Tag Archives: Oscar Klefbom

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Spector and Stauffer on the Future of Edmonton’s Defense

Two days ago on Oilers Now!, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector and Edmonton Oilers play-by-play colourman Bob Stauffer mused about defensemen Adam Larsson’s and Oscar Klefbom’s futures and how they might impact the Oilers expansion draft plans as well as how they might navigate their upcoming off-season regarding Tyson Barrie and Ethan Bear.

I’m going to transcribe some of what they said and comment on it for you below.

BS – Bob Stauffer
MS – Mark Spector

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BS: It’s interesting with Oscar Klefbom because we’re having an expansion draft. So what do you do? Do you protect him if you’re the Oilers or conversely, do you expose him? This is where you’d need to know what the insurance is on that deal. If Oscar had the shoulder issue before the 7yr extension that would lend me to believe that the contract would not be insured and for the listeners who aren’t aware, usually, rough estimate, in hockey insurance picks up 80% of the money on a deal. 

So in Oscar’s case, we all know he’s a legit top-four NHL defenseman all day. If he’s available to the Oilers and you have Nurse and Klefbom as your top-two left-pairing defensemen next year, that’s a pretty good starting point, but there’s a question mark for me of do you protect him? Then the other part of it is, if you know he’s coming back and you definitely need Larsson back on the right-side because of what he brings (that shutdown presence), does that preclude you and take you out of the mix of re-signing Tyson Barrie?

BLH’s Thoughts: I think it’s very difficult to make this decision not knowing the full details of Oscar’s shoulder arthritis. Before he came over to North America to play, he had a significant shoulder injury and if it’s proven that that is where everything started, then Edmonton is kinda stuck paying out that contract if Klef decides not to play anymore. Maybe in that scenario, he’d be valuable because he could be placed on LTIR every year until the deal runs out and not only valuable to Edmonton but potentially to other teams too… 

Regarding Ethan Bear, this is what I know from watching him in the minors the last couple of seasons. When he’s good, he’s really good, but when his game is off, he struggles are very noticeable. But the one thing I come back to is that the Oilers do not have a player on their team that has the scoring potential of Tyson Barrie aside from Evan Bouchard and we might not see that for another two or three years. 

Now, it’s nice that the Oilers have all these young defenders coming, but they won’t be ready for, again, two or three seasons. By ready, I mean full-time proper NHL d-men that can have a positive impact on the ice. This team is right on the cusp of becoming a league powerhouse and going from an older d-core to a younger one will set that status back in my opinion. 

MS: It precludes Tyson Barrie from hitting a home-run here, I would say that to you. I think Ken Holland, at this point, has built his financial model around having Klefbom back. In the end, he’s a very good player on a very good contract. They may come out of surgery and plans may change but at this point, you’re trying to build the best team you can and imagine how good this team would be with a healthy Oscar Klefbom as a top-two guy on the left-side.

So, now you move on. There’s a lot of things here, Bob. Let’s say they go the 7-3-1 route in expansion and protect three defenseman, which is what you’d expect, right? You’re protecting Nurse and let’s say you sign Larsson before the expansion draft, which is highly likely, he’s going to say, “If I’m signing there, you’ve got to give me a no-move.” Now I’m protecting him and I’ve got one guy left here. If I sign Barrie I’m protecting Barrie and leaving Klefbom open. If I don’t sign Barrie, now he’s going to be UFA and who knows what’s going to happen? Do I protect Klefbom with the iffy shoulder or do I Ethan Bear? You know, it’s a real puzzle and Kenny Holland is the puzzle master, he’s going to have to figure it out. 

BLH’s Thoughts: Look, if it was me, I would do my best not to have any deals with my UFAs announced with the league until after the July 21st expansion draft was completed. I don’t know why the Oilers would officially re-sign them before that since free agency doesn’t open until 28th of July and with the draft plopped right in the middle of those two dates on the 23rd and 24th. 

So, in that scenario, Edmonton wouldn’t need to protect RNH, Larsson, or Barrie, right? They could put Nurse, Bear, and Lagesson or Jones on their list for d-men. Therefore, it’s not much of a puzzle and I’m kind of surprised Spector didn’t bring that option up. Unless I’ve got something all wrong with my understanding of the expansion draft rules…

BS: Just in terms of the difference between Barrie and Bear, basically, Barrie creates more offense but gives more up and Bear is actually the better 5v5 defenseman and he’s at a decent price point and I look at the Klefbom variable as potentially altering what could happen with Tyson Barrie because Klefbom can play on the powerplay, Nurse can play on the powerplay, and Oh, by the way, they have a potential right-shot option that they don’t have to protect in Bouchard. 

So, if they know Klefbom is coming back then you don’t need Barrie. I think we both agree, they definitely need what Larsson brings, do you agree?

BLH’s Thoughts: I agree on both points, that Barrie is surplus to requirements IF Klefbom is coming back and the Oilers need what Larsson brings.

Here’s my thing though, do you want Darnell Nurse skating 28 minutes a night? You don’t want to wear the guy down so that half way through his next long-term deal that’s paying him $7.5M or more he starts running into injury problems. Although, on the other side of the coin, if Klef is on the 2nd pair with Larsson, he’d be around to cover and then there’d be a guy like Caleb Jones or Philip Broberg to cover Oscar’s spot on the 2nd pair. 

What if Klef doesn’t come back though? I think you’ve got to consider keeping Barrie and moving one of Bear or Bouchard and then signing a depth right-shot NHL veteran as a no.7 blueliner. Maybe that’s Travis Hamonic or Sami Vatanen, who the Oilers have had interest in prior. Perhaps that’s Kevin Miller or Greg Pateryn too. 

MS: Oh, for sure and at a lesser number than, you know, he’s not going to be a $5M player. Larsson makes $4.1M right now, I’m not sure you’d have to pay him $4.1M on the next deal, not in this economy.

BS: I’m gonna tell ya, I think it’s going to be somewhere between $3.5M and $4M.

BLH’s Thoughts: Funny, at the beginning of the year, Stauffer was saying that Larsson would be willing to come back at a significantly lower AAV. I could be wrong, but I remember the number $2.5M being thrown around. Times have changed… That said, I love Larsson and would like to see him come back for another three or four seasons at around $3.5M. 

MS: There ya go. There’s a guy you get back at the same number, let’s say for fun. I’ve said this since you and I have known each other, every team I’ve covered that wins has that defenseman, right? They’ve got Matt Greene, they’ve got Brooks Orpik, or they’ve got Jason Smith, or they’ve got Rob Scuderi. You know, just keep going down the list, every good team has Ken Daneyko on it sitting there on the 3rd pair. When you’re down 3-2 late in the game he’s not playing but when you’re up 3-2 in the game, boy, is he ever playing and Adam Larsson is that guy for Edmonton. That is a component of a championship team that they have that isn’t that expensive and that they’ve got to keep. 

I’d absolutely fall over if Ken Holland didn’t manage to keep Adam Larsson on this team. 

BLH’s Thoughts: 100%. Ken Holland knows the value that a player like Adam Larsson brings to his team but he also understands that veteran NHL coaches love these kind of defensemen even more. 

Who’s winning the Larsson for Hall trade now?… 

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Is Oscar Klefbom Done in Edmonton?

If you haven’t heard, Edmonton Oilers defensive rock Oscar Klefbom could very well be done for the upcoming 2020-21 NHL season. At the moment, he’s considering whether or not to have surgery on a chronic shoulder problem that could see him on the sidelines for up to the next six months.

This is a problem for the Oilers but it does speak to why Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s name has been connected most frequently with the club this off-season.

Now, I have my own feelings and some news of my own that ties in with this but first I want to show you some quotes from The Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins from their most recent podcast that are going to shed new light on what the Oilers allegedly have planned going forward with or without Klefbom. Don’t worry, Bruce McCurdy and David Staples are in there too.

Oscar Klefbom’s Future

From what I understand from the organization, they LIKE Oscar Klefbom, however this is a guy that has played 66, 61, and 62 games the last three seasons. He’s ALWAYS hurt and it’s hard to count on a guy who you’re using as your 1D when he’s only playing 4/5ths of the season and I think at some point the Oilers decided if we’re going to move forward we have to have someone who we can count on day in and day out. I think OEL has only missed 12 games over the last seven years. 

This is really hard to argue against and the durability argument strengthens Darnell Nurse’s case as well. I don’t believe Darnell has missed one game in the last three seasons.

Next season’s schedule, if it is a compressed one, has the potential to be hellacious if it’s indeed true that there are going to be a lot of back-to-backs. A team that doesn’t have durable players and depth is going to sink.

They don’t think they can count on Klefbom health-wise and the McDavid clock is ticking. They’ve got to do something here and I don’t think they feel like they’ve got a couple of years here to just bring the defense along without Oscar Klefbom, who looks like he could be going on LTIR. I think they feel like they need to do something now to keep the train moving forward. 

OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON

I’ve been told he’s willing to waive. That’s not an issue and the ties with the coaching staff, think not just Tippett as there’s two guys behind that bench that OEL has played for a really respects. So there’s no issues with him coming here (Edmonton).

He’s very very durable and I think it’s fair to argue that he’s not an elite 1D anymore but certainly he’s a 1D. Maybe he’s somewhere between (the top) 15-20 but on the Oilers he would immediately become your number one defenceman by a mile.

He never misses any time. His TOI is 30 seconds off his career average, and the other thing I’d point out is OEL lost a parent and from what I understand, he was very very very close to that parent. We saw the impact of losing a father had on Adam Larsson. Time heals all wounds they say and if that’s the case, there’s some explanation why perhaps his play has been off a little bit the last season if we kind of put one and one together I think we get two. 

At one time he was one of the top-5 defensemen in the NHL. I don’t think he’s that now but I strongly believe he’s a (top) 15-20 and a #1 everyday of the week and twice on Sunday on an Oilers club and I think he would be for at least the next 3-4 years which is that time that is clicking on the McDavid clock. 

I’ll be honest, I haven’t watched a lot of Coyotes games… Ever. I can’t stand their broadcast crew and their team is so bloody boring. So it’s really hard to comment on whether or not I feel like OEL is a number one defender. When I look at his numbers over the last three years (standard practice since Natural Stat Trick only allows you to see three seasons at a time) I notice his offensive numbers aren’t much better than Nurse’s but his defensive metrics blow Nurse’s out of the water.

OEL is a stud on defense and the opportunity to acquire a dman of this ilk doesn’t come around often. Especially at the rumored price.

THE TRADE RUMOR

What I suspect is that Arizona is asking for a defensive prospect in addition to Kris Russell. I’m sure they would like Broberg or Bouchard. I’m positive the Oilers don’t want to give up either one of them. 

Would you make this deal in a flat-cap era where Arizona is really shy on cash if you put Dmitri Samorukov in that deal (first round pick and Kris Russell)? I think Arizona would think about it.

So yes, I think they’ll want a prospect but I think Ken Holland will do everything he can not to make Evan Bouchard a part of that deal. 

Yeah, I’m made to understand that they aren’t making the trade if Bouchard or Broberg needs to be included and that’s the right thing to do UNLESS the Coyotes want to send back Viktor Soderstrom which I can’t see them wanting to do.

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THE TRADE PROPOSAL

Here David Staples gives Leavins two separate trade proposals and asks him if he would make them if he was GM.

Proposal #1: first round pick + Philip Broberg + Kris Russell

Leavins: No.

Proposal #2: first round pick + Evan Bouchard + Kris Russell

Leavins: Yes.

To me, Ekman-Larsson is a true #1 and Broberg can be. I think Bouchard has the chance to be a really good PP guy but as an overall defenseman, I don’t think he’ll ever be more than a 3/4.

This is a very interesting analysis of the two young defensemen. Evan Bouchard is not an aggressive defenseman but he is very capable of holding his own. I find him to be way more cerebral than most give him credit for and going forward, maybe that will be a good thing, a better thing for Edmonton’s defense. Plus, nobody passes like Bouchard nor do they have his shot…

Bottom line: Edmonton needs to keep these two.

THE WRENCH

Let me throw one more wrench into this. I’ve kept saying that the Oilers could send Arizona a first. I didn’t say their 14th overall pick. I’m not ruling out the Oilers sending someone else out this year for a first so they’d have two firsts. So they’d still have one and one to deal and that helps move out salary. 

WHO WOULD THEY MOVE OUT?

Who on your club do you think you could get a first for and let’s agree that McDavid and Draisaitl are the only two untouchables on your team. 

Staples: Darnell Nurse.
Leavins: Yep. You sure could.
Staples: You could get a first for RNH.
Leavins: Yes, you could and I think you could’ve for a healthy Oscar Klefbom but you couldn’t right now. Anybody else?
Staples: Ethan Bear. You could get a low first round pick for Ethan Bear I believe.
Leavins: Maybe, yeah. So, here’s the wrench I throw into the works, don’t think there’s just one first, think there’s two firsts in play. 

McCurdy: If they trade Nurse and Klefbom’s Hurt, OEL is going to have to play about 45 minutes a night.
Staples: I think they have tried out Caleb Jones as a 2nd pairing defenseman two years in a row. I don’t think it’s unexpected or untoward to expect him to be a 2nd pairing defenseman this year.

Leavins: And think of how many $1M defensemen are going to be kicking around the NHL this fall/winter in a flat-cap era. 

Oh my… Did I get that right? Will the Edmonton Oilers put Oscar Klefbom on LTIR and trade Darnell Nurse for a package that includes a first-round pick and then rotate Caleb Jones and another defenseman (Erik Gustafsson?) on the 2nd pairing this upcoming season?

Well, moving Nurse frees up $5.6M and Klefbom to LTIR is another $4M-ish. Then you trade Kris Russell and that’s ANOTHER $4M gone. In total, that’s $13M+ moved out, and my friends, that’s how you fit in an OEL or an Alex Pietrangelo…

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: This is How I’d Improve the Oilers Defense

I’ve been sitting on this article for a few days now wondering how to present it and I’ve finally decided just to put it out there. Coherent thoughts be damned!

You see, this Edmonton Oilers team has come to that point in its development where it’s time to make some harsh decisions. The forward group is coming along and simply requires some experimentation and tinkering, but the core of the defense has been around for a solid three years, four for some and yet, there’s still a problem or two.

One, it has trouble defending effectively and consistently. Now, be that due to the inconsistent health at the top or having to go through the peaks and valleys of deploying players before they’re ready or they’re out of their leagues, it’s still an issue.

Two, it has lacked elite puck-movers in the top-four and will for at least one more season until the Oilers’ coaching staff is comfortable playing Ethan Bear on the top pair, Caleb Jones on the 2nd pair, and Evan Bouchard on the 3rd pair.

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For today’s post, I want to just illustrate where the team is with their current trident (Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, and Darnell Nurse.) and talk about possible solutions following that.

Take a gander at this chart. It contains the relative “against” metrics for the Klefbom, Larsson, and Nurse at 5×5 (2000 minutes played minimum) from 2017/18-to-2019/20 courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. I used the relative form of the statistic to illustrate how that player as an individual impacted his team. In brackets, I’ll have that player’s league ranking amongst his peers.

Name CA/60 FA/60 SA/60 GA/60 xGA/60 SCA/60 HDCA/60 HDGA/60
Larsson -4.18 (48th) -1.02 (57th) -0.35 (72nd) 0.05 (82nd) 0.00 (80th) -.75 (51st) -0.3 (60th) 0.03 (90th)
Nurse 1.04 (104th) 1.28 (115th) 1.1 (118th) 0.05 (87th) 0.12 (116th) 0.81 (100th) 0.36 (99th) 0.2 (139th)
Klefbom 1.49 (65th) 0.68 (106th) 0.69 (67th) 0.31 (152nd) 0.03 (101st) 1.02 (117th) 0.07 (89th) 0.07 (73rd)

Feel free to bash your head into your keyboard now. There were only 168 skaters who played 2000 minutes or more in that time frame and the Oilers have their top-two left-shooting defenders ranking in the bottom third in a majority of the defensive categories? That’s a tough recipe for success.

Now, I was under the impression that Mr. Nurse was a good defensive defender. Boy, was I wrong. To put it politely, he is not. And now I’m starting to wonder why multiple veteran head coaches are always putting him on the ice with Connor McDavid? Wouldn’t they want a guy who can effectively move the puck to the best player in the world more often than not and give their team a better chance at scoring?

Sure, 25’s goals share numbers are high (.47 GF/60 using same parameters as above. Good for 22nd in the league) but surely we can attribute that to the amount of time he’s played with the Oilers’ best players. Well, some might say correlation doesn’t equal causation and to that I say, take him away from Connor and let’s see where that offense goes. Even the metrics tell us that Darnell needs McDavid more than McDavid needs Darnell and in Nurse’s defense, that’s how it goes for a lot of players.

Nurse is the WRONG defenseman to be sending out with McDavid. Connor needs defenders who can pass him the puck, not ones who can transport it by themselves. I can count the number of players on one hand who play for the Oilers who should be allowed to rush the puck through the neutral zone and into the other team’s end and Nurse is not one of them.

Aside from the goal share, what else will Nurse bring to the table that will contribute to the success of the team on the ice? Apparently, it’s not his defense. I used to think that his toughness was one of those things and he’s tamed right down over the years. I consider Adam Larsson and Matthew Benning to be much meaner players now.

So if he has trouble moving the puck, shooting on net, defending on the whole and winning the shot share, what the hell are the Oilers doing with him, and are they expecting him to get better? He’s twenty-five years old now and if there’s a time to trade the guy and get maximum value, it’s now. And if the club is afraid to deal him because it’ll piss off Connor, resign, because obviously they’re not prepared to do what’s best for the team. The caveat being, the return and replacement MUST upgrade the team. 

SMH Moment: Jason Gregor thinks the Oilers should only deal Nurse if they can get a true #1 defenseman and the odds of getting back a player that will make the team better are quite low.

#Yikes. That’s about as uneducated of an opinion as one can throw out there and I’ve thrown out some doozies over the years. Speaking of odds. What are the odds a local member of the media overrates one of the Oilers? Just asking for a friend.

Solution! Sign Erik Gustafsson. He’d be cheaper with substantially better offensive numbers as well as slightly better defensive ones, and a more effective puck mover. Boom! Done. Keep the Swedish revolution alive!

Name CA/60 FA/60 SA/60 GA/60 xGA/60 SCA/60 HDCA/60 HDGA/60
Gustafsson -0.42 (94th) 0.63 (98th) -0.6 (99th) -0.06 (63rd) 0.16 (132nd) 1.05 (111th) 0.46 (107th) 0.09 (109th)

As I said, the defensive stats (above) are on par with Nurse and Klefbom but the offensive ones (below) are far and away an upgrade on Edmonton’s two top lefties. This is three seasons worth and it’s not like Gustafsson was playing for a juggernaut.

Name CF/60 FF/60 SF/60 GF/60 xGF/60 SCF/60 HDCF/60 HDGF/60
Gustafsson 4.57 (26th) 3.66 (26th) 1.72 (37th) 0.81 (3rd) 0.26 (20th) 3.15 (15th) 1.6 (12th) 0.42 (6th)

As for Oscar, Brian Lawton was on Oilers Now last week and he expressed concern over the future of Klefbom’s health. Of all the players we’re talking about today, he’s played the fewest games since 2017/18 with 189/246. In fact, he’s only had one season where he’s played more than 66 games and that was back in 2016/17 when he put up season highs and played in every game.

His problem is he allows a lot of chances against doesn’t produce many himself. So how much is he really helping and/or hurting the club?

On the other hand, he eats minutes like a MFer and passes better than Nurse or Larsson. He’s more trusted and plays a very simple game. Health concerns aside, is he the one that needs to be moved? We can’t forget that he has one of the best contracts in the league either. A guy that plays as much as him should be making much much more than $4M a year.

Adam Larsson isn’t going to give you any offense. He’s paired up with Klefbom because Klef is the puck mover on that pair and they have good chemistry together. He IS capable of moving it up himself either by pass or by rush, mind you. I don’t think we’re breaking any news there, but he is the team’s BEST defensive defenseman and he’s right-handed. He plays 20+ minutes a night and these players are in demand. Unless you have a ready replacement or you get your socks knocked off with a trade offer, you keep him. If you’re worried about his back, don’t be. He’s missed more time with a foot injury in the past than one in his back.

Bob Stauffer pontificated on his show yesterday morning that perhaps Larsson would be willing to take a lower salary because he wants to extend his career and he sees that the kinds of players who play like him are becoming fewer with each season that passes by.

If that’s the case, you could sign him long-term and then slowly move him down the lineup as others graduate like Bear and Bouchard.

I’ll say this though. There is one reason you’d move the Iron Swede and that’s if he didn’t want to be there. Not saying that’s the case but his time in Edmonton has been overshadowed by the local populace’s infatuation with Taylor Hall and his father passing away. So, there’s a possibility there’s a bit of a dark cloud that hovers over him in E-Town.

The Conundrum

If the Oilers trade Klefbom, Nurse, or Larsson for help on forward, who is replacing them on the first pair? Are Nurse and Bear ready? Which forces us to consider who should be on the 2nd pair and would one of those players be ready to take on first pair minutes in the case of injury, sickness, or suspension? My sources tell me that as good as Caleb Jones’ numbers were, he needs one more year on the 3rd pair.

That being said, Would you move Nurse for Nik Ehlers and then sign Erik Gustafsson?

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Who I Want

There are three defenders that I absolutely love for the Oilers,

  • Vince Dunn (STL) – He’s a very mobile left-shot blueliner for St. Louis. He’s so agile and moves the puck extremely well. Dunn isn’t a puck rusher though, he’s a transitionary dman. Kinda like Ethan Bear but with the kind of edges that Quinn Hughes has. Not that good, but up there. He’s an RFA this off-season and there are rumblings out there that the Blues might have to move him if they want to re-sign Alex Pietrangelo.
  • Viktor Mete (MTL) – Mete isn’t as good on the edges as Dunn but he’s a fantastic puck mover in his own right. Not sure if the Canadiens would like to trade him since they’re lacking quality defenceman on their left-side.
  • Erik Gustafsson (CGY) – UFA this summer. He could be a good temporary solution as the team awaits the arrival of Philip Broberg. As we stated above, his contribution to the offense blows Nurse’s out of the water and his defense is slightly better.

The Blues are going to want to shed salary, so I imagine that they’d like to avoid taking on salary in a deal for Dunn should they decide they’re moving him and he’s only 23. They’re also set on forward for the most part. I’d have to guess they’d be looking for picks/prospects. I’d love to offer Athanasiou for Dunn but I’m not sure of that proposal’s realism factor.

Montreal will want to win now but would you offer Nurse and Puljujarvi for Domi and Mete?

The Leafs Rumors

Tell ya what. The Leafs need a rugged shutdown defender more than the Oilers need skilled forwards. I’d go as far as to say the Oilers need to upgrade the puck-moving and mobility of their defense more. I also believe that Edmonton has done enough to help other teams around the league and making Toronto a better club would be disastrous for the Oilers should the Leafs rebuild have success before Edmonton… Why help that team?

Yesterday morning, James Mirtle (The Athletic) and Bob Stauffer were having a discussion about the possibility of a Leafs/Oilers trade and the just of Mirtle’s thoughts were thus,

  • Adam Larsson might not be TO’s no.1 priority. They’re probably aiming higher.
  • Kapanen’s ceiling might be as a 3rd line penalty killer.
    • He has trouble playing with skilled star players because his read and react game isn’t at that level.
    • He’s a fantastic skater but doesn’t wow you with any other skill.
  • Andreas Johnsson plays better with the stars.
    • He’s better in the corners.
    • Has a better shot and makes small area passes better.
    • Grittier

I’m staying away from Kapanen if he can’t play with the likes of Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers have gone through a plethora of those players and there’s no sense in using assets to bring in another one.

Another thing, people have to get this through their heads, just because a player can skate in a line really fast does not make them a good fit for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. They need wingers who are skilled and have the ability to work in the muck. It’s so simple.

If Andreas Johnsson is that guy, so be it. Just don’t trade Adam Larsson for him because Toronto wins that deal. They’ve got a handful of skilled Euros that are lining up to replace Johnsson when he’s traded but they have NOBODY on the right side of their defense.

Mr. Stauffer brought up four names on his show yesterday morning,

  • Bryan Rust (PIT)
  • Matt Murray (PIT)
  • Braden Holtby (WAS)
  • Tyson Barrie (UFA)

Keep an ear out in the future regarding those players. Tyson Barrie has been linked with the Oilers for a long time as has Bryan Rust. Last summer there were Puljujarvi/Rust rumors flying and this year I’m hearing that Holland will be looking to upgrade the wingers with experienced players who know both ends of the ice. My sources have told me that the Oilers will be targeting Holtby if cap room can shake loose. If the Oilers want Barrie, it’ll have to be at the cost of Adam Larsson though.

In the end, I’d move Nurse for a good winger (Ehlers/Rakell/Bertuzzi/Vrana) and then sign Gustafsson. I’d leave Klefbom and Larsson for one more year and then make a decision on that pair then. The hope is that by upgrading the passing/playmaking ability of the group with the addition of Gustaffson, Jones, and eventually Bouchard, they’ll be playing less in their own zone and as a result, the against numbers will improve.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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Elliotte Friedman’s Latest Oilers Rumors

The 31 Thoughts podcast dropped last night and in it included a fairly lengthy section on the Edmonton Oilers where co-hosts Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman gave their opinions on what Connor McDavid’s team might do this off-season.

Some of the topics covered:

  • Andreas Athanasiou
  • Edmonton’s lack of scoring support against Chicago
  • Jesse Puljujarvi
  • Holland’s Patience
  • Could the team explore trading Oscar Klefbom or Adam Larsson?
  • Who might come in to replace Mike Smith?

You can listen to the full pod at the end of this post. Skip ahead to 1:01:45-ish to get the Oilers content.

So starting with Andreas Athanasiou. The prevailing thought from both hockey pundits is that he’ll be a cap casualty. The Oilers may very well walk away because they’re afraid of being beat in an arbitration hearing. Friedman did point out that AA could accept the team offer during the arbitration process though but I’m not sure why he’d do that unless he thought he was going to lose.

My guess is they’ll look to move on from him and recoup draft picks.

As for Puljujarvi, according to Marek, he was told that things were very close to being done but Friedman had heard that that wasn’t the case at all. As he stated in his latest post on Sportsnet, he said that the team might’ve thought things were close but the player didn’t.

Another point that was added by Friedman was the Oilers were looking to sign him to make it easier to trade him but Puljujarvi wanted more control over where he was going. Perhaps he wasn’t going to sign unless he knew where he was going.

The two also felt that JP’s peers from his draft class are establishing themselves in the NHL and maybe the best thing for Jesse would be to get over to North America and play.

This is something I agree with. Another year in Finland is not something I would consider best for his development or career trajectory. Had he moved to the KHL or the SHL, then I could understand because there’s an element of increased difficulty there in addition to immersing himself into another country and culture.

Jeff Marek asked about Mike Smith and the pair had pondered earlier in the pod on the number of goalies that are going to hit the market this off-season. It’s possible that some might have to sign for less because there are more chairs than people to sit in them.

Friedman offered up the names of Thomas Greiss and Anton Khudobin as players he could see signing in Edmonton.

I’m not sure about these guys, to be honest. They both make a fair chunk of cash, right? Khudobin ($2.5M) and Greiss ($3,33M) and they’re both 34 years old… They are solid netminders though. I reckon if Holland could get them for closer to $2M/yr, that would be the best-case scenario. Otherwise, perhaps finding a trade to fill the need might just be the way to go.

Finally, there was lots of chatter about what Ken Holland could do with the defense. Friedman noted that he thinks Holland will be patient and that he won’t move his young defenders, specifically naming Darnell Nurse as he’s not an older player and he’s part of the leadership group.

They did mention Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson mind you.

The Klefbom/Krug rumor came up and then the bearded wonder mused, “Edmonton and Toronto, to me, look like potentially natural trading partners.” as well as “I really do believe Holland isn’t going to move his young D. So where’s the fit?”

I do concur that it looks like Toronto is going to muscle up this off-season but the targets still have to be able to play.

Now, the Leafs have Morgan Reilly, Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott, and Rasmus Sandin on their left-side according to Mr. Friedman. That would lead one to believe that Adam Larsson could be the target for Toronto but how would that leave the Oilers?

They’d have Bear, Benning, and Bouchard as their natural right-shot defenders available in addition to Kris Russell and Caleb Jones who can both play their off-side. Would you be comfortable with that set-up going into 2020/21 if Larsson could net the team Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen?

In my mind, if the Leafs and Oilers really want to shake things up, make the Nurse/Nylander trade.

It’s my belief that Nurse’s mean streak is slowly losing its luster as he grows older so that part of his game is becoming less impactful and his contribution to the offensive part of the game is predicated upon playing with Connor McDavid primarily. Take him away from 97 and the offense dries up. So what are you left with?

I don’t think that Edmonton needs to get younger on the back-end. In fact, they could benefit from getting older and a veteran left-shot blueliner that excels at defending and puck-moving is a lot easier to find than not.

I’d argue that the Oilers would be a better team, a deeper team if they traded Nurse for Nylander and added Erik Gustafsson to fill in on the 2nd pair. But that’s just me. If the team is worried about a physical presence, don’t trade Larsson and/or sign Derek Engelland…

It really all goes back to Friedman’s belief that Ken Holland won’t be making any panic moves but he will look to improve the netminding and the wings.

It’s going to be an interesting fall for all of the Canadian NHL teams… I talked to a gentleman who covers the Canucks and he agreed. “Very busy!” he added.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Get your “Stanley” today!

 

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers: BLH’s All-Decade Oilers Teams + Why the Brassard Deal Fell Through

By the time Chris Johnston reported the Edmonton Oilers were out of the “Derick Brassard Sweepstakes” I had read no fewer than three tweets from reputable sources that he was on his way to Edmonton.

  • Georges Laraque – Former Oiler and Radio Host in Montreal
  • Kevin Weekes – Former NHL Goalie and Hockey Analyst for ESPN, NHL Network, and NHL.com
  • Dan Kingerski – NHL Home Ice and Sportsnet Hockey Tonight, www.pittsburghhockeynow.com

Nobody said anything when those gentlemen sent their tweets out. The Edmonton media might’ve still been trying to figure out Google Translate maybe. It’s hard, I know.

Then early yesterday morning all of a sudden it was BAM-BAM-BAM. Jim Matheson (Edmonton Journal/Sun) sends a tweet out, then Kurt Leavins (Cult of Hockey), and then Bob Stauffer (Oilers play by play). All really close to each other.

(That’s a pretty good indicator that all three of those fellas talked to the same source by the way…)

Anyways, not long after the three musketeers put their info out, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston sent his tweet out saying that the Oilers were out and then shortly thereafter Andrew Gross (Isles beat writer) said that the Islanders would be picking him up.

At the end of the day, I do believe Edmonton was VERY close to signing him, hence the silence from the Edmonton media, but the deal hinged on another offer. So the Islanders upped their ante, Brassard signs in Long Island for the year at $1.2M and he adds another Eastern Conference clubs to his name (PIT, NYR, FLA, OTT). I couldn’t be happier for it as he was absolutely horrid last season and there’s no indication that he’s going to get any better. Good looking kid though, I hope he proves me wrong. As it is, he would’ve been surplus to requirements in Edmonton and the Oilers need that cap room.

F*ck those guys! Click the link and grab one of these beauty shirts!


BLH’s All-Decade Oilers Teams

Over at ESPN they are doing some fun “All-Decade” stuff and I thought that I’d like to do something like that as well. So I’m going to give you my first and second All-Decade Edmonton Oilers teams.

(I’m going with traditional lefty/righty on defense by the way.)

First Team

LW – Leon Draisaitl: 351gp 125g 187a 312pts
C – Connor McDavid: 287gp 128g 244a 372pts
RW – Jordan Eberle: 507gp 165g 217a 382pts
LD – Oscar Klefbom: 316gp 29g 93a 122pts
RD – Justin Schultz: 248gp 28g 73a 101pts
G – Cam Talbot: 227gp 104w 95l 912sv% 2.74gaa

I know what you’re thinking… “Where’s Taylor Hall?”

Well, as far as I’m concerned, Leon Draisaitl has meant more to the Oilers during this decade than Taylor Hall. From a statistical POV, they’re quite similar. Hall scored 328pts in 381 games and Leon has scored 312pts in 351 games. I simply give the edge to Leon because he’s done it from two positions. Plus, let’s be honest here, Draisaitl can play with McDavid, whereas Taylor couldn’t.

I don’t think we can argue McDavid, Eberle, and Klefbom being on the first team. They’ve definitely been the best Oilers at those positions over the decade. Maybe health plays a factor with Klefbom but even then, when he’s gone out with injury, the team has fallen apart without him. He’s a minute-munching animal that really has no equal in this exercise.

Some of you might be wondering about Darnell Nurse as opposed to Justin Schultz but once again, if we go to the stat sheet, Jultz was head and shoulders (and always will be) better than Doc offensively. Was he a tire fire in his own end? Yes, of epic proportions, but the Oilers have missed his puck-moving abilities more than ever since they dealt him to Pittsburgh.

It’s Talbot over Dubnyk between the pipes easily. 12 shutouts in 227 games vs. 8 for Dubie? The gap isn’t substantial but without Talbot, the Oilers would’ve never gotten close to the playoffs when they made it.

Second Team

LW – Taylor Hall: 381gp 132g 196a 328pts
C – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 539gp 147g 235a 382pts
RW – Dustin Penner: 144gp 53g 49a 102pts
LD – Ryan Whitney: 139gp 12g 49a 71pts
RD – Jeff Petry: 295gp 17g 57a 74pts
G – Devan Dubnyk: 171gp 61w 76l .910sv% 2.88gaa

Hall, Nuge, and Dubnyk are locks here, but the debate starts everywhere else. Unless you want to argue that David Perron should be in over Hall or Sam Gagner deserves to be there instead of Nugent-Hopkins. I don’t think there’s anyone out there that would have Khabibulin or Scrivens over Dubnyk, right?

Dustin Penner comes in ahead of Ales Hemsky and Nail Yakupov because I feel like he was a better player and a more effective one than Hemmer or Yak. He had similar goal totals (53) but he did it in a much shorter time frame (144 games).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itCUA_usE5U

On defense, I went with Ryan Whitney over Darnell Nurse because Whits was simply the better defenseman plus he could make a pass. Whitney scored nearly as many points as Nurse did in about 140 games less. It’s too bad for that bum ankle but his 0.51 pts/game is the best amongst all Oilers defenders in that decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkpb6d1SagM

As for right-defense, it’s Jeff Petry all day for me. I considered Andrej Sekera here but since I’m going the traditional righty/lefty pairings, I can’t use him. Jeff Petry was a massive talent for the Oilers before they sent him packing to Montreal. He was big, physical, could shoot the pill, make a pass and he was consistent. Petry played nearly 300 games for the Oilers in the last decade, but he, like many others before him and after, was a victim of circumstance. He’s shone for the Habs since he left and been a top defender for them.

Who is on your All-Decade Edmonton Oilers team? Let us know in the comments below!

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