Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From Sportsnet (Mark Spector)

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Will Kraken look to Oilers for depth, prospects or surprise with UFA deal?

• The Kraken may surprise in the next 48 hours and ink a guy like Barrie as their Edmonton component. If not, however, you can bet the discussion regarding the Oilers’ list will wait for late in Seattle general manager Ron Francis’ selection process.

Possible Seattle targets

• Jujhar Khaira – He typifies the kind of player Seattle will be selecting from this Edmonton roster… If they feel they need to beef up a bit with their last few picks, he’s likely their best bet here… A fresh start in Seattle would favour him. 
• Tyler Benson – Benson has nothing left to prove as a playmaking winger — in the minors. What he does have to prove is that he can skate well enough to create the same space at the NHL level that he did in the minors, so his skills can shine at that level as well.
• Kris Russell – This is the kind of player the Kraken would take if they assess that there just aren’t enough intangibles among the other available names on Edmonton’s list… Francis may value a player of Russell’s ilk in the short-term, with an eye to move him at the deadline to a contender seeking some depth on its blue line.

Salary Cap Outlook

• Holland and Larsson’s agent J.P. Barrie have spoken on a regular basis over the past two months. Various contract scenarios have been borne of those talks, and it is my understanding that a four-year deal with an AAV in the range of $3.9 million awaits Larsson, to be signed after the expansion window closes.
  
• Alex Chiasson is also a UFA, and will be a second-week signing for someone. A depth right winger who will likely see his $2.15-million AAV cut down by 40-50 per cent. If the Oilers buy out James Neal, we could see them having some interest in bringing Chiasson back, a solid veteran who works nicely down low on the power play.

BLH’s Thoughts:

From Lowetide.ca

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Draft 2021: Moonlight Mile

• Kevin Prendergast said a couple of decades ago that the scouts needed to score in the first round without fail, and needed to find at least one more NHL player in the other rounds. His nine first-round picks brought five successes (Ales Hemsky, Devan Dubnyk, Andrew Cogliano, Sam Gagner, Riley Nash), a little better than 50 percent success rate.

LOWETIDE MOCK (MCKENZIE LIST)

• No. 19 overall: LC Nikita Chibrikov, St. Petersburg. Smaller forward with high-end skill (Red Line has him No. 22), RLR says he has “a combination of great stick skills, imagination, vision, speed and offensive instincts.” He’s a one-dimensional player but will be the best offensive prospect on the board if still available at No. 19 overall. I had him at No. 7.
• No. 116 overall: LW Eric Alarie, Moose Jaw Warriors 6.01, 196. I have him No. 24 (RLR has him early third round) and Mr. McKenzie doesn’t list him. I’ve checked, speed is good and he has all the PF tools including skill. I don’t know where he’ll go in the draft, but Alarie is a good prospect.
• No. 180 overall: LC Joshua Roy, Sherbrooke Phoenix 6.01, 191. I have him No. 36 overall, RLR has him late third round. An August 2003, he barely qualifies for the draft. Lethal shooter, average foot speed, he landed just outside my first round due to 22 goals in 35 QMJHL games.
• No. 186 overall: RC Connor Lockhart, Erie Otters. I have him at No. 41, RLR ranks him late third round. Fine playmaker, he is undersized and will need to improve strength. Has a great release on his shot.
• No. 212 overall: LC Lorenzo Canonica, Shawinigan Cataractes. I had him No. 51, meaning all five of my picks are done with players I ranked in the first through middle second round. What a crazy year. I was finished my Button draft by selection No. 32 of my list, so things are looking up! A September 2003, great skill. RLR has him fifth round.

BLH’s Thoughts:

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From The Fourth Period

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From NBC Sports

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Which Players Might the Kraken Flip after the NHL Expansion Draft?

• Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
  • The Kraken could pick and eat a portion of his salary in a trade to remove some of that risk for another team that wants him. Or, the Kraken could just keep him and hope he is healthy and bounces back and plays like the All-Star player he is for the next two years.
• Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
  • He is still really good and would improve a lot of team’s blue lines. He is still a positive possession-driver and can chip in enough offense to make an impact with a very manageable salary cap number. The fact he is on an expiring contract should also be attractive to other teams (including the Kraken).
• P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils
  • This is a situation where the Kraken could weaponize their salary sap space and eat some money to facilitate a trade. They can not do that a lot, because eventually that cap space will run out and you can only retain salary on so many trades, but if the Kraken were willing to eat 50 percent of Subban’s deal there will no doubt be a handful of teams that would take him on a $4.5 million salary cap hit. He would probably be worth that for this season.
• Calle Jarnkrok, Nashville Predators
  • Jarnkrok, though, could be somebody they could flip. He has an affordable contract and could be productive in a middle-six role that you could probably pencil in for 15 goals in any given season.
• Adam Henrique, Anaheim Ducks
  • He is just one year removed from a 26-goal season with the Ducks (in only 71 games). But he also still has strong underlying possession numbers and it could serve him well to be on a better team with more offensive talent around him.
• Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
  • Gostisbehere has not blossomed into the top-pairing, No. 1 defender the Flyers hoped he would when he first arrived in the NHL seven years ago, but he still has some value and can contribute, especially if put into a sheltered role.

BLH’s Thoughts:

 

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From the Edmonton Sun (Rob Tychkowski)

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Edmonton Oilers scouts brave pandemic in search of talent

• “I’ve probably been tested over 100 times,” laughed Edmonton Oilers amateur scouting director Tyler Wright. “Every time you go across the border, every time you get on a plane — and rightfully so, you’re trying to do your part to get a handle on this thing. You do what you can within the rules and off you go.”
• “I would fly into the U.S. and then travel basically by car throughout the U.S.,” said Wright
• “It was a lot of driving, a lot of take-out food in your hotel room and isolating. The various states and provinces all had different regulations in place, so it was everywhere from erratic to stressful.”
• “Agents even had their clients doing their own workouts and sent out the videos with testing numbers. Everyone is trying to be really creative to help us get to the best decision we can. There’s been collaboration throughout the whole industry to get this thing up and running.
• “Once you’re watching video, you’re at the mercy of the quality of the video and the person running the camera,” said Wright. “You’re trying to watch a defenceman and the person who’s doing the shooting won’t have him on the screen at all. You don’t have a sense of gap control.
• “The feeling in the industry is that there is going to be some good value later on,” said Wright. “With no second and no third, we’re limited in the high end of that, but with a fourth, two sixths and a seventh, we’ve got to make these picks count.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I can’t even imagine the shit the scouts had to go through this year, and last year for that matter, but I feel pretty decent about the job Tyler Wright has done since he joined the Oilers in a scouting capacity. That said, a lot of the young players that are coming through today are from the Chiarelli/Bob Green regime. So we’ll be waiting a few more years before we will be able to judge the work of Wright and his crew more fairly. 

As for this year’s draft, the feeling I get is that there’ll be a strong European influence. Edmonton’s done pretty good with Swedes over the years and Holland loves a Russian, so I’m going to expect at least one from each country getting picked by the Oilers this weekend. 

Here’s a list of the more prominent Swedes and Ruskies that are slated to go in the first couple of rounds of this year’s draft,

Oskar Olausson (HV71, SHL)
Simon Robertsson (Skelleftea, SHL)
Fabian Lysell (Lulea, SHL)
Isak Rosen (Leksand, SHL)
Nikita Chibrikov (SKA-Neva, VHL)
Prokhor Poltapov (Krasnaya Armiya, MHL)
Aleksandr Kisakov (Dynamo MSK, MHL)
Fedor Svechkov (Lada Togliatti, VHL)

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From The Cult of Hockey (David Staples)

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Three big questions on how Edmonton Oilers should best use 1st round pick this week

1. Will Cossa still be there when the Oilers pick at 19th overall?

2. Should the Oilers go against the grain and use a first round pick on a goalie?

3. If not Cossa, which other players might the Oilers take? 

BLH’s Thoughts: Let’s go ahead and answer these questions from Mr. Staples,

1. No. He’ll be long gone by then. Cossa’s star has been shooting up the draft boards all year and the word is one of Chicago or Ottawa will take him.

2. They absolutely should go against the grain. With the way that young netminders are trained now and the quality of that training, I think they’re a bit easier to project. So it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we started to see a run of drafts where one or two goalies were selected in the first round. 

3. If Cossa is gone the Oilers need a forward. So it’s up to you to decide what kind of forward you’d like.

• If you want a power forward, maybe you’d go with Oskar Olausson, Simon Robertsson, or Tyler Boucher.
• If you want pure skill, you go with Nikita Chibrikov, Isak Rosen, Ville Koivunen, or Fabian Lysell.
• If a good two-way forward is what you’re looking for then you should look at Aatu Raty, Zach Dean, Franceso Pinelli, or Brennan Othmann.
• Need snipers? Matthew Coronato, Xavier Bourgault, Logan Stankoven, and Samu Tuomaala can shoot the pill. 
• Does the team requite some grit and sandpaper? Zachary L’Heureux and Chase Stillman would be your men then.

There’s one more question Mr. Staples failed to ask, do you trade the first round pick? The answer to that is yes IF you can get a 3C like Christian Dvorak or Nazim Kadri or you can get a team to give you multiple draft picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. 

From The Daily Goal Horn

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From NHLTradeRumors.me

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• The Los Angeles Kings may be making a big trade this week. According to Bruce Garrioch, they are willing to trade the 8th overall selection of this year’s NHL Entry Draft.
• It also is important to note that an Eichel trade would require much more than just this pick. With their strong prospect pool, though, this shouldn’t be much of a problem for them if they truly want him. 

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From Oilersnation

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Five players the Edmonton Oilers could trade back into the second round for

• Jack Peart, D, Fargo (USHL) – a mobile defender who possesses a smooth stride when skating forwards and backwards. His ability with the puck allows to be effective in transition, capable of skating the puck up the ice himself or finding an open teammate to get out of the defensive zone. He has decent size, standing at 5-11 and weighing 186, he can hold his own when battling against opposing players in the defensive zone. He has an active stick that will allow him to disrupt passing lanes and cause turnovers so his team can transition to offense.
  
• Ayrton Martino, LW, Omaha (USHL) – loves to generate offense — whether it be for himself or his teammates. He is a strong skater with good vision and high-level puck skills. Martino can attack on the rush, using his vision to spot open passing lanes and hit his teammates with accurate passes and puts them in prime position for scoring opportunities.
• Zachary L’Heureux, C, Halifax (QMJHL) – started the season as a legitimate first round prospect, and with a combination of strong offensive instincts and a hard-hitting mentality it was easy to see why. He has a lot of strong offensive traits. He has great shot that he can get off with great power and accuracy, high-end skating ability that allows him to get up and down the ice and he is hard to play against because of his physicality and strength.
• Dmitri Katelevsky, RW, Bars Kazan (VHL) – a versatile forward who can play both the wing and center. He plays with a high pace and is reliable at both ends of the ice. With his thick frame and strong skating ability he is excels in close quarters. While he flashes some high-end puck skills, his best attribute is his mature defensive game. He’s an extremely smart player who knows how to suppress the other team’s offense and get his team out of danger.
• Chase Stillman, RW, Esbjerg U20 (Denmark U20) – an offensive-minded player who has excellent vision and playmaking capabilities. He also brings a physical element to the game, with a willingness to engage in the corners and throw punishing open ice hits. With his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame Stillman is more than capable of handling himself in physical battles. Modern power forwards are harder to come by, and Stillman fits the role with his unique attributes and aggressiveness.

BLH’s Thoughts: At the moment, the Oilers do not possess a 2nd round pick and I’m not confident they’ll acquire one. Now, that said, this year’s draft is going to be one for the ages because there’s going to be a ton of late round selections who are going to surprise. I also think that some 19yr and 20yr olds that were skipped over in the previous two drafts will get picked. 

To comment directly on the players mentioned above, Edmonton’s first pick will either be a goalie or a forward. L’Heureux intrigues me greatly. I see a Brad Marchand-type ceiling on him or a Antoine Roussel-type floor. Chase Stillman would interest the Oilers, he sounds like a Martin Lapointe sort of player.

Either way, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to draft some players with a bit of Tasmanian Devil in their game this year. 

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From Lowetide.ca

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Currently, Edmonton has $11 million in cap space, and that will grow to almost $24 million with a James Neal buyout, a Mikko Koskinen trade ($2 million retained), Kyle Turris in Bakersfield and Oscar Klefbom on LTIR.

I mentioned some time ago that Seattle was dropping $80 million into the free-agent pool. In real terms, that could take Adam Larsson from $4 million times four years for $4.5 million times five years. As much as I am a fan of this player, there has to be an outer marker where the risk becomes too great. I hope he signs in Edmonton, but it sounds like he’ll take a bigger piece of the pie if he does return. That impacts the rest of the roster.

The size of the Goodrow contract is an early distant warning signal. Holland’s $24 million isn’t going to get him all the way to balance. That’s good news for Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Dmitri Samorukov and Ilya Konovalov.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Goodrow deal was destined to happen. As Soon as I heard/read what pundits were saying Blake Coleman would be asking for, I knew that Goodrow would be asking for an amount that should put him out of the reach of the Edmonton Oilers. 

Now, speaking of a Mikko Koskinen trade, Bob Stauffer proposed the following trade on his radio show yesterday, 

• To Arizona: Koskinen and Edmonton’s 2021 1st round pick
• To Edmonton: Darcy Kuemper and one of Arizona’s three 2021 2nd round picks

The offer was predicated on one of Jesper Wallstedt or Sebastian Cossa being selected before Edmonton’s pick. 

Stauffer also threw out Coyotes 25yr old center Christian Dvorak’s name it he same conversation. 

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From Spector’s Hockey

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NHL Rumor Mill – July 20, 2021

BALLY SPORTS MIDWEST’s Adam Strickland took to Twitter yesterday reporting that the Seattle Kraken might not be the only stop for Vladimir Tarasenko if (emphasis on “if”) they select him in tomorrow’s expansion draft.

Strickland also expects the Montreal Canadiens to revisit last offseason’s contract talks with Mike Hoffman. The 31-year-old winger signed a one-year, $4 million contract in January with the Blues despite the Canadiens offering nearly $1 million more. Strickland adds the Blues have expressed interest in bringing Hoffman back.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll be shocked if Hoffman gets another $4M contract, but they again, if Marc Bergevin is flush from putting Carey Price and Shea Weber on LTIR, he may very well get the money he’s looking for PLUS the Habs will definitely be looking for forwards who can put the puck in the net after getting shut down vs. the Lightning in the Cup final.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators are seeking a top-two center and a top-four defenseman to help them make the playoffs next season. Those moves will likely come via the trade market rather than free agency. They have six picks in this year’s draft, including two in the second round, that could be used as trade bait.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards cites Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reporting the Florida Panthers could have a deal in place with the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken would sign goaltender Chris Driedger and the Panthers would send them winger Frank Vatrano for doing so.

BLH’s Thoughts: Adam Henrique is a name that’s been tossed around as someone who could find his way to Ottawa. Apparently he had a really good World Championships alongside Nick Paul and Connor Brown. 

Couldn’t the Kraken just sign Driedger on the 28th and still take someone from Florida in the expansion draft and vice versa? Unless the Panthers are thinking Ron Francis is going to take a player that’s under contract, they’re already handcuffed to an extent, why send them a sweetener to take a player of their choice?

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From The Athletic

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Replacing Adam Larsson: Who the Oilers could turn to if the veteran defenceman leaves in free agency

• Dougie Hamilton is the biggest fish in the defenceman market and just so happens to be righthanded. The Oilers could afford him based on projections here, but it would severely hamper their ability to improve key areas and patch other holes.
• Tyson Barrie: Holland is on record saying he wants to re-sign only one of Larsson and Barrie. Larsson has always clearly been Plan A. If he drifts out of the picture, it opens the door for the possibility of Barrie to return.
• David Savard: Savard is the closest comparable to Larsson set to hit the open market, though he is two years older. Their cap hits were almost identical this past season — just under $4.2 million for Larsson and just over for Savard — and their playing styles are very similar.
• Jason Demers: Demers has started almost 45 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone at five-on-five over the past two seasons. That’s not quite as high as Larsson’s usage in Edmonton, but it’s something.
• Travis Hamonic: He played almost a fifth of his ice time with Quinn Hughes, an offensively inclined partner in the top four. Though his advanced metrics weren’t good, the Canucks were a lousy team that was hit hard by COVID-19 late in the season. Hamonic had excellent numbers at five-on-five the last time there was a full season in 2018-19 — 54.3 CF%, 53.5 GF%, 55.5 xGF%.

Via Seattle

• Brenden Dillon or Nick Jensen: Dillon is a lefty and brings more offence. Both players turn 31 in the fall and had very similar, solid advanced metrics on a good Capitals team. Holland knows Jensen well, having selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft in Detroit before trading him in 2019.
• Dylan DeMelo: Teaming up with Josh Morrissey for the Jets, DeMelo did a masterful job of slowing down the Oilers’ offensive attack in the playoff series. (Yes, there might have been a few illegal moves in there.)
• Radko Gudas: Gudas is 31 and has two more seasons on his contract with a $2.5 million AAV. He spent 45 percent of his ice time against middle-tier competition this past season and managed a 54.8 Corsi for percentage.

Via Trade

• Rasmus Ristolainen: He has four 40-point seasons on his resume, but his game is often maligned. Those who rely on the eye test more see the gaffes. Those more inclined to use analytics can’t help but notice he’s never cracked the 50 percent mark in CF%, GF% or xGF% at five-on-five in any year in his career — ever.
• Josh Manson: He’s taken on tough defensive responsibilities his entire career and his metrics have largely been quite good. When you consider his health challenges, it’s possible — even probable — that this past season was an outlier.

BLH’s Thoughts: Of the names DNB listed there, my personal favorites are Radko Gudas, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brenden Dillon, Travis Hamonic, and David Savard. 

See a theme? All rugged shutdown defenders in the same mould as The Iron Swede. 

Ristolainen would cost the most, but he’d have the highest ceiling. He’d probably be the best option come playoff time too considering his game is very similar to Darnell Nurse’s. 

The most fiscally responsible choice might be Travis Hamonic. I can’t see him coming to Edmonton for more than $3M/yr, but yeah, his health is an issue. 

Overall, the best choice would be David Savard though. He’s nearly a clone of Larsson AND he’s got a Stanley Cup ringing weighing his hand down now. He might be charging more than Larsson though. Maybe something closer to $5M/yr. 

Now, I might seem insane not to be picking Dougie Hamilton and that’s fair to say. I just don’t think he’ll sign in Edmonton and his ticket would cause some issues down the road. 

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From The Daily Goal Horn

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From NHLRumors.com

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• Hailey Salvian of The Athletic:  There is definitely mutual interest between Zach Hyman and the Calgary Flames. The question becomes can Calgary sign the forward. Better yet, can they agree on a reasonable amount and term.
• Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey NOW:  The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking at Zach Hyman. Hyman can get an eight-year deal. This is because if something can get agreed upon, Toronto will do a reverse sign and trade.
• Bruce Garrioch: The St. Louis Blues are trying to acquire Matthew Tkachuk but they aren’t the only ones.
• Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: The Toronto Maple Leafs knew they could lose Alex Kerfoot in the expansion draft so they traded for Jared McCann as insurance.
• Allan Walsh: Boston Bruins pending UFA goaltender Jaroslav Halak expects to hit the open market on July 28th.

BLH’s Thoughts: If Calgary signs Hyman, that all but seals it for one of Matthew Tkachuk or Johnny Gaudreau and if I was Brad Treliving, I would move on from Tkachuk and try to get the best return possible for him. The reason I’d do that is because I know that Gaudreau is interested in playing in Calgary and I’m very hesitant that is the same with Tkachuk.

If the Leafs lose Kerfoot, they’ll miss his aggression for sure. That’s not McCann’s game at all. 

Jaro Halak, I wonder if that’d be someone Ken Holland would have interest in should Mike Smith move on?

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Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

From Lowetide.ca

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OILERS POSSIBLE ROSTER WITH NEW INFO

Frank Seravalli was on the DFO podcast last night (and Dusty this morning) with some news. Looks like Zack Kassian may be dealt (I’m thinking for a pick, with Edmonton signing Alex Chiasson), Jujhar Khaira is the expansion loss. Daniel Nugent-Bowman reported on Friday at The Athletic, and Frank also said last night he’s hearing Adam Larsson is closer to leaving. Frank says Tyson Barrie is edging closer to staying. Wow. What might that look like?

There’s about $3 million left with Klefbom on LTIR, Kassian is with the Rangers in exchange for their third-round selection, Borocop came over from Nashville in the Koskinen trade.

Edmonton doesn’t have a RH shutdown blue, so the goalies are going to see tougher chances. I don’t see a way around it, Larsson’s don’t grow on trees. Robert Bortuzzo has already been mentioned, but Puck IQ tells us he’s never faced the kind of load Larsson did every year.

This should bring security to Ethan Bear, who I believe is a good candidate for Duncan Keith’s partner. The Oilers future on RHD should be Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard. The two men will cost less than $3 million this coming season and probably less than $5 million next year.

If I’m Ron Francis, I’m on the phone today offering Radko Gudas, Ian Cole, Nick Jensen and any other available RHD in the expansion draft for Ethan Bear. If I’m Ken Holland, I don’t pick up the phone.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yesterday on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer intimated that the Oilers could be looking at a scenario where they sign Zach Hyman for 6yrs @$6M/yr, Adam Larsson for 4yrs @$4M/yr, and Mike Smith for 2yrs @$2M/yr. He said it would basically take the club to $75M on the cap after “deploying the CBA to move some money around” not including Klefbom’s LTIR cap hit. 

Also on Stauffer’s radio show yesterday, John Shannon said this about the status of Adam Larsson and the Oilers, 

• “The Oilers are still hopeful. They’re still thinking there’s a chance he can sign… We know he has a fair offer on the table from the Oilers… I think there are people within the organization who still believe he’s going to end up in Edmonton.”

Shannon did go on to say that he thinks Ken Holland has about $4M to get a #3 or a #4 defenseman in the event that Larsson moves on. 

It’s funny, I’ve not heard one pundit say that Adam Larsson won’t be signing with the Oilers, so I don’t think it’s fair to say that outright like some of the hockey pundits in Edmonton are. I’ve heard he’s going to test the market, but that’s very different from signing elsewhere. I’ve also read that he’s going to re-sign in Edmonton from Mark Spector and I just don’t think a writer like him puts his dick on the chopping block like that willingly unless he’s damned sure it’s staying attached to his body.

I remember there was a lot of hullabaloo about Steven Stamkos leaving Tampa when he was a FA, but he returned to the Lightning and became a champion for it. This feels similar. 

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From Spector’s Hockey

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NHL Rumor Mill – July 19, 2021

THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple wondered if Tarasenko could become a trade target for the New York Islanders after they shipped Andrew Ladd and his $5.5 million annual cap hit on Saturday to the Arizona Coyotes. They have $12.2 million in projected cap space and could get an additional $6 million when permanently sidelined Johnny Boychuk goes on long-term injury reserve at the start of the 2021-22 season. Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog could be another option if he’s not selected by the Kraken or re-signs with the Avalanche.

WGR 550: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reported the Minnesota Wild are expected to make a trade offer for Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel after buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last week. He also suggested the Colorado Avalanche could be a dark horse suitor for Eichel if Gabriel Landeskog departs via free agency.

TSN’s Darren Dreger recently said the Sabres seek a good young defenseman and a high draft pick for blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. He feels that could be more than teams are willing to stomach.

BLH’s Thoughts: I think the Islanders are going to load up here. Tampa has defeated them three of the last four years (I believe) and all they’re lacking is some high-end scoring. The other thing to keep in mind, they might lose a big contract if the Kraken take Josh Bailey or Jordan Eberle too. So theoretically, they could have over $20M in cap room at the end of the day. 

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From NHLTradeRumors.me

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• Conor Ryan of the Boston Sports Journal: Blake Coleman could be looking at $4.5 to $5 million on his next deal. It may be a bit much for the Bruins but he would fill a middle-six spot nicely.
• Frank Seravalli: Hearing that the New York Rangers and Barclay Goodrow are closing in on a six-year deal with a cap hit around $3.6 million.
• TSN: If the Edmonton Oilers aren’t able to re-sign Mike Smith before the 28th, he’ll get interest according to Darren Dreger.
  • “I’m told that they’re negotiating to get things done. It’s a slow-moving process and I’m also told that if Mike Smith becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 28, despite the fact that his best years likely being behind him, there are clubs with interest, so the Oilers have some work to do.”
• Brayton J. Wilson of WGR 550:  Could the Minnesota Wild be interested in Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres? The Anaheim Ducks seemed to be the favorites to land the Buffalo center.
  • It appears Buffalo would want Marco Rossi first and foremost. Matthew Boldy would be another feasible option

BLH’s Thoughts: Jesus, Coleman and Goodrow are going to cash in this summer. I wouldn’t give them that kind of money and I love the way both of them play the game. 

Even if Mike Smith makes it to the 28th without a contract with the Oilers, I’m near 100% certain that Ken Holland has his goalie plans sorted and these plans go all the way back to last offseason. Whether that’s one of the gentlemen out of Columbus, Darcy Kuemper, Petr Mrazek, or Linus Ullmark, the market is flush with goalies this year. Even if he swings and misses with them, the Kraken are rumored to be loading up on tradeable netminders, so he could hit up Ron Francis if things become desperate. 

Bill Guerin has been having himself quite the summer so far and why stop now? If I were him, I’d have no problem moving Marco Rossi and futures for Jack Eichel. Rossi hasn’t played one game and we don’t even know how he’s going to do after that terrible battle with Covid-19. I know what I’m getting in Eichel though and it’s not like the Wild are trading for some 34yr old, right? Eichel is the same age as Connor McDavid, so there’s lots of career left in those skates to make that kind of trade. All I’m asking is that Buffalo doesn’t trade him to the Pacific Division… 

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