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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Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Off-season Grades for Ken Holland

Of the free agency moves Ken Holland has done this summer, which is your personal favourite, and which one has you scratching your head?

• The Duncan Keith trade still baffles me a little bit, especially after we saw all of these cap-type trades happening where teams gave up deals they no longer wanted for less than Holland gave up – Baggedmilk

BLH’s Thoughts: Securing RNH until his mid-30s for under market value was a pretty sweet piece of business. Getting the league’s top-scoring defenseman at a discount rate was another. I’m not huge on the Ceci signing right now and I wonder if the Foegele contract is just a tad rich. 

Can the Oilers really take another step forward with the same goaltending tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen?

• I’m worried about Smith going back to the full, 82-game calendar, but I also think Koskinen will be better next year than he was last. It’s been good enough to get them into the playoffs in back-to-back years, so it should be again, especially in a mediocre division. After that, it’s all about getting hot at the right time. – Cam Lewis

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, the fact of the matter is, as Mr. Lewis said, this tandem has been good enough to get them to the post-season since they became a duo. What’s left to be seen is if they can save some of that magic for the playoffs or not. 

Tyson Barrie led the NHL in scoring by a defenceman last season and yet a big part of the fanbase seems to be unhappy with him re-signing. How does everyone rate the three-year extension?

• It’s a bargain. You get the NHL’s leading scorer for defencemen for an AAV that’s not in the top-60. Every time I see people trotting out the most unflattering numbers they can find for Barrie, I think of those who searched high and low for numbers that convinced them Martin Marincin could be a first-pairing guy. Remember that? Flaws and all, it’s a great deal. – Robin Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: That line about Marincin couldn’t have hit the nail on the head any more. If analytics were around in the dynasty days, I can only imagine how many of the anti-Barrie crew would’ve been trying to run Paul Coffey or Mark Messier out of town… 

This was supposed to be the Summer of Ken but I don’t know that the team is much better outside of having deeper depth up front. How would you rate Holland’s third offseason with the Edmonton Oilers so far?

• All depends on the results. Losing Larsson forced them to change direction somewhat, although had they signed him I could still see them signing Barrie and moving Bear for Foegele. Can’t blame the GM when a player simply wants a change. As I wrote I think Edmonton has greatly improved their forwards, the D has some questions, while goaltending is the same. I don’t think Smith’s age is that much of a factor, more than expecting a .923sv% is unrealistic. If Smith can slide in around .915 they should be fine. I think the trade deadline will be a factor. Edmonton must win at least one round in the playoffs this year. – Jason Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: Holland didn’t exactly have his summer start out to plan, did he? I’d say he’s done an okay job at filling the holes the team needed to fill and hopefully that deeper forward group will impact the rest of the club in a positive manner. 

I, like Gregor, don’t think the netminders have to be Vezina finalists in order for this team to compete for a playoff spot. They just have to avoid having horrible seasons. 

I don’t know what to think about the defense right now. I know what Barrie and Nurse are going to bring and I have a pretty clear idea about Evan Bouchard, too. Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci, I’m simply unsure about right now. That said, I have the utmost confidence in both veterans and I look forward to seeing this differently shaped defense do their thing. 

A lot has been made about Holland and his “it’s got to be a fair deal” line. When I look at more recent former players like Sakic, Guerin, and Yzerman, who have spent their whole lives competing hard against their friends and trying to win, do you think the league will finally move to a situation where you get GMs who are competing with each other the way they expect their players to do?

• Trades often take years to play themselves out. GM’s who make sucker offers to their peers — trying to come out way ahead — often find that their phones stop ringing and calls stop getting answered. – Robin Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: As a GM, you’ve got to go along before you get along. That’s just how it is. Sometimes you’ll see a trade made that appears wildly in favour of one club, but I’ll bet you there’s a good reason for that and you may never learn that reason. GMs that go around trying to win every trade by screwing over his brethren don’t tend to stay GMs long… 

Lowetide.ca

HIDDEN FIGURES

Every summer I spend time with the outsiders, minor leaguers and college men who aren’t expected to make the big club in the fall, and in most cases won’t play in the NHL at all. NHL equivalencies are a major help, as forwards need to score at a certain level and defenseman have to bring some potential offensively in order to be considered viable NHLers.

FORWARDS

DYLAN HOLLOWAY (41.6) – Holloway is currently blocked at center and (after the addition of Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele) at left wing. That’s fine, he could be an impact recall from Bakersfield during the season. That’s a feature and a benefit of good NHL teams.

RYAN MCLEOD (39.9) – I watched him quite a bit in Bakersfield this season and he was a more confident player with the puck on his stick. The speed and puck retrieval have always been there (he gobbles up loose pucks so quickly it’ll make your head spin) but his ability to exit and enter with the puck on his stick was a key for the Condors in 2020-21.

TYLER BENSON (39.9) – He delivered another strong season and is waiver eligible, but Benson will have to earn a spot over names like Devin Shore, Cooper Marody and Kyle Turris (fourth line and extra forwards). 

COOPER MARODY (36.8) – Marody is well above the 30-point cutline and moved to right wing for much of the AHL season… Foot speed is a problem and he really isn’t a prospect (25 in November) anymore.

KIRILL MAKSIMOV (33.6) – Maksimov is a talented player and showed some range in his AHL season (including penalty kill). I don’t know if he’s a future NHL player but his skill set is intriguing.

XAVIER BOURGAULT (32.1) – Scott Wheeler from The Athletic said he has a “deceptive release” and remarked on his creative play inside the offensive zone. He projects him as a top-six NHL forward down the line…

CARTER SAVOIE (30.0) – Savoie’s goal-scoring for the Denver Pioneers equates to 19.5 per 82 games in the NHL and makes him one of best scoring prospects in the system.

DEFENSEMEN

WILLIAM LAGESSON (25.3) – He’s more of a shutdown defenseman than a two-way man, but his AHL even strength totals rivaled both Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear as they were coming up. 

EVAN BOUCHARD (21.9) – The top prospect in the system, the team is making way for Bouchard to play every night in the NHL in 2021-22… Will make some mistakes this season, but it’s important to play him every night.

PHILIP BROBERG (14.4) – Big, fast two-way defenseman had an uneven season in Sweden and some injury issues. A full Condors season would be best, but I don’t know if he’ll get it. Broberg can play either side and can defend, his career trajectory looking very similar to Oscar Klefbom’s so far. 

DMITRI SAMORUKOV (10.8) – Big, strong bull of a defender with miles of future. Among the men who might be able to have an Adam Larsson-style career, he’s closest to NHL ready.

BLH’s Thoughts: I can’t see Marody, Benson, or Maksimov breaking through anytime soon. Maybe Benson gets his shot, but boy, he’s really in a tough spot unless he brings some new boots to camp… Ken Holland’s got a ton of vets already in tow and no doubt, there will be PTOs to prove his point even further. 

That blocking of Holloway looks very strategic, but they may have eyes on Zach Hyman moving over to the right side at some point and that would open up a spot for the former AJHL MVP. He might be ready to go right now, but I reckon Holland’s going to ask him to spend some time in the AHL learning how to be a pro before he gets his shot in Edmonton. Now, that said, if he blows the doors off at training camp, it’ll be awfully hard to leave him off Edmonton’s opening night roster. 

The competition for the remaining spot on the left side of the third pairing on defense is going to be very intriguing to watch next season. If the Oilers don’t sign anybody, training camp is going to be intense as William Lagesson and Dmitri Samorukov don’t take any prisoners, but then you’ve got Philip Broberg, who’s already one of the best skaters on the club, right there too. Maybe none of them make it though and aside from Wild Bill, they all head to Bakersfield to compete for ice time under Dave Manson… 

Spector’s Hockey

NHL Rumor Mill – August 2, 2021

STLTODAY.COM: Jim Thomas reports all’s quiet on the Vladimir Tarasenko trade front. He believes it became “painfully apparent” there was no market for the unhappy 29-year-old winger when the Seattle Kraken passed on him in favor of Vince Dunn in last month’s expansion draft… It’s become known around the league that Tarasenko has relaxed his no-trade clause completely.

Thomas wonders if there’s a Cup contender in need of more offense willing to take a chance on Tarasenko. He pointed out the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes have the cap space to absorb the winger’s $7.5 million annual cap hit through 2022-23.

TVA SPORTS: The Montreal Canadiens still have some areas to address this offseason. They could use a puck-moving defenseman and an experienced center.

The Canadiens should also look into acquiring Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel. The Canadiens have salary-cap space, good prospects and promising young players such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Alexander Romanov to offer up as trade bait.

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!

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Cult of Hockey

Digging into Edmonton Oilers’ new forward “line” — a thought experiment

• In 2021 Holland has again brought in three forwards with NHL experience, namely Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, and Zach Hyman, all on Day One of free agency. Collective cost: $9.5 million per season, not far off NHL average for three players.
• But let’s do a small thought experiment and consider the new threesome as if they were set to combine on the same unit. Would the new trio be likely to “win” their part of the game?
  • It actually could happen; both Foegele and Hyman are listed as left wingers, but Hyman is a natural righty who was forced to the left side by a surfeit of RWs on his old team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• On the offensive front, we see both Foegele and Ryan rank somewhere in the middle six for both goal and point production, with Foegele being a little stronger as a finisher, Ryan more the playmaker. Hyman meanwhile translates as a first-liner.
• None of the three has seen a lot of powerplay action, though Hyman’s role did get a bump last season and may get another in the upcoming campaign as the Oilers seek a net-front man to replace Alex Chiasson and James Neal.
• The highlighted row informs us that all three men were steadily utilized on the penalty kill over the last three seasons, with both Ryan and Hyman around 2 minutes per game, Foegele about 1. The Oilers lost a couple of penalty killers this summer in Jujhar Khaira and Gaetan Haas, but the newcomers should help to resolve that problem.
• Whether they play together or separately, the newcomers each bring a track record suggesting they can help push the play in the right direction.

BLH’s Thoughts: I highly recommend you head over to The Cult of Hockey and read the rest of this intriguing article so that you can get a bit more context to what Bruce is getting at as there you can check out the metrics he’s used to come to his conclusion. 

I liked this little exercise because on paper you could definitely see the possibility of Foegele, Ryan, and Hyman lining up alongside each other and creating somewhat of a super checking line. I even wonder if, at some point, Dave Tippett doesn’t just go ahead and run these three out in a shutdown role. 

The Hockey Writers (Brian Swane)

Oilers’ Warren Foegele: 5 Things to Know About Edmonton’s Latest Signing

• He’s Already One of the Guys – Foegele has been training this offseason in suburban Toronto with several Oilers, including Hyman, defenceman Darnell Nurse and forwards Connor McDavid and Devin Shore.

• He Was Drafted Twice in the Same Year – Foegele was passed over in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, not just once but in both 2012 and 2013. It took until the seventh round in 2014 before Foegele would finally be drafted into the OHL by the Kingston Frontenacs with the 135th overall pick. That happened on April 5, 2014, four days after his 18th birthday and a dozen weeks before the Hurricanes would call his name in the third round.

• He’s a Playoff Performer – Starting at St. Andrew’s, where his team won literally everything it could in 2013-14, Foegele has enjoyed postseason success at every stop on his hockey journey. Over the last six seasons, a stretch that spans the OHL, American Hockey League, and NHL, the team Foegele plays for has won at least one playoff series.

• He’s a Hoops Junkie – It’s fitting Foegele began his NHL career in the hoops hotbed of North Carolina because his favorite sport other than hockey is basketball.

• He Knows How to Make an Entrance – In his very first NHL game, against the Ottawa Senators at PNC Arena on March 26, 2018, Foegele scored the opening goal, giving Carolina a 1-0 lead at 18:52 of the first period.

BLH’s Thoughts:

NHLRumors.com

Jim Matheson: Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland isn’t going to trade goaltender Mikko Koskinen and a high draft pick or a top prospect for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.

He won’t do it now and likely not ever. They will run with Mike Smith and Koskinen. Koskinen is a good goalie to play 30 games or so, though he isn’t a $4.5 million goalie.

Kyle Cannillo: David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said that the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and New York Islanders are “in a battle” for Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Pagnotta also said that there “has been progress” on a potential trade.

Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic: Charlie Coyle could start the season as the Boston Bruins No. 2 center and the bottom two lines could be a center by committee and include Jack Studnicka, Nick Foligno, Erik Haula, Tomas Nosek, Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar.

They could use Jake DeBrusk as a trade asset but he alone wouldn’t land you a second-line center.

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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Oilersnation.ca

Off the Top of My Head

• The more video I watch of Warren Foegele, obtained from the Carolina Hurricanes in the trade for Ethan Bear and signed to a three-year contract extension with an AAV of $2.75 million Saturday, the more I think he might be able to provide more offense as a third-line winger in Edmonton than what we’ve seen from him until now.
• Foegele, 25, can skate and he can PK. He’s also got some skill and good hands. In some ways – his size and his skating – he reminds me a bit of Jason Chimera, who started with the Oilers as a depth winger and turned into somebody who provided more offensive pop in the bottom six later in his career. It’s always tricky when you compare players, but I see similarities.
• Tough to imagine a better bargain than the Oilers got with UFA Tyson Barrie, who led NHL defencemen in scoring last season with 8-40-48. As we know, the three-year deal Barrie inked has an AAV of $4.5 million — that number doesn’t even put him in the top 60 among league blueliners. Flaws and all, it’s a steal.

BLH’s Thoughts: For me, I’m not sure I see the stylistic comparison. Jason Chimera was one of the league’s fastest players for a long long time and while Foegele might be considered fast, I don’t know if he’s on the same level as Chimera. 

Like Chimera though, Foegele is going to get a chance to become a very dangerous bottom-sixer. He’ll be tasked with improving the team’s penalty kill and there’s going to be some expectations with regards to his point production, the Oilers need him to score at a 30pt/yr clip, if not more.

If he can do all of that and be consistently one of the hardest working players on the ice every night, Edmonton’s fanbase will fall in love with him.

The Fourth Period

EICHEL DRAMA ESCALATES AS SABRES WORK THE LINES

Both the Sabres and Jack Eichel’s agents have dug in and taken their battle to the public – even if GM Kevyn Adams inadvertently started things off on Thursday.

After reiterating to reporters “we’re in control of this process,” Adams opened the door to a countered response by Eichel’s agents, Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli, who opened a statement by saying “the process is not working.

Usually when the battle takes to the streets, it’s confirmation the relationship is unsalvageable.

There was some noise Saturday evening that Buffalo might be willing to retain part of Eichel’s $10 million cap hit to help facilitate a trade and maximize a return.

The New York Rangers are absolutely interested in Eichel, confirmed multiple sources, none of whom believe (as of Saturday night) a trade is imminent. The Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets are also interested.

On Evander Kane

Speaking with multiple sources inside the Sharks organization, I’m told players on the team made GM Doug Wilson and management aware of Kane’s indiscretions, including gambling on sports as recent as this past season.

What are the Islanders doing?

It’s no secret the Islanders would move Leo Komarov and Thomas Hickey to free up cap space if the opportunity arose. I’m led to believe they’re still one of the teams engaged in talks with the St. Louis Blues about Vladimir Tarasenko, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Lamoriello’s exploring alternative options.

NHLTradeRumor.com

Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff is reporting DeBrusk was healthy scratched multiple times by coach Bruce Cassidy last season, leaving Cassidy to say after the season that the two needed to sit down and find ‘common ground’.

At the NHL trade deadline the Vancouver Canucks had interest in a trade but nothing ever materialized.  There is no word on what teams are interested in DeBrusk but the Bruins would like him traded before the NHL season starts.

Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting as the Leafs prepare for today’s free agent frenzy, NHL Rumors have them still exploring the trade market on Alex Kerfoot.

Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff is reporting Georgiev has placed a trade request with the Rangers, hoping to break out from behind Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers have sought a first-round pick for him. But that won’t be happening – not after the return for Alex Nedeljkovic set the market price.

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

Sources Say

I just wanted to share a few tidbits that was passed on to me over the weekend in this spot before we get going into the latest Edmonton Oilers news and NHL rumors, if that’s cool.

• Despite the market still being pretty dry, Ken Holland continues to grind with regards to finding a new home for Mikko Koskinen. As soon as he does that, he can then make a move to bring in a different goalkeeper.
• The thing that is holding up any deal for Koskinen is that teams are asking a shit ton to take on that contract.
• The ask? Unless you’ve been under a rock this week, you’ve probably already hears it. In case you have indeed been “off the grid”, here you go:
• Koskinen, Dmitri Samorukov, and a 1st rounder.

My feeling is that there’s some internal debate as to whether or not to use a first round pick to get rid of Koskinen’s contract or to use one to bring a goalie in because no doubt, unless there’s a deal on the table already agreed to, as soon as Koskinen is moved, the price on available goalies will go up…

For me, I’d just gamble on Smith and Koskinen even though the odds on Mike Smith having a “good year” are quite low. The first rounders in the next two drafts are going to have some excellent value and this team needs to keep adding prospects to its pipeline.

Besides, have you ever gone through all of Detroit’s goalies from the year Ken Holland was named GM of the Red Wings (1997) to his leaving the club (2019)? You’d be able to count on both hands how many years his starting goalie had a SV% above .920 and he had some fantastic goalies in that time like Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, and Curtis Joseph. Albeit, Hasek and Joseph were at the end of their careers, the point remains.

Osgood (1995-2000, 2005-2010) never had a season where his sv% was above .917 and he’s got two Cup rings won ten years apart… Between those two championships, unspectacular puck stoppers Manny Legace (2000-2005) and Jimmy Howard (2008-2019) were mainstays in Detroit.

I just don’t think that Holland is ALL that worried about having a high-priced goalie on his roster right now and is quite comfortable to go into the season with who he has and work to improve the team in front of his goalie so that his netminder is taxed infrequently.

In the meantime, he’s going to keep grinding to find Mikko Koskinen a new home.

Oilersnation.ca

All About Xavier Bourgault

Here we’ve put together a collection of scouting reports and highlights regarding newly drafted forward, Xavier Bourgault.

• “His uniqueness comes in the form of regularly being one of the most reliable and productive pass outlets in the offensive zone.” -Brayden Olafson, Dobber Prospects
• “His skating and speed are standout qualities and he showed a knack for finding the soft spots in defensive coverages to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates.” -Adam Kimelman, NHL.com
• “Quick mind and with it, he can take advantage of opportunities that he creates offensively and defensively. In the battle with a real focus on finding positive results.” -Craig Button, TSN
• “An exceptional stick handler with buttery-soft hands and a quick-strike mentality, Bourgault has to be in the running for the flashiest wingers available in the draft.” -Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst
• The 18-year-old models his game after two current NHLer’s, and both happen to play on his favorite NHL team. “I really like Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak on the Bruins”, Bourgault admitted. – CHL.ca

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d like to add some more reports here,

• “Bourgault is a wizard with the puck who can pull off moves that other players could only dream of. He is a slippery and creative puck-handler who can beat defenders one-on-one, including at full speed and in spectacular fashion. Can buzz when around the offensive zone when he’s feeling it. He’ll need to tweak his play style to make it more team-oriented.” – Derek Neumeier (FC Hockey/Defending Big D)
• “The scouting reports on Bourgault suggest that although he may not be the best skater, his shot is a force to be reckoned with. Armed with a vicious one-timer and the ability to quickly elevate the puck from the slot… Whether it be in the defensive, neutral or offensive zone, the crafty forward has an uncanny ability to find space. This allows him to facilitate the breakout and expedite the counterattack.” – Craig Jones (Wingsnation.com)

The more reports I look at on this fella, the fewer scouts I find who praise his two-way ability. I’m starting to wonder what Craig Button was going on about on draft day when he compared him to JG Pageau and Patrice Bergeron. Personally, from the highlights that I’ve seen, stylistically, he reminds me of Jake DeBrusk. Some say William Nylander too, though… Only time will tell with this young man. 

The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Rumors Roundup: Golden Knights and Rangers in on Jack Eichel; plus latest on Vladimir Tarasenko

Unless the Sabres changed their tune on only wanting futures, I can’t see a deal (with Vegas) here. There would need to be in excess of Eichel’s $10 million cap hit sent the other way. Are the Knights going to trade Reilly Smith ($5M), Shea Theodore ($5.2M), and more to accommodate this move? Those are two big pieces that would hurt Vegas in the long-run.

In a report from Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, he listed nine of the teams that the unhappy Tarasenko will accept a trade to go play. They included the Lightning, Capitals, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Golden Knights, Panthers, and Bruins. At this time, the tenth team is unknown.

Of the teams mentioned, I believe the NJ Devils would absolutely love to add Tarasenko to play with Jack Hughes. To date, the Devils are not on his 10 team trade list. The question is, would Tarasenko waive his no-move clause to play in Jersey? After acquiring Dougie Hamilton in free-agency he may change his mind.

NHLTradeRumor.com

Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff is reporting the Ducks are certainly listening to offers on Manson, one of the top right-shooting defensemen available this summer.

Seravalli went on to say, the Ducks are looking for a first-round pick as part of the package. There is no word on what teams are showing interest in Manson this summer.

Manson, 29, has 1 year remaining at $4.1 million AAV.