Tag Archives: Joakim Nygard

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Pageau, Strome, Broberg, and Edmonton’s Summer Plans

Edmonton Oilers insider and play-by-play colorman Bob Stauffer has had some really interesting things to say this week regarding his feelings on some of Edmonton’s future plans. I’m going to show you some of his comments over the week that has passed so far where he’s touched on the Oilers 2020 trade deadline plans, who he thinks the Oilers will target at the 2020 NHL draft, and some very fascinating news on some of Edmonton’s prized prospects.

Two things before we get into all of that though. I recently wrote that I thought the Oilers should forget about adding a significant piece to their top-6 and focus on improving their bottom-6. Most notably their third-line center. Well, to my surprise, TSN’s Frank Seravalli has pointed out that Ryan Strome could be someone who might be available over the next month according to long-time New York Rangers beat writer Larry Brooks.

Listen, if Ryan Strome is available it really is incumbent on Oilers GM Ken Holland to see what he can do about re-acquiring him. He’s the perfect 3rd line center who probably won’t cost the team an arm and a leg, unlike JG Pageau.

A better scenario would be Holland bringing both in, but that would most definitely cost the Oilers dear and it doesn’t sound like something that would fall under Holland’s plan for the Oilers since he was hired.

The other thing, Elliotte Friedman reported in his 31 Thoughts post that the Oilers are working on extensions for a trio of players. Riley Sheahan, Josh Archibald, and Joakim Nygard. Man, Edmonton’s GM works his ass off, eh? In addition to those three players, he’s been trying to nail down a deal for Zack Kassian and has had preliminary talks with Darnell Nurse’s camp too. Toss in the trade negotiations he’s been going through… Respect.

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Now, speaking of JG Pageau, the aforementioned Bob Stauffer recently had this to say about the Sens star pivot,

Now, I did hear over the weekend, ’cause I was of the belief that Pageau there was a high likelihood that he would re-sign in Ottawa. I was told “Not so fast there Stauffer. There’s been a little bit of fatigue that has taken place in that relationship.” 

That changes things a bit, doesn’t it? Pageau has been on Edmonton’s radar basically all year and it wouldn’t surprise me if they did find a way to acquire him. This situation reminds of the draft when about a week (I think) before the draft it came out that the Oilers were going to take Philip Broberg. Nobody believed they’d let everyone know who they were picking, but that’s exactly what they did.

As for Pageau’s price, Stauffer said this,

I’d heard that Pierre Dorion (Sens GM) was looking for a guy back with term. Like a guy like Nugent-Hopkins. Seriously. Which I would not do. I would not do that trade. OR a first round pick. Now if we’re talking Puljujarvi and a second-round pick, I might consider doing that, but Ottawa would have to take a swing on Puljujarvi.

I know what the immediate reaction to the RNH comment is and I can’t blame you. That said, what if the Oilers could pick up both Pageau and Strome with contract extensions that didn’t eclipse the $8M per year total?

I agree that the first-rounder shouldn’t be in play for Pageau if it wasn’t in play for Taylor Hall. The second-rounder and Pulju is an intriguing proposition though but I think you have to pass on that too. Could the Oilers pick up a player better suited for their team’s development plan for that package?

A lot of debate this season has been which defenseman might be on the move and from the beginning of the year, two names have dominated that discussion, Adam Larsson and Kris Russell. Mr. Stauffer commented on both of those players this past Monday during the call-in portion of his show.

People say, would you trade Larsson, as an example right now, for Kasperi Kapanen? I wouldn’t do that deal during the season. I may evaluate something in the offseason and in terms of Kris Russell, he’s a $4M cap hit. I think there’d be some limitation on the takers around the league on that. I do think Larsson would have some currency for teams looking for defensive shut down D, but the Oilers need him right now. – January 20th on Oilers Now

The next day Stauffer and Sportsnet’s Mark Spector also spoke about the pair of defenders,

They need Larsson right now, do you now agree on that? Well, let’s see what happens in the offseason… Here’s the thing, there’s teams in the league that like Larsson, no disprespect to Kris Russell, he’s got a year left at $4M; that’s a tough contract to move.

Adam Larsson? You can move that contract. There’s teams that would do a deal. I mean, I think Toronto would probably consider doing a deal sooner rather than later, I just don’t think the Oilers can afford to at this time. Edmonton’s built a bit of depth there. Benning, we’ve got to see where he’s at as well in terms of his return to the lineup cause I think he’s a useful player. Some might say he makes too much at $2M. – January 21st on Oilers Now

I don’t know what it sounds like to you, but to me, it sounds like Bob is of the belief that the Oilers will be moving on from Adam Larsson or at the very least, IF they wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to do so.

Personally, I wouldn’t move him. I get the urgency to transform the defense into more of a mobile puck-moving unit, but the Oilers do not have another right-shot defender that can do what Larsson does at his current ability coming. Plus I reckon Ken Holland likes his physical shutdown defenders that come from Sweden. We have to consider what a great contract Larsson is on too. Two more years at $4.166M for a top-pairing 20+ minute per night defender is damned good in today’s NHL.

As for Russell, Edmonton might have to include a prospect with him in order to facilitate a trade. That said, there are teams like Colorado ($17M), the Islanders ($14M), and the Jets ($10M) who have a ton of cap room who would value a gutsy player like Russell for a playoff run. Would those teams be on his 10-team trade list though?

OILERS PROSPECTS AND THE UPCOMING DRAFT

I’m just going to put these comments in point form for the sake of time. If you’d like to check what Stauffer or his guests said if full, I’ll include the audio at the end of this segment.

  • Oilers Director of Player Development Scott Howson said Phillip Broberg might be spending another season in Skelleftea next year.

Howson also believes that if the European players aren’t ready to come over, the Oilers should just keep them over in Europe and allow them to come over when they’re ready. He felt that Evan Bouchard will be more of an offensive defender than Broberg but that the Swede would end up being a top-4 defender.

  • Due to improved skating, Broberg’s d-partner in Skelleftea, Filip Berglund has more than put himself into consideration for the Oilers to sign him before they lose his rights this year.

If Evan Bouchard graduates to the NHL by next season, the Condors will be in need of an offensive defender on the right side. I suppose Joel Persson could be an option should he agree to re-sign with the Oilers, but I’m not 100% confident of that happening. Phillip Broberg could come over as well and be paired up with his SHL partner and in fact, that very well could be one of many determining factors for him.

  • Markus Niemelainen is another player the Oilers need to make a decision on. Howson said that he’s now playing 20-22 minutes a night for his club in the SM-Liiga as a defensive defenseman. He noted that he moves really well, has range and size (6’5″) but he’s average with the puck and that will be the issue with him but there are lots of guys playing like him in the NHL that can skate and move but are merely adequate puck movers. Howson also said that Niemelainen is content with who he is as a player and not worried about point production.

This player sounds a lot like Martin Marincin, doesn’t it? There’s a possibility that both players (Niemelainen and Berglund) could come over and play in Bakersfield next season but it sounds like there’d need to be some extra work into convincing Ken Holland that they’d be worth it given they’re not his guys. Howson felt that these players have really improved to the point to where they’ve forced the Oilers to seriously consider them.

  • Howson believes that Raphael Lavoie has get stronger and become a better skater cut out some of his junior habits like taking breaks on the ice when he’s been playing too much. He figured that since Lavoie’s TOI has been cut down since his trade to Chicoutimi that this would happen naturally. Howson called him a “one-shot scorer”.

I’m not as convinced with this player as some are. To me, he could end up being either an Alex Chiasson or a James Neal. Depends on him. I like how he’ll graduate to the AHL next season though as I want to see more of him. He was decent at the World Juniors but not a game-breaker. What I want to see from him is more urgency in his game. He’s a big guy so I want to see him use that frame accordingly.

  • Stauffer mentioned that he wouldn’t trade either the first or second-round picks in the next draft and he’d try to acquire a forward using Jesse Puljujarvi in order to replenish Edmonton’s cupboards.

If the Oilers were drafting today, they’d be picking 19th and 50th I believe. In those spots, I reckon Edmonton could come away with a very good shooter like Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67s) or possibly Hamilton’s newest import forward Jan Mysak in the first round and in the second round, it wouldn’t be out of the possibility to see a player like Barrie’s Tyson Foerster, Sarnia’s Jacob Perreault, or Sherwood Park Crusaders forward Carter Savoie still on the board.

I wonder though if Edmonton Oil Kings star Jake Neighbours is around when Edmonton is picking after the first round, would they take him? He’s got a ton of heart and as much skill to go with it.

So could you imagine Holland being able to add that much firepower to the pipeline in Edmonton AND another talented player with a Puljujarvi trade over the summer? Now think three years down the road when these players are closer to being NHL ready and the Oilers are an annual playoff team. Holland is sitting pretty with a bunch of talented young forwards that he could either use in the lineup OR as trade fodder at the deadline.

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Edmonton Oilers: Four Training Camp Thoughts + Possible Alternate Jersey Leak

The Edmonton Oilers will play their first pre-season game versus the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night and I’d have to say things have been interesting in camp this year so far. We’ve got a couple of veterans who’ve yet to make an appearance in Kris Russell (concussion) and Mike Smith (flu) and some who’ve had lots of exposure but haven’t taken the bull by the horns yet.

1. Cooper Marody

The annual Joey Moss Cup went this evening and it was a landslide 7-1 win for Team White over Team Blue, here were the rosters:

Team Blue: G: Wells, S. Starrett D: Persson, Bear, Jones, Lagesson, Kulevich: F: Malone, Peluso, Currie, Gambardella, B. Starrett, Esposito, Safin, Marody, Maksimov, Jurco

Team White: G: Rodrigue, Skinner D: Manning, Lowe, Desharnais, Bouchard, Samorukov, Day F: Nygard, Cave, Hebig, Benson, P. Russell, Lavoie, Vesey, McLeod, Haas

I wasn’t at the game for obvious reasons, so I’m left making judgments on it via the information I can gather from social media and once again, the lack of positive reports on Cooper Marody after a summer of hype is concerning, but not a surprise to this writer. There wasn’t even a mention of him in Bruce McCurdy’s review of the game…

In two rookie games and an intra-squad scrimmage (without the team’s top players involved no less), he’s found a way to become irrelevant.

How long can we give him the benefit of the doubt here? He was asked about his skating by Jason Gregor in an interview not too long ago and he brushed it off like it was nothing.

“For me, I don’t see that being an issue. There are a lot of players in the NHL that fly around the ice, but I’m more of a thinker and there is no wasted strides, no wasted movements. I know the NHL is another step but you can’t point to one time where my speed or quickness has prevented me from making a play, or getting to a puck, or winning a battle in the American League all year.”

I could probably point to a couple of times in those rookie games where his lack of speed and quickness prevented him from making a play. And that game was full of junior players and minor leaguers…

Lots of talk, but not a lot of walk to date.

The sentiment I got was that he thinks he knows better than the scouts and coaching staff. I don’t care how good his hands are or if he can see the play five steps ahead of his opponents, his lack of explosiveness and quickness is what will keep him on the outside looking in.

Cameron Hebig has outplayed Marody (and a few others) so far and it’s not even close. Maybe another year in the minors will help adjust Cooper’s attitude a little there.

2. Lavoie and Rodrigue Cut Early

Don’t read into these young men getting sent back to Junior early. Every team is doing it and it’s for the best. They had a very low chance of making the club and they’re better off joining their QMJHL teams as they head into the preseason.

Lavoie showed glimpses of what made him a highly-regarded player going into the 2019 NHL entry draft, but he also showed his age and inexperience. Personally, I think he’s looking forward to at least one or two seasons in the AHL after completing his Junior career.

Rodrigue had an outstanding rookie game versus the Flames (sans the early goal he let in) but his team in Moncton requires his services more than the Oilers. I’ll be interested to see how he does this year as he’s one of the front-runner’s for Team Canada’s starting goalie at the World Juniors in the Czech Republic this year.

3. Speed Kills

From all accounts, the speed and quickness of European signings Joakim Nygard and Gaetan Haas is standing out. Check out the scrimmage highlights above and you’ll notice at the beginning a goal where fellow SHL-signing Joel Persson tries to seal Nygard along the boards, but the speedy Swede slips by and subsequently sets up Cameron Hebig for a goal while Haas takes the defender with him to the net. A lovely play!

One of the things I’ve been wondering since more information has been released regarding these Euro signings is if there’s a possibility we might see them in the top-6 in Edmonton at some point. Haas has the size, the speed/quickness, the hands, he shoots right… Then there’s Nygard who is a grittier version of Carl Hagelin.

All I know is that youngsters like Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody are competing with Haas and Nygard for a spot on this roster. To me, the kids are losing the battle… So far.

4. Evan Bouchard vs. Everyone?

Are we really looking at the Oilers possibly starting the season with a 20-year-old on their blueline? Evan Bouchard has been fantastic so far and it’s really hard to ignore that. Four points in a scrimmage is a lot for a forward let alone a defender.

It sounds like Joel Persson is still adjusting to the ice in North America. He’s getting tons of reps to get him acclimated quickly and I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one. Even if he does need a bit of time in Bakersfield, the Oilers have the players to cover for him.

From McCurdy’s recounting of the scrimmage, it sounds like Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, and William Lagesson still need to pick it up a notch.

Could all four be sent to the AHL and Bouchard start the year in Edmonton? I’m very leery of that tactic and it doesn’t sound like one Oilers GM Ken Holland would use. That said, he did use 20-year-old Dennis Cholowski for 52 games last season.

I say, send him to Bakersfield regardless. I don’t imagine these performances will continue against NHL competition and he’s got some work to do on his defensive game. Coach Tippett said that he’s still got some “Junior habits” in his game that need working out. He mentioned that Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov played so much in Junior that they rested on the ice at times and in the NHL you can’t do that.

It’d be fairer to guys like Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, or William Lagesson to keep them up instead. We’ve also got fan-favorite Brandon Manning sitting there and who knows what Holland or Dave Tippett has in store for him.

An Alternate Jersey Prototype Leaked?

Do you remember that CCM commercial with Brent Burns and Connor McDavid not too long ago where they were having a shooting competition and they’d give each other cheeky prizes to whoever won? Well, I think I might’ve found something very interesting in the video and I’m surprised nobody else did or maybe they did find it but I didn’t read anything on it.

Look at the uniform that the teddy bear is wearing. I don’t have any confirmation on this, it’s just a hunch on my part, but I believe that could’ve been an alternate jersey the Oilers were looking at using as the colors and the scheme match up with the orange ones they use today. It also matches that of the uniform their AHL affiliate uses.

My feeling is that there’s a strong possibility that we’ll see the uniform that Brent Burns’ teddy bear is wearing at some point in the future. I mean, that’s the jersey they should’ve come out with this year if not a throwback uniform like other teams in the Pacific division are using.

Or maybe this observation is nothing at all and that’s a fakey up there or this is old news…

Just before I go, Jesse Puljujarvi scored a goal and an assist in his second SM-Liiga match of the year. He’s got 12 shots on goal in those two games and is averaging over 15 minutes per game of ice time.

Between the Finnish league and the Champions Hockey League, he’s got 3 goals and 3 assists and 35 shots on goal. A point-per-game player in Europe is the least we could ask for and he’s delivering! Go Yessa Go!

What do you think about Oilers training camp so far? Let us know in the comments below!

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Holland in Detroit to Recruit Datsyuk, the Ask on Lucic, and Is Yak Returning?

How would you feel if Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland could convince TWO former NHL all-stars to join the team for the upcoming season? I think that it would be prudent to give it some thought as it sounds like Holland has put on his hard hat and started “THE GRIND” to overhaul this roster.

According to a source of mine, and in addition to the news of Holland going to Detroit this weekend, I’ve been told that the Oilers’ new GM is going to do his damnedest to recruit former Red Wings all-star Pavel Datsyuk.

In addition to that, his is what I was told,

Ken is starting to put his stamp slowly on the team. He wants a fast, quick team. That’s what the Nygard signing is about. Were going to have a busy summer here.

Ken went to Det to talk to Tippett and convince Pavel to come to EDM.

I did mention Ken Holland going to Detroit to possibly convince two former NHL all-stars into possibly joining the Oilers. Well, I think there’s a bearded Swedish fella who once captained the Red Wings but has been on the shelf for some time. I wouldn’t put a ton of hope into that one happening as I think that player is really happy with life at the moment, but the Datsyuk one, I think there’s something to that, for sure.

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The Ask for Milan 

It’s been previously reported by Elliotte Friedman on a number of occasions that the Oilers could’ve moved Milan Lucic last season but the ask was too high…. I found out what the ask was and you’re going to shit yourself when you read it.

  • One first round pick
  • One b-grade prospect
  • One top-6 forward

Man… Did Peter Chiarelli really love this guy or what?! Apparently, Chia thought Lucic was joking when he went to him to ask for a trade. Once he realized Lucic was serious, he jacked up the price.

I would venture a guess that the price has come down significantly. Maybe a 2nd rounder will do it but I don’t think the Oilers are going to let him go if it means they lose the trade OR if they have to retain salary. They’d most likely ask for something in return if salary retention is part of the deal.

The Return of the Yak!

If you’re into the conspiracy end of things, you might like this. On the same day that the Oilers announced the signing of Swedish speedster Joakim Nygard, the followed two players on their Instagram account, one being the Swede and the other being Bogdan Yakimov. This got the wheels going, so I asked and I was told that the Oilers ARE talking to him. Most of the front office guys that were around when Yakimov was here before are gone. There was friction.

Is Bogdan Yakimov coming back to play in Edmonton?

Personally, I’m not too sure about Big Yak. He hasn’t exactly lit up the KHL since he left North America and this year he managed to find a way to play on three different teams… He’s a bigger body and that leads me to suspect that he’s not that fleet of foot and with the team already having Jujhar Khaira and Milan Lucic providing the beef, is adding this 24-year-old Russian tank overkill?

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Joakim Nygard

Well, I’m not going to say “I told you so.” But we did mention the Oilers having interest in this guy back in March.

I’m very excited to see this player. I compared him to Andreas Athanasiou in the link above and I really think he could develop into this sort of player and if not that, then a taller version of Todd Marchant. The speed and tenacity is there and I’m absolutely sure that Nygard will be a massive threat on the PK, in the same manner, Michael Grabner has been for the Coyotes, Rangers, and Devils in the past.

The first time he breaks away from the other team’s defense, you’re going to be mouth agape. He’s ridiculously fast and I’d bet you he gives Connor McDavid a run for his money at next year’s fastest skater competition.

The other thing you’re going to like about him is that he has no fear. He LOVES to go to the blue paint. Now, if he can do that AND stay healthy, that remains to be seen.

Possible 2019/20 Forward Lineup

RNH-McDavid-Kassian
Lucic-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Nygard-Datsyuk-Chiasson
Yakimov-Khaira-Gagner
Cave

Still pretty big and slow for my liking. If the Oilers could find a way to move out Lucic and replace him with someone faster, maybe a Gus Nyquist? I think that’d help out a ton. On the other hand, do we want Holland re-creating the Red Wings or building something new? For me, I want a bottom-6 that takes pride in their defense and work ethic. I don’t want prima donnas who aren’t willing to play their roles.

What about you? Let us know in the comments below!

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Edmonton Oilers: Oilers Looking to Bring Over Skilled Speedster From Sweden?

One thing that scares me a bit about the Oilers going forward is that I’m worried they are going to overcompensate when attending to its roster’s deficiencies. How many times has the team gone in one direction whole-heartedly only to have to do a massive pivot a few years later?

Just in this decade of darkness, we’ve seen a small skilled team built in a heavy hockey era but we’ve also seen a heavy hockey team built in a small skilled era too. Before both of those, it was a fast team built in the trap era and prior to that it was a tough team built in a skilled era.

WTF Oilers?!

More recently, I’ve felt that the emphasis on small-skilled defenders might cause teams to go too far in that direction and partly as a result, we could see an increase in large, elite skating-power forwards being developed in an attempt to grind down the other team’s small puck-movers.

Of course, I imagine that will depend on if teams actually do overcorrect in that manner. All it takes is for one team to have success using that model and you’ll see it copied.

That brings us back to the Oilers and their upcoming attempt to correct and overcorrection.

Yesterday on Oilers Now, interim GM Keith Gretzky was interviewed and a portion of the conversation he and Bob Stauffer were having was based around the players Gretzky has brought in via the draft and the Oilers’ prospects who will be heading to their minor league affiliate in Bakersfield next season.

KG – For us to just go out and hand out a contract, even if we like the kid and think he’s going to be 3, 4, 5 years away, we have to be bang on. Maybe we look for a guy that’s a little quicker, that can get up here, that’s been playing in Europe or something like that. That’s what we’re looking at right now.

BS – With an emphasis on skill?

KG – Yeah AND speed. And quickness especially. I think that’s an element that we need and everybody knows that, I told them. Maybe drove it into their head too much but… 

Now, you might be wondering why the Oilers passed on USports MVP Luke Philp and let him sign with the Flames then. Well, Gretzky went on to explain that.

KG – We looked at him and that was one of our reasons why we kinda backed off on him, We have so many young guys coming in right now and if we have an extra contract, we maybe want to save it for a guy who’s a little older and a little more experienced playing pro in Europe, IF that guy is there and we have a couple guys we’re looking at but you never count the chickens before they hatch.

So, I know the Oilers were over scouting in Sweden earlier this year and a light bulb went off in my head, so I contacted one of my Swedish sources and asked who the fastest and most skilled players in the SHL were that are rumored to be coming to the NHL…

Joakim Nygard – Farjestads BK

Height: 6’0″
Weight: 179lbs
Position: LW
Age: 26
Hand: L

A speedy and pretty high scoring player with nice hands. Creative player, who is still very raw, but with a nice upside. – Elite Prospects (2011)

That little snippet doesn’t do this player justice at all. Joakim Nygard is basically the Swedish version of Andreas Athanasiou but with more “compete” in his game. It’s been said that he’s the fastest player in the league with the puck and one of the most entertaining as well.

It’s hard to see the whole package just from YouTube highlights but for most of us, it’s all we have. So Let’s take a gander at a couple of clips.

First off, we’ve got him absolutely laying a guy out with the kind of elbow that would make Don Cherry and Brian Burke stand at attention…

Here’s a clip of Nygard on the receiving end of a massive bodycheck!

Watch this next play where his speed allows him to close down a defender and force a turnover that leads to Nygard setting up a teammate for a goal.

And finally, Nygard’s goalscoring highlight package. Here you’re going to see that speed on full display.

“He’s fast as hell and great around the net. Not a sniper, but a goal scorer. He can be pretty rough as well.”

That quote above came from my Swedish source and the clips above indicate that he’s pretty bang on with his assessment of Nygard.

Jim Matheson slyly slipped his name in an article not too long ago.

The Oilers may be looking to older free-agent Europeans because they could step in immediately. They have 48 players on their reserve list, two under the max allowed.

Two possibles: Joakim Nygard, 26, (LW, Farjestads, Sweden) and Oulu Palve, 27, (C TPS Finland). In the past, the Oilers have signed Iiro Pakarinen and Lennart Petrell, and they could play in the NHL, but they had no hands. They don’t want checkers.

The Hockey News had this to say about the Swedish speedster,

Nygard is under contract with Farjestad BK for the next three years, but an agreement between the NHL and SHL means Nygard could head to North America if he does accept a deal. Nygard is one of the fastest skaters in the SHL and has been a recurring member of Farjestad’s special teams unit. Scouts like Nygard’s defensive instincts and his speed allows him to get back to deal with trouble in his own zone while creating opportunities at the other end of the ice.

I think at the very least they’d have a Carl Hagelin-type who could help add depth offense to their bottom-6. I’ll have to talk to more people about how his speed will translate to the smaller ice surface but this is a really exciting player the Oilers could be adding this summer and I’m glad they’re looking at these sorts of players.

The Oilers will have to up their game though because apparently there are up to 20 teams interested in him and Edmonton doesn’t have any players being represented by Nygard’s agent, Matt Keator according to PuckPedia.com. They did for a short time when Pontus Aberg was on the team mind you.

What do you think? Leave your comments below!

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