As usual, anything that you read here today you should take with a grain of salt. Anything can change at any time and therefore what I’m about to tell you should be taken as about as seriously as your Grandma telling you she’s trying out for next round of the X-Games (they’re still around right?).
WHO ARE THE OILERS POTENTIALLY ADDING?
This isn’t really NEW news per se, something that everyone has been hinting towards since the last game vs. Arizona but here goes nothing!
As you know, Chiarelli invited three players to camp on PTOs, Scotty Upshall, Jason Garrison, and Alex Chiasson. Upshall’s knee has taken him out of consideration so far but Garrison and Chiasson have had good camps and with that, they will probably be getting signed to 1-yr deals very soon and I’d imagine with Edmonton having a shade over $1.4M in available cap space that they’re both going to come in between 650k to 750k and with NMCs…
I’m joking!!! About the NMCs… Maybe.
How Will Those Two Players Impact the Current Roster?
Well, from my vantage point, signing Jason Garrison would enable the Oilers to put Ethan Bear in the minors until Evan Bouchard is sent back to London after his 9 games are up, it would give the team a steady veteran presence on their blueline and in the locker room, and he’d another left-handed option for their “All-Lefty” powerplay…
As for Chiasson, he’d definitely make Zack Kassian that much more expendable and I’m hearing there’s a solid market for the rugged winger. Personally, I’d try to keep him because come playoff time he could prove to be quite valuable in the right circumstance but if he is interested in moving on, then that’s that.
The Oilers are stacked with left-handed shooters including two other players in the bottom-6 that Chiasson could push out of a job in Drake Caggiula and Pontus Aberg but then someone would be playing their off wing if both Kassian and Chiasson were in the lineup at the same time.
The Drake is fighting an illness this camp and I hope he gets over it soon because when Caggiula is on his game, he can be an irritating little water bug but Aberg is on another planet. He’s got a bit of the Omark in him in that he knows how skilled he is (not as much as Linus mind you) but he picks and chooses when to give 100%.
I reckon Aberg will be put on waivers nevertheless and that move alone should make it possible to fit Alex Chiasson onto the roster without sacrificing Kassian or Caggiula.
MY THOUGHTS
I’m definitely all for adding two veteran players like Garrison and Chiasson. They’ve shown to me that they are worthy of roster spots on this year’s Oilers. It’d be really different though if other players on the team weren’t playing their way off of it but as things are, it is what it is.
I don’t think a big deal should really be made of adding a no.7 defender and a no.12/13 forward (THOSE “fans” will though, they always find a way) but signing Jason Garrison and Alex Chiasson may just open things up for Chiarelli to make other moves down the road.
The next 6 weeks or so you should keep your eyes peeled to the roster moves of other teams. In the next week, watch the waiver wire very closely… You may see a player or two hit the wire that Edmonton makes a trade for.
Dig this Stanley Cup mug? Click the image above and use the code GOALTEN to get 10% off of your purchase!F*ck those guys! Click the image and grab one of these beauty designs!A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!
Yesterday on Oilers Now, host Bob Stauffer threw a new name into the hopper for Oilers fans to mull over, Boston Bruins defender Matt Grzelyck.
Here’s exactly what Bob said about the Boston rearguard,
I’ll give you a guy right now. I’m looking at Boston and they’ve got Matt Grzelyck and there’s a guy right there that Keith Gretzky drafted that I’m not even sure what Boston even had. He’s making $1.4M and I know Joe Haggerty reported last week that Matt Grzelyck might not make their team.
That’s the type of player who can skate and move the puck but think of the situation Boston’s in. They’ve got McAvoy and Carlo on the right side, they signed John Moore and on the left side they’ve got Chara, they’ve got Krug, I missing somebody else decent. Like, they’ve got 6 pretty good defensemen. Oh Miller! Anyways, the bottom line is they’ve got 6 guys and right now Grzelyck’s looking like the no.7 D.
If I’m Boston, I don’t think Boston and Edmonton are ever going to make a deal but if they put him on waivers that’s the type of guy that- and he’s making $1.4M.
Now maybe they decide to keep him there as the no.7 defenseman. I don’t know because they’ve got Kampfer who to me is the type of guy you want as a no.7 defenseman cause he’s not making $1.4M, he’s making 700k.
You can listen to the quote on yesterday’s edition of Oilers Now here. The Grzelyck part starts around the 16:40 mark.
You might remember Matt Grzelyck from a goal he scored against the Oilers last February. If not, here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIV2FUW3su4
There’s not a lot to say about Grzelyck if I’m being honest. He’s a smaller puck-moving defender that is a bit more offensively minded. He was possession positive last season playing in a 3rd pairing role for Boston and was received generally well by the Bruins blogosphere here and here.
I wonder why Stauffer would bring up a player like this when the Oilers basically have three defenders in their system (Bear, Bouchard, Jones) that could do an equal or better job as Grzelyck for a lower price. Not only that but why would the Oilers be interested in adding ANOTHER left-handed defenseman?
The other thing that bothered me is that Stauffer mentioned that salary repeatedly and I’m wondering if there’s anything there to be magnified and dug deeper upon.
Just because Gretzky drafted him shouldn’t mean that he’s an automatic candidate for acquisition but I could be wrong, not that that would be new for me. Perhaps the former BU captain would be the perfect player for the Oilers. They could send Bouchard back to London earlier, keep Bear in the minors longer, and give him the same sort of TOI and deployment Boston was giving him in order to shelter him.
F*ck those guys! Click the link and grab one of these sweet t-shirts!
JERABEK
Jakub Jerabek is another player Bob Stauffer has been talking about this week. He’s often mentioned that if Jerabek doesn’t work out in Edmonton that his agent, Allan Walsh, should be able to find him work in Europe and since he works with Vladimir Vojtek that it shouldn’t pose an issue.
My question here is, would the Oilers simply terminate the contract or would it be another loan deal and Jerabek’s contract still count on the books?
One would think that they’d do their damnedest to get that marriage annulled ASAP and retain that cap space and contract spot, no? I mean, he’s done nothing to suggest that he deserves to be on the Oilers main roster over Evan Bouchard or Jason Garrison at this point in my opinion and the fact that he’s not in the lineup vs. ARI tonight and Garrison/Bear are… Speaks volumes.
Looks like the old boy is in and I couldn’t agree more with the decision of the coaching staff to keep playing him. He’s looked a lot better as of recent and I’m very much in favor of the team adding more veterans to the team but it’s not only his experience and talent that I like about Jason Garrison, According to Bob Stauffer he’s been given rave reviews for his locker room demeanor with younger players from his coach last season, former Oilers asst. coach Rocky Thompson .
Chicago just gave Brandon Davidson a 1-year deal worth 650k (why had to get greedy with the Oilers is beyond me) so I hope the Oilers give Jason Garrison a similar deal if he keeps up the good work. Edmonton could use a steady Eddie on the blueline.
A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!Grab this sweet Nintendo parody shirt! Click the image above!New Team, New Shirt! Buy a 16-bit Karlsson (Sharks) today!
The latest Oilers speculation is not really new news. We’re all just awaiting the announcement where Peter Chiarelli welcomes Trent Yawney, Glen Gulutzan, and Manny Viveiros to the club, right?
What a great sign it is for Peter Chiarelli in that he’s snatching up high-end talent for the coaching staff and if the rumor below comes true, that just adds to what is looking like a great start to the summer for the Oilers GM.
I hope he gets the praise that he’s due.
Well, that bit of news was just the tip of the iceberg last night when one of my sources contacted me.
Now as usual and if I remember, I want to preface the following with some advice. Don’t take this as gospel. I’m just one guy who knows a guy within the Oilers organization out of hundreds of other guys in the same situation. Rumors are just that and a lot of the time these things NEVER come true. They simply get lost in the black hole that is the Oilers rumor mill.
That said, here’s what I was told.
Edm also talking to Mark Hunter about a role in management.
I think a lot of Oilers fans would love this to come true given what Hunter accomplished in his time in Toronto in terms of the draft. He’s certainly got a lot of pedigree at the moment but I do wonder if his old playing club, the Montreal Canadiens or even the Calgary Flames, come knocking on his door. Better yet, the new expansion franchise in Seattle would be quite smart to snap him up as soon as it’s possible for them to start adding staff.
If Hunter were to come to Edmonton, I’d see that as a sign that a change in the position of general manager is forthcoming.
Tons of shakeups happening. Oilers are also talking to Carolina about Skinner and Faulk.
This would definitely move the needle a bit. I’m not sure how those players’ contracts would fit under the Oilers’ cap (combined they make close to $10M a year) but I imagine that would depend on the players going back to Carolina and I’d imagine that one of the higher paid defensemen would be going as well as someone whose contract is a bit too high within the forward group and for good measure, toss in a high draft pick along with a blue-chip prospect.
Another problem with this is that both Skinner and Faulk will be UFAs sooner than later. Skinner next summer and Faulk the year after. So would it be such a great move to mortgage a chunk of the future to possibly win next season. I mean what is Jeff Skinner going to command in 2019/2020 if he goes on to score 40 goals with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl as his centre? $8M or $9M a year must be in the range because Doug Wilson looks like he’s going to give a 4opt winger $7M a year… And if Faulk puts up 50-60pts, he’s going to be looking for something north of $6M a season in two years…
I just don’t think it looks like a responsible long-term move and if Peter Chiarelli is making trades to try and save his job, he’s already fired.
That being said, how motivated would those two be to score when their old coach and the Flames meet the Oilers meet 6x a year?
*UPDATE*
Sounds like they may move Sekera the other way if Sekera waives his NMC. Oilers till have almost $20M in cap and Kassian could go the other way too.
They ARE shopping Sekera because they don’t know if he’ll be the same again.
Hang tight. This deal wouldn’t happen until the draft or the start of FA season because of how big it would be.
Ex-Oilers assistant GM Rick Olcyk is still an AGM in Carolina and I wonder if that relationship would have a positive impact on trade negotiations here.
I didn’t watch Slovakia at the World Championships, so I can’t say if he looked any better or worse but a guy his age, not OLD mind you (only 31) but not 25 either, there are going to be valid concerns about his recovery.
Do the Hurricanes want another LHD though? And does Sekera want to go back to Carolina? Will Jim Matheson get his wish and see Jesse Puljujarvi moved in this kind of deal?
Kassian has in fact been brought up in trade discussions. I don’t know what teams are offering but I believe that Chiarelli is softly shopping him just to see what the interest level is.
This dovetails nicely with what Bob Stauffer has said recently, and these were his rumblings, but he said that the Oilers could bring in a $4M winger IF they could find a way to move out a bottom 6 winger who makes around $2M…
Frankly, Kassian does make too much money for what he provided last season BUT that being said, he’s exactly the kind of player that Oilers will want in the playoffs. A heavy player with skill who contributes on the PK and can withstand the rigors of NHL post-season intensity. Think Auston Watson or Devante Smith-Pelly. Not the greatest during the regular season but ramp up their games in the playoffs.
Could the Oilers find a similar player that would be willing to make $1M less? Sure. I think they could do that no problem but I’m not sure they could find the sort of player that fans and teammates are so emotionally tied to like Zack Kassian.
Milan Lucic has been heavily challenged by the Oilers brass to come to camp lighter and quicker or 2018/19 is his last season as an Oilers forward.
Contrary to the negative reports, there is, in fact, TONS of interest in Milan Lucic via trade because of what he brings.
But the Oilers want to give him a year to bounce back.
I can definitely see this. Especially if this could be Chiarelli’s last year with the club, the next GM would have zero qualms trading the big man and freeing up some cap room.
If we take Milan Lucic’s year-end avail and what he said there as truth, then we know that he’s going to be working his ass off to drop some muscle mass but then again, you do have to wonder how serious he’ll be when he sees Ryan Reaves playing in the Stanley Cup Final knowing that Reaves is a worse player in every aspect.
I know talking to my Vancouver source that they’d be at the front of the line if Lucic hits the market. Any deal involving Lucic will have the Oilers taking some cash back and/or sending a highly regarded prospect or draft pick along with him, right? Plus he’d have to give it the green light.
So there are some pretty obvious roadblocks in moving Lucic.
Just one last thing on Milan before we put a bow on this post.
Bob Stauffer said something very interesting with regards to Looch on his show yesterday morning that made me go hmmmmm.
He has to get order in his life in order to succeed on the ice and that’s part of the challenge when you’re coming in as an older guy. Edmonton is an intense market.
What does that mean? Lucic has to get order in his life… Something going on off the ice that is affecting Milan’s game on it?
Anyways, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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!I don’t hate the Leafs like some Oilers fans but I thought this design was pretty funny! Click the pic above and get one for the Maple Leafs fan in your life!Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.
