In the high-stakes world of the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves at a pivotal crossroads, desperately searching for a goaltending savior. According to the authoritative voice of Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers’ pursuit knows no bounds. In a recent revelation on Oilers Now, Friedman painted a picture of an organization in overdrive, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for a netminder capable of steering them toward Stanley Cup glory.
Friedman’s Insights: A Glimpse into Oilers’ Urgency
Friedman minced no words, highlighting the Oilers’ relentless pursuit of a goaltending solution. The urgency is palpable; the Oilers can’t afford to wait any longer. As the stakes soar for Edmonton, the pressure is on to make a colossal move. Good teams, Friedman noted, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger when they sense an opportunity slipping away. And that’s precisely where the Oilers find themselves – on the precipice of one of their most crucial seasons in recent memory.
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The Top Contenders: Saros, Binnington, and Allen
Among the names swirling in the Oilers’ goalie hunt are Juuse Saros, Jordan Binnington, and Jake Allen. While each carries their unique allure, Friedman’s reservations are apparent. Binnington, the standout from St. Louis, presents a conundrum – what would the Blues demand in return? Meanwhile, Allen, the more budget-friendly option, raises questions about his suitability as a true #1 goalie.
The Bold Move: Saros, the Expensive Gamble
Friedman’s stance is clear: the Oilers must go all-in, and that means setting their sights on Juuse Saros. However, this bold move comes at a hefty price, both financially and in terms of assets. For Edmonton, there’s no room for half measures – it’s a high-stakes gamble that could define their season.
The Clock is Ticking: Oilers at a Crossroads
As Edmonton engages in discussions with Montreal and St. Louis, the tension mounts. The impending departure of Jack Campbell is a foregone conclusion, leaving the Oilers with a void that must be urgently filled. The clock is ticking, and every moment counts as the Oilers weigh their options, knowing that a single move could alter the course of their season.
In the high-stress world of professional hockey, the Oilers find themselves at a critical juncture. Will they go all-in, disregarding traditional caution in their pursuit of goaltending excellence? Or will they fold, risking it all on a gamble that could define their destiny? Only time will reveal the Oilers’ next move, but one thing is certain – the stakes have never been higher in Edmonton.
Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!
BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Ryan Strome, a million-dollar rookie card, Nick Robertson, Mike Babcock, and some hearsay from NHL Insider extraordinaire Elliotte Friedman!
“Ryan Strome, the No. 2 center at the moment, and Panarin’s most likely partner, just signed a two-year deal. He is almost certain to be traded by the ’21-22 trade deadline, though, because by then the Rangers will either be sure he isn’t a legit No. 2 center going forward or his Panarin-driven stats will be so good that they can’t afford to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Unless Strome starts putting up 80pts/yr, I believe he’s hit his ceiling with regards to how much he’ll be making. The Rangers should just sit down with him and see what he wants. I mean, if I were him, I can see the writing on the wall, but I can also see what the future holds for the Rangers. He’s still young and there might be a chance he’ll be centering Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko one day… Would you take a hair cut to play with those talents every night?
Sportsnet: Last Friday, The Great One’s 1979 O-Pee-Chee Edmonton Oilers rookie card sold for a record-breaking $1.032 million… More than 20 years after his last game, Wayne Gretzky is still breaking records.
“Top-end talent stacks up really well in the all-Canadian division.” But, that’s where the advantages stop. Vancouver’s top six and top four are in the top half of the expected Canadian division. At the top of the lineup, they’re probably the second-best team in the country. … At the bottom end of the lineup though, well, the Canucks look like Ottawa West.”
BLH’s Thoughts: GM Jim Benning kinda spit the bit this summer when he let Tyler Toffoli, Chris Tanev, and Jacob Markstrom go for nothing… That being said, this team has a lot of heart to go with its remaining skill (which is nothing to joke about). I can see them taking a step back this year but coming back strong next season.
Bob McKenzie (TSN): Says Team USA could be without star forward Nick Robertson because the Toronto Maple Leafs want him at NHL Training camp. The situation is ongoing.
BLH’s Thoughts:The US team is still pretty stacked with Trevor Zegras (ANA), Matt Boldy (MIN), Cole Caufield (MTL), John Beecher (BOS), Alex Turcotte (LA), and Brendan Brisson (VGK)… Plus they’ve got a really good goalie in Spencer Knight (FLA) and a stud on defence with Jake Sanderson (OTT). They’ll put up a good fight at the 2021 World Juniors.
Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Says ex-Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was a finalist for the coaching job in Washington.
“They interviewed Babcock and I heard heard Babcock’s interview was fantastic. The Story I was told was at the time you were allowed to do it, there were no travel restrictions but Caps GM Brian MacLellan met Babcock at his place and apparently they had an unbelievable meeting and there were some people who told me they thought that Babcock was going to get that job.”
“One of the things that worried Washington was the noise around Babcock from how it ended in Toronto and they weren’t prepared to deal with that.”
“I think he’s going to be coaching in the NHL in the future.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Seattle? They could do a lot worse than Babcock, to be honest. But unless he’s rehabbed his image a bit, will the fanbase in that area accept someone like Babs or is that franchise willing to hire someone with the kind of reputation that Babcock has?
Friedman on the Pacioretty Rumors: “I think what’s going on there is, after they made the Nate Schmidt deal they only needed to make one more deal to get cap compliant. They’ve been looking at some things trying to create some flexibility. I think they’ve put a few names out there. I heard Ale Martinez’s name but I don’t think that’s going on anymore. Jonathan Marchessault’s name is out there. I heard Nashville was talking about Marchessault.”
“The toughest thing with Pacioretty is the number. It’s three times $7M now and a lot of teams don’t have that flexibility right now.”
BLH’s Thoughts: I’d like to say that I’m happy that somebody else has taken over the daily rumor notifications from Mike Hoffman, but I’m not sure I am. That said, if there’s any truth to the idea that in-season trading between American and Canadian teams might be close to non-existent due to the border being closed and local health protocols, should we expect a massive wave of transactions prior to camp getting started?
Friedman on the proposed NHL season start date: “There are people in the league that don’t believe they’ll start Jan. 13th.”
BLH’s Thoughts: I would be surprised if there weren’t any hiccups leading up to that supposed target date. The COVID #s aren’t slowing down at all in North America and my guess is it’ll be a while until they do. Would the summer time be a fair prediction as to when things start to look better?
The Scoring Touch is migrating to a different host, so their website is offline at the moment. Therefore we’re going to have to go solo on this one! Luckily for us, Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts is out over on Sportsnet as well as a new podcast from the NHL’s leading insider and Jeff Marek.
We’re going to be commenting on the latest NHL rumors and speculation that includes hearsay on the Arizona Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, as well as the aforementioned 31 Thoughts blog from Friedman.
First off, I’m completely stoked that Patrick Russell will be back with the Oilers next season after re-signing with the club for another year. I’m a big fan of muckers and grinders and players who play with heart. The writing’s been on the wall for some time now that the Dane would be back given how much his coach likes him.
He’s 27 now and he hasn’t provided much offense for the team, but he brings something different to the ice that not a lot of players on the team did. Consistent efforts and no belly-aching. He’s one of the best players on Edmonton along the wall and you’ve got to wonder just a little bit how he’d do every now and then with Connor McDavid because we know that big wingers who can work the walls tend to have more success with him than other players on the team.
All that said, the right wing position is stocked to the brim nearly. If Jesse Puljujarvi is coming back, will there be a spot for him on that side or will they have him on the left-wing? Bit better of an angle to shoot from, no?
The Rumors
Craig Morgan says that the names that keep coming up in the Arizona Coyotes GM search are Ray Shero, Ron Hextall, Sean Burke, Mark Hunter and Shane Doan.
On TSN 1290, Frank Seravalli said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Patrik Laine and Nik Ehlers on the TSN Trade Bait Board coming out later this week.
BLH’s Thoughts: Good Lord! If either of these players are available, the Oilers MUST inquire. That’s 30 goals in the “for” column guaranteed! Could you imagine a line that consisted of Laine-McDavid-Puljujarvi? That’s a real world cheat code right there!
According to The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, it’s highly unlikely that the Oilers buy anybody out this offseason and they’re open to trading down from 14th overall depending on the offer.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the narrative that is being thrown out there by Bob Stauffer and Kurt Leavins is that Prince Albert defender Kaiden Guhle could be the guy that Edmonton drafts, I hope for my sanity’s sake that it means they’re trading down because they’d be giving up on some real forward talent at 14th overall to take another left-shot dman…
I’m told that Guhle is similar to Nurse and some have told me that he’s a bit too reckless and that’ll never fly in the NHL.
Personally, I think there are about five other dmen you could take in the 2nd round that are as good as Guhle in the skating department including William Wallinder, Helge Grans, Jeremie Poirier, Lukas Cormier, Ethan Edwards, Justin Barron, etc. I mean, Brandon’s Braden Schneider would be there too. Take him, he’s a righty and they’re always at a premium.
The Oilers need to start stocking up the cupboards with forwards now.
On Saturday Headlines, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Calgary Flames are 1-2 weeks from making a decision on Geoff Ward and the head coaching role.
George Richards is saying that former Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is “one to watch” for the open GM position in Florida.
BLH’s Thoughts: John Shannon said on Oilers Now yesterday that Chiarelli’s reputation amongst his peers is a lot higher than with the folks in Northern Alberta… Doesn’t surprise me.
This part is just going to be random snippets from the podcast. Surely things you have already read if you checked out the 31 Thoughts blog but there are other things that weren’t included in that post that have been inserted into the podcast!
The Hockey Diversity Alliance vs. the NHL
“There’s frustrations on both sides. One side wants to do things fast and one side doesn’t want to make a mistake.” Friedman talking about the talks between the Hockey Diversity Alliance and the NHL.
What kind of uncomfortable conversations are coming? Be they about the Stanley Cup and who wasn’t allowed to compete for it in the early days or the renaming of the Conn Smythe trophy given Conn Smythe’s clear racist comments towards a player like Herb Carnegie,
In the late 1930s, after watching Carnegie play hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe was said to have turned to those around him saying he would pay $10,000 “to anyone who could turn Carnegie white.” Since the NHL would not follow the lead of the other major North American professional sports leagues in employing black players, Carnegie was forced to settle for a career in the Quebec provincial and senior leagues, where he formed a legendary line for the Quebec Aces with his older brother, Ossie, and another black player, Manny McIntyre. (source)
Florida Panthers
Friedman believes that New York Rangers AGM Chris Drury was the front-runner for the Florida Panthers GM job before he withdrew his candidacy but the insider had heard from the beginning that it was unlikely to be Drury because he has a really good family and works situation in New York.
Remaining Panthers GM candidates: Bill Armstrong (STL), Sean Burke (MTL), Peter Chiarelli (STL), John Ferguson (BOS), Mike Futa, Lawrence Gilman (TOR), Ron Hextall (LA), Mike Gillis, Mark Hunter, Scott Mellanby (MTL), Ed Olczyk, and Kevin Weekes.
Other possibilities could be Ross Mahoney (WAS) and Al Murray (TB).
Joel Quenneville will be involved in the hiring process of Florida’s new GM.
The Panthers want a GM who has a good background in finding players.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are determined not to make an angry lateral move.
Carolina Hurricanes like Frederik Anderson but the Leafs are going to sit and watch how the goaltending market plays out and then make a decision from there.
Other teams who thought that the price for Kasperi Kapanen was too rich for their blood has them now asking about Andreas Johnsson but Friedman doesn’t believe they’re ready to move him yet and unless William Nylander nets Toronto a top-4 right-handed defenseman, someone who can play with Morgan Rielly, they’ll keep him.
GMs are asking about Zach Hyman but the thought is that he’s too much of what the Leafs need right now and they like him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jared McCann is available. Jack Johnson isn’t believed to be.
There was some talk about Matt Murray going to Toronto but then the Leafs realized that they probably couldn’t afford to re-sign Murray so they backed off.
Arizona Coyotes
Friedman believes that Darcy Kuemper is going to get a lot of interest because of his fantastic playoff performance and his contract ($4.5M for the next two years).
If Arizona is going to re-stock themselves here, Kuemper is probably their best place to start.
Gary Bettman was under intense pressure to punish the Coyotes for their combine testing violations.
Teams started asking if they could visit draft-eligible players’ families in certain areas and they were told no. As a result, the teams got angrier and angrier.
Friedman speculates that the ownership of the Coyotes, who are in the casino business, chose to have the draft picks taken away as punishment instead of the rumored $5M fine.
“I could see them doing the Ottawa model.” Friedman regarding Arizona’s upcoming rebuild. “We’re gonna cut for a couple of years and then build back up.”
Arizona’s cap situation is tight this year and then it loosens.
Boston was going to make a big offer for Oliver Ekman-Larsson before he signed long-term with the Coyotes.
Two contracts that should be looked at, Clayton Keller (885k->$7.15M) and Nick Schmaltz ($5.8M for six more years).
People in Arizona would say the Schmaltz contract is one they’re not fond of more so than the Keller one. They still believe Keller can turn out to be what they expected when he was drafted.
The Rangers tried to get back into the first round to draft Keller.
There was a rumored Rangers/Oilers deal that had Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider going to Edmonton for something that included Edmonton’s first-round pick (4th Overall) which turned out to be Jesse Puljujarvi.
There are a lot of people out there who believe that OEL, with a change of scenery, can make a big difference. The belief is that he’s stale and needs a new place to play but it’s going to take creativity to acquire him.
One team that jumped into Friedmans’ head, the Calgary Flames.
OEL has a no-move clause but depending on the situation, he’d be willing to go.
The Coyotes will be able to get something for Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jordan Oesterle, Alex Goligoski, and Jason Demers. All are on the final year of their contracts.
Depending on what Arizona’s willing to do, Derek Stepan, one year left @ $6.5M on his deal, is another interesting name that could be out there. Right-shot center.
If they want to deal Connor Garland, it’s believed they could get something decent for him. He’s got one more year left at 775k.
Would anyone have interest in Phil Kessel?
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames won’t be racing to do anything. The issue with Johnny Gaudreau is that the clock is ticking but they’re in no rush to move him. It’s a tough decision for Calgary because he’s a player that gets you to the playoffs.
Sam Bennett isn’t one of the guys that gets you to the playoffs but he gets you through them.
Friedman doesn’t like Calgary’s chances of staying still. They haven’t reached out to Cam Talbot yet and they may look at Sean Monahan too.
The Flames were high on Friedman’s Taylor Hall list but now, not so much.
Washington Capitals
Caps GM Brian MacLellan wants an experienced coach in Washington.
Peter Laviolette is very high on the Capitals list.
If Washington wanted to go the other way, Lane Lambert, who’s with the Islanders and almost had the head coaching gigs in Anaheim and Colorado before joining Barry Trotz in New York, is one. Players like him. And also Spencer Carbery, the head coach of the Capital’s farm club in Hershey.
Pittsburgh and Florida potentially have interest in Todd Reirden as an assistant coach.
St. Louis Blues
“It’s a lot more complicated than you realize”, one of Friedman’s sources on St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo re-signing with the club.
Apparently, Pietrangelo has barely gotten any contract offers in the last year but Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Marco Scandella got their new deals…
Friedman and Jeff Marek wonder about bonuses being an issue. Doug Armstrong doesn’t like to hand them out according to Marek.
“Wealthy clubs don’t want to do bonuses anymore because they’re cash poor.”
Montreal Canadiens
Biggest story in Montreal is the emergence of Kotkaniemi and Suzuki. People in Montreal feel that they have something there.
Philip Danault, a year away from UFA status, isn’t sure about his role on the club and his year-end comments were heard loud and clear. There’s a lot of interest in Danault.
Max Domi is looking for new representation and wants a fresh start in his life.
Random
Columbus will be moving a goalie and will be looking for some scoring in return.
Daniil Tarasov is considered to be one of the goalie gems of 2017. “Watch out for this guy.”
“If the bonuses are out that might hurt the offer-sheet plan” according to Friedman after being asked if the Habs could offer-sheet Andrei Svechnikov.
“I would not be surprised if Las Vegas is awarded an NLL (National Lacrosse League) franchise in 2022 and Wayne Gretzky is involved in some capacity,” says Marek.
Thanks for reading folks! Have a good one!
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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:
— B.L.H. (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!
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?
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) April 6, 2020
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?
The NHL and NHLPA are beginning to spitball scenarios as to where remaining 2019-20 regular-season/playoff games could be held.
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.
How do sports leagues with teams in Canada contemplate a return to play? With 8 US states still refusing to impose stay at home legislation, one NHL player agent tells me he's advised clients to expect the US-Canada border to remain closed until well after Canadian Thanksgiving.
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!
🚨EVERY AMERICAN, WATCH THIS 🚨
NYC Doctor who exclusively treats COVID-19 patients says, "You don't have to be scared."
He expertly explains COVID:
– How you get it – How you treat it – How you cure it – How you prevent it
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.
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