In 2015, future Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid guided a star-studded Team Canada to the Gold Medal Final in Toronto where they faced Ivan Provorov, Pavel Buchnevich, and the rest of Team Russia.
The last time the Canadians had won the Gold was back in 2009…
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It’s funny. You don’t really notice how influential the fans are to a hockey game until you watch a gold medal final from a Canadian-based city that features Team Canada and one of Team Russia or Team USA. Speaking from experience, my best friend Nick and I went to the 2012 tournament but could only afford to watch one Canadian game, the opening game of the tournament where they played Finland. When Canada scored the first goal… F*ck me… I thought I was going to go deaf. The bloody roof nearly lifted off that place! And that was against the Finns! I can only imagine what it would sound like in Montreal or Toronto during a gold medal final…
Not having fans in the seats at these home games will be very interesting to see how that plays out for Team Canada…
After a wild game of momentum swings and intense competition, Canada clinched gold for the first time since 2009, defeating Russia 5-4 at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadians posted a quick 2-0 lead and were up 5-1 at one point on the relentless Russians, who battled back to make for a tense finish in a sold out building.
Russian goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s night lasted just 2:32 as he was beaten on two of the three shots he faced out of the gate. Anthony Duclair (New York Rangers/Quebec Remparts) snapped a high wrister under the crossbar 23 seconds into play as he and Max Domi (London Knights) combined to register a quick chance off the forecheck. A shift later, Nick Paul (North Bay Battalion) used his long reach to get a stick on a centering pass from Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors) to deflect the puck past Shesterkin and make it 2-0.
Russian coach Valeri Bragin made a move that has worked for him in the past, swapping goaltenders as he did in Buffalo during the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game as his squad overcame a 3-0 deficit to claim gold over Canada. Hopeful for a similar result, Ilya Sorokin took over in the crease and the Russians quickly turned things around. Defenceman Dmitri Yudin found the back of the net at 9:20 from Anatoli Golyshev and Alexander Dergachev, stepping into a slapshot that beat goaltender Zachary Fucale (Quebec Remparts) through a screen inside the far post.
Canada came out of the gate fast in the second, with Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) making the score 3-1 5:08 into the period on an assist from Josh Morrissey (Kelowna Rockets). Morrissey caught the Russian defence making a line change to find McDavid busting through the middle, sending him in alone to beat Sorokin through the legs.
Max Domi would snap a wrister under the arm of Sorokin at 7:22 before setting up linemate Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) for a tip on a long shot from inside the point that snuck through the legs of the Russian netminder at 12:30. Canada led 5-1 and was in full control just beyond the midway point of the second.
A Bragin timeout seemed to get the attention of his players following Reinhart’s goal to make it 5-1 for Canada. Three of his top shooters, Ivan Barbashev (Moncton Wildcats), Sergey Tolchinsky (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) and former Sarnia Sting forward Nikolay Goldobin would respond by scoring three goals in a span of 3:16, shocking the capacity crowd at the Air Canada Centre to bring Russia within a goal down 5-4. Russia outshot Canada 10-5 in the second and would embark on the third period with a powerplay.
Head Coach Benoit Groulx and his club came out for the third and calmly killed off Russia’s early powerplay, wrestling back some momentum before effectively neutralizing their dangerous offensive attack. Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) and the Canadian defensive corps played a sound third period game to limit Russian opportunities and hold on for a 5-4 victory as the ACC erupted.
Nurse was named Canada’s Player of the Game, being credited for his rugged play inside the defensive zone as he and defensive partner Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) played the entire tournament without surrendering an even strength goal against.
Canada’s 16th gold medal in tournament history was certainly one to remember, overcoming a worthy Russian adversary that didn’t back down until the final buzzer sounded.
If you’re enjoying the series, check out this week’s previous games below!
As I sit here on a depressingly rainy December day in Taipei City, bored out of my gourd, I’ve been trying to think of something to write about that could be quick, engaging, and thought-provoking and thus, I’ve come away from this little session with a trade proposal blog that will feature the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The Trade
The base of this trade is built around two players, Morgan Rielly (TOR) for Darnell Nurse (EDM).
Now, Personally, I think that Rielly is a much better player than Nurse in nearly every facet aside from face-smashing and intimidation. Nurse might be the scariest defenceman in the league right now in that regard. So, on that note, if a trade like this were to be consummated, Edmonton would need to add to the deal and we’ll get to that later on.
Why would Toronto want to make this trade?
Can’t ignore the Sault Ste. Marie connection.
GM Kyle Dubas has had some sort of epiphany recently as it pertains to his club’s lack of leadership and physicality. Nurse brings all of that.
Potential hometown discount on Nurse’s next deal plus long-term, he should be cheaper than Rielly. Something that Toronto really needs.
Rasmus Sandin is coming for Rielly’s job and should be ready sooner than later.
Why wouldn’t Toronto make this deal?
They’ve got a serious glut of left-handed defencemen in their system at the moment.
Apart from Rielly, those include TJ Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott, Rasmus Sandin, and newly signed Mikko Lehtonen.
They feel that Nurse’s grit factor is overrated in today’s NHL.
In a time when the league is getting smaller and more skilled, how long will a player like Darnell Nurse be effective? Plus, Morgan Rielly is no shrinking violet. He’s skilled and can play the game old school.
They might feel this trade would downgrade their defence. Darnell Nurse isn’t exactly the best possession driving blueliner in the league whereas Rielly is an outstanding playmaker.
Plainly put, do the Leafs want to get tougher to play against? Adding “Doc” Nurse will accomplish that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjoKXzPoX8
Why would the Oilers want to make this trade?
They need a true top-pairing defenceman who can move the puck and is reliable and consistent.
This would move Oscar Klefbom (if healthy) to a more responsible 2nd-pairing deployment.
Offense from the blue line has been hard to come by.
Hence why the local media has had perma-boners since they signed Tyson Barrie.
They feel that paying Rielly more will take them farther as a club than Nurse.
Philip Broberg, Dmitri Samorukov, and Caleb Jones are nearly ready to take the next step in their careers and the Oilers will have to make room for them on the left side.
Samorukov is a fairly stern defender. Taking the body and making the opponents feel some pain every time they visit his ice is commonplace for him. He’s also close to earning a promotion to the NHL.
Why Edmonton wouldn’t make this deal?
Nurse is too important to the leadership core and stabilization of the locker room.
They’re willing to bring Broberg along slowly and prefer Nurse’s style of play to that or Rielly’s.
The cost of acquisition is too high seeing as they’d need to include another prospect or two to bring in the Maple Leafs no.1 defender.
Nurse’s intimidation factor is too good to let go of.
A rumor going around that Morgan Rielly’s ankles haven’t healed properly since Connor McDavid broke them last season.
I don’t know what the post-pandemic landscape is going to look like for the future of player contracts, but I can only assume that the numbers will come down. What does that mean for Rielly and Nurse? For me, the feeling I’ve had with Nurse is that he’s looking for $7M or more per year and that’s way too much in my opinion. Some pundits have said that Rielly could be looking for as much as $9M-a-year on his new deal and normally I’d say that’s outrageous given he’s just come off a 27pt year. But if he’s healthy, 60-70 points isn’t out of the question for him.
Any way you look at it, the money will be the key to a trade of this magnitude. Edmonton is going to have a lot of it (meaning cap space) soon and Toronto is not…
We know that the deal is based around these two players, so for the sake of conversation, what if the Oilers tack on Tyler Benson and a 2022 2nd round pick? Would that make for an even trade?
Let’s keep in mind, this is all for shits and giggles. I don’t truly believe that the Oilers or the Maple Leafs would make a trade like this. I’m simply offering up some water-cooler talk. So don’t take what you’ve read too seriously, in fact, why not play along and offer up your thoughts in the comments below?
I’ve been sitting on this article for a few days now wondering how to present it and I’ve finally decided just to put it out there. Coherent thoughts be damned!
You see, this Edmonton Oilers team has come to that point in its development where it’s time to make some harsh decisions. The forward group is coming along and simply requires some experimentation and tinkering, but the core of the defense has been around for a solid three years, four for some and yet, there’s still a problem or two.
One, it has trouble defending effectively and consistently. Now, be that due to the inconsistent health at the top or having to go through the peaks and valleys of deploying players before they’re ready or they’re out of their leagues, it’s still an issue.
Two, it has lacked elite puck-movers in the top-four and will for at least one more season until the Oilers’ coaching staff is comfortable playing Ethan Bear on the top pair, Caleb Jones on the 2nd pair, and Evan Bouchard on the 3rd pair.
Get your “Stanley” today!
For today’s post, I want to just illustrate where the team is with their current trident (Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, and Darnell Nurse.) and talk about possible solutions following that.
Take a gander at this chart. It contains the relative “against” metrics for the Klefbom, Larsson, and Nurse at 5×5 (2000 minutes played minimum) from 2017/18-to-2019/20 courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. I used the relative form of the statistic to illustrate how that player as an individual impacted his team. In brackets, I’ll have that player’s league ranking amongst his peers.
Name
CA/60
FA/60
SA/60
GA/60
xGA/60
SCA/60
HDCA/60
HDGA/60
Larsson
-4.18 (48th)
-1.02 (57th)
-0.35 (72nd)
0.05 (82nd)
0.00 (80th)
-.75 (51st)
-0.3 (60th)
0.03 (90th)
Nurse
1.04 (104th)
1.28 (115th)
1.1 (118th)
0.05 (87th)
0.12 (116th)
0.81 (100th)
0.36 (99th)
0.2 (139th)
Klefbom
1.49 (65th)
0.68 (106th)
0.69 (67th)
0.31 (152nd)
0.03 (101st)
1.02 (117th)
0.07 (89th)
0.07 (73rd)
Feel free to bash your head into your keyboard now. There were only 168 skaters who played 2000 minutes or more in that time frame and the Oilers have their top-two left-shooting defenders ranking in the bottom third in a majority of the defensive categories? That’s a tough recipe for success.
Now, I was under the impression that Mr. Nurse was a good defensive defender. Boy, was I wrong. To put it politely, he is not. And now I’m starting to wonder why multiple veteran head coaches are always putting him on the ice with Connor McDavid? Wouldn’t they want a guy who can effectively move the puck to the best player in the world more often than not and give their team a better chance at scoring?
Sure, 25’s goals share numbers are high (.47 GF/60 using same parameters as above. Good for 22nd in the league) but surely we can attribute that to the amount of time he’s played with the Oilers’ best players. Well, some might say correlation doesn’t equal causation and to that I say, take him away from Connor and let’s see where that offense goes. Even the metrics tell us that Darnell needs McDavid more than McDavid needs Darnell and in Nurse’s defense, that’s how it goes for a lot of players.
Nurse is the WRONG defenseman to be sending out with McDavid. Connor needs defenders who can pass him the puck, not ones who can transport it by themselves. I can count the number of players on one hand who play for the Oilers who should be allowed to rush the puck through the neutral zone and into the other team’s end and Nurse is not one of them.
Aside from the goal share, what else will Nurse bring to the table that will contribute to the success of the team on the ice? Apparently, it’s not his defense. I used to think that his toughness was one of those things and he’s tamed right down over the years. I consider Adam Larsson and Matthew Benning to be much meaner players now.
So if he has trouble moving the puck, shooting on net, defending on the whole and winning the shot share, what the hell are the Oilers doing with him, and are they expecting him to get better? He’s twenty-five years old now and if there’s a time to trade the guy and get maximum value, it’s now. And if the club is afraid to deal him because it’ll piss off Connor, resign, because obviously they’re not prepared to do what’s best for the team. The caveat being, the return and replacement MUST upgrade the team.
SMH Moment: Jason Gregor thinks the Oilers should only deal Nurse if they can get a true #1 defenseman and the odds of getting back a player that will make the team better are quite low.
#Yikes. That’s about as uneducated of an opinion as one can throw out there and I’ve thrown out some doozies over the years. Speaking of odds. What are the odds a local member of the media overrates one of the Oilers? Just asking for a friend.
Solution! Sign Erik Gustafsson. He’d be cheaper with substantially better offensive numbers as well as slightly better defensive ones, and a more effective puck mover. Boom! Done. Keep the Swedish revolution alive!
Name
CA/60
FA/60
SA/60
GA/60
xGA/60
SCA/60
HDCA/60
HDGA/60
Gustafsson
-0.42 (94th)
0.63 (98th)
-0.6 (99th)
-0.06 (63rd)
0.16 (132nd)
1.05 (111th)
0.46 (107th)
0.09 (109th)
As I said, the defensive stats (above) are on par with Nurse and Klefbom but the offensive ones (below) are far and away an upgrade on Edmonton’s two top lefties. This is three seasons worth and it’s not like Gustafsson was playing for a juggernaut.
Name
CF/60
FF/60
SF/60
GF/60
xGF/60
SCF/60
HDCF/60
HDGF/60
Gustafsson
4.57 (26th)
3.66 (26th)
1.72 (37th)
0.81 (3rd)
0.26 (20th)
3.15 (15th)
1.6 (12th)
0.42 (6th)
As for Oscar, Brian Lawton was on Oilers Now last week and he expressed concern over the future of Klefbom’s health. Of all the players we’re talking about today, he’s played the fewest games since 2017/18 with 189/246. In fact, he’s only had one season where he’s played more than 66 games and that was back in 2016/17 when he put up season highs and played in every game.
His problem is he allows a lot of chances against doesn’t produce many himself. So how much is he really helping and/or hurting the club?
On the other hand, he eats minutes like a MFer and passes better than Nurse or Larsson. He’s more trusted and plays a very simple game. Health concerns aside, is he the one that needs to be moved? We can’t forget that he has one of the best contracts in the league either. A guy that plays as much as him should be making much much more than $4M a year.
Adam Larsson isn’t going to give you any offense. He’s paired up with Klefbom because Klef is the puck mover on that pair and they have good chemistry together. He IS capable of moving it up himself either by pass or by rush, mind you. I don’t think we’re breaking any news there, but he is the team’s BEST defensive defenseman and he’s right-handed. He plays 20+ minutes a night and these players are in demand. Unless you have a ready replacement or you get your socks knocked off with a trade offer, you keep him. If you’re worried about his back, don’t be. He’s missed more time with a foot injury in the past than one in his back.
Bob Stauffer pontificated on his show yesterday morning that perhaps Larsson would be willing to take a lower salary because he wants to extend his career and he sees that the kinds of players who play like him are becoming fewer with each season that passes by.
If that’s the case, you could sign him long-term and then slowly move him down the lineup as others graduate like Bear and Bouchard.
I’ll say this though. There is one reason you’d move the Iron Swede and that’s if he didn’t want to be there. Not saying that’s the case but his time in Edmonton has been overshadowed by the local populace’s infatuation with Taylor Hall and his father passing away. So, there’s a possibility there’s a bit of a dark cloud that hovers over him in E-Town.
The Conundrum
If the Oilers trade Klefbom, Nurse, or Larsson for help on forward, who is replacing them on the first pair? Are Nurse and Bear ready? Which forces us to consider who should be on the 2nd pair and would one of those players be ready to take on first pair minutes in the case of injury, sickness, or suspension? My sources tell me that as good as Caleb Jones’ numbers were, he needs one more year on the 3rd pair.
That being said, Would you move Nurse for Nik Ehlers and then sign Erik Gustafsson?
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Who I Want
There are three defenders that I absolutely love for the Oilers,
Vince Dunn (STL) – He’s a very mobile left-shot blueliner for St. Louis. He’s so agile and moves the puck extremely well. Dunn isn’t a puck rusher though, he’s a transitionary dman. Kinda like Ethan Bear but with the kind of edges that Quinn Hughes has. Not that good, but up there. He’s an RFA this off-season and there are rumblings out there that the Blues might have to move him if they want to re-sign Alex Pietrangelo.
Viktor Mete (MTL) – Mete isn’t as good on the edges as Dunn but he’s a fantastic puck mover in his own right. Not sure if the Canadiens would like to trade him since they’re lacking quality defenceman on their left-side.
Erik Gustafsson (CGY) – UFA this summer. He could be a good temporary solution as the team awaits the arrival of Philip Broberg. As we stated above, his contribution to the offense blows Nurse’s out of the water and his defense is slightly better.
The Blues are going to want to shed salary, so I imagine that they’d like to avoid taking on salary in a deal for Dunn should they decide they’re moving him and he’s only 23. They’re also set on forward for the most part. I’d have to guess they’d be looking for picks/prospects. I’d love to offer Athanasiou for Dunn but I’m not sure of that proposal’s realism factor.
Montreal will want to win now but would you offer Nurse and Puljujarvi for Domi and Mete?
The Leafs Rumors
Tell ya what. The Leafs need a rugged shutdown defender more than the Oilers need skilled forwards. I’d go as far as to say the Oilers need to upgrade the puck-moving and mobility of their defense more. I also believe that Edmonton has done enough to help other teams around the league and making Toronto a better club would be disastrous for the Oilers should the Leafs rebuild have success before Edmonton… Why help that team?
Yesterday morning, James Mirtle (The Athletic) and Bob Stauffer were having a discussion about the possibility of a Leafs/Oilers trade and the just of Mirtle’s thoughts were thus,
Adam Larsson might not be TO’s no.1 priority. They’re probably aiming higher.
Kapanen’s ceiling might be as a 3rd line penalty killer.
He has trouble playing with skilled star players because his read and react game isn’t at that level.
He’s a fantastic skater but doesn’t wow you with any other skill.
Andreas Johnsson plays better with the stars.
He’s better in the corners.
Has a better shot and makes small area passes better.
Grittier
I’m staying away from Kapanen if he can’t play with the likes of Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers have gone through a plethora of those players and there’s no sense in using assets to bring in another one.
Another thing, people have to get this through their heads, just because a player can skate in a line really fast does not make them a good fit for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. They need wingers who are skilled and have the ability to work in the muck. It’s so simple.
If Andreas Johnsson is that guy, so be it. Just don’t trade Adam Larsson for him because Toronto wins that deal. They’ve got a handful of skilled Euros that are lining up to replace Johnsson when he’s traded but they have NOBODY on the right side of their defense.
Mr. Stauffer brought up four names on his show yesterday morning,
Bryan Rust (PIT)
Matt Murray (PIT)
Braden Holtby (WAS)
Tyson Barrie (UFA)
Keep an ear out in the future regarding those players. Tyson Barrie has been linked with the Oilers for a long time as has Bryan Rust. Last summer there were Puljujarvi/Rust rumors flying and this year I’m hearing that Holland will be looking to upgrade the wingers with experienced players who know both ends of the ice. My sources have told me that the Oilers will be targeting Holtby if cap room can shake loose. If the Oilers want Barrie, it’ll have to be at the cost of Adam Larsson though.
In the end, I’d move Nurse for a good winger (Ehlers/Rakell/Bertuzzi/Vrana) and then sign Gustafsson. I’d leave Klefbom and Larsson for one more year and then make a decision on that pair then. The hope is that by upgrading the passing/playmaking ability of the group with the addition of Gustaffson, Jones, and eventually Bouchard, they’ll be playing less in their own zone and as a result, the against numbers will improve.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!The one time it’s okay to be a JERK! Grab this shirt while supplies last!What a hilarious phrase! Click the pic to get yours today!
The 31 Thoughts podcast dropped last night and in it included a fairly lengthy section on the Edmonton Oilers where co-hosts Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman gave their opinions on what Connor McDavid’s team might do this off-season.
Some of the topics covered:
Andreas Athanasiou
Edmonton’s lack of scoring support against Chicago
Jesse Puljujarvi
Holland’s Patience
Could the team explore trading Oscar Klefbom or Adam Larsson?
Who might come in to replace Mike Smith?
You can listen to the full pod at the end of this post. Skip ahead to 1:01:45-ish to get the Oilers content.
So starting with Andreas Athanasiou. The prevailing thought from both hockey pundits is that he’ll be a cap casualty. The Oilers may very well walk away because they’re afraid of being beat in an arbitration hearing. Friedman did point out that AA could accept the team offer during the arbitration process though but I’m not sure why he’d do that unless he thought he was going to lose.
My guess is they’ll look to move on from him and recoup draft picks.
As for Puljujarvi, according to Marek, he was told that things were very close to being done but Friedman had heard that that wasn’t the case at all. As he stated in his latest post on Sportsnet, he said that the team might’ve thought things were close but the player didn’t.
Another point that was added by Friedman was the Oilers were looking to sign him to make it easier to trade him but Puljujarvi wanted more control over where he was going. Perhaps he wasn’t going to sign unless he knew where he was going.
The two also felt that JP’s peers from his draft class are establishing themselves in the NHL and maybe the best thing for Jesse would be to get over to North America and play.
This is something I agree with. Another year in Finland is not something I would consider best for his development or career trajectory. Had he moved to the KHL or the SHL, then I could understand because there’s an element of increased difficulty there in addition to immersing himself into another country and culture.
Jeff Marek asked about Mike Smith and the pair had pondered earlier in the pod on the number of goalies that are going to hit the market this off-season. It’s possible that some might have to sign for less because there are more chairs than people to sit in them.
Friedman offered up the names of Thomas Greiss and Anton Khudobin as players he could see signing in Edmonton.
I’m not sure about these guys, to be honest. They both make a fair chunk of cash, right? Khudobin ($2.5M) and Greiss ($3,33M) and they’re both 34 years old… They are solid netminders though. I reckon if Holland could get them for closer to $2M/yr, that would be the best-case scenario. Otherwise, perhaps finding a trade to fill the need might just be the way to go.
Finally, there was lots of chatter about what Ken Holland could do with the defense. Friedman noted that he thinks Holland will be patient and that he won’t move his young defenders, specifically naming Darnell Nurse as he’s not an older player and he’s part of the leadership group.
They did mention Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson mind you.
The Klefbom/Krug rumor came up and then the bearded wonder mused, “Edmonton and Toronto, to me, look like potentially natural trading partners.” as well as “I really do believe Holland isn’t going to move his young D. So where’s the fit?”
I do concur that it looks like Toronto is going to muscle up this off-season but the targets still have to be able to play.
Now, the Leafs have Morgan Reilly, Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott, and Rasmus Sandin on their left-side according to Mr. Friedman. That would lead one to believe that Adam Larsson could be the target for Toronto but how would that leave the Oilers?
They’d have Bear, Benning, and Bouchard as their natural right-shot defenders available in addition to Kris Russell and Caleb Jones who can both play their off-side. Would you be comfortable with that set-up going into 2020/21 if Larsson could net the team Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen?
In my mind, if the Leafs and Oilers really want to shake things up, make the Nurse/Nylander trade.
It’s my belief that Nurse’s mean streak is slowly losing its luster as he grows older so that part of his game is becoming less impactful and his contribution to the offensive part of the game is predicated upon playing with Connor McDavid primarily. Take him away from 97 and the offense dries up. So what are you left with?
FYI, Erik Gustafsson is 11th over the same time
A few other 5×5 metrics to consider when reg. Nurse's off. contribution:
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) August 13, 2020
I don’t think that Edmonton needs to get younger on the back-end. In fact, they could benefit from getting older and a veteran left-shot blueliner that excels at defending and puck-moving is a lot easier to find than not.
I’d argue that the Oilers would be a better team, a deeper team if they traded Nurse for Nylander and added Erik Gustafsson to fill in on the 2nd pair. But that’s just me. If the team is worried about a physical presence, don’t trade Larsson and/or sign Derek Engelland…
It really all goes back to Friedman’s belief that Ken Holland won’t be making any panic moves but he will look to improve the netminding and the wings.
It’s going to be an interesting fall for all of the Canadian NHL teams… I talked to a gentleman who covers the Canucks and he agreed. “Very busy!” he added.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
It was really great to see some more Oilers hit the ice this morning. I noticed Mikko Koskinen made it and Josh Archibald as well. So that only leaves Mike Green and Caleb Jones as the only Oilers to have yet to step on the ice. With that in mind, I was the happiest to see Oscar Klefbom finally start skating. Even though by my eye, he was the only Oiler wearing orange and he was skating by himself and nobody was standing near him on the bench and he looked completely gassed (and lonely)… I’m sure it’s nothing.
Why is Oscar wearing the orange jersey? I don't recall other players using this one recently. https://t.co/m3QZbe3Fe9
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) July 9, 2020
Offer Sheets
Brian Burke and Bob Stauffer were having a chat on the radio today and the topic of offer sheets came up. Burke mentioned that he could see some handed out during the next off-season and that there were a couple of teams right against the cap… He wouldn’t give out the team names but it’s not too hard to head over to Capfriendly.com and figure that out. So I did it.
My investigation revealed that the Tampa Bay Lighting are P-R-I-M-E for the picking unless they shed some salary (like a lot of salary) and surprisingly, the Columbus Blue Jackets are in a really precarious position. Chicago too to a lesser extent.
Tampa has future Selke Trophy-winner Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak all up for contract renewal as RFAs and they’re sitting only $5M short of the $81.5M salary cap. Then the Blue Jackets have about $6M in cap space with them having to re-up with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson…
Should be fun, but you know what? The Edmonton Oilers could also be targeted.
How much do you think Ethan Bear is on the open market right now? $3M? $4M? Well, what if a team like Detroit and their $35M in cap space comes along and offers him a deal that’ll end up netting him a shade over $4M for X amount of years. The cost would only be a 2nd round pick and I don’t know a GM who wouldn’t buy a right-shot puck-moving defenseman who can play up to 20 minutes a night and is still under team control with a 2nd round pick.
Now, the Oilers could match that no problem. They’ve got $10M in cap room but they’ve got to qualify Athanasiou, so that’s just over $3M. Then they’d only have, at most, another $3M to re-sign Matthew Benning, their other RFA.
Let’s say that is the route they go. That would result in the team walking away from any upcoming UFA. No more Tyler Ennis, Mike Green, Mike Smith, Riley Sheahan, or Patrick Russell. It also means that they won’t be signing anybody. So no bolstering the team depth and a lot of future problems and you could probably start your 2021 draft prospect reading early.
Of course, that’s a worst-case scenario. Ken Holland could simply trade away Kris Russell, Kassian, and/or Larsson for picks and that would be that (more or less), right?
I know that Ethan Bear is a wanted commodity and found it interesting that Burke brought up offer sheets. I don’t think it’ll happen but we’ll have to wait and see.
Nurse, Team Canada 2022
It’s not happening and here’s why.
Darnell was the 4th highest scoring left-shot defender in the NHL this past year behind Thomas Chabot, Shea Theodore, and Samuel Girard. Not too bad and those are three names that are definitely going to be in the running for a spot on that roster too, but here’s the thing, he’s got to beat out other players like Morgan Rielly, Josh Morrissey, and maybe Ryan Graves or possibly Jake Muzzin. Just for left-shooting defenders.
On the right side, there’s much more of a selection. Alex Pietrangelo, Cale Makar, Brent Burns (age?), Kris Letang, Aaron Ekblad, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Ellis, Drew Doughty, and Colton Parayko.
We know that there’s a push to have lefty/righty d-pairings these days, but if Canada has a coach who doesn’t mind pairing up same shot defencemen, I don’t think Nurse has a chance. Even as a L/R pair, I’m hard-pressed to put him into the lineup over better puck movers like Girard, Rielly, or Morrissey.
I think Nurse is going to be a beast during the playoffs and his puck transitioning skill is great. He’s powerful and hard to knock off the puck and he’s one of the league’s better zone-to-zone skaters, but I find he still has trouble making the right play when he gets into the other team’s zone. Be that a wasted shot on net, a pass to the other team from behind the goal line, or him carrying it all the way into the zone, behind the net, and around to the other side before getting penned in and losing possession, he did show glimpses of evolution by using the button hook from time to time.
My feeling is Team Canada will want defenders who are better playmakers and smarter positionally and I don’t imagine they intend to spend a lot of time down a man as the PK is a place where Nurse would be a great help.
I’ll throw a caveat in as a conclusion to this segment though and that being in two years time, we don’t know where Nurse’s game will be (he could be a 50pt defender by then) nor do we know where the games of those other players will be either. We don’t know if the next coming of Ray Bourque will arrive on the scene either. We don’t know a lot. All I’m saying is that if the roster was picked today, I don’t think Nurse would be on it.
Seattle Expansion
Jason Gregor has been talking about this over the last couple of days and he reckons that the Oilers should avoid protecting 7F/3D/1G because it would leave Jones exposed and he’s on a really good two-year deal for this financial landscape. Pretty convenient contract if you ask me. Edmonton needs to expose a defenseman who has played 40 games and is on a contract past next season. Jones has played 60 games, he’s American, and he spent his junior days in Portland playing for the Winterhawks, a rival of the Seattle Thunderbirds…
So, if Jones is the sacrificial lamb, then that is okay by me. No disrespect to Caleb, but he doesn’t have top-4 upside for me at this point in time. He should be a damn fine 3rd pairing puck mover, in my opinion, though. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Depending on how next season progressed, I would protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goalie.
RNH, McDavid, Draisaitl, Yamamoto, Archibald, Kassian, and Puljujarvi on forward.
Klefbom, Nurse, Bear on defense.
Koskinen in net.
Yes, Klefbom misses a portion of every season but I’m confident in Nurse’s ability to cover that and I’ve got no issues having Bill Lagesson or a veteran free agent signing filling in there.
Sure as the stars above us, Ken Holland isn’t going to go into a season without depth down the roster.
Puck Racism
The sales are starting to trickle in with this design and I’m going to spam the hell out of it on my website and the BLH Hockey Instagram because I feel passionate about it and I feel like Hockey is Diversity deserves the proceeds that I’ll be donating to them.
So, please. If you’ve got an extra $20 lying around and you want to do a good thing for good people, click the pic down below and grab a t-shirt, a mask, a onesie, a tank top, or some stickers.
Hockey is Diversity is a German group whose aim is to draw attention to the ethnic diversity in society, which goes beyond the sporting borders in order to sensitize people interculturally. The diversity that has long been regarded as an enrichment in sport as a melting pot of people of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions should also be transferred to society.
Click the pic and help support this worthy cause! Portions of the proceeds will go to Hockey is Diversity!
