Tag Archives: Leon Draisaitl

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

Edmonton Oilers Offseason Talk: Oilers Unwilling to go Long-Term w/Kane and Puljujarvi to Chicago?

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

The Athletic

Oilers end-of-season takeaways: Jay Woodcroft’s future, trading Jesse Puljujarvi
  • Holland felt as though Puljujarvi lost his confidence in the New Year.
  • The right winger was in COVID-19 protocol during the December holiday break and then suffered a lower-body injury that cost him 12 games until he returned March 17.
  • Woodcroft said that injury impacted Puljujarvi’s skating and took him a while to get back to full speed. He also missed three games near the end of the regular season with an illness, which Woodcroft felt hindered the winger as well.
  • Holland sounded like someone who’s almost less certain about what he has in Puljujarvi now than when he arrived in Edmonton three years ago. Woodcroft seems more bullish on him.
    • “We have a strong belief in the next wave of young players coming through our organization — and Jesse’s one of them.”
  • …there are only two that were meaningful contributors in the playoffs and would warrant consideration for the Oilers to re-sign: Evander Kane and Brett Kulak.
  • The Oilers, I’m told, aren’t willing to go long term on Kane. They’re more willing to consider short- and potentially medium-term options.
  • Though Barrie is a trade possibility, retaining Kulak likely wouldn’t allow much flexibility to alter the blue line — aside from allowing a rookie like Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen, or Dmitri Samorukov to win a job.
  • Assuming Klefbom’s career is over — Holland said he’s earmarking the last season defenceman’s $4.167 million for LTIR — moving that contract might be helpful.
  • As noted Tuesday, Mike Smith is considering not playing next season. If he retired, the last season of his contract and a $2.2 million cap hit would be wiped out. There’s the possibility he could end up on LTIR, too.
  • There appear to be three players under contract for 2022-23 (and an additional season, too) who are prime candidates to be moved to create more cap space.

BLH’s Thoughts: Let’s say Ken Holland could clear another $7M of cap space, would you be willing to walk away from Evander Kane and use the financial assets available to shore up the team’s depth and defense? This is something TSN’s Ryan Rishaug sort of brought up on the Jason Gregor Show yesterday. 

Another idea floating around in the event Edmonton lets Kane explore the market is targeting Florida’s upstart winger and the son of former Edmonton Oiler Bryan Marchment, Mason Marchment. He’s 6’4″ 201lbs, 27 years old and he scored 47pts in 54 games this past year after the Toronto Maple Leafs gave up on him. Marchment also plays both wings and is an unrestricted free agent. 

Personally, I think the Oilers should try to bring in one or two really good vets for the middle/bottom six.

  • Paul Stastny is reportedly looking to move on from WPG.
  • a dream addition would be Ondrej Palat (TB).
  • The quick and shifty Vlad Namestnikov (DAL) really impressed me in his club’s first round series vs. Calgary after he grabbed Nikita Zadorov out of a scrum. Courageous fella. 

  • Mattias Janmark (VGK) is an annoying winger that would surely draw a few penalties.
  • Pittsburgh’s Evan Rodrigues can skate like the wind and he was a 40pt winger for the Pens last year for only $1M.
  • There’s always Stauffer’s fav, Nick Paul out of Tampa. 

As for dman set to hit the market, Erik Gudbranson performed really well for Calgary last year and the Oilers don’t have a cycle breaker like him with his kind of experience. If they could move Tyson Barrie, having Brett Kulak or Duncan Keith and Gudbranson on the 3rd pair wouldn’t be that shabby. I’d still like to see Ken Holland trade for Islanders shutdown defender Scott Mayfield, but I’d also be happy with Guddy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQZIf7zAR-Y

Edmonton Sun

Ken Holland uncertain on Jesse Puljujarvi’s future with Edmonton Oilers
  • He did some good regular-season things with McDavid, for sure, and he’s a good defensive player, but he’s also a busy-looking player who didn’t get much done with the puck on his stick in January, February, March, April and May and into June.
  • …there were many playoff games where his shifts were very short and it seemed he just wanted to get off before making a possible mistake because he had little confidence with the puck.
  • …would there be any appetite for a Dylan Strome for Puljujarvi trade?
  • Strome has played 270 games, Puljujarvi 259. Strome has 170 points, Puljujarvi 98. Puljujarvi skates better; Strome has more offensive chops so far.
  • Is he a legitimate top-six winger who can provide offence or a third-line forward who has to start killing penalties to get more ice-time?

BLH’s Thoughts: Jason Gregor made an interest point on his show yesterday with regards to Jesse’s defensive chops, he said if Pulju is so good defensively, why has he never been put on the penalty kill? 

It’s a question I’ve wondered myself over the years because he’s so good at disrupting plays and he’s got that massive wingspan. My feeling is that he lacks a bit of fast twitch that is needed to be part of the PK. That said, I do recall Bob Stauffer mentioning something about JP getting some TOI on the PK in 2022/23. 

But what about keeping him and asking him to get in touch with a skills coach over the summer. A lot of pundits are screaming about how much better Kailer Yamamoto was this year but the fact of the matter is Yamo only had five more points (41) than Jesse (36) did and he had to play 16 more games to do it. 

Maybe Holland keeps JP because his RW depth is not great and Jesse knows the systems and is willing to do whatever is asked of him. Pulju isn’t going to hit it out of the park with his next deal either, so he becomes a bargain.

I often say I’d like to see Jesse move on and there’s a strong feeling that Edmonton may move on from him, but I still believe there’s a player here that simply needs to get his chops. However, I understand why portions of the fanbase and media would like to see him moved on. Both Ryan Rishaug (TSN) and Brenden Escott (Oilers Now) let it be known that they felt too many plays died on Pulju’s stick this year and I can’t say it’s not something I noticed too. Jess seemed very tentative when he got the puck and on top of that, I wondered why his shifts are so short… Did he feel like if he was out too long he might screw up and cost the team?

As for Matheson’s trade proposal, if the Oilers are going to trade Jesse, they need to get back more than a prospect or a draft pick. This kind of trade would require a player coming back to Edmonton that could contribute immediately. Dylan Strome had 48pts in 69 games last year, maybe he’s turning a corner. 

Wildcard trade idea: Kirby Dach for Puljujarvi… I’ve heard there are some whispers Chicago would be willing to move him as he’s not quite producing like the Blackhawks thought he would. Plus if you recall, Bob Stauffer brought his name up around the trade deadline if I’m not mistaken. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQpJk96ESa0

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • The New Jersey Devils have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Gaudreau given their salary-cap room. LeBrun also suggested the Seattle Kraken as a bit of a wild card but they also have the cap space and could be aggressive in the UFA market.
  • Montreal Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy suggested Puljujarvi could be a fit with the rebuilding Canadiens. Sammi Silber of Washington Hockey Now thinks the Capitals should keep an eye on the Oilers winger.
NHLRumors.com

BLH’s Thoughts: Pulju to MTL, eh? Could the Habs be interested in a package that includes JP and Tyson Barrie for Brendan Gallagher? 

If the Capitals were a team to come calling for JP, you’d have to think Ken Holland would be asking for Connor McMichael or Ilya Samsonov. 

With regards to the goaltending, I don’t get the feeling Mike Smith will be pulling on an Oilers jersey next season if he pulls one on at all. I’ve considered Jack Campbell because it seems like every player that leaves Toronto for Edmonton these days does pretty good, but his contract demands might be too rich for the Oilers. I really like Husso but that lack of experience and his less-than-stellar post-season has me second thinking him.

Braden Holtby and Scott Wedgewood are probably the two I’d sign if I were Ken Holland. Holtby has a ton of experience to pass down to Stu Skinner and Wedgewood is a fantastic no.3 that could shuttle between the AHL and NHL if need be. 

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

Edmonton Oilers Offseason Talk: Rishaug says there’s a possibility JP has played his last game in an Oilers uniform.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Lowetide

Off-season priorities
  • Sign Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson
    • Sign them, and then fashion the roster for the coaches. I expect the fourth line to be faster and younger next season and 7D will be a regular thing.
  • Hire an analytics department before the summer trading period
    • The pro scouts haven’t been close to the amateur scouts for years.
  • UFA’s
    • I don’t think Holland can find the money for Evander Kane, but do believe Brett Kulak is worth the investment.
    • I think Brad Malone gets a contract, maybe Josh Archibald, but the team should do the right thing and let Marody go.
  • RFA’s 
    • Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod all need new contracts, I’m hopeful all three return but realistically it’s unlikely.
  • Ken Holland has to fix the goaltending. Years ago he said spending money on mid-level goaltending was folly, and his Edmonton work suggests he’ll either go big or go home in net. He has to get it right. We might see a deal that sends Jesse Puljujarvi, the first-round pick and Zack Kassian to the Anaheim Ducks for John Gibson. That’s the kind of trade Holland pursues this summer in my opinion.
  • I expect Jesse Puljujarvi, the first-round pick, Tyson Barrie, Zack Kassian and Warren Foegele are on the way out.
  • Holland will take heat for his three-year plan of Smith-Koskinen, as he should, but there are opportunities now with Koskinen’s money off the books.
  • …the team will likely reach out to free agents Darcy Kuemper, Eric Comrie, Ville Husso, Braden Holtby, Felix Sandstrom. I expect we’ll see a Holtby-level starter, Skinner and possibly someone like Comrie or Sandstrom in Bakersfield if they can clear.
  • One of the things this team needs to do soon is find free-agent solutions in the lower reaches of the annual pool. Ken Holland needs to go hunting for Michael Bunting. I wish he had an Eric Tulsky.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yeah, because having Eric Tulsky got Carolina farther than Edmonton this year. What about Sunny Mehta or the Kyle Dubas experience? How’s New Jersey been doing with Tyler Dellow running that show the past three years?

Could you imagine the uproar league-wide if Ken Holland were able to acquire one of the best goalies in the entire world for Puljujarvi, Kassian, and a first round pick? With that trade alone Holland would have to be considered GM of the year. 

Facetiousness aside, I’ve said that Braden Holtby would be a good option for the Oilers and his name was out there as one Edmonton would be interested in. They’ll have to pay for him though as I don’t think he’ll come cheap. 

As for Edmonton’s first round pick this year, it’s going to be 29th overall until it isn’t and it shouldn’t shock anybody if Holland trades down to acquire another pick or two in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th round considering he’s traded those picks away for help during the last two playoff runs. Seattle’s Reid Schaefer (W) is the player I expect Edmonton to take. Bob Stauffer’s been mentioning him over and over for a while now and compares him to Josh Anderson. A big kid who can skate, plays the body, and can score a goal consistently. 

Sportsnet

Analyzing the flaws that shaped the Oilers’ Conference Final defeat
  • One of the easiest flaws to point out is back in the blue paint. The Oilers’ decision to run it back with a crease of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen has been criticized all year, and rightfully so.
    • …going into the Western Conference Final he was around average, having performed very close to expectations to that point with a Goals Saved Above Expected of -.13.
    • Colorado, however, exploited him when he over-committed or mishandled the puck. They’re an aggressive team that can keep the pressure up, and it became too much for the Oilers to handle.
  • …series-wide, defence was an area of concern as well.
    • Of the goaltenders in Round 3, no one’s faced more shot attempts against than Smith in all situations.
    • Focusing in on 5-on-5, the Oilers conceded 3.6 expected goals against per 60, which is the most among teams in the playoffs. It wasn’t just a matter of shot volume, but quality.
    • The Avalanche were able to skate up the ice with the puck and create offence off the rush, with 32 slot attempts generated at the highest rate among teams in Round 3.
    • …(Colorado) managed 24 slot shots off the cycle; four of those converted for goals.
    • Edmonton didn’t break up passes enough, either — allowing a higher rate of east-west passes that connected 85 per cent of the time.
  • What hurt the Oilers, who struggled defensively, was that when they were trailing in a game the Avalanche didn’t simply go into a shell to try to maintain a lead.
    • That forced the Oilers to always think about defence and how to battle back against this overwhelming offence. That weighed on Edmonton’s game because they were simply outmatched, and couldn’t play to their strengths.
  • …what really hurt was losing a top-six player who has been productive in the post-season.
    • On the ice, Kane was productive in the post-season.
    • At 5-on-5, he led the team with his expected goal generation in the playoffs at 1.39 per 60.
    • ….not having Kane — or at least another top-line calibre player — only limited what Edmonton could do against this loaded Avalanche squad.
    • The Oilers needed every ounce of forward depth they could get, and Kane ended his season early — and contributed to his team’s season ending sooner than they could have hoped — by taking himself out of Game 4 entirely.

BLH’s Thoughts: This is a game of chaos determined by inches lost or gained. Consider Evan Bouchard’s point shot that hit the post in game three that went back the other way only to see JT Compher sneak one past Mike Smith for the GWG or in game four when Leon Draisaitl’s one-timer on the PP missed a wide open cage to increase Edmonton’s lead, but that’s not even the most obvious example. On the faceoff prior to Lehkonen’s OT winner, Oilers center Brad Malone had actually won the draw but it hit the linesman’s skate and allowed the Avalanche to gather it up and move it back to Cale Mak-Orr for his point shot that lead to the tip. 

I don’t think the Oilers’ performance was as bad as some are leading fans to believe. They simply didn’t get the bounces and Colorado did and guess what? That happens sometimes. I’m not trying to discredit the information provided by the writer above because that’s all valid information, but had Edmonton capitalized on even half of the chances they missed, we wouldn’t be talking about a sweep. 

https://twitter.com/DNBsports/status/1534560353832513536

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Fluto Shinzawa reports a source close to David Pastrnak said there’s “no chance” he returns with the Boston Bruins with Don Sweeney as their general manager.
  • Jim Matheson reports Evander Kane hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll re-sign with Edmonton or hit the open market this summer.
  • Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports Mike Smith appeared non-committal about completing his contract during his end-of-season interview yesterday.
    • Jason Gregor of Oilers Nation reported sources telling him Smith is contemplating retirement.
    • If Smith retires, his $2.2 million cap hit for next season comes off the Oilers’ books. Those savings could be put toward finding a new starting goaltender.
The Daily Goal Horn
  • … the Maple Leafs may find Campbell to be just too expensive and seek a cheaper option in net.
    • …their best option is to trade for RFA goalie Alexandar Georgiev of the New York Rangers.
  • When it comes to the next coach of the Boston Bruins, you’re likely looking at a guy like Rick Tocchet. He last coached the Coyotes and this would be a great step up. Another option is Massachusetts native David Quinn, who did a good job with a very young and rebuilding Rangers team.
  • Pierre-Luc Dubois has until July 17th to file for salary arbitration. From July 13th, when free agency opens and until that date he could sign an offer-sheet… Murat Ates, who covers the Jets for The Athletic seems to think it’s possible. One team he feels might do it are the Habs.
NHLRumors.com
  • The Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs should be talking about goaltender Petr Mrazek. It’s a trade that would make sense for both the Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs.
  • …the Vancouver Canucks are working on a second interview with Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko and his agent Dan Milstein. The Canucks are still high on the list.
  • Given their salary cap situation, it’s looking like the Minnesota Wild won’t be able to fit in a big, long-term contract for winger Kevin Fiala.
    • The New York Islanders are one of the teams that should be speaking with Guerin.
    • The Wild would have to move defenseman Matt Dumba to keep Fiala.
    • Would Wahlstrom and the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft for Fiala be enough?

BLH’s Thoughts: If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that Mike Smith, Warren Foegele, Zack Kassian, Tyson Barrie, and Jesse Puljujarvi are playing for other teams next season or retired. 

Normally, I would say that moving Pulju is a terrible idea, but I think we’re in Jordan Eberle territory here where a change of scenery would do both parties well. Jess doesn’t seem to fit in with this group and the new coaching staff seemed hesitant to trust him regardless of his underlying numbers. 

There will be interest in Kassian and Foegele as there always is in big forwards who can skate. 

As for Barrie, he’s still an effective PP quarterback and I remember Montreal and the Islanders being teams who might have had their eye on him this year. 

With Smith, I’ve really enjoyed watching him with the Oilers but he’s getting on in age and it’s possible this team needs a new voice in net. I don’t know if he’ll retire, perhaps Arizona would take him in a trade for their young team. Is it the right move though? Dwayne Roloson’s season at 41 was better than his one at 40 years old and if Smith can stay healthy, he can play. I just wonder if he’s had enough though…

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

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Talk: “Jay Woodcroft’s decisions in this series have people questioning him…”

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Lowetide

  • It’s clear the Avalanche are the better team, but for me the Oilers have contributed to the 3-0 status with dozens of poor plays around the puck, inconsistent goaltending and several miles of penalties. Woodcroft mentioned the penalty totals were out of balance in this series, suspect the organization will need to reflect on that over the summer. Sometimes not retaliating and not running a guy into the boards is the best tactic.
  • Jay Woodcroft’s decisions in this series have people questioning him for the first time since he arrived from Bakersfield. Several things he’s tried, or not tried, have the look of stubborn this morning. You’ll have to look long and hard to find a more zealous Nurse defender than this blog’s author, but placing Kulak with Ceci was the play here after Game One, and Woodcroft didn’t pull the trigger.
  • Ken Holland should take a little time this summer to hire an analytics department. The team could use help in pro scouting, this team will need an edge in the years to come when making trades. I’m not anti-Holland, the amateur scouts are rocking and credit to him for Kane, Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman and deadline acquisition Brett Kulak.
  • What the Oilers really need is someone to build a list of possible targets in free agency, trade and minor league acquisitions. Not every useful player costs two picks and $6 million. This team needs to get smart in the subtle pro procurements. Edmonton used to do that kind of thing, grab Steve Staios in free agency and plug him in for five years.

BLH’s Thoughts: Would you blame the Mahe brothers if they just up and said, “f*ck this place, we’re out!”? 

See, the Oilers do have an analytics department and it consists of those two gentlemen, yet, they’re the Rodney Dangerfields of the organization… No respect, I tell ya. 

Should the the organization EXPAND their analytics department? Sure! The more minds, the better, no? And there are about 50 guys in Edmonton alone that could do it too, but I feel that OEG undervalues their talents. Meaning, they lowball them so badly, it turns them off of being a fan of the team. 

Now, that being said, this team is at the point in its development where the core is in place but smart money/assets need to be utilized to cover the complimentary pieces. I’m talking bottom six forwards and bottom four dmen and so my question is, do the Oilers need to double or triple the amount of people working with the Mahe brothers to accomplish that? 

I don’t believe the lack of a larger analytics department is the reason the Oilers are down three games to none in this series, but I’d be willing to bet there are some loud voices on line that do share that sentiment… 

So what do the Oilers do tonight? In games one to three, I didn’t have a good feeling about them getting the win, but I like their odds tonight. I think Kadri being out hurts the Avs more than Kane being out hurts the Oilers. I remember seeing Josh Manson getting dinged up last time out and Colorado is already without Burakovsky and Kuemper. Also, didn’t Bouchard kill another Av with his shot in game three?

My point is, MacKinnon’s boys are hurting and they’re under a lot of pressure to get this series over and done with so that they can rest and be ready for the Lightning or the Rangers. Colorado can’t let their grip on this series loosen while at the same time Connor McDavid can flip the script at any point here. Relative to the Calgary series, he’s been quiet so far and usually that lasts no more than a two games before be breaks out and wrecks a team on his own. 

Let’s be clear though, I don’t think Edmonton has the soldiers to take four in a row off of the Avalanche, but could they find a way to get one more game in Edmonton before it’s all done and dusted? I think there’s a chance they could do that.

Oilersnation

Edmonton Oilers to terminate contract of goaltender Ilya Konovalov
  • Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ilya Konovalov will have his contract terminated by the team so he can sign a deal in the KHL…
  • Konovalov is set to sign a deal with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, club general manager Alexi Sopin told championat.com.
  • With the Condors, he posted a 5-7-5 record, a 2.73 GAA and a .893 save percentage.

BLH’s Thoughts: So much for that little experiment. I remember wondering what the Oilers were going to do with their goaltending at the AHL level seeing as all the goalies there were pretty young, right? Then you tack on the fact that Mikko Koskinen is heading to Switzerland next season and there’s some uncertainty as to who Stu Skinner will be sharing the pipes with next season. I was, and still am, of the opinion that Ken Holland would need to sign a good AHL tweener to mentor Fanti and Rodrigues in addition to being able to be a capable backup in case one of Edmonton’s NHL netminders gets banged up. 

https://twitter.com/BeerLeagueHeroe/status/1532935621248811009

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Elliotte Friedman reports the Chicago Blackhawks could be a team to watch over the next few weeks in the trade market.
  • Kevin Kurz recently mused over what it might cost the New York Islanders to make a pitch for Kevin Fiala.
    • Kurz believes any potential trade for Fiala would have to start with the Isles’ first-round pick in either this year’s draft or next year’s.
    • …suggested Oliver Wahlstrom as an alternative.
    • If the Islanders don’t want to part with their first-round pick, perhaps a prospect such as Aatu Raty might push the deal over the finish line.
  • Jimmy Murphy recently reported Joel Armia’s performance for Finland in the World Championships has generated some trade buzz about the Canadiens winger.
    • Murphy also wondered if Ethan Bear might be a fit with the Canadiens. The 24-year-old Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
    • Murphy’s source cited Bear’s conditioning as an issue, which could hurt his trade value.

BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting… So that’s TWO clubs now where rumors of Bear’s lack of attention to his conditioning have cost him… Will a third team take a chance? He did have surgery on his foot I believe right after the Hurricanes were knocked out of the playoffs but he was out of Carolina’s lineup since the end of April. So why didn’t he have the surgery earlier if his injury required going under the knife? That would’ve explained being out of lineup for so long… 

It doesn’t matter. That trade is a wash to a degree (although I would still give Edmonton the nod considering Foegele actually got to play in the post-season). The Canes saw all they wanted of Bear and Foegele disappeared down the stretch never to be seen again. The feeling I get is that he’ll be moved this summer too as there was interest in him leading up to the deadline. 

Watch, McLovin’ will score a brace tonight and help stave off elimination for the Oilers… 

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

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Talk: It’s Time to Swing for the Fences

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Lowetide

  • If Yamamoto is hurt, one would think Dylan Holloway makes his NHL debut. If the Oilers go 7D, one of Russell or Broberg will draw in. I could also see Yamamoto out and a D added being the only move, but Holloway is available and has the kind of speed that will set the Avalanche back on their heels. Great passer too.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer has been on the Holloway train for a while now and yesterday former Edmonton Oilers dman Jason Strudwick hopped on. Strudwick made the point that if you’re going to adjust the roster, you’re not making it slower and therefore the likes of Dylan Holloway and Philly Broberg should be inserted. 

My feeling is that this is the game to take the big swing on the kids. At worst, it doesn’t work out and the coaches can go back to what’s worked for them in the past. At best, the kids save the day and inject some life and excitement into an organization that seems defeated. 

In previous series’ I think there might’ve been a hesitancy to play Holloway and Broberg partly because of the physical intensity that LA and Calgary brought. I mean Milan Lucic ate Broberg for lunch a few times this year, right? But against Colorado, I am confident in saying the Avs won’t be taking the series to the trenches and in my opinion, that works to Edmonton’s advantage now that we’ve realized going after Joe Sakic’s boys through intimidation is a futile effort. 

If there’s space to move, you’d think Broberg and Holloway might be a tad better than Shore or Russell. Worried about blocking shots? Broberg and Holloway are high character players, they’ll do what’s necessary to get the job done. 

Like I said, it’s best to take a gamble right now and hope to high hell it’s enough to get Edmonton back into this series. 

Sportsnet

Oilers need a healthy, in-form Darnell Nurse to salvage series vs. Avalanche
  • The most important caveat here is that let’s be honest, the man is hurt. When asked about him after Game 2, Jay Woodcroft basically shrugged and said “He’s giving us all he can. He’s a warrior.”
  • I often just see him a few inches on the wrong side of guys I feel like he’d normally be able to snuff out. He’s chasing.
  • Nurse has been handed a brutal assignment, spending most of his time on the ice against Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, approaching nearly 20 minutes of ice against each guy. You would expect his stats to take some abuse with that.
  • So the point here isn’t that Nurse has let his team down, it’s looking for a way for Edmonton to get back in this series, and finding that the D-man that’s the Oilers time-on-ice leader at even strength is getting pummeled in his minutes.
  • …there’s three things can happen now for the Oilers:
    • Nurse finds a way to play better and they have a chance.
    • The Oilers find a way to ease the workload/competition level for him, others step up, and they have a chance.
    • Nothing changes and they lose.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I was saying above, if you’re going to take a chance with a big roster move, tonight’s the night. Win and there’s a chance the Oilers can tie up the series. Lose and nobody’s going to be surprised, but something has to be done. Loading up the to line didn’t work in game one and having 29 and 97 center their own lines in game two didn’t have the desired impact either. 

So It’s time to swap Darnell with Kulak and muck around with the forwards a bit. 

Kane-McDavid-Draisaitl
Hyman-RNH-Pulju
Foegele-McLeod-Ryan
Archibald-Holloway

Kulak-Ceci
Keith-Bouchard
Nurse-Barrie
Broberg

With a number of players Woodcroft could adjust his lines based on who’s skating well, right? If the kids are having a positive impact they could be moved up the lineup. Who knows? You could have Broberg paired up with Bouchard or Ceci and Holloway playing with Connor or Leon by the 3rd. 

I don’t feel good about Edmonton’s chances without Nurse and Leon at 100% and this evening’s game is no different even if Woodcroft does put Holloway and Broberg in and plays them regularly. Colorado has stopped the offensive juggernaut that is the Oilers right in its track with no response from Edmonton… 

I hope for the best, but honestly, I’m expecting the worst. 

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Mike Zeisberger reports Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff expects Mark Scheifele will return with the club next season.
  • In his latest “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported re-signing with the Carolina Hurricanes remains an option for Vincent Trocheck.
  • Sammi Silber observed the Capitals could get some cap relief for next season by placing Backstrom and Wilson on long-term injury reserve… If Backstrom were to miss significant time, Silber pondered whether Colorado’s Nazem Kadri would be a good fit if he becomes available on the free-agent market.
The Daily Goal Horn
  • According to TFP’s David Pagnotta, two former NHL head coaches that Vegas is believed to have interest in, at least internally, is former Winnipeg Jets bench boss Paul Maurice and former Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who is currently an Analyst for TNT.
  • There’s been a lot of talk that Carey Price may be unable to go for next season, but until the Canadiens can get that clarification it will be hard to make any big moves.
NHLRumors.com
  • There was a report (in Russian) on Sportexpress by reporter Ivan Bogun that the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers have decided to not select any Russian players in the 2022 NHL Draft.
  • GM Armstrong on if forward Vladimir Tarasenko will be back with the team next season: “I’m not concerned about Vladi for next year at all.”
  • The Calgary Flames have said they will do all they can to re-sign pending UFA Johnny Gaudreau but if they can’t, could the New York Islanders have a chance? Slim, but not impossible.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Draisaitl’s Defensive Presence This Season a Mirage? Maybe So Suggests Oilers Insider

As I do every weekday after I wake up, I threw on the day’s edition of Oilers Now and started my routine. The show’s been a bit blah with regards to writeable material recently but this morning Sportsnet’s Mark Spector and host Bob Stauffer went toe-to-toe on a couple of topics,

  1. Leon Draisaitl’s improved defense.
  2. Evan Bouchard’s blunder that lead to Winnipeg’s GWG last night.

Quickly on Evan Bouchard.

He’s been fantastic so far, but not without his warts. Spector is absolutely right in his criticism of the young defender on Wheeler’s goal. Spec also notes that these are the things everybody will have to go through with Bouchard in the lineup. There are just certain aspects of the game that can only be learned by experience. Evan is a very intelligent hockey player and there’s no doubt in my mind, he’ll figure it out.

Getting to Leon now. Take a listen to this segment and let me know if I’m off base with regards to my conclusion. Jump ahead to the 6:35-ish mark.

Now, it’s my understanding from what I heard that Spector was praising the upgrade in Draisaitl’s two-way game, and to my surprise, Stauffer was the one suggesting the German MVP’s newfound defensive prowess could be an illusion.

“The save percentage has worked to his advantage. His PDO, which is the combined team save percentage when he’s on the ice versus the team’s shot percentage that the team gets on goal. His current PDO is at 107.7, that’s part of the reason he’s +11. He’s at 50% Corsi, 52.2% Fenwick and when he was in the depths of what he was going through last December which sunk his plus/minus, a stretch where the Oilers gave up a bunch of goals while they were on the PP, the best PP in 40 years which is the falacy of why plus/minus is a bad stat.

At the time he was on the wing, they were struggling and once him, Nugent-Hopkins, and Yamamoto went on a pretty good heater with decent-to-good metrics, but off the chart shooting percentage and that’s what spiked the plus/minus when he got moved into the middle.

The irony is, you’re talking about a team where they’re actually not as good, they’re nowhere near as good defensively~ They went into last night’s game, Mark, 23rd in goals against. They finished 16th in the league last year, they’re actually better last year that they were to start the year, but Draisaitl’s got a little bit of a deceptive +11 because he’s got some puck luck going his way. The faceoff percentage, he’s up from last year, so he’s got to get credit for that. That’s something he’s continued to work on, but he was at 52.1% last year, now he’s at 52.8%.”

That’s a lot of plus/minus talk to describe how well a player is doing defensively, eh? The reason they were talking about that is that Stauffer assumed that Spector thought Draisaitl’s defensive game has improved because his plus/minus was better than last season. If you remember, Leon was a minus player in 2019/20.

But how about we simply take a look at Leon’s “against” metrics relative 5v5 from last season to this one to date?

Season CA/60 FA/60 SA/60 GA/60 xGA/60 SCA/60 HDCA/60 HDGA/60
2019/20 4.36 4.97 5.03 0.72 0.45 4.03 2.49 0.55
2020/21 3.33 0.1 -1.86 -2.44 0.36 4.33 0.46 -0.59

Some other things you’ll notice if you go to that link above is that Draisaitl is drawing penalties at double the rate he was last year, he’s cut down his giveaways by more than two times, increased his hits by more than 1.5 per sixty and he’s nearly doubled his blocked shots.

So that tells me he’s sacrificing the offensive parts of his game for the defensive ones. I mean, you can just look at the numbers I’ve just posted and come to the conclusion that he’s a better defensive player and it’s substantial. I look at that information and wonder if the Oilers finally have a Selke Trophy winner on their hands.

Can you discern if that’s down to luck though? I don’t know if you can, to be honest. To determine that, we’re going to have to re-visit these numbers at the end of next month. The season will be more than half-finished by then and we’ll have a better idea for sure.

For now though, I’m not ready to say that Leon’s enhanced defensive game is a mirage, you?

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