Tag Archives: Jordan Eberle

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

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Seravalli Thinks This Trade Would be a Good One for Edmonton, but I’m Not So Sure

Today, we’re talking about a mock trade that involves a beloved ex-Oiler and then finishing off with some chatter about where the Edmonton Oilers should be focusing their attention at roster-wise as the trade deadline approaches.

I should start prefacing these blogs with the fact that I write them a day in advance and because we’re getting so close to the deadline there’s a good chance I might write about a player or a team and it be old news by the time it gets to your beautiful eyes. If that happens, my apologies!

But before we get to that, give us a follow on the socials!

The Latest Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors

Getting the Boys back together!

To Edmonton: Jordan Eberle (75% retained)
To Seattle: 2024 1st Rd Pick, Raphael Lavoie (to retain 50%)
To Chicago: 2025 4th Rd Pick (to retain 25%), Mattias Janmark (to make the cap hits work)

“Eberle, now 33, and seven years removed from his last appearance in Oil Country, is still a productive player. He collected 20 goals and 63 points last season and is on-track for 15 goals and 49 points this year… if the Oilers were to draw up a fit, they’d be looking for a right-shooting, top-six forward who is pass-first to play with Leon Draisaitl. Eberle checks all of those boxes. Plus, when you consider the market, he is likely to be among the most cost-effective players available relative to acquisition price… Eberle has 19 goals and 45 points in his last 63 postseason games, which is a higher points-per-game rate (0.71) than his career average (0.69).” – Frank Seravalli, Dailyfaceoff.com

  • Getting Eberle at that sort of discount would be something I could get behind. However, I am concerned that he’s lost a step.
  • That said, his shooting percentage is sitting about three points under his career average and one could see that popping back up with better centers.
  • My only real qualm with this proposal is that Ken Holland has said time and time again that he won’t use a first rounder on a rental and there are better players/deals out there where he could use his 1st rounder and upgrade his roster not only for this season but next as well.
  • We know that Eberle is going to be a UFA this summer and if it’s only money being spent to bring him in, why not do it then? He’ll be cheaper than the expiring $5.5/yr deal he’s one right now. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.
  • I suppose Ebs re-upping in Seattle would put a cork in those plans though… So it’s up to the team to decide if he’s worth it.
  • Personally, I’d avoid using a 1st rounder in any rental deal like it’s the plague. Use a prospect that’s already in the system.

Ferraro Says Oilers Need Depth at Forward

“I see a forward for a couple of reasons. It would be nice to get a little bit more depth offensively. Like somebody you can rely upon to score. I mean they thought it was gonna be Connor Brown, he don’t have a goal this, this year, right?

I also think another, another forward gives you versatility that Edmonton really doesn’t have with their forwards right now. That they would like to have.” – Ray Ferraro, TSN

  • Ya know, I wonder if they don’t punt Brown and Janmark for better depth. Names like Duhaime (MIN) and Malenstyn (WAS) are popping up. Sam Carrick’s (ANH) name is starting to surface more and more, too.
  • Why not just rip out the carpet and put some new stuff in?
  • Oskar Sundqvist has, what, 20 points for St. Louis as a 4th liner? They’ve also got the Toropchenko beast scoring in their bottom six. Edmonton doesn’t have any of that. Those boys are all massive, can skate, are aggressive, and defensively sound. Can you say the same about Janmark, Brown, Ryan, Gagner, etc.?
  • I think if Brown and Janmark are your backups for the full-time roster, you’re in good shape.
  • The other day we talked about possibly bringing in Scott Laughton, Sean Walker, and then going out and grabbing Daniel Sprong, right? Would the Oilers have enough to pick up Duhaime and Bogosian out of Minny, too? Those are definitely the kinds of deals contending teams make to round out their team. Edmonton should be doing it too.
Piggybacking

“A stronger bottom six, the Edmonton Oilers will give them a better chance and I think the opportunities are there. Ken Holland can look in those areas. And I don’t think the price will be significant, but I think that it could be really helpful to the Oilers chances come playoff time.” – Mike Johnson, TSN

  • I think that’s it right there. The club expects a rematch with either Colorado or Vegas and they feel that if their bottom-six is as good as or better than their opponents’, they’ll beat them.
  • More speed, more size, more intensity. If Edmonton can get that, I think they’ll be in better shape, but it won’t mean anything if they continue to put up stinkers like they’ve been doing every other game since the end of the all-star break…
  • They’ve got all those games in hand, but if they fail to gain any points with them, it’s all for naught.

The King of the North is here! Click the pic and grab a shirt!

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Watch BLH’s Hockey Game of the Night: Eberle’s Heroics and OT Heartbreak in 2010 (Jan.6, 2010)

On the evening of January 6th, 2010, Team Canada and Team USA went head-to-head in an epic battle for World Junior supremecy. The Canadians had won five gold medals on the trot and the last team to beat them in the finals of the tournament was the Americans. They were looking to become the first team in World Juniors history to win six golds in a row… At home… In Saskatchewan.

Playing for the home team, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Colton Teubert would go on to become Edmonton Oilers later on in their careers.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!Two OT goals have broken my heart since I started watching hockey, David Volek’s against the Penguins in ’93 to prevent Pittsburgh from winning their third Stanley Cup in a row and the one John Carlson scored for Team USA to give the US the gold medal.

This game is so facking good. Just to put it into perspective, the end result was 6-5, we all know this (or at least I hope we all do), but at the end of the first it was 2-2, at the end of the second it was 3-3, and with three minutes left the game was 5-3 for the US… You’ve not seen a barn go up like the one in Saskatoon did when Eberle scored with under two minutes to go to tie this game up.

That said, you’ve probably never heard a more quiet arena in Canada than when John Carlson beat Martin Jones in OT… Utter shock from the fans in the stands.

I hope you enjoy BLH’s Game of the Night!

The following write-up on the game is courtesy of TSN

Canada fell short of capturing their record-setting sixth-straight gold medal at the World Juniors when Team USA defeated them 6-5 in overtime in the Championship game, forcing them to settle for silver.

Despite more late game heroics from Jordan Eberle – the forward scored two goals in the final three minutes to send the game to overtime – USA’s John Carlson put home a wrist shot less than five minutes into the extra frame to give Team USA the win. The victory would give USA their second gold medal at the World Juniors and would end Team Canada’s bid to make history on home ice.

Eberle, who tied for the tournament lead with eight goals, became Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the World Juniors with 14. Eberle was also named a First Team All-Star, the tournament’s best forward, and tournament MVP.

The accolades didn’t come as much consolation for Eberle who was disappointed he and his teammates failed to make history by winning a sixth-straight gold.

“It’s not easy sitting on that blue-line and not hearing your anthem,” said Eberle. “It’s a tournament you watch growing up and it’s sad to have it end like this, but I can go out with my head up high.”

Joining Eberle as an all-star was Canada’s Alex Pietrangelo, who was also named the tournament’s top defenceman.

Americans Carlson and Derek Stepan, who led the tournament with 14 points, were also named all-stars.

If you’re enjoying the series, check out this week’s previous games below!

The Punch-up in Piestany
16yr old Wayne Gretzky Destroys Czechs in ’78
The 2005 Canadian Juggernaut That Took Out the Russians for Gold
McDavid and Nurse Bring Home Gold at 2015 World Juniors (Jan.5, 2015)

Give us a follow on the socials!

Get your “Stanley” today!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers: BLH’s All-Decade Oilers Teams + Why the Brassard Deal Fell Through

By the time Chris Johnston reported the Edmonton Oilers were out of the “Derick Brassard Sweepstakes” I had read no fewer than three tweets from reputable sources that he was on his way to Edmonton.

  • Georges Laraque – Former Oiler and Radio Host in Montreal
  • Kevin Weekes – Former NHL Goalie and Hockey Analyst for ESPN, NHL Network, and NHL.com
  • Dan Kingerski – NHL Home Ice and Sportsnet Hockey Tonight, www.pittsburghhockeynow.com

Nobody said anything when those gentlemen sent their tweets out. The Edmonton media might’ve still been trying to figure out Google Translate maybe. It’s hard, I know.

Then early yesterday morning all of a sudden it was BAM-BAM-BAM. Jim Matheson (Edmonton Journal/Sun) sends a tweet out, then Kurt Leavins (Cult of Hockey), and then Bob Stauffer (Oilers play by play). All really close to each other.

(That’s a pretty good indicator that all three of those fellas talked to the same source by the way…)

Anyways, not long after the three musketeers put their info out, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston sent his tweet out saying that the Oilers were out and then shortly thereafter Andrew Gross (Isles beat writer) said that the Islanders would be picking him up.

At the end of the day, I do believe Edmonton was VERY close to signing him, hence the silence from the Edmonton media, but the deal hinged on another offer. So the Islanders upped their ante, Brassard signs in Long Island for the year at $1.2M and he adds another Eastern Conference clubs to his name (PIT, NYR, FLA, OTT). I couldn’t be happier for it as he was absolutely horrid last season and there’s no indication that he’s going to get any better. Good looking kid though, I hope he proves me wrong. As it is, he would’ve been surplus to requirements in Edmonton and the Oilers need that cap room.

F*ck those guys! Click the link and grab one of these beauty shirts!


BLH’s All-Decade Oilers Teams

Over at ESPN they are doing some fun “All-Decade” stuff and I thought that I’d like to do something like that as well. So I’m going to give you my first and second All-Decade Edmonton Oilers teams.

(I’m going with traditional lefty/righty on defense by the way.)

First Team

LW – Leon Draisaitl: 351gp 125g 187a 312pts
C – Connor McDavid: 287gp 128g 244a 372pts
RW – Jordan Eberle: 507gp 165g 217a 382pts
LD – Oscar Klefbom: 316gp 29g 93a 122pts
RD – Justin Schultz: 248gp 28g 73a 101pts
G – Cam Talbot: 227gp 104w 95l 912sv% 2.74gaa

I know what you’re thinking… “Where’s Taylor Hall?”

Well, as far as I’m concerned, Leon Draisaitl has meant more to the Oilers during this decade than Taylor Hall. From a statistical POV, they’re quite similar. Hall scored 328pts in 381 games and Leon has scored 312pts in 351 games. I simply give the edge to Leon because he’s done it from two positions. Plus, let’s be honest here, Draisaitl can play with McDavid, whereas Taylor couldn’t.

I don’t think we can argue McDavid, Eberle, and Klefbom being on the first team. They’ve definitely been the best Oilers at those positions over the decade. Maybe health plays a factor with Klefbom but even then, when he’s gone out with injury, the team has fallen apart without him. He’s a minute-munching animal that really has no equal in this exercise.

Some of you might be wondering about Darnell Nurse as opposed to Justin Schultz but once again, if we go to the stat sheet, Jultz was head and shoulders (and always will be) better than Doc offensively. Was he a tire fire in his own end? Yes, of epic proportions, but the Oilers have missed his puck-moving abilities more than ever since they dealt him to Pittsburgh.

It’s Talbot over Dubnyk between the pipes easily. 12 shutouts in 227 games vs. 8 for Dubie? The gap isn’t substantial but without Talbot, the Oilers would’ve never gotten close to the playoffs when they made it.

Second Team

LW – Taylor Hall: 381gp 132g 196a 328pts
C – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 539gp 147g 235a 382pts
RW – Dustin Penner: 144gp 53g 49a 102pts
LD – Ryan Whitney: 139gp 12g 49a 71pts
RD – Jeff Petry: 295gp 17g 57a 74pts
G – Devan Dubnyk: 171gp 61w 76l .910sv% 2.88gaa

Hall, Nuge, and Dubnyk are locks here, but the debate starts everywhere else. Unless you want to argue that David Perron should be in over Hall or Sam Gagner deserves to be there instead of Nugent-Hopkins. I don’t think there’s anyone out there that would have Khabibulin or Scrivens over Dubnyk, right?

Dustin Penner comes in ahead of Ales Hemsky and Nail Yakupov because I feel like he was a better player and a more effective one than Hemmer or Yak. He had similar goal totals (53) but he did it in a much shorter time frame (144 games).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itCUA_usE5U

On defense, I went with Ryan Whitney over Darnell Nurse because Whits was simply the better defenseman plus he could make a pass. Whitney scored nearly as many points as Nurse did in about 140 games less. It’s too bad for that bum ankle but his 0.51 pts/game is the best amongst all Oilers defenders in that decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkpb6d1SagM

As for right-defense, it’s Jeff Petry all day for me. I considered Andrej Sekera here but since I’m going the traditional righty/lefty pairings, I can’t use him. Jeff Petry was a massive talent for the Oilers before they sent him packing to Montreal. He was big, physical, could shoot the pill, make a pass and he was consistent. Petry played nearly 300 games for the Oilers in the last decade, but he, like many others before him and after, was a victim of circumstance. He’s shone for the Habs since he left and been a top defender for them.

Who is on your All-Decade Edmonton Oilers team? Let us know in the comments below!

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!
Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!
Click the image above and get this sweet Leon’s parody shirt!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Edmonton Oilers Rumor Roundup: Will Taylor Hall Return to the Oilers?

Last night during the Coyotes/Oilers game, a tweet from @PunjabiOil came across my timeline that quoted Elliotte Friedman saying on a local podcast if he were GM of the Oilers and he knew that Taylor Hall was going to free agency, his plan would be to bring him back to Edmonton.

This was funny because Bob Stauffer and Mark Spector sort of brought Hall up during yesterday’s edition of Oilers Now and it’s not the first time we’ve heard Bob talk about Taylor Hall coming back to Edmonton, right?

I’ve talked to my sources about the possibility of Hall coming back and some of them have told me that “it’s doable” and some of them believe there’s no chance. Edmonton would have to do major surgery to the roster to fit him in long term.

Now, that does leave the possibility of him coming back for the final year of his current deal though. Which would be next season. Edmonton could definitely deal in that a lot easier than competing for his services on the open market if he were to go UFA status.

Combine that with murmurs of Jordan Eberle possibly being willing to go back to Edmonton on a deal that could pay him $4M/yr for three years…

How ridiculous would that be if both Hall and Eberle returned?

All they’d have to do is find some way to get Hall out of NJ via trade, deal Lucic and one of Russell or Sekera without retaining salary, and then sign Ebs… It’s THAT easy! Wing depth restored!

Personally, I can’t see it happening but every GM, agent, and player are watching Toronto to see what they do and if it is deemed successful, every other team will try to copy it, including the Oilers.

A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!

NEWS ON PULJUJARVI

On the latest “Insider Trading”, Bob McKenzie wonders aloud if the relationship between the player and team is “fractured beyond repair”. He says there’s lots of speculation that Pulju would not look kindly on being sent down to the AHL and even goes as far as to question if Jesse would even go to the AHL.

It’s all bullshit.

From what I’ve gathered, Puljujarvi IS pissed. He’s angry because he’s watching teammates of his who are of lesser talent getting the push up the lineup instead of him. Players like Alex Chiasson and oddly enough, Ty Rattie.

Now we could all argue about how he hasn’t earned it, right? If “earning it” means not scoring, then wouldn’t Jesse be fitting right in with Rieder, Rattie, and Chiasson?

I feel for him. Two coaches in a row refuse to even give him a chance on the PP.

I mean if you want a direct example of how old-school Ken Hitchcock is, look no further than how Josh Currie was used last night. I don’t even want to go into how much of a bullshitter Hitch is based on how he said he was going to use the player in the pre-game media avail…

https://twitter.com/AdamsOnHockey/status/1098089308567687169

Even in the OT, a perfect time to use a player who has speed and a shot, as Ty Rattie does, Hitchcock throws Chiasson out?!

3v3 OT is the PERFECT scenario for a player like Rattie or Puljujarvi (if he’d been on the roster and not out with some “mystery” LBI) or Currie for that matter. Sam Gagner comes straight into the roster and he’s GIFTED with 2nd line TOI and 1st unit PP time…

Think about it for a second. This young man is one of the hardest working players on the team. He stays after practice to work on little things. A quote I got from a former teammate of his said, “He’s the hardest worker and so unselfish.”

How does it make any sense for the media to be portraying Puljujarvi in a selfish light when he’s literally the polar opposite? Well, it gets the eyes and ears directed to their websites and TV channels is what it does.

I’ve said this on Twitter before, but the media is going to try and paint Jesse into the same corner that Nail Yakupov once occupied. We might even start to hear things about how he’s not liked in the dressing room or he’s hard to get along with. Maybe more on the language barrier…

It’s already started with McKenzie saying things like, “the Oilers would LIKE to send him (Pulju) down to the American Hockey League…”

“Like” as in they’re being held hostage here?

Don’t believe it…

He is NOT going to refuse an assignment to the AHL. His camp might feel that Bakersfield isn’t the right move for him right now but he’d report.

As far as I’ve been told, Jesse loves Edmonton, he wants to stay and play. He’s young, he’s got certain expectations of himself and also the team I imagine. It’s just that he’s been told one thing and the opposite is happening. That’d enrage anybody.

I think it’s possible that there’s someone in the organization that is leaking things that simply aren’t true (that he wants out) and the media is running with it because if it bleeds it leads.

If the Oilers truly want to repair this, find the leak and plug it!

My Solution: Get Hitchcock off that bench and have Manny Viveiros run the show. He had a young Finn in Swift Current that ran the show there for some time. I think his name was Heponiemi.

My Solution 2: Let Jay Woodcroft work his magic with him. Winning is the cure to a lot of ailments.

Grab a Grinning Finn tee by clicking on the pic!!

THE NEXT MOVE: BENNING/PETROVIC OUT?

I’m still hearing that Pittsburgh has interest in Alex Petrovic, but teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay are also looking for depth right-hand shots. Matt Benning also fits the description there and in all honesty is probably who the Oilers would prefer to move given he’s got an extra year left on his deal.

Keep an eye on Alex Chiasson. He’s getting a ton of media attention right now. I think Boston is looking at him AND Kassian.

https://twitter.com/NHLbyMatty/status/1098251428445876229

The name of the game is clearing cap space folks. If Edmonton can rid themselves of all those players AND possibly one of Sekera or Russell, I think they do it with a smile on their faces and I think they’d even retain salary to do it.

Whatever it takes to get Hallsy and Ebs back into the fold, right? :p

Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!
What a hilarious phrase! Click the pic to get yours today!
The Vegas Golden Misfits are going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018!!! Love ’em or hate ’em it’s an amazing story and this is one punk rocker’s way of giving tribute! Click the pic above and get yours today!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: New Names to Add to the Mill PLUS Who’s Safe in Edmonton?

Last night I was contacted by more than one source to tell me that Jesse Puljujarvi is SAFE and wouldn’t be traded. That message is obviously contrary to what insiders like Elliotte Friedman, Ryan Rishaug, and Chris Johnston are saying but I have a theory on that. It also dovetails with what Kurt Leavins said yesterday on Twitter,

I feel like the Edmonton Oilers fanbase is one of the most active in the NHL and that it drives a lot of numbers for TSN’s and Sportsnet’s hockey coverage. I have no proof of course but with the way that the media is crawling all over Peter Chiarelli right now, it makes sense on their end to exasperate the perceived situation for profit.

Case in point: Craig Button saying Evan Bouchard ISN’T one of the top-50 prospects not playing in the NHL right now.

That’s a giant line of bullshit! He was in love with Bouchard before the draft and was saying if he was a better skater, he might be challenging Dahlin for 1st overall. To put a guy like Gabe Vilardi ahead of Bouchard is disingenuous. I mean, a scout worth his salt would never rate Vilardi ahead of Bouchard at this point. Generally, you want a player who’s going to actually play hockey in the future to be on a list like that, no? I wonder if Button is a bit salty that Bouchard had a tough World Juniors?

Getting back to Puljujarvi, Oilers management feels that they need to do right by this player and are willing to do what it takes to see things through with him. The same goes for Kailer Yamamoto. Peter Chiarelli is VERY hesitant to deal these players because he sees the potential in these players and Edmonton needs value contracts going forward. Pulju might not be producing at a Patrik Laine-like rate and that might result in his next contract being more affordable or “cheap” for lack of a better description. So him struggling to produce points might actually be a blessing in disguise because when he breaks out, and he will, the Oilers will be underpaying him.

A new season means a new design! Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!

I’m just going to put the other things I was told in point form here to get this post moving a bit faster for you,

  • New Name: Oilers like Miles Wood out of NJ
  • Keith (Gretzky) is a big part of the negotiations, Peter is manning the controls, but Bob (Nicholson) has final say.
  • On Josh Ho-Sang: He’s a good young player. Just has to get his game together. If we get him, I wonder what Hitch can do for him?
  • On Michael Ferland: Oilers are talking to Car about him. They like him. No offer made but they’re chatting.
  • Oilers are also talking to Pitts about Brassard
  • Nuge isn’t being moved. Klef, Nurse. None of them.
  • They’re also not moving the 1st round pick for a UFA rental. That is out of the question.
  • On Wayne Simmonds: At this point is an absolute no. Philly wants a goaltender or top 6 roster player, a 1st pick AND a top blue chip prospect. Edm isn’t going down that road
  • On Cam Talbot: I don’t believe they’re moving Cam Talbot at this time unless a knock your socks off offer comes along that involves a goalie coming back.
  • On Tyler Toffolli: They’re not talking with LA. Not trading within their own division.
  • That first pick, unless it’s a productive player WITH term (3 4 years) the 1st will not be moved.
  • On Rishaug’s “Young developing player”: That young developing player would be a guy in Bakersfield. It will not be a guy like Yamo or Pulju. Have to stay patient with those two blue chippers.
  • They’re shopping Spooner and Benning. Trying to find a partner to dance with. Tough market for those fellas.
  • They’re not moving Milan Lucic either.
  • On Jordan Eberle: There is also some chat garnering around about bringing in Eberle. Now whether that’s now or offseason, I’d suggest off-season. Eberle would come over at $3M-$4M per on a 2 or 3-year deal is my guess.

 

So there you have it! It looks like Chiarelli is ready to die on the sword to save the core of this team despite what the owner wants. I can respect that and I might be in the minority here, but I don’t want him to do anything big. The teams around Edmonton in the playoff race are struggling and despite the Oilers poor recent record, they’re still in the thick of this. This is exactly the right time for some shooting percentages to return to the mean and Oscar Klefbom’s return is right around the corner.

Friedman mentioned Mats Zuccarello out of New York and I could see him being a nice add to the team. I wouldn’t pay top dollar for him as he’s struggled all year but if the Rangers would take Spooner back (hahaha, as if) or maybe Matt Benning, Edmonton might actually be able to afford him? What about a Rieder for Zuccarello trade? Ethan Bear and Ostap Safin?

If I had to guess, I wonder if Edmonton will try to acquire a really good right-handed face-off man for the 3rd line. It’s been a weakness of the team for some time and it really hurts them late in tight games I feel. Glendening out of Detroit comes to mind for me.

If not that piece then a veteran winger to give the Oilers the option to send Yamamoto back to Bakersfield. The aforementioned Zuccarello fits that description.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! Enjoy the game tonight!

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!
The Vegas Golden Misfits are going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018!!! Love ’em or hate ’em it’s an amazing story and this is one punk rocker’s way of giving tribute! Click the pic above and get yours today!
Elias Pettersson’s nickname is “Alien”. Here’s a shirt to celebrate it! Click the image to buy one!
Click the image above and get this sweet Leon’s parody shirt!