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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation feat. McDavid, Stamkos, Fleury, Maroon, and More! (10/6/2020)

Happy Draft Day!!! Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, Marc-Andre Fleury, Patrick Maroon, the 2020 NHL entry draft, and many more!

McDavid has tested positive for the COVID last night. That is unfortunate and I hope he has a speedy recovery!

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The News and Rumors

  • Bob McKenzie (TSN): Cup champs TB have let it be known to other teams they aim to be aggressive in offloading. How aggressive? Hearing teams have been told only four Bolts are unavailable/untouchable: Vasilevskiy; Hedman; Point; Kucherov. Presumably, RFAs Cirelli, Sergachev, and Cernak, too.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve been musing upon the idea perhaps Steven Stamkos could be moved to open up cap room for some time now… How many Maple Leafs fans are flooding the roster builder over at capfriendly right now trying to figure out a way to bring him home?

  • Ryan S. Clark (The Athletic): The Colorado Avalanche want to add a top-4 defender with the plan to sign him on a one or two-year deal around $4M.

BLH’s Thoughts: Tyson Barrie anybody?

  • Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): There’s a very good chance the Blue Jackets will buyout Alex Wennberg if they can’t trade him soon.

BLH’s Thoughts: I think the Oilers would have interest in this player as their third-line center if CBJ bought him out. Although, ideally, you’d like a player who’s more defensively-slanted in that spot. Not sure that’s where the Swede shines. 

  • Ben Pope (Chicago Sun Times): Dawson Mercer, Brendan Brisson, Braden Schneider, Seth Jarvis, and Connor Zary are all in contention for the Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick in today’s NHL entry draft.

BLH’s Thoughts: You know, Brendan Brisson played for the Chicago Steel in the USHL last season and his dad represents both Jonathan Toews AND Patrick Kane…

  • Sean Shapiro (The Athletic): The Dallas Stars will look to draft a forward in round one of today’s draft. The pick is likely available to trade down and add more capital.
  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): The Tampa Bay Lightning are interested in bringing back Patrick Maroon, but if he wants to stay he’ll have to wait until they sort out their cap.

BLH’s Thoughts: If the Toronto Maple Leafs are serious about adding some beef to the lineup AND winning the Stanley Cup, what better solution than Patrick Maroon?! He’s effective! 

  • Rick Dhaliwal (TSN): “Very positive talks between the Canucks and pending RFA forward Zack MacEwan on a new contract. Expecting a one or two-year deal.”
  • Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): Keep an eye on Ottawa’s pick at 28th overall because there’s a possibility it may be moved for immediate help. Lots of teams interested.

BLH’s Thoughts: If there’s one team that could grant the Oilers’ draft day wishes, it might be the Sens if they agreed to trade up and give Edmonton the 28th, 33rd, and 58th overall picks. I mean, think about it. They deal those picks to the Oilers for the 14th overall and then flip that pick for immediate help! Edmonton picks Ridley Greig 28th overall! It’s a win-win for both teams. 

  • Garrioch cont: Winnipeg Jets trying to sign Dylan DeMelo but there’s still a sizeable gap.
  • More Garrioch: Keep an eye on Brandon Saad in Chicago… The Blackhawks have been trying to deal contracts for cap space.

BLH’s Thoughts: Saad’s name has been out there for a while now. If I were a betting man, I’d say that Chicago is going to have to part with something of substantial value in order to get rid of the winger’s $6M/yr deal… 

  • Even more Garrioch: The Florida Panthers are making a last-gasp effort to sign Mike Hoffman but it appears to be a long shot.

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, how good would Hoffman look flanking McDavid or Draisailt? And is it just me or does anybody else think this guy could be on the market for a while. He doesn’t seem like the type that’ll be interested in taking a paycut. 

  • Chris Johnston/Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): OEL has most certainly played his last game for the Arizona Coyotes.

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, Arizona is going to have to soften their demands or find a way to get OEL to broaden his list of teams he’ll be willing to go to. Why Vancouver and Boston only? That baffles me. 

  • More Johnston/Friedman: The Buffalo Sabres are interested in Nick Schmaltz.

BLH’s Thoughts: He’d be a really nice middle-six pivot for the Sabres. Can his health hold up though? He’s a young guy though, aside from a pretty fair contract ($5.85M/yr), why would they be looking to move on from him. He’s good for 50pts+ per year. They’ve got three more years until his yearly salary jumps up over $7M. 

  • Johnston/Friedman cont: The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens like Columbus Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson and CBJ is considering offers for defenceman David Savard.

BLH’s Thoughts: Anderson, Sean Monahan, and Matt Tkachuk on a line would be a hard one to stop. 

  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks were in talks for a trade involving Matt Murray but the Hawks couldn’t work out an extension with the RFA goalie. Both sides have moved on and are exploring other options.

BLH’s Thoughts: Geez, what is Matt Murray demanding? For Chicago not to be able to come to an agreement with him whilst having $11M in cap room is telling. No wonder the Oilers conversations with Pittsburgh were short. 

  • Kevin Paul DuPont (Boston Globe): Growing buzz regarding clubs interested in dealing for Bruins RFA winger Jake DeBrusk.

BLH’s Thoughts: I still think DeBrusk would be an outstanding addition to the Oilers but last time his name came up the plan was for Edmonton to deal a top-four defender for a 1st rounder and then flip that pick in a package for Louie’s boy. That sounds less likely now. 

The Oilers Speculation

Oilers GM Ken Holland reckons the trade action in the league will go down between today and Thursday and likely calm down while free agency opens as teams try to fill needs that way and then after a few days of signings the trades might pick up again.

More pertinent to the Oilers themselves, Holland said that if he is making trades that they’ll be money in, money out kinds of deals. So, similar to the Chiasson/Bjork rumor that’s been going around.

With regards to Jesse Puljujarvi, I feel like my boy is looking for some guarantees that the Oilers aren’t willing to give him. Hence why Holland and coach Tippett are trying to build some trust with him and show him how things are done. This might take some time before we get a signature on a contract and that only makes sense for Jesse. He wants to see how Holland improves the squad and how he might fit into it before getting locked in.

Bob Stauffer talked a lot about Tyson Barrie again this morning and also brought up Sami Vatanen. Which is intriguing because they’re both right-handed. I wonder if the club is looking to bring them both in? Maybe move Adam Larsson for a skilled winger and some cap-relief and go with Barrie, Bear, and Vatanen on the right-side? What would that mean for the left side, then? I’m assuming that Kris Russell is on the move and that would tell us Darnell Nurse, Caleb Jones, and William Lagesson would run the show over there.

Hmmm. Not so sure about that, Ted.

Although, I will say it seems like it would be a lot easier to feed Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from the right side of the ice when they’re curling in to gather the puck in their own zone…

Jason Gregor came out yesterday and disclosed that Oscar Klefbom is dealing with severe arthritis in his shoulder and surgery could make things worse and possibly be career-ending and this is the reason Klefbom’s taken so long to make a decision on what to do about it.

Anybody else wondering who it benefits (apart from Gregor) by disclosing what Klefbom is dealing with? I can’t imagine Oscar or the Oilers would be happy with the radio jockey putting that info out there.

Anyways, Holland has said that he expects to go into next season without Oscar for most of, if not all, of next season but it sounded like he was putting some pressure on the Swede to hurry up so he can make the necessary adjustments to his roster for next year.

Do you think Kris Russell gets traded now?

As far as the draft goes, we’ve been hearing Portland winger Seth Jarvis’ name over and over and over lately. So if he’s there when Edmonton is picking, I would consider it a lock the Oilers take him. Add to that the fact that Holland said they’re “probably” not taking a defenseman because he’s happy with the depth there.

Edmonton will have five picks in this draft. At the time of writing, one in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th round, and since I’ve been on Draft Prospect Hockey.com‘s draft simulator all week, I will present to you my Oilers mock draft.

  • 1st round – Anton Lundell – C – HIFK (SM-Liiga)
  • 3rd round – Alexander Pashin – RW – Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
  • 5th round – Ethan Cardwell – C – Barrie (OHL)
  • 6th round – Daniil Zaitsev – LD – Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)
  • 7th round – Yegor Chinakhov – RW – Avangard Omsk (KHL)

I love Anton Lundell. I think he’s probably the smartest guy in the draft and he’s one of the closest to becoming an impact player at the NHL level. Another season in Finland, one in the AHL, and then, in theory, he should be ready for the big leagues. He reminds me of Mikko Koivu (pretty good player) overall but more specifically I get a Sean Couturier vibe from him and we remember how his draft went, right? Concerned about his skating? Don’t be. He’s not fast off the block, but if you want an NHL comparable, look no further than Florida Panthers star Sasha Barkov.

I remember Pashin lighting up the Hlinka/Gretzky tourament last season with seven goals in five games. He’s electrifying and I have to admit, a bit of a high risk/high reward selection in the 3rd round. He’s not even 5’10”, so that adds to that, but he’s one nimble MFer! He’s fearless, the puck sticks to his blade, and he can finish. I wonder if there’s a bit of Pavel Bure in him?…

Ethan Cardwell is a player with an excellent work ethic and a never die attitude on the puck. His skating, shot, and hockey IQ is well above average. This fella could be a mainstay on the Oilers PK for years. He plays the Canadian way and he throws a bit of flash and dash in there too. Really cool hockey player.

I wanted at least one defenseman and so I picked Russian defender Daniil Zaitsev. He’s 6’1″ 183lbs and defensively, very solid. He takes care of his own end quite well and knows where to place himself in his own zone. He skates very smoothly, has a cannon of a shot, and is not afraid to mix it up physically. He sounds a little like Dmitri Samorukov but Zaitsev holds onto the puck and distributes it a bit better I’m told.

Lastly, Yegor Chinakhov. An overager that was passed over last year, this guy is 19 years old and lighting up the KHL. That’s right, the KHL. Not the VHL or the MHL, the 2nd-best hockey league in the world. In 12 games for Avangard, he has five goals and two assists. Last year in the MHL he had 69 points in 56 games. This guy scores for fun at every level. Here’s what the Draft Prospects Hockey guide had to say about him,

“A hard-working, two-way winger. Solid foot speed, strong first steps. Pivots well, balanced. Protects the puck and is a reliable puck carrier in all three zones. Overall awareness is strong. Hits his teammates with soft and accurate passes. He shoots the puck hard and creates quality chances. Strong for his size. Good defensive stickwork. Solid closing speed, good range. Disrupts passing lanes. Effective on the forecheck. Works hard. Wins battles with his stickwork and excellent positioning. There is improvement to be made on his edgework. He is a streaky player and needs to bring consistency shift after shift. Has bottom six two-way NHL potential.”

You’ll probably notice I picked quite a few Europeans and there’s a reason for that. I am curious if there’ll be a run on Euro-trained players at the draft this year with all the uncertainty due to COVID in North America. As far as I know, only the QMJHL and the AJHL are going ahead with their seasons right now. So where are all these North American players going to continue their development if the junior leagues and the minor pro leagues are shut down?

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation feat. Laine, Gaudreau, Krug, Huberdeau, and More! (10/5/2020)

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, Torey Krug, Jonathan Huberdeau, and many more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Jim Matheson (Edmonton Sun): If Jesse Puljujarvi returns, the Oilers could have to move one of; Zack Kassian, James Neal, or Alex Chiasson.

BLH’s Thoughts: We’ve been hearing that the Oilers will have to move a right-wing in order to fit Puljujarvi in for some time now. Most recently Alex Chiasson being linked to the Boston Bruins.

My feeling is that the club likes what Neal and Chiasson bring to the team’s PP and maybe Zack Kassian is the one they’d prefer to move because he makes the most amount of money and Tippett only really uses him at even-strength. 

  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): The Washington Capitals have major interest in goalie Henrik Lundqvist, but the Swedish netminder has interest in heading to Arizona.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, if the Coyotes can find a way to move Kuemper and Raanta, King Henrik would definitely have a place to play in Arizona. 

  • Friedman cont: The New York Islanders could potentially go for a big free agent like Torey Krug or Taylor Hall this off-season.

BLH’s Thoughts: This is interesting because I was under the impression that the Islanders were vulnerable to an offer-sheet on Mat Barzal. They have a shade over $8M to re-sign Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews… I don’t see how they’ll be able to take on Hall or Krug without moving a big contract like Nick Leddy’s ($5.5M) or Andrew Ladd’s ($5.5M) and then there’s rumors that they’re bringing Zach Parise ($7.5M) in… 

  • More Friedman: the Carolina Hurricanes offered forward Martin Necas and a defenceman to Winnipeg for Patrik Laine, but the Jets are holding out for more.

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder what defenceman added to that deal wasn’t enough for the Jets to green light that deal? I’m betting it was Brady Skjei and Winnipeg wants one of Slavin, Pesce, or Hamilton. 

  • Even More Friedman: The Florida Panthers will listen to trade talks on any player that isn’t named Alexander Barkov.

BLH’s Thoughts: This is more or less old news. If I remember right, at the beginning of last month the Aaron Ekblad rumors started coming out. 

Edmonton should definitely be seeing what it’s going to take to pry Ekblad and possibly Brett Connolly away from the Panthers. 

  • David Staples (Edmonton Journal): There is plenty of talk that links the Edmonton Oilers to Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tyson Barrie this off-season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, Barrie to the Oilers has been a topic of off-season conversation for at least four years, if not longer. I reckon that this sort of deal could hinge on whether or not Ken Holland decides to address the left-side of his defense with Oscar Klefbom possibly being out for the season or to allow Caleb Jones and Darnell Nurse to take the wheel. If the latter is the case, then Edmonton would be very deep on the right-side with Adam Larsson, Ethan Bear, and Barrie patrolling the blueline for them there. 

  • Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers are among the teams that could pursue Jets forward Patrik Laine.

BLH’s Thoughts: Winnipeg wants a 2C and a top-four defenseman for Laine. Are the Blue Jackets, Habs, and Bruins going to let go of one of their top d-men? What are the Red Wings going to offer apart from futures? The Sabres are looking to cut salary, not add it and the Wild are also looking for a top-6 center. So that leaves Florida and the Rangers really. 

  • The Fourth Period.com: The Calgary Flames are open to moving Johnny Gaudreau. The Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, and Columbus Blue Jackets are interested.

BLH’s Thoughts: Are the Flames not looking for a defenseman in return for Johnny Hockey? Minnesota could offer Dumba and prospects but I don’t see the Flyers and Columbus being able to offer anything defensively for Gaudreau. Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Ivan Provorov aren’t going anywhere and you’d have to think that’s the caliber of trade that Calgary is looking for in return for their star winger. 

  • Larry Brooks (NY Post): The New York Rangers are undecided on whether or not they’ll qualify Ryan Strome. He becomes a UFA at 5pm EST on Tuesday if not qualified.

BLH’s Thoughts: THIS is going to be something to watch for Oilers fans. Strome and Puljujarvi had fantastic chemistry when they played together in Edmonton and the former Oilers center would be a perfect fit for their hole at 3C. If he hits the market, I fully expect Edmonton to meet with his representatives. Some believe he’ll be asking for around $4.75M but I wonder if he might drop that a tad to return to the City of Champions. 

  • Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): The Columbus Blue Jackets are listening to offers on both of Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo. They will be in the market for a short-term veteran backup, Jimmy Howard would be a good option.

BLH’s Thoughts: They should probably pass on Howard and see what Henrik Lundqvist is doing. 

I think Ken Holland will be monitoring Columbus’ goalie situation closely keeping in mind they’ve got interest in Jesse Puljujarvi. Maybe if the Oilers can acquire another draft pick in the first three rounds, they could flip Pulju and the pick for one of CBJ’s goalies. 

  • Marc-Antoine Godin (The Athletic): It is very far from certain that the Montreal Canadiens will buy out the contract of Karl Alzner. Habs GM Marc Bergevin says he isn’t concerned another year in Laval will be “toxic” to the team.
  • Ryan Rishaug (TSN): The Edmonton Oilers won’t be able to sign any free agent goalies unless they move Mikko Koskinen first. Rishaug doesn’t see the Oilers spending $5M-$6M on a goaltender unless Koskinen is gone.

BLH’s Thoughts: My feeling is that the Oilers will most likely end up spending between $7M and $8.5M on goaltending for next season. No inside information, just a hunch. 

  • Ryan S. Clark (The Athletic): It is understood that the front office has started looking into new contracts for pending RFAs Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Graves, and Valeri Nichushkin.

BLH’s Thoughts: Adrian Dater also mentioned recently that the Avs could trade Nichushkin if his ask is too high (and it probably will be). I’d deal him if I were Joe Sakic too, but Graves and Burakovsky need to be re-signed. They were outstanding for Colorado this past season. 

  • John Vogl (The Athletic): Minnesota Wild forward Alex Galchenyuk could be a good and cost affordable option in free agency for the Buffalo Sabres to add to their weak left side. He is in for a big pay cut.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve wondered this same thing about him coming to Edmonton. He showed a very different side to his game during the series with Vancouver and if that gritty version of himself was the player he decided to be going forward, I wouldn’t mind that on the Oilers. 

  • Rick Dhaliwal (TSN): Washington Capitals UFA defender Brendan Dillon says he would be very interested in joining his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks, if he were to hit free agency.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, that would take them out of the OEL sweepstakes, wouldn’t it? HA!

The Oilers Speculation

As we sit here on the eve of the 2020 NHL draft, I’ve got four names for you to consider as possible selections for the Oilers at 14th overall. These are players that the Edmonton media have been talking endlessly about for the last week or so.

But before we get into that, I believe it would be a worthwhile idea for the Oilers to consider trading down and grabbing more picks, but as the great Jack Michaels says, “You can’t miss if you’re doing that.” and he’s right, you can’t…

That said, here are the Edmonton media’s candidates,

  • Yaroslav Askarov (G) – SKA/KHL
  • Kaiden Guhle (LHD) – Prince Alberta/WHL
  • Seth Jarvis (RW) – Portland/WHL
  • Dylan Holloway (C) – Wisconsin/NCAA

I really hope the club isn’t tempted into taking Guhle at 14th overall and no disrespect to the player. He’s one of the top defencemen for this draft, he skates extremely well, he’s a mean SOB, and he’s got a bomb of a shot. His problem is that he’s not a great puck mover and often takes himself out of plays with his aggressiveness. His NHL comparable is Darnell Nurse.

My argument is that the club has a bit of depth on defense prospect-wise with Philip Broberg, Dmitri Samorukov, Evan Bouchard, and William Lagesson (to a lesser extent) coming and there are players in the 2nd and 3rd round that have the same skillset as his like Ryan O’Rourke, Helge Grans, Emil Andrae, and Tyler Kleven. Perhaps even Justin Barron will drop a bit and be available to the Oilers and a guy like Donovan Sebrango shouldn’t be forgotten about either.

The team really needs to address its lack of prospect depth on forward. Raphael Lavoie is the player in the system that has the potential to be a top-6 forward (aside from Puljujarvi but should we be counting him in this?). So taking Seth Jarvis would be a fantabulous idea. Taking Anton Lundell if he drops would be awesome. If Rodion Amirov is there, grab him! They’d best be clicking Jack Quinn’s name furiously on their computers if he somehow drops. There is a solid group of 6-8 forwards the Oilers could take at 14th overall and I’d be pleased.

There are two caveats by the name of Yaroslav Askarov and Jake Sanderson though.

These two players have the potential to be game-breakers at the NHL level and I wouldn’t be upset if the Oilers decided to take either if they fell to 14 as Askarov has been called the next Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sanderson has drawn comparisons to Zach Werenski…

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation feat. Zadorov, Sergachev, Rask, Dubnyk, and More! (10/3/2020)

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Sergachev, Tuuka Rask, Devan Dubnyk, and many more!

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

The News and Rumors

  • 31 Thoughts Podcast: Some Rumblings about Colorado potentially being interested in Corey Crawford. Nikita Zadorov is probably going to be traded.

BLH’s Thoughts: How would you feel about Zadorov in Oilers silks? I would love it but my only concern is the player he was partnered with. Ideally, you’d like him playing with Ethan Bear because he can move the puck better and would be the Yin to Zadorov’s Yang. The problem with that would be it leaves Nurse playing with Larsson, and that’s simply not going to work. But maybe Larsson is moved out and Tyson Barrie comes in… That would change the equation a bit. 

  • More 31 Thoughts Podcast: The Detroit Red Wings could have interest in Islanders defender Andy Greene. They also may have interest in goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

BLH’s Thoughts: I really dig older vets like Andy Greene. He’s the kind of guy I’d love to have across from Evan Bouchard mentoring him over the course of a season on Edmonton’s 3rd pair. 

There’s been some chatter that the Oilers are interested in Markstrom. Not. So. Sure about that. He’s going to be somewhere upwards of $6M/yr and last season he was really not much better than Mikko Koskinen. 

  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Could see the NJ Devils being interested in Tampa d-man Mikhail Sergachev if he’s available. In theory, a deal with him for a 1st at minimum makes sense. NJ is going to be very active.

BLH’s Thoughts: Now this is the kind of wild card I was talking about yesterday. Could Edmonton send their 14th overall to Tampa for Sergachev? That would be better than drafting Kaiden Guhle, in my opinion. With Oscar Klefbom out for the year, the Oilers would be able to fit Sergachev in under their cap. 

  • More Friedman: The Florida Panthers are interested in Ryan Donato and Luke Kunin (MIN) as well as defenseman Mark Borowiecki. They could try to get Ryan Murray (CBJ) and they’ve spoken to Evgeni Dadonov about a return.

BLH’s Thoughts: David Staples (The Cult of Hockey) recently spoke about a thing called “sweet tooth syndrome” and what he was talking about was GMs and coaches going after players they had in other clubs and whether or not that was a good idea or not. 

Florida had Vincent Trocheck and now they’re going after Kunin? They’ve got Stralman and Yandle, now they’re after Murray? WTF is going on down there?…

  • Friedman Again: The Wild and Sharks are working on a deal to send goalie Devan Dubnyk to San Jose. Talks are picking up quickly.

BLH’s Thoughts: Are there folks out there that believe DD can catch lightning in a bottle again? To me, he doesn’t sound too enthused about playing hockey these days. 

  • Frank Seravalli (TSN): Multiple sources indicate Bruins GM Don Sweeney has initiated conversations with teams about Tuuka Rask’s market value over the last number of weeks.

BLH’s Thoughts: You want an acquisition from way out of left field for the Oilers? Tuuka Rask would be exactly that and we know Holland and Sweeney have been talking… If the Bruins are considering bringing in Taylor Hall and one of OEL or Alex Pietrangelo, they’re going to need some cap space. Dealing Rask and DeBrusk to Edmonton would accomplish that to some extent. 

  • More Seravalli: With limited UFA centers available, Nashville is believed to be exploring trade options for any one of their centers (Johansen, Duchene, Turris, and Bonino).
  • John Vogl (The Athletic): Brandon Montour has been featured in trade talks, but teams know there’s a chance the Sabres decline to issue him a qualifying offer and make him a UFA.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Sabres are in the same boat as the Oilers with Montour. That trade has been a disaster for Buffalo… Who gives up a 1st rounder and a top-prospect for a 3rd pairing defender?

  • Vince Mercogliano (USA Today): The New York Rangers re-signing forward Jesper Fast could happen soon. They’re also looking for a trade to address the center and left-defense positions. Pick #22 will be in play and don’t expect a big free-agent signing.

BLH’s Thoughts: Edmonton has had interest in Fast in the past, but that was maybe two years ago. I would think if Oscar Klefbom was healthy, maybe he would’ve been a candidate to be headed to the Big Apple for a package that included that 22nd overall pick.

  • The Fourth Period: Several teams are believed to be eyeing Braden Holtby as an option to become their #1 goalie; including the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche.

BLH’s Thoughts: I haven’t heard, but I wonder what Holtby is asking? If he would sign for $4M or a little bit more, would the Oilers be in on him at that price point? Surely, he’s asking for much more than that though. 

I love the idea of bringing in a goalie with a pedigree like his. He’s older, he’s won, and he’s prime for a bounce back. 

  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): Calgary Flames d-man Erik Gustafsson is going to hit the free-agent market on October 9th unless the team gives him more money.

BLH’s Thoughts: It doesn’t sound like he’s willing to sign for the $1M I was hoping for. Hmmm. Maybe he would take what he made this past season ($1.3M)?

The Oilers Speculation

We’re days from the NHL entry draft and there’s very little being talked about with regards to who the Oilers will be taking this year which is in stark contrast to last year when basically everybody knew that Philip Broberg was going to be Holland’s selection in the first round.

Wisconsin forward and former AJHL MVP Dylan Holloway is probably the name that’s been out there the longest in connection to the Oilers. More recently Portland Winterhawk star Seth Jarvis and Price Albert Raider defender Kaiden Guhle have been the names brought up more often than not.

The Oilers are in a weird place at 14th overall, in that, the top-7 is more or less settled.

  • Alexis Lafreniere – LW
  • Quinton Byfield – C
  • Tim Stutzle – C
  • Jamie Drysdale – RHD
  • Cole Perfetti – LW
  • Lucas Raymond – LW
  • Marco Rossi – C

Even to me, a guy like Rossi isn’t guaranteed to stick in the top-7. It’s really dependent on what Ottawa (#5), Anaheim (#6), and New Jersey (#7) do with their selections as there are rumors that the Senators could take Yaroslav Askarov or possible Jake Sanderson. The Russian netminder’s name has also been connected to the Devils at 7th overall and do we ever really know what Steve Yzerman is going to do with the 4th overall pick. He could hop up and call Seth Jarvis’ name for all we know.

Now from #8-14, the list might look like this,

  • Alexander Holtz – RW
  • Jake Sanderson – LHD
  • Anton Lundell – C
  • Dylan Holloway – C
  • Connor Zary – C
  • Dawson Mercer – C

After that, we could have up to four players who’ve been ranked lower in the past hop into the top-14. Players like skiller Seth Jarvis, goal-scorer Jack Quinn, elite goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, Tough d-man Kaiden Guhle, and Shea Weber 2.0 Braden Schneider.

The point I’m making is that there’s massive potential for anything to happen before the Oilers pick, when the Oilers pick, or after they pick, but they’re in a very unique position.

My personal feeling is that they really want Jarvis. They’re looking for players who have white-hot burning intensity in their games, high-character, can skate very well, and are very very skilled; which Jarvis has all of and if he’s not available perhaps they trade down and grab an extra pick or two with the intentions of selecting this year’s uber-pest Ridley Greig.

I’ve read Greig being a mix between Brendan Gallagher and Matthew Barnaby. He’s a player that pulls guys into the fight and he has the potential to impact the game in so many different ways. Just a very intense player on the ice.

I don’t really believe that there’s going to be a massive difference in the talent level from 14th to 28th and if Edmonton can drop down into the mid-20s and pick up a second-round pick and possibly a 3rd round pick, that would help out a ton because there are some good players that will be available there like,

  • Joel Blomqvist – G (Karpat) – 2nd best goalie available.
  • Marat Khusnutdinov – C (SKA) – Very Sebastian Aho-like forward when he’s on. First-round skill.
  • Jake Neighbours – LW (Edmonton) – Hard-nosed leader. Shades of Dustin Brown.
  • Luke Evangelista – RW (London) – Hardest worker in the draft. Versatile gritty winger.
  • Noel Gunler – LW/RW (Lulea) – Bit of a lone wolf. Highly skilled goal-scorer.
  • Daniel Torgersson – LW/RW (Frolunda) – Scores at every level. Big power forward.
  • Emil Andrae – LHD (HV71) – Swedish Torey Krug? VERY competitive.
  • Michael Benning – RHD (Sherwood Park) – Very smooth puck-mover. Like Sam Girard.
  • Oskar Magnusson – C (Malmo) – Never-ending motor. Emotional player. Big skill, little body.

One kicker will be if Yaroslav Askarov falls to 14th… People are talking about him like he’s the next Carey Price or Andrei Vasilevskiy and I know a lot of folks are wary of drafting goalies that high but there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the years and that’s when the Russian federation pushes really young players like they’ve done with Vasilevskiy and more recently Vasily Podkolzin, they’re the real deal. They don’t mess around with young players over there and if one is getting lots of time in the KHL or on the international scene, that’s a really good indication the player is going to be a difference-maker, at least in my opinion.

I’d take him if he fell and work the rest out afterward.

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation feat. Stamkos, Krug, Ryan, Pesce, and More! (9/27/2020)

Today’s news and speculation from the NHL includes notes on the playing future of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, Bruins UFA defender Torey Krug, now-UFA forward Bobby Ryan, Hurricanes defender Brett Pesce, lots of Patrik Laine talk, and much more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Jon Cooper (Lightning Head Coach): Steven Stamkos is out for the remainder of the postseason due to injury.

BLH’s Thoughts: The fact that the Lightning have accomplished what they have this season without Stamkos is a testiment to their outstanding depth. Maybe it’s time to start considering what the future would look like without Stammer? They need to open up some real cap room if they plan is to keep the band together, right? 

  • The Rear Admiral (Spittin’ Chiclets): The Boston Bruins will look to trade Torey Krug’s rights. The Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Detroit Red Wings are among the suitors.

BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting that Avs would be in on Krug as they have a youngster by the name of Bowen Byram coming along. As for the other teams, Krug’s looking for bank now and I feel like Detroit is really the only club that could offer him that out of that group of teams. 

  • Matt Teague (The Score): The Avalanche, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Devils, and Wild are all potential trade destinations for Jets forward Patrik Laine.
  • Eric Duhatschek (The Athletic): The Blue Jackets woudl likely need to send either Zach Werenski or Seth Jones to Winnipeg if they wanted to acquire Patrik Laine.
  • More Duhatschek: The Winnipeg Jets may prefer Brett Pesce rather than Dougie Hamilton if they were to move Laine to the Hurricanes.
  • Pat Hickey (Montreal Gazette): The Canadiens could offer Max Domi, Brett Kulak, one of Cale Fleury or Noah Juulsen and the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft for Patrik Laine.

BLH’s Thoughts: Winnipeg is still a good club and can still compete. They won’t be looking for futures in a Laine trade and I am still of the opinion that the Hurricanes are in the best position assets-wise to make a trade for Laine. That Habs proposal from Hickey is decent, mind you. Colorado’s window is only for next season, then they have to re-sign Makar and Landeskog. Add Laine into that and I can’t see that being a reality. Columbus isn’t offering their best players for the bigg Finn and Minnesota doesn’t have the forwards to offer. 

  • Craig Morgan (azcoyotesinsider.com): Coyotes d-man Oliver Ekman-Larsson and his camp are very open to a change of scenery this offseason.

BLH’s Thoughts: Things have cooled down on the OEL front. I wonder if this is either a trade that happens at the draft or sometime into next season. 

  • More Morgan: Coyotes d-man Alex Goligoski will not play for the Oilers, Flames, Jets, Canadiens, Senators, Sabres, Wings, or Kings.

BLH’s Thoughts: As long as he plays in a city where it’s got nice weather or plenty of things to do AND it’s not a losing franchise, he’s alright I guess. I’m shocked that the bubble in Edmonton didn’t convince him of all the nice things that Northern Alberta has to offer… 

  • Jimmy Murphy (Boston Hockey NOW): The Vancouver Canucks have recently asked abotu Bruins d-man Charlie McAvoy but he is believed to be “untouchable”.
  • Jim Parsons (The Hockey Writers): Free agent forward Bobby Ryan could be a good short-term option for the Oilers this offseason.

BLH’s Thoughts: As if the Bruins are going to trade McAvoy… Now, as for Bobby Ryan, I agree with Parsons. He would be a stellar 3rd line winger for Edmonton. Ryan can still put the puck in the net and he shoots a ton.

I speak to a different line combo below but what about a 3rd line of Ryan-Haula-Puljujarvi? Pretty decent array of skills and experience and would be entertaining. What’s that price point look like though?

The Oilers Speculation

In Kurt Leavins’ latest 9 Things post there were a couple of things he said that I want to highlight in this space here.

The Oilers would love to get a full NHL season from a couple of ELC players like Benson and/or Evan Bouchard (who’s in Sweden). The ETA’s for both players to either sink or swim is nearly upon us. If they could, it would free up some much-needed cash (perhaps Matt Benning and Alex Chiasson’s contracts, or others) to spend elsewhere.

The part about both players needing to “sink or swim” because their window is closing is interesting to me in that I could definitely see that with Benson but not so much with Bouchard; and IF the Oilers (or those around the club) feel like it’s going to take a bit longer to develop him or that his ceiling isn’t as high as they once projected, are they entertaining the idea of using him in a trade to bring back an elite top-pair defender like, say, Aaron Ekblad for example.

Recently, Bob Stauffer (630CHED), has been saying that some are comparing Bouchard to Islanders defender Ryan Pulock and making it a point to drive home how long it took Pulock to get to the show and how it turned out for him…

Maybe Bob’s heard something and doesn’t like the idea of Edmonton moving Bouchard? Who knows.

Whether Andreas Athanasiou remains a member of the Edmonton Oilers depends a lot on Andreas Athanasiou. Acquired by Ken Holland at the trade deadline, the player never did get into a groove over the remainder of the regular season. And the post-season for the Oilers was so short and disappointing it didn’t help clear things up much more. But the player is a valuable asset, if only because of what Ken Holland had to spend to get him. As such, the club would love for Athanasiou to agree to a short-term deal with a “show-me” AAV. A 1-year, $2m contract. It would be good for both player and club. It would create vital cap space that Holland desperately needs in the short term. But it would also give the player (with a full summer for him to get into proper, peak physical condition) a chance to enhance his value on a team that features 2 of the best Centers in the world. Seems like a hell of an opportunity, no? Would the player not relish that?

OH THE IRONY!!! There’s an assumption here that Athanasiou is going to automatically get thrown onto the ice with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl without having to “earn it” after losing the trust of his coach during the minute opportunity he had prior to the Oilers losing to the Blackhawks in the qualifiers.

My feeling is that it’s “better business” for the Oilers to be able to sign not only Athanasiou but also Jesse Puljujarvi to one-year “show me” deals and what I mean by that is, if they signed with the club, they’d instantly become tradeable assets, moreso in AA’s case than JP’s since he’d be a UFA if they didn’t re-sign him. They’d still own Pulju’s rights if he didn’t come back.

We know that there are teams with interest in both players (Columbus being one) and it’s in Ken Holland’s best interests to do what’s best for the club. Last I checked, spending two 2nd-round picks on a player and then being forced to watch him walk away for nothing is not good for the future of the team.

Leavins spoke to the idea of a $5M third line last week, I believe. I think it was Ennis-Koivu-Puljujarvi he had on it and for the record, I LOVE the idea of putting Jesse with two veterans like that. But, what about a line consisting of Athanasiou-Koivu-Puljujarvi? Food for thought.

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation feat. Kessel, Stastny, Pietrangelo, Bishop, and More! (9/21/2020)

Today’s news and speculation from the NHL includes notes on Phil Kessel, Alex Pietrangelo, Ben Bishop, Paul Stastny, the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltending situation, and much more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Pat Steinberg (FAN590): The Calgary Flames are interested in signing Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom if he hits the free-agent market.

BLH’s Thoughts: Geez, Cam Talbot must be loving all of this speculation. Meh, what does it matter anyhow, he’s going to Dallas, isn’t he?

Between Markstrom, Darcy Kuemper, and Matt Murray, the Flames have been all over the goalie market in search for their new no.1. Signing Markstrom would be a good move on their part, albeit an expensive one… 

  • Pierre LeBrun (TSN): Loui Eriksson’s agent JP Barry has been given the green light from the Vancouver Canucks to be calling other teams directly himself to try and find his client a new home.
  • HockeyNews.se: After breaking the loan deal with Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie, SHL club Rogle BK is reportedly interested in signing Habs prospect Cole Caufield.

BLH’s Thoughts: This Lavoie/Rogle stuff is quite the little mini-drama. Some outlets say he wasn’t good enough to make the team, others say that there was no deal in place for him to even make the team.

Whatever it is, Lavoie is on the search for another club. My question is, why would his agent seek out and sign off this kind of scenario when everybody else is getting proper deals with clubs on that side of the pond? I mean, are other NHL prospects getting cut from European teams right before their first games of the year too? 

There is a dusting of irony for Oilers fans in a North American player heading to Europe and not being able to cut it on the big ice though, isn’t there?

  • Jeremy Rutherford (The Athletic): The Blues’ current offer to captain Alex Pietrangelo is $7.7M AAV, but he’s been asked to accept the AAV without knowing the structure of the deal.”
  • Josh Wegman (The Score): The Leafs, Bruins, Avalanche, Flames, and Oilers are all realistic landing spots for Blues defender Alex Pietrangelo.

BLH’s Thoughts: Pietrangelo to Edmonton is not a realistic landing spot for a player looking for $10M/yr… I mean unless he changed his tune and was looking for something south of $4M on a one-year contract… 

  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): The Flyers are actively looking to move out some salary and create cap space. There’ve been no contract talks with any of their pending free agents.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Following players are out of contract in Philly, Brian Elliott, Robert Hagg, Justin Braun, Philippe Myers, Derek Grant, Tyler Pitlick, Nate Thompson. Hagg and Myers are RFAs whilst the rest of the names on that list are UFAs…

The Flyers have around $10M is cap room coming up. I would imagine that Hagg and Myers will take up half of that at least. 

  • Eric Stephens (The Athletic): Contract talks have been quiet between forward Kiefer Sherwood and the Anaheim Ducks.
  • Rob Rossi (The Athletic): Although signed to a new deal, Jared McCann remains a trade candidate. Look for the Penguins to get busy on a contract for Tristan Jarry soon.
  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Jimmy Howard says he won’t re-sign with the Red Wings or retire, he’ll go to free agency. Apparently last season wasn’t the way he wanted to end his career.
  • Frank Seravalli (TSN): Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop is becoming more and more likely to become a trade candidate.

BLH’s Thoughts: Can you think of a team that will sign Jimmy Howard because I can’t. He’s damned near 37 years old and has been well below-average for a while now. 

When healthy, Bishop is a fantastic goalkeeper. His problem is his health though. Well, that and he has a M-NTC (10-team no-trade list) and a NMC. 

I could see the Stars moving on from him, but he’d have to okay it. An Anton Khudobin/Cam Talbot duo in Dallas would work lovely in my opinion if Jim Nill did find a way to trade Bishop. 

  • More Seravalli: Some potential players on the move include; Phil Kessel (ARI), Tyler Bozak (STL), and Andreas Athanasiou (EDM).
  • Dan Kingerski (Pittsburgh Hockey NOW): It is getting more and more likely that the Penguins could reunite with Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.

BLH’s Thoughts: Of all the years to have a flat-cap forced on the league… Edmonton could most certainly use both Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak for a year or two going into 2020-21… 

I really can’t see MA Fleury going back to Pittsburgh unless his BFF Sid Crosby is really on the horn about it. Could Vegas flip MAF for Matt Murray and then use Murray to upgrade somewhere else though? An interesting scenario nevertheless. 

The Oilers Speculation

I agree and now there are rumblings (out of Edmonton of course) that if Arizona ate $2M/yr on OEL’s deal, that would make the trade more palpable.

Now, let’s think about that for a second. Seven years remaining @ $2M/yr… By my math, and it’s not great, that’s around $14M that the Coyotes, a team looking to rid itself of real money, would need to eat… Unless Edmonton is offering them a deal they cannot refuse without keeping that salary, why would Arizona choose to deal with the Oilers?

Well, there is one reason and that would be Ekman-Larsson himself saying that the only team he’ll go to is the Edmonton Oilers to play for former coaches Dave Tippett and Jim Playfair. He has a no-movement clause that puts him in the driver’s seat.

My offer: A 2021 lottery-protected first-round pick, Darnell Nurse, and Dmitri Samorukov or Kris Russell.

The Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins had this to say on the OEL talk,

I have every reason to believe that the Oilers have talked to the Arizona Coyotes about veteran 1st pairing D-man Oliver Ekman-Larsson. With signs that the ownership in the desert will most definitely not be a cap team in 2020-21, Ekman-Larsson and his $8.2m cap hit are in play. The issues for Arizona (and the Oilers, frankly) are three-fold. First, the $8.2m. Second, term…the fact that at 29 years old Ekman-Larsson is still owed 58 million dollars through 2026-27. Finally, third…for a franchise like Arizona who leans heavily on fancy stats Ekman-Larsson’s underlying numbers the last season and a half have been off.
But who would know Ekman-Larsson better than Dave Tippett and Jim Playfair, the coaches in Arizona when Ekman-Larsson had his best seasons? And are we sure the slump in EOL is age starting to catch up to him? What other trials might have the player had to work through over the past 18 months? Adam Larsson understandably had some challenges adjusting after his father passed away. Ekman-Larsson lost his mother in a similar time frame. These are the things data and spreadsheets don’t always show.Arizona would also be keenly aware than in order to move their big LHS D-man it would have to both retain salary and probably take one on a contract, as well. With the Desert Dogs suddenly under a self-imposed cap, a contract where the player’s salary has already been largely paid out (such as Kris Russell’s) would be particularly attractive. And if you are wondering about Eckman-Larsson’s No-Move-Clause, I am made to believe that he’d waive it to come to Alberta.

But wait. Isn’t Ken Holland the prototypical “Draft & Develop” General Manager? With a flat cap, isn’t now the time to slowly bring those economical ELC players into the lineup in order to create some complimentary player cap space for the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lines? Keep some of the powder dry until next year when some contracts fall away.

Or does the confluence of the pandemic, civil unrest and geo-political issues in the United States make a safe Canadian market like Edmonton with 2 of the league’s biggest superstars and the nicest arena anywhere make now an opportune time to reach out to clubs who don’t have all those advantages?

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