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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Could Koskinen Be Headed to Music City?

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 Cult of Hockey

The Edmonton Oilers will sign Adam Larsson, predicts TSN insider

  • This just in, TSN’s Darren Dreger saying Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has another deal to close now, the Adam Larsson contract negotiations but Dreger predicts this will occur: “If you get Larsson extended — which they will — now your Top 4 is going to be Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse as your top pairing, and you’ve got Keith as probably a 3-4 guy. They feel pretty comfortable. Ethan Bear will slide into their Top 4 as well. And then you’ve got Bouchard as your 5-6 and a a question mark on that back end.”

  • TSN’s Ryan Rishaug said it’s widely believed that the contract will be $3.75 to $4.5 million per year, with the number rising or falling based on length of term. Rishaug was uncertain if Larsson would return.
  • If the Edmonton Oilers lose Adam Larsson, they will spend any number of years searching for a d-man bringing the exact qualities he has. Larsson is a rugged, nasty and, most importantly, highly effective shut-down d-man, who can move the puck OK.

BLH’s Thoughts: I could be wrong, but I thought I’d read or heard yesterday that the issue between the club and Larsson is term. Now, if we go by the RNH negotiations, it might be safe to bet that Edmonton’s offer gets cheaper as the years get tacked on and if you’re Larsson, it makes perfect sense to see what Seattle is offering before deciding whether or not to dive right into the market head first or to sign with the Edmonton or the Kraken. 

From Lowetide.ca

TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT
  • We used to talk on this blog about drafting high being the only way to get impact players. Now, we look longingly at the Moreau-Marchant-Grier line and wonder where they come from. The Edmonton Oilers have 32 names on the 50-man locked in, and are going to add a bunch of names in the next few weeks. What will it look like?
  • One of the things I’ll be watching for is several NHL signings that will land in the AHL. Remember the year Peter Chiarelli signed Ty Rattie and a bunch of AHL vets in their mid-20’s? I think we’ll see several forwards added, although the Condors have signed several (including Brad Malone).Here’s a list of players I believe are headed out: Mikko Koskinen, Alex Stalock, James Neal, Kyle Turris (possibly AHL).A realistic procurement list is Zach Hyman, Jordan Martinook, Alex Chiasson, Adam Larsson, Mike Smith and Linus Ullmark.

BLH’s Thoughts: Just going off of what’s been said online and the radio, these targets are as realistic as they come. That said, Ullmark might be the hopeful candidate as I’ve not heard as much regarding him in the public spaces from those in the know. 

As I’ve said in the past, I love a good story and so I wonder if we might see a new and improved version of “The Kid Line”? Edmonton has Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod already in tow, is it possible that somebody like Kailer Yamamoto could find his way onto that line and play the role of Martin Gelinas? 

If those three could form a competent trio at the NHL level, maybe a $2M Jordan Martinook on the 4th line or a $6M Zach Hyman on the first line would be more easier to digest.

From Spector’s Hockey

NHL Rumor Mill – July 14, 2021

LATEST ON THE PANTHERS

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: In a recent mailbag segment, George Richards was asked if the Florida Panthers would ask Keith Yandle to waive his no-movement clause for either a trade, buyout or exposure in the expansion draft.

Richards hasn’t been able to confirm if the Panthers have approached Yandle about it. He said he’d heard whispers of a handshake agreement between the two sides but nothing’s been substantiated. He thinks Yandle won’t be back with the team one way or another.

COULD THE CANADIENS SHOP ALLEN?

TVA SPORTS: cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculating the Montreal Canadiens could be tempted to trade Jake Allen rather than risk losing him for nothing to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. He’s starting a two-year, $5.75 million contract. The Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres are two clubs whose goalie issues have been well-documented.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers could be a possibility for Allen, but if we go by what the talking heads have been saying in Edmonton, the Oilers are setting their sites on some higher profile targets. 

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Adam Larsson In, Ethan Bear Out?

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 Oilers Rig (Alex Thomas)

Are Oilers In Danger Of Losing Adam Larsson?

For weeks now, the narrative from Edmonton media and with our sources here at ‘The Oilers Rig‘ was that a contract between Larsson and the Oilers was only a matter of time. With just four days until expansion draft protection lists are due, there is now some doubt that Oilers GM Ken Holland will get Larsson to sign on the dotted line.

Even the best plans fall apart sometimes, and the feeling is that something has gone amiss in these negotiations. Perhaps cold feet on Larsson’s side? After all, this is his first trip to unrestricted free agency and likely the last time he will be this sought after. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins are all monitoring the situation ahead of free agency opening on July 28th.

BLH’s Thoughts: Envision this scenario, the Edmonton Oilers re-sign Adam Larsson before the expansion draft protection list deadline (Friday IIRC), then protect him, Keith, and Larsson this leaving Ethan Bear unprotected. The Oilers then trade him to Seattle for futures in return for the Kraken to take James Neal or Mikko Koskinen in the expansion draft. 

It should be noted that Ethan Bear played for the Seattle Thunderbirds during his junior days and he wasn’t exactly one of Dave Tippett’s favorites this past year with his inconsistent play. 

I did reach out to ask some folks in the know and they told me that it was an interesting concept but unlikely to occur.

From The Athletic (Jonathan Willis)

Duncan Keith, by the numbers: What are the chances the former Norris winner bounces back with the Oilers?

There’s a contradiction in Duncan Keith’s recent NHL stat line, a contradiction best explained by citing two statistics. First, Keith averaged 23:25 per game last season as the most-used skater and No. 1 defenceman on the Chicago Blackhawks.

According to Evolving-Hockey’s expected goals model, Keith was in the bottom one percent both defensively and overall among NHL defencemen last year. By these charts, he’s a riverboat gambler who gives up way more than he creates and a liability in shorthanded situations.

Put simply, either the numbers are very wrong or his coach was.

One place the Oilers could give Keith a break is on special teams. He’s had lousy scoring results on the power play in four of the past five seasons, and this season was the first time in five years that Chicago’s power play topped 6.0 goals per hour while he was quarterbacking it.

On a more encouraging note, there are signs that Keith still has serious offensive game. He’s been much better than the average NHL defenceman at driving scoring chances off defensive-zone starts the past three years.

In all likelihood, he’ll improve significantly on the numbers he posted last season in Chicago, but given how bad they were mere improvement isn’t enough.

He’s 38 and it’s been three years since he was on the ice for more goals for than against at five-on-five; six years since his expected goal share was above 50 percent.

BLH’s Thoughts: In 2018-19, Keith was on for more goals for than against 5v5, in 2019-20, he was on for more goals for than against in all situations. Forgive me if I’m a tad confused. In fact, the 38yr old has had a positive GF% at every strength for all but four of his fourteen seasons. (source)

I’m not a stats guy (per se), so I’m probably doing something wrong to find different numbers. 

With that in mind, I also did a very primitive surface level dive with the fancy stats because I wanted to see if I could find a way to shine a good light on Keith over the past three seasons. So what I did was I went to Natural Stat Trick and I refined my search results to defensemen who played 3000 regular season minutes of 5v5 from 2018-19 to 2020-21 in the relative format.

Vs the other 77 skaters found, here’s where Keith landed compared to his peers with regards to some of the “on-ice” metrics,

  • CF%: -0.35 (50/77)(Ivan Provorov had a -1.10)
  • FF%: -0.95 (57/77)(Nick Leddy had a -5.07)
  • SF%: 0.52 (37/77)(Brett Pesce had a -2.50)
  • GF%: 2.37 (28/77)(Jeff Petry had a -3.10)
  • xGF%: -1.01 (56/77)(Drew Doughty had -1.62)
  • SCF%: 0.19 (39/77)(Morgan Rielly had a -1.03)
  • HDCF%: -2.30 (63/77)(Nick Leddy had a -5.87)
  • HDGF%: -2.60 (52/77)(Jeff Petry had a -4.04)

(Source)

The conclusions I draw from that elementary look are the following:

  • The scoring chances for and the goals for on Keith’s team increase when he’s on the ice.
  • The possession metrics do not show him a good light but not a horrible one either. 
  • As an individual, Keith struggles in “high-danger” scenarios

My feeling is that Mr. Keith has more success when he’s paired with a Brent Seabrook or Niklas Hjalmarsson type of player and ever since he lost his partner and was shackled with rookies, it’s not been a good ride for him. Might the Oilers have a stay-at-home defender like that to pair with him next season?

Interesting note, if you go to that link above and take some time reading, you’ll find that Nick Leddy is at the bottom of nearly every one of the metrics I used above and that makes me chuckle a bit because there were some analytics types on the socials who got somewhat hard when they found out the Islanders are looking to move Leddy to clear cap room…

From The Daily Goal Horn

Steven Stamkos available?

Darren Dreger was on TSN1050 and mentioned during his spot that he is hearing Steven Stamkos’ name as a possible trade candidate out of Tampa.

The Lightning are celebrating back to back Cups knowing this is the last time this team will be together. They are way over the cap and changes are coming. Depending on if they can trade players like Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn, Tampa may be forced to think bigger. Why? Because Brayden Point will be a RFA after next season and Tampa wants to lock him up to an 8 year deal in the $9 million range and up.

So we could see Steven Stamkos waive his no trade clause as a means of helping his team one last time. Some believe it could happen. He has 3 more seasons at $8.5 million and would automatically go to the top of GM’s wishlists.

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, this would shake up the NHL if the Lightning could move Stamkos’ entire ticket. Now, he wouldn’t waive his NMC last year, so why would he do it this year and who would take an aging $9.5M LW in this economy? From his perspective, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do this. 

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Buchnevich, Landeskog, and the One Thing Duncan Keith can Teach Evan Bouchard

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

Edmonton Oilers players said Duncan Keith was “difficult defensively” in Edmonton bubble

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recorded a 31 Thoughts podcast not long after Holland’s Monday night presser where he spoke about Holland’s discussions with his own players about Keith.

  • “I believe one of the things Ken Holland was doing over the past couple of weeks was asking some of his top players about Duncan Keith. I think he asked his top guys what do you think about Duncan Keith? I know last year his numbers weren’t very good but I think a number of those players talked about that Chicago-Edmonton series in the bubble and how difficult defensively they found Keith to deal with. I think that’s one of the reasons the Oilers did that deal. I heard that today and I double-checked that in a couple of places and got confirmation on it that I think some of the input a couple players gave on the way Keith played in that series in the bubble is one of the reasons Edmonton made this deal.
  • “I think it’s more than just hard to play against. Hard to play against is sometimes in hockey lingo ‘he put his stick through my nose.’ I think it was more than that. I think it was that they found it really difficult to play offence against him. That this was still a guy who knew how to play defence and at least made it challenging to deal with him when he was on the ice. It’s different than ‘hard to play against.’ I think they still respected his ability as a defensive player, I think that’s a better way to put it.
  • “I’m with you and everyone else: I was stunned Chicago didn’t have to either eat some of the cap hit, or take say Koskinen back to buy him out. I don’t think James Neal was ever a legitimate factor to buy him out because that’s a four-year buyout, and I don’t think the Blackhawks were ever interested in that. It came down to even though he’s a 5.5 cap hit, his cash is 3.6 the next two years. I think that’s where Chicago held the line. I think they said ‘we are going to take a run at Jones and or Hamilton and we are not hurting ourselves in our ability to do that.
  • “The Caleb Jones thing, I understand how everybody feels about Jones as a player and I do think Jones last year — I think he needed to get out of Edmonton the way last year went for him and what Edmonton has coming. Caleb Jones needed a new start. I don’t think he wanted to be back, and I think the Oilers understood he wasn’t going to be back. And to be honest, I think they thought they were going to lose him anyway so they made the deal with Jones in it.”

BLH’s Thoughts: One of the things I’ve learned about Keith throughout the week is that he defends by attacking the puck carrier very quickly. Meaning he’s quite assertive in his approach to defending and what have we heard about Evan Bouchard? He can seem a tad relaxed with regards to how he takes care of his own end at times… 

Of course, the Oilers aren’t going to pair Bouchard and Keith up if they can help it, but during practise and in the video sessions, DK is going to be a massive influence on Edmonton’s young defenders. 

From Lowetide.ca

SUPERSTITION

SWEDISH POSTER

Since everyone is loving this trade so much I’ll just add a short comment on throw in Tim Söderlund, who’s played a couple of seasons with Filip Berglund in Skellefteå, think they even spent some time together with the junior team. He’s a small, speedy forward with good not great hands who’s offense has never really translated to the pro ranks.

I don’t think he has the playmaking ability nor the shot to produce at higher levels… Söderlund’s speed is more about quickness, I mean in terms of figuring out how to be able to use his speed to create a lot of chances rather than a clean shot or great vision to produce.

The hope is that he finds a way to use his speed, skill combo more efficiently, he skates a lot, works hard on the forecheck but it doesn’t really lead to much. That hope is slim though, he’s had a couple of pro coaches trying to help him figure it out already. At least he’s a familiar face for Filip Berglund coming over and he adds some speed to the Condors.

BLH’s Thoughts: At this point, if he’s not done anything to make himself standout to the coaches he’s worked under, I wouldn’t bet on him becoming a FT NHLer anytime soon. That said, Jay Woodcroft is a miracle worker and if Filip Berglund joins him in Bakersfield next season, there’s a better chance than none Soderlund could see improvement. 

Personally, I haven’t read up on him too much, but if he doesn’t have much offense to show for, could he pivot and take on a role similar to Lehkonen in Montreal? I’m not going to hold my breath, but I’m just throwing that out there.

From NHLRumors.com

NHL Rumors: New York Rangers, and Top Trade Candidates
Trading Buchnevich makes some sense for the Rangers

Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic: Have heard that New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich‘s name has come up but it’s not known if teams are just calling about him or if they put his name out there.

  • “I expect some talks to come up,” Buchnevich’s agent, Todd Diamond, told The Athletic on Monday. “I expect the Rangers to qualify Pavel and then depending on whatever else Chris (Drury) is working on, that could potentially affect the way the contract may look or other issues.”
Top 25 NHL trade targets

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff: Ranking the top 25 NHL trade targets this offseason.

5. Conor Garland – Pending RFA. No talk with Coyotes since Garland’s camp made two contract proposals back in May.

16.  Jake DeBrusk – Could be moved if the Bruins could re-sign Taylor Hall.

23. Warren Foegele – Looking for more of an opportunity than what the Hurricanes may be able to offer.

24. Rights to Chris Driedger

BLH’s Thoughts: These four names are the most likely, in my opinion, to be targets of the Oilers. Foegele might have the lowest price tag but the highest capacity for reward. He’s big, fast, and has a helluva a shot. I happen to think he’s a pretty decent two-way forward that would really compliment Edmonton’s middle-six too.

However, what kind of contract he’s looking for concerns me a little since he’s an RFA and his latest deal paid him $2.15M/yr. He’s got arb rights and is most likely looking for something closer to $3M or more on a new deal. Ideally, if a team was to trade for him, they’d like to get him on a one or two year “show me” deal, but the risk with that is it would walk him pretty close to unrestricted free agency… So there’s that.

I really dig Buchnevich, but in order for the Oilers to acquire him, they’d have to trade one of Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto and I’m not sure there’s an appetite there to do that at this point in time. The Oilers still have the two young whipper snappers under team control and Buchnevich will be looking for $5M+ at least on his next deal. Could see a team like LA or Detroit making a play for him though. 

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Matheson Says Philadelphia is Hot to Trot for Adam Larsson!

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 (Jason Gregor)

The Layers of the Duncan Keith Trade

Edmonton needed to upgrade its left defence. They did that in this trade, however, they also took on a lot of cap space. Far from ideal. Now, someone could argue if Keith plays poorly at $4.4m or $5.5m it doesn’t really matter. Fair point. So maybe I’m stuck on the optics of it, but my main critique of the deal is no retention.

What if Father Time has caught up to Keith, and he struggles mightily this season and decides to retire? If he opts to walk away rather than play when he is owed only $1.5m in actual money, then Chicago has a massive recapture penalty.

There are some things that are irrefutable. Keith turns 38 on Friday. Every player slows down eventually. Some sooner than others. The question I have is how poor was Keith in Chicago?

The Blackhawks were arguably the worst 5×5 team in the NHL last season. Here is where they ranked as a team in these five categories.

CF% FF% SF% GF% XGF%
30TH (45.8) 31ST (44.9) 31ST (45.6) 24TH (44.4) 31ST (43.9)

It would be difficult for any player to have solid numbers based on those team totals.

Edmonton was middle of the pack in xGF% and GF% last season. Keith should have better partners in Edmonton and for sure will have better centres to play with.

Duncan Keith is better than William Lagesson, Kris Russell or Jones. Jones is the only one who might become better, but that is unlikely. I have a bigger concern Keith won’t give you value at his cap hit, rather than Jones being better than Keith the next two seasons.

The Keith trade presents one valid concern — value equal to the cap hit. Some will hate the deal. Others will call it risky. Others will say ballsy and some will like it.

Only time will tell who is right.

BLH’s Thoughts: Does anybody else find it funny that Edmonton could screw over the Blackhawks in the event that Duncan Keith retires after next season? I mean, all that hullabaloo over not retaining salary wouldn’t really matter, would it? It’s a clever play on Edmonton’s part. 

Nothing against Caleb Jones, but I don’t see him being a top-pairing defender, a Norris Trophy winner, or a gold medal winner at any point in his career. If he was that good, we would’ve seen that sort of quality already. I’ve read some people compare him to Jordan Oesterle and I think that’s a fair comparison. So a career bottom-pairing defender similar to Andrew Ference? 

Yup! I just did that.

From The Edmonton Sun (Jim Matheson)

OILERS NOTES: Keith will fill the big hole in Klefbom’s continued absence
Without Oscar Klefbom for a second straight year, Dave Tippett gives the Duncan Keith trade a resounding two-thumbs up.
  • “We used a variety of guys with Adam. Kris Russell, (Dmitry) Kulikov, Caleb (Jones), (William) Lagesson, (Slater) Koekkoek. We need a strong player in our second pairing, it’s an impact position, matchup-wise. Darnell (Nurse) has developed into a top-notch player and he’ll get his icetime but we need Keith,” said Tippett.

How will Keith help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl?

  • “He’s won three Cups and there’s wisdom and knowledge that comes with that. He can pass that on at a critical time in a game. Maybe he can stand up and say, ‘This is the way we have to approach this.’ When you’ve been through a lot of wars, you recognize what it takes. We need more players who know how to read and react in critical situations, the ability to stay in games and not crack,” said Tippett.

THE BOOK ON JONES

  • “Caleb did a lot of things right. He’s got some bite to his game. But his game wavered. It’s a maturity thing. He’s gone through some trials and tribulations and, hopefully, he goes to Chicago and blossoms,” said Tippett.

While Seattle gets first crack to convince unrestricted free agent Larsson to sign there, Philadelphia is hot to trot, trying to get a right-shot D to play with Ivan Provorov after Matt Niskanen retired

BLH’s Thoughts: Shocking that a veteran head coach would be over the moon at the news of his team acquiring a future hall-of-famer and 3-time Stanley Cup champ. 

Man, I hope that Adam Larsson re-signs with the club. What a wrench that would thrown into Holland’s plans if Philly got their meat hooks into him.

Now, that said, would they then turn their attention to throwing that extra money at Dougie Hamilton or possibly re-visit Tyson Barrie. David Savard is an option as well and I think the club would definitely have time for the likes of Travis Hamonic or Tucker Poolman too. 

From Spector’s Hockey

NHL Rumor Mill – July 13, 2021

SERAVALLI UPDATES NHL TRADE TARGETS LIST

STLTODAY.COM: Jim Thomas wondered if the Blues might package their 2021 first-round pick (16th overall) with Tarasenko. He believes the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and possibly the New York Islanders might have an interest in the former 30-goal scorer. He also pondered the possibility of the Blues bundling that first-round with defenseman Vince Dunn and another sweetener to the Calgary Flames for winger (and St. Louis native) Matthew Tkachuk.

THE ATHLETIC: Rick Carpiniello reports it’s uncertain if Drury is shopping Buchnevich or if teams are making inquiries. The Rangers have over $22 million in projected cap space and will get more when they buy out Tony DeAngelo.

However, Drury must spend that cap room wisely because he must ensure he has sufficient space over the next couple of years to re-sign Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko and Igor Shesterkin. Carpiniello also suggested the possibility of acquiring Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres but dismissed the notion of swapping Buchnevich for Vladimir Tarasenko. They also have two promising wingers in Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov.

BLH’s Thoughts: Je-sus… Why would the Flames accept a first rounder, Vince Dunn, and a prospect for Matthew Tkachuk when they know St. Louis needs to move Vlad Tarasenko? It should be Tarasenko and Dunn (at least) for that rat, Tkachuk. 

With regards to the Rangers, why wouldn’t they try to flip Buchnevich and futures for a no.2 center? It’s obvious that their young wingers are going to overtake the Russian sooner than later and there’s a good chance Buchnevich prices himself out of NY. What about a deal for Sam Reinhart as opposed to Jack Eichel? 

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Long-Time Oilers Beat Writer on the Keith Trade: “I think it’s a bad bet.”

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 Cult of Hockey (David Staples)

Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland on the price he paid for Duncan Keith: “It’s hard to squeeze people in this league”

I would have hoped that the Oilers could have found a way to get the price down on Keith. That didn’t happen. At the same time, not having seen Keith play and not having access to thorough, fair and accurate individual analytical data on the player, I’m in no place to give a sound assessment of where the player is right now. I strongly doubt most of you are either. We’ll all know a lot more after seeing Keith play for a month or two.

As a fan of the Oilers, I’m left hoping for the best, as always, that Edmonton won’t get hammered too hard by giving away a possible diamond in the rough in Caleb Jones, and that Duncan Keith’s own glitter won’t fade too much more over the next few seasons.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll go back to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000 when they acquired Ray Bourque as my comparison, not the Chris Chelios one that Holland likes to use. Bourque was a ghost of himself that season when Colorado traded a handful of futures and Brian Rolston to get him and as soon as #77 slipped on that Avalanche uniform, he was a man possessed and scored at a point-per-game pace for the rest of that season.

His team didn’t win that year, but they did the next year and Bourque was a major reason why as he played in every game for Colorado that season alongside the likes of Martin Skoula, Greg DeVries, Jon Klemm, and Aaron Miller for the most part. Adam Foote played 35 games that season and Rob Blake didn’t join until the trade deadline… 

Say what you want about Sakic, Forsberg, and Patrick Roy, but that defense got carried by a 41yr old Raymond Bourque that year… 

From the Edmonton Sun (Terry Jones)

JONES: Keith deal means time is now for Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland

Despite winning only one of eight Stanley Cup playoff games in the last two years, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland just announced that the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl Stanley Cup windows are now wide open.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t think anybody is saying that this trade as an easy one for Holland to make. However, he’s got to do what he feels is best for his team and it’s very apparent that he believes his club lacks the experience and compete to get past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I’d add that this won’t be the only player like this Holland goes out and acquires. There will be more veterans coming that have playoff histories, they might cost a pretty penny, AND they might not produce as much during the regular season too.

But, as I’ve said before, the investment in Duncan Keith goes beyond the on-ice product. He’s going help the club in many different aspects like coaching, enticing other higher profile players to join the team, mentorship, etc. 

From The Athletic 

Hold ’em or Fold ’em: Which NHL teams would prefer an expansion-style reboot over what they currently have?

If you’re an NHL team and faced with a choice of either starting your entire franchise over from scratch, as Seattle is about to do, or press on with your current lineup and depth chart — which would you do?

Edmonton Oilers

You have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their respective primes, signed for a combined $21 million, McDavid for five more years and Draisaitl for four (which, for comparative purposes, is just slightly more than Dallas will pay Seguin and Benn, who’ll earn a combined $19.35 million over roughly the same term). This isn’t difficult. You’ve got the last two Hart Trophy winners signed for decent dollars and term, plus emerging star Darnell Nurse. The biggest salary-cap headache they’ve got is James Neal, two more years at $4.65 million, which, if necessary, can be bought out.

The verdict: Hold ‘em.

BLH’s Thoughts: I liked this exercise. If you’ve got a subscription, I suggest you head over and read the whole post to see what they said about the other clubs like Toronto or Calgary. That said, I bet there are some Oilers fans out there who’d love to have a do-over with this team today… 

From Spector’s Hockey

Blackhawks Trade Keith To The Oilers

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Keith’s best seasons are behind him. Nevertheless, Oilers general manager Ken Holland believes his experience and leadership will benefit his club and help them get over the playoff hump. Keith will likely slot into their blueline on the left side of their second pairing.

Holland’s critics are already raging against this trade on social media, considering it a waste of cap space. Keith’s defenders, meanwhile, believe he still has enough left in the tank to improve on a better club after spending the past two seasons paired with lesser blueliners on the Blackhawks.

BLH’s Thoughts: What if, as a result of this trade, it allows the Oilers to bring in a player like Alex Killorn at a reduced salary because they’d be able to send a different prospect or draft pick over to Tampa. Remember, Killorn has to waive that modified no-move clause and traditionally, that’s been a big problem for the Oilers over the years. 

What if, as a result of this trade, free agents are more willing to come to Edmonton for a little bit cheaper because they see a clear picture of what Ken Holland is doing?

I mean, the surface level analysis by some on the socials has been appalling. This ain’t checkers, people! And if you’re taking Ken Holland’s quotes at face value from that media avail, that’s on you…

Give us a follow on the socials!

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