This morning on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer had Georges Laraque on his show, and right off the bat, Bob got into the topic of upgrading the Edmonton Oilers goaltending with the former NHL enforcer. This is how the conversation went,
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BS: Do you think a player like Marc-Andre Fleury potentially would look at Edmonton down the road?
GL: First of all, I can say that Marc-Andre Fleury would be an upgrade to both goalies that are in Edmonton. That’s a start and he would for sure waive his no-trade clause to go play in Edmonton because you know that playing there gives him a chance to win. It’s not just that, I know him, he’s a competitor, he’s one of the hardest working goalies I’ve ever seen.
The way Vegas is treating him is not fair at all. They have not talked to him, no communication ever since they signed Lehner. They didn’t even communicate with him to tell him that he’d start the season with Lehner because Lehner got injured. He found all that out in the media. The team didn’t even call him.
So, how much do you think he’d love to go play on a team like Edmonton, that plays Vegas a lot, to be able to prove them wrong. That’s how athletes are made. That’s how athletes are bred. The best think you want to do is show them they made the wrong decision by choosing Lehner instead of him. So playing them would give him that opportunity.
Laraque, later on, said that he’s crossing his fingers that when Robin Lehner comes back and Vegas needs to shed salary that they deal him to Edmonton.
In the past, there’s been a feeling that the Golden Knights wouldn’t trade within its division but yesterday the team’s owner let it be known that there will be a Canadian division next season. Hence why they traded defenseman Nate Schmidt to Vancouver. So I wouldn’t immediately dismiss the Oilers and Golden Knights doing business in the future. Even if it’s not a trade for Fleury but someone else.
What do you think about Georges’ comments here? Do you think that Fleury is an upgrade over Koskinen and Smith? What do you think this kind of trade would look like?
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Oilersnation – Oilers Prospect Update: Playoffs? – The playoffs for most prospects are upon us and now there is a playoff tracker for you to follow along. Big weeks from Cameron Hebig in Regina and Tyler Benson with Vancouver.
Beer League Heroes – Laraque Drops Major Bombshell on Hall Trade – This should hit the anti-Chiarelli crowd like a ton of bricks but I’m betting it doesn’t. I reckon they’ll all say they knew it and since it didn’t affect his GF% or his pts/60 that it wasn’t that big a deal and that by trading the star LWer at his lowest value, Chiarelli has done even worse in their eyes.
The Hockey Writers – George Laraque: What the Heck, Man? – On Saturday, a report surfaced that former Edmonton Oiler and NHL-tough guy, George Laraque used his platform on a Montreal radio station to air some potentially damaging information; information, that for some inexplicable reason, he thought fans in Edmonton and around the NHL had a right to know.
The Hockey Writers –Oilers Prospects: Junior Hockey Playoff Primer – The Edmonton Oilers have several prospects playing playoff hockey in junior. In total there are six Edmonton prospects that will participate in either the WHL or OHL playoffs.
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I woke up this morning to see Oilers Twitter blazing as hard as it does when something controversial has happened and to my non-surprise it was regarding Taylor Hall again. This time former heavyweight champion of the NHL and Oilers alumni Georges Laraque was teeing off on Hall in a radio interview with CHOI Radio X 98.1 host Alex Lablond.
“Hall had problems off the ice, and went to rehab during the summer of his trade (2016),”
“When he got to rehab, word got out across the NHL that the Oilers were looking to move him because of it. It reminds us of the Zack Kassian case. When everyone in the league knows the player’s dirt, it’s normal that the player’s value is going to drop.”
“He absolutely had to leave Edmonton, no question.” (source)
This should hit the anti-Chiarelli crowd like a ton of bricks but I’m betting it doesn’t. I reckon they’ll all say they knew it and since it didn’t affect his GF% or his pts/60 that it wasn’t that big a deal and that by trading the star LWer at his lowest value, Chiarelli has done even worse in their eyes.
They’ll say that Laraque isn’t a credible source or that Hall didn’t need a fresh start or Laraque is being an asshole for bringing this up… And yeah, he might be playing the part of the heel in this story but he’s playing a different game now. The media game and if radio stations weren’t on board with what he said in the past or were offended by it or even felt there was the slightest risk bringing him on their stations to speak, he wouldn’t be there doing it.
If he wrote a book on the things that he’s seen or heard that isn’t supposed to be in the public eye, everyone would buy it. Everyone.
Funny you say that…. I am in Kelowna and the fellas at the sports memeorobilia show where very specific with this same issue of Hall. Went as far as to say that was the reason he was shipped out. I don't generally belive this stuff, but different sources same story.
Hall had to go because it was the best thing for the player. The environment was toxic for him. His peers had stopped supporting him on and off of the ice. He was going down a dark path and maybe we should give Peter Chiarelli some credit for giving him a new lease on life.
Every season that passes by we learn a bit more about the trade. We learn that more than likely it had very little to do with the on-ice portion of his game. Klefbom, Ference, Laraque, and Belanger have all had their crack at Taylor Hall since he was moved on from and, to me at least, this is something I haven’t seen before. When’s the last time a player has garnered so much media attention from former teammates talking about him. Hall must’ve done something to deserve it because that’s not how the hockey fraternity works.
Now, I’m not going to shit on a player because he likes to “have a good time” when he’s out. Hell, I’ve only heard the stories of the dynasty Oilers and those pale in comparison to what any of Oiler has tried to do since then. Everybody is free to do what they like as long as they don’t affect their daily lives or the daily lives of others negatively.
And I have to applaud the players that take the necessary steps to get help because that’s not an easy thing to do for anyone be it a professional athlete or the plumber next door.
I think there some couple of things that stand out for me though. Just casual observations.
One year living with Hall was enough for McDavid and the Oilers I’m thinking. Not that Connor was some sort of spy or anything but he wants to win at all costs and if he sees a weak link, he’s not afraid to voice his concern. Don’t believe me? Read Bob McKenzie’s latest book where he tells the story of when Connor’s dad was coaching Connor and there were a couple of kids on the bench not quite into the game as they should be. You wanna talk about intense?
Eberle and Hall have been traded but not Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Off-ice habits have anything to do with this?
Why aren’t NHL teams doing better to protect their players? Performance enhancing drugs are banned but performance de-enhancing drugs are not? If a drug is illegal in real life, shouldn’t it be tested for by sports teams?
We don’t know every detail that goes into a trade in the NHL. In fact, I’d go as far as to say we know about 10% of what really goes on. The Larsson/Hall trade is no different.
Hall could’ve been a legend for the Edmonton Oilers but his ego got in the way and that’s too bad for him. I’m glad he’s finding his path in New Jersey but I still hope they miss the playoffs because of those folks out there that say they are fans of the Oilers but hate the team for moving him.
Should Laraque have shared the story? I leave that up to you.
We’ve got a new shirt design available at the Beer League Heroes Teepublic Shop and I understand that Oilersnation did something like this before so I was hesitant to do it in the first place but I was told they only made it available for one day and to me that’s a shame because of the moment captured being so iconic. Between McDavid and Matthews openly mocking the refs within days of each other, they basically are responsible for the league changing how video reviews are done.
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Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Night Pint!
This week we’ll have Rob Cooke (@cooke_rob), a hungover Lindsay Ryall (@lindsman77), and myself, BLH (@beerleagueheroe) rattling off some value bombs for you fine folks!
The Topics:
Pacific Division predictions!
Oilers enforcers!
Raising the dead!
Let’s Get This Party Started!
1. Pacific Division Predictions
BLH- I think it’ll go down like this: Anaheim, Los Angeles, Edmonton, San Jose, Calgary, Vancouver, Arizona.
I’m not sold on San Jose as a functioning squad this year. Their goaltending is unproven, the lack scoring from the wings and their new coach has done nothing to prove that he’ll take the Sharks any further that where they stand now, out of the playoffs. I’m also convinced that Calgary is going to hit the wall this season. Too many years now of lucking out. Either their young guys, their goaltending, or the coaching dries up this year. Vancouver and Arizona will be in competition for Auston Matthews, Jakub Chychrun, and Jesse Puljujarvi so who cares about them.
L.A. should be good for 2nd place but then again looked what happened to Boston last year…
Edmonton on the other hand is trending up. They’ve improved their roster immensely since last season. I’d say they’re on the opposite end of the spectrum as San Jose. Their top 6 has the potential to be the deadliest in the league and Talbot is entering the prime of his career after putting up some deadly numbers last year in New York. The secret weapon won’t be a player but an aura called The McDavid Effect.
LR – Ducks: The Ducks core is in their prime and they keep getting reinforcements on a maturing D and in goal. Getzlaf, Perry and crew easily have the talent and experience to easily push for another final four appearance and maybe even another cup as Chicago suffers under cap restraints. Finish 1st, 108 pts.
Kings: Many would see the Kings problems as a sign of potential implosion, but the bulk of their core remains intact and the addition of Milan Lucic means they are tougher and heavier in their top six. They could use more depth on D but finishing out of the playoffs will provide tons of motivation for this veteran-laden team only two years removed from a cup. Finish 2nd, 102 pts.
Flames: I hate the Flames, but I have to admit they have the best D in the Pacific and defense gets you wins and points in the NHL today. Look for highly touted rookie Sam Bennett to suffer a severe upper-body injury by mid-season but the rest of the forward group are serviceable if unspectacular and play very well within Bob Hartley’s system. Finish 3rd, 98 pts
Sharks: I predicted this team’s erosion a couple of years ago but they have stubbornly remained relevant… Until last year when they missed the playoffs. Not even Logan Couture’s daunting overbite can save them now. Unproven in goal and leaderless they will continue to drift. Finish 4th, 88 pts.
Oilers: After the draft I took a sip of the Kool-Aid and I liked the taste. Nonetheless, I’m not ready to label this team as playoff bound just yet, still too inexperienced on D and it’s not certain what impact Nurse and Reinhart will have. Nevertheless, they will take a huge step forward and position themselves to challenge the following year. Look for a 75 point season from the Nuge to go with 65 – 70 points from McDavid as he becomes the Oilers’ first Calder Trophy winner. Finish 5th, 84 pts.
Canucks: The Canucks have done nothing to help themselves and continue to drop in talent even further. The Sedins are well into their 30’s and aren’t magicians, so no playoffs for Vancouver. Finish 6th, 82 pts.
Coyotes: The Coyotes have the makings of a very exciting team… In about 3-4 years. Besides OEL they don’t have an impact player and it’s unsure Mike Smith can bounce back from a disastrous season. Missing the playoffs by a lot and being in the thick of the Auston Mathews sweepstakes. Finish 7th, 62 pts.
RC – Anaheim, Los Angeles, Calgary, Edmonton, San Jose, Vancouver, Arizona
2. Who’s Your Favorite Oilers Tough Guy?
McDavid SMASH!
BLH – My favorite Oilers tough guy is the team’s all-time leader in penalty minutes (1747) Kelly Buchberger. He lost more fights than he won but there was no backing down when push came to shove. The list of guys he fought is legendary: Probert, Pronger, Neely, McSorley, Kordic, Grimson, McCarty, Tim Hunter, Brashear, Kocur, and Odjick just to name a few. #BraveMan
LR – Dave Brown: This is a close call as I’m also a big Georges Laraque fan, and who could forget Semenko, but Brown was just so devastating. He didn’t just beat people up, he destroyed them.
RC – Dave Semenko without question. I grew up watching Cement Head take on all comers and I loved the epic battles of Alberta even more when Semenko and Hunter would go at it!
3. If You Could Bring Back Any Hockey Player From The Dead To Play For The Oilers, Who Would It Be?
BLH – I’d bring back Maurice “The Rocket” Richard. I remember reading a children’s illustrated book when I was small boy that featured The Rocket and I can’t remember what the name was but the message was about tenacity. I didn’t know what that word meant but by the end of that short story I knew all I needed to know about the word and the player! This man played the game with as much honesty as you could ask for and never asked for anything in return. Not only that but he managed to get an entire city to riot after he was suspended.
LR – Eddie Shore: Shore was much more than a footnote in the movie Slapshot, he was the original two way defenceman. Shore could beat you with toughness and scoring from the blueline, both of which the Oilers could use on their team today.
RC – This is a really tough one for me because the vast majority of the players that I grew up watching are still alive today. I decided that rather than select a former all star from another organization that I would select a player that left us way to young and had a ton of potential. Kristians Pelss was an Oilers prospect when he tragically died in a swimming accident in 2013 in his home country of Latvia. I have always wondered what he could have become had we not lost him.
Well that wraps it up for us here. Let us know in the comments below your Pacific Division predictions, who your favorite tough guy was or who you’d bring back from the dead to play on the Oilers.
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