Tag Archives: Justin Schultz

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!
Edmonton Oilers, Micah Kowalchuk, Rumors, Trades

Recapping 24 Hours in Oilerville

So, in the spirit of catching everyone up on things involving the Oilers trades…

  • Nilsson was traded for a 5th round pick and prospect goalie Niklas Lundstrom.  For those wondering, this was more than fair value.  The Oilers originally traded a prospect drafted in the 5th round for Nilsson, so they got back a bit more than they dealt.
  • Teddy Purcell went for a 3rd round pick to Florida.  Now, some people were disappointed after the deals for Hudler and Ladd, however this is fair value.  Purcell, although he had 17 points in 18 games one year in the playoffs, had 1 in 4 games his next time up.  Ladd has 52 playoff games in his career and Chicago paid more for a proven quantity who knows their lineup.  Hudler, he has 77 playoff games and can also play center.  You take the cards you’re dealt, Purcell’s trade wasn’t for great value, but it was market price.
  • Justin Schultz is moving on, and it’s for the best.  Although I still think there’s a player there, he’s one who won’t find his game here, and having a mentor in Kris Letang will work wonders for him.  For the Oilers, they got a 3rd round pick and can move on from there.  Schultz was essentially a 3rd pairing defenseman getting paid 2nd pairing money to be a first pairing defenseman, the scenario was never good for anyone.
  • Apparently Sami Vatanen and Eric Gelinas are now on the market and their teams want scoring for either one before the deadline.  Vatanen is a pending RFA rumored to want $6mil a season (but that’s likely just an opening offer, expect a 4-year $4.5 deal or so).  This explains why Jordan Eberle’s name is now being brought up again, and I’d say there is a chance we see a deal done.
  • Yakupov is also being thrown about as a possible trade candidate, with Montreal having quite a bit of interest to reunite him with Galchenyuk.  However, there’s other teams snooping around also, with a variety of rumors about his value.
  • What can we expect as Oilers fans?  There’s a solid chance we see Yakupov dealt, a smaller chance we see Eberle dealt for a defenseman, and that Korpikoski and/or Hendricks may be moved yet.  Chiarelli made it clear he doesn’t expect a big deal to go down, and that he wants to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the roster, so those are the likely candidates.
  • The stats on Vatanen say Top-2 offensive defenseman, Top-4 defensively, but he’s been on the third pairing in Anaheim, so it’s unsure if he can do the same in a more prominent role.  Gelinas is in a similar situation.
  • Tomorrow could get interesting thanks to the arms race in LA, Chicago, Florida and New York.  Teams like Nashville, Anaheim, St. Louis, Tampa, Pittsburgh and the like may decide they need to keep pace to have a chance, and we could see a lot more movement (and some higher end pieces) than we’d normally see, makes things interesting;

At the end of the day

We could see a very different team by Tuesday morning, one without Purcell, Schultz, Nilsson, Eberle, Yakupov, Fayne, Hendricks and Korpikoski… We could also see a team that looks essentially the same as the one that played last game with no other additions or subtractions. If I had to bet a beer or two on it, I’d be willing to bet a pint on a Yakupov deal, a can of Original 16 on an Eberle deal, and nothing firm on anyone else;

Check out the latest from Three Points Dave! You’re going to want to catch his intensity in this one… WOW!

Kris Hansen

BLH Edmonton Oilers Weekly Recap Feb 21st-Feb 28th

Alright, lets just get this out of the way first: the Oilers continued to stink as they went 0-3-0. They had good efforts against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings but were absolutely putrid in the game against Ottawa.

It’s tough to give stars of the week when the entire team sucked, but there are some glimmers of hope.

Edmonton Oilers Three Stars:

3. Jordan Eberle. Eberle had two goals in three games this week, considering how the Oilers are once again, finding it hard to score goals, it’s a nice change to see Eberle stepping up. Sure, he looked lazy on some defensive plays, but Eberle is the best pure goal scorer on the team. He looks good with Connor McDavid. While I think that he’s the most likely to be dealt, I’m see why people are so leery of trading away number 14.

2. Cam Talbot. After posting, and while concerning, sub .900 save percentages in three games straight, Talbot was strong in games against Anaheim and Los Angeles, giving the Oilers a chance to win in those games. Sometimes you need the goalie to stand on his head and Talbot was doing that despite the losses. In the last three games, he averaged .920 save percentage.

1.Brandon Davidson. Hey, Upper Deck. Why does Brandon Davidson not have a Young Gun Rookie Card? Besides Connor McDavid, Davidson has been the best Oiler rookie. He’s so damn calm in his own zone and had an impressive hit against Jake Muzzin of the Los Angeles Kings. He’s a shining example of a rightfully questionable development system: a 6th round pick in 2010 who’s fought cancer, you can’t help but cheer for the young man. There are rumblings that people want him to get a contract extension, but who knows about the price this point.

Edmonton Oilers Trade Rumors and News.

It’s that time of the season, one of my favorites: TRADE DEADLINE SEASON!

First we had Anders Nilsson go to St Louis for a 2016 5th round pick and goaltending prospect Niklas Lundstrom 

Then we had Teddy Purcell go to Florida for a 2016 3rd round draft pick. 

Finally, yesterday we had the end of the Justin Schultz era as he was dealt to Pittsburgh for a 3rd round draft pick (Oilers retained 50% of the contract cost)

Also, yesterday Peter Chiarelli had a Press Conference yesterday regarding the trades. I did a post at our friendly neighbors, theoilersrig, recaping the conference. 

Rumor wise: The Oilers are interested in Florida Panthers Left Winger, Brandon Pirri.

Also, there was a great article about Wayne Gretzky commenting on Connor McDavid being ready to be the next Edmonton Oilers Captain.

Around the NHL:

Hold on to your butts, because there were plenty of trades these last couple days. 

One of the biggest trade chips, Andrew Ladd was moved to Chicago for Marko Dano, a 2016 first rounder and a conditional 3rd rounder. Also included to Chicago was Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison. 

Chicago wasn’t finished. They flipped Rob Scuderi to Los Angeles for Christian Ehrhoff. and then traded Phillip Danault and a 2018 2nd round pick to Montreal for Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann.

San Jose made a spalsh by acquiring James Reimer and Jeremy Morin from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alex Stalock, Ben Smith and a conditional 4th round pick in 2018. This was the second trade in the week between the two teams as Toronto moved Roman Polak and Nick Spalling to San Jose for two second round picks (in 2017 and 2018) and Raffi Torres.  

The Panthers made three moves as well: First they acquired Jiri Hudler for a 2016 2nd round pick and a 2018 4th round pick, picked up Teddy Purcell for a 2016 third round pick and Jakub Kindl for a 6th round pick in 2017.

The Penguins as mentioned above, acquired Justin Schultz from the Edmonton Oilers for a third round pick in 2016.

The Sabres and Senators had a blockbuster minor league deal as Ottawa acquired Jason akeson, Phil Varone and Jerome Leduc for Alex Guptill, Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider and Michael Sdao.

Highlights

Blake Wheeler was interviewed about the trade of their captain, Andrew Ladd

 

Here were the top NHL moments from last night

Rakell scored a beauty against the Oilers on Friday night.

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

 

The Week Ahead:

The Oilers have three games, including one tonight at 7:30 against the New York Islanders.

Next they have a three game road trip including the first McDavid vs Eichel showdown in Buffalo on Tuesday, A visit to Philadelphia on Thursday and finally facing the Blue Jackets on Friday.

And of course, tomorrow is the NHL tradedeadline. I know I’ll be glued for updates.

That’s the week that was, follow me on Twitter for some really stunning insight (okay, maybe some insight, not truly stunning). Have a great week guys!

 

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

Yakupov Heading East and Teddy to the Sunshine State?

1 Comment

Boy was the Oilogosphere in a state last night after the news of Justin Schultz and Teddy Purcell being scratched not to mention that Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin and his gaggle of scouts being in attendance in Los Angeles. Well I’ve got a couple of juicy rumours to throw your way that were passed on to me before the game. You might’ve noticed me shooting them out on Twitter yesterday to see how they would be taken.

Rumour #1

Nail Yakupov and Mark Fayne to the Canadiens for Alexei Emelin, Lars Eller, and Noah Juulsen

I had some Habs fans tweet back at me that they thought a D prospect would be too much to add here and possibly a 3rd rounder would be more fair. Also, the money evens out. The entity that passed the word on to me said that the Habs are going to make a push for the playoffs and with the injuries to Jeff Petry and Tom Gilbert, Mark Fayne would be a perfect substitute. Big able-bodied dman that doesn’t use his body much and is an Oiler… Perfect I’d say.

As for Yak, did you see the way he was flying around the rink last night? It’s as if someone told him he’d better have a good game or else he wouldn’t be reunited with his best friend, Habs winger Alex Galchenyuk.

I think if this deal were completed it would mark the end of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as Lars Eller would surely be his replacement but it would also allow the team to get a bit tougher on the back-end with Emelin. I’m not sold on him as actually being a good dman but he’s definitely the type that doesn’t shy away from the physical stuff.

Juulsen is the Habs top prospect I’d say and could definitely be of use in the future if the team walks away from Martin Gernat and/or David Musil this summer. He’s also a right-handed shooter, something the Oilers are in desperate need of in the pros and in their prospect cupboard. Here’s what Elite Prospects had to say about him:

All-in-all, an impactful presence on the ice that strives to be difficult to play against; given how hard he works and how smart he is with the puck, he can be a very difficult player to read with and without the puck

Rumour #2

Pick up this sweet AC/DC inspired tee! Click the pic!

Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz, and a 2nd round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Jonathan Drouin and Anthony DeAngelo.

I think this one is a bit harder as the Lightning are pretty tight to the cap. If you look at it on paper, it could be a very even deal. Personally I think the team has enough skill on the roster and I’d probably be inclined to flip Drouin to another team who might have a defenseman or a young power forward, say Columbus for example. They’re looking for skill now and why not see if they’d part with Boone Jenner?

Rumour #3

Teddy Purcell to the Panthers for Brandon Pirri

I have to be honest. I don’t know a whole lot about Brandon Pirri but from what I’ve heard, he’s a shooter and the Oilers need more of those. Especially if there’s a possibility that they could move Hall (probably not), Eberle (probably), and Yakupov (most likely).

Teddy has had a pretty good run here with Edmonton but I’m indifferent on him. I knew he would go through long stretches where he wouldn’t do anything. With that said, he seemed to click with Draisaitl and Hall. We’ll see how much we miss him down the road here after watching Zack Kassian fill his spot on Hall’s line.

So there you have it? What do you think about these Oilers trade rumours? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube Channel. You can check out our latest videos below!

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

My 2016 Oilers Trade Deadline Wishlist

This is a special time of year for hockey fans where speculation and fantasy is ramped up something fierce. A time where you can add players to your team and discard the ones that have been playing shit all year and you can’t stand. And while this year hasn’t been anywhere near good for our Edmonton Oilers, another deadline is coming and we’re talking about pilfering everyone but this year there’s only one untouchable, Connor McDavid.

Grab a 16-bit McDavid shirt, hoodie, or tank top! Click the pic to get yours today!

So with that said, I’d like to get into my 2016 Oilers Trade Deadline Wishlist!

  • My first wish would be for the Oilers to send Justin Schultz to a team in Russia where we wouldn’t have to hear from him or about him again. Preferably a team in Siberia with a rink in the deepest parts of a salt mine. But realistically I hope he can bring back at least a prospect that could fill an organizational need.

    Word has it Anthony DeAngelo out of the Tampa Bay organization is being offered up. He’s a pint-sized offensive dman and former teammate of current Oiler, Darnell Nurse, from back in their days as Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. I’d be happy with that. He’s a right shot and lord knows Edmonton is devoid of those.

    Another name that nobody is talking about and probably for good reason is Slava Voynov… Now, I’m not sure about all the details regarding his eligibility status but if Craig MacTavish can run a guy over under the influence, go to jail and be forgiven. Surely Voynov could too. He wouldn’t be able to join the team until sometime in the future but wouldn’t he add some quality to the Oilers back-end?

  • I’d like the Oilers to trade Benoit Pouliot and Mark Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Scott Hartnell.

    I remember hearing that the Oilers were in on this guy earlier in the season when the Mark Fayne rumours were flying. And I think the rumblings go all the way back to his days in Philly.

    He’s an experienced veteran and his contract isn’t sexy but he can play in the top 6 and provide an element that teams hate to play against which is really what the Oilers’ forward corps. needs. Plus he just might be the funniest guy in the NHL aside from Luongo.

    Letestu is missed in apparently missed in Columbus and if the Oilers could get out from under his deal, I wouldn’t cry over it.

  • It would be something to see Mark Fayne and Nail Yakupov moved to New Jersey for Pavel Zacha.

    No, the Oilers do not need anymore young players but New Jersey is on the verge of a playoff spot, Fayne played well there in the past with Andy Greene, and the importance of depth on defense going into the playoffs cannot be understated.

    Click the pic! Get this kick-ass shirt!

    I would be sad to see Yak move but excited to see Zach-a. The Czech center has garnered praise from the likes of Jaromir Jagr in the past and he’s a handful to play against. Chosen 6th overall in 2015, he’s very competitive, a little bit crazy to say the least but is having trouble staying healthy.  It’s not all questionable with him though. The 6’3″ 209lb forward has been a point-per-game player in Sarnia for the last two years.

    Can’t see the Devils giving up on him though. I guess it depends on how desperate Ray Shero is and what the Devils are looking at with regards to the returns of injured stars Patrik Elias, Mike Cammalleri, and Jiri Tlusty.

  • Would it be too much to ask if Peter Chiarelli to get his hands on Matt Dumba from Minnesota? The team could really use a physical rightie with a touch of offense. He’s already surpassed Griffin Reinhart. Say, why not throw Reinhart Chuck Fletcher’s way and toss in a 2nd rounder since the Wild lack that. Jonas Brodin is coming back from injury and they’re keen on Mike Rielly.

    I really think that PC needs to distance himself from Reinhart. He’s already started off on the wrong foot in Edmonton which is a shame because he’s more or less junior hockey legend around these parts. There are just far too many things working against him in Edmonton, one of those being the glut of left-handed defensemen in the system. The faster Chia can move on from him, the better I reckon.

  • Teddy Purcell, Iiro Pakarinen, Lauri Korpikoski, Anton Lander… For my wish list I’d like to see you move on and have success with another team because there’s now way in hell you’re getting it in Edmonton.

    Teddy, move on to Chicago and help them go deep in the playoffs. Maybe bring us back a 2nd rounder.

    Iiro, you’ve got the coolest name but you can’t score for shit in the NHL despite having a 600 mph shot. Do you think you’ve got it in you to bring back a 4th rounder?

    Click the pic and get your Better Call Hall shirt!!

    Lauri Korpikoski, you’re still here? I could’ve sworn you were traded for a Rob Brown rookie card. Well regardless, hopefully you’ll bring the team an expiring bad contract in the form of say…Shawn Horcoff or Sam Gagner because there’s nothing like bringing back former Oilers only to see them leave again.

    Anton poor Anton. What happened to all of your mojo? Did you lose a bet or something? We had such high hopes for you this season and now they’re gone. They’ve been gone for nearly the entire season… Well I reckon there’s still a player in you and If ChiaPete traded you that you could bring back a solid pick in the 5th round.

What’s on your 2016 Oilers Trade Deadline Wishlist? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to head over to the Beer League Heroes Youtube channel and subscribe! Some very cool stuff coming soon! Most importantly you can check out Three Points Dave’s latest vlog!