Tag Archives: Dave Tippett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yakimov Staying Home

Last week I’d wrote this about Bogdan Yakimov,

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

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

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

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


The BLH Mailbag

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
XXX-RNH-XXX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!
Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!
Grab this sweet Nintendo parody shirt! Click the image above!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers: #AskBLH Mailbag – Future Flops, Adding Wingers, Trading Lucic, and More!

Happy New Head Coach day Oilers fans! This morning the newest bench boss was introduced and that man’s name is Dave Tippett. Now, I’ll be honest, my knowledge of this gentleman comes from his teams consistently giving my Oilers a hard time whilst running the early-2000 clubs from Dallas and then again when he was coaching the Coyotes of Phoenix. Also, I do believe his glorious mustache might’ve made an appearance in a few early Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em VHS tapes from back in the day. Remember those? VHS tapes… Man did I spend a lot of time at the old Video Spot in Camrose as a youth…

Anyways I digress. The presser was encouraging. I think Tippett said all the right things and touched all the bases necessary in order to appease all the different factions of this fanbase. Now, the work begins for both Tippett and Holland because if this team is going to improve drastically in its first year under this new coach, upgrades will need to be made at near every corner of the roster.

The #AskBLH Mailbag

Yesterday I asked for some questions on the Twitter machine and you fine folks delivered, I will now address said queries.

@timboggsDOTcom asks: Who will be the next big Oilers flop?

Well, I guess it depends on your definition of flop. I mean, could Ostap Safin be considered a flop? He hasn’t really done a lot since being picked by the Oilers. I don’t consider Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto flops because neither has been brought along correctly and both have had to deal with considerable injuries since joining the pro ranks. If I had to pinpoint it for you, I think I’d say one of the defensemen who is being projected to graduate from Bakersfield will probably fail to make it. Be that Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, William Lagesson, or Dmitri Samorukov.

@mattitude99 asks: Will Holland add two top wingers?

No, I don’t think he’ll add two. He might upgrade one. I reckon the team is behind the 8-ball a bit again and other teams know that. Another thing is, they might just have a top-winger in Edmonton in Jesse Puljujarvi. From all accounts there, the rehab is going VERY well and he’s working hard on improving his English (which isn’t that bad as it is), but I think IF the Oilers keep him and re-sign him, he could impact this roster in a positive manner in 2019/20.

@toyboy48 asks: Two part question, 1) Do you think Milan Lucic will be moved this off-season? 2) What team do you think will pick him up and for what?

That’s a tough question but I do feel like the trade chatter is stronger than ever. That said, Holland is a man who likes his vets and if there isn’t a trade there that he feels will make his team better somehow, I think he holds onto him. Could Lucic turn into some version of Shane Doan for the new coach?

So to answer your questions, 1) Maybe and 2) If he was getting traded, I would think it would be to a team in a warmer climate.

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!

@IainAJohnson asks: What players, if any, will move into the Oilers lineup next year from Bakersfield?

Edmonton needs some cheap contracts at the bottom of their roster, so I could see someone like Joseph Gambardella graduating amongst the forwards. My personal preference is Patrick Russell mind you, but I’m not the GM. Holland mentioned perhaps 1-2 dmen joining from the farm and to me that screams Caleb Jones and William Lagesson. I don’t think a goalie will make the jump nor do I think Cooper Marody (skating) or Tyler Benson (too green yet) will make the leap full-time at forward in 2019/20.

@JezzeG asks: I’d like you to guess as to what the defense will look like in 3 years. Do you see a trade being made for a higher-end RHD?

I don’t think we’ll see that trade unless the team is making the playoffs. Fans might be thinking that Adam Larsson has played his last game as an Edmonton Oiler and that he could be moved in order to facilitate a trade to bring in a Tyson Barrie, but I don’t see it. The best way is to draft and develop at this point.

As for the 2021/22 defense? It’s hard to say because who knows about free agents and future trades, so if we’re just going by internal graduation, I’d say this.

Klefbom/Bouchard
Nurse/Jones
Lagesson/Bear

@mattitude99 asks: Can Holland trade Russell and Benning to free up the cap?

Yes. I firmly believe that these two players will be playing elsewhere next season. Now, will they be moved to free up the cap? Not sure there, but if one or two dmen are coming up from their AHL club, roster spots will need to be cleared.

@StillAStyxFan asks: Sounds like a completely new coaching staff accept one.. Do you honestly think they are going to keep Dustin Schwartz as Goalie coach? You’d think Holland would have realized that it’s a weakness? Since every goalie under him has regressed?

Hmmm. Good question. Holland is a very smart man that has seen it all at this point. I reckon he’d have poked around a bit on the goaltending front, be that the goalies themselves and the coaches. My feeling is that when everyone thought Sean Burke was being interviewed for the GM’s chair, he was actually being interviewed for the assistant GM’s job and that IF he does come on board, part of his responsibilities might be shoring up the goaltending.

@ComeFromAwayNL asks: If Lucic’s $6 could be dumped by trading away prospect and/or picks, what would you do with the new cap space? UFAs? Cap tight team to trade with?

Good question! I’d probably use that new cap space to try and make a deal with Toronto to bring in Nazem Kadri. I don’t know what the future holds for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but I can be certain he’s not re-signing in Edmonton for $6M a year again. So I’d like to bring in a player who has performed very well in a middle-6 role. Sure he’s a bit erratic, but I like that unpredictability. Plus, he scores and draws penalties.

On the other hand, maybe a guy just sits on that cap space and waits until the trade deadline to utilize it should the team be in a spot to make the playoffs.

@RScafone asks: Why do the Oilers seem risk-adverse to hiring a younger coach? It seems counterintuitive to bring a younger assistant in to bridge the age gap. Just hire a younger guy to coach and have all plays/directions come from one mouth.

Probably they just want structure and smoother waters ahead. Like I said above, Holland is big on veterans, be those coaches or players. I understand Jeff Blashill isn’t the most veteran of coaches in Detroit, but I do believe that he was simply swinging the pendulum the other direction after many years of vet coaches before him.

Another thing is the pressure to make the playoffs next season. Dave Tippett has a history of making an immediate positive impact on his teams and I would reckon that had something to do with the hire as well.

A nod to those old nWo shirts from WCW wrestling. The oBc: Old Boys Clubs shirt is something every hockey/wrestling lover would enjoy! Click the image above to get yours today!

@AnnaDanychuk asks: Lucics comments a little while back about playing for other teams particularly Vancouver, suggests he may be mentally checked out for playing for the Oilers, doesn’t want to play for this team. Has Holland any wind of this?He’ll bring the team down cuz he’s not happy. IMO

Is it possible for a GM to add two top wingers and a solid second pairing dman in one off season without using RNH or Nurse ?

From all accounts, Lucic’s wishes to play elsewhere have had little to no impact on the dressing room. The players like Milan and love playing on the same team as him. I think Jason Strudwick has spoken to this in the past in that every locker room has players who aren’t happy with their current situation, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but they are professional and they know how to do their jobs regardless.

It’s always possible, but what do you want to sacrifice to do it? Salary cap? First round draft picks? High-end prospects? If you were happy to move Evan Bouchard, I’d be willing to be you could get a really good winger for him. I wouldn’t marry myself to the idea that RNH and/or Nurse will be career Oilers.

@edmoildrops asks: How good is Spencer Knight? Last similar situation I can recall was MTL taking Price 5th overall in 2005. Price was ranked somewhere like 13-14 I believe. Is Knight worth a gamble at 8? Or are any of the forwards in the Oilers’ range too good to pass up?

Look, this goalie is going to be a starting netminder in the NHL someday. He’s being compared to Carey Price (5th overall selection?) and Bob McKenzie even went to the lengths to say that he might be the best goalie to EVER come out of the US. The Bobfather isn’t usually wrong on these things. He’s one of the calmest goalies under pressure that I’ve ever seen and the way he handles the puck and moves laterally… Good Lord… Think Marty Turco spliced with Jonathan Quick and then mix that with some Vasilevskiy.

If your team needs this sort of player, you pick him and then bring him along the right way because we all know the value an All-Star goalie can have to a franchise. So if you’re the Oilers, do you feel like Stuart Skinner or Olivier Rodrigue have starting potential and how far away are they? Are they garnering attention from other clubs? Could you make a deal to improve the roster somewhere else in the future because you’d have a Spencer Knight coming?

@chriscurtola asks: when you get your inside Oilers information, how do you determine when and how to put it out there. Also any interesting insider stories you can tell us without naming names?

Sometimes I just ask if it’s cool to publish because that’s not always the case. But I’m pretty liberal with my insider stuff. As for insider stories, there’s not too much really. I mean, I was asking how many other employees of the Oilers do side-jobs for the team recently, right? Every wondered how Bob Stauffer seems to know about Edmonton’s moves before they happen? I don’t believe it’s because he’s the host of Oilers Now or the colorman for their radio broadcasts.

@JM84YEG asks: when did you change your name from Eklund? What’s Tencer like?

(In the voice of Sean Connery) Right after I gave your mother and good bonestorming! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

@RINKLYFEBABE asks: Can we trade Lucic this off season or would we have to buy him out?

Either would work but I wouldn’t suggest buying him out. She’s a costly choice that one is. I would say a trade is likely in the future of Milan Lucic at some point, but I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee this offseason.

@Randall_B_Noble asks: Do you think we’re keeping any of the assistant coaches?

I don’t know. I would say that every head coach likes to have his own guys. Tippett said today that he needs to talk to the current ACs before making a decision, but I reckon he’ll bring one or to of his own men in.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their questions! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

F*ck those guys! Click the link and grab one of these beauty shirts!
Click the image above and get this sweet Leon’s parody shirt!
Pick up the NEW “Beat His Ass” shirt right now!!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: The Three Coaching Candidates, Draft Notes, and Lucic Trade Proposal

Hell of a press conference introducing Ken Holland as the Oilers new general manager and president of hockey operations yesterday. I feel like somebody might’ve mentioned back in March that Darryl Katz wanted Holland as POHO all along.

That’s weird. Rod Pedersen and I can now share the “Ken Holland to the Oilers” spoils. Although I get the feeling that Hot Rod isn’t much for sharing…

Nearly passed over that tweet. I didn’t see the blue checkmark. Well, no matter anyhow. Friedman was talking about Holland long before any of us.

Anyways, we can move on from that and actually talk about the presser now.

I was a bit worried at the beginning of the event. Holland sounded a tad nervous and that’s fine, it was a momentous day in his life. Where he got me was when he started talking about hockey and his vision for the Oilers. He got me fired up when he was talking about how you have to grind. How he loved the challenges. Hearing him speak about scouting games instead of just watching them was something that resonated with me too.

I thought he was the star of the show, but that was until a very ill Darryl Katz was addressed in the Q&A. If you click play below the clip should start right as Mr. Katz starts his epic reply to a question about how he feels about the displeasure being shown by season ticket holders.

Look, I think most people came into this introduction thinking that it was going to be Bob Nicholson or Ken Holland saying something that might be considered a rallying cry to the fans. I would be willing to be ZERO percent thought it would’ve been Katz.

Anybody would’ve understood if he had declined to make himself available considering the shape his health is in. The passion he showed yesterday morning was awe inspiring. Honestly, I never took him to be that sort of guy given the previous interviews I’d seen him featured in, but man, I have the utmost respect for him now. I feel like this is an opportunity to rally around the owner of our team and really throw our support behind the club.

If Mr. Katz can do this for us, surely there’s something we can do for him.

#DoItForDarryl

The Big Three

A lot of names are popping up for the Oilers coaching gig like Jay Woodcroft, Trent Yawney, and Glen Gulutzan from within the team. Ken Holland said he wants to bring change and hiring someone who is already here doesn’t make sense to me. I have it on pretty good authority that the assistant coaches have already been told that it’s up to the new coach as to who will be staying with the team and they have permission to seek employment elsewhere.

It’s my belief that there are three main candidates that will be heavily considered for the vacant head coaching position in Edmonton:

  • Dave Tippett
  • Todd Nelson
  • Lane Lambert

I’m not a huge fan of Dave Tippett and I’m not sure there’s an absolute need to hire a veteran coach just because Calgary, San Jose, and Vegas have veteran coaches. Let’s keep in mind, those are veteran teams as well.

I don’t think it’s got that much to do with his defensive style as it does that he’s been out of the game for some time and when he left, his team’s weren’t exactly winning divisions. That said, he did have some great teams in Dallas and Arizona and he had some highly skilled players playing for him in both cities.

I think Buffalo has eyes on him though… So we’ll see if he can turn this into a bidding war or not.

As for Lane Lambert, Kurt Leavins has a slice of info up at the Cult of Hockey on him.

But I would suggest to you that the New York Islanders’ Lane Lambert is a dark horse candidate. A long-time coaching apprentice of Barry Trotz in Washington and then Long Island, Lambert also played for Holland in Detroit. That Red Wings experience also happened to include time with AHL Adirondack…

I’m slow… I think I’ve been saying he’s an assistant in Washington this whole time on Twitter… Ah well.

Point being, if I recall correctly, this is a coach that was a serious candidate for the Colorado Avalanche before they settled on Jared Bednar and has been in the running for multiple coaching jobs since. I don’t know much about him or the role he’s played on Barry Trotz’s bench over the years mind you. I will say that if there’s a coach you want mentoring you at the NHL level today; it’s probably Trotz and if he’s anything like his teacher, he’s going to be a helluva bench boss some day.

My support is behind Todd Nelson. When he’s running the bench, his players produce and his teams win. I mean, he found a way to make Anton Lander a productive NHLer! I look back at how he reinvigorated Nail Yakupov and I can’t help but think that he’s just what the doctor ordered for Jesse Puljujarvi.

This is a guy who gets it. He knows how to man-manage, he knows how to communicate with the young players and the vets. He has a history with Ken Holland being that when the Red Wings AHL affiliate won the Calder Cup, Nelson was the head coach of that team.

He’s been interviewed countless times since leaving the Oilers organization. Other NHL teams want this guy guiding their players and I think it’s time to bring him home to finish what he started back in 2014.

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!
2019 Draft Notes

As I have it today, the Oilers should be selecting USNTDP forward Matthew Boldy. He’s a 6’2″ 190lb Boston College commit that can play every forward position effectively and that’s something that I think holds a lot of value. If you have a player like that on your team, it’s basically like holding the trump card. When injuries or slumps hit, he can fill in where needed.

Other things I really like about him are:

  • His vision is elite. He can make high-end passes in the most compromising of positions and hit his teammate on the tape near every time.
  • He’s a very underrated goal scorer. Cole Caufield racked up the goals this year for “The Program” but not many people know that Boldy was the 2nd highest goal scorer on that team.
  • He stirs the drink. You’re probably thinking that he’s the recipient of playing on one of the most talent-laden teams in junior hockey history, but I’m here to tell you that his linemates were the ones that benefitted the most. As I watched him play on a line at the u18 tournament in Sweden with Alex Turcotte and Bobby Brink or Trevor Zegras, I noticed he drove that line on every shift and the play went through him.
  • He knows where to go on the ice before the puck gets there. Now usually when we say something like this we mean that on the offensive side of the game, but I’m talking about both sides of the puck.
  • He’s got NHL size already. He’ll only need one season at Boston College before he’s ready to join the Oilers in my opinion.
  • He wins board battles smartly. Even though he’s got the size to do some damage, he’s such a cerebral player along the boards and wins those battles often.

If there’s something that he’ll have to work on, it’s his speed and quickness. His edgework is fantastic but he could use some more power and nimbleness in those legs.

I’d take Boldy over almost every player that is rated in the top-ten save for Hughes and Kakko and Byram. I think he’s a more rounded forward than Dach, Cozens, and Turcotte. He’s way more responsible and lower risk than Zegras and Krebs. Better offensively than Podkolzin I think but the Russian is quite proficient on the defensive side, so it might be a toss-up there.

If you want Leon Draisaitl on his own line AND scoring 50 goals annually, having Boldy on the German’s left/right wing would go a long way to making that happen.

My 2019 top-fifteen looks like this:

  1. Kaapo Kakko – RW – TPS (SM-Liiga)
  2. Jack Hughes – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  3. Bowen Byram – LD – Vancouver (WHL)
  4. Matthew Boldy – LW/C/RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  5. Dylan Cozens – C – Lethbridge (WHL)
  6. Alex Turcotte – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  7. Peyton Krebs – C – Kootenay (WHL)
  8. Cole Caufield – RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  9. Kirby Dach – C – Saskatoon (WHL
  10. Vasili Podkolzin – C – SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
  11. Philip Broberg – LD – AIK (SHL)
  12. Spencer Knight – G – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  13. Alex Newhook – C – Victoria (BCHL)
  14. Trevor Zegras  – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  15. Raphael Lavoie – RW – Halifax (QMJHL)

What’s going to make it interesting is if there’s a team that really wants Cole Caufield or Philip Broberg and are willing to move into the top-8 to pick them. Or if there’s a team drafting ahead of Edmonton that has eyes on those two.

If you remember last year, the Oilers had their choice of Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, or Oliver Wahlstrom. This is going to happen again.

A Milan Lucic Trade Proposal

I don’t know if Ken Holland will be able to move Looch or not but he did find a way to trade Pavel Datsyuk’s contract back in 2016, right?

Now, It doesn’t have to be Arizona obviously but I do reckon that Holland is all-in on this draft and if he can help it, he’s not interested leaving the draft without a pick in the first round. So perhaps a team that is looking to move up that has multiple 1st rounders would have some interest in a trade?

Funny, all the rumors of a Lucic/Eriksson swap going on and the draft being in Vancouver… What better time to strike a deal?!

Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!
A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!
The Vegas Golden Misfits are going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018!!! Love ’em or hate ’em it’s an amazing story and this is one punk rocker’s way of giving tribute! Click the pic above and get yours today!
Around the Oilogosphere, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Around the Oilogosphere – April 15th Edition – Rattie Signs! 10 Things to Watch This Summer, Who’s Calling the Shots with the Oilers? NHL Rumors galore!

Click the pic above to check out our merch!

Have you been enjoying these Oilers-less playoffs so far? I know that it’s hard to watch this year when our team is out of it but I’ve been impressed with the Vegas/Los Angeles series so far and I’ve been having a helluva time watching Tampa manhandle Hall’s devils.

Now, if you read my tweets you’d probably think I hate Taylor Hall. I don’t. I think that he’s a supreme talent and very entertaining to watch, I just don’t want to see his teams win. And I think that goes the same for Jordan Eberle and the Isles even though they could possibly be the most exciting team in the league to watch (for now). It’s great that they are having individual success but I simply won’t be cheering for them to win and why should I?

See, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s less about the players and their teams and it’s more about the Oilers fans who bitch and moan every single day about the Oilers trading away Hall and Eberle and sh*t on their own team that they apparently love. I simply don’t get the crying over spilled milk aspect of Oilers fandom.

If Taylor Hall does win the Hart this year I hope he gives Devils’ goalie Keith Kincaid the majority of the credit because without Kincaid’s ridiculously good performances at the end of the regular season, Hall could’ve scored twice as much and the Devils wouldn’t have made it into the playoffs.

Did Todd Have a Hand in The Trades? 

What if Todd McLellan had more to do with trading Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle that you think? Think about it. It wasn’t Chiarelli that moved Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, etc off of McDavid’s wing…

If that indeed was the case, that McLellan gave the green light on trading those players, would you still view him as the good ‘ol western Canada boy that takes responsibility for his team’s record?

*Side note: Just because you say you’re sorry and take responsibility for something doesn’t make it any less bad that it happened. We heard McLellan take responsibility so many times during the year that, for me at least, it lost its luster. That being said, I think he can pull things back together and I’m willing to give him that chance.

Front Office Clusterf*ck

I was listening to the Jason Gregor Show the other day and Jason Strudwick was talking about the recent Mark Spector article that ripped into the old Oilers and their “Red Wine Summits”. And he had a theory that that article was a message being sent by Peter Chiarelli to those above him to back off.

I can buy into what Strudwick is saying here. I think that in Boston Chiarelli had a huge problem with Neely, Sinden, and Sweeney trying to run his show which ultimately led to him dealing Tyler Seguin and I believe he tried to secure his power within the club by demanding he be the president of hockey operations and the general manager when he was brought on by the Oilers.

This will not end well, pro-Chiarelli and anti-Chiarelli fans can agree. If there is some sort of Royal Rumble going on within the power structure of the Oilers management/ownership/coaching staff, it’s only to get worse from here unless somebody goes because you can’t have a GM who’s been promised full autonomy in his contract being undermined by the coach and the cronies upstairs.

The Assistants

Speaking of coaches going places. Bob Stauffer pontificated recently on Jay Woodcroft being sent to Bakersfield to coach that team after they let Gerry Fleming go and there’s been lots of talk about Ian Herbers either going back to the University of Alberta to coach or to the AHL. Dean Millard, on Twitter, said that he got a DM from a man in the know that told him that Jim Johnson will be guy Todd McLellan chooses to sacrifice…

So that’s all three assistant coaches gone (possibly) which could lead the Oilers to hire a guy like Dave Tippett and/or Manny Viveiros and I think eventually that would allow the Oilers to move Tippett right into the head coaching role with Edmonton decided the time was right.

With Tippett, the Oilers would get a defense-first coach and that’s something I think the team needs. They’ve got to get away from trying to recreate the Oilers of the 80’s and create their own identity. And Manny Viveiros would run the PP (This past season he had the Swift Current Broncos PP running at a 29% clip).

There’s no guarantee that an excellent coach like Tippett would even consider an associate coaching position with the Oilers but we’ve seen it before with Lindy Ruff and Davis Payne.

This is a great article on Dave Tippett’s coaching style. Worthy of a few of your minutes in my opinion.

Oilers News

Edmonton Sun – Edmonton Oilers: 10 things to watch this off-season – What should we be watching up to the NHL draft, in free-agency and in training camp? Who’s going, who’s coming in? Here are 10 things to watch for before next season.

The Cult Of Hockey – Edmonton Oilers need a few value contracts, and they may have just signed one in Ty Rattie’s one-year extension -They are an essential aspect of the Salary Cap Era, where there are only so many “big dollars” to go around, and the cracks need to be filled with small ones.

The Cult Of Hockey – Coaching changes are imminent behind the Edmonton Oilers bench – I strongly believe that Todd McLellan will be back behind the bench, to begin 2018-19, but that the men standing in suits around him will look very different.

The Cult Of Hockey –  Palace intrigue at Oilers HQ grows over future of Todd McLellan and others – It looks like the Oilers will go down one of two roads, either getting rid of one or more assistant coaches or getting rid of Todd McLellan and all the asst. coaches presumably.

The Hockey Writers – Oilers Must Avoid Panic Move – Chiarelli’s trading track record is there for all to see and when we combine it with the pressure of the moment, the situation has “panic move” written all over it.

The Hockey Writers – Takeaways From Chiarelli’s Press Conference – Heading into the NHL Draft Lottery on Apr. 28, the Oilers hold the ninth-best odds and have a five percent chance of winning the lottery. Regardless, there are going to be fans clamoring for Chiarelli to be fired this summer. It’s not going to happen.

Oilersnation – Who is calling the shots? – We know that’s going to happen. What I’m wondering, regardless of who publicly pulls the trigger, is who is actually calling the shots?

NHL RUMORS

NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers – Chiarelli, Rattie, Nugent-Hopkins, Defensive Needs and Potential Targets

NHL Rumors: Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers

NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres

NHL Rumors: Ilya Kovalchuk – No Agreement In Place With The Rangers, But He Could End Up There

Please SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel! We’re on the hunt for 1000 amazing subscribers! You’ll find comedy, tragedy, optimism, pessimism, interviews, highlights, top 10 lists, and Puljujarvi pizza eating videos.

CHECK UPSTAIRS w/ Color! Click the pic to see this design and more!
Click the image above and get your shirt today!
Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.
Beer League Hero, Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Oilers Looking For a New General Manager AND Head Coach?

7 Comments

What a loss that was for the Oilers eh? That loss reminded me of a time when jerseys were being tossed on the ice and bag-wearing fans were-a-raging! I seen some positives in that game but not enough. The team looks very uninspired and I don’t expect players like Drake Caggiula, Pat Maroon, or even Zack Kassian to survive the possible upcoming purge.

Disclaimer: As I say nearly every time I post something I’ve been passed along, you do not have to believe me. Everyone claims to know somebody connected to a professional hockey team in Canada. I just happen to as well. I can’t tell you who the sources are (of course) but I trust them and I’m not afraid to tell you because it’s no skin off of my back. Apart from all of that, it’s good entertainment and excellent water cooler talk. I’m not McKenzie, Dreger, Friedman, or LeBrun nor do I want to be. I just like sharing what I’ve been told. 

So immediately after the game, I was given this text from one of my sources within the club,

“The Oilers brass is going to be having talks with both Darryl Sutter and Dave Tippett.”

WHOA!

I mean, the players have looked very uninspired but is firing the coach the answer. McLellan throws himself under the bus every night the Oilers lose but is he doing it too much? I would have no problem if he flat out said his players played like shit and need to get their games together or someone is going to sit. Nobody gets sat in the press box anymore and that used to be how you sent a message to a player that wasn’t “getting it”.

I’ve talked about Darryl Sutter in the past and Dave Tippett in Twitter conversations and IF the Oilers were to let McLellan and his staff go, I wouldn’t have any problems with either of these men being hired but one does have to ask if Sutter is past his best-before date.

What do you think? Personally I’d like to toss Todd Nelson’s name out there.

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!

A few minutes later I was sent this message,

“Peter Chiarelli is also on the hot seat”.

Hmmm, big if true. I mean is the Oilers’ brass bowing to the pressure of a rabid Oilers fanbase right now?

The Oilers went from a 70pt team to a team that amassed over 100pts last season. Both Todd McLellan and Peter Chiarelli were up for major awards and 21 games into the next season and they’re both being reviewed now?

I still wonder how you can blame Chiarelli for players who are slumping like Klefbom and Talbot. Does Chiarelli get equal praise for the resurgence of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the emergence of Darnell Nurse? It’s BS that he’s getting piled on like this for things that are out of his control. Do you really think that having Eberle and Pouliot on the team would prevent other players from slumping? Come on, use your head.

Now, THAT being said, Peter Chiarelli did have a reputation of not being afraid to move young players before he was hired in Edmonton and we know what he’s done so far because there were others who couldn’t or wouldn’t move any of the young players in an attempt to kick-start the team. As soon as Chiarelli moves one, the teams luck changes. Weird.

Chiarelli has built this team to compete in the Pacific and to date, the Oilers have played Pacific division teams a grand total of THREE TIMES!!! Going forward every game vs. the Pacific teams is a 4pt game. The bad news is they will only play Pacific division teams 3 times between now and January 2nd…

Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!

On an individual basis, it’s my belief that the men in charge are unhappy with the underperforming Matt Benning, Drake Caggiula, and the newly acquired Ryan Strome.

My retort to that is that Benning/Caggiula are suffering from a sophomore slump and Ryan Strome has been stapled to the 3rd line since the second game of the preseason. What kind of expectations did they have for him if they were going to play him there, I mean he’s got 8pts from there and I’d say that’s pretty decent considering the Oilers record.

I do have to wonder if Darryl Katz would ok these moves as Chiarelli and McLellan are on some serious tickets and if I’m not mistaken they’ve got 2 years left on their contracts and both are over $4M per year…

What are your thoughts? Should the GM get another trade? Should he axe McLellan and try to spark something? Or should Bob Nicholson step in and go scorched Earth? Let us know in the comments below!

Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.