Tag Archives: Bob Stauffer

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Leaving and Dylan Holloway Coming In?

Is there a team out there that values Ryan Nugent-Hopkins more than the Edmonton Oilers might? Perhaps a club that sees Nuge as a first-line center and not a complementary winger? According to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, there is!

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On his radio show yesterday morning, after questioning guest David Staples (Cult of Hockey) on whether or not he thought there were any teams that saw the former 1st-overall pick as a first-line center, he said this about RNH,

“I’ll give you one (team), right now. They’ve got a couple of really good young centers but they’re not there yet and that’s (Ryan) Suzuki and (Jesperi) Kotkaniemi. And then they’ve got (Phillip) Danault, who’s basically an excellent third-line center I’m not sure they want to pay in Montreal. So I would suggest the Canadiens might see Nugent-Hopkins as a first-line center.”

Stauffer was trying to make the point that there are few hockey execs that see Nuge as a 1C and the majority see him as an “elite complementary winger” who is fantastic on the PP that is NOT a driver 5×5 as a centreman.

He added,

“The reality is, as a 5×5 player, you know what the numbers are over the course of his career as a centre.”

I think we can all deduce from Bob’s words that number ninety-three probably isn’t as good at 5×5 play as someone who was drafted as high as he was should be.

Staples’ point was that he believes there could be one GM out there who’s in a tough spot that will convince himself that Nugent-Hopkins IS a first-line pivot and he will be able to produce at the same rate he does on Connor McDavid’s or Leon Draisaitl’s wing.

“He could easily get, if he plays with Draisaitl and Yamamoto, I think he’s a good bet for a point-per-game this year in the NHL and as a free-agent, you get paid for points.”

To be clear, Staples thinks that going overboard and paying RNH $8Mx8 is a mistake and that he’s more deserving of a deal akin to those of Chris Kreider and Brendan Gallagher, who sign pre-COVID (Kreider) and post (Gallagher) for around $6.5Mx6 if I’m not mistaken.

My feeling is that I could definitely see the long-time Edmonton Oiler move on to cash in on his next contract. Why not? Money is tight at the moment and if he’s to be one of the top draws free-agent-wise in 2021, there’s nothing wrong with listening. He doesn’t have to sign elsewhere, right? He can do what Steven Stamkos did and entertain the best offers in the league and eventually re-sign with his original team even if the money IS better elsewhere.

The wildcard team in all of that speculation is the Seattle Kraken. Could you imagine if the Oilers lost both Tyson Barrie and Nugent-Hopkins to Seattle next summer?

I will say this too though, what if Edmonton’s plan is to bring back Hall because he’ll sign a $6Mx6yr deal? Would that push RNH out? Conversely, would it convince him to stay?

It’ll be an interesting little show to watch over the course of the season, no doubt.

Staples and Stauffer also chimed in on Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway and they both agreed that the former AJHL star will leave Wisconsin early and join the Oilers sooner than later.

“He could be ready, because of his game, he can be an energy player. He gets in there fast and hard on the forecheck and he hits people. He could be an Edmonton Oiler as early as next year.“

To which Stauffer excitedly replied,

“Oh! I might take it one step further than that. I wonder, whether or not, what might end up occuring here, David. He plays for Team Canada at the World Juniors, finishes the year up at Wisconsin, that would be his second full year in the NCAA. Who knows? Sometimes guys come out after two years…”

It’s easy to forget that Holloway has already played a season of college hockey as it wasn’t all that memorable for the player. But you have to wonder, with all of the depth on the Oilers’ wings, where would they have him go?

In an ideal scenario, he’d leave his college team, and join the Oilers because there’d be room for him to play there or if there wasn’t, they could send him to the AHL to play for Jay Woodcroft and the Bakersfield Condors. However, the American Hockey League is slated to get started on Feb.5th, but there’s no guarantee that will even happen with how badly COVID is blazing through the US. I haven’t even checked, but can they even have indoor events in Bakersfield right now?

So the club would really have to ask themselves what would be better for the development of the player? Staying at Wisconsin and getting stronger and more rounded-out or leaving?

One thing I didn’t consider is an overseas loan. With all the connections Holland has and has made this calendar year, would that be an option? Maybe send him to Sweden to finish out the year.

What do you think about Nugent-Hopkins’ future in Edmonton? Is he outtie 5000 or will he re-sign? And then with Dylan Holloway, do you think he should leave Wisconsin and start his pro career early?

Let us know in the comments below!

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

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: Spector and Stauffer on Philip Broberg Plus More!

Yesterday, the best player in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl, was named as one of the three Hart Trophy finalists along with the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. Great news but expected news nonetheless.

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Now we can expect to hear the analytics community really ramp things up in support of Artemi Panarin as this year’s winner. The basis of their argument to really simplify it is that the best player in the NHL should not only be great offensively but defensively as well and to that, I ask that community, how many minutes did Panarin play on the penalty kill this year? Because that is really a defining factor in determining who is simply a one-way player and who is considered a two-way one.

Here’s the answer,

5:03 (source)

How many did Leon Draisaitl play? 69:04…

Geez, it doesn’t look like Artemi’s coach trusted him enough on the defensive side of the game to put him in the most defensively challenging scenarios. Well, maybe it was because he was bloody trash on the PK as indicated by his -7.92 GA/60 (rel) and -8 xGA/60 (rel) during that time…

Sure, Leon might be a minus player at all strengths but if I recall correctly, isn’t he +5 at 5×5? My math could be off mind you.

Look, here’s the deal. Since 2005 only three players have won the Hart without having

  • A 10+ difference in goals
  • A 10+ difference in assists
  • A 10+ difference in total points

between the leader and the player in second place in these categories.

Those three players were Taylor Hall (2018), Corey Perry (2011), and Sidney Crosby (2007)

So Leon has a 15 point lead on Panarin and a 17 point lead on MacKinnon, a 16 goal lead on Panarin and a 13 goal lead on MacKinnon, and only a 4 assist lead on Panarin and a 9 assist lead on MacKinnon.

**Mini Rant Alert**

But some are happy to simply say Draisaitl’s a -7 and throw the rest of the context out. I mean, for Pete’s sake, Panarin needed a GD pandemic to take place for the Rangers to even be in a potential playoff spot and for him to be considered for the trophy. It’s not like Shesterkin didn’t come in and save their butts from being a lottery team… Similar to when the Devils’ backup goalie, Keith Kincaid I think his name is, did his best Marty Brodeur impression and got NJ into the playoffs (barely) and Hall winning the Hart as a result even though McDavid had ten more points than him.

Then there are guys like Bruins beat writer Joe Haggerty, who know +/- is a BS stat to use in this argument, but still use it! It’s dumb and everybody knows it unless they need to use it to support their side of an already failed argument…

If Leon doesn’t win it and Panarin does, it won’t be because the German had a dash seven on his stat line… Now, if MacKinnon wins it, I won’t be too hard done by there.

**Fin**

Spector and Stauffer on Broberg

Yesterday morning Sportsnet’s Mark Spector and host of Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer, went over how good Philip Broberg has looked at camp and why Spector penned an article detailing how he thought Broberg has passed Evan Bouchard on the Oilers depth chart.

If you want to listen to it, I’ll put up the audio at the very bottom of the page.

MS: a  lot of fans who are fans of Evan Bouchard thought it was crazy to say that Broberg, after a week of camp, has passed him (Bouchard) by on the Oilers depth chart. I guess we should define depth chart, are we talking about going into these playoffs? Are we talking about the big list behind Ken Holland’s desk in his office? But I’ll tell you one thing, right now, at this camp, for these playoffs, Philip Broberg is closer to playing in an NHL game, in my opinion than is Evan Bouchard.

Evan Bouchard skated this morning and they put him in the ‘B’ group with Tyler Benson and Marody and Broberg is getting time on the ice with Klefbom. I’m not saying he’s taking Larsson’s job, that’s not what I’m saying, but he is in a position to be a player here in these playoffs. He’s still no. 8, let’s say the 8th guy but in my opinion, he’s passed Bouchard and he’s passed Lagesson.

BS: And you know his teammates know it. They’re watching what’s going on because what’s the old saying Spec? Who are always the first to know?

MS: The players know, right? When they were all hootin’ and hollerin’ the other day when he made that play, they were watching and they know. The players know, they know, and you can’t fool the players. They’re very impressed with what this kid’s doing.

BS: Mark, this might sound stupid to some of the listeners but some defensemen aren’t actually that fast in terms of when they skate forward. They’re so good skating backward and they’ve got great lateral movement and that sort of thing but they’re not always super explosive at skating forward. This guy EXPLODES on you and it’s the ranginess.

I think Scott Wheeler from the Athletic compared Broberg to John Klingberg, I don’t see that because Klingberg is really an elite offensive defenseman that can really walk the line. When I think of Broberg I think more of an upgraded Noah Hanifin. Like Hanifin can really skate too but hasn’t reached the offensive potential some people thought when he was a top-5 pick. Maybe there’s a chance that could happen with Broberg?

MS: That’s what we don’t know. Young players never ascend in a straight line, right Bob? It’s a bit of a mountainous graph as a player gets better, takes a step back, gets better. So what do we know about Broberg? Well, we saw him at the Hlinka two years ago, his stride stood right out. I mean of all the guys at that tournament, there’s one guy I left that tournament thinking, “Whoa man! Who’s number four for Sweden? Can number four ever skate?!” and you watch him out here and he just has a superior superior stride. He’s an NHL skater right now.

So for a defenseman, defensemen that can skate are defensemen that are going to play a long time and this kid can really skate. Where will the offense go, Bob? Well, we saw him blitz around Russell on that rush you talked about, uh, how’s his shot going to be? I haven’t really had a chance to see him unload much. We know Bouchard has an excellent shot from the right point. We’ll see all that stuff, the kid’s 19! You think of Leon Draisaitl when he was 19 and how he looks today. So I don’t know where he’s going to go, I just know that what I see so far has NHL defenseman written all over it.

BS: Well, it’s impacted how key people think based on the quotes. I mean we ran Dave Tippett’s stuff and he’s like, “We could play him at left defense, we could play him at right defense, we could put him at left-wing, we could put him at right-wing, we could put him at center.” it’s like just the way he was talking, that’s the head coach talking and he’s a guy that’s not overly effusive in his praise at times for young players, right? But that’s how good Broberg has been.

He’s a transporter and Bouchard is a transitioner and ya know what? There’s room for both long-term in the top-four and if these guys both, I’m not even saying these guys are going to be top-two, I’m just saying if you have four legitimate top-four defensemen, you can live with that. And the Oilers have got Ethan Bear, who’s looked very good, Mark. They got Klefbom and they’ve got Nurse. Those guys are still signed long-term. So you add these two guys into the mix, not including Larsson because they’re going to have to re-up him here after another year, but they’ve got the makings of a pretty good defense, Mark.

BLH’s Comments: A player is ready when a player is ready. Ask any person in professional hockey. he could be 18-years-old or he could be 27. In a league where skating is of the utmost importance, Broberg already shines. My concern is that if he’s going to be screaming down the wing and cutting to the middle, how long until he gets his bell rung or something else happens to him?

By 2020/21, the Oilers defense could look like this,

Klefbom/Larsson
Nurse/Bear
Broberg/Bouchard
Jones

Puck Racism

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2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: Insiders Split On When Hockey Will Return

I’ll tell ya what, this is an awesome challenge being presented to sportswriters and bloggers everywhere. On a normal day, one has something to write about be that the game msot recently played or some roster speculation, perhaps something on prospect development, or even the upcoming draft. But when there’s no hockey being played, things get quite difficult I’ve found.

I mean look at the Athletic, for example, Oilers writer Jonathan Willis has gone back to ragging on Peter Chiarelli for his latest article and this guy is one of the more talented writers out there. He simply grabbed an interview between Chiarelli and Bruce Garrioch out of Ottawa and gave his two cents on the former Oilers GM’s comments…

Luckily for me, the boys on the radio haven’t let me down.

Yesterday on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer interviewed both John Shannon and Mark Spector (Sportsnet) and he posed the same question to both,

“What percentage possibility would we have that we would have a Stanley Cup playoffs and a Stanley Cup Champion?” 

Spec said his gut tells him there’s a lot closer to a 25% chance that this happens. He basically said that hockey is at the behest of the governments of Canada and the US and when they decide that it’s safe to congregate in groups of more than 50 people (for example), then we might see some hockey.

“I don’t like the chances, Bob. I hope I’m wrong.”

Stauffer added this,

“Mark, if we get shut down for six more weeks here and they can hit the ice (around) basically May 1st and then we’re up and running for the playoffs May 15th. That’s the only way it’s feasible and a lot of things would have to go right for that to occur here.”

Mark Spector briefly noted that hockey would suffer if it were played in August. He thought the interest would be minimal if they were playing hockey in the summer.

Really? He reckons that there isn’t going to be any interest after the game was ripped out of our hands on the brink of the post-season? You have to be kidding me… Hockey fans are nuts. They’ll watch it on the moon if they have to. In addition to that, I don’t hear anybody complaining about the u-18s going in during August or the World Cups in September…

Shannon said he thinks there’s a 75% chance.

“First of all, let’s put this in practical terms. We all believe that the next 14-15 days are the most important of COVID-19 and the spread and containment of it. if everyone does their part then in 15 days from now we’ll get a better indication and that to me is a lamen and I do believe that the people in professional sports have had a much greater dialogue and understanding of what’s going on with the virus and in reading and in talking to a few people, they’ve said that the optimal opportunity is within 45 days of the 60-day CDC ban or suggested deployment of “nothing going on” that they could be in camp. And so I truly believe within our 15-day window and then another month we’ll have a great indication that the teams can go back to practice. 

Now, do I know that the virus is going to be contained? Absolutely not, but I do believe that it will pass and I believe that what we’ve witnessed what’s going on in China recently where there’s a decline in the virus, that we’re going to be in much better shape because we’ve admitted there’s an issue right from the beginning unlike some other countries.”

I like John Shannon, but North America wasn’t one of the parts of the world that hopped on this from the beginning. I was under the impression that Canada and the USA took action quite late and are now “paying the price” if you will.

Bob said he’s 50/50 on the NHL playoffs returning and Stanley Cup being rewarded.

Now, Am I missing something here? Is somebody going to magically make this virus disappear by the end of the week? I don’t think people back home get the severity of how contagious it is and if you saw the pictures posted from a Florida beach over the weekend, I don’t think the public has an idea either.

From last night to this morning, the global confirmed cases of infection went up 30,000 people approximately and we’re not even getting started yet. How in the world does anybody think that there’s even a snowball’s chance in hell that ANYTHING gets going before July?

From what I’ve read, a couple of things have to happen in order to really get a handle on this thing. Herd immunity where there are more infected than not. In order for that to happen, the numbers would have to spike at an unbelievable rate and that would put already stressed-out health care systems at high risk for failure, or a flattening of the curve where the health authorities manage to simply slow down the infection rate to the point to where it’s manageable.

I’ve seen online that the vaccines are on the way but it’s still going to be some time before they can be produced at the level required to stunt this virus globally.

The big thing standing in the way is the lack of testing that’s taking place in some countries and once that challenge is solved, the numbers will climb even more.

I kind of thought that for normal life to resume, the risk of catching this “bug” needs to be zero to none.

If we’re being honest here, I’m preparing for the season to be scrapped. I’m just waiting for an actual confirmation or else I’d just go directly into my off-season blogging content but I can’t do that because I’d feel like an ass if I started posting those articles and then the season actually came back.

I hope that John Shannon’s optimism pays off and everybody is back to normal in two weeks, I really do. I just have a hard time coming to grips with that reality right now and I feel that until it hits North America at full power, the public there has no idea and won’t until it’s too late. I even think that Mark Spector’s 25% is too high.

What do you think? What percentage do you give it that hockey will be back, the playoffs will be played, and the Stanley Cup will be rewarded? Let us know in the comments!

If you’ve got a free moment, please head over to our Instagram account and give us a follow! We’re posting over there daily and we believe that the content is a nice escape from reality.

On the bright side, the break has allowed me to watch some old games on YouTube.

So far I’ve watched game 2 of the 1986 Smythe Division finals between Calgary and Edmonton and I’m just getting into game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Final. The one thing that I’ve taken from both games is that there’s no doubt in my mind that Paul Coffey is the best skater of all-time. He’s completely unmatched. Connor is a close second, but he doesn’t have the grace that Coffey had.

Have you been watching any old games? If so, which ones? Do you have any suggestions?

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Pageau, Strome, Broberg, and Edmonton’s Summer Plans

Edmonton Oilers insider and play-by-play colorman Bob Stauffer has had some really interesting things to say this week regarding his feelings on some of Edmonton’s future plans. I’m going to show you some of his comments over the week that has passed so far where he’s touched on the Oilers 2020 trade deadline plans, who he thinks the Oilers will target at the 2020 NHL draft, and some very fascinating news on some of Edmonton’s prized prospects.

Two things before we get into all of that though. I recently wrote that I thought the Oilers should forget about adding a significant piece to their top-6 and focus on improving their bottom-6. Most notably their third-line center. Well, to my surprise, TSN’s Frank Seravalli has pointed out that Ryan Strome could be someone who might be available over the next month according to long-time New York Rangers beat writer Larry Brooks.

Listen, if Ryan Strome is available it really is incumbent on Oilers GM Ken Holland to see what he can do about re-acquiring him. He’s the perfect 3rd line center who probably won’t cost the team an arm and a leg, unlike JG Pageau.

A better scenario would be Holland bringing both in, but that would most definitely cost the Oilers dear and it doesn’t sound like something that would fall under Holland’s plan for the Oilers since he was hired.

The other thing, Elliotte Friedman reported in his 31 Thoughts post that the Oilers are working on extensions for a trio of players. Riley Sheahan, Josh Archibald, and Joakim Nygard. Man, Edmonton’s GM works his ass off, eh? In addition to those three players, he’s been trying to nail down a deal for Zack Kassian and has had preliminary talks with Darnell Nurse’s camp too. Toss in the trade negotiations he’s been going through… Respect.

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Now, speaking of JG Pageau, the aforementioned Bob Stauffer recently had this to say about the Sens star pivot,

Now, I did hear over the weekend, ’cause I was of the belief that Pageau there was a high likelihood that he would re-sign in Ottawa. I was told “Not so fast there Stauffer. There’s been a little bit of fatigue that has taken place in that relationship.” 

That changes things a bit, doesn’t it? Pageau has been on Edmonton’s radar basically all year and it wouldn’t surprise me if they did find a way to acquire him. This situation reminds of the draft when about a week (I think) before the draft it came out that the Oilers were going to take Philip Broberg. Nobody believed they’d let everyone know who they were picking, but that’s exactly what they did.

As for Pageau’s price, Stauffer said this,

I’d heard that Pierre Dorion (Sens GM) was looking for a guy back with term. Like a guy like Nugent-Hopkins. Seriously. Which I would not do. I would not do that trade. OR a first round pick. Now if we’re talking Puljujarvi and a second-round pick, I might consider doing that, but Ottawa would have to take a swing on Puljujarvi.

I know what the immediate reaction to the RNH comment is and I can’t blame you. That said, what if the Oilers could pick up both Pageau and Strome with contract extensions that didn’t eclipse the $8M per year total?

I agree that the first-rounder shouldn’t be in play for Pageau if it wasn’t in play for Taylor Hall. The second-rounder and Pulju is an intriguing proposition though but I think you have to pass on that too. Could the Oilers pick up a player better suited for their team’s development plan for that package?

A lot of debate this season has been which defenseman might be on the move and from the beginning of the year, two names have dominated that discussion, Adam Larsson and Kris Russell. Mr. Stauffer commented on both of those players this past Monday during the call-in portion of his show.

People say, would you trade Larsson, as an example right now, for Kasperi Kapanen? I wouldn’t do that deal during the season. I may evaluate something in the offseason and in terms of Kris Russell, he’s a $4M cap hit. I think there’d be some limitation on the takers around the league on that. I do think Larsson would have some currency for teams looking for defensive shut down D, but the Oilers need him right now. – January 20th on Oilers Now

The next day Stauffer and Sportsnet’s Mark Spector also spoke about the pair of defenders,

They need Larsson right now, do you now agree on that? Well, let’s see what happens in the offseason… Here’s the thing, there’s teams in the league that like Larsson, no disprespect to Kris Russell, he’s got a year left at $4M; that’s a tough contract to move.

Adam Larsson? You can move that contract. There’s teams that would do a deal. I mean, I think Toronto would probably consider doing a deal sooner rather than later, I just don’t think the Oilers can afford to at this time. Edmonton’s built a bit of depth there. Benning, we’ve got to see where he’s at as well in terms of his return to the lineup cause I think he’s a useful player. Some might say he makes too much at $2M. – January 21st on Oilers Now

I don’t know what it sounds like to you, but to me, it sounds like Bob is of the belief that the Oilers will be moving on from Adam Larsson or at the very least, IF they wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to do so.

Personally, I wouldn’t move him. I get the urgency to transform the defense into more of a mobile puck-moving unit, but the Oilers do not have another right-shot defender that can do what Larsson does at his current ability coming. Plus I reckon Ken Holland likes his physical shutdown defenders that come from Sweden. We have to consider what a great contract Larsson is on too. Two more years at $4.166M for a top-pairing 20+ minute per night defender is damned good in today’s NHL.

As for Russell, Edmonton might have to include a prospect with him in order to facilitate a trade. That said, there are teams like Colorado ($17M), the Islanders ($14M), and the Jets ($10M) who have a ton of cap room who would value a gutsy player like Russell for a playoff run. Would those teams be on his 10-team trade list though?

OILERS PROSPECTS AND THE UPCOMING DRAFT

I’m just going to put these comments in point form for the sake of time. If you’d like to check what Stauffer or his guests said if full, I’ll include the audio at the end of this segment.

  • Oilers Director of Player Development Scott Howson said Phillip Broberg might be spending another season in Skelleftea next year.

Howson also believes that if the European players aren’t ready to come over, the Oilers should just keep them over in Europe and allow them to come over when they’re ready. He felt that Evan Bouchard will be more of an offensive defender than Broberg but that the Swede would end up being a top-4 defender.

  • Due to improved skating, Broberg’s d-partner in Skelleftea, Filip Berglund has more than put himself into consideration for the Oilers to sign him before they lose his rights this year.

If Evan Bouchard graduates to the NHL by next season, the Condors will be in need of an offensive defender on the right side. I suppose Joel Persson could be an option should he agree to re-sign with the Oilers, but I’m not 100% confident of that happening. Phillip Broberg could come over as well and be paired up with his SHL partner and in fact, that very well could be one of many determining factors for him.

  • Markus Niemelainen is another player the Oilers need to make a decision on. Howson said that he’s now playing 20-22 minutes a night for his club in the SM-Liiga as a defensive defenseman. He noted that he moves really well, has range and size (6’5″) but he’s average with the puck and that will be the issue with him but there are lots of guys playing like him in the NHL that can skate and move but are merely adequate puck movers. Howson also said that Niemelainen is content with who he is as a player and not worried about point production.

This player sounds a lot like Martin Marincin, doesn’t it? There’s a possibility that both players (Niemelainen and Berglund) could come over and play in Bakersfield next season but it sounds like there’d need to be some extra work into convincing Ken Holland that they’d be worth it given they’re not his guys. Howson felt that these players have really improved to the point to where they’ve forced the Oilers to seriously consider them.

  • Howson believes that Raphael Lavoie has get stronger and become a better skater cut out some of his junior habits like taking breaks on the ice when he’s been playing too much. He figured that since Lavoie’s TOI has been cut down since his trade to Chicoutimi that this would happen naturally. Howson called him a “one-shot scorer”.

I’m not as convinced with this player as some are. To me, he could end up being either an Alex Chiasson or a James Neal. Depends on him. I like how he’ll graduate to the AHL next season though as I want to see more of him. He was decent at the World Juniors but not a game-breaker. What I want to see from him is more urgency in his game. He’s a big guy so I want to see him use that frame accordingly.

  • Stauffer mentioned that he wouldn’t trade either the first or second-round picks in the next draft and he’d try to acquire a forward using Jesse Puljujarvi in order to replenish Edmonton’s cupboards.

If the Oilers were drafting today, they’d be picking 19th and 50th I believe. In those spots, I reckon Edmonton could come away with a very good shooter like Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67s) or possibly Hamilton’s newest import forward Jan Mysak in the first round and in the second round, it wouldn’t be out of the possibility to see a player like Barrie’s Tyson Foerster, Sarnia’s Jacob Perreault, or Sherwood Park Crusaders forward Carter Savoie still on the board.

I wonder though if Edmonton Oil Kings star Jake Neighbours is around when Edmonton is picking after the first round, would they take him? He’s got a ton of heart and as much skill to go with it.

So could you imagine Holland being able to add that much firepower to the pipeline in Edmonton AND another talented player with a Puljujarvi trade over the summer? Now think three years down the road when these players are closer to being NHL ready and the Oilers are an annual playoff team. Holland is sitting pretty with a bunch of talented young forwards that he could either use in the lineup OR as trade fodder at the deadline.

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

2019 Edmonton Oilers GM47: Oilers @ Flames – 3P2W – TONS of Oilers Rumors Today!

The latest installment of the Battle of Alberta should be a beauty tonight. I will ask though, what kind of game are we going to be treated to by these two clubs? Might we get something that would remind us of the old days? Hits and fights galore with some scoring sprinkled in? Or might we be offered something akin to the most recent meeting where it was a one-sided affair?

With the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Zac Rinaldo, and Milan Lucic in the lineup; it appears that Calgary is happy to play the game anyway Edmonton wants to. When the Oilers release their roster for tonight’s game, we’ll see which way they’ll be leaning. With only Sam Gagner and Patrick Russell available to bring into the lineup, I’d argue that Coach Tippett will be looking for his team to play a solid two-way brand of hockey. It is the BoA though, so expect a few fireworks at the very least.

Regardless, the importance of this game cannot be understated for both teams. First place in the Pacific Division and some extra separation from the wildcard teams is up for grabs.

The Latest Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors

  • Josh Anderson (CLB) – This week Oilers colorman Bob Stauffer mused upon the Columbus Blue Jackets prized power forward after a caller texted into his show and offered up a trade proposal that featured Jesse Puljujarvi going to Columbus in exchange for Anderson. Stauffer laughed that off, gave it a “not. a. chance.”, and rebutted with what he figures the demand would be from the Blue Jackets for the currently injured winger. That being either Ryan Nugent-Hopkins OR a first-round pick and Philip Broberg or Evan Bouchard. Stauffer went on to say that he believed that Anderson’s next contract will be starting with a five. Meaning five million dollars per year or more.
  • Andreas Athanasiou (DET) – Stauffer also commented on Athanasiou saying that he thought the demand for him would be a 2nd round pick and a prospect. He wasn’t the only Edmonton Oilers pundit to make his opinion known on the NHL’s green jacket leader, veteran scribe Jim Matheson also spoke up on this and he just said that Ken Holland loves Athanasiou’s speed, he’s a restricted free agent and that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman didn’t draft him.
  • Nick Bonino (NSH) – Matheson didn’t stop there. He tweeted about Nashville’s overpaid third-line center. Edmonton would have interest if Nashville picked up part of his salary was the message relayed.
  • JG Pageau (OTT) – Mark Spector was asked about the Ottawa pivot during his spot on the daily Edmonton Oilers radio show and he figured that it’d make more sense to invest more into current Oiler Gaetan Haas than to pay the price it would take to acquire Pageau. Lots of speculation that Pageau will re-sign with the Senators at over $5M per year in the summer.
  • Jesse Puljujarvi – Brian Lawton was on Oilers Now this week and he was asked about Pulju. The only real think of not that I took away from the topic was that he thought that IF the Oilers were going to move the Big Finn, it’d be closer to the trade deadline. Maybe a week before it.
  • Lias Andersson (NYR)/Puljujarvi Swap? – Elliotte Friedman and Bob Stauffer talked about this on Friday and the Sportsnet insider said that both the Rangers and the Oilers talked about it but at the end of the day neither team was comfortable with the players they’d be receiving and weren’t convinced it was going to work.
  • Jujhar Khaira – The big Oilers winger could be traded tomorrow for a small quick forward who plays in the bottom-six according to the host of Oilers Now. Bob Stauffer also said that if Khaira were to hit waivers he would get claimed.
  • Tyler Benson – Lots from Stauffer this week… He said that he believes that Benson will be in Edmonton by at least February 15th.

I’ll say this. The Edmonton Oilers may very well be first in the Pacific Division after tonight’s game, so why deviate from the plan that is in motion? It doesn’t mean the team has to get cold feet and do nothing, but what’s the point in spending assets if the team is in a good spot come the deadline? Holland’s message to the fanbase in Edmonton when he was hired was that he was going to build a team that could compete year after year, not just be a flash in the pan and make the playoffs every now and then.

That being said, if there’s a deal on the table that makes sense, then fine. I would just prefer the team not blow things up and see what the internal options can do for the club this year and perhaps to try and deal out some big tickets that aren’t producing on the ice like a Sam Gagner or a Kris Russell. As much as I love what those players bring to the locker room, there are younger players who are ready to step up in my opinion. No, I’m not talking about Benson or Bouchard. I’m speaking to the William Lagesson’s and Patrick Russell’s of the world. Yamamoto is here to stay, so I’ll not include him.

The Next Ten Games (41-50)

  • vs. Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – The Oilers should be bitter as hell coming back from the Christmas break and looking for retribution. In terms of gf/ga on the year, the Flames are -12 and Edmonton could feast on that. The Oilers have taken two of the past three contests. (WIN) LOSS
  • vs. New York Rangers (17-15-4) – Edmonton will get its first look at 2019 2nd overall pick Kaapo Kakko and welcome back former Oiler, Ryan Strome. This should be a scheduled win for Edmonton as the Rangers aren’t anything special this year. The Oilers have won three on the trot vs. the Rags. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Buffalo Sabres (17-14-7) – Generally, over the years the Oilers have had pretty good luck in Buffalo, but this year Jack Eichel is a man possessed and last time Rasmus Dahlin was out of the lineup. If Dahlin is back in for this game, he’ll add a significant threat. I like Edmonton’s chances here though. (WIN)  OT LOSS
  • @ Boston Bruins (22-7-9) – The Bruins went into the Christmas break on a bit of a slump going 2-4-4 in their previous ten. This is going to be a challenge for the Oilers to win even when Boston is at their worst and there’s no better team to bust a slump against than Edmonton, right? (LOSS) WIN
  • @ Toronto Maple Leafs (20-14-4) – Toronto’s confidence was sky high before baby Jesus’ bday, but guess who comes to play each time he’s back home. That’s right, Connor McDavid. It will take a complete team effort for the Oilers to beat their nemesis, Freddy Andersen, though as he’s really had Edmonton’s number. (OT LOSS) WIN
  • @ Montreal Canadiens (18-13-6) – I really enjoyed Edmonton’s performance against the Habs in their earlier match. If the Oilers can replicate that, I don’t see why a win is out of the question. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – Round two! Ding. Ding. In Calgary, I think the Flames might be able to muster up a win here. (LOSS)
  • vs. Nashville Predators (18-12-6) – Is Pekka Rinne in net? If so, I’ll give this one to the Oilers. If it’s Saros, the Preds have a much better chance of success. They’ve been an interesting team to watch this year and are playing in a tough division. Their 42pts at the break had them in 3rd last in the Central… (WIN)
  • vs. Arizona Coyotes (21-14-4) – Hallsy’s back and if the Oilers would like to go that extra mile, they could show him how much of a powerhouse they plan to be next season by wiping the floor with Arizona, but it’ll be a tough game. Arizona is a lot deeper than the Oilers and their netminding has been much better. This needs to be a game where Edmonton’s defense shines. (OT LOSS)
  • vs. Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – Coming off of a 10-day break, Mikko Koskinen and the Oilers will be well-rested. In theory, they should be as ready as they’re ever going to be to take on their inter-province rivals. (WIN)

(Standings as of December 26th, 2019)

Three Players to Watch for the Flames

  • #39 Cam Talbot – Talbot is on one of his heaters lately and playing very well. That said, there’s always glove high on this guy and he’s susceptible to early goals in periods. Which Talbot will show up?
  • #28 Elias Lindholm – Can’t say I expect him to move to center and for his countrymate, Mikael Backlund to go to the wing, but it’s worked out. Backlund offers some defensive conscience to the first line and Lindholm brings some scoring punch to the second line.
  • #93 Sam Bennett – It really hasn’t been his year at all and I think the Flames will look to move on from him and his Lanny McDonald impression soon. That said, he usually gets up for these games against the Oilers and is, for me at least, an entertaining player to watch due to his old school brand of hockey that he can play.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #23 Riley Sheahan – There are three players who don’t have a goal for the Oilers in their last five games (Kassian, Nygard, Khaira) and Sheahan isn’t one of them. He’s been playing a fantastic brand of defensive-first hockey and I’ve really enjoyed his addition to the club this year. There’ve been some instances this season where he’s absolutely dominated along the boards in the offensive zone and I have a hard time remembering the last bottom-six center who was as good at it as Sheahan is.
  • #29 Leon Draisaitl – Ever since Leon started to emerge as the star he’s become, the games versus Calgary have been “Must-See” TV. Even in that thrashing the Oilers took not too long ago from the Flames, Draisaitl was out there trying to get it done.  I expect the same to occur tonight with a bit more effectiveness given how well his line has been playing lately.
  • #44 Zack Kassian – Kass hasn’t scored a goal in a little while and he was even taken off of McDavid’s wing in their last game for a time. He knows what he has to do to get his engine going though and I hope he brings his “A” game tonight because when Kassian is out there banging bodies and crashing nets, he opens up space and that’s something Connor McDavid and James Neal could always use a little bit more of.
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