Tag Archives: Mikhail Sergachev

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

Had This Deal Gone Down, Could the Oilers Have Kept Hall?

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When's the last time the Flames and Oilers hooked up for a trade? Staios? Smid?
When’s the last time the Flames and Oilers hooked up for a trade? Staios? Smid?

I came across a guest post on another website the other day and there was a gentlemen out of Toronto who wrote something very interesting…

So i was talking to someone with direct knowledge of the situation that there was almost a 3 way trade done on day 1 of the draft just before it began.

They had mentioned that there was a trade in the works that would have sent the 3rd overall pick (clb) to calgary for the 6th overall pick + but that the blue jackets did not want to move to the 6th spot.

Enter the oilers 4th overall pick peter chiarelli was in and almost made this trade

blue jackets
ryan nugent-hopkins
4th overall pick (edm)

flames
3rd overall pick (clb)
sonny milano

oilers
6th overall pick (cgy)
dougie hamilton

this was the entire proposed trade i asked him twice to make sure but he said these were all the parts no additions anywhere , he also said this trade was essentially done until the last second when the blue jackets gm jarmo Kekäläinen played his hand a little quick , mentioned he had dubios above puljujarvi and that was the comment that killed the trade. chiarelli pulled out once he realized that he could get puljujarvi with the 4th overall and that stopped all wheels in motion.

That would’ve been a killer I say. Now it’s all hearsay and rumour at this point of course. We’ll never know if this is actually true or not but how would’ve this deal changed the landscape of the Oilers as we know them today?

  • Is it safe to assume that the team would’ve still gone and signed Lucic? I say yes.
  • Bob Stauffer has intimated that the Oilers had Mikhail Sergachev at the no.4 spot behind Puljujarvi. I’ll say they would’ve taken him at no.6 but they would’ve had their choice or Juolevi or Tkachuk as well.
  • Who would slot in at 3C? Caggiula? A free agent? Not sure they’d have had the cash to bring in anybody significant.

Here’s how the roster might’ve looked had the deal gone down.

Lucic-McDavid-Yakupov
Hall-Draisaitl-Eberle
Pouliot-XXX-Kassian
Maroon-Letestu-Pakarinen
Hendricks, Lander

Klefbom-Hamilton
Sekera-Fayne
Nurse-Davidson
Reinhart

Talbot
Gustavsson

Down Nugent-Hopkins but up on defence with Dougie Hamilton. We know that the Oilers did in fact talk to the Blue Jackets GM and the Flames GM at the draft (Stauffer has mentioned this on his show as well) and we also know that Chiarelli was trying to get Hamilton out of Boston at last year’s draft.

Walter Foddis had this to say when comparing Larsson to Hamilton:

That’s a tough one. Hamilton is better offensively, whereas Larsson is better defensively. Looking  at some metrics, Hamilton’s eGF% vs top-end competition is better than Larsson’s, especially against top-pairing D-men. Hamilton’s eGF% vs top-pairing Dmen was 47.3% & Larsson’s was 39.5%.

Overall, Larsson’s CA RelTM is -4 and Hamilton’s +2, which suggest Larsson is stronger defensivelly. That is, Larsson’s NJD allowed 6 fewer shot attempts/60 minutes than Hamilton’s Flames.

The opposite is true for offense, though. Hamilton’s Flames generated 11 more shot attempts per 60 minutes than Larsson’s NJD.

So although Larsson appears be stronger defensively, Hamilton’s offensive game more than compensates for this deficiency.

Comparing them on the WoodMoney metric would be interesting.

Would the Oilers still be looking for that PP QB? Chiarelli did say that the Hall deal was going down regardless but I have to call bullsh*t on that if Hamilton could’ve been acquired…

I don’t like the idea of the Oilers having poor depth at centre but one would have to think that had this scenario gone down as such that the Oilers would’ve traded one of the left-wings (Pouliot most likely) for a serviceable third line center.

What are your thoughts on this rumor? Would you have rather had Hall, Lucic, Hamilton and Sergachev, or Nugent-Hopkins, Lucic, Larsson, and Puljujarvi? Which grouping would’ve made the Oilers a better team?

Let me know in the comments below!

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#PackYourShit

Some big decisions are about to be made folks! Will Chia Pete deal off Taylor Hall to fit Milan Lucic into the lineup and get that prized blueliner that we haven’t heard about yet? Might the Toronto Maple Leafs have interest in Nail Yakupov? Does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins get moved to a team like the Minnesota Wild? I want to talk about these things and more…

STAUFFER’S LATEST

Just a few notes from yesterday’s edition of Oilers Now:

  • Watch out for these teams at the draft and this summer:
    • Colorado – looking for a change in organizational philosophy.
    • Chicago
    • Montreal – PK Subban is all the rage!
    • New York Rangers – want to move out salary.
    • New York Islanders – Hamonic. Will he stay or go?
    • Columbus – they’ve got to move some fat contracts and what will they do with #3 overall?
    • Ottawa – Cody Ceci is a name to remember.
    • Minnesota – Stauffer didn’t like Brodin and was iffy on Dumba.
    • New Jersey – Bob wondered about a Yakupov plus a third for Damon Severson.
    • Calgary – Stauffer talked about a possible Wideman for Korpikoski deal
    • Winnipeg – No on the Nurse for Trouba. Wondered why the Jets would want to move Trouba instead of Myers and the Jets are in the market for a centre.
  • Barrie could still be available. Stauffer said that Sakic mentioned the same thing when he was asked about Ryan O’Reilly last year. Burnaby Joe said ROR was a priority for the AVs then 8 days later he was dealt.
  • In regards to the Milan Lucic sweepstakes Bob said to keep an eye on Anaheim, Vancouver and Edmonton.
  • Yakupov’s value is going down because he’s going to have to be protected in the expansion draft whilst the #4 pick overall’s value is going up because that player will not have to be protected.
  • Iiro “The Hero” Pakarinen should be signed to a 1yr 1-way deal in the next couple of weeks for no more than 850k.
  • Stauffer said that he doesn’t think the Oilers will move up in the draft and that Chiarelli would have to be overwhelmed to trade down.
  • It’s Matthew Tkachuck or Mikhail Sergachev for Bob if he had a choice.

CONNOR MCDAVID CALDER SNUB

This is fucked. I don’t know who votes for the rookies of the month but if those are the same guys that get to vote for the Calder Trophy, then that was some fixing that got done there. McDavid was clearly the best 1st year player in the NHL. It’s a god damned joke that Panarin was even considered by the PHWA on a common sense level.

NAIL YAKUPOV

Fack. This makes me want to puke in my mouth a little bit. Yak can’t get any love from the NHL or his own National team… A bloody third rounder?! How about we throw a hearty double bird Dallas Eakins and Craig MacTavish’s way for trying to make Yak a “two-way” player instead of playing to his strengths…

I will say this though. NEVER will an Edmonton Oilers prospect ever don the number 64 again after Yakupov is traded. It’s cursed.

EXPANSION DRAFT PROTECTION LIST

So that got me thinking… Who would I put in the Oilers expansion draft protection list.

  • Taylor Hall
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
  • Jordan Eberle
  • Leon Draisaitl
  • Andrej Sekera
  • Oscar Klefbom
  • **New Guy**
  • Brandon Davidson
  • Cam Talbot.

But here’s the rub, how long will Nuge and Ebs be part of the Oilers team? Especially if a player like Milan Lucic or Troy Brouwer are acquired?

 

TAYLOR HALL

I don’t think we can call what we’re reading on Twitter “rumours” anymore. We’re experiencing a full-fledged game of telephone here. One person says one thing to another and they pass it on down the line and then the person at the end of the line says what they were told… It’s never what the first person said, right?

But with that being said, I mentioned this on Twitter (@beerleagueheroe) earlier in the day, Taylor Hall is a great hockey player. He drives the play for the Oilers, gives the opposition team another superstar to contend with, and he’s a top three left wing in the National Hockey League BUT he’s not THE best. He’s not Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, or Wayne Gretzky and I think a lot of fans have a tough time thinking about an Edmonton Oilers team that doesn’t have Taylor Hall on it. And they should try because there are actually other good players on the team and the Edmonton Oilers might actually be okay without Hall.

Personally, I’d like to see this team win WITH Taylor Hall because I think he deserves as much. He’s grown on me a bit and the data that has been shown and explained to me by Darcy McLeod (@woodguy) and Alan Hull (@alanhull) has been quite eye opening. But if he does get dealt, I’ll be eager to see how the new players fit in and help the team get to the next level.

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Poor Number Four

The Edmonton Oilers hold the 4th overall pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo this June. There’s been a lot of banter as to what the Oilers should do with it. Trade it outright, trade down, or select Matthew Tkachuk, Pierre-Luc Dubois, or Olli Juolevi. I’ll tell you what the Oilers shouldn’t do…

Trade the 4th Overall for an NHL player

Apart from the obvious expansion draft exposure to said acquired player, the main reason the Oilers shouldn’t be dealing that pick out for an established NHL player is because the Oilers are finally in a position to develop players on the long-term ala the Detroit Red Wings.

The top 9 is more or less sorted and the defense is on its way. Not quite there mind you but the blue line has some nice pieces coming up that should blossom in the following season or two.

The Oilers could select players like Matthew Tkachuk, Jakob Chychrun or PL Dubois and send them back to junior after they’re drafted and then when their junior careers were up, those players could be sent to the AHL for a season of marinating and learning the pro game. There’s absolutely no need to rush teenagers onto the NHL roster anymore and much more to gain from developing them properly.

Just a side note on Matthew Tkachuk. Yesterday on Lowetide’s show he was talking to NHL draft guru Corey Pronman and he said in so many words that Tkachuk has never been the “Go-To Guy” since coming onto the scene. This past season he was paired up with Mitch Marner and the two previous seasons he was centred by Auston Matthews. So take that for what it is. 

Or let’s say that Edmonton decides to go with a defenceman like Olli Juolevi or Mikhail Sergachev. Well since they are Europeans, they’re eligible to go straight to the AHL after being drafted. See Julius Honka. Not too sure why they would do that given the amount of LH’d shooters already down there but the option is there nevertheless. I imagine somebody like David Musil would be moved if this scenario were to actually play out.

As fans of the Oilers we should know better than to want the Oilers to rush things. They rushed all those 1st overall picks into top 6 roles and that turned out marvellous. This dovetails with yesterday’s post on patience. If the Oilers take their time and do things the right way instead of forcing things, they will be fine. But should they listen to some of the fanbase and move a valuable piece, like the 4th overall pick, for immediate help; that may very well do more damage than good.

 

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Auston 3:16 Says…

The day of reckoning has come and tonight is going to be a beauty. Will the Edmonton Oilers “get lucky” and win the lottery and stay within the top three or will they “lose” the lottery and be forced down to the 4th or 5th spot?

I have to be honest, I could care less at this point. The team doesn’t really need to add another impact teenager to its ranks and we’ve done enough speculating to date that I’m numb to it all now. So what are we going to do? Well speculate some more of course. This isn’t going to take long. Is what I used to tell all my girlfriends back in the day.

If the Oilers Get the 1st Overall Pick…

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!! Then breathe… Then HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!… Then check to see if Toronto has burned to the ground. Then HAHAHAHAHAHA…

Auston Matthews all day long baby. You don’t think that Arizona, or any other team for that matter, will come knocking every year to see if they can shake Matthews loose? Would you trade him for Erik Karlsson?

If the Oilers Get the 2nd Overall Pick…

They take the Finnish Bazooka Patrik Laine! From watching him live and the clips online, it’d be hard not to take him. In the past he’s had issues with authority but he’s seemingly moved on from that. Put him on the wing, move Maroon down or to the right side and watch the fireworks!

If the Oilers Get the 3rd Overall Pick..

Jesse Puljujarvi and his vowel-happy name will be an Edmonton Oiler. Is it just me or is Laine-Puljujarvi the 2nd coming of Ovechkin-Malkin? Take a minute to think about that. Another thing to consider. Finns seem to do okay in Edmonton. Some better than others…

If the Oilers Get the 4th Overall Pick…

Matty Tkachuk is their man. I think a lot of people will argue that Dubois might be a better pick here but Tkachuk’s bloodlines and hockey IQ will set him apart here.

If the Oilers Get the 5th Overall Pick…

Olli Juolevi/Mikhail Sergachev/Jakob Chychrun. You flip the three-sided coin on this one. Sergachev just won the OHL defender of the year award but I’m not that impressed. The last Russian to do that in the OHL was former Oiler Alexei Semenov and he sure turned out. I mean Ryan Ellis won it TWICE!

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So there you have it. Those are my thoughts. I don’t think they will trade it outright. Trading down to get Jake Bean or Dante Fabbro might be in their plans. Or if the elusive “Lindros” offer is out there, they might do that.

Let’s talk about that “Lindros” offer. According to Elliotte Friedman, the last major offer for the first overall pick was in Aaron Ekblad’s draft year of 2014. The Tampa Bay Lightning offered Jonathan Drouin (#3 in 2013) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (#19 in 2012) and were obviously turned down.

The one deal I’d consider is the one Bob Stauffer’s been mentioning on Oilers Now with the Coyotes. Dylan Strome, both of the Coyotes first rounders this year and one of their second rounders for the 1st overall pick. I went into detail on that offer here. I think this is the closest one might ever see to a “Lindros” offer in the cap-era.

Another thing that has been talked about on Lowetide’s morning show is how this draft will affect who the Oilers protect in the next expansion draft. If they trade any pick away for an NHL-ready dman this summer, that could drastically affect how they go forward in the expansion draft. So perhaps they are better off using the pick and saving themselves a little headache in a year’s time.

So that’s ‘er folks. Enjoy the playoff games today and enjoy the draft lottery. I’m thinking of doing a Blab for the lottery. Don’t know what a Blab is? Basically like Google Hangouts but using Twitter instead of Gmail. Check out this link and if you’re on Twitter you can join me and we’ll chat hawkey before and after the lottery!!

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Kosmic’s Top Ten 2016 NHL Draft Prospects: #8 Mikhail Sergachev

What’s shaking BLH Universe? I’ve ate so much of my kids’ Easter candy, I’m about ready to tear the roof off of the mutha’sucka!! What? They still have candy left from last year! Don’t judge me! Daniel-San, Daniel-San! Focus! You have a blog to write! As we always do, let’s move along! Next up in my 2016 NHL Draft Prospects, is #8:

If you want to check out the previous instalments in the series, click the links below!

#10 – Alexander Nylander
#9 – Pierre-Luc Dubois

Graceful, Powerful, Smart… Who will call this towering Russian’s name at the draft?

Mikhail Sergachev
Windsor Spitfires
6’3” 206lbs
67GP 17G 40A 57PTS 56PIM 15+/-

Mikhail Sergachev is a top end, two-way defenseman. He is an excellent skater, who uses his feet to his advantage. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen Sergachev on the ice without having his feet constantly in motion, which helps with his excellent range of mobility. I was shocked to learn that this kid won’t even turn 18 until closer to the end of June, as he is such a fierce competitor and doesn’t shy away from engaging anyone. Actually, his drive and fierce nature are what helps separate him from the pack. He is incredibly shifty when the puck is on his stick, and that combined with his high Hockey IQ, usually has him at the center of the play….driving it. It’s also worth noting that he made a quick, successful transition to the North American game.

He plays an aggressive and punishing style, mixed in with offensive flair and a strong enough sense to either join the rush or create one himself. The pace and complexity of the next level shouldn’t intimidate him, but his slot coverage is one area where he must improve to complete his development. – Steve Kournianos, thedraftanalyst.com (source)

A big minute-munching blue liner who has that nice combination of size and wheels that make NHL scouts take notice. He is a feisty, mobile defenseman that can beat you with his quick first step or a solid pass. Shows nice composure when pressed in his own zone and does not panic but instead skates with the puck or will just rim it out safely. Plays it physical stepping up for the big hit and likes to physically eliminate opponents from danger areas in the defensive zone. Has a strong point shot and the ability to run a power play. High NHL upside with this kid. – Future Considerations (source)

NHL Comparable(s): Sergei Zubov, Alexei Gusarov, and Sergei Gonchar

Why would this player be on the Edmonton Oilers Draft List? Honestly, why wouldn’t he be? Because they already have too many top notch defenders in our system already, right? Haha! In all seriousness, Sergachev would be a fantastic addition to the defense deprived Oilers organization. He can skate like the wind, he can make an excellent first pass, he’s elusive, smart, and isn’t afraid to engage and drive the play. Something the Oilers need desperately.

Well folks, that wraps up my #8 prospect report, hope that you enjoyed it. Stay trippy my friends, next up is #7…

BLH’s Comments – What don’t the Oilers need desperately? Lol. One major con and it’s a mystery to me as to why they can’t succeed for the Oilers, he’s Russian and as we’re seeing, for whatever reason, Russians don’t do well in Edmonton. They have great starts but fade hard. Semenov, Selivanov, Ulanov, Samsonov, Khabibulin, Yakupov, Nikitin (never really started did he?)… I don’t think it’s right but it’s hard to refute the observation nevertheless. 

I’ve also read he’s got a bit of that big man syndrome. You know, A big player who looks like he isn’t doing a whole lot on the ice but in fact he’s working his ass off. As a fan it is hard to get on board with those players unless they are impact game-changers. Draisaitl has been described as such in the past. Personally he wouldn’t be in my top ten but hey, that’s just me. 

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