“Hearing Yotes and Sens are talking. Derek Stepan has one year left of a cap hit at 6.5, but an actual salary of 5.”
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Sens want to take advantage of this season and take a big step ahead in their rebuild, taking a chance on a player like Derek Stepan is not a bad idea at all. Given the club barely has a no.2 center in Colin White, Stepan would be a massive upgrade down the middle for them.
Pierre McGuire (TSN): Doesn’t believe Zdeno Chara will retire and that he should sign with the Colorado Avalanche.
BLH’s Thoughts: Anybody else getting shades of the Ray Bourque trade from 20 years ago?… I guess the difference being, Bourque could still play back then. Not so sure the same can be said for Chara.
Frank Seravalli (TSN): Says to keep an eye on Tampa Bay RFAs Mathieu Joseph and Alexander Volkov. They’ve yet to be re-signed and they’ll need to go through waivers if the Lightning plan to put them on their taxi squad. He figures there’s a good chance they’d be claimed if that happened.
BLH’s Thoughts: And just think, the Oilers could’ve had either if they were willing to trade Jesse Puljujarvi to Tampa.
Pat Stein (Sportsnet): On “The Big Show”, Stein, Will Nault, and Peter Klein debated what trading Noah Hanifin would do for the Calgary Flames, and for the most part, the consensus was they’d like to see how the team starts before making that trade. What is Juuso Valimaki going to bring to the club and how is 37yr old captain Mark Giordano going to fare after a tough go in the bubble last summer.
BLH’s Thoughts: That is a very reasonable take I feel. Look, Noah Hanifin is basically the American Jay Bouwmeester at this point and look how that turned out for the Edmonton-native… As it stands, the Flames defence is its weakness, so why downgrade it even more?
David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): LA Kings President Luc Robitaille said on a recent “Kings of the Podcast” episode that there are no roadblocks to acquisitions and if there’s an opportunity, they’d make the deal, but it has to make sense to them.
“If there’s a player in the right age bracket to fit in the direction we are going, we would look at it.”
BLH’s Thoughts: The Kings scare me a bit. They’ve got a shit ton of great prospects in their pipeline and just a ridiculous amount of cap space… If they wanted to make a statement trade, they could do it with ease and I hate that idea because at some point the divisions are going to go back to how they were prior to this season and that means Edmonton will be facing the Cali teams again… I’ve got too many dark memories of those clubs beating the Oilers and I’d prefer those don’t reinvent themselves.
Oilers Now (630CHED): Ken Holland on his plans for the Edmonton Oiler’ roster as training camp approaches,
“Maybe we bring up a couple of players from Bakersfield who are on American League contracts to fill out, and I think certainly on the defence end I’m exploring options (of signing another player).”
BLH’s Thoughts: As we’ve talked about already, it sounds like the team is looking at UFAs Slater Koekkoek and Ben Hutton. Madison Bowey is also an option. My preference is Koekkoek, but your mileage may vary.
Mark Spector (Sportsnet): Reckons that the Oilers’ initial taxi squad could consist of Alan Quine, Patrick Russell out of the forwards. Two of William Lagesson, Theodor Lennstrom, Evan Bouchard, and a signing like Slater Koekkoek or Ben Hutton for defencemen. And Anton Forsberg for the goalie.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’d be willing to bet that we see Kailer Yamamoto on the taxi squad during non-game days for financial reasons and it wouldn’t surprise me if some bigger name players like Jujhar Khaira or even James Neal were sent there as paper transactions. Oilers radio colorman Bob Stauffer thinks that Khaira would get claimed, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing for Edmonton at this point.
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BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vince Dunn, Erik Haula, Connor McDavid, Corey Perry, and more!
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Before we get to the links, I’d like to direct you to the tweet below. My hometown’s university hockey team needs help due to cutbacks and obviously financial pressures thanks to the pandemic, so they’ve set up a Go Fund Me to try and raise enough money to keep their program alive.
I can’t even begin to imagine how many hours I spent as a boy running around the Max McLean Arena in Camrose at Vikings games. It has to be in the hundreds as my dad took me to as many as we could get to and add in all the Viking Cup games. Without this hockey program, many people wouldn’t have been able to be introduced to the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Dominik Hasek, Mike Comrie, Olli Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, PJ Axelsson, Dave Tippett, Fernando Pisani, Petr Klima, Sergei Zubov, Ziggy Palffy, Milan Hejduk, Andrei Markov, Henrik Zetterberg, Tuuka Rask, etc. before they became NHL superstars and that’s thanks to the Vikings and the fine people over the years that have worked tirelessly to keep things afloat.
If you have time, visit the Go Fund Me, and if you have an extra buck or two, help out. I know it’s not easy these days, but Camrose without the Vikings would leave a massive hole in the fabric of that town.
Allan Mitchell (The Athletic): Is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins worth more outside of Edmonton and could that mean The Nuge finishes his career outside of the Albertan capital?
“Nuge could be worth more to another NHL team than Edmonton. A natural centre, the Oilers have him playing wing. He’s a ridiculous power-play quarterback but is playing a role as opposed to being the key link in the chain.”
Bet Online: Has Connor McDavid (+400), Nathan MacKinnon (+500), and Leon Draisaitl (+800) in their top-three to win the Hart Trophy in 2020-21.
Dave Poulin (TSN): Sees Travis Hamonic winding up in Vancouver, filling one of the holes made by the loss of two right-handed defencemen, and he had a suggestion for Corey Perry.
“Go home,” said Poulin, referring to Toronto. “Join Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton and have some fun. They won’t need you until the playoffs anyway.”
Emily Sadler (Sportsnet): Despite seeing other professional sports franchises in Washington and Cleveland change their team names, the Chicago Blackhawks will be keeping theirs.
“Obviously, we respect the decision the Cleveland Indians made to go down that path, but we continue to deepen our commitment to upholding our namesake and our brand,” Wirtz told reporters Thursday morning. “The work we’ve been doing over the last several months and expanding and deepening conversations and partnerships within the Native community, we continue to feel really positive about the types of work we can do, the way in which we can be better stewards of the namesake and the history, and to use our platforms to be educators not only for our fans but for our internal teams and making sure that we provide that reverence and respect that we talk about that.”
Adam Gretz (NBC): With the news of Alex Steen’s retirement Thursday, the St. Louis Blues should have enough cap space to re-sign RFA d-man Vince Dunn and possibly add another forward. Gretz suggests one of Mikael Granlund or Erik Haula as a couple of possible candidates.
Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): Says there’s chatter within the league that the NHL is discussing the possibility of moving the 2021 entry draft to next December.
“Don’t rule out the possibility of draft being moved back because look at all the debate that went into moving it from June 24-25 to Oct. 6-7. Every option has to be on the table and it may have to be done virtually again because it’s doubtful prospects could leave their teams to fly to Montreal.”
The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!What a hilarious phrase! Click the pic to get yours today!
Watch Connor McDavid help Team Canada end a five year WJHC gold medal drought right here!
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NHL Rumors and Speculation
A charter carrying the Swedish, Finnish and Russian world junior teams is due to leave for Edmonton today but there's discussion about refusing to get on the flight because of space issues. https://t.co/BWDmCp7YQY
KLAS-TV: Vegas Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley recently told a local news station that his team is not shopping star forward Max Pacioretty.
Jim Thomas (STL Today): In a mail-bag post, Thomas was asked if he thought Blues defenceman Vince Dunn could be traded and replied,
“With Doug Armstrong, you never say never. But I have a hard time understanding why it would be a good thing to move Dunn. You’ve just lost offense — 10-plus goals a season — in Alex Pietrangelo. Why would you move another 10-goal defensemen in Dunn? I think he’s one of only 17 D-men in the league who have scored more than 20 goals combined over the past two seasons. And he’s still young and cheap labor as a restricted free agent.”
James O’Brien (NBC): Was pondering upon what the Carolina Hurricanes might do with their goaltending this year and suggested that if the team is to take the next step and become a contender, they need to upgrade their netminding. He threw out the idea of possibly trading for a goalie on an expiring contract like Marc-Andre Fleury, Tuukka Rask, or Antti Raanta.
Adam Gretz (NBC): Who has the better set of blue liners, the Carolina Hurricanes or the Colorado Avalanche? Gretz digs in here for a very interesting debate.
“What I am hearing out of Boston is if Chara is not comfortable with the format and schedule, he may not sign with any NHL team. All of this raises the possibility that the 43 year-old defenseman who turns 44 in March may decide to hang his skates for good.”
Would you trade Darcy Kuemper for Linus Ullmark and Casey Middlestadt?
Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Mike Hoffman, Travis Hamonic, Mackenzie Weegar, Mattias Janmark, and many more!
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The News and Rumors
Obligatory preface: By the time you read this the content could obsolete as players have been signed or traded. It is half-past midnight on Oct.10th of 2020 as I’m writing this post and free agency is flying! Proceed with caution.
The Athletic: There remains mutual interest between the Penguins and forward Dominik Simon’s camp, even though he was not given a qualifying offer.
BLH’s Thoughts: I would normally say that Simon could be a nice addition to the Oilers, but I’m not sure Ken Holland is looking to add any more forwards right now and if he is, I would think they’d have the potential to be a lot more offensively impactful than Simon.
Pierre LeBrun (TSN): The Toronto Maple Leafs had internal discussions about Travis Hamonic as well as Brandon Montour but there’s a belief that the Sabres will not trade with Toronto.
More LeBrun: The Canucks have had more talks with Tyson Barrie’s camp tonight. More to come tomorrow morning I think.
BLH’s Thoughts: Brian Lawton was saying on Oilers Now (630CHED) that he thinks Barrie will head to Vancouver to play with his old junior defense partner in Tyler Myers… It’s a good fit if you ask me now that Chris Tanev has moved on to Calgary.
Mark Lazerus (The Athletic): The Chicago Blackhawks don’t want to sign another goalie. The plan is to let Colin Deila, Kevin Lankinen, and Malcolm Subban get their big NHL opportunities.
BLH’s Thoughts: Wow, they’re really hoping they’ll be so bad that they’ll be able to draft the hulking 6’5″ Owen Power who just happens to be lacing them up for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. He’s pegged to go in the top-5 of the 2021 NHL draft.
John Shannon: Don’t be surprised, if at some point, that Justin Williams joins the Hurricanes’ front-office. He had a good relationship with owner Tom Dundon.
David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): Buffalo wants to go after Tyler Toffoli, Mike Hoffman, or both. Been talking to Viktor Olofsson’s agent for a while and things are almost done there.
BLH’s Thoughts: Jack Eichel playing with Mike Hoffman would be sweet to watch. Expensive for the team but hella fun for the fanbase.
Did you see that erroneous report yesterday about Hoffman signing in Edmonton? I nearly shat my pants when I read that.
More Pagnotta: There is a growing belief Patrick Marleau will be returning to the San Jose Sharks. We’ll see if it comes to fruition.
Pagnotta cont: Sounds like the Boston Bruins presented Taylor Hall with a short-term contract offer today. There are other suitors. I believe he’s still considering his options.
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t think I’m the only one that has a hard time seeing Hall in a Bruins uniform. Colorado is a much better fit. Hell, Montreal would be a good fit for him too! I guess as many as 25 teams have contacted the former MVP to see where they stand with him, including the Edmonton Oilers.
Here’s the catch with Hall signing in COL though. We’re led to believe that he wants to show the world that he can lead a team to success and prove that his MVP wasn’t a fluke, right? So how exactly would he be doing that as part of the Avalanche or the Bruins? Really, if he wanted to secure that legacy, he’d need to head into one of the Canadian markets and lead one of those clubs to the Cup.
Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): One name that isn’t the biggest but is gaining traction is Panthers d-man MacKenzie Weegar. He is exactly the type of player that the Maple Leafs would look at.
BLH’s Thoughts: I think this is a guy Edmonton would be good to get in on too. He’s a left-shot 26-year-old defenseman who had 18pts in 45gp this past year. His fancies are fantastic. They really blow Darnell Nurse’s right out of the water. Problem with that “on the surface” diagnosis is that Weegar has played about 1200 minutes fewer than Darnell since he graduated to the NHL full-time.
The only thing I’ve heard is that the Panthers want to get a bit tougher and Edmonton needs to keep some of the toughness on its roster less they want to get pushed around every night like they used to back in the Hall/Eberle/Schultz days.
Adrian Dater (Colorado Hockey NOW): Hearing Mattias Janmark to the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent signing and the LA Kings might make an offer to Matt Nieto.
BLH’s Thoughts: I remember there being some chatter amongst the Edmonton media regarding the Oilers going after Janmark. Now with Kyle Turris in the fold, there’s no need to add him. Janmark would be a good 3C in Colorado behind MacKinnon and Kadri. It would mean the end of Tyson Jost most likely though.
Rick Dhaliwal (TSN): With Tanev gone, I wonder if Canucks circle back to Stecher. There has been good interest in Stecher on the market.
BLH’s Thoughts: There’s a strong belief that Tyson Barrie is going to sign in Vancouver. If he does that there would be no need to look at Stecher again. In fact, Stecher might get some eyes from the Oilers if he’s willing to sign something similar to what Matthew Benning signed in Nashville ($1M/yr)
Jim Matheson (Edmonton Sun): With Crawford signing in NJ, that maybe leaves Greiss as a free-agent or Mrazek in a trade for Oilers goal-tending, doesn’t it?
BLH’s Thoughts: Mrazek is kinda pricey for what he brings to the table and Holland has already dealt him once already. Why would he want to bring him into the fold in Edmonton and why not James Reimer instead. He’d at least have some real trade equity with Reimer since his AAV is way higher than the money he’s actually paid this year. Plus, he’s a better goalie than Mrazek.
Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): The sense leading up to free agency was that CBJ trading a goaltender – either Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins – was difficult w so many UFAs on the market. The list of UFAs has thinned in the first two hours, so some teams may be circling back on the trade market.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Oilers can’t get their hands on Greiss at somewhere under $3M/yr, they may need to dip into the trade market. Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins, in my opinion, would be solid additions to the organization. They’re young, talented, and are poised to become full-time 1A goaltenders in the NHL. Some growth and development is still required but I believe they’re on the cusp. Merzlikins is pretty much there already.
Now, the problem is, the Blue Jackets have all the leverage. They’ve got the commodity that others want AND they’ve got more coming with no pressure to move either netminder anytime soon.
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) October 10, 2020
The Oilers Speculation
So the Oilers filled out their 3rd line yesterday, that’s great! Tyler Ennis had a really good audition with the team and he’ll be able to go up and down the lineup as Coach Tippett sees fit. Kyle Turris is one of the best faceoff men in the o-zone in the entire league in the last three years, so he will definitely be useful. Plus it doesn’t hurt to have a soft-minutes 3rd line that can go out and give you some depth scoring.
As for Alan Quine, Seth Griffith, and Anton Forsberg; I fully expect them to help mentor the young players getting started in Bakersfield as well as give the club a better chance at being one of the top clubs in the AHL.
Going forward, the Oilers need to sort out a couple of defensemen, a backup goalie, and possibly a left-winger. I don’t expect them all to come via free agency, don’t forget Ethan Bear and William Lagesson need to be re-signed yet, but the names Thomas Greiss, Tyson Barrie, and Sami Vatanen are some names that the club is looking into.
A lot is going to depend on what other teams are doing, right? Once the big names drop, the clubs that missed out on them will go after the second-tier free agents. The teams that miss out there will most likely look to the trade market. So it’s just a matter of time and who goes where that will determine where the Oilers get their players.
I’ve got a feeling that if Edmonton plays their cards right here, they’re going to get at least one, if not two, bargain buys.
Holland has done really well so far. Let’s see what day two holds for us Oilers fans!
Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Paul Stastny, Anton Khudobin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, William Nylander, and many more!
I'm being told that in the next 24-48hrs the #Oilers are set to make a massive move that will improve the club in a big way. pic.twitter.com/OvSwBOtlht
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) October 9, 2020
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The News and Rumors
Richard Labbe (La Presse): One of the factors to trading Max Domi may have been due to his relationship with coach Claude Julien.
BLH’s Thoughts: Shocking. Veteran coach butts head with young outgoing forward…
To Domi’s credit, he had to watch two very young players hop over him in the depth chart in the playoffs and that couldn’t have been easy. He’ll be a great warrior for John Tortorella in Columbus.
Jordan Hall (NBC Sports): The Winnipeg Jets likely want a defenseman like Travis Sanheim or Philippe Myers for Patrik Laine.
BLH’s Thoughts: You’d think at least one of those would be going to Winnipeg in a Laine deal.
Why is Winnipeg dealing Laine again? Because the coach wants to play him away from their star player? Or is Scheifele saying something? They had to be a horrible team for a whole year to get their hands on Laine and now they want to wash their hands of him without getting a forward in return who can produce at the same rate? Odd… Why wouldn’t they ask for Travis Konecny?
Craig Morgan (The Athletic): The Arizona Coyotes could be interested in Bruins players; Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo.
BLH’s Thoughts: That’s about equal to one Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the payroll… Do you think that could be what the Bs are offering for the Swedish defenseman?
Pierre LeBrun (TSN): The Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche are among the teams interested in Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad.
BLH’s Thoughts: Brandon Saad is an interesting character. He’s never been the same since he was moved from Chicago the first time and now he makes $6M/yr… I don’t think this is a “change of scenery” kind of deal either… He might be on the career decline already.
That said, he was quietly one of the better Blackhawks vs. Edmonton in the play-ins. So maybe I’m out to lunch on this one.
More LeBrun: The Edmonton Oilers pursuit for Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom is getting hotter, as they’re pulling ahead of teams in the race.
BLH’s Thoughts: Lots of talk about Markstrom below but Pat Steinberg (Fan960) says that Calgary is Markstrom’s preferred landing spot if things with Vancouver don’t work out…
LeBrun cont: The Predators and Blue Jackets are expected to take a look at Coyotes forward Taylor Hall in free agency.
Even more LeBrun: There will be a ton of interest in Anton Khudobin including Calgary, Vancouver (If Markstrom leaves), and Vegas (If they trade Fleury). The Oilers are looking at Braden Holtby as well.
Frank Seravalli (TSN): The Vegas Golden Knights could consider moving forward Jonathan Marchessault due to their need for cap space and Nate Schmidt’s name is also out there.
BLH’s Thoughts: A lot of folks seem to believe that the Blue Jackets are going for Hall with all of the salary dumping they’ve been doing these last couple of days, but I’m not so sure they’re not going to go the route the Avs did and simply upgrade the depth of the team by grabbing some secondary free agents and giving them solid contracts. Hoffman, Dadonov, Turris, Craig Smith, and Toffoli are all the kinds of players that would solidify Columbus’ forward group.
Then there’s the Alex Pietrangelo option… Imagine a trident of Pietrangelo, Werenski, and Jones for the next eight years and with all that good young goaltending on its way. Couple all of that with the fact that they’re shopping David Savard… There’s lots of potential to turn things around fast.
Brian Lawton (NBC): Maple Leafs forward William Nylander’s name was floating around in trade talks during the draft.
Andy Strickland (The Athletic): The Columbus Blue Jackets are shopping defender David Savard. He has one year left at $4.25M on his contract.
BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer (630CHED) also brought up Nylander’s name but he thought maybe the Maple Leafs would deal the Swede to fit Taylor Hall in… I don’t know though, wouldn’t you rather have Nylander? I suppose it depends on the price point. If Hall is going to a team for $6M or $6.5M, then it would be hard to turn that down.
Scott Billeck (Winnipeg Sun): Two sources confirm the Winnipeg Jets are close to striking a deal for C Paul Stastny from the Vegas Golden Knights. Sounds like picks are involved going the other way. Stastny has one-year left on a deal making him $6.5 million per year.
BLH’s Thoughts: Well well well. Egg on my face. I was so certain that the Golden Knights would be paying to move their top-paid forwards. I guess Max Pacioretty was almost dealt at the draft too eh? If that’s the case, wow! How would you feel if you played there and even though you signed a substantial contract with the club, your future wasn’t secured…
Darren Dreger (TSN): The Calgary Flames aren’t quite ready to cut ties with UFA d-man TJ Brodie just yet. Contract discussions are ongoing.
More Dreger: The Oilers are among teams that are interested in Travis Hamonic.
BLH’s Thoughts: I think the Flames would be better off with Brodie on their roster personally. He’s a very solid top-4 puck-moving defender. Money might be a stumbling block though and Brodie has paid his dues, he should be going for a raise at this point.
I’d heard last month that Hamonic might be considering his playing future so this is very intriguing news to me. I like this player a lot. He plays with a ton of heart and grit and he puts it all out on the line. Would Edmonton keep Adam Larsson if they had Travis Hamonic on board too?
David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): Another UFA goalie in the mix is Scott Darling. He could be in line for a backup role after a good season in Austria.
Sportsnet: The Red Wings having more available roster spots than ready NHL defensive prospects has led to the increased chatter that they’re poised to take a run at Torey Krug.
Christ Johnston (Sportsnet): Dominik Kahun continues to negotiate with the Sabres after not being given a qualifying offer. It’s still unclear if he will test the market.
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t really have much to say on Darling other than it’s probably a dodgy time to return to the NHL given the flooded goalie market. On Krug, Detroit seems as good as place as any if he’s looking for some big money. As for Kahun, Leon Draisaitl’s old linemate in Germany, he would be a real decent addition to the Oilers. Edmonton is light on the left side and Kahun’s 31pts in 56gp last year is very solid.
Matthew DeFranks (Dallas News): Anton Khudobin, Corey Perry, and Mattias Janmark will all test the free agency market, Jim Nill said.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll be honest, I’d take all three. The amount of heart they displayed in that run to the Final is just what the doctor ordered in Edmonton.
Mikko Koivu says he wants to play one more year and if Oilers can fit in what it'll cost, his agent is Gerry Johannson, who happens to live here. That sounds like a call Ken Holland would make for that third-line centre.
It sure was nice to hear from Jesse Puljujarvi in that ALL-ENGLISH interview, wasn’t it? Language acquisition, much like player development, doesn’t progress in a straight line but I think we can all agree that the communication barrier is an excuse that the media shouldn’t be using any further.
What I liked was that he mentioned the penalty kill and being a part of that unit. How many young players profess publicly that they’d like to play more on the PK? Very few. That’s how many and what adds to this is that he’s already being used on Karpat’s PK unit in Finland, so he’s already getting his bearings in that sort of on-ice setting.
I think he’ll be a good addition to Edmonton’s PK due to the fact that he’s an amazing disruptor. He doesn’t look that fast from the get-go but he covers a lot of distance in a short amount of time. Also, he’s a really good stick checker and his big body won’t be easy to pass around for the other team’s power play.
Pulju is coming back and I couldn’t be happier!
As you noticed at the top of this post, I was indeed passed along a message of encouraging sentiment regarding the Oilers. I’m disappointed that nothing more was disclosed but I wouldn’t be shocked if Ken Holland found a way to come away from this off-season with at least two of the following:
One proper top-pairing defenseman.
One real starting netminder.
One top-6 left-winger.
One right-shot third-line center.
This is the shopping list that we’ve been hearing about for a month now and the feeling I’m getting is that Holland is still looking to shape this roster a bit more to his liking and he could be willing to use some pieces who were previously thought of as “untouchable” to get what he wants.
I would say, at the time of writing, there are five players he will not trade.
Connor McDavid
Leon Draisaitl
Kailer Yamamoto
Philip Broberg
Dylan Holloway
Everybody else is possibly available for the right price.
Now, that being said, the rumors are running rampant that Edmonton is hot on the heels of Canucks netminder Jacob Markstrom and are willing to give him maximum term on a deal. The value of the contract has varied depending on the source as I’ve heard as low as $5M to as high as $7M.
This is a 30yr old goalie with probably three-to-four good years left, if that. Why on Earth would you offer him max term? I mean, Holland did lay out in one of his media avails that if you want to get your guy in free agency you’re going to have to offer more term or more money. So it’s not like he doesn’t know what he’s getting into. My question is, what’s the plan once this contract gets into year four and beyond and the netminder’s numbers are eroding? Is he betting on the flat-cap disappearing and being able to buy him out or deal him?
I will say this though, I like Markstrom but I can’t tell you why I like him more than Mikko Koskinen. Maybe it’s because he’s been around the league more or maybe it’s because he was The Hockey News #1 prospect for a couple of years back when he was just starting out. Maybe it’s some recency bias because he had a really good playoff performance this year. Who knows?
If Holland can get him $5Mx5, I’m all in. He’ll have to move Koskinen to a team like Buffalo or Detroit though or maybe swing a deal for a cheaper backup if he’s to get Markstrom in though.
Another note that was passed along to me very late last night was that there’s a possibility that Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Edmonton isn’t as dead as some believe.
So on that. Last I heard, the Oilers hadn’t offered anything it was made known that the 2021 first is on the table, a roster defenseman, and Evan Bouchard. Also, Edmonton needs Arizona to eat some of that contract.
Bouchard and the first-rounder don’t surprise me but I want to throw an idea past you and you let me know what you think.
A lot of people think that the roster defenseman could be Kris Russell but what if it’s Oscar Klefbom?
I don’t know the rules behind this and maybe it isn’t even possible but there’s some speculation that Klefbom might be forced to retire due to his bad shoulder. Would Arizona agree to take on a portion of OEL’s contract under the agreement that Klef will retire? Thus removing the financial weight of his contract…
Food for thought! Enjoy day one of free agency!
The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!What does Kassian 3:16 mean to you? Click the pic above and get this design today!I don’t hate the Leafs like some Oilers fans but I thought this design was pretty funny! Click the pic above and get one for the Maple Leafs fan in your life!
