Tag Archives: Andrej Sekera

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Details on Chiasson Contract Negotiations, Oilers Shopping Wingers, and How Sekera Will Fit Back In

Alrighty, let’s make this Edmonton Oilers rumor update a quicky so you can get back to your lunch! But first, the preface!

  • Oilers offered Alex Chiasson a 3-yr deal worth $1.5M per year, Chiasson’s camp countered with $2M per year and Edmonton hung up the phone… 

I wouldn’t give this guy $1.5M per year… What in the world makes anybody think that he’s going to replicate this again? As much as I like Chiasson’s performances, he’s cooled off severely since his hot start, just as he said he would when he was getting interviewed at the beginning of the year. He starts off hot with new teams and then goes cold. IMO, if he doesn’t want to sign for $1M on a one-year deal, thank him for his services and move on.

  • Andrej Sekera is most likely making his return to the Oilers roster by the weekend and Edmonton is going to have to make a couple of roster moves to do that. Word is that they’ll waive Brandon Manning and Alex Petrovic in hopes that at least one of them gets claimed. 

JE-SUS… What a mess these boys have to clean up here. Now, you might be wondering to yourself, “Didn’t you support those moves?”

I tried to find the positive in the moves. To my eye, Manning has been way superior to Petrovic so far and that’s not a great thing for Josh Marshall’s good buddy. But it might not matter if they both hit the waiver wire.

They said before that the Oilers were working as a committee to get things done. For example, Bob Stauffer talked about Hall and Eberle being traded and referred to those trades as “organizational trades”. We remember when Hitchcock came in, he said he was the one that had Puljujarvi recalled. Then, later on, he thanked “Keith especially” after the Petrovic/Manning trades. Oh and don’t forget Bob Nicholson saying that Chia wasn’t the only person working on the Koskinen contract… Now we’re being told that it was all Chiarelli…

https://twitter.com/TheOilKnight/status/1095060072793665536

Well, I can pretty much tell you with a high degree of certainty that Chiarelli wasn’t working alone but that he made a lot of the final decisions on player acquisitions/contracts that a lot of the other members of the management team didn’t agree with.

A lot of folks get pissy at the pro scouting department but from what I’ve gathered, Chiarelli didn’t have time for those that opposed him. Going as far as removing them from meetings. Word has it that Peter preferred the word of his brother Mike when it came to scouting.

  • The Oilers are still taking calls on Cam Talbot.

Oh boy… I hope they get something good for this guy but I’m not hopeful on it. He’ll play great one game and shite the next. He does have a clause in his deal that gives him the choice as to where he’s traded but since that Chicago game (and subsequent trade demand), I don’t think he’s going to make a fuss about it.

I wonder if Columbus might make sense should they find a way to move Sergei Bobrovsky. Personally, Philadelphia makes the most sense to me. Their need for a mentor for Carter Hart and a goalie that could be a short-term stop gap for a couple of seasons while Hart gets broken in just tells me there’s a fit there.

  • Rieder and Kassian are bring shopped HARD. 

Kassian has been playing quite well as of recent. Well enough to get back on the 1st line with McDavid and Draisaitl at least. Whereas Rieder STILL hasn’t scored a goal. If there’s a team out there that’ll take either of these boys off the Oilers’ hands without Edmonton retaining salary, GET. IT. DONE!

  • Oilers like Zuccarello

This would be a fine acquisition if there weren’t rumors of him wanted to sign back in NY this summer… If those rumors are indeed true, his price won’t be high, so Edmonton might pick him up after all. I wouldn’t bet your house on it though.

  • Brodziak could be moved out for a younger 4C

Yeah… Not so sure on this one. I don’t know any teams that would want to pick Brodziak up really. If he does move, it’ll be right on deadline day and that trade will be a fallback deal for some team that missed out on another one.

I think they should go with Jujhar Khaira as 4C. I watched the Leafs do it with Frederik Gauthier and he’s a worse player than JJ in my opinion.

So there you have it. The latest up to date info on the Oilers! Have a great day!

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Edmonton Oilers: The One Thing That Would Put the Oilers into the Playoffs

The hockey gords are shining their lights on the Edmonton Oilers as they head into this three-game road trip that’ll see them play the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and the New York Islanders. You’re probably wondering to yourself how playing those teams could be an advantage to Edmonton, so let me tell you briefly.

  • Pittsburgh will most likely be without Evgeni Malkin after he tried to decapitate Michael Raffl last night. They are also 4-5-1 in their last 10 and have a defense that is not intimidating anybody. Stay out of the box though, PIT has the 6th best PP in the league right now (EDM has the 8th best).
  • The Islanders are a team I expect Edmonton to line-up very well against actually. Not a lot of superstardom on New York, just a lot of hard-working players. This is a system I could see getting take advantage of by Edmonton’s big names as I believe the rest of the roster can run with the Isles IF they can find a way to play the style of game Hitch is teaching.
  • The Hurricanes are surging right now but their goaltending is a major weakness and something I could see them really exploit. The might want to consider splitting up Draisaitl and Connor for this one though. IIRC, the ‘Canes like to have Jaccob Slavin out against McDavid as much as possible. It might even behoove them to go 97-29-93 against the Canes and try to dominate 5×5. I also expect Puljujarvi to have a good game as he’ll be playing one of his BFFs (Sebastian Aho)

The One Thing

I have a belief that successful teams have something (or multiple somethings) that their oppositions loathe coming up against. Be that strong 5×5 scoring, a deadly PP, a stifling PK, unbeatable goaltending, or a punishing brand of physical hockey.

In the past, we might’ve said that for the Oilers it was simply having Connor McDavid in the lineup that would scare the other team but I don’t feel like that’s the case anymore. I think teams with mobile defenses find a way to minimize his effectiveness a bit easier now than they did before. So you shut down him and you basically shut down the team, right?

At this moment in time, the Oilers big threat is their PP. It’s 8th in the NHL right now but that’s not enough for a team that appears thin. I think there’s still part of this team that can intimidate physically but for whatever reason, refuses to engage in games like that. Sure there are a lot of hits (officially) but none that are the kind that really rattle the other teams.

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After the bye week/all-star break, the Oilers were playing so well for portions of the games vs. Philly, the Habs, as well as the Wild. They had the hunger back but minor breakdowns lost them those matches and I think every time that happens the players that are still on the team from the blown lead vs. Anaheim in the 2016 playoffs get flashbacks and they fold.

So for this team to get back into the post-season, they need to get on a run and bring something to the ice that scares the shit out of the other team. That could be McDavid going supernova. That could be Koskinen/Talbot getting hot. Maybe something as simple as running the tables on the faceoff dot or outshooting their opponents (for once).

Their coach is grinding on them and they’ve got to use that emotion that’s building up inside of them from his coaching style and take it out on the other team. He’s got a plan for them and they’ve got to execute it. All they’re required to do is eat some humble pie and get it done for 30 games.

If they can do that and go 3-0-0 on this road trip and then take 2/3 on their next homestand, they’ll make it in. Is that a realistic scenario… Probably a bit of a reach. But I’ve got faith in the boys that they’ll get their heads out of their asses here at some point.

Why Can’t They Win At Home?

I have a theory that the Oilers get rattled easily while playing at home this season. The crowd, the size of the market, the media… The fishbowl.

It’s a lot to take in for a professional hockey player. I don’t believe that they’re not interested in winning and have checked out for the year. I think they’re going the other way to be honest. The players are over-analyzing everything whilst playing in Edmonton. They grip the sticks too hard and when they go down a goal, they go down for the count.

I don’t think letting in the first shot of the game has helped as much as it’s happened either. But, can you imagine how hard it is to play at Rogers Place? If you make a mistake, Hitchcock is all over your ass. If you blow a PP, the crowd is all over your ass. If you lose the game, the media is all over your ass. And it’s not just the local media anymore, the national media is getting hold of this debacle too.

If a roster the likes of Vancouver’s and Minnesota’s can be this close to a playoff spot (or in one), there’s no reason the Oilers can’t make it in.

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Will There Be A Deal This Week?

Bob Stauffer let it be known on yesterday’s edition of Oilers Now that Mark Spector would be joining the Oilers on the road. Not often he does that, so I’m expecting the Oilers to make a move or two in order to get Andrej Sekera back into the fold. Spec has to be there to cover it.

I can’t be sure as to who might heading out but it wouldn’t shock me if one or more of the players in this group weren’t an Oiler next week, Alex Petrovic, Matt Benning, Zack Kassian, Tobias Rieder, and Kyle Brodziak.

I feel like after all the deals are done, we’ll see an influx of players come up from Bakersfield. William Lagesson, Caleb Jones, Patrick Russell, Cooper Marody, and maybe even Tyler Benson are candidates to join the team due to their stellar play this season. I’d add Shane Starrett to that group as well depending on what happens with Cam Talbot (or Mikko Koskinen…).

Bringing Seksy Back

I watched Sekera play in their latest match-up vs. San Diego and he most definitely was in beast mode. But I want to caution you. Don’t get too excited. He’s playing AHL quality opponents, so he’s going to look better by default. I’d also attribute that to a bit of adrenaline going through his system as he has to he feeling so happy to be playing again. That will wear off and when it does, how will he look then? Even with that adrenaline bump, he doesn’t look faster than his AHL opponents and that’s concerning to me.

When Rej gets back to playing for the Oilers, he’d better be paired with someone that can skate (Caleb Jones?) or else he’s not going to be of much help (on the ice) I fear.

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Edmonton Oil Drops: The Oilers Actually Have MORE Cap Room Than You Think. Here’s How!

There was a big development on the Andrej Sekera front on Monday. He was assigned to Bakersfield for a conditioning stint. As Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) tweeted out a few days ago, a player coming off of LTIR can agree to a conditioning stint in the AHL for a maximum of either 3 games or 6 days to determine if that player is fit to play according to section 13.9 of the CBA. The Oilers can apply to have the stint lengthened by another 2 games if they need to, but that would be a rare and unlikely circumstance. The Oilers would not pull the trigger on Sekera’s conditioning stint if they did not believe that he is close to returning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI5tsBNaQbY

Sekera will remain on the LTIR for the duration of his conditioning stint. Once he is deemed to be fit to play, the Oilers must activate him. February 10 will mark the end of his conditioning stint. The Bakersfield Condors will play two games between now and then (Feb 8 and Feb 9). Sekera will play in those two games. His 6 days will end before he will get the chance to play a third game. That would mean that his Oilers season debut could happen as early as February 13 against the Penguins.

CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) tweeted that the Oilers will need to shed $1,230,834 in salary cap hits in order to activate Sekera. That aligns with the “Today’s Cap Hit” number that is posted on the Oilers page on CapFriendly’s site, which is $80.7 million. However, as I noted in Part 1 of my All-Star Break Trade Preview, that number is merely a sum of every player’s Total Cap Hit for the entire season. Those numbers from CapFriendly are accurate, but that $80.7 million number is not the actual cap hit that the Oilers are working with at the moment.

Click Here to find out what the actual number they’re working with is.

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Edmonton Oilers: It’s Time for Seks and Would Philly Be Interested in Cam Talbot?

You’ve probably seen the tweet sent out by Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer entailing the return to the ice for defender Andrej Sekera, right? I’m as shocked as you are but that said, Stauffer did mention during the pre-game show vs. the Kings that Sekera had been skating back in Edmonton.

This is outstanding news! I’m very curious about the timeline but he must be closer than not if he’s taking part in Ken Hitchcock’s practices.

Now, I think it’s safe to say that we should be tempering expectations as any normal human being coming back from major knee surgery AND a torn Achilles tendon would be out of commish for years let alone months. We shouldn’t expect ‘Rej to come back in his 2016 form and the way I look at it is by remembering players like Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov and how well they played after they returned. Gonchar had some mobility issues but Markov seemed to come back alright.

Here’s to hoping that Andrej Sekera can come back somewhere in the middle and that he’s brought along properly by the Oilers meaning a conditioning stint in Bakersfield and 3rd pairing minutes to start.

Philly Needs a Tender!

After giving Ron Hextall his walking papers, interim GM (I guess?) Paul Holmgren said this during his media avail this morning,

That HAS to be music to the ears of Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli because as far as I’ve been told, the Oilers have been listening to offers on Cam Talbot for some time now.

Now you might be asking yourself why Philly would want Talbot? Well, at the moment they’ve got Calvin Pickard and Alex Lyon tending the nets as Brian Elliott and Michael Neuvirth are on the IR.

Philly has a shade over $7M available in cap space right now and the Oilers simply need a backup goalie and someone to alleviate the pressure on their own cap. Talbot makes $4.16M per year so they could easily absorb that.

So I propose the Oilers send Talbot to the Flyers for one of Pickard, Lyon, or Elliott and a draft pick or a prospect.

Puljujarvi and Chiasson to the Top Six!

It’s about time! Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said that he’d accelerate Jesse’s progression and put him in the top-6 within the month and he’s done so. This is very exciting for me because I feel like Puljujarvi simply hasn’t had the confidence of his coach since he joined the Oilers.

An interesting quote from the book published way back in 2004 entitled “Simply the Best” provides us a very interesting insight into Hitchcock,

I have learned in coaching that even though the player is not playing his best at the time, if you instill confidence, then he will. When things aren’t going as well as they should, good coaches stick with the players.

I know that it’s only been one game since Puljujarvi was recalled but this is his chance to finally break into the top-6 and stay there. His team needs him, his coach has complete faith in him, and he HAS to seize this opportunity and hold on for dear life.

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Here are the lines for tonight’s matchup versus the Dallas Stars.

Last comment, do not be surprised to see the Oilers shite the bed tonight. They do not perform well the first game back after coming home off a road trip and if we use a couple more narratives that have backfired on Edmonton recently, Dallas will be without top defenceman John Klingberg and they’ll have their backup, Anton Khudobin, in net.

I watched Dallas vs. Edmonton last season and it was a great back and forth game. If I’m not mistaken I think Matt Benning scored the GWG and Jamie Benn was quiet but Radulov was in beast mode.

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Oilers Offseason: Let’s Talk About Seks Baby

Down goes Seksi! Down goes Seksi!

For the love of Pearl, what has Andrej Sekera done to piss off the hockey gods? He’s done his Achilles in and another season is lost for him and now the Oilers are down to 5 proper NHL dmen.

6-9 months to recover from an Achilles tendon tear I guess and up to two years before things are back to “normal”… Unless you’re Erik Karlsson then time is only a construct for you…

https://twitter.com/TheOilKnight/status/1029496499405635584

SPR isn’t wrong. So what are the options for the Oilers?

  • Trade
  • Promote from within
  • Sign a free agent
  • Do nothing

That 4th one is a doozy but not out of the realm of possibility. Let’s look at the options and has things out.

Just before we get into it, I’ve read that Sekera has to be out 10 games in order for LTIR to kick in. If that is true, does that mean the Oilers would have to carry his salary for the first 10 games of the year before they could make a notable roster transaction?

How do teams like Detroit and Arizona get away with it every year if that’s the case? Aren’t their players (Hossa/Franzen for example) on LTIR from the get go?

TRADE

The first name that comes to mind is Justin Faulk from Carolina and seeing what they accepted (or were forced to accept depending on who you talk to) for Jeff Skinner has to make you feel optimistic if you’re an Oilers fan but then knowing that Peter Chiarelli is making a pretty big trade will probably bring you back to Earth.

I can’t see PC dealing anything more than draft picks and AHL prospects for Faulk or maybe I should say I’d like to see him use only draft picks and AHL prospects because I could totally see him trading Puljujarvi for Faulk. Which would be a mistake in my opinion. A massive one.

I think that Boston could be another team the Oilers could target for a defenseman. They’ve got EIGHT NHL-ready dmen signed up for 2018/19 and I think they’re looking to move one or two of them.

Torey Krug has been rumored to the Oilers before but I’m going to say that Kevan Miller and Adam McQuaid are the options here. They’re cheaper, a tad older, and of course, Chiarelli has a history with them from his Stanley Cup-winning time in Boston.

Another player I think is available is:

  • Radko Gudas (PHI) – has lost his luster a bit since his last suspension but he’s a gritty two-way right-shot dman who contributes everywhere on the ice. I like him and Philly have some prospects coming up that will need TOI.

PROMOTING FROM WITHIN

This option is a bit more tricky and would require the team to roll with the mistakes that young defenders make. Can the Oilers afford to do that this season?

  • Joel Persson – The Oilers can recall him from his loan and he’s a right-shot puck-moving defender.
  • Evan Bouchard – Highest scoring OHL dman since Ryan Ellis. Has the physical tools to play next year but is he mentally ready? I wouldn’t put him in this spot unless he’s shown he’s 100% ready in all facets of the game.
  • Ethan Bear – In a 3rd pairing role with limited TOI, I think Bear would probably be the best option here. I haven’t heard but I can only assume that he’s been upgrading his boots and will be a better skater this season and if that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind seeing him lace ’em up in Edmonton.
  • William Lagesson – I think he could be closer to the NHL than most people think. He’s very much in the vein of Niklas Hjalmarsson and I, for one, think the Oilers could use a bit more of that on the back-end.

SIGNING A FREE AGENT

This list could go on forever but here are some notable names that other media types and bloggers have thought up.

  • Kevin Bieksa (Bosco)
  • Luca Sbisa (Strudwick)
  • Slava Voynov (Cloutier)

Jim Matheson has pretty much said every defender who doesn’t have a contract…

Of course Cody Franson…

DO NOTHING

This could very well happen if all other options fail to materialize and we shouldn’t put Chiarelli on blast if it does. He’s overpaid for some players and stood pat on others. You wouldn’t want him making a poor trade, would you?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m confident that Chiarelli can find a solution for Andrej Sekera’s absence. At the year-end avail he more or less said he screwed up by not filling the hole left by Sekera’s knee injury last season and I believe he’ll be a bit more proactive in fixing the problem this year.

Now those that think Evan Bouchard has been gifted a spot on the roster this season, you should take a step back and re-think your position. The Oilers were short on wingers last season and had no problems sending Kailer Yamamoto back to the WHL. This is the same route the should take with Bouchard as well.

I would think that Chiarelli won’t be making a trade though. He’ll get Nurse’s contract signed and then look at some PTO/waiver wire options. If nothing comes up, he’ll make an early season trade.

Either way, the Seks hole will be filled but don’t be surprised if last season was the final time we saw Andrej Sekera in an Oilers uniform.

One ticket to Ference Island please!

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