Tag Archives: Montreal Canadiens

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

(2/23/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: Could a Former Oiler Be On His Way Back to Edmonton?

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Jack Eichel (BUF), Devan Dubnyk (SJ), Bruce Boudreau, and more!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: In a recent mailbag segment, Adrian Dater was asked about the Avalanche’s backup goaltending. With Pavel Francouz week-to-week with a lower-body injury, they’re making do with Hunter Miska and Adam Werner backing up starter Philipp Grubauer. Dater wonders if San Jose Sharks goalie Devan Dubnyk might be available if GM Joe Sakic decides to shop for help between the pipes if Francouz remains on LTIR.

Dater also believes the Avalanche could use a little more muscle, pointing out that they were pushed around during last year’s series against the Dallas Stars. (Via Spector’s Hockey)

BLH’s Thoughts: This is the second time in a month that I’ve heard Devan Dubnyk’s name thrown out there as a possible trade acquisition. Reid Wilkins (630CHED) had suggested Dubnyk as someone the Edmonton Oilers could look at but that was before the return of Mike Smith, so I’m not sure if Wilkins still believes the former Oilers netminder would be a realistic option in Edmonton.

Sportsnet: EBUG David Ayres may be singing karaoke in a car with James Corden as the British talk show host, according to Ayres, contacted him after his win against the Toronto Maple Leafs last season to talk about making a movie with Disney!

  • “He let me know he had a production company. No pressure: ‘If you ever want a movie, let me know.’ […] We listened to 12 pitches from all the different people. I still went back to James Corden to talk to him three times. He wanted me to be in the movie: ‘You’d be a producer and be part of it from start to finish, with the writing and everything.’ That’s kinda cool, him wanting me to tell the story and put a little spin on it. I guess his neighbour was a guy who works high up in Disney, and they went for a walk one night. That’s how the whole Disney thing came about. So, we’ll see what happens. A little slow now with COVID, but once we get the ball rolling, it’ll be fine. Once we start writing it, I think they’ll go two years from there.”

BLH’s Thoughts: UGH! Sounds perfectly Disney, doesn’t it? I mean, great for Ayres. I’m really happy for him. That experience has more or less turn his life upside down, but as for another hockey movie… I would just like someone to come out and do one right and for an adult audience. I think Jay Baruchel had a unique opportunity with GOON, but kinda f*cked it up by making the fights way over the top. I’m not asking for another Slap Shot, but you know, Youngblood is a cult favorite for a reason. Damn the Philadelphia Flyers for taking that Rob Zombie Broadstreet Bullies production away from us… 

The Athletic: Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau is itching to get back into the coach’s seat and he told Ryan S. Clark that he’d be extremely interested in the Seattle Kraken’s vacancy.

  • “The thing about that job is it would be great to start with a team that is starting fresh and to be the builder of something. I think that is a real exciting thing… It is not like an expansion team in 1967. You knew then you were not going to be very good or have the dregs of every team. The way they have gone about it now, Seattle is going to start off with a pretty good team. Who knows if the call will ever come? I don’t want to get the call and say I am not ready and I don’t know what I would do and I don’t want to feel that way. This is the only thing I have ever known my whole life… If someone offers you a job, it is an amazing thing.”

BLH’s Thoughts:The push is on to get Boudreau back in the NHL. He was on Oilers Now (630CHED) yesterday and I’d be shocked if he didn’t make more appearances on more sports talk shows.

I dig Boudreau, he’s got a great personality and he’s worked himself from the bottom of pro hockey right to the top. He has earned championships at the ECHL and AHL levels, and has been in the NHL for more than ten years. He has consistently coached teams to great results in the standings for most, if not all, of his career. He’d be a fantastic option for the Kraken. 

NBC Sports: Adam Gretz believes that the Buffalo Sabres might need a rebuild to correct the mistakes made it the club’s previous rebuild and that might include trading franchise superstar Jack Eichel.

  • “If we are being realistic here there are only two reasons that a team would ever trade a player like Eichel. An elite forward still in their prime years and still under contract long-term. You do not get players like that very often, and when you do you want to build around them as much as possible. But if you do trade them it is either because the player demands a trade and refuses to play for you (which does not seem to have happened here — yet), or because you as an organization are completely giving up and ready to start over.”
  • “It is just such a unique situation because the Sabres ended up getting the most important piece of any successful rebuild — a true cornerstone player that is among the league’s best players. They have just so badly bungled the rebuild around him that it has rendered his value almost entirely useless.”

BLH’s Thoughts: That part of the quote where Gretz says Eichel’s value has basically tanked thanks to the terrible work from previous GMs makes some sense and it could be why pundits like Elliotte Friedman are saying that players such as Quinton Byfield (LA), Trevor Zegras (ANA), Alex Lafreniere (NYR), and Kaapo Kakko (NYR) could be off the table. 

For me, Eichel just needs to get out of Buffalo. We were on the brink of seeing how good he was last season and then COVID hit and then this season the team has just been awful. It’d be fun to see him to back to Boston, but I don’t think they’d be willing to part with Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak to bring him in. What about Montreal? If you were the Sabres would you take a package that includes Phil Danault, Cole Caufield, Kaiden Guhle, a first rounder, and a contract to offset the money a little?

Give us a follow on the socials!

This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(2/22/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors PM Edition: “Playoff-bound teams will be lining up for his services…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Artemi Panarin (NYR), Jack Eichel (BUF), Pekka Rinne (NSH), Eric Staal (BUF), and more!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

New York Post: Is reporting that All-Star Russian forward Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence to attend to allegations that he assaulted an 18yr old girl in Latvia back in 2011.

https://twitter.com/aiviskalnins/status/1363876275228672003

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski says Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall should be looking to acquire some capable fourth-liners because the Pens are not able to roll four lines often, ice-time can be limited and they are lacking energy and physicality.

  • “(We want) a line that is trustworthy and reliable defensively,” Sullivan said. “And then has the ability to chip in offensively on occasion.”

The Fourth Period: In his latest post, David Pagnotta commented on a number of players and teams,

  • Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula: “The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins will be among the teams checking in on both of those veterans.”
  • Mattias Ekholm: “Playoff-bound teams will be lining up for his services and the price will hover around a first-round pick, a young asset and perhaps another piece.”
  • Anaheim Ducks: “Anaheim GM Bob Murray has been actively searching for more fire power up front, but it doesn’t sound like a significant trade is on the horizon.”
  • Jack Eichel: “How much longer can the Sabres sell their plan before Eichel tells them to **** off? Maybe we find that out this off-season, and if we do, expect the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks to be among the teams in pursuit.”
  • Taylor Hall: “if the player wants to stay and the price makes sense – I don’t think an $8M AAV will be in the cards with just one goal on the season, so far”

SiriusXM NHL Network Radio: Aaron Ward said recently that if the Nashville Predators do decide to move veteran goalie Pekka Rinne, expect the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins to show interest.

TVA SPORTS: Jean-Charles Lajoie recently suggested the Montreal Canadiens should consider targeting Buffalo Sabre Eric Staal before the Apr. 12 trade deadline. Stating that the former Carolina Hurricanes captain has played very well in Montreal during his career and perhaps he’d like to leave the struggling Sabres.

Give us a follow on the socials!

This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(2/16/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors Quick Hits Edition

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Derek Stepan (OTT), Cole Caufield (MTL), John Gibson (ANA), Juuso Miikola (PIT), and more!

Craig Button absolutely tore the Oilers a new a$$hole on TSN 1260 recently. Click this link and read what he said!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • 950AM KJR Seattle: Seattle Kraken president Tod Leiweke on their timeline of hiring a head coach said he thought it was Ron Francis’ notion that they’d wait until the end of the season because some candidates could become available that they didn’t otherwise anticipate.
  • Sportsnet: Chris Johnston says that if the Ottawa Senators don’t want to keep Ryan Dzingel, he’ll probably be flipped at the deadline for a draft pick.
  • The Athletic: Rick Dhaliwal is reporting that there are teams from Switzerland calling the agent of Sven Baertschi but his plan is to stick it out in Utica (AHL) in hopes of a call-up.
  • Sportsnet: Marc Bergevin expects Cole Caufield turn pro after this season and the Canadiens are working on getting Jordan Harris to go pro as well.
  • Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman said recently that he thought Nashville Predators GM David Poile checked the market for centers Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen but there wasn’t much there. He added that if they could move them, they would and that it sounds like there are some changes coming with that club.
  • Sportsnet: Wayne Scanlan says both the Ottawa Senators and Derek Stepan both regret the trade that sent Stepan to Ottawa and he could be moved before the trade deadline.
  • The Athletic: The Pittsburgh Penguins have a bit of a logjam on the left side of their defense and one of Mike Matheson or Juuso Riikola may have to be moved says Rob Rossi.
  • Pro Hockey Rumors: There’s a small chance that John Moore gets moved by the Boston Bruins but as it stands, it’s more likely he stays with the club according to Brian La Rose.
  • Florida Hockey Now: Jimmy Murphy says keep an eye on John Gibson. Newly hired Brian Burke has connections to Anaheim and Gibson is a Pittsburgh kid.

Give us a follow on the socials!

This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Canadiens’ D-man Mete and the Six Teams Interested in Him PLUS More NHL Rumors!

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Victor Mete (MTL), Jim Benning (VAN), and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Craig Button absolutely tore the Oilers a new a$$hole on TSN 1260 recently. Click this link and read what he said!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston recently laid out the six NHL teams he thought would be most interested in Montreal Canadiens wantaway defender Victor Mete.

  • Detroit Red Wings – With Filip Hronek being the only defenseman under the age of 26, Detroit needs a bit more youth on their back-end. Plus they’ve got some currency in the form of draft picks in this year’s draft they could use to acquire Mete.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins – Injuries are decimating the Pens back-end plus they need solidifying this year and for years to come on the blue line.
  • Anaheim Ducks – He’d be an upgrade of the defenders the Ducks have been employing on their 3rd pair so far. Also, he’s got a knack for drawing penalties and the Ducks are having trouble scoring these days.
  • Arizona Coyotes – They’ve only got two d-men signed past this season. Mete would be an asset to the team’s young forwards with his ability to move the puck.
  • Buffalo Sabres – Buffalo will have a number of d-men come off the books after the season. Mete would fit in with the club’s current youth movement.
  • Calgary Flames – Mete and Sam Bennett share an agent and both players want fresh starts. A swap here makes sense to some degree.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t know if I see anything happening in-season with the quarantine regulations being what they are. Also, I have a feeling Montreal’s defense will breakdown at some point and they’re going to need Mete. 

Let’s be honest here, this young defender is, at this point, nothing more than a small puck-moving third-pairing defenseman. Not that that is bad, but he’s not going to move the needle much, I don’t feel at least. That said, he makes very little and for a club like Arizona who needs another defender to become expansion draft compliant, I reckon that destination might be the best fit. 

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period says of the debacle going on in Vancouver that,

“Canucks ownership is beyond frustrated with the team’s start and is considering a change at the General Manager position. If the team can’t right the ship and if this series against the Flames does not go well, I believe we could see the end of Jim Benning’s tenure in Vancouver.”

Pagnotta goes on to speculate as to who might be up for the job in the event Benning is fired,

“The list of potential candidates could include former Los Angeles Kings AGM Mike Futa, current Colorado Avalanche AGM Chris MacFarland and former Toronto Maple Leafs AGM Mark Hunter, among others.

I would also add former Canucks goalie and current Special Advisor to the GM in Florida Roberto Luongo and former Kings GM Dean Lombardi into the mix, as well.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Funny, I have contacts in both Seattle and Vancouver and I’ve heard the same thing. One source even went a little further and mentioned the names of Lorne Molleken and Laurence Gilman as possible candidates for the Canucks should they decide to make a switch in the captain’s chair. 

TSN’s Darren Dreger is of the belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs are possibly on the hunt for a top-9 winger or possibly more depth on defense to bolster their chances at a Stanley Cup this year,

“If he’s going to add, it’s likely going to be up front or a defensemen but only in the sense that they want to make sure that this team is as deep as you need to be to challenge for the Stanley Cup. It wouldn’t be through a sense of urgency or necessity.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Didn’t Dubas have a bunch of depth on forward before the season started and he dealt it away? Dreger also said recently that he thinks Dubas might feel like he “owes” it to the team to continue to upgrade the personnel no matter how well they’re doing and that makes me reminisce about the days when they’d go out and blow valuable draft picks for the likes of Brian Leetch, Ron Francis, Owen Nolan, Tom Barrasso, or Phil Housley. It was exciting as hell as a fan of hockey, but ultimately fruitless for the team. Will Dubas go that route?

Give us a follow on the socials!

This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

2020-21 Edmonton Oilers GM16: Oilers vs. Canadiens- Three Players to Watch

The Edmonton Oilers have won four of their last five and are marching into Montreal to take on one of the NHL’s hottest teams, the Canadiens. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s 9-game point streaks were snapped against Ottawa, will they find the scoresheet again or might the Oilers have to depend on depth scoring again for the two points against a Montreal team who’s on the latter half of a back-to-back?

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Habs tonight,

  • #14 Nick Suzuki – What a fantastic young two-way talent we’re witnessing here. He might have Patrice Bergeron written all over him. Suzuki is so smart on the ice and at such a young age no less. If Phillip Danault ends up playing somewhere else next year, having Suzuki on the roster should make that transition less painful.
  • #34 Jake Allen – Has had some success against Edmonton in the past. You know how the Oilers are against backups… Connor McDavid didn’t score in his last game out though, so I’m thinking Allen is going to have his work cut out for him in this one.
  • #17 Josh Anderson – This hulking behemoth has four goals in his last five games, if I’m not mistaken, and is an absolute handful for opposing defenses with his speed and strength. One of Bob Stauffer’s favs.

For Montreal to have success I think they’ll want to get the Oilers hemmed in their own zone as much as possible and take away Edmonton’s ability to get the puck to their stars. Working McDavid and Draisaitl over seemed to be fruitful to some extent for the Senators, so I’d have to think that is something the Habs are mulling over as well since they have the personnel to do that.

Another tactic, that I’ll speak more to below in the Oilers key to success section, would be to get as many shots on net from the point and attempt more re-directions.

With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,

  • #75 Evan Bouchard – Certainly looks like he’ll be staying in the lineup for the foreseeable future, eh? I wonder if, at some point, the Oilers don’t start going with four right-shot defenders? I watched Montreal go with Weber/Petry in the third period against the Leafs last night so I don’t see how the Oilers couldn’t deploy a similar-handed pairing.
  • #56 Kailer Yamamoto – No goals in eight games for Yamo. He’s going to need to get it going here. Mark Spector has already started in on him, more specifically his shot (or lack of one according to Spec).
  • #84 William Lagesson – Been pumping this guy’s tires for a couple of years now. I’ve always said he’s a Mattias Ekholm-lite. After a bit of a slow start, he’s stolen Caleb Jones’ job and is really finding his footing at the NHL level.

Keys to Success For the Oilers

I find that with Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, keeping shots to the outside might be the optimal game plan, even though times have changed and rarely do teams utilize the big point shot these days. So usually, if you’re the Oilers, you’d want to keep the shots to the outside, right? Well, Smith and Koskinen struggle to save redirections and Edmonton’s defense, for whatever reason, has trouble tying sticks up in the shooting lanes and taking away that option. With the Habs employing Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, and Alexander Romanov; they’ve got three defenders with outstanding shots and a plethora of skilled forwards that are able to tip them.

That said, you don’t want to allow their skillers the ability to get in close either. Tomas Tatar, Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brendan Gallagher… The list goes on of the kind of skilled forwards the Habs have that can make life terribly difficult on your blueliners. It’s a real catch 22.

Keeping both of those points in mind, the beginning of tonight’s game will be very important for Edmonton. I imagine the Canadiens will be gung-ho from the get-go and if that’s the case and the Oilers can withstand that early pressure, they might be in a better position to win as the game wears on.

The other thing that I think is really working in Edmonton’s favor is having three defensive d-men working together. I’m talking about Darnell Nurse, William Lagesson, and Adam Larsson. A few weeks ago when these teams met, the Oilers were really pushing a defense group whose strength was puck-moving, but the problem was they had a hard time against a constant and physical forecheck that Montreal pushes.

Give us a follow on the socials!

Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!
Just like Kass protects his boys, you can protect yourself with this sweet mask! Click the pic and get yours