Hao jiu bu jian Oilers fans! In Chinese, that means, “It’s been a long time Oilers fans!” and it has, hasn’t it? I mean, I can tell you exactly why I haven’t been posting and that’s because I can’t bring myself to give you updates on XBOX simulations as if they mean anything or relive my favorite Oilers memories like that isn’t an annual topic on every Oilers blog. I like what the guys over at the Cult of Hockey have been producing but they’ve also got a lot of their own research material to dip into. I also think the state of society probably has me down a bit and so the motivation to create some meaningful content is lacking more than usual.

Lucky for us though, there’s some roster speculation from other sources that is starting to edge its way out there and that’s what I’m going to comment on today. Honestly, it’s all probably stuff we’ve talked about before, right? After all, there are only so many players in an organization and in Edmonton, they all get thrown into the rumor mill and trade proposals at some point.

Let’s start with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, shall we?

During a recent mailbag, Larry Brooks (NY Times) recently commented on a reader’s question regarding the long-time Oiler,

The Blueshirts surely will seek to bulk up down the middle and could be in the market for a second-line pivot depending upon Ryan Strome’s contract status and the staff’s opinion of Filip Chytil’s readiness to assume that responsibility. Tony DeAngelo could be the bait. But though the talented Nugent-Hopkins would fit nicely, he has only one year remaining on his contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, so the answer is no on RNH.

New York would be dumb to pass up on Nugent-Hopkins just because he’ll be a UFA after next season… Especially with them being so advanced in their rebuild.

Now, this was picked up by a popular Rangers blog (foreverblueshirts.com) and they were very much in favor of their team making a trade for RNH. With the season Nuge was having, who wouldn’t be? Here is what they threw out for trade proposals,

Remember great rentals cost 1st round picks and this summer the Rangers have 2, after trading Skjei to Carolina. Jeff Gorton needs to play this very deftly and move not only that pick but also the right players from the team. Here’s two possibilities that might get Edmonton to bite:

• EDM sends Nugent-Hopkins to NYR for 1st round pick (lottery protected), Lias Andersson, and Matthew Robertson 
• EDM sends Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi to NYR for 1st round pick (lottery protected), Brett Howden, Lias Andersson, and Matthew Robertson 

The inclusion of defenseman Matthew Robertson is tough to add but he plays for the Oil Kings and is someone they probably see often. While the Oilers are contenders, the can actually rebuild for the future on the fly with one of those two deals. Of course, there could be some other mixing and matching of players/and or prospects but continuing down that rabbit hole will be guessing at best.

I don’t like either deal. Just from a very simplistic manner of looking at these proposals, none of the players going to Edmonton have the potential to reach the level of player that Nugent-Hopkins is. I get that he’d be a rental and if the Oilers could get a haul that big, they’d have to be ecstatic, but I just don’t feel like they need any of them more than they do Nuge himself.

That said, there are obvious caveats.

• Do they have Taylor Hall lined up? If so, see ya later 93!
• Does RNH want to re-sign with the club? If not, see ya later 93!

So in either of those scenarios, if it’s time to say goodbye to our loveable assistant captain, then it’d be hard to beat those offers from Forever Blueshirts.

If I were in Ken Holland’s boots, I might want to see about getting one of their young goalies and a better prospect than what’s being presented above. Vitali Kravtsov might’ve had a tough start to his North American Career but he’s quite young and there’s a lot to like in his game. Brendan Lemieux is another player I think would offer a lot to Edmonton’s middle-6 and just thinking about him and Matthew Tkachuk going head-to-head 6x a year has me laughing already. Pavel Buchnevich’s time under David Quinn has been up and down and with his size, speed, and skill, I reckon he’d look good alongside McDavid or Draisaitl…

Lastly, if the status’ of Ryan Strome and Chytil are that much in question that the Rangers have to go out and splurge on RNH, why not just offer Edmonton Strome and Chytil?

Next, Dylan Strome.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. If the Blackhawks would accept Jesse Puljujarvi in return for Strome, the deal would be done yesterday. Maybe this sort of trade is tied into what the Oilers have in store for RNH?…

I don’t know what Dylan Strome has done to his coaches in Arizona and Chicago, but that’s two organizations that he’s rubbed the wrong way and I don’t even think he’s on his second contract. Begs the question, would you rather have a player who goes from team to team wearing out his welcome in short order or a player who decides he’s had enough and tells the org. that he’s not coming back to play for them and to trade him?

When will hockey come back?

This is a weekly topic that is really getting on my nerves. I wish they’d just accept the fact that there’s not going to be any sports let alone much else going on before September… And I’m starting to believe that might even be an optimistic prognostication. There is simply too much to risk by attempting to work hockey around the virus. It just doesn’t work that way regardless of what some politicians (or those pretending to be) might tell us.

I get there’s a sack of money that is going to be lost. But that’s just the way it is. It’s not like professional sports all over the globe aren’t losing money left and right at the moment. Everybody has to suck it up, not just Ma and Pa who live in small-town Saskatchewan. Even the big boys are going to have to deal with this like adults.

So there you have it. There’s already talk behind the scenes that this is going to take some real time folks. Kiss the 2019/20 NHL season goodbye and say your prayers for the start of the 2020/21 campaign. Those of you that are in North America, which I suspect is most of you that are reading this, you’re just getting started with this pandemic. If you think it looks bad now, just wait.

I know this is probably a dumb and overused thing to say but, I hope I’m wrong. I wish very much for society to get back on track as soon as possible. I’d love to get back to Canada and some point here.

And with that said, I hope you’re all taking good care of yourselves and practicing good social distancing protocols. There’s going to be times when you can’t take it anymore and when that happens, know that you’re not alone. You can still head out to your backyard or your balcony. Make sure you’ve got some time set aside for yourself if you live in a crowded household and if you live alone, make sure you’re staying in contact with your friends and loved ones. Oh, and watch this clip below. It eased my anxiety a bit, maybe it’ll help you too!

We’re all in this together (to varying degrees) and it’s important that we all pull in the same direction so that we can get over this hump sooner than later.