Tag Archives: NHL Rumours

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

(10/24/2020) Edmonton Oilers Talk and the Latest NHL Speculation feat. Kane, Barkov, Palmieri, and More!

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Patrick Kane, Alexander Barkov, Kyle Palmieri, and many more!

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

The News and Rumors

  • Pierre LeBrun (TSN): If an extension between the NJ Devils and Kyle Palmieri can’t be done, expect him to be moved at the 2021 trade deadline.

BLH’s Thoughts: My feeling is that it would be a mistake to let Palmieri go. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischer need someone to finish on their team. They should really make him a priority unless they can convince another veteran goal-scoring winger to sign with them… A rebuilding team. #Overpay

  • Ryan Szporer (The Hockey Writers): Montreal Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot is likely the odd man out for the Habs at the Seattle Kraken expansion draft next year.

BLH’s Thoughts: And there goes the Habs’ Stanley Cup chances… Look, if Chiarot is the guy Seattle goes for, they should be jumping for joy. They’ve got Edmundson, Weber, and Petry on that blueline for the foreseeable future. That’s not too shabby, if you ask me. 

  • Ian McNaughton (The Hockey Writers): The Detroit Red Wings should look at Andreas Athanasiou, Sami Vatanen, Anthony Duclair, and Derick Brassard.

BLH’s Thoughts: I can’t see Steve Yzerman going round two with Athanasiou. Duclair wouldn’t be a bad addition and Brassard/Vatanen would be good veteran additions. I don’t believe they’d earn them more wins over the personnel they had last year, but at this point, it’s all about bringing in high-character players who can help develop the next group of great Detroit Red Wings. Meaning Vatanen and Brassard, not Athanasiou and Duclair. 

  • Mark Lazerus (The Athletic): Patrick Kane isn’t going anywhere. One League source said, ‘”He wants to win, yeah, but he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. Maybe ever.'”

BLH’s Thoughts: If I remember correctly, this was the same prevailing message for all of Chicago’s big boys (Toews, Kane, Seabrook, and Keith). Whenever I read this sort of thing or hear it in the media, I always go back to what I’ve been told more often than not, things change. They change all of the time. Are you telling me if the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, or the Boston Bruins came calling with the right offer that Kane or Toews would say no? 

  • Eric Stephens (The Athletic): There doesn’t seem to be any doubt that GM Bob Murray wants the Ducks to make a playoff push. There’s a sincere attempt to upgrade the defense.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Ducks will be an interesting team next season. They’ve got some really nice young players pushing their way onto the big club and some that are already there that are taking the next step in their NHL Careers.

Sam Steel, Max Jones, Trevor Zegras, Isac Lundestrom, and Troy Terry are very promising forwards for the club and then when you look at their defense, with the signing of Stanley Cup champion Kevin Shattenkirk, their top-4 is really solid too. They have Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson in addition to Shattenkirk. What about their goalie, you ask? John Gibson, one of the best in the league.

Tack all those players on to high-end vets like Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Adam Henrique, and Rikard Rakell… Wow. Not that bad.

So, if there’s a wildcard in the whole league worth keeping an eye one, it might be Anaheim. Especially if they find a way to add another really good defender. 

  • Corey Pronman (The Athletic): NHL teams have been told they will not be allowed to scout live in-person during the upcoming 2021 World Juniors, which will be in the Edmonton bubble.

BLH’s Thoughts: If those airport COVID rapid tests are successful, we might see things change. I believe I read the airport in Calgary is already implementing them. 

  • Aamulehti.fi: Panthers captain Alexsander Barkov is seriously considering playing with Tappara (SM-Liiga), the club he’s a co-owner of, on loan until training camp.

BLH’s Thoughts: It’s funny, the whole “European beer league” talk has really died down since Jesse Puljujarvi re-signed in Edmonton and now that a big wave of NHLers and AHLers are playing over there. 

FWIW, I think that Tappara has some of the nicest jerseys in the SM-Liiga.

  • Iain MacIntyre (Sportsnet): The Canucks are still trying to re-sign free agent forward Josh Leivo. The deal they just signed with Jake Virtanen will give Vancouver a 24hr buyout window this weekend.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t see them buying out Loui Eriksson, that would cost too much. But, Brandon Sutter ($4.375M) is a player that I wonder about. He’d be on their cap for two more years ($2.04M in yr 1 and $1.16M in yr 2) but the buyout would save the team over $1.1M in real money. It’s right here if you want to check out all the details. 

  • Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): The belief is if Sens GM Pierre Dorion could make a trade for another forward he would.

BLH’s Thoughts: Okay… What is this team trying to do? I mean, what is the organizational plan here? Are they looking to compete in 2020-21? They have players like Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, Drake Batherson, and a handful of bottom-sixers looking to make the club too. What kind of deal would they be after?

  • Mike Chambers (Denver Post): The Avs need to add another defenseman and a physical veteran depth forward to add some toughness to their checking lines.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yup. I think this would be a good plan. There’s nothing wrong with adding some durability and sandpaper to the bottom-end of that lineup just the same way that Tampa did with Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn.

  • Claude Julien (via Sportsnet): “It’s not so much that it didn’t work out [with Domi in Montreal]. Sometimes this is what hockey’s all about — you end up with a situation where now Max became I guess a little bit expendable, because we had those guys do so well, and at the same time, we’re able to get a big player that we really needed on the wing in Josh Anderson in exchange for him.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Man, no wonder the guy wanted out. Personally, I think the Canadiens are playing with fire here. How many times have we seen young players have a good handful of games only to cool right off down the road. Domi is a proven NHL forward and to me, it sounds like the coach didn’t really have time for him and got lucky with some good performances from a couple of younger (cheaper) players. 

Here’s to hoping we see a Blue Jackets/Canadiens playoff matchup sometime soon.

The Oilers Talk

One thing that came across my mind is all the game time that is getting pilfered from Connor McDavid’s prime. Between injuries and pandemics, how many career points is he missing out on here? I mean, to me, there are two current NHLers who could break one of Wayne Gretzky’s records; McDavid and Alex Ovechkin. I’m just concerned that with all these cancelled games neither of them will actually get around to doing it.

Unless…

Ovie decides that the all-time goals record is priority and leaves Washington as an unrestricted free agent next season to join Connor and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton where the three of them will wreak havoc on the NHL’s scoring charts.

Now, before you roll your eyes at this, just remember that Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky once played together.

It wasn’t amazing but nevertheless, it happened.

OH! And remember the time Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne signed for a year with the Colorado Avalanche when they were one of the best teams in the league?

That’s probably not a great example either…

YOU GET THE POINT! Never say never!

Haha. Have a good day folks!

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(10/23/2020) Edmonton Oilers Talk and the Latest NHL Speculation feat. Dumba, Danault, Strome, Saad, and More!

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Matt Dumba, Dylan Strome, Phillip Danault, Brandon Saad, and many more!

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

The News and Rumors

  • Sheng Peng (San Jose Hockey NOW): The Sharks are talking to free agent winger Conor Sheary.

BLH’s Thoughts: Sheary has fallen off a bit since he shone in Pittsburgh but he’s fast, can score, and is really competitive. He’d be a good add to the Sharks lineup. 

  • Bruce Cassidy (Bruins Head Coach via Boston Hockey NOW): “If ‘Zee’ ends up in another uniform, then we have to rely on these young guys,” Bruce Cassidy told Martinez. “I guess that’s the way I look at it. I look at it as a coach. You try to separate the personal side of it. You go to bat with these guys every day, it’s a privilege to coach them but then people change, there’s trades and then you move on and then you gotta worry about the next guy.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Can you really see Zdeno Chara throwing on another jersey. Not sure I’d want to if I’m being honest. He should retire a Bruin. 

  • Arthur Staple (The Athletic): The Islanders have four candidates they’d like to move to clear up space; Leo Komarov, Andrew Ladd, Johnny Boychuck, and Thomas Hickey. Staple also lists the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and the New Jersey Devils as possible trade partners.

BLH’s Thoughts: Now they they’ve got those 2nd rounders from COL in the Devon Toews deal, they can use them with a prospect or two to move some of those contracts. Komarov, Ladd, and Boychuk are most likely done being impact NHLers now but Hickey still has some gas left in the tank. He might be an excellent depth addition to a good club.

  • Michael Russo (The Athletic):  Believes that a Matt Dumba trade will happen whenever Wild general manager Bill Guerin gets the return he wants. However, money is tight around the league and he doesn’t see a Dumba trade happening anytime soon.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m very curious how Guerin is going to make this happen. He needs a top-6 center here. Usually top-pair right-shot defenders can demand a great return on the trade market but with the salary cap where it is and so many teams strapped for cash… It’s going to be a challenge for the Wild to move him AND get what they really need in return before the Seattle expansion draft. 

  • Stu Cowan (Montreal Gazette): Believes there will be plenty of interest in Phillip Danault if Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin fails to sign him before the center’s UFA eligibility next summer.

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if Winnipeg would come calling with Patrik Laine’s name in hand. The Jets need a center and some D and the Habs have an extra one or two of those. Then again, Montreal will have some RFAs of their own to re-sign next off-season… 

  • Craig Morgan (Arizona Coyotes Insider): Believes Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has opted to stand pat for now. “What you see right now will pretty much be how we open up on opening night,” said Armstrong last Friday.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll believe it when I see it. This team is around $2M over the salary cap right now. Unless I’m missing something, aren’t the Coyotes supposed to be slashing cap and gutting this team? I have to be overlooking something here… 

  • Mike Chambers (Denver Post): Brandon Saad has a year left on his deal and may not be extended as the Avs will have to hand out new deals to Makar and Gabriel Landeskog.

BLH’s Thoughts: I can near guarantee that Saad isn’t getting extended with Makar and Landeskog needing to be re-upped in addition to the flat cap staying next off-season. 

  • Charlie Roumeliotis (NBC Sports): Dylan Strome has a qualifying offer from the Chicago Blackhawks that he hasn’t signed yet. They are hoping to get him signed to an extension. Once they get Strome locked up, most of their ‘heavy-lifting’ will be done. GM Stan Bowman said they are likely finished with free agency but maybe not the trade market.

BLH’s Thoughts: Sounds like the Hawks are trying to move Calvin DeHaan ($4.55M) and/or Connor Murphy ($3.85M) and if I were team on the verge of contending for a Stanley Cup, I’d take a gander at these two if the price was right. Now, if you’re a team who’s a near lock for the playoffs and you’ve got some extra cap room, these defensemen would be damned fine additions.

(If you’re a Canadian team and you want to shut down Leon Draisaitl this upcoming season, Connor Murphy gives him fits every time they play… I never said that though…)

  • Adam Vingan (The Athletic): Believes Mike Hoffman could cost between $5M and $8M on a one-year contract.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, we know who the teams are that could afford a salary like that but I have a really hard time believing that he’s going to get that much money when everybody else has had to take a massive haircut… 

The Oilers Talk

I’ll be honest, there’s a whole lot of nothing going on with the Oilers. So I think I’ll leave you with a memory instead of trying to force something out…

Four years ago on this day…

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(10/22/2020) Edmonton Oilers Talk and the Latest NHL Speculation feat. Kovalchuk, Perry, Hoffman, Galchenyuk, and More!

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Drake Caggiula, Mike Hoffman, Alex Galchenyuk, and many more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Satiar Shah (Sportsnet): Wonder if the Canucks will reconsider throwing in an asset to move out some salary as long as it doesn’t cost them a first-round pick or a top prospect.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, if they’re looking to move Brandon Sutter or Loui Eriksson, I would say so… 

  • Jason Brough (TSN Radio Vancouver): “Do we need to start talking more about a bridge deal for Hughes and Pettersson? Will Benning, in Covid times, be able to give them long contracts…or are you looking where the only option is a bridge through the years we’re dealing with a flat cap”

BLH’s Thoughts: This is a very good question and one that the Oilers are going to have to deal with at some point too with Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi, Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, and Darnell Nurse all having contracts that will expire in the next two seasons. 

  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): Believes the Florida Panthers could be using defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to bring in an offensive forward after losing Evgeni Dadonov and Mike Hoffman.

BLH’s Thoughts: Some rumors out there that the Jets are dangling youngster Jack Roslovic who apparently wants out of Winnipeg… Weegar should be able to get the Panthers are top-6 forward in a trade. To me, a DeBrusk for Weegar deal makes some sense. 

  • Aivis Kalnins (Fullpress NHL): There is a rumor coming out of Russia that forward Ilya Kovalchuk could be signing with Spartak Moscow. Kovalchuk still wants to play in the NHL next season, so it would be interesting on how it would work.

BLH’s Thoughts: I… Don’t have a lot to say about this… Spartak are not a good hockey team this year apparently, so why would he go there and not back to CSKA? 

  • Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic): Believe that Brendan Gallagher‘s camp used Chris Kreider’s seven-year, $6.5 million per deal as comparable. Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin may have drawn the line on giving the seventh year. Gallagher also got a no-movement clause.

BLH’s Thoughts: And like the Rangers, the Habs are going to regret that agreement in the final three or four years of its term. I’d love to have Kreider and Gallagher on the Oilers but they’re on the back-9 now with the way they play the game. Good for them for cashing in though. 

  • Robert Hooper (Mike Hoffman’s Agent): 13 teams have reached out and expressed interest in the free agent and five or six of those teams have come forward with serious offers.

BLH’s Thoughts: I always find it intriguing when player agents comment publicly in the even that their client is out of contract. Is he drumming up a bit of panic on the market for Hoffman as said market has gone ice-cold?

  • James O’Brien (NBC Sports): Listed Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Andreas Athanasiou, Alex Galchenyuk, and Ilya Kovalchuk on his list of “Buyer Beware” free agents.
    • On the other side of the spectrum, O’Brien has the following players on another list of bargains, Mikael Granlund, Colin Wilson, Conor Sheary, Dominik Kahun, Drake Caggiula, and Michael Frolik.
  • Lyle Richardson (Spector’s Hockey): On Corey Perry, “No word on what’s going on with Perry but I wouldn’t be surprised if he returns for another season with the Stars.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Perry was ripe dogshite during the regular season for the Stars but lit it up when the playoffs started. A very Claude Lemieux-like performance. In a shortened season, he could be a really valuable piece to have on your board… 

The Oilers Talk

The news of the week so far is Kris Russell’s extension and the emergence of Drake Caggiula as a possible candidate for the Edmonton Oilers to sign. I don’t have too much to say on this so I’ll make it snappy.

On Caggiula, I know on Oilers Now (630CHED), Bob Stauffer’s been talking about him lately, I wouldn’t sign him. There are going to be better players available as we near training camp and as fun as Cags is to watch, his fancies tell me that he was a drag on every top-6 forward he plays with save for Jonathan Toews over the 2016/17-2018/19 NHL seasons and he only averaged around 45 seconds a game on the penalty kill. Not exactly inspiring revelations, especially when you consider that when he was in Edmonton he spent the most TOI beside McDavid and Draisaitl.

Another thing to consider, Chicago walked away from him. The same GM that thought he fleeced the Oilers in a trade decided against bringing him back just as he was going to start a rebuild… Interesting to note, none of the players in that trade (Caggiula, Jason Garrison, Brandon Manning, and Robin Norell) are in the NHL as we speak…

As for Kris Russell, he’ll be back for another season should Seattle choose to claim a different skater at the expansion draft and I’m really glad. This will satisfy the rules of said expansion draft that tell us,

  • One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.

There’s one more rule that I’m very curious about and will it apply to the Oilers,

  • Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a team’s player exposure requirements unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection.

If Oscar Klefbom misses the entire season and let’s say that season is 60 games or longer, will he be exempt from the expansion draft, thus giving the Oilers the ability to protect an extra player like Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto, for example.

Getting back to The Caroline Kid, it seems most people were mad at his previous contract and less so the player. Even the cantankerous stats guys are behind this one,

Look, Russell is exactly the kind of player this team needs. An older vet who can still skate and make a positive impact defensively on the game for the Oilers as well as provide a high-end mentorship to the young players like Philip Broberg, Evan Bouchard, and Dmitri Samorukov who are looking to make the club in the coming seasons.

Every coach loves this player as does every GM and every teammate. He’ll have a job in hockey for as long as he wants IF he wants.

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(10/21/2020) Edmonton Oilers Talk and the Latest NHL Speculation feat. Duclair, Danault, Laine, Gaudreau, and More!

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Anthony Duclair, Phillip Danault, Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, and many more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Joe Thornton: One of the reasons that Jumbo Joe signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs was because he thinks Frederik Andersen is a top goalie.

BLH’s Thoughts: Shots fired! Has anybody checked Martin Jones for a heartbeat? Thornton is a legend in San Jose and he leaves town for a team that hasn’t been out of the first round for what seems like an eternity because of a goalie upgrade? What happens when Dubas deals Andersen?… 

  • Ben Pope (Chicago Sun-Times): The Chicago Blackhawks could look to move a defenseman like Calvin DeHaan or Connor Murphy.

BLH’s Thoughts: EVERYTHING MUST GO! CLEARANCE SALE! GET IT WHILE IT’S CHEAP!

Man, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Keith must be loving this… I wouldn’t be surprised if at least two of those players were moved in the next two or three seasons. 

  • Arthur Staple (The Athletic): The NJ Devils may have some potential interest in Islanders forward Leo Komarov.
    • Alex Galchenyuk, Derick Brassard, Carl Soderberg, Erik Haula, and Riley Sheahan are bargain 3C options for the Islanders.

BLH’s Thoughts: I used to really like Uncle Leo but he’s slowed right down. I’m not sure he’s even a 4th liner anymore. Time has caught up to him in a big way. 

Is Erik Haula going to be a bargain deal for someone? I feel like out of all those names, he’d be the one to charge the most. 

  • Brayton Wilson (WGR550 Buffalo): The Sabres could revisit trading Rasmus Ristolainen this off-season due to the economy.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d love to have Ristolainen in Edmonton. He’s one of a handful of players in the league that can take the heat from the Lucics and the Reaves. He’d be instant entertainment in the Battle of Alberta. To add to that, he’s no dunce either. He can play the game. You won’t mistake him for Miro Heiskanen, mind you, but he’s a very solid 2nd pair defenseman with one of the harder shots in the league and he hits to destroy.

  • Eric Francis (Sportsnet): It is unlikely that the Calgary Flames trade forward Johnny Gaudreau this off-season, but Brad Treliving will continue to listen to offers.

BLH’s Thoughts: Speaking of Flames… This narrative’s schedule is right on time. The off-season begins and the Johnny Hockey rumors are flying, then they die right down until the trade deadline. They couldn’t get Taylor Hall, so they’ll keep their little man. 

  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): No contract discussions are currently planned between the Montreal Canadiens and Phillip Danault’s camp. There’s no immediate sense of urgency to get a deal done.
    • MacKenzie Weegar’s camp is unhappy with contract talks with the Panthers. He wants to stay long-term. The Winnipeg Jets have shown serious interest while Boston, Vancouver, Toronto, and New Jersey have also inquired.

BLH’s Thoughts: I could see the Canadiens moving Danault as early as next season as long as Kotkaniemi and Suzuki are trending well. They’d get a really good haul for him too as he’s one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. 

  • Brent Wallace (TSN) Anthony Duclair represented himself and turned down a 3x$4.25M offer from Ottawa to test the market. He asked for 5x$5M+…

BLH’s Thoughts: Ouch… That hurts. 

  • Adam Vingan (The Athletic): Mike Hoffman’s agent Rob Hopper says 13 teams expressed interest, with five or six teams “serious”. There’s no pressure on either side to really do anything.

BLH’s Thoughts: That’s about the state of free agency right now. We wait until things get closer to training camp and the likes. Then we’ll see a flurry of action right before the season starts. 

The Oilers Talk

Did you catch this tidbit from yesterday morning’s edition of Oilers Now from Bob Stauffer?

  • “I don’t believe that the current incarnation of the Oilers roster will be the same as the incarnation of the roster after the trade deadline, whenever that is. There’s too many moving parts around the league. There’s stuff going on… There’s going to be players poke out and you may see a different type of player added at a certain point that changes the complexion of things.”

So Bob’s doing as Bob does, making something extremely simple sound profoundly formal. The Oilers won’t be standing pat at the trade deadline. Okay… Not much of a prognostication but it’s the “different type of player” comment that has my attention.

Earlier in the show, Oilers coach Dave Tippett was talking about how the Oilers dressing room doesn’t have enough “fire” in it and how likes that Mike Smith brings that.

I’m not sure if that’s enough to go on though if we circle back to the “different type of player” that Stauffer was speaking to.

I would say that someone is going to become available that we’re not thinking about right now and Edmonton might have a chance to trade for him.

Personally, I think it could be a high-end defenseman along the lines of an Oliver Ekman-Larsson (if not him).

Something to keep an eye (ear) on anyhow.

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(10/20/2020) Edmonton Oilers Talk and the Latest NHL Speculation feat. 3rd Jerseys, Chara, Kahun, Haula, and More!

Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Zdeno Chara, Dominik Kahun, Erik Haula, Kyle Palmieri, and many more!

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The News and Rumors

  • Icethetics.com: The “fourth jersey” program rumored to be coming to the NHL just got a bit of life with the leak of some photos via an Indonesian eBay seller.

BLH’s Thoughts: I do prefer the original black version of the Pens uniform but that Flyers jersey is really nice. I don’t know if it’s been reported or not but I guess every team is going to be getting a “retro” jersey next season. That’ll be a tidy little bit of revenue for the league… 

Personally, I’d love to see a new special uniform every season from each team like they do in the European soccer leagues.

  • Fluto Shinzawa (The Athletic): Zdeno Chara’s agent Matt Keator says they received multiple inquiries from other teams. They’re considering all options and are in no rush to make a decision yet.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d love for Zdeno Chara to play one season for the Oilers. What a presence he’d provide in their dressing room. Even if he was playing part-time, he would be so valuable to have. But If I’m looking at if from his perspective, why would I move out of the Boston area. That’s where I’ve been for the last hundred years and my roots are firmly placed. What can Edmonton provide me at this point in my career that Boston or a team nearby can’t. 

  • Lance Hornby (Toronto Sun): Leafs GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t anticipate moving a contract out for cap purposes. They might play with the cap on a gameday by going with a minimal roster.

BLH’s Thoughts: This is interesting. I’ll be keeping my eye on this to see how it works out. It might be something more teams do in the future who are under some financial pressure. And who knows, maybe we see the elimination of the 4th line eventually. 

  • Pierre LeBrun (TSN): Erik Haula’s agent Jay Grossman: “Really we’ve probably talked to 10-12 teams with legitimate interest. We’re sorting through those options.”
    • NJ Devils haven’t been shopping Kyle Palmieri. No meaningful contract talks yet, either though. “I think the priority right now is to try and sign him if possible.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Crikey! I totally forget about Erik Haula. How’d that happen?! I wonder if he heads back to Florida. They still need a 3rd line center. 

  • Jason Gregor (TSN1260): The Edmonton Oilers made an offer to Dominik Kahun, he was looking for more money so they re-signed Tyler Ennis instead. They may circle back to see if the price changes in the future.

BLH’s Thoughts: Was it also reported that Leon Draisaitl was kinda pissed Edmonton passed on him again? 

Leon is an unique individual. He gets kinda emotional when things don’t go his way eh? Remember there was a bit of stink not too long ago about him playing with Connor and not on his own line? The Puljujarvi stuff… 

I’ll make this prediction now, One of Connor McDavid and Draisaitl will finish their contracts with the Oilers, not both, and I’m thinking it’ll be the German that Edmonton eventually moves on from. 

The way I see it, if Tampa offered Victor Hedman for Drai, I’d be all over that.

  • Tracey Myers (NHL.com): San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson says young players need to step up to the next level. SJ need someone to compete for the top-six up front but he likes the defense.

BLH’s Thoughts: At this point for the Sharks, they don’t have many prospects who are ready to contribute in their top-six. They acquired Ryan Donato and he’s the closest I’d say. I don’t know the status of Jonathan Dahlen, but he was once a highly-touted forward and he’s not that young anymore (22yrs old), maybe that’s another player who could do it. 

  • Kurt Leavins (Cult of Hockey): Easy to argue that a need for a veteran right-shot defender still exists for the Edmonton Oilers. Enter (perhaps) free-agent defenceman Madison Bowey.”

BLH’s Thoughts: As we spoke about a couple of times in the last seven days. Adding Bowey provides more competition for Evan Bouchard. Next season will be a big test for Bouchard, if he can’t beat out Bowey for a place on the Oilers, they’ve already got Philip Broberg coming in… They might just deal him for immediate help and with all that cap space next season, maybe that’s the right thing to do. Add to that the defensive depth of the 2021 NHL draft. Those are a lot of pieces falling in line… 

  • Adrian Dater (Colorado Hockey NOW): The Pepsi Center (COL) is emerging as a potential candidate to be a host arena should the NHL decide to set up divisional bubbles next season.

BLH’s Thoughts: There won’t be any bubbles. The NHLPA will kaibosh that. Look at the other leagues and how they’re functioning. Some hiccups but the bubble won’t be required by the time the NHL gets going again. 

The Oilers Talk

How do you think the Oilers will do in a Canadian division? Do you think they could finish in the top four? I’m on the fence.

I look at the upgrades Montreal has made (Allen, Toffoli, Anderson, re-signed Petry/Gallagher) and I think they’re going to be very competitive.

Toronto has added Joe Thornton, Zach Bogosian, Wayne Simmonds, TJ Brodie, Mikko Lehtonen, and Alexander Barabanov. So it looks like they’ve added some real sandpaper and experience to their high-end skill.

The Senators brought in Austin Watson, Evgeni Dadonov, Josh Brown, Erik Gudbranson, as well as drafted Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson. Plus they traded for Matt Murray. They look to have improved their team drastically or at the very least, made themselves very difficult to play against.

As for the other Canadian teams,

  • Vancouver added Braden Holtby and Nate Schmidt.
  • Chris Tanev and Jacob Markstrom went to Calgary.
  • Winnipeg traded for Paul Stastny, re-signed Dylan DeMelo and signed a handful of fringe NHLers.

These teams haven’t done a whole lot but the Jets still have the league’s best goalie and a really good top-5 group of forwards, the Flames added the best goalie available and they’re top-9 forwards is very competitive, and Vancouver potentially added a very good one goalie. It depends on if Holtby can bounce back but their defense is mobile and their forward group as a whole is very hard to play against.

Now, the Oilers signed Kyle Turris, Tyson Barrie, Tyler Ennis, Jesse Puljujarvi, and brought back Mike Smith. They added more skill, more offense, but they lost a massive piece of their defense with Klefbom going down. They didn’t improve their goaltending either.

The other thing is, realistically, every signing won’t be a hit. So which one of the players that Ken Holland brought in will tank?

So this is my concern, the schedule is expected to be shorter and compacted, which teams are going to be able to withstand the intensity? Now, what if the Canadian teams are only allowed to play each other? That is going to result in some penalty-filled affairs and most likely a few more injuries.

Is next season going to come down to who has,

A) The healthiest/deepest roster.
B) The best goaltending.
C) The best defense.

The fact of the matter is for the Oilers to beat out Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary for a playoff spot in 2020-21, their defense is going to have to be impeccable. No sophomore slumps will be allowed. I’m not concerned about Edmonton’s scoring one bit. For me, the pressure is on the defense and if they can underpromise and over-deliver, I don’t have to worry about the goaltending because that’s my second concern.

Should either the defense or the goaltending falter, I’ll be ramping the draft coverage up early.

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