Tag Archives: Derek Ryan

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Celebrations and Trade Deadline Whispers

February 25, 2017 Beer League Hero 3 Comments

I just wanted to share a bit of good news with you before getting into today’s post but a little background first.

When I started this blog way back in 2012 over on Weebly, my goal was to hit the first page of google without having “Edmonton” or “Oilers” in the URL because I figured that it’d be that much more challenging.Now I’m no SEO expert, I may have read a few blogs on the topic but if I’m not mistaken, one would like all the advantages he/she can get when it comes to making it easier for people to find your website, right?

Next, I wanted to step up the site’s coverage back in 2015 and take it to the next level, so I picked up the domain and registered www.beerleagueheroes.com with the idea that maybe, just maybe, it’d help the site reach the first page.

Well after 5 years of existence and 2 years as a dot com…

BEER LEAGUE HEROES HIT THE FIRST PAGE OF GOOGLE UNDER “EDMONTON OILERS BLOGS”!!!

So I’m pretty stoked about hitting Google page one as I can honestly say I did almost the bare minimum to get it there. That being said, you are the ones that made the most impact. You chose to read our content! And we thank you so much for that. I hope we’re still up there when you get around to reading this.

Trade me right f*cking now! Happy 40th Birthday to the Greatest Hockey Movie of All-Time!!!

Trades Completed and Otherwise

Patrick Eaves going to the Ducks for a conditional 2nd rounder is interesting. It turns into a first rounder if the Ducks make it to the Western Conference Finals AND if Eaves plays 50% of the games in the rounds previous. So even if the Ducks do make it to the conference finals, that 1st rounder will be akin to a 2nd rounder anyhow.

I would’ve liked to have seen Eaves on the Oilers previously but I have to question if he’d be surplus to requirement on the Oilers now that Pakarinen is healthy, Slepyshev, when he’s in the lineup, is looking dangerous and he’s not shying away from the dirty areas. Leon Draisaitl is racking up the points again and Jordan Eberle appeared to have some real jump in his game vs. Washington. And Lastly, I’m loving Zack Kassian more and more each time I watch him.

How much would Eaves have really helped? And don’t forget, Puljujarvi is lighting up the AHL right now. So he’s there to call up if need be.

Tomas Jurco for a 3rd rounder

I asked my source if the Oilers had any interest in this guy as a depth scorer with speed and a good possession game. I was told the Oilers had ZERO interest.

Source Says…

PC is talking to STL about Shattenkirk. He’s open to coming to Edm. He sees what’s happening in Edm with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Co.

So this is an interesting twist. If you’ve been following any NHL media whatsoever in the last 48 hours, you’ve probably read or heard all the talk about Shattenkirk turning down deals to go to other teams, Edmonton included. But what I was told was that as far as an extension goes, the Oilers would have to win a couple of playoff rounds to convince Kevin Shattenkirk to re-sign in Edmonton. Otherwise, the Oilers aren’t willing to go any higher than what the market is currently dictating for rental defensemen. Michael Stone went for a third and Hainsey went for a 2nd rounder plus a career AHLer, so read between the lines there.

I got a bit of flack on Twitter for asking why a team would pay more than a 3rd rounder for a player that isn’t interested in re-signing with their club. I understand that Shattenkirk is a MUCH better player than Michael Stone and Ron Hainsey but would you give up a 1st or a 2nd round pick for a rental? Providing he’s gone on July 1st?

I know a few GMs (Bergevin/Rutherford) who might but the Oilers GM won’t be unless Shattenkirk agrees to re-sign in Edmonton. And if that happens, we should be able to put the Kris Russell 2017 contract debate to bed.

Speaking of Russell, the Oilers have broken off talks with his camp. I guess he’s still angling for a 4 year deal with $4M per year. Surprisingly price isn’t the problem, term is.
Derek Ryan should be an Oiler soon. They’ve been scouting him something fierce lately.
The Oilers are trying their damnedest to move Pouliot and Fayne but doesn’t sound like anything is going to happen on that front.
No on Hanzal and Vrbata and Iginla.

Edmonton wants a sniper and would prefer a bit more speed and size up front. But none of those players are fleet of foot and their price tag is too high.

Dallas is strapped to the cap and looking to move some bodies. The names that came up were Sharp, Eaves (already spoken for), and John Klingberg…

I can see Sharp and the Oilers being a potential fit but John Klingberg?!! Why in the world would Jim Nill be open to moving him? If I were the Oilers, I’d have a separate phone special for Jim Nill and I’d be calling him constantly to see what the price is. Klingberg has a beauty long-term contract similar to Larsson and Klefbom’s and that would fit in too well with the Oilers future plans.

The Oilers are looking at two players with regards to the backup position. Jaroslav Halak and Ondrej Pavelec. With either of those players, the Islanders/Jets would need to retain salary.

Now, I know which goalie I’d prefer. The one who had a helluva playoff run not too long ago for the Montreal Canadiens. A run so amazing that it had fans of the Habs asking for the team to trade Carey Price away… But alas, we’ve heard from Bob Stauffer that he believes Halak will be bought out at season’s end by the Isles. So, who knows what will happen there. I’m not sold on Pavelec one bit…

Personally, I’m guessing the Oilers go out and grab a right-shooting face-off man for sure. I think if they can’t get the right deal for a backup, they’ll wing it and go with Brossoit or if disaster hits, Nick Ellis. I’m with Chiarelli in that the Oilers are right on the precipice of becoming a great team with excellent depth at the minor league level and the prospect level and there’s no real reason to bet the farm this season. Next season mind you, that will be a different story.

That’s it for now. I’ll update you later on if something comes in! And thanks again for helping us to page 1 on Google! Check out our T-shirt shop! There’s a sale going on right now where you can get some pretty sweet tees for you or your kids or maybe someone else or their kids… Click the pic below and it’ll take you to our shop! You’re a beauty!!!

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

Subtle Moves says Stauffer

February 14, 2017 Beer League Hero

Happy Valentines Day!! Make sure you let your special someone know how much you care about them today!

If there’s any time during the year to pay extra attention to what the host of Oilers Now! Bob Stauffer is throwing out there, it’s right before the trade deadline because his cadence changes a bit when talking about certain players and he tends to throw our some tidbits regarding the players that the Oilers are targeting.

Case in point, during yesterday’s show (2/13/17) during the second segment where Bob is taking calls. A caller said that he heard the Oilers were linked with Patrick Eaves (our post on Eaves is here) and Bob immediately and pointedly, nearly cutting the poor guy off, asked the caller,

“Where have you seen that?”

Normally Stauffer takes a moment to offer his opinion and he’s usually pretty jovial when talking about these sort of armchair GM comments/queries but this got Bob awfully serious right quick and at the beginning, his reply was kind of all over the place.

Bob: I think Dallas is going to have to sell. Eaves has had an incredible year. I think part of it is just the fit for him and Dallas and he is a RW. So, you know, we’ll see.

A lot of short and obvious notes given here. Just seems like Stauffer was caught off-guard to me. Below you can tell he’s back to his normal self though.

Caller: He would be able to help out on the PP, would he not?

Bob: Well, he’s had a tremendous year. I wouldn’t consider him an elite PP guy. To me, he’s a 3rd line RW that’s having a career season. Like, he’s got 20 goals. He’s been on fire all year but there’s so much focus when you play Dallas on the likes of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin and Eaves has been the guy that’s stepped up. Especially, given the fact that they lost Hemsky in the first game of the year. So there’s one right winger down, they lost Janmark, that’s another top 9 forward. They don’t have Spezza right now either.

I think you’d have to look at Eaves. The price point is good, he’s cheap. That’s another thing that makes sense.

“Another thing that makes sense”? I’m assuming that Stauffer is talking about how Eaves is having a great year in addition to his cap hit being a paltry $1M.

In the end, I’m probably reading a bit more into the demeanor in which he’s saying those things. That’s just me though.

Look, I’m certain the Oilers are looking at Eaves but I can’t be 100% sure as I’m not an insider (even though I pretend to be on the internet) but did Stauffer let the cat out of the bag a bit here?

A Subtle Move

It’s a subtle move to go out and get yourself a backup goaltender, maybe some forward depth up front, with some help down the middle.

Stauffer has been talking up these “subtle moves” for a week and now he’s getting a tad more specific.

You could potentially see a backup goaltender being acquired. Absolutely! If that’s what you’re saying.

Stauffer was touching on a caller’s question about Cam Talbot needing someone trustworthy to back him up in case he starts to tire late in the season. I haven’t heard much in the way of who might be coming in to backup Cam Talbot. I think Lowetide has been championing Reto Berra but I’ve been seeing his name connected with various Swiss league teams and he’s not exactly lighting up the AHL right now.

A different caller did ring up Oilers Now! and ask about Halak but Stauffer said he’s too expensive in his opinion and I’m of the same belief. That being said, if the Islanders took back Mark Fayne or Benoit Pouliot, why not? Same difference, right? And who knows what happens at the draft? Maybe a team who loses out on Ben Bishop or M.A. Fleury comes calling and BINGO! You can move that contract on. Halak would be a helluva backup to have for a playoff run, no?

I think the forward depth up front is referring to another right-winger (Patrick Eaves perhaps? Chiarelli did, in fact, trade for him back in 2009 when he was GM of the Bruins and Eaves was part of the Carolina organization.) and the help down the middle is most likely Brian Boyle (TB) or Derek Ryan (CAR). I wrote a post on Ryan previously and the likelihood of the Oilers picking him up here.

Personally, I think that Chiarelli REALLY wants Brian Boyle but won’t be dragged into a bidding war for him. He might participate in the bidding but in the end, will refuse to pay the price in the hopes that somebody else does.

Even if the Hurricanes are in the playoffs and they keep Ryan for the post-season, I could see the Oilers re-visiting the Ryan camp in the summer and offering him a deal to come back to Edmonton to play hockey again. The guy is a beauty on the dot and Edmonton really needs help there.

I’m surprised Bob didn’t say anything about a defenseman because Chiarelli has a history of making trades for solid defensemen.

Adam Larsson (2016)
Andrej Meszaros (2014)
Wade Redden (2013)
Tomas Kaberle (2011)
Dennis Seidenberg (2010)
Aaron Ward, Dennis Wideman, Adam MacQuaid (2007)

Check out his trade history here. Is the market for defenders dry or the prices too dear for Chiarelli right now?

Do you think there’s anything to read into Bob Stauffer’s words yesterday? Let us know in the comments below but right after you pick up a sweet t-shirt from our Teepublic shop!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Oilers Targeting Former U of A Golden Bear?

February 8, 2017 Beer League Hero 1 Comment

I see the Oilers making a couple of subtle moves at this time. Certainly if they can get a cheaper faceoff option to help Drake Caggiula. Doesn’t mean that Caggiula doesn’t play, maybe it just pushes Caggiula to the wing. It might just be a scenario where in a perfect world they find a centre/right winger who can take the right side draws, a guy that is an unrestricted free agent. There’s not a lot of guys out there like that and right now because everybody is compressed, everybody thinks they’re in the mix but maybe that changes moving forward. – Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now! (2/7/17)

That is THE quote from Bob Stauffer on yesterday’s Oilers Now! If you want to listen to the clip, click here and skip to around 15:50 of the first segment.

If you’re a faithful listener of Oilers Now! you’d know that starting this season Bob Stauffer has started to really pump the tires of former University of Alberta Golden Bear and Swedish Hockey League MVP Derek Ryan. This has lead me to believe that he’s been a target of the Oilers for a while now.

Now as it stands, the 30 year old Ryan is playing for the Carolina Hurricanes and they are a team that might be considered “in the mix” for a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference and there’s a pretty decent chance that they fall out of that race as they only have a significant winning record vs. Boston, Buffalo, and the surging New York Islanders this season.

The Canes are 4-6-0 in their last ten games according to TSN.ca and this month they’ll play (this season’s records included):

Washington (A) – 1W 2L 1OT
Dallas (A) – haven’t played
Colorado (H) – haven’t played
Toronto (H) – 1W 0L
Pittsburgh (H) – 0W 2L
Ottawa (H) – 0W 1L 1OT
Calgary (H) – 1W 0L
Florida (A) – 1W 0L

But that being said, the Hurricanes have yet to play Colorado, Arizona, and Dallas. All teams that are looking ripe for the picking and they have a home record of 17-6-1. So if they can keep up the pace, maybe they won’t fall out of the wildcard race but at the moment, they’re a point out of dead last in the Eastern Conference and that fits the narrative of this post 🙂

Back to Derek Ryan!!

Derek Ryan is also a forward who is right-handed and can line up on either the right wing or take draws as the centreman… #weird.

At the moment, Bill Peters has Ryan slotting in on the first line between Jeff Skinner and Lee Stempniak but he’s seen time on the right-side with Victor Rask as the centre. The former CIS (west) and SHL MVP has 18 points in 38 games this season but he’s pointless in his last ten games.

Now, I’ve momentarily considered Ryan a potential grab for the Oilers in the past, mostly because Stauffer has brought him up fleetingly (as he tends to do when he’s tossing out hints), but thought nothing of it because I was under the impression that Edmonton would be going after a bigger fish like Brian Boyle or Martin Hanzal. A typical fan’s train of thought, no? I mean, they could very well be looking to add one of those players as well but I do know that a right-handed centre is something they crave. What solidifies it for me are a handful of things:

Ryan is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Ticks another box off of Bob’s checklist above.
He’s a former Golden Bear.
- We love our home town boys but nobody loves them more than Bob and I’m sure he’d be first to admit it.
The Oilers are dead last in the NHL in FOW% (47.2%)
- That shouldn’t mean too much because Columbus is 2nd last in the league but still, it’s a problem if the Oilers are going to do any damage in the playoffs.
Derek Ryan has a FOW% of 58.6% (394 taken, 231 won)
- He’s 5th in the league behind Bergeron, J.Staal, Duchene, and Vermette (250 FO minimum).

Stats courtesy of NHL.com

If you fancy the fancies… I offer you the following numbas 5×5 amongst forwards from stats.hockeyanalysis.com:

CF60relTM: +1.28 (4th on CAR)
CA60relTM: +3.18 (8th on CAR)
FF60relTM: -.58 (6th on CAR)
FA60relTM: +1.1 (8th on CAR)

Not great advanced shot metrics in my opinion. He doesn’t promote shots or do much to prevent them.

On the powerplay (91 min), Ryan has a pts/60 of 3.78 which lumps him into the same pile as Mark Letestu (3.77) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3.83). Other notable players in that same area are Martin Hanzal, Alexander Barkov, Ondrej Palat, Sean Monahan, and Anze Kopitar. Not too shabby.

The reason I mention the power play is because IF the Oilers were to acquire Ryan, he’d definitely be getting PP time to take some of the pressure off of Letestu and to give each PP unit a different look. And let’s be honest, McDavid’s unit could use a different option apart from Draisaitl’s bumper in the slot or Lucic down low. Teams are onto those plays now.

I can’t even imagine where to start when it comes to what the Oilers would have to give up to get Ryan. Vernon Fiddler was dealt for a 4th rounder, so I’m going to say that a mid-round draft pick is a good start. I mean the Hurricanes are looking pretty decent in the prospect department and according to capfriendly.com, they are projected to have about $13M in cap space at the deadline to play around with. So… If I were Peter Chiarelli, I’d see what it would take to get Carolina to take Mark Fayne off of my hands as well as send me Derek Ryan.

Mark Fayne + Brandon Davidson
for
Derek Ryan and a conditional pick

Thoughts? I don’t reckon Carolina necessarily needs Davidson but might be tempted… Who knows?

What do you think about the Oilers possibly looking into Derek Ryan? Let us know in the comments below the t-shirts!

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