Tag Archives: Josh Ho-Sang

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Riley Sheahan’s Return Could Force a Trade

Later this week, the Edmonton Oilers are going to march into Nassau Coliseum and go head-to-head with Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders. It should be a fantastic game of hockey to watch but there’s something else on my mind related to this game.

What I’m wondering about is this Josh Ho-Sang trade demand because I was passed along a message that the Oilers were looking at him. Now, what I’m about to discuss, I see very little chance of it happening for a few reasons but I still believe it’s worth talking about.

  • Lou Lamoriello’s ships are tighter than the lid on that jar of pickles at the back of your fridge. Nothing gets out of his office unless he wants it to.
  • If the Oilers did make a deal to bring JHS to the team, where would he play? Sure, he’s said he’d be happy starting in the AHL, but even then, where does he slot into the Condor’s lineup with Kailer Yamamoto, Josh Currie, and Kirill Maksimov occupying the top three RW spots? Unless they’re trading him for Cameron Hebig or Nolan Vesey…
  • Is this the kind of player that the Oilers should be bringing into their organization and would he fit into the new ethos that Ken Holland is trying to build?

On the other hand, there are some players that have done nothing more than sat on their hands since training camp started. Riley Sheahan will be coming back this week and somebody has to go to make room for him. A one-for-one trade makes sense here because Ho-Sang wouldn’t have to join the NHL club and he could stay in the AHL, meaning, he wouldn’t take up a roster space on the Oilers. I’d argue his value is as low as it could possibly be as well, so the price to acquire him wouldn’t be dear. Thoughts?

For me, Ho-Sang doesn’t do anything for me. I get that he played minor hockey with Connor and they were unstoppable, but that was then and the now tells me that he can’t score goals at even the AHL level let alone the NHL one. Eight goals last year? He’s never topped 45 points in a season playing in the Islanders farm system. For a player who might consider himself a top-6 forward? It doesn’t jive, baby.

One more thing, on Oilers Now last week Mark Spector and Bob Stauffer were discussing one of the Oilers who’d had a good game. I think it was Draisaitl but I’m not 100% on that. Spec just happened to slip into the conversation that he was talking to a Rangers scout at the Oilers season opener…

Fun Fact: Edmonton plays the Rangers on this road trip as well.

So if the Rags are watching the Oilers and the Oilers are watching the Rangers (pretty safe assumption I feel), you’ve got to wonder if there’s something brewing. Remember those Lemieux/Puljujarvi rumors that were popping up over the summer? A deal like that could be a bit more problematic because Lemieux would take up a roster spot and New York would have to sign Puljujarvi if they wanted him to play for them this season. Not that hard, but a bit more paperwork involved. Add to that the fact that along with the Oilers, New York has started their year very well. Does either team really want to tinker with the rosters so early in the season?

Look, if it were me, I’d rather move a Colby Cave, Markus Granlund (I know…), or a Jujhar Khaira than lose someone to waiver for nothing. It’s unfortunate that Adam Larsson fractured his leg because I’d add Matt Benning to that list too, but it is what it is. Those three forwards are not playing with any hunger in their games and there’s no fear of being sent down either. However, I could see Tippett wanting more of a look at that Khaira/Sheahan/Archibald line before agreeing to move JJ and Colby Cave can win faceoffs, a skill that cannot be overlooked in any situation.

The other teams that Edmonton will be facing on this roadie are the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks. I see Sami Vatanen playing 3rd pair minutes for the Devils, would he fit on the Oilers blueline? Maybe for Benning and another body?

I don’t know folks. As I said, most likely nothing is going to happen, but I wanted to bring up the topic anyhow. The timing seemed right.

What do you think? Are you a bit more optimistic that a trade could get done on this road trip than me? If so, let us know in the comments what you’re thinking.

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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.

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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!

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Friedman/Rishaug Comment on Oilers Trade Options

Yesterday was a busy day for Edmonton Oilers rumors. Between Elliotte Friedman and Ryan Rishaug, Oilers Twitter was en Fuego with proposals! Couple that with a 7-2 shellacking of the Buffalo Sabres and it was an emotionally confusing time.

I got a message from two of my sources last night with regards to some potential moves the Oilers are looking at as well. Those will follow the Friedman and Rishaug segments.

We’ll try to make this a brief post to save you some time.

**Preface: Use your own judgment here. I’m only a guy who happens to know some people within, or very close to, a professional hockey organization. I’m not an insider per se, but I hear things and I’ve been given permission to pass them on to you. All of this could come true or none of it could. It’s more likely the latter because things change all of the time. My advice, treat this like water cooler banter and don’t take it too seriously. It’s all entertainment at the end of the day anyhow, right?**

Let’s start with Elliotte Friedman. He was on the NHL network and was asked about what’s going on with the Oilers, he had this to say,

I think a lot of these are business-driven decisions. The Oilers ticket season renewals are going out soon. They’re in the third year of the new arena and a number of their suites are three-year leases, so they’re up again and when you have decisions like this that you need to make about selling tickets, about selling suites, the idea of stepping back and missing the playoffs, I don’t think ownership is that interested in.

So I think they are looking for more scoring. They let it be known that Ryan Spooner is available. I think people know that Puljujarvi could be available. There was a report today that they’ve made their first round draft pick available and one of their goalies, Talbot or Koskinen available.

That says to me that that’s a team that is desperate to make the playoffs this year and they’re going to go out and  see if they can find someone to play with McDavid. 

Some reports on Twitter came up not long after this aired that said Friedman was saying Puljujarvi IS available. In that interview, he only said he “could” be available. This dovetails with what he said in the Jan. 2nd edition of 31 Thoughts when he wrote: “Jesse Puljujarvi’s future is uncertain”

What this says to me is that Puljujarvi’s name is coming up in talks and the Oilers are listening but there’s no urgency to move him per se.

Every team listens to offers on every player they have. It’s that simple and the reason for that is you never know when a GM is going to ring you up and offer you Taylor Hall, right?

I think you know my stance on Pulju, you don’t deal a 20-year-old who hasn’t quite panned out after you’ve screwed up his development path. You double down and do your best to put that player on the path to success and do what you can. 20-years-old is far too young to give up on a player in my opinion. Besides, he’s up for contract renewal this summer and he’s a good candidate for a value deal as he’s just about to turn the corner as a full-time NHLer.

If the Oilers deal him now, they’ll regret it. Just like they did with all the other kids they pilfered off. We’re not talking about Nail Yakupov here. We’re talking about a young man who spends extra time after practise to work on his game and has done nothing but listen to the instructions of his coach(es) since joining as a fresh 18-year-old.

Chiarelli has to stand firm here and throw his support behind Jesse.

That tweet had Oilers twitter running around with its head cut off. I don’t know why though. The assumed players (Talbot and Puljujarvi) have been in the rumor mill for over a year.

Rishaug also had this to say on Jason Gregor’s show yesterday afternoon,

I think they’re trying really hard and they’re looking for something that makes sense but when you’re talking about a first round pick, you’re talking about Jesse Puljujarvi, well you have to bring players back that you can control. You can’t do that for rentals possibly.

So those are hard deals to find and then you’ve got the money issue that all those players come with probably pretty good price tags.

So it’s not easy to do, if it was, they’d have done it already. And on top of it all, you’ve got a general manager who has misfired pretty badly recently. It’ll be interesting IF or WHAT he can pull off here but I know they are definitely trying and scouring all corners right now. 

Leave it to Rishaug to name Puljujarvi but not Talbot or Koskinen.

Moving on, the messages I got from my sources were thus,

Oilers are in talks to get Ho-Sang from the Isles… Sounds like it might be Pulju going the other way. I hope not. I like Yamo and Pulju but I think one of them goes. 

Chiarelli won’t go for Simmonds. Price is too high.

The Oilers need a winger for Connor and Ho-Sang isn’t that guy.

That was from Source A.

God forbid Chiarelli deal Jesse Puljujarvi to the Islanders straight across for Josh Ho-Sang. I will hop on board the #FireChiarelli bandwagon so fast it’ll feel like I was there the whole time.

Now if it’s Yamamoto on the other hand, I would be okay with that.

More realistically, the Oilers should just be sending over a prospect or one of their extra defensemen. Say, Matt Benning, Brandon Manning, or Kevin Gravel. Ryan Spooner would probably be most ideal.

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Ho-Sang has 24 points in 27 games for the Islanders farm team in Bridgeport. Amazingly, only two of those 24 points are goals. I’m not sure I’ve seen that before.

He’s far too good for the AHL but what I’m worried about is another Ryan Spooner debacle. I simply don’t see Ho-Sang as the kind of player Ken Hitchcock is going to play a lot and two points in ten games playing good minutes for the Islanders doesn’t illicit optimism.

On the other hand, this is how the Islanders have controlled the shot share when Ho-Sang has been on the ice for them this season,

He only had the one goal and one assist in 10 games, but the Islanders had 60 percent of the shots on goal with Ho-Sang on the ice, along with 53.7 percent of the scoring chances and 57.6 percent of the high-danger chances, as measured by Natural Stat Trick. (source)

That is from The Athletic, if you need a subscription, click HERE.

What you can’t take away from the Islanders troubled winger is his high skill level. He’s very good with the puck but coaches like Ken Hitchcock, Barry Trotz, and the likes, can’t accept his effort on the other side of the puck.

But you have to ask yourself, is this the kind of trade that is going to get the Oilers over the hump and clear their path to the playoffs?

Source B had this to say,

I know Cam has been discussed but I have no direct knowledge of the team offering or being interested in trading Puljujarvi. 

My feeling is that Mikko Koskinen is going to get four or five starts here before the 10-day break and that will determine if the Oilers keep him or Cam Talbot leading up to the trade deadline.

The Oilers can go a couple of different routes leading up to the trade deadline at the end of February here.

  • Option #1: Deal away large contracts with picks and prospects and set themselves up for a clean slate going into the next season.
  • Option #2: Deal away large contracts with picks and prospects and set themselves up for a good run at the playoffs.

The first option obviously means that Chiarelli would at some point be relieved of his duties as GM of the team. The second option would be the ultimate gamble but the payoff could be the largest.

I’m betting that Darryl Katz is tired of being the laughing stock of the NHL and he’d prefer to go with option #2 but man is that a waste if it fails. Not only that but the league, the media, and the fans of every team (including your own) continue to laugh heartily at the joke that is the Edmonton Oilers.

There is an option #3 and that is to leave things as they are and ride this roster to whatever place in the standings that may come. If the recent uptick in secondary scoring continues to climb, there’s a real chance that no trades would need to be made.

What do you think? Which option would you take? Let us know in the comments below!

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Oilers Live Podcast, Davidson Trade Part Deux, and Today’s Latest Trade Speculation

A few nights ago I was on the Oilers Live Podcast with Sean from theoilknight.ca and we talked about a plethora of things including:

  • the Oilers to date and why they are where they are and who’s to blame.
  • Their developmental system (or lack thereof)
  • Erik Karlsson and where he might end up
  • Pat Maroon and the recent rumors on his destination including one city nobody has thought of yet.
  • All the latest Oilers trade speculation.

You should head over to Mike’s website and also subscribe to his podcast as every week he’s got either a handful of Oilers die hard fans being interviewed or bloggers/journalists who cover other NHL teams. His latest before the one I was on was with former Edmonton Oiler Jason Strudwick and it was a beauty!

BRANDON DAVIDSON TRADED AGAIN!

So far Brandon Davidson has been an excellent source of “income” for Peter Chiarelli. Last year at the trade deadline Davidson was dealt for David Desharnais, who in turn provided the team with some excellent veteran leadership and a critical OT goal in the playoffs vs. San Jose and Now Chiarelli has acquired a 2019 3rd round pick for the defenseman from the New York Islanders.

I think it’s an awesome trade. Anytime you can turn a waiver wire acquisition into a 3rd round draft pick, you’re doing something right.

Would I have preferred to keep him? Hell yes! I really have enjoyed Davidson’s effort and impact on the team since being selected off of the waiver wire but I do understand that he’s a dman with value, he’ll never be anything more than a bottom pairing defender in the NHL, and that by dealing him Chiarelli opened up another roster spot on the 50-man list.

How do you think everyone else reacted to the deal?

https://twitter.com/OilersWizard/status/967533897129984000

https://twitter.com/Oceanstormprint/status/967532434840469504

Those are the AGAINSTs. The way I see it, unless Davidson would’ve brought back a 1st rounder or a top pairing right-handed powerplay specialist, the trade was going to be a fail in their eyes anyhow.

Here are some FORs:

https://twitter.com/puckmarks/status/967487954103906304

Let’s look at some of the analytics bloggers Twitter opinions on the trade.

https://twitter.com/dellowhockey/status/967495873616891904

Lordy that is a lot of tweets. So, I think, as usual, the fanbase is divided on the deal.

Look, the Isles get a nice depth dman and the Oilers get another asset to which they could use, and Chiarelli said he would prefer to do this, to try and obtain a near-NHL ready prospect at the draft. Another thing he could do is use it to try and move up in the draft this year.

One more positive, the Oilers are 1-0 in the post-Davidson era 🙂

LATEST ON THE TRADE FRONT

I suspect now that Rick Nash is a Boston Bruin that Pat Maroon will be going to Tampa Bay. I mean I guess the Bruins could pick Maroon up to if they wanted to really go for it.

Who might the Lightning give up for the Big Rig? Who knows to be honest but here are a few names to let percolate in your head bone:

  • Vladimir Namestnikov
  • Anthony Cirelli
  • Matthew Peca

If I recall correctly, Winnipeg is in on Letestu and Maroon and you can add Mike Cammalleri to that list. Putting up 10 pts in the last 10 games tends to put you on the radar of other teams this time of year and if Davidson can bring a 3rd rounder, Plekanec can get the Habs some solid prospects, and Nash can bring in 4 pieces for the Rags, surely Maroon, Letestu, and Cammalleri will net the Oilers 1, if not two, acceptable young players who will have a chance to show what their worth down the stretch.

I’m hoping that Chiarelli clears some roster room up at this deadline too.

Winnipeg is in “win-now” mode more than ever right now. The iron is hot and they NEED to strike. But you know what? St.Louis is awfully quiet right now… The pundits are tossing Jake Allen’s name out there… Do the Oilers and Blues get together on a deal? It’d have to be a money in, money out type of deal though. St.Louis is right up against the cap at the moment.

You know what’s going to happen right? All three of those guys will head to teams that we never even thought of.. lol.

I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine at hockey last night and he suggested Josh Ho-Sang in return for that draft pick Davidson got the Oilers…

What do you think?

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Ho-Sang Wants NHL TOI and the Oilers Should Give It To Him

This just in from the New York Post:

“He’s a baby,” Thompson said. “He’s a baby, he’s immature and he’s got a lot of growing to do. I’m excited. The upside of him is outstanding. He worked hard today, he’s been working really hard. We all make mistakes, we all have bad games. It’s how do we respond from those and what do we learn from them? Every piece of this season for Josh, with us, is a development piece. It’s just going to be a longer process with some people. – Islanders AHL Coach Brent Thompson

Overall that quote isn’t bad but when you start reading it you have to wonder where it’s going right?

But Ho-Sang had his own thoughts about being stuck in the minors,

“Yeah, I’m only young, but I’m burning years off my NHL career. It sucks,” he said. “You want to be up top. For me, I didn’t look at it this way until this year. I was looking forward to hopefully my first [full] NHL season.”

“I enjoy playing up there and I find that when I’m up there, I’ve had a quite a bit of success,” Ho-Sang said. “I think I’ve had more success up there than hardship. But they want what they want.”

Source

Fun Fact: Josh Ho-Sang played minor midget with Connor McDavid!

Ho-Sang is nearly a point-per-game player in the minors right now (4-8-12 in 15gp) and that’s more than what Draisaitl and Puljujarvi had when they were called up for good in Edmonton.

This is a player who is blessed with some ridiculous offensive talents but an attitude similar to that of Nazem Kadri when he was younger. I really think that if Peter Chiarelli acquired this kid and put him on Connor’s wing that he could be the kind of player the critics have been clamouring for since Eberle was dealt last summer.

He might be a bit too much flash for the conservative fans out there but there’s no doubt in my mind that JHS can be a successful NHLer if the right GM/Coach gives him a chance and you know it’s weird that he’s not getting any TOI under Weight. I’ve always thought that Weight would be a bit more lenient with young players like Ho-Sang.

What would piss people off about a player like Ho-Sang is that he doesn’t do a whole lot when he’s not directly involved in the play. So much like Eberle or Yakupov in year’s past, he knows one end of the rink VERY WELL and the other end he’s got an on/off again relationship with.

Last season for the Islanders he was a 52% CF player 5×5. This year that number has dropped to 47% in 22 games.

In 43 NHL games, Ho-Sang has 22 pts (6g 16a). He was drafted 28th overall in 2014 and is signed through next season for a shade under 900k.

The Islanders need help on the blue line due to the injuries to Johnny Boychuck and Calvin De Haan. They’re also 3-6-1 in their last ten and find themselves at the bottom of the Metro Division.

So how much would he cost?

I imagine that depends on how badly Garth Snow wants to get rid of him, if at all. The Islanders are struggling on D right now, so I’d offer Matt Benning and Anton Slepyshev (especially if Slepyshev goes through waivers unclaimed because that’ll mean that the Isles can send him to their minor league club right away without him having to go through waivers again.)

I’d also offer Pat Maroon straight across but depending on the deal and how big it could get, Brock Nelson is apparently entering the trade market now. That’s a big centre (6’3″ 205lbs) who only makes $2.5M a year. He’s an RFA at the end of this year and he’s been good for at least 35 pts per year as of recent. Why not expand the deal and include him?

I know that’d be selling low on a couple of players that are going through a tough season but JHS is struggling too, same with Nelson. IF Edmonton could get their hands on both players it would allow them to straight up stack the top-6, no?

RNH-McDavid-JHS
Lucic-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Khaira-Nelson-Strome
Caggiula-Letestu-Kassian

Ho-Sang wouldn’t help the PK mind you but the PP he’d surely be of use on. I wonder if Nelson would be a serviceable PKer?

What would you offer the Islanders to get Josh Ho-Sang off of their hands knowing that you HAVE to win this trade? Would you want Brock Nelson too? Let us know in the comments below!

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