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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Will the New TV Deal and Expansion Team Finally “Free McDavid”?

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

Oilers cupboard is stocked with young goaltenders in system
  • In the minors, do we know how good Stuart Skinner can be? Is he going to be Laurent Brossoit, a solid NHL back-up or could he push and be a 1A, 1B partner with somebody else in time?
  • How good is former second-round draft Olivier Roy, who is coached by his dad Sylvain, the organization’s minor-league tutor?
  • Is third-round pick Ilya Konovalov, 23, who is in North American for the first time after his time with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL, capable enough to play in the AHL, right away?
  • Alex Stalock, 34, is also in the mix. There’s talk NHL teams may be allowed to carry a third goalie this season because of Covid concerns…
  • Skinner, 22, is the prototypical six-foot-four goalie who will be starter in Bakersfield. Rodrique, who played 11 AHL games last year as a first-year pro, is six-foot-two and 170 pounds, Konavalov, who backed up Eddy Pasquale last year in Yaroslavl, has played 104 KHL games.
  • At first blush, Skinner and Konovalov, who signed a two-year deal, could be the tandem in Bakersfield because Konovalov presumably didn’t come over to play in the ECHL. But Rodrigue, once on Canada’s world junior team, has lots of talent and will push the issue, with his father’s help, if in the minors.

“Goaltending (prospects) is a position of strength in our organization. They all bring something different to the table, all accomplished in their own right, with a pedigree,” said Bakersfield coach Jay Woodcroft.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t know if the goaltending is a position of strength for the Oilers per se, just because I’m not sure if they potential ceiling on any of the netminders in Edmonton’s system is higher than that of a backup goalie. I’d probably lean more to say that the club’s goaltending depth is a strength if anything.

Now, that being said, Skinner had a fantastic year in 2020-21 and Konovalov has shown promise from his time in the KHL. So there are reasons to believe with this group of netminders that one of them could emerge as a proper internally-developed option for the Oilers down the line. 

Oilersnation

Call The Rulebook
  • McDavid isn’t alone, but he’s the poster boy for everything wrong with NHL officiating and somehow fought his way through all the non-calls to put up 105 points in 56 games. Despite being second in the league in penalties drawn, way too much went uncalled. In four playoff games vs. Winnipeg, McDavid didn’t draw even a single penalty in 121 shifts. Not one.
  • The way I see it, what’s come to be known as game management is the single biggest issue leading to the inconsistency we see all too often. As opposed to missing a call because an official doesn’t see it, which happens in a game as fast as hockey, there’s other factors at play.
    • What’s the score?
    • What’s the penalty count in the game?
    • Can a referee make a fifth straight call against a team, even if it’s legit?
    • The referees can’t call every hook, hold or hack against McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon or fill-in-name-here, can they?
  • With a new seven-year TV deal with Turner Sports in place and a new team in the Seattle Kraken as part of the mix for 2021-22, might we at long last see the game open up and the entertainment factor cranked up a notch or two?

BLH’s Thoughts: As soon as I read that last point, the lightbulb went on. The officiating came under some intense fire last season and combine that with the new TV deal and Seattle coming into the league and I think there’s quite a bit of potential for powerplays to increase in 2021-22. 

But the real question is, if the refs do stick to the book, how long will it last? 

In the past, we’re seen years where the refs called everything to start the year and as the post-season approached, the calls became less frequent and by the time the playoffs were in full go-mode, they were tucked into the refs pockets. 

In any case, if Connor gets his way, the Edmonton Oilers are going to run all over the league. I mean, it’s getting to the point to where McDavid is like Mario Lemieux was in the 80s and 90s. You see, when 66 stepped on the ice back then, there was a legit chance that he could score or set up a goal every time and if there was a powerplay, it was almost guaranteed that the Pens were scoring. 

Spector’s Hockey

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Brady Tkachuk has yet to join his Senators teammates in Ottawa in preparation for the start of training camp on Sep. 22. He’s still back home in St. Louis as his agent and Senators management continues to work on a new contract for the 22-year-old left wing.

THE PROVINCE: Ben Kuzma took note of the apparent lack of progress in contract talks between the Vancouver Canucks and young stars Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. He feels the negotiation pressure point of missing the start of training camp next Thursday could adversely affect their regular-season performance.

TORONTO SUN: Terry Koshan believes the Maple Leafs shouldn’t trade Morgan Rielly this season…  he feels they shouldn’t move their annual leader in ice time unless they’re certain of getting equal or greater value in return. “And that’s not going to happen,” he said.

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

The Prospect Who Might Make Oilers Fans Forget about Adam Larsson

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 Hockey Writers

Oilers That Failed to Live Up to Their Preseason Hype
Tomas Jurco
  • On July 1, 2019, Jurco signed a one-year deal with the Oilers, worth $750,000. At first glance, it looked like he’d build off of his AHL success. Showcasing his skills that made him a second-round pick, he registered three goals, two assists in five preseason games.
  • Yet, after only 12 games and registering a disappointing two points in the regular season, he was re-assigned to the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL.
Ty Rattie
  • He was given an opportunity of a lifetime when the 2018-19 preseason started, as he found himself on a line with McDavid and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins. Rattie didn’t disappoint. He reclaimed his scoring touch, netting a hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks, and led the entire NHL in preseason points— producing seven goals, four assists in only four games.
  • While his preseason point totals showed signs of a breakout season, things didn’t pan out for the one-time WHL Playoff MVP. While suffering an early-season injury, he was taken off Mcdavid’s line and found himself on the bottom six. He finished the year with four goals, seven assists in 50 games.
Jussi Jokinen
  • In the preseason, Jokinen showed promise. In a game against the Winnipeg Jets, he had a three-point night, finishing with a goal and two assists. He wrapped up the exhibition round totaling five points in four games.
  • After registering only one assist in 14 games, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Mike Cammalleri…
Mike Comrie
  • On Sept.10, 2009, then Oilers general manager, Steve Tambellini, signed Comrie to a one-year deal to return to his hometown team. In an exhibition game, Comrie won over the crowd, registering four assists— he also got in a tussle with Florida Panther Eric Himelfarb.
  • That preseason, he led the entire league in points with 10 points in five games— even beating out a 24-year-old Anze Kopitar for the league-lead by two points.
  • Unfortunately for Comrie, after contracting mononucleosis, he finished the campaign with 21 points in 43 games— watching his points-per-game (P/G) drop from 2.0 in the preseason to 0.48. He would go on to play another year before retiring due to injuries.

BLH’s Thoughts: So this begs the question, will there be an overachiever on Edmonton’s roster this year and who might it be?

I’m going to go with Ryan McLeod, PTO man Colton Sceviour, or Alex Stalock. The reason being that during preseason, bottom-six players and backups tend to get more TOI than what they would in the regular season and it’s usually against a less than full-strength opposition.

With McLeod’s speed, Sceviour’s tenaciousness and scoring touch, and Stalock’s adrenaline from not playing for more than a year, I believe there’s potential for the sort of scenario that is presented in the excerpted article above.

Edmonton Sun

Edmonton Oilers knee deep in prospect defencemen knocking on the door
  • At present, the Oilers have Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith and Kris Russell as the first three left shot D, with Slater Koekkoek and William Lagesson also in the mix. But Keith is 38 with two years left on his contract; Russell is 34, on a one-year. Some of the prospects are going to be pushing. And soon.
  • (Dmitri) Samorukov (third-round pick in 2017), coming off shoulder surgery, was terrific on a stacked CSKA Kontinental Hockey League team in Moscow last season until he got hurt in a practice battle drill in February.
  • His game improved dramatically from a lukewarm first pro season in Bakersfield, and he played in a number of NHL-sized rinks in Russia, not the big ice.
  • (Philip) Broberg (first-round pick in 2019), captain of the Swedish world junior team, is a fantastic skater and he’s played two teenage years in the Swedish Hockey League in Skelleftea, but he’s also two years younger than Samorukov, who plays a physical, hard game (maybe a left side model of Adam Larsson).
  • Broberg has a wealth of talent but assimilation to the pro game here may take longer because of the difference in ice-surfaces, where fore-checkers get on defencemen quicker and there are more board battles.
  • For now, Samorukov, who had a very strong first practice at rookie camp Thursday, looks ahead of Broberg on the depth chart. He’s taken some of the risk out of his game with the usual mantra for D — less is more. Simple passes, hard on the puck-carrier.
  • Broberg’s skating is elite, however. It gets him out of trouble in terms of moving the puck. Also allows him to close people off on the rush. If he starts in Bakersfield, he’ll have the best giddy-up of all the young D there. You can’t teach that, either.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer couldn’t hide his “enthusiasm” for Samorukov during his radio show yesterday. He said that Dima looks like a man and sounded very impressed with how well he looked on the ice. 

There’s going to be a spot open on Edmonton’s roster for a cycle-breaker and Sammy might just be the guy to fill it. I talked about how I wondered if an Eric Cernak-type player could emerge from the Oilers system not too long ago, right? Well, this big Russian assassin may just bulldoze his way onto the Oilers roster sooner than many previously thought. 

Question, why are folks still commenting on how Broberg will need some time to acclimate to the North American ice? The whole reason he was discovered was his ability to play on the small ice in Edmonton during the Hlinka/Gretzky tournament a few years ago. This guy thrives on the small ice where his skating and ability to close down on forwards due to said skating and his size/reach excels. 

I’m curious if these two young men force Ken Holland to make a tough decision during the season… Then again, Koekkoek and Russell aren’t exactly known to stay healthy for whole seasons at a time… Maybe a window of opportunity will open up for Samorukov or Broberg in 2021-22 to claim a spot on the Edmonton Oilers roster.

The Hockey Writers (Rumors)

  • According to Chris Johnston of The Toronto Star, “Hearing the #NYI are bringing defenceman Erik Gustafsson to training camp on a PTO.” He is a left-shot defenseman and it seems like the Islanders want to see what he’s got left to offer if anything.
  • Duncan Keith has joined the Oilers for on-ice skates. There was some chatter about why he wasn’t there with the rest of his teammates to start informal on-ice sessions, but he was still coaching his son’s team in Kelowna.
  • Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province reports, “Don’t be surprised if the Hughes deal turns out to be a little north of $8m. You can probably figure out what that means for term.” The hint here is that the Canucks are looking long-term and eight years for Hughes, trying to avoid a bridge deal.
  • The New Jersey Devils added a few interesting names to their training camp roster, signing Jimmy Vesey, Mark Jankowski, and Tyler Wotherspoon to professional tryout contracts.
  • Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly offered a few updates as far as the league was concerned during the NHL/NHLPA media tour.
    • He noted there would be partial capacity in Montreal and Vancouver; he was awaiting guidance in Ontario, but full capacity in Alberta and Manitoba.
    • He also noted the NHL salary cap is expected to go up $1 million for next season and that the league is still looking into the situations with Evander Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks allegations.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects, Rumors

NHL Exec Says Having Unvaccinated Players Could Make Things Very Difficult for NHL Clubs

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 Cult of Hockey

Might this be the season Edmonton Oilers deploy a “three-headed monster” in goal?
  • In recent seasons the Oilers have typically gone with five netminders with NHL-class contracts playing within the organization. Two on the big club, two more in the AHL, and a young guy sopping up pro minutes in the ECHL. Right now, though, they have a guy for each of those roles and one more besides.
    • Mike Smith enters camp as the clear #1, having won the job convincingly a year ago, then landing a two-year extension with a nice raise.
    • Mikko Koskinen has a larger cap hit outstanding on the one remaining year of his contract than Smith does in his two years combined.
    • Alex Stalock was picked up on waivers on Mar 01, the last of a dizzying series of moves searching for that elusive taxi squad goalie.
    • Stuart Skinner is coming off a splendid season that saw him spend time in the NHL as a backup, play (and win) his first big league game, then lead Bakersfield Condors to the Pacific Division crown.
    • Ilya Konovalov was drafted as a nearing 21-year-old in 2019 when he still had two years to run on his contract in the KHL.
    • Olivier Rodrigue turned pro in the chaos of 2021, splitting time between the Austrian league and the AHL.
“Right now I’m planning that we’re going to carry two goalies, but based upon the circumstances maybe we carry three but I think ideally I’d like to carry two.” – Ken Holland, Oilers GM
  • Last time the Oilers tried it with three healthy netminders in the rotation for any length of time was way back in 2005-06, when Jussi Markkanen, Ty Conklin, and Mike Morrison held the fort for several months before GM Craig MacTavish traded for a true #1 (Roloson) at the deadline.
  • 82 games will be played in 6½ months. Subtract out a three-week break for the Olympics and what remains is a relentless grind. There are seven back-to-backs on the current edition of the slate and numerous cases of games every other day for weeks on end. There are 15 games in December followed by 15 more in January. Twice the club embarks on an EIGHT-game road trip.

BLH’s Thoughts: If I’m reading between the lines of what’s been talked about the last couple of days on Oilers talk radio and with COVID Delta running wild throughout North America, I believe the league may institute a temporary roster expansion for each team to carry a 3rd goalie and it makes sense considering the circumstances, right?

Oilersnation

Uncertainty for Unvaccinated Players
  • Earlier this month the NHL and NHLPA announced new COVID protocols for the upcoming season. The biggest change was the ability for teams to suspend unvaccinated players who are “unable to participate in club activities.” Those players would forfeit the equivalent of one day’s pay for each day they are precluded from participating.
  • If an unvaccinated player tests positive and has to be quarantined away from the team, he will miss pay for the entirety of his quarantine. And on top of that, situations where a player cannot travel because of local, provincial (state) and/or federal regulations upon returning home will also be suspendable situations.
  • …considering Canada goes to the polls next Monday, there is a chance the current government will not be in power, so who knows what the rules the new government will implement.
  • Some teams are fully vaccinated, like the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, so it will be interesting to see which teams might be impacted the most with unvaccinated players.
  • Another NHL executive put it bluntly when I asked about the challenges of having an unvaccinated player on the roster this season: “It will be difficult to run a team if a player is unavailable for select games.”
  • For Canadian teams, their players would need to be fully vaccinated by the time they re-enter Canada.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve not much to say on this one. Get your needle, welcome yourself back to normality and let’s get health care back to where it needs to be. When children are having life altering surgeries pushed back because somebody’s decided not to get their vaccination and has been admitted, the priorities seem off there. 

That’s just my thought but if somebody doesn’t want to do it, you can’t force them. You just have to allow them to live their lives under some pretty restrictive rules while everybody else gets to go back to what they were doing before.

Comedian Bill Burr has a pretty funny take on the pro-pandemic conspiracies,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znI046F4FKg

The Athletic

The 2022 NHL Draft: Wheeler ranks his top 32 prospects in preseason
RANK
PLAYER
POS.
LEAGUE
TEAM
COUNTRY
1
Shane Wright
C
OHL
Kingston
🇨🇦
2
Matthew Savoie
C
WHL
Winnipeg
🇨🇦
3
Brad Lambert
C/RW
Liiga
JYP
🇫🇮
4
Simon Nemec
RHD
Slovakia
Nitra
🇸🇰
5
Danila Yurov
LW/RW
KHL
Magnitogorsk
🇷🇺
6
Ivan Miroshnichenko
LW/RW
MHL/VHL
Omskie
🇷🇺
7
Isaac Howard
LW
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
8
Juraj Slafkovsky
LW
Liiga
TPS
🇸🇰
9
Frank Nazar
C/RW
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
10
Logan Cooley
C
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
11
Rutger McGroarty
C/LW
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
12
Jack Hughes
C
NCAA
Northeastern
🇺🇸
13
Seamus Casey
RHD
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
14
Ryan Chesley
RHD
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
15
Elias Salomonsson
RHD
J20/SHL
Skellefteå
🇸🇪
16
Conor Geekie
C
WHL
Winnipeg
🇨🇦
17
Joakim Kemell
RW
Liiga
JYP
🇫🇮
18
David Jiricek
RHD
Czech
Plzen
🇨🇿
19
David Goyette
C/W
OHL
Sudbury
🇨🇦
20
Tristan Luneau
D
QMJHL
Gatineau
🇨🇦
21
Noah Östlund
C
J20/SHL
Djurgårdens
🇸🇪
22
Cruz Lucius
RW/LW
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
23
Jack Devine
RW
NCAA
U. of Denver
🇺🇸
24
Markus Vidicek
C
QMJHL
Halifax
🇨🇦
25
Antonin Verreault
LW
QMJHL
Gatineau
🇨🇦
26
Maddox Fleming
RW
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
27
Ty Nelson
RHD
OHL
North Bay
🇨🇦
28
Lane Hutson
LHD
NTDP
U18
🇺🇸
29
Nathan Gaucher
C
QMJHL
Quebec
🇨🇦
30
Filip Mesar
LW/RW
Slovakia
Poprad
🇸🇰
31
Mattias Hävelid
C
J20
Linköping
🇸🇪
32
Denton Mateychuk
LHD
WHL
Moose Jaw
🇨🇦

BLH’s Thoughts: Early on, I’ve got my eyes of Juraj Slafkovsky, Ty Nelson, Tristan Luneau, Connor Geekie, and Joakim Kemell from this list. I’m going to try and get a video out on the BLH Hockey YouTube page for most of these prospects if I can. So far I’ve posted ones on Shane Wright, Matthew Savoie (Above), Brad Lambert, and Danila Yurov. 

As it pertains to the Oilers, I’m hoping they’re selecting closer to 25th overall, so that’s probably where I’ll be focusing my attention with regards to the draft, but man, there are some electrifying players available next summer. 

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

Connor McDavid is Making it Clear

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

The Oilers and the Cooper Marody experiment are at a crossroads
  • When the Edmonton Oilers traded for centre Cooper Marody, the bet was on Marody emerging as an NHL skill forward in the years that followed. Then-general manager Peter Chiarelli gave up the 65th pick in the 2019 draft in the deal, a pick with significant value.
  • That’s a risk. Not at the Griffin Reinhart level, but it’s an overpay based on straight value. If Edmonton doesn’t make the trade, perhaps Marody becomes a free agent, available to any team for the price of a contract.
  • Marody is NHL-ready based on his three seasons in the AHL. He has delivered strong offence in two seasons and had a difficult time staying in the lineup in his second season due to various maladies.
  • Foot speed is often mentioned as a downbeat, and the NHL seems to get faster every year.
  • In the AHL, Marody is an offensive difference-maker and his speed does not limit his effectiveness.
  • Marody is trying to beat out Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto for a skill-line job, and that won’t happen.
  • Was Marody worth the No. 65 overall pick in 2019?

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m going to say no. At the time (of the trade), there was some talk that Marody wouldn’t be signing with the team that drafted him and they could’ve gotten into a signing competition with other teams, but the Oilers decided to beat the queue and make a deal.

They could’ve drafted these fellas in the 3rd round instead, 

  • Zachary Jones (D) – New York Rangers – 4pts in 10 games with the Rangers last season.
  • Pavel Dorofeyev (W) – Vegas Golden Knights – 9g 4a in 24gp for Henderson (AHL) last year.
  • Graeme Clark – (RW) – New Jersey Devils – 8g 10a in 31gp for Binghamton (AHL) last season.
  • Nathan Legare (RW) – Pittsburgh Penguins – 38pts in 34 games in the QMJHL last season plus 18pts in 14gp during the “Q” playoffs. 
  • Henri Nikkanen (C) – Winnipeg Jets – 6’4″ 210lbs, 20pts in 40 games for Jukurit (SM-Liiga). 

I could go on but you get the gist.

In my opinion, there might’ve been better players for the organization but as LT puts it, Marody was an experiment. For whatever reason though, either nobody in his camp had the foresight to see that the Oilers were filling their skill spots (ideally where this young man would’ve slotted in given his toolbox) or someone was betting that Cooper’s game would pivot… 

Marody might just be ready for the NHL, but he’s not pivoted his game to make himself a useful bottom-six player and thusly, his future may very well lie in another organization. I’m looking forward to watching him in the preseason for the Oilers and I wish him all the luck where ever he lands.

Oilersnation

The Time is Now
  • …when a player of McDavid’s stature goes on the record with what’s already been decided within a group that includes Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, he’s making it clear what the expectations are to the people waiting to see talk turn into action – the fans. It’s doubling down. “Here’s what we expect to do…”
  • Do newcomers Zach Hyman, Warren Foegele, Cody Ceci and the remnants of Duncan Keith represent an upgrade over the players from last season who are no longer here? Questions in the goal crease and all, I think so. The acquisition of Hyman gives coach Dave Tippett more juice in his top six than we’ve seen in a while.
  • It’s completely understandable that much of the Oilers’ fanbase is in “show me” mode after so many years of lots of talk with few results. There were higher hopes for the Oilers two seasons ago before they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the play-in. One-and-done against the Winnipeg Jets, in a sweep no less, last season was yet another disappointment.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I’ve aged, where I rent out my “f*cks to give” has changed. I don’t care so much if the Oilers win a Stanley Cup or not, I’m just happy to be able to watch them play on a small island in SE Asia. It would be rad if they did because I could rub it in my dad’s face (converted Flames fan), but that’s about as much ego-feeding as I need. 

That said, Connor is truly emerging as the next great NHL leader. When he was young he said he looked up to Jonathan Toews and he’s starting to exhibit some of the Chicago captain’s psychological traits. How ironic is it that he’ll be playing with a guy who was part of that Blackhawks “dynasty”… 

I’m truly excited for this upcoming year. To me, it looks like the roster build has a more 90s look to it. It’s beefier and grittier and not to sound xenophobic, there are a few more Canadian boys on the club. All I’m saying is that it seems to be that the focus on skilled offense has taken a backseat to two-way physicality. 

We’ll see if the plan works out. 

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Duhatschek was asked about St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko’s status in a recent mailbag segment. He doesn’t consider the 29-year-old’s contract as untradeable because this summer’s proved there’s no such thing, pointing to Tyler Johnson, Andrew Ladd and Loui Eriksson getting moved for a price.

Jeremy Rutherford reports the contract standoff continues between the Blues and restricted free agent Robert Thomas. The 22-year-old forward is coming off his entry-level deal with little leverage except if he signs an offer sheet with a rival club.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Right wing James Neal, center Travis Zajac, and defenseman Jason Demers are among Steven Ellis’ list of 10 noteworthy unrestricted free agents who might get the call for professional tryout offers.

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

McDavid Pleads for Officials to Call the Rule Book: “If there’s lots of penalties that’s just the way it is.”

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The Athletic

‘He’s starting from scratch’: Oilers voice their frustration over top prospect Dylan Holloway’s injury setback
  • Holloway had surgery Tuesday in Edmonton to repair his left wrist, which simply wasn’t getting better. Now the Oilers and the 19-year-old, who was the team’s first-round pick from the 2020 draft, will be forced to basically wait an indeterminate amount of time and hope for the best.
“He’s starting from scratch,” Holland said. “It’s a minimum of three months and we’ll see where he’s at.”
  • His first surgery took place in Chicago at the end of March, to repair a scaphoid fracture, a break in a small bone at the base of his wrist, a different procedure than the latest one.
  • Holland said that scaphoid fracture only healed about 30 percent in the five and a half months.
“It’s a real unknown right now,” Holland said. “We’re going to be very slow, very cautious and very conservative, because we don’t want this to happen again.”
  • Now whenever Holloway can play again, it’s a given he’ll start in Bakersfield. But it’s uncertain how long it will take for him to recover, let alone make his NHL debut.
“It’s probably going to be close to a year of no hockey if things go good. I’m optimistic that once we get a couple of months down the road, he’s going to push hard to get back as quick as possible.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I knew this was coming. The media coverage and the verbiage from Bob Stauffer and Jason Gregor was simply too strong. So, they’ve probably known for a couple weeks, if not longer, that surgery was on the table.

It’s too bad, but it’s for the best. I know the club is saying that they’re going to take things slow with Holloway on this and he could be good to go by March according to Gregor, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be even better if everybody waited until 2022-23 to get Holloway into the Edmonton Oilers lineup? Let him finish the year out in Bakersfield, get his feet back under him after about a year of not playing, then a solid offseason of training, and after that, make sure there’s spot open on Edmonton’s roster for him to lose.

I’m thinking if that is the route they choose, Holloway could come in, be an impact player, and challenge for the Calder Trophy, an award no Oiler has ever won.

The Edmonton Sun

McDavid says enforcing the NHL’s rules might actually be worth a try
  • It’s an issue that reached a peak in last year’s playoffs, where McDavid didn’t draw a single penalty in 121 shifts over four games against the Winnipeg Jets. A year earlier in the four-game post-season series with Chicago, he drew one penalty over four games.
“Overall you just want to see some consistency from game to game, consistency throughout the night, period to period. That’s what everyone is striving for.”
  • What frustrates offensive players, and fans of offensive hockey, are infractions that referees see and choose not to call.
“If you call each and every one, there will be lots of penalties, but if there’s lots of penalties that’s just the way it is. The rulebook is there for a reason and you want it called with integrity. If you let guys get away with certain things they’re going to keep getting away with it.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if some of the league’s lesser skilled players feel the same way? Those that might not play on their club’s special team’s units or those that make a living at getting away with uncalled infractions.

It’s easy to say for the guy who’s has more PP points than any other player in the league over the last three seasons (I think).

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to watch an entire hockey game where five guys pass the puck around the other team’s zone waiting for a one-timer or a re-direction. That’s boring as hell.

While I think McDavid has a point of contention to pick with the league’s officiating, I do not think it would be “good for the game” if there was a constant parade to the penalty box and to add to that, Connor would be in there as much as anybody because a lot of times when he goes around somebody he puts his hand out and grabs their stick. So considering how much space he’d have if the refs were calling everything, he’d be flying around guys left and right and that hand would come out and as soon as he clasped his fingers around that defenseman’s stick, the whistle would blow and the best player in the league would be sitting for two.

Spector’s Hockey

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Steve Carp recently wondered whether the Golden Knights were among the clubs to re-engage with the Buffalo Sabres regarding their interest in Jack Eichel. He believes they should be in the mix for the Sabres captain.

  • Acquiring Eichel would probably mean moving two players from the current roster to free up the cap space for his $10 million annual average value.
  • It could result in getting a third or a fourth team involved to make the dollars fit.
  • The Sabres will also insist on first-round draft picks and a top prospect such as Peyton Krebs as part of the deal.

TORONTO SUN: Michael Traikos wonders how many more players the Maple Leafs could lose because of their limited salary-cap space. Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen departed this summer as free agents. Morgan Rielly could follow them out the door next summer.

  • He also pointed out it wasn’t just money and term or a chance to play alongside Connor McDavid that prompted Hyman to leave the Leafs.
“After five years of post-season exits, it sounds like Hyman wanted out. Like he needed a change.”

BLH’s Thoughts: What? Hyman left Toronto to play with McDavid? Matthews and Marner weren’t enough? Hell, they’ve even got Tavares and Nylander!

That’s got to hurt… Well, hopefully Mike Bunting or Nick Ritchie have better luck with the Fab Four in T-Dot.

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