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!

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The Athletic (Allan Mitchell)

Lowetide: How many goals will Jesse Puljujarvi score for the Oilers next season?

• Last season, Puljujarvi’s fourth in the NHL, he scored 15 goals in 55 games at 22.
• Since peak seasons offensively arrive around 24-25, there’s still some room for growth for the big winger. It’s also true he scores well with Connor McDavid, and if he ever spends 82 games with the captain (and getting power-play time) the goal total could be over 30 during his peak seasons.
• In reading comments from Oilers fans since the end of the season, there’s a growing worry over Puljujarvi’s spot in the lineup. 
• The one scenario I could see is chemistry between Foegele-McDavid that forces Hyman to right wing on what would become the de facto top line with two new wingers.
• The next pressure point for the Oilers as it pertains to Puljujarvi will come next summer.
• I count 24 goals in a full season for the big right winger. But if his ice time with McDavid is reduced, expect a much lower total.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m not as confident that Jesse will spend the whole year on Connor’s wing and thusly, I don’t know if he’ll score at the same pace as he did last season. The other thing is that I believe Jesse will lose his spot on the first unit power play as its net-front presence to Zach Hyman and that’ll eat into the goal totals too. 

Fifteen goals seems a very fair prediction, but I’m willing to go as high as twenty on the campaign. 

I don’t know if you saw or not, but Pulju was part of the team meetings for the Finnish Olympic ice hockey team recently. That means our boy might be reuniting with Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine IF the NHLers decide to head to China for the Olympics. Very cool! 

The Hockey Writers (Brian Swane)

Oilers Prospect Bourgault Impressive at World Juniors Summer Camp

• Bourgault found chemistry with centre Zach Bolduc, who had two goals and one assist. The biggest story to come out of the game was how the Quebec natives elevated each other’s performance.
• Bourgault saved his best for last with one goal and two assists in the final game of the week, making highlight plays to stand out among the 26 forwards attending camp.
• In 2020-21, he led all QMJHL draft-eligible players in both goals (20) and points per game (1.38).
• When it comes to earning a spot on the 2022 Canadian World Junior team, the 6-foot-0, 172-pound Bourgault has a few things going for him. He’s versatile, effective at both centre and on right-wing for the Cataractes. The ability to play multiple positions is crucial at the World Juniors, as teams are often forced to shuffle their lineup due to injury or a suspension. He’s also a late birthday (he will turn 19 in October), and the Canadian Junior team is known to favour older players with more Major Junior experience.

BLH’s Thoughts: For Go-Go to stand out in a camp that includes Hendix Lapierre, Shane Wright, Dylan Guenther, Mason MacTavish, Seth Jarvis, Cole Perfetti, etc. that’s a real feather in this young man’s cap. 

The positional flexibility in Bourgault’s game may very well be the key to him making that team though. 

The Hockey Writers Trade Rumors

• After signing Paul Stastny and landing Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt in trades, the Winnipeg used a good chunk of their cap space to try and compete again this coming season. In the process, they’ve created a bit of a salary cap issue in respect to trying to get players like Andrew Copp, Neal Pionk and Logan Stanley signed.
• The Athletic’s Michael Russo looked more closely at Kevin Fiala’s salary arbitration case, one where it was the organization that elected to go to arbitration and not the player. Obviously, there’s some back and forth going on between the two sides and trying to get a contract done hasn’t been an easy process.
• Evander Kane has a full plate of trouble when it comes to his future in the NHL. Add to it the fact that a number of players on the Sharks’ roster are apparently tired of the distraction and it could spell the end for the forward in San Jose. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Kane simply doesn’t follow team rules and it has created frustration in the Sharks’ locker room.
• With huge deals going out to defensemen like Seth Jones, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Dougie Hamilton and others, blueliners like Darnell Nurse and Morgan Rielly are licking their chops knowing that the market is set for them to make a lot of money on their next deals. In Toronto, the question is, can the Maple Leafs afford what Rielly will command on the open market?

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!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
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Cult of Hockey

Edmonton Oilers need to be careful to avoid a Karlsson/Doughty overpay with Darnell Nurse, NHL insider suggests

• NHL insider Brian Lawton, a former NHL player agent and ex-GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, set out his idea of how the Edmonton Oilers might best negotiate with Darnell Nurse, 26, suggesting the Oilers might well be best going shorter-term with the big and dynamic d-man.
  • As for a longer term deal, he said: “With Darnell, if you can somehow give him longer term, and I mean eight years, and buy down his AAV (Average Annual Value) with what they have going on, the totality of it, if you believe in this team that would be a really prudent decision. If that number is going to be like Dougie Hamilton’s number, though, I would rather go short term, to be honest with you.”
• But for Oilers GM Ken Holland it’s a difficult challenge to figure out how much higher Nurse can raise his game, Lawton said. “If you’re going to hit anything with a 9 in it, you’re going to expect even more performance than he’s given — and his performance has been really good.”
  • “You look at the contracts of Karlsson and Doughty — who have been great players in this league but aren’t now — and they’re a little bit gross for some of those teams. And I don’t mean gross as in they are bad people or anything like that. I mean in the expenditure, strictly intangible of a fungible object. It doesn’t feel great for those clubs, and that’s what you have to be careful with.”
• Lawton’s suggestion of $50 million over eight years is $6.25 million over eight years. That would be a team friendly contract, to say the least.
• There are 15 NHL d-men signed for at least $8.0 million per, all of them on long-term deals, with five of those deals freshly-inked. Of the 10 others, five of them already represent overpays, the contracts for Karlsson, Doughty, P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jacob Trouba.
• The Top 7 in Norris Trophy voting were Fox, Cale Markar, Hedman, Dougie Hamilton, Charlie McAvoy, Shea Theodore and Darnell Nurse, with Letang 9th, Toews 11th, Carlson 12th, and Burns receiving no votes.  Funny thing? Just one of the d-men ranked in the Top 10 here are earning more than $8.0 million per season.
• I wouldn’t bet against Nurse, not based on his excellent track record. Will he be a $9.0 million per year player on an eight-year contract? That is asking a lot of any player, even those headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

BLH’s Thoughts: I can see the pros and cons of doing a short-term or a long-term deal with Nurse, but my whole thing with his next deal is that $9M is a shit ton of money for a guy who’s never put up 60pts in a given season. There’s no way he should be getting pooled in with the Hamiltons, Makars, and Pietrangelos because he doesn’t bring their level of offense nor do the Oilers expect him to with the re-signing of Tyson Barrie and with Evan Bouchard coming along. 

Oil on Whyte (Jimmy Lynch)

Oilers: Three Reasons The Zach Hyman Signing Was The Right Call

Gives Connor McDavid His Top Linemate

• This just gives the team another top-six forward to work with. Before this, the team really only had three top-six guys and then a couple of 20 something-year-olds to try and mix in with the bunch. Now while they still will be doing that with the third guy on each line, they will be a little better off.

The Team Did Not Have To Give Anything Up

• Acquiring players in free agency is nice because it doesn’t send a draft pick the other way or any other type of asset. The team signed a nice addition to the top six and all it cost them was maybe a few too many years on the deal.

Stability For Years To Come

• The Edmonton Oilers are buying into a championship soon. They wouldn’t have signed Hyman if they did not think they were going for it now. Yes, the price is high and the term is not fun to look at. But if the team tried signing Hyman for just three years they probably would have been paying into the 6 or 7 million dollar mark to get him under contract. At least with the deal that is now in place, they can also afford to sign another player or get right under the salary cap.

BLH’s Thoughts: In theory, Hyman should grow into the club’s “heart and soul” player IF he can manage to stay healthy for the majority of his contract and seeing as he’s a right-shot playing on the left-wing, that really allows Dave Tippett a ridiculous amount of roster flexibility going forward. 

The question I have is, what do the futures of Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi look like?… 

NHLRumors.com

Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider: Multiple sources have said that Phil Kessel‘s camp may have requested a trade before the start of next season. There was some thought that the Arizona Coyotes could hold on to him and then trade him at the NHL trade deadline.

Joe Smith of The Athletic: (mailbag) It’s hard to see the Tampa Bay Lightning being able to re-sign the 30-year old Ondrej Palat when his contract expires after this season. He has a year left at $5.3 million. He may not get that much on the open market, but he’d have to be willing to give the Lightning a huge deal for him to return.

Vincent Mercogliano of Lohud.com:  Sources seem to think, as is, that the New York Rangers are a better team now than they were before their flurry of moves. That included trading Pavel Buchnevich and acquiring a bunch of depth — including Barclay Goodrow, Sammy Blais, and Ryan Reaves.

So, if New York does not make a deal for Jack Eichel or someone else, the Rangers, according to some, have upgraded. New York is slotting players up the lineup to help new coach Gerrard Gallant define what he has and does not.

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!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Lowetide.ca

HOUSES IN MOTION

• Of the 19 players aged 19-24 on the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2010-11, 9 of them (47%) played in the NHL by 2014. More important, players like Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl provided the club with inside solutions to roster problems. That’s a massive advantage, a GM can look two or three years down the road and let veterans go on a team timeline. Internal solutions solving problems and staying for multiple seasons. Isn’t it better to solve a roster problem for five seasons via the farm system? Music!
• Of the 23 players aged 19-24 on the Oklahoma City Barons (2010-11), 13 of them (56.5%) had played in the NHL four years later. That’s a slightly higher percentage than Detroit’s but that could be explained by losing teams turning over rosters more quickly in search of success and consistency. More important, and this is incredible, 11 of the 13 (84.6%) had either been cut loose from the club or chewed through the rope to secure their freedom. That’s an insane, insane number.
• The Oilers drafting is fine. The development coaching in Bakersfield is top drawer. This team needs to stop trading picks, in order to have inexpensive talent to feed the beast that is the NHL roster. I don’t see it happening until one of two things occur: Edmonton wins Stanley, or the McDavid era ends. I’m not saying it’s wrongheaded, but Edmonton needs to get more value from these trades or the entire thing will fold like a house of cards.

BLH’s Thoughts: My own personal feeling is that I would prefer my team to always keep their 1st and 2nd round picks as well as their 3rd rounder, if possible. That way if the scouts are doing their jobs and finding NHL players, there’s always somebody coming down the pipeline and the house of cards has a lesser chance of folding… 

More specifically to the Oilers, it’s go time and Captain Connor has laid his foot down. If you don’t like the team trading young players and draft picks to improve in a jiffy, you should be prepared to direct some of the blame McDavid’s way because the leadership core that he’s part of is telling the GM to bring in more vets and if that means a young player must be sacrificed, so be it. 

All that said, the pipeline looks strong in Edmonton and Holland has built a roster this year that will force the young studs to beat out a veteran for his spot in the lineup. 

The Hockey Writers (Jim Parsons)

Oilers Two Big Questions Revolve Around Ceci and the Goaltenders

The Koskinen and Smith Tandem

• If something isn’t done, it will be because the organization decided that Koskinen is a better option for one more year than what’s available and there’s confidence Smith can have another strong season. If that’s true, the Oilers should be fine. At worst, they’ll have a chance to add a netminder at the NHL Trade Deadline.

The Cody Ceci Signing

• Can Ceci give the Oilers what Larsson did? He’s not as physical, but he’s being asked to, in part, fill that role. He may not see as many minutes and he might be more of a 5/6 blueliner than a regular top-four, but he’s been inked to a four-year deal at $3.25 million per season. It’s a signing that signals the Oilers have confidence in his ability to bring them something Tyson Barrie and Evan Bouchard can’t.

The Rest of the Roster Is Strong

• This may be the deepest Oilers forward group in ages. With three lines and an assortment of speed, skill, strength, and grit, there are a number of players in the Oilers top nine who can play in a variety of situations. The team may not be done yet either as there’s room to sign a depth piece or two.

BLH’s Thoughts: So as long as Mike Smith doesn’t start the year on the IR again, we’re going to get a chance to see this goaltending duo begin the year fresh and I’m curious as to how they’ll do behind the re-made defense and the gritified forwards. 

With Ceci, he’s not going to give you Adam Larsson minutes. He’s not that player. He’s a solid two-way defender that can move the puck and offer up a sliver of offense from time to time. Maybe a better Slater Koekkoek, if you will. My advice would be to lower your expectations on CC.

There are some pundits still wondering if Edmonton has another move in their back pocket, but I haven’t heard much to that regard. I suppose we could wait to see how some of these arbitration cases go and something could flush out there. Otherwise, we should wait until the end of training camp.

Spector’s Hockey

NHL Rumor Mill – August 5, 2021

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reporting there are some clubs with an interest in Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson. However, they’re not enamored with his contract. The 25-year-old Pettersson is earning $4.025 million annually through 2024-25.

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if the Oilers would consider Pettersson if the Pens retained 50%? They are looking for another LHD and maybe to make the salary more financially palpable for Edmonton, they’d send Kris Russell or Kyle Turris. 

THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo weighed in on Kevin Fiala’s impending salary arbitration. He believes the winger has popped up in trade talks. If he’s not signed for longer than three years it could hurt his trade value. As an example, Russo believes the Sabres wouldn’t be interested in Fiala as part of a trade for Eichel if he’s on a short-term contract.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Wild GM is expected to keep an eye on the market to fill some holes at forward. If nothing’s available via trade, he could dip in the shrinking free-agent pool. Some available veterans include James Neal, Tomas Tatar, Tyler Bozak and Kyle Palmieri.

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!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Oilersnation

That Blueline…

• Is this group an upgrade on the one Tippett had at his disposal last season? I don’t know. It certainly is different. We know what we’re getting with Nurse, Barrie and Russell. We know Holland hasn’t replaced all the bite Larsson plays with by bringing in Ceci, but might he be a fit in a shutdown tandem with Keith?
• What we know today is the Oilers lost a solid, tough player in Larsson, a promising but inconsistent offensive player in Bear and a prospect who never managed to do enough to stay in the line-up in Jones.
• They’ve brought in gamesmanship, leadership and experience in Keith, a future all-of-famer. In Barrie, they’ve brought back the guy who led NHL defencemen in scoring last season. We know what he is and what he isn’t. They’ve added Ceci, who’ll be the best pure defender on the right side. Last but not least, the door is open for Bouchard. All these changes to a group that will work behind a deeper and better set of forwards with the additions of Foegele and Zach Hyman.

BLH’s Thoughts: What we’re going to see is what happens when an NHL club doesn’t have a proven cycle-breaking shutdown defense first blue liner on its team. This group will be much better and moving the puck and I would think there’s a faction of Oilers fans that are at half-mast thinking about that. 

Conversely, I reckon by at least the trade deadline, some cycle-breakers will be acquired if one doesn’t emerge from within the organization (Lagesson/Samorukov/Kesselring/Kemp).

The Athletic

Lowetide: 8 unsigned free agents who could help the Oilers

• LD Zdeno Chara, Washington Capitals – Chara can still play (in fewer minutes), his wingspan is still a strength and his penalty-killing prowess (No. 18 among regular defencemen in shots-against per 60) remains a positive part of his game.
• RD Billy Constantinou, Soo Greyhounds – Constantinou is a puck-moving defender who Edmonton could sign to an entry-level deal with the free space on the 50-man list. A great passer, he’s 6-foot, 185 pounds, so slightly undersized and he is one dimensional.
• LW Ryan Donato, San Jose Sharks – Donato doesn’t kill penalties but if Holland is looking for some extra offence on the depth lines, Donato is an excellent bet.
• LD Slater Koekkoek, Edmonton Oilers – He’s 27, can skate very well and moves the puck with authority. He’s also 6-foot-2, 193 pounds. There is some chaos in coverage but at a low cap hit Koekkoek would be a worthy target (again) for Edmonton.
• C Pascal Laberge, Philadelphia Flyers – Chances are his NHL chances disappeared due to the injuries. However, he’s a right-handed centre who scored goals at a high rate in a very good league. Perhaps there’s a player there.
• LW Evgeny Svechnikov, Detroit Red Wings – Svechnikov is a serious talent who could be a bargain for any team willing to take a chance on him. He is not a burner but is more of a finisher than Tyler Benson
• LW Tomas Tatar, Montreal Canadiens – NHL free agency rarely sees a player who delivered this kind of offence in the previous season hang around this long, though. Chances are he’ll look like an enormous bargain by Christmas.
• C Travis Zajac, New York Islanders – It’s still likely a distant bell, but Zajac remaining a free agent may mean he’s casting about looking for a value contract. 

BLH’s Thoughts: Zdeno Chara would be a dream addition to this team and would fall in line with Ken Holland’s theme of adding more vets this offseason. Can’t see him leaving the East coast for one year to play for a team that isn’t a Stanley Cup contender though. 

Realistic amongst those names for me would be Koekkoek for the simple reason that, to me, it seemed like the Oilers coaching staff trusted him last year and he didn’t shit the bed for the club. Although, Laberge, Constantinou, and Svechnikov are possibilities because there’s a chance they’d sign two-way deals.

I’d be willing to there are some PTO candidates within that group of names. 

The Daily Goal Horn

• On Christian Dvorak: There are a number of teams interested in trying to acquire (Christian) Dvorak. The Bruins have been rumored as well as the San Jose Sharks, and the New York Rangers. Other teams that could be keeping a close eye on him, depending on how other things pan out are the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens. Here’s another team I’d also think might make a move – the New Jersey Devils.
• On Reilly Smith: “One of the reasons Reilly Smith’s name is all over the rumor mill is because Gerard Gallant loves him too,” Friedman noted.
  • So why mention Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith? A long track record of success with new head coach Gerard Gallant in both Florida and Vegas. And why wouldn’t he make this connection after the Rangers traded for another former Gallant favorite in Ryan Reaves and then extended him for a season.
• On Evander Kane: Evander Kane’s troubles appear to be only mounting. On the heels of accusations levied by his soon to be ex-wife that he bet on his own games, it seems the San Jose Sharks are looking to trade him.
  • “The team was trying to trade Kane earlier this summer, a source says, confirming a report from the Daily Faceoff. A big part of the reason for the team to pursue a deal was Kane’s strained relationship with many of his teammates, according to several sources.” – The Athletic
• On Phil Kessel: Per Craig Morgan via Spector’s Hockey, Kessel’s agents asked the Coyotes to trade him before the season starts. It’s also being reported that he would like to play in Vegas but as of right now the Golden Knights are not interested. Most likely due to their limited cap space.
  • Some other teams that might look to deal for Kessel are the Seattle Kraken, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Minnesota Wild.