Tag Archives: Frank Seravalli

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: The ECHL Option According to Seravalli

About 20 years ago I was living in Huntsville, Alabama. Now, I’d tell ya what I was doing but then I’d have to go into hiding for the rest of my life, so let’s just say I was visiting some friends, making new ones, and learning how to speak English with a southern drawl.

Well, while I was down there I learned that they had a hockey team. No, not the university one that Cam Talbot played for (although the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers were around, I just never heard of them at the time), the one that played in the Central Hockey League; the Huntsville Channel Cats.

So, if you’ve never heard of the CHL, back when I was living in the deep south this league had eleven teams such as the Macon Whoopee, Columbus Cottonmouths, Indianapolis Ice, Tulsa Oilers, Oklahoma City Blazers, and the Wichita Thunder to name a few. Lots of players going from major junior who never got drafted or signed to AHL contracts, Canadian university players looking to start a career as a hockey player, quite a few Junior A players who never caught on with NCAA teams, and a sprinkling of Europeans as well.

Some names who played in CHL over the years include Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness, former Edmonton Oiler Tom Roulston, and current Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA coach Travis Clayton. In fact, Clayton is 2nd in all-time scoring for the now-defunct league.

The hockey was… Well, I’ll put it this way. The fans stood for the fights, not the goals. I felt like some sort of freak attempting to actually watch the game and teach those who attended with me what was going on.

Check out this clip that features good ol’ Camrose boy, Brad Prefontaine lighting up one of the Huntsville players. You’ll love the commentary!

Anyway, it was entertaining nevertheless; but you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this incredibly boring story, and here’s why.

Frank Seravalli was on Lowetide’s radio show yesterday morning and LT brought up to the hockey insider that there was a possibility that a lot of good young hockey players for every team might not even play this year to which Seravalli replied,

“One potential outlet might be for teams to stash players in the ECHL. That’s something that is being talked about right now. It’s a unique opportunity for the ECHL because if you look at it, they have thirteen teams that are starting on December 11th and their plan is to play 72 games. They’ve got another eleven teams planning to start on January 15th and play 62 games.

Their schedule and their standings are going to go by winning percentage and the season is supposed to end on June 6th and then you’ve got a number of teams in the ECHL that have opted out. 

Now, the ECHL being one rung down from the AHL, you’ve got a number of teams with affiliations that pass their players down.

For instance, just take Vancouver. They go from Vancouver to Utica to Kalamazoo and so if Kalamazoo is playing, the Canucks could put some of their lower-end or even higher-end prospects at this point and the question being asked is if there’s no major junior hockey, will you be allowed to put one of your junior hockey prospects into the ECHL and you could potentially do that and then once the major junior season starts then you have to take that player back out and put him in major junior again. 

So no one really knows exactly what the situation is like but given that we’re just about a month away from the ECHL scheduled start, that is an option that teams could have if they have the affiliation, if their team is playing, just to get your guys skating and playing again. That would be a significant competitive advantage for those guys and a competitive advantage for those guys if they were to get to NHL training camps because they’re going to have a leg up.

So there you have it. Seravalli is saying that NHL teams who have affiliations with ECHL clubs could potentially send their players down to get them skating and in shape for whenever the CHL or AHL or NHL seasons get going.

Now, my question is, would you, as a GM, really want your high-end prospects playing in the ECHL if they’re already playing in better leagues in Europe? I see Raphael Lavoie and Evan Bouchard playing in a very good hockey league in Sweden right now and having some success and I don’t know if I’d prefer them playing down in Wichita, to be honest. Sure, it’s closer to home, but the competition is worse. The same goes for Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, and all the rest of Edmonton’s more NHL-ready prospects that are lacing up the blades for clubs across the pond. If they’re already over there playing, there’s no need to bring them back over, and considering how the US is handing its COVID at the moment, that’s just one more reason to keep those players where they are.

Now, if you’ve got some guys from your AHL club that aren’t playing or you’re a team with lots of 20-22yr olds that are just sitting around, then sure, the ECHL would be a good option.

I haven’t watched any ECHL games, so I can’t comment on if they are closer to the old school CHL hockey I watched back in the day or if things have improved. I mean, any hockey games at that level that are in non-hockey markets tend to remind you a bit of Slap Shot in real life, at least by my experiences. So perhaps by putting better hockey players down there, the quality of hockey would improve as well… Who knows?!

What do you think? Do you like the idea of NHL clubs sending their bluechip prospects, who aren’t playing in Europe, down to the ECHL so that they’re ready to go when the leagues they should be in get started?

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers: Frank Seravalli Says Jesse Puljujarvi Hasn’t Demonstrated That He’s Ready to Grind

TSN insider Frank Seravalli was on Lowetide’s show Tuesday morning and this is what he had to say on the topic of Jesse Puljujarvi,

There just seems to be a disconnect between the Oilers and Puljujarvi that obviously was in place a while ago but seems to have been heightened a bit in terms of where Puljujarvi believes he might be able to play and what the fit might look like. 

I don’t think that he’s demonstrated, even with his play in Europe, that he warrants much more than a 3rd line opportunity. You’d have to be ready to grind and ready to play in order to get more than that and he hasn’t demonstrated that. 

So if the hold-up in getting him back over here is promising him a 1st or 2nd line spot, maybe it’s just better off if these two sides part ways. (source)

https://twitter.com/AdamsOnHockey/status/1303557211122098176

What in Sam’s Hell is with these hockey guys and their obsession with grinding and earning? So being one of Europe’s top players isn’t enough of a demonstration? I guess that was all handed to Puljujarvi? How many Karpat games do you think Frank Seravalli watched last year? I’m going to guess that it’s less than none. Man, Kiril Kaprizov is in for a rude awakening when he finally makes it to Minnesota. I hope he’s ready to grind and earn his spot…

I get that it can be hard to get to where you want to go in life without getting your hands dirty. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard… Hockey is rife with people who are where they are because they’re related to someone important or they have friends in high places and most of those people get a choice with regards to where they want to work, something Jesse Puljujarvi didn’t have when he was drafted. Not that he was unhappy about going to Edmonton, let’s establish that. He couldn’t have been happier as he relished the chance to play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

With that in mind, what is it that they say about not meeting your heroes…

Jesse wasn’t happy with his treatment from the club and he went home to rehab not only his body and his mind (most importantly). That was and still is his right and you cannot blame him one iota for looking out for himself because his employers sure weren’t. He put a lot on the line and was more or less betrayed by his teammates, Edmonton’s medical staff, and his old coaches and GM. Why would he return to that?

Some of you unsurprisingly are going to bring up the new GM and coach and how do his teammates feel about him “walking away” from them?

Look, these are professional hockey players, They get it. Not everybody is happy on the club they play for and want out. Considering the list of players who made quiet trade requests in Edmonton (Lucic, Kassian, Talbot, etc), Oilers fans should know this. So if a guy leaves and comes back, it’s on the leadership of the team to welcome him back. After that, it’s on the player to show he belongs.

The GM’s job is to bring in players that will improve the club. Full stop. The coach’s job is to direct the players that he’s provided in a way that leads to success. Only amateurs would let their feelings get in the way of achieving their goals.

Now just getting back to this notion that Puljujarvi isn’t ready to “grind” and “earn” his place in the Oilers squad, can anybody find me a recent quote that has him saying this? Has a member of the media that covers the Oilers been able to publish some proof that Jesse is only coming back if he has a spot in Edmonton’s top-6?

NO! They haven’t. They continue to stretch perceived truths and chip away at his character whilst at the same time dogging him for choosing to play in the SM-Liiga for what, in their opinions, amounts to chump change when compared to the NHL. Equating the top league in Finland to a Senior Men’s league in Canada also… I mean, c’mon man. That’s some petty shit.

In fact, Puljujarvi has been the one on record saying, “never say never” about a return to Edmonton and that he’s grown and sees things differently now.

It’s a shame, it really is. But there are some folks who are just stuck in their ways I guess.

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My hope is that Oilers GM Ken Holland sees Jesse for the player that he is, not the one that the “Grind ‘N Earn It” crew sees him as, and gets Jesse over and gives him a shot to shut some mouths.

What I think will eventually happen though (if that scenario plays out) is that Holland will trade him. Maybe it’ll be right before the regular season starts like when Nail Yakupov was moved so that clubs get a good look at the kid during camp or maybe it’ll be a trade deadline move. The Seattle expansion draft is going to play a big hand in all of it anyhow.

Until that deal is made there are more chapters to this story on their way.

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Only One Oiler on Frank Seravalli’s First TSN Trade Bait Board of the Season

I know, it’s kind of shocking to only see one member of the Edmonton Oilers on TSN’s Trade Bait Board. Well, it’s not RNH, it’s not Oscar Klefbom, nor is it Jesse Puljujarvi. This season, the first Oiler up on Frank Seravalli’s Trade Bait Board is…

Zack Kassian!

He along with 14 other players highlight the board and will be amongst the rumors all season long until of course they are dealt.

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Let’s take some time and comment on each of the players briefly in relation to the possibility of the Oilers picking them up.

  1. William Nylander (TOR) – Can’t see it. No way no how. Forget what his old man did when Kevin Lowe was GM. Nylander is looking to get PAID and the Oilers are going to have enough trouble paying their own players after this season unless they make some moves.
  2. Kevin Hayes (NYR) – The Rangers pivot would tempt Peter Chiarelli I’m sure due to his size but in my opinion, he doesn’t produce enough for how much he’s being paid. I wasn’t impressed with his performance earlier in the year when the Oilers beat his Rangers either.
  3. Mats Zuccarello (NYR) – I like Zuccarello as a complimentary piece for the Oilers but only as a rental. I think the cost to acquire him would be dear and not worth it in the long run. He’s very much what I hope Kailer Yamamoto turns into because I feel they play a similar style.
  4. Alec Martinez (LAK) – This is definitely a player I could see the Oilers getting in on. He’s a RHD who has championship experience and has played in a defensive system his entire career. I think he’d compliment Darnell Nurse on the 2nd pair fairly well and he’s only making $4M a year for this season and next.
  5. Gustav Nyquist (DET) – He’ll be cashing in this summer but if there was any way he could be had on the long-term for $4M, he’d definitely be worth it. Not flashy by any means but he’s consistent and when paired with a good centre, effective.
  6. Tanner Pearson (LAK) – I’m not a huge fan of Pearson and I can’t really put my thumb on it as to why. He seems to be a pretty consistent 35-45pt guy and the Oilers could definitely use that. Maybe he’s not flashy or physical enough to my taste.
  7. Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) – Nope. No goalies be coming Edmonton’s way. Especially when this one is looking for Carey Price money.
  8. Brett Pesce (CAR) – I really can’t see Carolina messing with their team chemistry with how they’re playing to start the year. That said, would you trade Jesse Puljujarvi for Pesce? The defense would be set for the next 5 years in that scenario.
  9. Tyler Myers (WPG) – I think Chiarelli would love to get his hands on another big man but Myers is going to be getting Chara-like money this summer and why would the Jets even look at moving him in-season? They’re more of a Cup contender with him than without him.
  10. Artemi Panarin (CLB) – If Panarin didn’t have his heart set on playing for a coast team then I’d say Edmonton should go for him. Every time he plays the Oilers he sets them ablaze. He’s so good but alas, it’s not to be in this fairy tale.
  11. Vlad Namestnikov (NYR) – This $4M Russian was 2 points away from 50 last season spent mostly with the Lightning of Tampa Bay but after being dealt in the Ryan McDonagh trade, he only managed 4 pts in 19 games… Enigmatic I think is the word that describes him best. The Rangers have put him on the block so he’ll more than likely join his third team in less than a calendar year and not often is that a sign of good things to come for a player in that scenario.
  12. Charles Hudon (MTL) – I like this guy. A lot. He also fits the description of the Peter Chiarelli Special. A player who isn’t gaining traction with his current club, is cheap and is an RFA at season’s end. Hudon, to me, is a player who I’d describe as skilled sandpaper. He can play it any way you want to and that’s the kind of Swiss Army Knife Todd McLellan loves to deploy IF he has it.
  13. Zack Kassian (EDM) – I don’t think the case needs to be made for keeping or trading him. It’s been done to death in the last week. I like him but if the Oilers could get from out of his contract and maybe use that space to upgrade the roster, I’m all for it.
  14. Kyle Clifford (LA) – I’ve always had time for a guy like Kyle Clifford. He’s very much in the Matt Hendricks mold and I really value those kinds of players. I think he plays an honest brand of hockey but he’s not dirty. He knows where to draw the line. He’s a tad cheaper than Kassian but definitely slower than him too.
  15. Wayne Simmonds (PHI) – Remember when there was a deal on the table that had Jordan Eberle being traded for Simmonds? Ah… Those were the days. The Flyers’ winger is on the back 9 of his career and I’m for certain that Edmonton wouldn’t be getting the Wayne Simmonds we remember if they traded for him. He’s also a UFA this summer and I could see him getting a healthy raise.

What are your thoughts? Do any of those players interest you and what would you be willing to pay to get them?

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers: More MSM Chime in on Puljujarvi ft. Burke, Rishaug, Seravalli, Dreger, etc.

I thought my previous post on the mainstream media’s comments on Jesse Puljujarvi was a lot. Yesterday I woke up to TWICE as much and now I’m going to bring that to you but I think today I’ll just post the most debatable points that the pundits made. I’ll save you (and me) some time.

Before I do that I just want to touch on Jesse and let you know what I’m thinking with regards to his situation at this very moment.

You’re not going to find a bigger supporter for Jesse Puljujarvi who doesn’t live in Canada or Finland than myself (and maybe another, I think she knows who she is) but I can see that this young man is struggling. He’s struggling with his teammates, his coaches, and a game he very dearly loves and that he’s SO so good at playing. I do not believe that he has the right support structure in Edmonton for him right now though.

As far as I know, he’s rooming with the Koskinens and if that is indeed true, it is a good place for him because he needs the camaraderie of a fellow countryman. Someone with whom he can relate to. Mikko Koskinen was also a touted young prospect that didn’t pan out at the pace he was expected but I’m not 100% certain that even big Mikko alone can help Jesse.

He needs the support of the Oilers leadership core. He needs Connor to go to bat for him. He needs Milan to sit beside him on the bench and offer words of encouragement or let him know where he could’ve done something better. Leon should be offering to set some time aside to work on some things with Jesse after practice and make an effort to work towards developing a potentially deadly partnership. Could Darnell take him out on the town and show some off-ice togetherness?

It’s so very apparent that the coach wants nothing to do with him and that he’s exhausted efforts in an attempt to communicate with Pulju and that makes me feel disappointed.

But on the other hand, it’s also incumbent on Jesse to take the first steps in asking for help. He’s a timid fellow which is fine but he still has to make that effort to go to his leadership group or his coaches and ask them to show him what he needs to do to make things easier for all and then work on those things.

I want the best for Jesse and I want the best for the Edmonton Oilers. That said, there’s something I’ve learned over my years following the team and that is that players will come and go and not to get too attached no matter how much you like the player. If Jesse or Leon or God forbid, Connor gets traded I will feel down but I’ll also feel relieved for him and I’ll wish him good luck on his new team. The same way I did with Nail Yakupov (or maybe the same way you did watching Ryan Smyth or Taylor Hall) and others who I’ve enjoyed watching play for the Oilers.

But if the Oilers were to meet an ex-Oiler that I really liked during his time in Edmonton in the playoffs or the Stanley Cup final, I’ll be cheering for the Oilers. No questions asked.

Let’s see what the pundits had to say about Pulju yesterday. I think you’ll be very interested in Brian Burke’s comments.

FRANK SERAVALLI (TSN)

That sound you hear is me banging my head off the desk repeatedly for the next hour trying to sort through this because I’ve said and I’ve been on record for time and time again with you (Lowetide) last week, Jesse Puljujarvi needs to play more not less. He needs to have more consistent shifts with upper echelon talent instead of playing with guys like Ryan Strome for most of the game.

This is not a guy you can just throw in there (the top-6) for spot duty with the big boys. You need to have him play, that’s the only way his game is going to become remotely more polished.

DARREN DREGER (TSN)

I get the feeling that they’re just trying to exhaust every scenario with Puljujarvi because I think that there’s been enough in his play to show them that there’s a really good player that’s just waiting to break out of this guy. They can’t coax it out of him on a consistent basis.

The question I always ask, and I’ve asked it of the Edmonton Oilers – not recently, but perhaps in the off-season – is at what point do you get where you go, ‘Alright, we’ve seen enough to know that maybe he’s not going to be the player that we hoped he would be when he landed in our lap on the draft floor.’

Well, that’s not an indictment on the player or the organization – sometimes that stuff just happens, so at what point are you better to use him as a tradeable asset? And at least in the off-season, the message that I got back was – they wouldn’t even discuss it with me. It was like, ‘We’re not trading Puljujarvi.’ They just didn’t want that narrative out there at any point.

And look, 10 games from now, 15, 20 – whatever the timeline is in this regular season – we might be signing a completely different tune because he’s playing with that consistency that everybody is searching for. (source)

RYAN RISHAUG (TSN)

Not only is he not creating offensively and having positive things happen for him offensively on a given night but he’s starting to make mistakes and do things that are costly and the Oilers are at a pivotal point in their season where they can’t be developing a player on the fly in the games against this kind of competition. 

There are two conversations here, two different focal lengths. How do you feel about Jesse Puljujarvi being scratched tonight and that (above) would be the answer to that question. Completely different conversation, how do you feel about Jesse Puljujarvi’s development and the way the organization has handled it from draft day to this point?

Rishaug on Accountability

I think coddling him to the point to where when his play dips to unusable status, I think you need to hit him with a natural concequence and I think you need to let him get right back on his horse and see how it goes. 

If it comes to the point to where they’re considering doing it again, send him to the American Hockey League. Enough is enough. 

Rishaug on Expectations

The organization expected this player to develop quicker and you can tell by the way they handled him. Straight to the NHL out of the draft then they realized it might be a little early, sent him down, then after some success brought him back and then last season they did their best to believe he was a full-time NHL player and for tiny little portions here and there he was. Still poured in 12 goals last season but the base has not been built in Puljujarvi’s game and the coach does not trust him enough to use him enough to justify having him here.

A Reasonable Comparison?

We’ve seen this with other players, I mean Adrian Kempe is a good example. 16 goals in 81 games last season, drafted a few years ago and 1 goal in 9 games this year. Down to the minors he goes. Drafted as an offensive player to be an offensive player and hasn’t been and so down to the minors he goes and this might just be where it lands. Let’s see where Puljujarvi rebounds.

BRIAN BURKE (SPORTSNET/HNIC)

Remember Henrik Sedin? He didn’t put up any meaningful numbers until his fourth year after he was drafted. Remember Daniel Sedin? Same thing. Remember Markus Naslund? So you gotta be careful. 

And I can tell you, it’s very fashionable to criticize the Edmonton Oilers and say Puljujarvi is a bad pick. We all had him there. We all loved him. We all think he’s going to be a player.

I’m telling you, the Calgary Flames had those guys in the exact same spots or close to, within one or two. We had Puljujarvi, we loved him, absolutely loved him. So did every other team. So if the Edmonton Oilers blew that pick, a lot of other teams would’ve done the same thing. Peter Chiarelli got offers for that pick so teams could leapfrog Edmonton and take Puljujarvi. 

Burke on Trading Young Players

You’d better not be too impatient because the best trade Pat Quinn ever made, he made a ton of great trades, was when he got Markus Naslund from Pittsburgh for Alex Stojanov.

LOUIE DeBRUSK (SPORTSNET)

This is a young man who’s still trying to find his own way and if I was speaking to my own son I’d say control the things you can control, don’t worry about the things you can’t. 

Right now I think there’s some expectation there from Jesse’s perspective where he’s thinking he has to do more and in reality I think he has to do less in the sense of basic down the game. 

I would tell him to be the hardest working guy on the line each and every night. Go out there and make it known that you are the guy that is working the hardest on the ice. 

DeBrusk on Mindsets and Consistency

When you’re a dominant player like Puljujarvi was in his younger years, big physical specimen, bigger than most of the guys he was playing against. He could manhandle, drive through, he was like a bulldozer going through the middle of the ice. I saw so many highlight reel videos of him just kinda dangling through people, blowing past guys getting off that wrist shot and getting a goal. Different animal here in the NHL and he’s still finding that out but he has it in his ability to do it because we saw that speed. It’s a matter of doing it consistently. 

Here’s the other thing, when you have that mindset as a top-rated guy it’s sometimes hard to go back to the ‘Let’s put the work boots back on and drind this out’ type of an attitude. 

If you want to play with better players make sure you’re playing harder than those guys are playing and everybody will want to play with you. 

LOWETIDE (TSN 1260)

The organization has handled this player poorly. Puljujarvi has far too much skill to give up on, or trade for 10 cents on the dollar. His game has been broken. It might be time to repair and rebuild in Bakersfield. This time next year the Oilers won’t be able to send him to the AHL without waivers. For Oilers fans, the blame game (player, coach, general manager) is less important than unlocking Puljujarvi’s considerable talent while he is an Edmonton Oilers winger. What is best for his development should be the only consideration. (paywall source)

What do you think after reading this group of hockey analysts’ opinions on Jesse Puljujarvi? Let us know in the comments and also tell us what you’d do with him?

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