Tag Archives: Anton Slepyshev

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

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers GM62: Oilers @ Kings – 3P2W – Latest Trade Rumors and Rumblings

February 23, 2020 Beer League Hero

The Edmonton Oilers have turned up the heat on this year’s trade deadline since we last chatted here. Last time around we were talking about Tyler Ennis and now some more names have come up, but let’s talk about this game tonight before we get into the rumors.

LA played last night, so they could come out flying and then peter out hard. It’ll be up to the Oilers’ defense to stand strong during the King’s push and for the forwards to take advantage of any opportunities afforded them early on. McLellan’s boys haven’t been scoring much and they got their only goal against the Avs on a penalty shot yesterday, so this could be a prime chance for Holland’s men to really get on LA and keep them down.

Now, Jonathan Quick played last night so I’d assume Cal Petersen will start this one and depending on how cynical you are, you might be happy about getting the backup or you might be a tad wary since the Oilers have made some pretty bad goalies look good in recent history…

I like Edmonton’s chances tonight but with that said, the Kings still have the likes of Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown playing for them and they aren’t the most honest of hockey players in the league. Knock on wood, I hope the Oilers come away from this one without any additions to the IR.

THE RUMORS

First off, I want to let you know that I’ve been posting a few more of the things I hear over at our BLH Instagram page lately. I feel like my website’s server has let us down a bit too much this year so I’ve been releasing some stuff on the IG platform. Please, head over there now and follow our account if you haven’t already!

I talked with my sources last night and finally had a nice long conversation so I can let you in on a bit more this morning.

Jesse Puljujarvi: Not too long ago Edmonton Journal veteran scribe Jim Matheson asked Oilers GM Ken Holland about Pulju and GMKH said that he wasn’t shopping him and nobody was asking. Well, I believe the reason for that is that the Oilers intend on trying to bring him back into the fold. The GM and head coach really want to work with him and on no less than three occasions this year the Oilers have sent representatives to Finland to speak with the young lad. Puljujarvi felt hurt from the last regime (Chiarelli/McLellan/Hitchcock) and that’s one of the main reasons he stayed in Finland this year aside from wanting to get his mojo and love for the game back. I’ve said this to many people who’ve asked, if there’s any person who could convince Jesse to return, it’d be Ken Holland and to add to that, I don’t think JP wants to spend another year in Finland. GMKH did say he wanted to go fishing in those waters in an interview with Bob Stauffer last week, did he not? “Those waters” being Europe. If you’re wondering what kind of impact he could have, look no further than that of Martin Necas’. I believe Puljujarvi could be a 30-40pt winger starting next year.
Anton Slepyshev: Speaking of players lighting it up in Europe. My source said he expects Slepy to be in camp next season. The 25-year-old Russian left because the management and coaching couldn’t get their shit together and now that the KHL will be implementing a salary cap next season there might be a solid exodus of players heading to NA, including Anton. It sounds like he’s fine with a bottom-6 role too.
James Neal: We heard Bob Stauffer and Sportsnet’s Mark Spector talking about Neal possibly going on LTIR to shake loose some cash and to avoid giving that 3rd round pick to Calgary from the Lucic trade last week on Oilers Now. Well, there’s some serious consideration being given to this option.
Tyler Ennis: This one is basically done barring the Sens backing out. Just a few more wrinkles to iron out. What I was told is that Ennis is possibly the player that will go up with McDavid if this deal goes through. Personally, I’m not sure if that’s a good plan or not… Has Ennis ever been a top-6 player? Is an add like this going to be more David Desharnais or Sergei Samsonov?
Mike Green: Hold up on this trade is money/picks. Detroit is willing to retain but this will have to be a hockey deal. Money will have to go out from Edmonton in order to bring this player in. I like this sort of trade for Edmonton though. You can never go wrong with more vets of Green’s caliber.
Andreas Athanasiou: My source said AA has NEVER been a target of the team and Holland hasn’t asked about him. The feeling is Athanasiou wouldn’t fit the Oilers’ team dynamic right now. We’ve heard the term “lone ranger” thrown around with him and I was told he’s a bit too “self-contained”. So I’d say that the Oilers are looking for players who are good in the locker room and easy to coach.
Oilers Heading Out: It sounds like Toronto and Carolina made some inquiries as to the services of Jujhar Khaira and Matt Benning (TOR), as well as, Kris Russell (CAR). The Maple Leafs are shitting the bed right now and might be looking for a shakeup of sorts. Khaira and Benning have been connected to the Leafs for over a year and because Toronto is in a bit of a bind, I think the Oilers are probably asking for Kasperi Kapanen there. I can’t see them getting the Finn but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Caleb Jones has made Russell redundant at this point.

Three Players to Watch for the Kings

#11 Anze Kopitar – According to Dailyfaceoff.com, Kopitar has 8 assists in LA’s last five games. No goals though. He’ll always be a threat whenever he’s on the ice, right? Leon Draisaitl, no doubt, will be seeing a lot of Kopitar this evening as well.
#42 Gabe Vilardi – There was a time when folks thought this kid’s career was in doubt but he’s worked his ass off to come back and make a go of it. : might be this generation’s Jason Allison. Not the fastest or best skater by any means, but he is a helluva playmaker with elite vision.
#29 Martin Frk – Frk and his hardest shot in pro hockey will be something to keep an eye out for. Was once the property of Ken Holland’s Red Wings. He’s been up and down throughout his entire career but LA is horrid right now and since trading Tyler Toffoli, they could use him on the pro team. Edmonton has to be careful not to let him get an open shot because he could actually start hurting guys with a clapper that hard. Lord knows, the Oilers don’t need any more bodies on the IR.

Kings lines
per @lakingsinsider https://t.co/2qGjjPhLKe

Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown
Kempe-Vilardi-Frk
Moore-Lizotte-Wagner
Lewis-Amadio-Schaller

Forbort-Doughty,
Hutton-Roy
MacDermid-Walker.

— LinesLinesLines (@CcCMiddleton) February 23, 2020

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

#73 Ethan Bear – It finally sounds like Ethan Bear is going to be QB-ing the Oilers’ first unit PP… Finally. It was basically his bread and butter in junior and the AHL so I have not idea why it took Coach Tippett so long to come to the conclusion that he should be the one running that unit, not Darnell Nurse.
#89 Sam Gagner – Gags took a bit of shot during the Minnesota game that had him clutching his shoulder/chest. So I’m not sure how healthy he is right now, but the reason I have him as a player to watch is that I feel like the next player in our list here will be playing and Sam will be his linemate.
#97 Connor McDavid – The Oilers didn’t send Colby Cave back to Bakersfield for nothing. I think the Captain is coming back tonight and that will bode well for this team. I mean, I’ve nearly puked watching the team try to gain entry into the other team’s zone during a PP since he was out. It’s so apparent that they need him there but it won’t hurt to have him 5×5 either.

No lines have been posted yet. It’s the day before the trade deadline and as I said above, some players might be sitting out in lieu of a deal. Keep your eyes and ears peeled and that should give you a good idea as to who is possibly heading out. I do expect Mike Smith to be in the net though and for the forwards to basically be the same as they were against Minnesota.

The Next Ten Games (61-70)

vs. Minnesota Wild (28-24-7) – Edmonton is 0-2 against the Wild this year and it’s about time the Oilers beat Bill Guerin’s boys. (WIN) LOSS
@ Los Angeles Kings (22-34-5) – I have to say, the Kings are a dangerous team right now. They have nothing to lose and can spoil a lot of teams’ seasons. The Oilers have won 2/3 this year against their old coach but Connor McDavid might be back in this one. Keep an eye out to see if anybody out of the ordinary is sitting for this one because the next day is the trade deadline. (WIN)
@ Anaheim Ducks (24-29-7) – Last time out the Oilers put up six on Dallas Eakins’ Ducks. I expect Edmonton to equal that this time around and who knows how the roster will look as this is the game that follows the trade deadline. (WIN)
@ Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – The Golden Knights record might hover around Edmonton’s but I feel like this team is a bit better on paper plus this is the second game in a back-to-back. (LOSS)
vs. Winnipeg Jets (32-25-5) – Big Buff sank this team when he decided he wasn’t going to play but the Jets have stuck in the race the whole season pretty much. You have to love the heart! (LOSS)
@ Nashville Predators (29-23-7) – I think the Oilers can sweep the season series with Nashville. The Preds defense isn’t what it used to be and there seems to be a bit of a dark cloud floating over the team at the moment. Pekka Rinne has hit a wall too… (WIN)
@ Dallas Stars (35-19-6) – Edmonton and Dallas have each won one game-a-piece against each other this season so far. This will be the rubber match and I like Dallas here. (LOSS)
@ Chicago Blackhawks (26-26-8) – Going into Chicago to play the Blackhawks is never an easy task and the Oilers have always had a tough time winning in the Windy City. (LOSS)
vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (30-19-3) – Edmonton is 21-8-0 at home vs. Columbus all-time. It’s hard to argue with those numbers, right? On the other hand, John Tortorella has his team right in the running for a playoff spot in the East. This game should be a war of attrition to see who comes away with the two points. (WIN)
vs. Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – I like Edmonton’s chances at home against the Golden Knights. History tells us they have a better chance at beating them in Edmonton than in Vegas. (WIN)

(Standings as of February 21st, 2020)

What does Kassian 3:16 mean to you? Click the pic above and get this design today!

Hey Flames Fans! Neal with it! Click the pic above and grab this beauty!

Hockey players are the toughest athletes on the planet. Click the pic and purchase this shirt right now!

Armchair GM, Around the Oilogosphere, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors, Trades

Around the Oilogosphere – May 3rd Edition – Could the Oilers Draft the Next Jake Guentzal? RNH to the Canes Proposal, See Ya Slepy, and Many NHL Rumors!

May 3, 2018 Beer League Hero

Click the pic above to check out our merch!

It’s always tough to say goodbye to an Oiler who you think could’ve been a great contributor to the club had he been given some more opportunity. I really liked watching Anton Slepyshev progress through the club from his days in the AHL to bottom 6 spot duty to being top 6 in the playoffs in 2017 but it seems as if the Oilers management and coaching staff haven’t seen enough from the Russian skiller to be able to give him what he needs to stay in North America and so he’s off back to his homeland to play with CSKA Moscow.

I hope the Oilers retain his rights somehow because there’s a player there and maybe he just needs a bit more time to refine his game in a different environment. Could he be Evgeni Dadonov 2.0?

THE NEXT JAKE GUENTZAL/KYLE CONNOR

Last week we talked about three of the draft options the online scouting community were projecting for the Oilers at #10 which included Isac Lundestrom and Jesperi Kotkaniemi as well as the player we’re going to talk about below whom I’m ready to throw my support behind 100% as the player the Oilers should take.

I imagine the reason I really like this kid has recency bias playing a major part. I think he looks very similar to Jake Guentzal or Kyle Connor and both of those players are having good-to-great playoffs right now. And Farabee had an outstanding U18s as well.

But I’ll let you judge for yourself.

Joel Farabee
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 6’0, 164 lbs
Born: February 25, 2000 | Cicero, NY
Nation: United States

First off, you can’t go wrong taking a highly touted prospect who’s playing for the USNTDP these days. That program is fast becoming one of the best for developing high-end NHL players like Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy, Matthew Tkachuk, John Gibson, Jacob Trouba, etc. I could go on and on.

Basically, you’re going to get an NHLer if you take a player who is thriving on this team.

Secondly, I like players with some jam to their game. Not taking anything away from the skilled Marners, Ehlers, or Johnny Hockeys. It’s a personal preference. To me, it means there’s a bit more depth to that player apart from offense. Joel Farabee has this in spades.

“The best thing about Joel is that he competes so hard, and he goes to the areas most people don’t want to go to, and he scores tons of goals at the front of the net. He’s talented enough to score nice goals, but he adds so many goals because of his willingness to go to the hard areas, and he’s comfortable in those areas because he’s legitimately tough.” – NTDP Coach Seth Appert (link)

That’s not to say that Farabee is simply all blue-collar with respects to his game. No, he’s also got the skills to play in today’s NHL.

Shot? Check!

“He has a quick release and can snap the puck with pace.” – NHL Central Scouting’s Greg Rajanen (link)

Stickhandling? Check!
Playmaking? Check!

“Farabee has good hands and stick skills allowing him to control the puck while moving at top speed. Defenders must respect his speed, and so they back off him on the rush, creating shooting and passing lanes.” (link)

Skating (Speed/Agility)? Check! Check!

“Joel Farabee is an excellent skater, with the agility and edge work to get by defenders in one-on-one situations. He also has an outstanding first step and lightning quick acceleration” (link)

Hockey IQ? Check!

Farabee has good vision and is an outstanding playmaker off the wing. He anticipates extremely well and seems to be a step ahead of the play. Farabee finds open ice without the puck and makes smart plays with it. (link)

Two-Way Attentiveness? Check

What sets Farabee apart is how effective he is defensively. He uses his smarts to put himself in position to intercept passes and break up plays. Once he gets the puck on his stick, he’s excellent at transition offense. He’s one of the best 200-foot players at the top of the draft. (link)

Compete? Check!

“His fearlessness and work ethic make him a load to handle in the offensive zone.” (link)

“One thing you notice instantly is his work ethic on the ice — Farabee has a nonstop motor and will bust it from start to finish on every shift” (link)

“He excels in all zones, providing his team with a tireless work ethic” (link)

That’s a lot of checks and one would think if he’s that good he’d be no.1, right? And that’s true. What I’d say to that is he’s not at the same level in some of those areas as the forwards listed ahead of him (Svechnikov, Zadina, Tkachuk, Wahlstrom) and vice versa.

What is holding him back from being ranked higher is his physical stature. He’s on the smaller end being 6’0″ and 165lbs at the moment and what that means is that his shot isn’t where Wahlstrom’s or Zadina’s is and his skating isn’t as powerful as Svechnikov’s or his checking isn’t quite as good as Tkachuk’s, but by no means is that an indication of the kind of player he’ll develop into.

A player as smart as Farabee is will find a way around his limitations and turn them into strengths as a professional and if his floor is as a 3rd line special teams specialist, I’m fine with that because his ceiling is that of a top-6 scoring winger.

AN INTERESTING HURRICANES/OILERS TRADE PROPOSAL

I’ll just lay it out here and let you mull it over.

To Carolina: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins + Jesse Puljujarvi OR the #10 pick
To Edmonton: 2nd overall pick this year + Justin Faulk

We all love Nuge, myself included, and we all know Chiarelli and McLellan love him but does the salary cap love him? Could the Oilers use a bit more room under said cap to add a free agent or two?

Look, I know that if RNH plays alongside McDavid for an entire season AND stays healthy, he’ll put up at least 60 pts. He’s probably one of the last players I’d like to see the Oilers trade BUT Andrei Svechnikov will score 20 next season for sure. He’s that good. My good buddy The Oil Knight (Sean) has watched him a bit closer since he’s based in Ontario and he says that Svechnikov plays a very similar power game to that of Evgeni Malkin.

So would the Oilers be better off with Nuge at $6M and 60pts for the next three years or Svechnikov at $3.75M for the next three years with 20 goals or more each year?

Conversely, could McLellan handle another teenager on the roster where English is his 2nd language? (Ridiculous excuse btw)

I think Carolina wants a star centre and as much as I like Jordan Staal, he’s not that guy. Justin Faulk is now Carolina’s Justin Schultz and could use a change of scenery and depending on if they took Pulju or the #10, they could have Aho’s winger for the next 10 or so years.

Thoughts?

OILERS NEWS

Shots fired! Drew Remenda: “Firing the assistant coach to me is ridiculous.”

Edmonton Oilers may have lost Anton Slepyshev to the KHL

Chia Haters vs. Chia Supporters

Sorry state of what Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers rivalry has become

NHL RUMORS

NHL Rumors: Hurricanes, Oilers, Canucks and Maple Leafs

NHL Rumors: Minnesota Wild … Plekanec and Canadiens

NHL Rumors: Canucks Options At Center … John Tavares

NHL Rumors: Dallas Stars and the Philadelphia Flyers

CHECK UPSTAIRS w/ Color! Click the pic to see this design and more!

Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Oilers’ Anton Slepyshev to Return to Russia? @beerleagueheroe

March 3, 2018 Beer League Hero

Are the Oilers going to lose Anton Slepyshev this summer?

According to an article published over at Championat.com, winger Anton Slepyshev is being courted by his old KHL team, Salavat Yulaev UFA, to return to the KHL next season.

Translated version below:

As it became known to the “Championship”, “Salavat Yulaev” is actively working on the return of striker Anton Slepyshev. Several sources confirmed this information at once.

The 23-year-old forward was chosen by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL Draft of 2013 in the third round under the overall 88th number and performs in North America from the 2015/16 season. This season, he played 34 matches in the NHL and scored 10 (5 + 5) points with a score of “-3”. In the last games Slepyshev came out in the first link with Connor McDavid.

In total in the NHL on his account 21 (9 + 12) points in 86 games with a score of “-3”. In the AHL for three seasons Slepyshev played 59 games and scored 31 (16 + 15) points for performance.

Rights for Slepyshev in the KHL are assigned to “Salavat Yulaev”, for which he performed from 2013 to 2015. In the KHL, the striker played 159 games, scored 29 goals and made 20 assists with a “-4” utility score.

In addition, Anton twice participated in the junior world championships, and also played at two youth world championships. As part of the Russian national team, he won bronze YuCHM-2011 and two bronze MCHM (2013, 2014).

I haven’t found anything on Twitter about it yet to corroborate this but I’m willing to bet that later today some “news” will come out.

Anton Slepyshev played for Salavat Yulaev from 2012/13 to 2014/15 amassing 22 goals and 17 assists in 95 games.

Slepyshev is a restricted free agent this summer and the Oilers would be in the wrong to let him go back to the KHL if he can be signed for similar money. I’m not 100% sure how much he has to be qualified at but let’s be real here, Salavat could offer him much more than Edmonton could or is probably willing to right now.

I hate the idea of Slepy moving on, he’s just now recovered from injury and I definitely see a shooting winger with size and speed there. That said, I don’t think he’s got the trust of the coach but this is the kind of player the Oilers need to be adding.

Maybe the coach should start to break from the norm a bit and give more ice time to players like Slepyshev and Puljujarvi in the top 6. Just an idea because there’s no need to lose this player to the KHL if it can be prevented merely through TOI.

On the other hand, ten points in 34 games this year isn’t much to shake a stick at.

I’d still like to see one more full season of Anton on the wing of a good centre. Then if he doesn’t move the needle, give him his release to the KHL to play alongside some ex-Oilers who play for Salavat.

Ben Scrivens
Linus Omark
Teemu Hartikainen
Philip Larsen
Vladdy Tkachev

A better idea yet, work out a deal for Slepyshev to go to Salavat and for Vladdy hockey to come back to Edmonton.

We’ll probably hear a lot of “lost through translation” comments by the media if this picks up steam. But I think we’re smarter than that. This is a play by Slepyshev’s agent to try and put pressure on the Oilers to sign his client.

Also, quotes like the one below from the Edmonton Sun (2/22/2018) tell me the relationship between player and team is fragile at best.

“My agent was trying to make some trades,” said Slepyshev, who wanted a change of scenery. “I didn’t play like for one month. We were losing and I was being scratched and, of course, I was disappointed. I thought it might be better to try someplace else.” (source)

His agent was trying to make some trades? Haven’t heard that one before.

What are your thoughts? Please comment below!

Click the image above and get your shirt today!

Click the image above and pick up this sweet t-shirt!

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

Oilers Trade Targets: A Goalie, A Defenseman, and a Winger

February 16, 2018 Beer League Hero 3 Comments

https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/964284963569909761

First things first, Dreger didn’t get all of that from Chiarelli. Either someone within the Oilers organization above Chiarelli leaked it, Dreger is making it up, or one of the other GMs is trying to throw a wrench into Trader Pete’s deadline/summer plans.

Secondly, why would the Oilers want a winger who can skate WITH Connor? It’s not like you see tandems breaking out of the d-zone into the neutral zone and then into the other team’s end together.

I feel the type of player the Oilers are looking for is a trigger man, not a speedster because if that was the case, why wouldn’t they have gone out and traded for Carl Hagelin when he was struggling like mad earlier in the year? Why wouldn’t they have picked up Nikita Soshnikov before TO traded him to the Blues.

They need a guy who knows where to go on the ice while Connor has the puck in order to get himself open for a one-timer.

If not this kind of winger then a winger who is quick. Personally, I don’t think they need to go out and get one. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is right there and alternatively, Anton Slepyshev is here too and if he didn’t feel slighted by how he’s been treated by the Oilers this year, he might be a cheap re-signing too.

But if we’re going outside the organization, I feel like Mike Hoffman is the perfect winger for the Oilers here. TSN’s Travis Yost feels like Swapping RNH for Hoffman would be beneficial for both teams.

I could see it but I always thought you never trade a centre for a winger…

But what if the Oilers send Kris Russell w/salary retained (remember contrary to what Capfriendly says, the first two years of his deal lack any clauses, only the final two seasons or at least that’s what I’m lead to believe from the MSM reporting on his contract and Spotrac’s website) and say Jesse Puljujarvi to Ottawa for Hoffman.

The Sens are looking to rebuild, the Oilers are looking to upgrade whilst opening cap space and even if I am wrong about Russell’s first two years having no clauses, a simple request is all it takes. If Ottawa truly wants to tear it down, would having Russell on defense help or hinder that goal?

Don’t get me wrong here, I do NOT want Jesse Puljujarvi traded. I love that kid more than Oilersnation loves anti-Chiarelli rallies. I’m just thinking out loud here and trying to work around trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Oscar Klefbom to Ottawa. I do feel like, despite Pulju’s young age, he shouldn’t be fading as the season goes on but this is his first real pro season. Plus I’m thinking the coaches are higher on Yamamoto than Pulju.

Again, I’m not advocating for the trading of Puljujarvi. Having him and Yamamoto on the RW for the next 5 years would please me to no end but how else do you satisfy Ottawa’s needs w/o moving RNH, Klefbom, or this year’s 1st rounder.

Another name on my list is David Perron. Not the fastest but draws penalties, is irritating as well and had his best pro season as an Edmonton Oiler in his previous stint with the club.

Thirdly, the defenseman that Oilers are looking for will have to have some puck skills. I think they one they’ve got the best shot at is Rasmus Dahlin at the moment. Not even joking.

But if we were to look at the pro roster, the Oilers have to send someone out before bringing in another because the D corps. is simply too crowded and I’d prefer to see them bring back Davidson and Auvitu too.

At the moment the D looks like this:

Klefbom/Larsson
Nurse/Benning
Russell/Sekera
Davidson, Auvitu, Lowe

Which defender might that be? I mentioned Kris Russell before but the word I’m getting is that it’s Oscar Klefbom. Management/Coaching aren’t happy with his progression or lack thereof, this year. They’re pissed that he can’t stay healthy. So, they’re listening to offers on him which is a far cry from offering him out. Let’s make that distinction clear right now.

I’d love for the Oilers to bring in Mike Green because I value his veteran experience as well as his RH’d shot, and his offensive eye for the game.

A player few might consider is Chris Wideman out of Ottawa. He’s a UFA this summer, he’s 28 years old and he’s also RH’d. Not a big guy but he can skate well and move the puck well. Before going down with an injury this year he had 8pts in 16 games. So he was definitely on pace (#OnPace) for a career year. He’s making 800k this year.

Tyson Barrie will be the name on the market connected to the Oilers from now until he’s moved and his cost is pretty high. Meaning RNH is probably the ask and I really want to avoid breaking up the 3-headed menace down the middle for Edmonton.

So how would you feel if the D looked like this:

Nurse/Larsson
Sekera/Barrie
Russell/Davidson
Auvitu or Wideman (I’d prefer both)

That means Benning and Klefbom would be moved on.

Fourthly, we’re looking for a goalie to compete with Talbot aka we’re afraid that Talbot might shit the bed again next year and we want to go with a 1A and 1B in the nets.

David Staples and Bruce McCurdy have brought up a good point in that perhaps the Oilers WILL need another goalie in addition to Talbot and Montoya and that Montoya should go to the minors in case of emergency next season.

The problem I have with that is, do you simply let the goalies you’ve paid to develop all these years walk away? Not that I think that Brossoit and Ellis are ready but the question still remains.

Here are a handful of UFA goalies who are putting up acceptable numbers this season:

Carter Hutton – STL – (15-5-3, 1.81 GAA, .940%) – Does STL move him or Allen?
Jonathan Bernier – COL – (17-10-2, 2.74 GAA, 916%) – $2.75M per… Pricey!
Aaron Dell – SJ – (14-4-2, 2.51 GAA, 917%) – The New Cam Talbot?
Antti Raanta – ARI – (11-14-0, 2.53 GAA, 920%) – Maybe should’ve acquired him last year…
Anton Khudobin – BOS – (12-3-1, 2.32 GAA, 925%) – Chiarelli would be familiar with the little Russian.
Michael Hutchinson – WPG – (1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, 958%) – Rumors earlier in the year had connected the Oilers and Hutchinson.

I fancy either Carter Hutton or Anton Khudobin for the 1B position because they’re a bit older and I value experience. But would Antti Raanta be the guy who’d push Talbot a bit more for that no.1 spot? Hutchinson is a beauty too though.

Tough call! Hutchinson and Khudobin have history with Chiarelli though, so there’s that.

A couple of wild cards might be Curtis McElhinney (TOR) and Kari Lehtonen (DAL) if you’re like me and prefer experienced goalies. These two tenders’ contracts expire after next season. The Leafs have Garrett Sparks and Calvin Pickard on their AHL team right now and I’d like to think that one of them will be the back-up next season. I don’t see Lehtonen getting paid $5M per season ever again nor do I see him being a starting goalie again.

Is it even possible for the Oilers to start the 2018/19 season with the following roster?

Hoffman/McDavid/Slepyshev
Lucic/Draisaitl/Yamamoto
Caggiula/Khaira/Strome
Pakarinen/Beagle/Kassian

Nurse/Larsson
Klefbom/Barrie
Sekera/Wideman
Davidson

Talbot
Raanta

It seems like we’ve just moved the chairs around on the deck a bit, no?

I’ll leave you with one last thought here. Look at that lineup above, now add one of Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Zadina, Brady Tkachuk, or Adam Boqvist.

How does it look now?

Let us know in the comments below! But first buy a shirt for a loved one because there’s a sale going on at the Beer League Heroes Teepublic shop!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors, Trades

MAJOR Changes Ahead for the Oilers?

January 25, 2018 Beer League Hero 2 Comments

I received a message from one of my sources a couple days ago telling me that the Oilers will be going with a different head coach and GM in 2018/19. Whatever power struggle is going on between McLellan and Chiarelli has come to a head and Nicholson/Gretzky have had enough.

So those of you that have criticized the Oilers in the past for not doing an “exhaustive search” can rest easy because they’ve been talking to potential candidates for over a month now.

Now you can take that info to the bank or you can laugh it off. No skin off my back. I just share what I’ve been passed along BUT keep in mind anything can happen between now and this summer including the Oilers going on a ridiculous run that would save the jobs of everyone involved.

First off, I’m not part of the fanbase who believe the Oilers should let either the coach or the GM go but I do think it’s inevitable that one of them is axed this summer.

If I had to pick a reason though for each of Chiarelli and McLellan to be let go, they’d be the following:

Chiarelli – His inability to make changes to the coaching staff this season has been staggering. I know he’s loyal to his head coaches but the special teams this season has murdered the Oilers in the standings. You can argue all you want about leaving the team shorthanded but the Oilers have beat really good teams this year with this roster.
McLellan: We come back to special teams. They’ve been atrocious. His selective stubbornness with roster selections and line combos baffles me to this day. If the reports of his staff not changing anything up at the practices are true, then he’s lost the plot and doesn’t have the creativity to work with this group.

That rant eh? WOW! Well done Lowetide! Make sure you subscribe to our channel folks! There’s lots of good content from prospect vids to oilers compilations to radio hits like the one above.

With that said, who do you think would make a good coach for the Oilers and likewise, who’d be a hire at the GM’s position that you’d support. Here are a few candidates I thought of:

Head Coach: Dave Tippet, Darryl Sutter, Joel Quenneville, Ken Hitchcock, Derek Laxdal, Rocky Thompson, Sheldon Keefe, and Todd Nelson.

Tippet did wonders with not very much in Arizona for many years. Sutter turned the Kings into Cup contenders AND winners but is his style of hockey conducive to winning in today’s NHL? I don’t think you can argue with the credentials that multiple Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville would bring to the table IF Chicago decides to move in a different direction next season.

OR should the Oilers go shopping in the AHL? Laxdal (Former Edmonton Oil Kings head coach who won 2 WHL championships with the Oilers current director of player personnel, Bob Greene) and Keefe’s teams are at the top of their divisions in the AHL. Rocky Thompson seems like the new Dallas Eakins, and Todd Nelson had a marginally successful experience when he worked in the Oilers’ organization previously.

Would hiring a Laxdal, Thompson, or Nelson be too nepotistic though?

Or maybe Paul Coffey is the guy coming into run the show? That’s what Glenn Healy said recently…

GM: Julien Brisbois, Paul Fenton, Dean Lombardi, Bill Guerin, Ken Holland, Keith Gretzky

Brisbois is surely being courted by the Montreal Canadiens and Fenton will be GM-ing with one of the teams who haven’t offered their current GM a new deal for next season. Please forgive me but I can’t seem to find the current GMs that are going into next season without a contract though. I want to say Vancouver and Detroit are two of them.

I’ve tossed Dean Lombardi’s name out there on Twitter but it seems a lot of people would be against that because of the loyalty-contracts he handed out to guys like Mike Richards and Marian Gaborik. He’s a champ though but would the Oilers just be following the same recipe used to hire the current regime if they hired Lombardi and Sutter?

Another name that has been tossed out is Bill Guerin but he’s a former Oiler… So maybe cross his name off of the list despite him running the show for Pittsburgh’s farm team which is currently in 2nd place in its division and Guerin actually being considered for the GM’s position in Buffalo. He’s actually got a very well known reputation for being an extremely hard worker and for having an outstanding eye for talent. But he’s an old Oiler, so no thanks, right?

Then there’s Ken Holland. He hasn’t had much to write home about in recent years but he IS the guy that built those great Detroit Red Wings teams in the late 90s and well into the 2000s. Lots of experience and connections with Holland. He DID train Steve Yzerman afterall…

It’s such a hard decision, right?

I’m not sure if the next coach should be one that coddles the players though. I wouldn’t mind one that placed an emphasis on defense either. I reckon Ken Hitchcock could walk in and turn these boys around in record time though.

As for GM, I like either Ken Holland or Bill Guerin. I believe a Holland/Hitchcock duo would work well together given their history with Hockey Canada. OR perhaps a Guerin/Quenneville duo?

What are your thoughts?

OH! By the way, the Beer League Heroes Teepublic Shop is having a HUGE SALE right now! So head on over for some $14 t-shirts!