How’s everybody’s week going? Since the Oilers haven’t fired someone from the Old Boys Club nor have they hired some ex-coworker of Ken Holland’s or Dave Tippett’s, it’s a tad slow. So let’s pick that up a bit.

Lots of pundits are talking about how the Oilers defense is going to be “transformed” this off-season, most notably speaking on this is Bob Stauffer. But the catch is, some mad contracts will have to be moved and I don’t think I have to beat around the bush as to who those players will be.

Kris Russell and Andrej Sekera have often been talked about over the previous three seasons as defensemen that will have to be traded at some point simply due to the amount of money they make. It’s my understanding that the more likely of the two to be moved is Kris Russell. Ken Holland LOVES his veterans and Andrej Sekera is a VERY respected member of the Oilers’ locker room.

The days of “When in doubt, off the glass and out” are coming to a close and since that (and blocking shots) is Rusty’s bread and butter, I would say we might not be seeing him in an Oilers uniform in 2019-20.

He won’t be the only contract moved mind you. Contrary to what the media is saying in Edmonton, I think Milan Lucic finds a new home. He’s wanted out for two seasons now and I do reckon Holland finds him a fresh opportunity.

But how will they do it? My best bet is that they’ll package draft picks and prospects with those contracts. What prospects and draft picks? I’d hate to see them do it, but perhaps Jesse Puljujarvi will go with one and one of Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, Ethan Bear, or John Marino might go with the other.

I’ve been told that if there’s a team that would like to move a centre, Edmonton might move their 2nd round pick. I guess the Oilers are looking to upgrade their 3C position for the foreseeable future. Out of these centres, who I believe to be available, which ones would be fair compensation for a 2nd round draft pick?

• Erik Haula (VGK)
• Nick Bjugstad (PIT)
• JT Miller (TB)
• Nazem Kadri (TOR)
• Viktor Rask (MIN)

Now, of course, some of those players would cost more than a 2nd rounder, but I do wonder about teams like Vegas, Toronto, and Tampa because they are in dire straights with regards to their cap. Is this the year you really go hard after Kadri because his relationship with his team and fanbase probably couldn’t be any lower? He’s a 30-goal man and he can fill in at 2C… He’s also a mega-pest and for me, I’d gladly accept the odd bad penalty for a player of his ilk.

Yakimov Staying Home

See more

F Bogdan Yakimov has accepted Severstal Cherepovets' qualifying offer, and will remain with the club for next season. #Oilershttps://t.co/mTxOExAy2Z

— Patrick C (@ChunkletsHockey) June 3, 2019

Last week I’d wrote this about Bogdan Yakimov,

According to a source of mine, Bogdan Yakimov will sign with the Oilers for 1-year soon. Of course, this could all change. As I always say, but as of right now, I’ve got two sources on this and they’re both in alignment with each other. If it does come to fruition, I don’t think this will be a two-way deal. Can you see Yakimov coming all the way from Russia without a guarantee to be playing in the NHL?

To add to that, there’s probably a good chance that Severstal Cherepovets offer was much better than the one Edmonton was offering anyhow.

So my source was out to lunch on this one. It happens. But then again, maybe they had the right info but things changed. I try not to go all=in on things that are passed on to me because the majority of the time, things do, in fact, change. Hence the disclaimer.

The BLH Mailbag

@StillAStyxFan asks: With Yakimov resigning in the KHL, do you think that the Oilers dodged a bullet by not having him in the lineup?

Possibly. He wasn’t really putting up great numbers in the KHL and he was on three teams last year. Not the kind of indicators that scream “NHL PLAYER”, right? But on the other hand, he’s a lot more skilled than Kyle Brodziak.

@AhmedMayta asks: Who are your most likely candidates to be brought on as assistant coaches to Mr.Tippett?

Tough call Ahmed. I’ve been watching this cat and mouse game between the Oilers and all of the hockey pundits covering the team and nobody has really been on the ball. Lots of folks are talking about Jim Playfair and Mark Lamb (nobody going to make the obvious Old Boys Club comment here?) joining, some in Philly are saying Dave Hakstol (although that’s been shut down recently).

I’m not as convinced that Tippett and the Oilers will go with an ex-coworker here. Scott Gordon did really well with the Flyers after Hakstol was let go and Jim Matheson speculated that he had an interview in Edmonton. Same with former Kings coach, John Stevens. Would Ray Whitney come back (insert Old Boys Club comment here) and re-join his former coach in Arizona? What about Doug Weight?

My feeling is that they’ll spare no expense in getting this right though.

@lowdee19 asks: What does the Oilers top 6 forwards look like going into the season?

Good Question Low Dee! I think it’ll look something like this:

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
XXX-RNH-XXX

HA! Easy, right? To me, it would make sense to slot Jesse Puljujarvi in a 2RW. He’s older, wiser, more experienced, healthier, and is on the verge of busting out. The new coach would be smart to give him a try with Nuge and a free agent signing/trade (Loui Eriksson/Ryan Dzingel/Micheal Ferland?). It wouldn’t shock me if Tyler Benson made a case for that 2LW spot though, I just reckon he could use a bit more time in Bakersfield.

But let’s say that Benson does make the team and Edmonton needs to use Pulju as a sweetener to move a contract out. Well, that opens up the 2RW spot and I think there would be a few candidates out there to fill that hole like Gustav Nyquist, Joonas Donskoi, and Brett Connolly.

@ArchivistSports asks: ur fav Oilers memory of all time?

I’ve always been a fan of the underdog and the late 90’s Oilers that went to battle with the powerhouse Dallas, Detroit, and Colorado teams created a lot of impressionable memories with me but this game here is probably one of my favorites.

@nick_gon_jinn asks: Do you think we would go after Haula? If yes, what would we have to give up for him?

I think the Oilers go after him, for sure. The cost might be one of Edmonton’s B-grade prospects or a draft pick, something around the 3rd-5th round. Vegas has to make room for Cody Glass next season as well as re-sign Willliam Karlsson, so they won’t have the leverage in this one. That said, Kelly McCrimmon is a pretty savvy negotiator, so we won’t know until we do.

@24Barons asks: How is Connor’s rehab going? Any lingering effects or concerns with him being 100% when camp opens?

I haven’t heard much on this front recently. As for lingering concerns, I think there’s always a chance that things could regress. The knees are an area of the body you don’t want buggered up if you’re a player like Connor McDavid whose game relies quite a bit on speed. That said, I’m really confident that he’ll be at 100% and ready to go by the time training camp opens.

@ronnicolle asks: Any of our D worth enough to pry a forward from Fla? Bit of retained salary would Reimer be worth grabbing from them? They are going after Bobrovsky and Panarin. Helps top 6 and backup G. While moving out a D. What would Huberdeau cost us?

I think a few questions are being asked here, 1) Do the Oilers have any dmen valuable enough to pry a good forward out of Florida? 2) Would Reimer be worth grabbing from them? 3) What would Huberdeau cost the Oilers?

1 – Yes, they do. Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson, and Even Bouchard would garner interest from the Panthers.

2 – Reimer could be handy to have but man is his ticket pricey. I’d prefer to go a cheaper route for the backup keeper personally unless they want to take Lucic’s contract.

3 – A lot. There were some rumors going around that Huberdeau would be part of a package to try and procure Malkin out of Pittsburgh. So unless Edmonton is looking at moving RNH plus, I don’t think it’s happening.

@oilers_ent asks: Will Holland be able to make the necessary personnel transactions that always eluded Chiarelli despite Edmonton being a less appealing market for players?

Holland learned from one of the best, Jimmy Devellano, and when Jimmy D got started in Detroit in the early 80s the Red Wings had missed the playoffs 16/18 seasons. It took him a few seasons to get things on track before passing on the torch to Mr. Holland, who simply kept the good times rolling.

I am very confident that the new GM will bring the playoffs back to Edmonton tout suite. Having the career-long connections he has and the respect from everyone in the NHL, I believe that he won’t face the same challenges that the previous GM had with regards to upgrading the roster.

Thanks for your questions folks! If I missed yours, I apologize, but I’ll try to make it up to you on the Twitter machine or in next week’s mailbag!