Tag Archives: Bogdan Yakimov

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors and BLH Mailbag: How Holland Might Open Up the Cap Space

How’s everybody’s week going? Since the Oilers haven’t fired someone from the Old Boys Club nor have they hired some ex-coworker of Ken Holland’s or Dave Tippett’s, it’s a tad slow. So let’s pick that up a bit.

Lots of pundits are talking about how the Oilers defense is going to be “transformed” this off-season, most notably speaking on this is Bob Stauffer. But the catch is, some mad contracts will have to be moved and I don’t think I have to beat around the bush as to who those players will be.

Kris Russell and Andrej Sekera have often been talked about over the previous three seasons as defensemen that will have to be traded at some point simply due to the amount of money they make. It’s my understanding that the more likely of the two to be moved is Kris Russell. Ken Holland LOVES his veterans and Andrej Sekera is a VERY respected member of the Oilers’ locker room.

The days of “When in doubt, off the glass and out” are coming to a close and since that (and blocking shots) is Rusty’s bread and butter, I would say we might not be seeing him in an Oilers uniform in 2019-20.

He won’t be the only contract moved mind you. Contrary to what the media is saying in Edmonton, I think Milan Lucic finds a new home. He’s wanted out for two seasons now and I do reckon Holland finds him a fresh opportunity.

But how will they do it? My best bet is that they’ll package draft picks and prospects with those contracts. What prospects and draft picks? I’d hate to see them do it, but perhaps Jesse Puljujarvi will go with one and one of Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, Ethan Bear, or John Marino might go with the other.

I’ve been told that if there’s a team that would like to move a centre, Edmonton might move their 2nd round pick. I guess the Oilers are looking to upgrade their 3C position for the foreseeable future. Out of these centres, who I believe to be available, which ones would be fair compensation for a 2nd round draft pick?

  • Erik Haula (VGK)
  • Nick Bjugstad (PIT)
  • JT Miller (TB)
  • Nazem Kadri (TOR)
  • Viktor Rask (MIN)

Now, of course, some of those players would cost more than a 2nd rounder, but I do wonder about teams like Vegas, Toronto, and Tampa because they are in dire straights with regards to their cap. Is this the year you really go hard after Kadri because his relationship with his team and fanbase probably couldn’t be any lower? He’s a 30-goal man and he can fill in at 2C… He’s also a mega-pest and for me, I’d gladly accept the odd bad penalty for a player of his ilk.

Yakimov Staying Home

Last week I’d wrote this about Bogdan Yakimov,

According to a source of mine, Bogdan Yakimov will sign with the Oilers for 1-year soon. Of course, this could all change. As I always say, but as of right now, I’ve got two sources on this and they’re both in alignment with each other. If it does come to fruition, I don’t think this will be a two-way deal. Can you see Yakimov coming all the way from Russia without a guarantee to be playing in the NHL?

To add to that, there’s probably a good chance that Severstal Cherepovets offer was much better than the one Edmonton was offering anyhow.

So my source was out to lunch on this one. It happens. But then again, maybe they had the right info but things changed. I try not to go all=in on things that are passed on to me because the majority of the time, things do, in fact, change. Hence the disclaimer.

A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!


The BLH Mailbag

@StillAStyxFan asks: With Yakimov resigning in the KHL, do you think that the Oilers dodged a bullet by not having him in the lineup?

Possibly. He wasn’t really putting up great numbers in the KHL and he was on three teams last year. Not the kind of indicators that scream “NHL PLAYER”, right? But on the other hand, he’s a lot more skilled than Kyle Brodziak.

@AhmedMayta asks: Who are your most likely candidates to be brought on as assistant coaches to Mr.Tippett?

Tough call Ahmed. I’ve been watching this cat and mouse game between the Oilers and all of the hockey pundits covering the team and nobody has really been on the ball. Lots of folks are talking about Jim Playfair and Mark Lamb (nobody going to make the obvious Old Boys Club comment here?) joining, some in Philly are saying Dave Hakstol (although that’s been shut down recently).

I’m not as convinced that Tippett and the Oilers will go with an ex-coworker here. Scott Gordon did really well with the Flyers after Hakstol was let go and Jim Matheson speculated that he had an interview in Edmonton. Same with former Kings coach, John Stevens. Would Ray Whitney come back (insert Old Boys Club comment here) and re-join his former coach in Arizona? What about Doug Weight?

My feeling is that they’ll spare no expense in getting this right though.

@lowdee19 asks: What does the Oilers top 6 forwards look like going into the season?

Good Question Low Dee! I think it’ll look something like this:

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
XXX-RNH-XXX

HA! Easy, right? To me, it would make sense to slot Jesse Puljujarvi in a 2RW. He’s older, wiser, more experienced, healthier, and is on the verge of busting out. The new coach would be smart to give him a try with Nuge and a free agent signing/trade (Loui Eriksson/Ryan Dzingel/Micheal Ferland?). It wouldn’t shock me if Tyler Benson made a case for that 2LW spot though, I just reckon he could use a bit more time in Bakersfield.

But let’s say that Benson does make the team and Edmonton needs to use Pulju as a sweetener to move a contract out. Well, that opens up the 2RW spot and I think there would be a few candidates out there to fill that hole like Gustav Nyquist, Joonas Donskoi, and Brett Connolly.

@ArchivistSports asks: ur fav Oilers memory of all time?

I’ve always been a fan of the underdog and the late 90’s Oilers that went to battle with the powerhouse Dallas, Detroit, and Colorado teams created a lot of impressionable memories with me but this game here is probably one of my favorites.

@nick_gon_jinn asks: Do you think we would go after Haula? If yes, what would we have to give up for him?

I think the Oilers go after him, for sure. The cost might be one of Edmonton’s B-grade prospects or a draft pick, something around the 3rd-5th round. Vegas has to make room for Cody Glass next season as well as re-sign Willliam Karlsson, so they won’t have the leverage in this one. That said, Kelly McCrimmon is a pretty savvy negotiator, so we won’t know until we do.

@24Barons asks: How is Connor’s rehab going? Any lingering effects or concerns with him being 100% when camp opens?

I haven’t heard much on this front recently. As for lingering concerns, I think there’s always a chance that things could regress. The knees are an area of the body you don’t want buggered up if you’re a player like Connor McDavid whose game relies quite a bit on speed. That said, I’m really confident that he’ll be at 100% and ready to go by the time training camp opens.

@ronnicolle asks: Any of our D worth enough to pry a forward from Fla? Bit of retained salary would Reimer be worth grabbing from them? They are going after Bobrovsky and Panarin. Helps top 6 and backup G. While moving out a D. What would Huberdeau cost us?

I think a few questions are being asked here, 1) Do the Oilers have any dmen valuable enough to pry a good forward out of Florida? 2) Would Reimer be worth grabbing from them? 3) What would Huberdeau cost the Oilers?

1 – Yes, they do. Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson, and Even Bouchard would garner interest from the Panthers.

2 – Reimer could be handy to have but man is his ticket pricey. I’d prefer to go a cheaper route for the backup keeper personally unless they want to take Lucic’s contract.

3 – A lot. There were some rumors going around that Huberdeau would be part of a package to try and procure Malkin out of Pittsburgh. So unless Edmonton is looking at moving RNH plus, I don’t think it’s happening.

@oilers_ent asks: Will Holland be able to make the necessary personnel transactions that always eluded Chiarelli despite Edmonton being a less appealing market for players?

Holland learned from one of the best, Jimmy Devellano, and when Jimmy D got started in Detroit in the early 80s the Red Wings had missed the playoffs 16/18 seasons. It took him a few seasons to get things on track before passing on the torch to Mr. Holland, who simply kept the good times rolling.

I am very confident that the new GM will bring the playoffs back to Edmonton tout suite. Having the career-long connections he has and the respect from everyone in the NHL, I believe that he won’t face the same challenges that the previous GM had with regards to upgrading the roster.

Thanks for your questions folks! If I missed yours, I apologize, but I’ll try to make it up to you on the Twitter machine or in next week’s mailbag!

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Return of the Yak? Plus Thoughts on the 2019 Draft

The one time in my life that I got the chance to see the Edmonton Oilers rookies take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears was the year Leon Draisaitl joined the team. I remember him, Darnell Nurse, Dillon Simpson, Mitch Moroz, Laurent Brossoit, and a couple of Russians starring for the Oilers in this game.

One would think that it was Nurse or Draisaitl running the show, but it wasn’t. Bogdan Yakimov and Vladdy Tkachyev were doing their best impressions of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.

Which leads me to this, according to a source of mine, Bogdan Yakimov will sign with the Oilers for 1-year soon. Of course, this could all change. As I always say, but as of right now, I’ve got two sources on this and they’re both in alignment with each other. If it does come to fruition, I don’t think this will be a two-way deal. Can you see Yakimov coming all the way from Russia without a guarantee to be playing in the NHL? And if it doesn’t work, they could just loan him back to a European club as they did with Jesse Joensuu way back when.

What does it mean for the roster in this case? Well, given the fact that the Lucic to Vancouver rumors won’t go away and now there are radio stations in Vancouver discussing this weekly. I wonder if there’s a deal that would send Looch and Jujhar Khaira to Vancouver? Two local lads coming home is always a good story and Edmonton needs to create some roster space, right?

Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!

And now the Kyle Brodziak to Ference Island rumors are popping up. We spoke about this back in February, right? Either he retires and loses his remaining year of salary, he gets traded (something I don’t imagine he wants to do now that he’s planted roots), or he heads to LTIR.

So if Ken Holland finds a way to move Milan Lucic, Jujhar Khaira, and Kyle Brodziak off of the Oilers roster, those are three very big men but also three ineffective men. That said, there still needs to be balance on the roster and say what you will about player intimidation, it’s a thing, and I believe the Oilers would add someone who brings a bit of truculence and fear-mongering to the office. Yakimov isn’t that guy mind you, but maybe that opens the door for Evan Polei as a long shot to make the team. Maybe Michael Ferland or perhaps Garnet Hathaway would be options? If Edmonton decides to re-up Alex Chiasson, he’d be another.

The one thing you’re not going to get with Bogdan Yakimov is speed. This is a big dude who moves well, don’t get me wrong, but he’s no Chris Kreider out there. His assets lie in his hands and his smarts.

So, we’ll see on this one. It would be kinda cool if the Oilers could bring back that old Russian tag-team of Yakimov and Tkachyev, wouldn’t it?

Draft Notes

Earlier in the week, I posted my top-ten for the draft and it got some heat, which is fine. Twitter is hard place to justify your ideas sometimes. So, I’m going to try and do that now.

Here is the top ten that I posted,

  1. Jack Hughes (C)
  2. Kaapo Kakko (RW)
    ——————
  3. Bowen Byram (D)
  4. Alex Turcotte (C)
    ——————
  5. Cole Caufield (RW)
  6. Spencer Knight (G)
    ——————
  7. Matthew Boldy (LW/C/RW)
  8. Trevor Zegras (C)
  9. Dylan Cozens (C)
  10. Peyton Krebs (C)

So one of the first things said to me was by my friend SPR (@theoilknight) and he questioned the idea that the 5th and 6th best player on the USNTDP squad are still better than every player in the Canadian Hockey League apart from Bowen Byram. It didn’t seem right to him and he wondered how would Krebs or Cozens do if they were on that team and if they’d be ranked higher.

Very fair questions.

This is the way I see it. Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are near guarantees to be first line players in the NHL at some point and I believe that Bowen Byram will be a no.1 defender. As for Alex Turcotte, he’s got the tools to be a 1st liner in the future but will his health allow it? If it does, whoever drafts him will get a very dynamic and intense center.

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After Turcotte is when things get interesting for me. Cole Caufield is THE best goal scorer in the draft and that has massive value to me as does being the best goalie since Carey Price. Spencer Knight deserves to be in the top ten of any team’s draft list IF goaltending is a priority for them. We’re not talking about your run of the mill goalie here with Knight. This guy will be competing for a Vezina Trophy within the next ten years, if not five. Caufield and Knight are specialists if you will. They are the best and what they do. If you like having the best on your team, you take one.

We follow up with Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras, Dylan Cozens, and Peyton Krebs. What I’d say about this group of players is this, Boldy is the most complete player in the draft in my opinion. He’s both effective on offense and defense, he’s a goal-scorer and a playmaker. Zegras has that dusting of Mitch Marner in his game, in that he’s uber-creative (aka a risk taker) and he’s a very good skater with speed. The fancy moves he performs to make a pass, that could very well be his downfall, but with the way the league is trending; I can see him being the next Barzal.

Dylan Cozens had a fine season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Damn fine, but he’s been ranked no.3 or no. 4 for near the whole year. He hasn’t done anything to knock him down the rankings, he just hasn’t done much to keep him up there. In my viewings of this player, I saw two different skaters.

  • One who moved his feet and was dominant.
  • One who didn’t move his feet and was very easy to contain.

That is a problem for me in light of what the kids on the USNTDP were doing. Sometimes he’d get the puck and stop skating too or he’d try to dangle a defender 1v1 instead of chipping and chasing. Now, is it a big problem? I don’t see it that way. Leon Draisaitl has games where he’s not moving his feet or he tried to do too much with the puck, and he scored 50 goals and 100 points last season. Cozens has a pro-ready shot and his work along the boards is fantastic. There’s a player there for sure, but maybe I’m not so enamored with him as much as I once was.

Peyton Krebs was a guy I wasn’t convinced of early in the year but I watched him at the u18s and he turned my head a bit. I love his tenacity, his hands are silky smooth, his shot is hard and accurate, and he’s not one to make a conventional play. He’s really creative I find. I wonder if he tries to do too much though. After doing as much as he could for a very poor Kootenay team last year, did he pick up that marginal bad habit?

See, Krebs and Cozens played on the same line during the u18 tournament (for the most part), but they weren’t the line drivers. Alex Newhook was. But alas, it’s only one short term tourney and we shouldn’t make too much of a fuss over that handful of games.

I just feel like if it’s completely within the realm of possibility that those six USNTDP could be better than the best forwards the CHL has to offer. Why not? Another possibility is that the USNTDP just might be taking over the CHL as the premier developing program for professional hockey players.

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Sean asked, what would happen if we dropped Cozens or Krebs onto “The Program’s” roster? I bet they’d perform quite well. On the other hand, how would Trevor Zegras do if he had played for the team that holds his CHL rights, the Mississauga Steelheads? Do you think that they would’ve traded Owen Tippett and Ryan McLeod if Zegras was on that team? I don’t. Would the Halifax Mooseheads be Memorial Cup champions if Matthew Boldy was on their team? How many goals would Cole Caufield have scored playing alongside Morgan Frost or Barrett Hayton in Sault Ste. Marie? Would Chicoutimi have moved past the first round of the QMJHL playoffs if Spencer Knight was tending net for them?

Good hockey players are good hockey players where ever they play. It’s not the USNTDP’s fault that they happen to have an outstanding crop of draft eligibles this year nor is it the CHL’s fault that it’s not a great draft class for them at the top.

Corey Mitchell, Edmonton Oilers, Prospects

Oilers Prospect Profile: European Depth

Part 7 of Prospect Profile takes a look at a few players of European nationality that should provide the Oilers with some significant depth this upcoming season.

It’s no secret that the Oilers have found great success with European players in the past, having the likes of Jari Kurri, Ales Hemsky, and hopefully Nail Yakupov pull on the sweater. Here are five players the Oilers are hoping can follow in those footsteps.

Roman Horak

Contrary to popular belief at the time, Roman Horak was not the focal point of the Ladislav Smid trade from a few seasons ago. That doesn’t diminish his potential as a depth player for the Oilers, however, if he decides to come back to North America.

While it may seem like Horak has been around the professional ranks for some time, he’s actually only dressed for 84 NHL games, with most of his career taking place in the AHL, with his best season being in 2013-14. That was the year he was acquired by the Oilers along with Laurent Brossoit, with Ladislav Smid and goaltending prospect Olivier Roy going to Calgary. Following the trade, Horak would pile up 48 points in 53 games, including 21 goals. That production was enough to get Horak a brief 2 game look with the Oilers, registering 1 goal.

It could be that lack of consistent production at the NHL level that seems to have side tracked Horak a bit, as he spent the last 3 years bouncing between the NHL and AHL. Along with that, he’s already been featured in two trades in his brief pro career, as the Flames originally acquired Horak from the New York Rangers in 2011, before he even played one pro game. Last season saw him sign in the KHL with Chekhov Vityaz, where he went 18-13-31 in 53 games. While he remains Oilers property, it doesn’t look like they will be able to access Horak this season, as he’s already begun the year with Vityaz.

Anton Slepyshev

Upon the announcement earlier this year that Anton Slepyshev had signed his ELC with the Oilers, social media lit up with excitement in regards to the Russian winger. Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft, the 21 year old has remained in the KHL, and is coming off his 5th professional season, which was also his third season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev. It’s the fact that he’s already played five years of high end hockey against men that has fans excited to see what he can bring to the Oilers.

Last year saw Slepyshev put up some modest numbers in the KHL, with 15-10-25 in 58 games. While those aren’t all-world level numbers, he’s still young. More than likely, Slepyshev will find himself counted on for secondary scoring in Bakersfield when he makes his North American debut. It’s not out of the question to see him put on a line with fellow Russian countryman, Bogdan Yakimov, to see if the two can build some chemistry.

Bogdan Yakimov

Speaking of the big Russian, Bogdan Yakimov is healthy, and ready for his second season in North America. Another player from the 2013 Draft, Yakimov is a center with size. Appearing in 57 games with the Oklahoma City Barons last year, Yakimov put up a respectable 12-16-28 while playing mostly a checking role. He should be looked at to provide more this season, and help with the transition of Slepyshev to the North American game.

Fans are anxious to see Yakimov play for the Oilers on a more consistent basis, if only for the hope that he can find some chemistry with Nail Yakupov. While there would have been a chance he could make the team out of camp if this was a few years ago, organizational depth has improved by leaps and bounds since 2013. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have come up more than a few times while I’ve done this series. That depth has pushed Yakimov down the chart, much like it has for many players that may have had a chance to make the Oilers before. And again, depending on what happens in training camp, specifically where the Oilers feel Draisaitl benefits most from playing, is going to have a big impact on Yakimov’s development. The plus side again, is now there is no rush to get him to the NHL, and he can learn to thrive in the AHL.

Daniil Zharkov

It was at the trade deadline in 2011 when the Oilers moved Dustin Penner to the LA Kings for Colton Teubert and a couple of draft picks. The 1st rounder became Oscar Klefbom. And if you’re having trouble remembering who the Oilers drafted with the 3rd rounder, the answer is Daniil Zharkov.

While Zharkov has been plying his trade in the KHL the last two years, he is no stranger to the North American game, having played a year in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm, before moving to the Belleville Bulls of the OHL. Following a brief junior career that saw him total 48-31-79 in 109 games, Zharkov opted to return to his home country of Russia, signing with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo of the KHL. His first season of professional hockey couldn’t quite be labeled a success, as Zharkov could only muster 2 goals and 5 points in 49 games. The following season was no better for Zharkov, as he was limited to only 9 games.

I assume Zharkov will probably play in the KHL again this year. He very much seems like a player the Oilers could be willing to walk away from at this point, unless there’s a team interested. At this point, Zharkov could be earmarked to fill out the roster in Norfolk of the ECHL if he elects to come play in North America again.

William Lagesson

Drafted with the 4th round pick the Oilers acquired from Minnesota in the Ilya Bryzgalov trade, William Lagesson is the only other European player on this list not from Russia, with Horak being the other.

The general consensus on Lagesson is that he has good defensive play, but his foot speed can be suspect. He played last season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, registering 2-14-16 in his 52 games with the club. The stat that I like is the +18.

More than likely the 19 year old is going to continue play in the USHL this upcoming season, following the prospect tournament and mini-camp coming up in a few weeks. I’m curious to see how Lagesson looks against other teams top prospects. I remember him catching my eye when he was at development camp in June. The log jam of defensive prospects is a situation that should play out very well in Lagesson’s favor, affording him the time to continue to develop as a player. While I would personally like to see him follow in the steps of Caleb Jones, and choose to go to the CHL this year, there is nothing wrong with getting top minutes in USHL, which is a very competitive league in its own right.

Edmonton Oilers, Lindsay Ryall, Prospects

The Russians are Coming!?

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It was during the 2013 – 14 season when the Edmonton Oilers added Ilya Bryzgalov along with Denis Grebeshkov that an ever expressive Nail Yakupov was asked his thoughts on having some countrymen around.

“Yeah, it’s the Russian mafia,”  Yakupov joked, and added his satisfaction in being able to communicate in his native language around the rink.  Unfortunately for Nail, Bryzgalov and Grebeshkov weren’t destined to be Oilers for long.  Grebeshkov was clearly outclassed and no longer an NHL player, while Bryzgalov looked for opportunities elsewhere.

Just a couple of years later, Yakupov still has one countryman to play Durak with on road trips, but low and behold there are several more on the horizon and the future Edmonton Oilers may someday have the highest Russian content this side of the Alexander Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.

Who Likes Borscht on the Team Right Now?

Nail Yakupov: Yakupov still hasn’t found the consistency he needs to have as an NHL player, especially a former first overall draft pick.  Nonetheless, he rebounded nicely when Dallas Eakins was fired and Todd Nelson took over.  He also responded well when paired with Derek Roy,  so even though he is teetering on the brink of being a bust, there is a strong belief that this will be the year Yakupov will establish himself with a solid 25 goal 50 point season.  Yak has jam, a world class shot, and can deliver a serviceable check when needed.  For the time being he will be an Oiler and have the opportunity to fulfill the promise of a number one overall pick.

Nikita Nikitin:  Nikitin has arguably the biggest bullseye on his back affixed by Oiler’s fans and has been roundly criticized for indifferent and downright poor play.  Amazingly he has survived the trade and buyout deadline and may very well be an Oiler come October.  It is quite possible that the tandem of Mactavish and Howson still have some influence and have convinced Chiarelli that he has some value.  In fairness, Nikitin does have some skills.  He easily has the hardest shot on a team that is looking for a cannon from the blue line to help the powerplay.  Nikitin is going into a contract year and that’s typically when most NHLers magically turn it around.  Maybe he’ll be a reclamation project . . .

Young Guns on the Way

While there are two Russians currently on the team, the Oilers’ have two hopefuls in the development system that should make the team over the next two seasons, and will likely play in the top 9.  They bring the requisite skill set you would expect from Russian trained hockey players, and also bring intangibles that cannot be taught, namely size.

Bogdan Yakimov:  Standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 232 lbs., 20 year old Bogdan Yakimov doesn’t require any more time to fill out, in that respect he’s definitely arrived.  But Yakimov is not just a big lug, he has hands and can skate.  Yakimov also had a decent first year in pro with the OKC Barons with 28 points in 57 games, numbers he will doubtless build upon next year.  In his first pro-year Yakimov also showed a keen willingness to learn, paired with a good work ethic, spending extra time with veterans and the coaching staff to learn different aspects on the North American game.  In Russia such good behavior would earn the comment, “Mollodets” (translation: Good boy).  Yakimov is still young and comparables are never 100% accurate, but forecasting him as a more rugged Victor Kozlov is a definite possibility.  With respect to development, I would project him as an NHL player in two seasons.

Anton Slepyshev: Slepyshev has dazzled and teased the Oilers organization since he was drafted in the 2013 entry draft.  The concern with Slepyshev was whether he would actually commit to playing in North America or instead continue playing in the KHL.  However, any doubt about his commitment to the NHL was erased this year when Slepyshev signed an entry level deal with the Oilers.  Slepyshev is not a physical monster, but no slouch either, checking in at 6’2 and 187 lbs and the kid can play.  Not only does he play with all the skill you would expect of Russian skater, he’s also a gamer, playing his best in big games against the best competition.  That’s what every organization wants.  His first year at pro will be the litmus test on his potential, but he is definitely one of the most exciting young players in the system.

Danil Zharkov: Zharkov was pretty cocky when first drafted in the third round of the 2012 entry draft, 90 spots after Nail Yakupov.  Zharkov was billed as a potential power forward, and scored 23 and 25 goals respectively in his last two seasons of major junior with the OHL’s Belleville Bulls.  Unfortunately his development has not really progressed well since then and while he is playing in the KHL, he has not found much offensive production, scoring 5 points over 58 games in his career there so far.  It doesn’t look like Danil’s NHL or pro dream is going to happen, but hey, he’s only 21 years old, stranger things can happen.

Potential Additions off the grid

Vladmir Tkachev:  This diminutive offensive dynamo impressed all at the Oilers training camp last year (so much so that he was awarded a contract, that was eventually disallowed) but followed it up with a very lukewarm last year of junior in the QMJHL.  When you weigh in at less than a 150lbs. and stand maybe 5’9″you had better be putting up some gaudy offensive numbers and Tkachev did not (33 points in 33 games with the Quebec Remparts last year).  Nonetheless there may be a chance he is invited to camp again and has said in interviews he wants to join the Oilers and play with his countrymen already in the system.  It’s a longshot right now but so was his surprise camp last year, so there’s still a possibility.

Evgeny Dadonov:  Originally a third round pick of the Florida Panthers, Dadonov toiled for a short time in the AHL before bolting for bigger dollars and home cooking in the KHL.  Dadonov has played three seasons in the K and had a nicely productive year in 2014 – 15 with 46 points in 53 games.  Excellent numbers for that league.  He also paced well in the playoffs, outscoring Ilya Kovalchuk with 20 points in 22 playoff games. Dadonov  then capped his season with 11 points in 10 games for Russia at the World Championships and in my mind was their most consistent player in the tournament.   The Oilers are deep at wing for now, but if there was a buyout for Purcell or a long term injury that needed to be addressed, he could be a splendid addition.  At age 26 there wouldn’t be any seasoning required, but he would need to improve his defense, which reportedly needs work. Many of the goals he scored at the World Championships were world class and that’s where I would rate his talent.  His rights are till held by the Panthers and I am somewhat surprised they haven’t tried to sign him, nonetheless he’s worth keeping an eye on.  If he was made available, it shouldn’t take a lot to pry him out of the Panther’s organization.

How does the future look?

While it’s not likely that two years from now the Oilers will have anything approaching Detroit’s famed “Russian Five” of the 90’s, an all Russian line in the near future is a very real possibility with Big “Bo” Bogdan Yakimov at center and Slepyshev and Yakupov on the wings.  As for any other additions, it’s too early to tell, and I can’t see Nikitin sticking around that long, but overall the team will soon have an increased Russian presence.

Armchair GM, Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects, Rob Cooke, Rumors

NHL expansion bids are in. How does it affect the Oilers?

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It was made official by the NHL that there was two official bids for expansion franchises filed yesterday. All paperwork along with a 10 million dollar deposit had to be received by the head office at the end of business yesterday. According to the official NHL press release this morning there was significant interest with 16 applications being given out be league. However, only two potential ownership groups managed to meet all the criteria in the short time allotted. This is the official release from the league this morning.

Is it just me or does this come across as kind of arrogant and condescending? Imagine that, people can’t pull magical arena deals out of their hats. Two weeks in my opinion was a farce to begin with. Had the time frame been doubled or more I think we would have seen more bids submitted. Seattle seemed to depend on an arena deal that couldn’t materialize in time so it didn’t happen. In case you didn’t read the press release or are still unsure after doing so, the two bids were submitted by Quebecor and Bill Foley. So that obviously means the return of the Quebec Nordiques and an as of yet to be named to team in Las Vegas. Both cities are well on their way to having their arenas built with Las Vegas already starting a season ticket drive to gauge interest. That drive was going exceptionally well with well over 10000 seats sold the last time that I had checked.

That is all well and good to know that there will be two more NHL franchises in the league hopefully for the 2017-18 season, but what does it mean for the Oilers? Well for starters it will require another league realignment. I can’t see the NHL adding Quebec to the eastern conference without a team coming to the west in addition to the Las Vegas franchise. It doesn’t make sense to have a 32-team league divided unevenly. Jonathon Willis wrote an interesting piece yesterday regarding realignment and he suggested 8 divisions with 4 teams in each. Here is a link to the full article. For our purposes here is what his potential realignment would look like.

WESTERN TEAMS
NORTH PACIFIC: Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Winnipeg                                CANADA EAST: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City
SOUTH CENTRAL: Arizona, St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas
SOUTH PACIFIC: Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, and Las Vegas

EASTERN TEAMS 
NORTH CENTRAL: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, and Columbus
NORTH ATLANTIC: Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington
UNITED STATES EAST: Boston, New Jersey, Islanders, and Rangers
SOUTH ATLANTIC: Tampa Bay, Carolina, Florida, and Nashville

While I really like the idea I don’t see the league moving to this format. Instead opting to go with four 8 team divisions. That would likely mean that the Las Vegas team would join the Pacific and Columbus would join the Central in the west. Quebec would possible join the Atlantic but that would mean that another team would be forced to move to the Metro division with Boston being the most likely in my opinion. So if that is the realignment that the league chooses it does add two more teams to the west, evening out the conferences and making the west just a little more competitive with the addition of the Blue Jackets.

The other way that the Edmonton franchise will be affected by the expansion process is through the inevitable expansion draft. Teams will only be allowed to protect a certain amount of players on their roster at the time and the rest will be up for the taking by either Quebec or Las Vegas. The NHL hasn’t set the rules for how many players at each position they will be able to protect so for my purposes I will go off of the rules that were used in the 2000 expansion.

There were two possibilities for how many players a team can protect. The first version allows a team to protect 1 goalie, 5 defensemen, and 9 forwards. The second would see a team select 2 goalies, 3 defenders, and 7 forwards. Under the requirements set out in the 2000 expansion draft there was no eligibility requirements for a team opting to protect only one masked man. If a team chose to protect two however, then said team had to ensure that each protected goalie had player in 10 games the previous season, with 31 minutes of ice time being needed to e considered a game played. If ten games were not played in the previous season the other eligibility criteria is 25 games over the two previous seasons. Next rule is that every team has to have one defenseman unprotected that played a minimum of 40 games the previous year or 70 total over the past two seasons. There is also the same eligibility requirements for the forwards with at least two needing to meet the same criteria as the defenseman.

If you area asking yourself why the game limits set on players that are being unprotected it is to ensure that any expansion franchise will have the opportunity to receive players that will have some semblance of NHL experience. Now I am not saying that Edmonton is going to leave Jordan Eberle unprotected just because he will meet the 40-game eligibility requirement. That is just ridiculous and all of Edmonton management would likely be strung up outside the new arena if that ever happens. People need to be rational, calm, and logical when trying to come up with a list of players to protect on the team. There was a discussion of the writers last night about this same thing and we all agreed that analytics will play a huge role for the two teams that will potentially be joining the league.

To me selecting the players that Edmonton will protect shouldn’t be overly difficult because we have our clear-cut core players and those that aren’t. If you are not a core player at this point you will likely be expendable in the upcoming expansion draft. I realize that the draft won’t happen for at least a year but more likely two, with it occurring sometime between the Stanley Cup finals and the 2017 entry draft, but for our purposes here today we will base our picks off of the current roster as it sits. So let’s get right to it and expel some reasonably useful NHL players and a whole lot of players that are not.

First off, if the draft were to happen today I would have a very hard time not selecting option A. That would be 1 goalie, 5 defenders, and 9 forwards, There is just too much talent on the team to opt for a second goalie, there by giving up two defenders and two forwards. If I had to make the selections for the team my list would look like this:

Goaltender(1): Cam Talbot

Defensemen(5): Andrej Sekera, Mark Fayne, Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, and Griffin Reinhart.

Forwards(9): Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Benoit Pouliot, Nail Yakupov, Leon Draisaitl, Anton Lander, Bogdan Yakimov, Greg Chase, and Matt Hendricks.

From my list you can tell the players that I value above all else. Thankfully there is no minimum amount of games played to allow for a player to be protected. Also with the  players left there are more than a couple of options for filling the league requirements of games played. On defense with Nikita Nikitin and Andrew Ference we have two players that played in excess of forty games last year. No one said they had to play well, just that they had to play. In the forwards group we have Teddy Purcell that has been a consistent player over his career and would be a good addition to a new franchise. Along with the Teddy Bear we have Lauri Korpikoski, Mark Letestu, and Rob Klinkhammer also unprotected that would fit under one of the two eligibility criteria.

We must not forget that just because certain players are unprotected doesn’t necessarily mean that the player will even be selected. I doubt there is much of a market for Nikitin and his outrageous salary. There would likely be about the same amount of interest or even a little less in an aging Andrew Ference with two years left and a full no-movement clause to boot. The forwards would garner more interest as all the players left available are either actual NHL players or are a reasonable facsimile thereof. Of the nine forwards that I chose to protect the only two that I can see a case being made for someone else on are Bogdan Yakimov and Greg Chase. The others are all key players on the roster, including Matt Hendricks. Hendy might not be a star player, a la Taylor Hall or Connor McDavid,but he plays an integral part of this team and his leadership skills can’t be discounted. Players like Draisaitl, Nurse, and Reinhart are big parts of the future of this franchise and they deserve to be treated as such. Some may say that they would rather keep Davidson or Schultz but to me Reinhart will be the better player in the long-term.

Anyone have any issues with the players I have selected? Have a completely different list? Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree. Hit me up on Twitter too, @cooke_rob and we can talk some puck. Thanks for reading and remember to check out the as always excellent Beer League Heroes T-shirt Shop for all your T-shirt needs. The shirt shop is here, if you are interested in checking out the great designs that are currently offered by the website. Stay tuned for the launch of the official Cooke’s Shirt Shack in the very near future as well! It will be the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, like the coolest of the cool! Like , fer sure! Thanks for coming out Beer Leaguers!!!

AMENDMENT: I apologize to all the readers but I was mistaken in the rules the expansion draft. I missed the rules regarding younger players. First and second year professional players will not require protection as they are exempt from being selected. By this rule it would take McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Reinhart, Yakimov, and Chase would be exempt from being selected.

With these stipulations I would obviously change my selections. No need to protect players that are exempt from being selected in the first place. Again I apologize for my error and appreciate those that pointed it out to me. Below are my new selections based on this new information.

Goalies(2): Cam Talbot and Ben Scrivens

Defense(3): Andrej Sekera, Mark Fayne, and Oscar Klefbom

Forwards(7): Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Benoit Pouliot, Matt Hendricks, Anton Lander

I only chose to protect Scrivens because I didn’t feel there was 5 defensemen or 9 forwards that I would want to protect. I would have opted to keep Brossoit instead of Scrivens but he doesn’t meet the games played eligibility to be protected. Thanks again for reading and again I apologize for my error.  

Cheers

Rob