for a left-winger on the fourth-line and they saw how he worked on being a penalty-killer in Bakersfield to round out his game.
  • If we’re handicapping the field, it’s Benson’s LW spot on the fourth-line to lose. In camp, the Oilers have played fellow left-winger, Devin Shore at centre. Brendan Perlini, with 239 NHL games in Arizona, Chicago and Detroit, is certainly in the picture too after being signed to a two-way deal but the Oilers have more history with Benson.
  • On the bench: The Oilers sent Tyler Tullio back to Oshawa, Matvey Petrov to North Bay and injured Jake Chiasson to Brandon, and released Henry Rybinski, Luke Englot, goalie Ethan Kruger and Brady Burns from amateur invites.

BLH’s Thoughts: Sometimes in life a person can appear not to be taking the next step. For years they’ll be spinning their wheels and then one day you see that person and they’re a brand new individual. They finally got it and they’re on the road to success. 

This happens in pro hockey as well. Look no further than Derek Ryan who toiled in the minors and European leagues for years before getting his shot at the NHL right before turning 30 years old. 

Now, I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch, but Tyler Benson has just return from training with Apollo Creed in LA and he’s got the eye of the tiger. Making the Edmonton Oilers out of camp would be his victory over Clubber Lang.

Oilersnation

Random Thoughts
  • I know that we tend to hear the whole “he’s in the best shape of his life” thing a lot around these parts, but I wonder if that can actually make a difference for Kyle Turris here in Edmonton.
  • Can the 32-year-old vet bounce back when it looks like he’s already fallen off the cliff?
  • After I stopped laughing at how funny the news was that Peter Chiarelli landed a new management gig in St. Louis, it got me to thinking how dumb the hockey world really is.
  • I mean, how bad do you have to be at your job in this league before you’re off the list as a potential candidate for anything that comes up?
  • I can’t help but wonder how shallow the talent pool is if a disaster like Chiarelli keeps getting opportunities after the trainwreck he was responsible for here?

BLH’s Thoughts: It’s funny how the world works, isn’t it? I mean, Jason Gregor and Frank Seravalli recently hired Tyler Yaremchuk away from TSN to work with them on the DFO Rundown. Yaremchuk’s worked with Jason Gregor on Oilersnation for many years, but I wonder how that hiring process went? Do you think NN looked far and wide for the perfect candidate or did they simply go with a friend, somebody they trust more than a stranger? 

Look, that’s no shot at Yaremchuk. He’s worked with Lowetide on his radio show for years as well as doing color for the Sherwood Park Crusaders (IIRC) of the AJHL. He obviously works hard, loves what he does, and knows the right people. Good for him! 

All I’m saying is that the NHL is not all that different than most companies and organizations.

What’s getting old is that there are still some in Edmonton who can’t help but take a shot at Chiarelli whilst at the same time being completely ignorant to how many pieces of the current roster came from his time as GM of the team in addition to being the guy that built an Oilers squad who made the playoffs after ten years out of them. 

Let it go… Be a better human and wish others well when fortune comes their way. 

ProHockeyRumors.com

PHR Mailbag: Rangers, Lightning, Predictions, Bruins, Bounce Back Candidates, Penguins, PTOs

If the NYR are going to sign Zibanejad long term, what salaries do they move if they want to sign a front-line center?

  •  Chris Kreider feels like the one that they’d try to move.  His contract probably won’t age well and with the young wingers they have coming, he could be pushed down the depth chart in a hurry.

Could you see Drury dangling Kaapo Kakko and one of their plethora of young defense prospects to fill the hole they have at center?

  • If they had any inclination of trying to move Kakko for a center, it may make more sense to try to do it now.  There’s some risk in that Kakko breaks out elsewhere but if he landed a promising young, cost-controllable pivot, it could be worth doing sooner than later.

Which prospect(s) from the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning will have the biggest impact?

  • I mentioned him in a recent mailbag but I’ll go again with Alex Barre-Boulet here.  He produced at a high-end rate in junior.  He went to the minors and produced at a high-end rate in both of his full seasons while averaging more than a point per game in limited action last year.

If the Bruins struggle to find a center who plays well with Hall, who are some centers that could be available as the trade deadline approaches that could be possible trade targets?

  • I’d look at someone like Joe Pavelski as a primary target if the Stars aren’t in the playoff race.  Dallas would need to retain and Boston would still need to send a salary offset but if they’re making one last run with this core and their internal options can’t get the job done, I would be surprised if he wasn’t Plan ‘A’.

Disappointing year from more than a few players. Many of whom are still young but are certainly paid to be better. Who will bounce back and who will not?

  •  Carter Hart will have a better defense in front of him and his track record before last season suggests he’ll be able to find his past form and give the Flyers a big boost in the standings.
  • I believe Pierre-Luc Dubois will rebound nicely with a full camp and season in Winnipeg and it’s a contract year for him as well, providing extra motivation.
  • I’m a bit uncertain about Sean Monahan.  Calgary’s forward group is largely the same as it was last season and Darryl Sutter-coached teams aren’t known for a high-flying attack. 
  • I’m not expecting a big improvement from Timo Meier though.
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