Tag Archives: John Gibson

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Would You Give This Up to Get John Gibson?

There’s been non-stop talk amongst the Edmonton Oilers fanbase regarding the club going out and trading for Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson. Recently, Bob Stauffer (630CHED) reported what he thought it would take to acquire the netminder.

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Wednesday morning, on his popular radio show Oilers Now, host Bob Stauffer and Brian Lawton were talking about what it would take to get Gibson out of Anaheim and into an Oilers jersey. This is what was said,

Lawton: If there ever was a possibility, and I don’t think that there is, that Anaheim would trade him. I think people would shy away from this discussion if they had any inkling as to what it would potentially cost to get a guy like him.

Stauffer: Realistically, what are we talking? Four pieces, five pieces to get a goalie like Gibson?

Lawton: Realistically, it would probably take four assets. 

Stauffer: Would I be out to lunch thinking that the asset request from Anaheim might be along the lines of either Yamamoto/Puljujarvi, Philip Broberg, a 1st-round pick, Dylan Holloway and then you send us Koskinen back?

Lawton: That would be an incredible return for Anaheim but because they don’t want to trade him, when you have that discussion, you can get that type of response and it’s disheartening when you’re seriously thinking on your end. 

So there ya go. For all of you dreamers in the Oilogosphere, unless you’re willing to GUT the future of your franchise, John Gibson is OUT. OF. THE. QUESTION!

I get it though, somebody saw online somewhere that Gibson was unhappy with the direction of the Ducks and came to the conclusion that he wanted out. Bingo Bango, the rumor mill goes into overdrive, and Bob’s your uncle. All of a sudden, he’s an Edmonton Oiler.

Nope. That’s not how it works folks. I will say this though, if Stauffer is talking about it with Lawton, there might very well be some fire to that smoke. He’s not the type to throw names out all Willy Nilly.

Now, I don’t mind giving up good assets to get an elite player, but why not wait and see what’s up with Oscar Klefbom and his future. He could be a tradeable asset upon returning to play. What about other trade pieces like Carter Savoie and Raphael Lavoie? Dmitri Samorukov? Darnell Nurse?

Nurse is playing very well and his production is a reflection of that. However, if you go back and take a look at about four of those goals he scored, they shouldn’t have gone in. I’m happy they did, but I also think you have to be realistic about things too. So, if Nurse really pads his stats this year, what will he be asking for on his next deal, and is that a number the Oilers will be comfortable with knowing the likes of Broberg, Samorukov, Jones, and the aforementioned Klefbom (maybe) either ready for NHL deployment or on the cusp.

Lawton did say at one point that Edmonton would be better off looking elsewhere for a goalie and I agree with him, but which goalie(s)?… Stay tuned for the next blog!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Stanley Cup Playoffs

Was There Any Doubt? Oilers into 2nd Round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

As I watched the San Jose Sharks lay the boots to my Edmonton Oilers in game four, I remembered that Don Cherry would often say that you never embarrass your opponent because it’ll come back to bite you in the ass. Well…

San Jose simply blew their loads in that 7-0 drubbing of the Oilers and a bit into the 1st period of game 5 but after that they were spitting sand and it was ALL Oilers.

Crikey, that’s graphic…

The Sharks simply couldn’t keep pace with the Oilers and I’m not wondering where that “experience” was when they needed it most? Were the Sharks not a Stanley Cup finalist last season? There were some that were saying that McLellan was outcoached in that blowout but I think over the course of the series, it was McLellan who outcoached Deboer by keeping Nuge’s line on Thornton’s as much as possible and leaving McDavid to Vlasic and Braun.

Something I’ve noticed as the season went on is that the Oilers got better and better and tying down 1-goal games. They seemed to have won so many more tight games this year and they certainly were okay with playing without the lead as well, no?

GM OF THE  YEAR?

Peter Chiarelli said he was going to come in here and build a team that could compete in the Pacific, no? So in came players of higher character and out when players who had trouble buying into McLellan’s system. Chiarelli brought in players that knew what it took to get to the playoffs and surrounded his young phenoms with humble leaders.

Now, I love that the Oilers GM has built a team to take care of business in its own division because after all, if you can dominate in your own division, the playoffs aren’t that far from your reach, right? And once you make the playoffs, anything can happen.

DUCK HUNT

There are two narratives that instantly come to mind:

  1. Can the Anaheim Ducks roll through the Alberta teams?
  2. Can the Edmonton Oilers take care of the California teams?

It was Edmonton that officially eliminated the LA Kings from playoff contention I believe and wouldn’t it be something if they could run through the Sharks AND the Ducks after all these years of being their whipping boys for a decade?

One has to reckon that the Ducks are going to be more of a challenge to the Oilers than the Sharks but I’m not so sure to be honest and here’s why:

  • Anaheim’s Forward Depth: Their top 6 is pretty good but Edmonton can equal it without question. The Ducks bottom 6 is where the Oilers have the edge I believe. Apart from Corey Perry, it lacks skill and speed. I’ll take Pouliot/Desharnais/Slepyshev over Wagner/Thompson/Shaw anyday.
  • Anaheim’s Defense Depth: It’s a young d-core right now with Montour/Theodore filling in for Fowler/Vatanen. Korbinian Holzer is basically Mark Fayne with a bit more sandpaper. So AHL level. When Fowler and Vatanen come back, that’ll definitely change things but how long will it take them to get into playoff shape and can the Oilers take advantage of this fortunate turn of events? That said, Josh Manson is no joke.
  • The Ducks have nobody to sick on McDavid: Ryan Kesler? Good luck with that. Anaheim simply doesn’t have a Vlasic that can shut down an elite forward.
  • Who will RNH’s line be tasked with?: McLellan shut down the Sharks top line by using Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ line. That Sharks trio is a heavy line to deal with. Will the Oilers 2nd line go head-to-head with Getzlaf/Eaves/Rackell or Cogliano/Kesler/Silvferberg?

There are two players that do concern me on Anaheim though:

  • Patrick Eaves
  • John Gibson

Eaves has continued his scoring tear from the regular season and Gibson, apart from one game (like Talbot), looked sensational versus the Flames.

Look, without sounding like the homer of all homers, the Oilers have a better roster. Simple as that. The Flames barely scraped into the playoffs where as the Oilers nearly beat out the Ducks for first in the Pacific. Anaheim might be rested right now but the Oilers are just getting going. Sickness or not, Edmonton can go toe-to-toe with any team in the Western Conference right now and feel confident of beating any one of them.

I think I can guarantee one thing though, this series is going to be a battle of epic proportions. It’s going to get physical and it’s going to be dirty and we’re going to see some ridiculousness. I mean a team with Corey Perry and Kevin Bieksa on it is going to be unpleasant to play against.

But what are we worried about?

I can’t wait.

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Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Kosmic’s World Cup of Hockey Team North America Roster Prediction

March 1st 2016
Post Deadline

Well….here I am…I must have done something right, because I’m back to trip with the BLH Universe again! How’d you like Chia Pete’s first go as an Oiler at the ol’ deadline? Do you think that the Oilers made out alright? Me, I don’t really have any complaints, plus, that’s not what my post is about, haha…

As promised, this is my 2016 World Cup of Hockey Team McDavid, errr, I mean Team North America roster predictions/report. Let’s face it folks, this team belongs to the McWizard!

But first, I have to get something of my chest. I don’t even like the inclusion of the 23 and under North American and European teams. Do you really think that Mcdavid wants to be the one who scores the goal that eliminates Team Canada (hypothetically speaking)? Of course he doesn’t!! He wants to score the huge goals for Canada, and party with the big boys!! But….here we are, and that train has left the station.

Too be honest though, as an Oilers fan this team does possess a lot of Edmonton connections. First off, the GM is Peter Chiarelli, and the Head Coach is Todd Mclellan. Plus some key members of the team I might add.

So, just like my last report, we’ll start with the Goaltenders. Speaking of which, I think this is going to be the team’s weakest position. Only due to the lack of experienced ’tenders. There is USA’s John Gibson, who has won both gold and bronze at the World Juniors. Also, Jets prospect Connor Hellebuyck won bronze at the World Championships. So there is some experience there, that can’t be discounted. I do honestly believe that Gibson is on the verge of breaking out huge, and what a scene that would be if he could do it on the world stage.

Potential Goalies: John Gibson, Connor Hellebuyck, Malcolm Subban, Matt Murray, and Zach Fucale

Again, this is just my personal opinion, but you can’t ignore Gibson and Hellebuyck’s international resumes. So I see Chiarelli going with (in this order):

John Gibson – Connor Hellebuyck – Malcolm Subban

The defence is a different story….this is seriously a stacked backend ladies and gentlemen! We’re talking about names like Ekblad, Reilly, Jones, and Hanifin. That’s heavy duty. Baby’s got back! I didn’t realize just how stacked they are until I started to research this story. So let’s get on with it.

Potential Defencemen: Aaron Ekblad, Noah Hanifin, Matt Dumba, Morgan Reilly, Colton Parayko, Seth Jones, Dougie Hamilton, Connor Murphy, Jacob Trouba, Cody Ceci, Colin Miller, and Ryan Murray

Making my prediction for the defence was actually tougher than originally thought, but if I was GM, the defence would like something like this:

Seth Jones – Aaron Ekblad
Morgan Reilly – Jacob Trouba
Ryan Murray – Dougie Hamilton
Extra Skater: Matt Dumba

Ah yes, now the Mcdavid’s, I mean the McJesus’, Errg…Now for the forwards. You thought that the defence was stellar? Shit dude, you haven’t seen anything yet! We’re talking about names like 2 time Cup winner Brendan Saad, Johnny Hockey himself, and that other fellow, what”s his name, oh yeah…CONNOR MCDAVID! Honestly, this team should not be taken lightly at all. There is A LOT of potential firepower on this squad. So let’s get cracking at it.

Potential Forwards: Connor McDavid, Brendan Saad, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nathan McKinnon, Curtis Lazar, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Sean Couturier, Ryan Strome, Sean Monahan, Alex Galchenyuk, Jonathon Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele, Jonathon Drouin, Sam Reinhart, Max Domi, Dylan Larkin, Boone Jenner, Sam Bennett, Robby Fabbri, Anthony Duclair, and Bo Horvat

See, I told you that they’re doing pretty well for themselves….so take this with a grain of salt, but here are my line predictions:

Johnny Gaudreau – Connor McDavid – Nathan McKinnon
Brandon Saad – Sean Monahan – Jack Eichel
Alex Galchenyuk – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Ryan Strome
Max Domi – Sean Couturier – Curtis Lazar
Extra Skater: Auston Matthews

As awesome as it will be for all of these kids to play together, you can’t tell me that they wouldn’t have preferred to play for their respected countries? So hopefully the next inception of the World Cup only includes countries. But regardless, the North American team is an incredibly talented squad and they’re my sleeper pick to win it all. They definitely shouldn’t be underestimated just due to their age, they have a lot of international hardware between them, plus…..McDavid.

Well folks, once again, thanks for tripping with me!! Stay tuned for my next article……an introduction to the future, the man known as Laurent Brossoit….

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