Tag Archives: Oscar Klefbom

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

Edmonton Oilers: Will Klefbom’s Injury Force a Trade Plus 2019 World Junior Championships Group A Preview

The hockey gods have a funny way of doing business, don’t they? The Oilers best defenseman goes down with a couple of busted fingers after taking a clapper point-black from Sven Andrighetto. Man, if Oscar Klefbom didn’t have bad luck he wouldn’t have any luck. The guy can’t seem to buy a break.

That said, I saw that Caleb Jones has been called up. I’ll say this about Jones, if you liked Yohann Auvitu, you’re going to love this guy. He’s a roamer for sure. I mean he’s not quite as adventurous as Auvitu was, he likes to go walkabout. I watched him leave his teammates out to dry quite a few times in Bakersfield this year.

That’s the bad. The good is that he can transport the puck very well. He’s adept at getting out of sticky situations with the puck on his blade as opposed to off the glass and out.

I’m just wondering if Peter Chiarelli might make a call to new Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher and see how much a Radko Gudas might cost. The Flyers are in a bad way right now and they’ve got to do something ASAP. They had that game vs. Calgary in the bag and gave it right back to the Flames in the final minute… Brutal.

Or perhaps it’s time to see how the Carolina Hurricanes are feeling about some of their defenders. They’re not playing so hot right now either and their owner has gone public now with his displeasure.

https://twitter.com/MikeKellyNHL/status/1072968608865796097


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2019 World Junior Hockey Championships Group A Preview

Team Canada | Last Year: Gold | Projection: Silver

Another World Juniors means another stacked Canadian team. I’m only highlighting three of their top talents, but there are so many that deserve a mention. Gabe Vilardi is one, but he is just returning from injury and his condition is in question after a tough stint in the AHL. The Canadian team might not have the goaltending they did in previous years when they had Carter Hart, but it’s nothing to worry about. All around Canada is one of the best teams at this tournament with no glaring weaknesses.

Evan Bouchard | D | London Knights | Edmonton

Bouchard is the clear #1 defender for this stacked Canadian squad. He spent 7 games up with the Edmonton Oilers where he saw limited ice time. He was then sent back to London of the OHL where he has been dominant in every sense of the word. He’s well over a point per game and the captain of another great London team. Last season he registered 87 points in 67 games which lead him to be selected 10th overall by the Oilers. Bouchard is one of thepuck-movingmoving defenders in the tournament, and most defiantly the best passer. Even with an amazing d-core, Canada will rely heavily on Bouchard.

Cody Glass | C | Portland Winterhawks | Vegas

This is Cody Glass’ year. Glass would have been in the NHL this year if it wasn’t for Vegas GM, George McPhee’s, bias against teenagers in the NHL. He’s here to prove not only that he should be in the NHL, but that he should’ve been on last year’s gold medal team too. Glass is hovering around 2.00 points per game in the WHL with Portland. He’s got a lot to prove to Hockey Canada, Vegas, and to himself. As a 6th overall pick, the expectation is that he should be able to compete at the NHL level. There is a lot of pressure on Glass, and he’s a name you have to keep an eye on.

Maxime Comtois | LW | Drummondville Voltigeurs | Anaheim

Comtois is this year’s big surprise. After his start in the NHL nobody thought he’d be going to the World Juniors. He spent 10 games with Anaheim and score in his first games, and had 7 points in those 10 games until being sent down to the AHL where he had a goal in 4 games. Now he’s back in the QMJHL joining a stacked Drummondville squad. Comtois is going to be completely dominant if he plays in the tournament like he did for Anaheim.

Alexis Lafrenière | LW | Rimouski Océanic | 2020 Draft

What’s there to say that already hasn’t been said with Lafrenière? A 17-year-old not draft eligible until 2020 is going to play in the World Juniors. Lafrenière sits around 3rd in QMJHL scoring at the moment. The Rimouski player won CHL Rookie of the Year over 2nd overall pick from this past draft, Andrei Svechnikov last year. At the Hlinka tournament earlier this season he was tied for 1st in points with Vasili Podkolzin. Lafrenière is no joke and the projected 1st pick in 2020. He’s dynamic, he’s highly skilled, and he’s ridiculously smart. Lafrenière being on the team is accomplishment enough, but he could also be one of their top players.

Raphaël Lavoie | RW | Halifax Mooseheads | 2019 Draft

This was a controversial pick. If Hockey Canada hasn’t already put out their camp roster for the tournament then I would not have had Lavoie here. I have a multitude of Canadians ranked ahead of Lavoie for the upcoming draft. My pick to make this team would have been Dach and an overeager that will be mentioned later on. Lavoie is around a point per game in the Quebec League and isn’t exactly dominant like Kirby Dach. Lavoie is late birthday and is older than most of the 2019 class which defiantly influenced his chances in making this team. Hockey Canada likely fell in love with his height, weight, and grit.

Brett Leason | C | Prince Albert Raiders | 2019 Overager

Leason has shocked everyone with WHL leading performance so far this season. Leason was a 2018 draft eligible but was undrafted. This season he’s at over 2.00 points per game in the WHL. Not many saw this coming. Leason is a double threat player that can score and pass. He’s squaring up to be this year’s Drake Batherson.


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Russia | Last Year: Quarters Loss | Prediction: Fifth

Overall this Russian team is just ok. They have some big-time talent up front, but not a lot of depth. There’s not much to brag about on defense either. The Red Deer Rebel’s Alexander Alexeyev is the main threat on the blueline. Their first two lines have some middle tier guys like Ivan Chekovich and Alexander Khovanov plus the players mentioned below could be dangerous. Their goaltending is average, but nothing special. They have a solid goaltender in Daniil Tarasov, but he’s not top tier in this tournament. Nothing about this Russian squad screams medal winner this year.

Vitali Kravtsov | RW | Traktor Chelyabinsk | New York Rangers

New York Rangers fans will argue that Vitali Kravtsov could be the top player at this tournament. He’s just over half a point per game in the KHL and is in competition for Traktor Chelyabinsk’s top scorer as an 18-year-old. Kravtsov is a 6’4” (192cm) winger with elite skill. He plays with a lot of feistiness and isn’t afraid to use his size. He’s great at breaking away from defenders with his hands and using that thick frame for puck protection. Kravtsov has proven that he can stand with pro players in the KHL, so he should have no problem at the World Juniors. The fate of the Russian squad revolves around Kravtsov and what he can do for this team.

Klim Kostin | C/W | San Antonio Rampage | St. Louis

Kostin is Russia’s key returning player on this squad. Last year he scored 5 goals and 3 assists in just 5 games. Kostin fell big time to the Blues at the 2017 draft due to injuries and questions regarding if he’d play in North America or stay in Russia in the future. He’s an impactful power forward currently playing for San Antonio in the American League. Kostin has long been a staple of Russian junior hockey as in his draft -1 year he captained both the U17 and U18 team. Kostin has struggled a little this season in the AHL, but it’s not a big concern.

Grigori Denisenko | LW | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Florida

Florida’s flashy left winger is Russia’s premier threat on the left side. Denisenko is a slick, agile player with a lot of finishing ability. Often we see the Russian team favor older players and restrict the minutes of younger guys, but that won’t be the case with Denisenko. He’s Russia’s 2nd youngest player and as the 15th overall pick last year, he will be an important cog for the Russians.

Czech Republic | Last Year: Fourth | Projection: Sixth

It’s worth noting that Filip Chytil of the New York Rangers was named to the preliminary roster, but he is currently playing in the NHL. It’s unlikely he’ll be released to play at the World Juniors.

In terms of draft eligibles, the Czechs have two on their preliminary roster, but neither of them really have a chance at the team nor are top prospects for the 2019 draft. The two being Petr Cajka of the Erie Otters and Martin Hugo Has of Tappara in Finland.

Overall this Czech team has a few big names up front but generally aren’t slated to be competitive with the top teams. They have don’t have a single noteworthy name on defense. It’s likely that most people wouldn’t recognize a single name on the blueline. Great goaltending and forwards only get you so far without defense.

Filip Zadina | W | Grand Rapids Griffins | Detroit

Zadina is the projected star for the Czechs. He played on the World Junior team last year and had 7 goals in 7 games. Zadina is a big-time goal scorer and a staple of any team he plays for. He’s currently playing in the American League where he got off to a slow start but is starting to heat up. Zadina will finally be reunited with his buddy Martin Necas where the pair will hope to lead the Czechs to a medal.

Martin Necas | C | Charlotte Checkers | Carolina

Necas is one of the few double returning players in this tournament. As a 17-year-old in his draft year, he was named to the team where he had 3 assists in 5 games. The next year he dominated as part of one of the tournament’s best duos in him and Zadina. With 11 points in 7 games, he lead the Czechs to a fourth-place finish. Necas is an offensive center with great speed and puck carrying ability. He’s great at dishing the puck to a linemates and creating space for his wingers. Necas will be a key piece to the Czechs if they want to have any success.

Jakub Skarek | G | Lahti Pelicans | New York Islanders

For the Czech’s, the big piece in net is going to be Skarek. The talented netminder was the consensus 1st or 2nd best goaltender in the 2018 draft but fell to the 4th spot and 3rd round. Since then he has outperformed any expectations for him with the Pelicans in the Finnish Elite League. He hovers around 3rd in Liiga save percentage at just 19. What Skarek is doing is something special. He’s a butterfly goaltender with natural goaltending talent. He’s a big guy with brisk reflexes and size to match. Skarek is actually a returning player as he played for the team in his draft year, but he struggled significantly in that spot and clearly wasn’t ready. This year though I expect him to be one of the top goaltenders at this tournament.


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Switzerland | Last Year: Quarters Loss | Projection: Seventh

This year isn’t squaring up to be much for Switzerland. The Swiss lack any high-end talent that they might have gotten in Nico Hischier a few years ago. They do have some solid returning talent, but nothing special. In goal, they have a solid netminder in Luca Hollenstein. Switzerland also has a few draft-eligible players, but none expected to make any sort of massive impact other than one overager. Their best option probably being Valentin Nussbaumer, who is playing in the QMJHL.

Nico Gross | D | Oshawa Generals | New York Rangers

A third time returning player in Nico Gross is the obvious choice to captain this team. As a 2000 born he played against the 1997 crop all the way back in the 2016-17 season. Gross currently plays for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL where he has been a reliable first pairing defender. The fourth round pick hopes to be an impact player in his third with the team.

Philip Kurashev | C | Quebec Remparts | Chicago

The Russian dual citizen decided to compete with Switzerland in IIHF competition and has been the go-to Swiss forward ever since. With the Quebec Remparts, he’s at about 1.30 points per game while driving a lot of the Remparts’ offense. In his second year at the World Juniors, Kurashev looks to be the focus of attention for the Swiss team.

Nando Eggenberger | Oshawa Generals | 2019 Overager

Nico Gross’ teammate from Oshawa and fellow triple returning player is Nando Eggenberger. Eggenberger is a veteran of Swiss hockey as he first made his pro debut at 16. Many were surprised when he went undrafted last season in a down year for him. Eggenberger has long been a player that Swiss hockey has groomed to be a pivotal player for their organization. It will be very interesting to see what he can do this year.

Denmark | Last Year: Relegation Win | Projection: Ninth

Denmark’s team, as always, is hard to predict. I won’t go over their players in depth because we don’t know enough about most of these guys. Few players are really on NHL radars other than possibly their goaltender Mads Søgaard. The 6’ 7” (200cm) behemoth of a 17-year-old is eligible for the 2019 draft and is considered by some to be a first two rounds talent. Søgaard towers over any goaltending prospect we’ve seen in the past. The Medicine Hat Tiger is expected to be their starter or at least number two guy. In terms of top players, I can only guess based on totals from last year. My best guess for their top guy is Jonas Røndbjerg, a 2017 Vegas 3rd rounder. Røndbjerg impressed last year in the SHL, but has struggled a lot this year.

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Oilers Updates on Bieksa, Davidson, Lucic, and Who Needs to Step Up in 2018/19.

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I had a nice long chat with one of my North American sources last night and we got talking about everything from the players rumored to be joining the Oilers on a PTO, to Milan Lucic, to Darnell Nurse’s agent, to where The Hockey News has Cam Talbot ranked going into the 2018/19 season.

I’d like to share some of that conversation with you today and I’d also like to comment on a few players who need to step up their game in order for the Oilers to make a return to the playoffs.

*Disclaimer*

What you’re about to read is my interaction with a person I happen to know is close to the Oilers organization. I’m not asking you to believe what you’re about to read nor am I claiming it to be fact. It’s just what I’ve been told and what I have permission to share.

I always tell you to treat this like any other rumor you hear online, like water cooler banter. If it comes true, awesome. If it doesn’t, men…

PROFESSIONAL TRYOUT CONTRACTS

I asked my source about his opinion on the following players and their chances of being asked to come to Oilers camp:

  • Kevin Bieksa – Not their first choice but he IS an option for the Oilers. Toronto likes him as well as another Eastern team. Footspeed concerns the Oilers.
  • Brandon Davidson – Top of the Oilers list. 5 or 6 teams interested. SJ and Vegas in that group. He wants a 2yr deal and has demands that are shortening that list of teams like he wants assurances (and equivalent pay) that he’ll be a top-6 defender.
  • Alexei Emelin – Little interest. Emelin wants a top-4 role but Oilers don’t believe he’s good enough for that and don’t want to gift that to him but may circle back to him depending on what shakes out.
  • Luca Sbisa – Haven’t even discussed Sbisa. Bad wheels.
  • Slava Voynov – He’s been talked about because he IS a good dman. Can move the puck well, has a shot, and has 2 Stanley Cup rings but the Oilers feel that they’d lose a lot of fan support if they did bring him in. From a PR standpoint, it’d be disastrous for him. He’ll probably end up in a place where the fans support isn’t as strong.

I followed that up by asking if the Oilers would try to mend the hole left my Sekera internally and was told players like Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard, or Joel Persson COULD be brought in to fill the void but in an ideal world none of them make the team. Not unless they blow the doors off of training camp.

They’re (Oilers) not going ot do anything spectacular unless it falls in their laps. They’ll look at a defender for a PTO but that’s about it. Fans expect way too much out of Chiarelli. This is real life NHL. Not NHL on the Xbox. 

My source also passed along that Chiarelli is still looking at Faulk but IF anything happens on that front it’ll be closer to the beginning of the season because of cap implications and LTIR. I was told that PC could’ve acquired Faulk last year for RNH and the brass would’ve understood the move but Chiarelli would’ve been fired this summer had he done it.

CURRENT OILERS

I wanted to switch gears a bit and talk about current Oilers, so we chatted about Jesse Puljujarvi and I was told this;

Management is VERY happy with what Puljujarvi has done this offseason. He is going to have a big year. He’s going to beat out Ty Rattie IMO and take his place beside Connor. 

Glad to hear that the organization is still high on Pulju. I love that kid!

If that prediction does come true, Rattie is S.O.L… And that’s predicated on him making the team out of camp. Something that isn’t guaranteed either…

We then talked about Milan Lucic and I was gifted with some info that shocked me.

The game is changing and fighting is less and less. Looch isn’t a fighter like he once was. He’s trying to get quicker. He really is. He’s just a big boy. 

He was asked to get down to 220lbs for this season and he was nice about it and said he didn’t know if he could but that he’d try.

I believe he’s down to 228lbs now.

That’s not the shocking part. The part that floored me was the answer to when I asked how heavy he was at the end of last season…

I think he weighed around 245lbs. He was a biiiiig boy. That’s a big man coming at you in the corner. 6’3″ 245…

WTF! I can’t wait to see him at training camp. He’ll look so skinny. lol.

Milan is really working on getting his weight down this summer and getting his foot speed up. Apparently, Lucic is in the best shape of his career.

So what is going on with Darnell Nurse I enquired.

His agent, that c*nt, wants 5/6 years at $5.5M per year and Nurse said that he’s cool with $3M per year for two years. 

Nurse is willing to sign right now but his agent is saying that they can get more. 

I asked what my source thought of The Hockey News saying that Cam Talbot was the 4th worst goalie in the NHL heading into 2018 and this was the response:

That’s just cause of last year. I don’t pay attention to that crap. Just bloggers and writers flapping their gums. 

Talbot will have a bounce back year. Koskinen will prove that he belongs in the show. Oilers will be alright. We’re back baby!

I love the enthusiasm! Don’t you! I share that opinion as well. I was watching one of the Oilers wins over Minnesota yesterday and Cam Talbot was making ridiculous saves in that game. That was the one where Draisaitl came down the right wing and whipped it past Dubnyk to win the game for Edmonton.

WHO’S STEPPING UP IN 2018

Cam Talbot – It’s a contract year for Dadbot and the Oilers won’t be going anywhere unless Talbot returns to his 2016/17 form. He’s arguably, apart from McDavid and Leon, the most important player for the team.

To add to that, he’s got Mikko Koskinen breathing down his neck because he’ll want that starting job as well.

Oscar Klefbom – The highest scoring defender on the Oilers last year was Darnell Nurse and he didn’t even hit 30 pts. We need Klef to reach 40pts or more this season and repay some of that patience the fans have shown him.

The Oilers don’t have a PP threat from the point and that’s why I think the PP was so poor last season. Teams simply cut off all of the other options and forced Edmonton to make shite decisions under pressure.

A healthy and confident Oscar Klefbom could be scary.

Matt Benning – Benning is going to be tasked with an increase in TOI this season. Last season he didn’t fare that well with the extra time. I feel like Benning could be a wildcard for PP QB on the Oilers 2nd unit because he’s got a slapshot that was registered at over 100mph last year.

I’d like to see more consistency in his game but being consistently good rather than consistently poor.

I’ve seen Matt Benning absolutely cream opposing players and I want to see more of that.

Ryan Strome – When Strome decided he was going to make an effort at being a better defensive centre and was placed on the PK, a little bit of magic occurred. The Oilers PK got better somehow and Strome gained a bit of confidence.

If Strome never scores 4opts in a season I won’t care but if he can be one of the league’s better PKers and defensive centres, I’ll be so happy for him. I don’t think he’ll ever be a Kadri-like centre but if he can even get close to that for Edmonton in 2018, I think that’ll push the Eberle/Strome trade closer to even than ever before.

Zack Kassian – I’ll always be of the belief that Kassian got “dinged up” after a game 1 fight with Tanner Glass last season and that’s why he couldn’t get back into the groove that we saw the previous year where he was an absolute beast.

We need him to become that beast again. His fearlessness, speed, and physicality are a rare combination of skills in the NHL today and when a player has that and applies it to the forecheck, he/she can be devastating.

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

Using the Hockey Prospect’s Black Book to Draft for the Oilers + The Parayko Rumors

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First off let’s get into that Colton Parayko tweet that Stauffer sent out. I think that it’d be a lovely time in Edmonton if the Oilers could find a way to acquire the big defenseman from St.Louis without having to send a top-6 forward to them but I simply can’t see any reason why the Blues would want to do that. Their problems are down the middle and possible between the pipes.

Why the Oilers feel the need to shake up that roster is beyond me at the moment. If the team starts slow, I could definitely see movement then but there are going to be teams that miss out on trades or signings this summer and that’s when Chiarelli should pounce.

But on the other hand, and I’ve been saying this for months, what happens if SJ does get Tavares and Kovalchuk? What if Erik Karlsson gets traded to Las Vegas? Is there a possibility that Joe Thornton could stay within the Pacific and sign with another team as a UFA? The Oilers would be in very tough to make the playoffs if they don’t make a move.

So what does a GM do in that instance? Edmonton doesn’t have a lot of assets to go out there and make deals with but they do have a young team that will definitely be looking to show the world that last year was a fluke and the year before was the real team. I think if I were GM, I’d sit on the roster for the time being. There’s no point in pushing on a closed door, right?

A healthy Oilers team has the pieces to compete with the best teams in the NHL on any given night and I’d go into the new season with that in mind.

THE HOCKEY PROSPECTS BLACK BOOK

Yesterday, we talked a bit about draft guides and what players they have slotted where the Oilers are picking and I’d like to look closer at those players in order to give not only you the reader some more exposure to other draft-eligible players you might not have heard of but to educate myself a bit on those players too!

Another reason I’d like to see how this exercise goes is that I’ve heard if you went by Central Scouting’s rankings and just selected who they had (we’ll do that tomorrow probably) that you’d be better off.

So let’s see if that’s true…

Edmonton has the following selections to use on Friday in Dallas,

  • 10th
  • 40th
  • 71st
  • 133rd
  • 164th
  • 195th

No pick in the 4th round because they gave it up for Al Montoya.

So the Hockey Prospects Black Book has the Oiler selecting these players in those spots,

  • 10th – Evan Bouchard (RD), London Knights, 6’2″, 198lbs

I’m of the belief that the Oilers have been watching this player all season long. I can’t be 100% sure if he’s the guy at the top of their list anymore mind you but he’s definitely a player I wouldn’t complain about IF they were presented with the chance at 10th overall to select him.

Evan Bouchard racked up 87 points in 67 games for the London Knights and that’s without the likes of Robert Thomas who was dealt to Hamilton for the OHL playoffs. He was the leading scorer on his team… AS A DEFENSEMAN!

Personally, I think that’s damned impressive given he’s not a pure offensive defenseman. He’s not really a puck rusher like Quinn Hughes or Noah Dobson but he can shoot the puck very well and he’s widely known as the best passer in this draft. Good news for the Oilers if they pick him right?

I’ve read that sometimes Bouchard isn’t as intense as you’d like him to be for a guy with size and that sometimes he might look “lazy” on the ice. Of course, that could be because his coach played him upwards of 35 minutes a night on some evenings.

Evan Bouchard could play in the NHL next season on the right team.

Bouchard is a very skilled defenseman but might not be quite as dynamic as a few of the other defenders at the top of this stacked class for high end defenseman. If he can improve his first few steps and compete more regularly on a shift- to-shift basis, that would go a long way towards fulfilling his potential of becoming a top-pairing defenseman who can quarterback a powerplay at the NHL level.

  • 40th – Jake Wise (C), USNTDP U-18, 5’10”, 195lbs

Wise is a left-handed pivot who is known for his playmaking, his vision, and his two-way play. He was on the IR with a broken clavicle but ended his season with 39pts in 33 games played.

He’s not the biggest player nor the shiftiest one either but he works hard and has high-end hockey sense. He has a habit of surprising his opponents by making plays out of nothing and that’s always a plus in my books. He can skate north/south well but agility is where he runs into issues. Not really the Mitch Marner type, if you will.

For me, I probably wouldn’t take this player here. He sounds more like a 3rd round pick to me and there are other players like Calen Addison, Niklas Nordgren, Liam Foudy, and Jack Drury in the same range according to The Hockey Prospects’ rankings.

He didn’t miss a beat when he came back from injury and was instantly one of the best players on that U18 squad. His vision of the ice is as good as anyone in the draft in my opinion.”

  • 71st – Milos Roman (C), Vancouver Giants, 5’11”, 196lbs

Roman was injured for much of the season but when he was in the lineup he was the Giants no.1 centre and he scored 32 points in 39 games. He displays a strong compete game and is quite responsible at both ends of the ice. He’s the kind of player who can keep the pressure on the opposition due to having such a strong motor. A very positionally sound player but has troubles on the faceoff and gets muscled out from time to time along the boards.

This player sounds like the kind of player you’d want in your bottom-6. As he gets older he’ll get stronger and more technically skilled and that’ll lead to him winning more faceoffs and board battles.

I don’t mind this selection but I have to wonder if heart-and-soul players like Jonathan Gruden or Riley Sutter would be better for Edmonton here. What about gifted Europeans like Philipp Kurashev or Alexander Khovanov? Then there’s the new Brian Boyle, 6’8″ Curtis Douglas, in the range too…

“He always looked to be in the right spot because his skating was sneaky good. More of passer than a shooter but would love to see him diversify his offence by shooting more.”

  • 133rd – Erik Portillo (G), Frolunda Jr, 6’6″, 207lbs 

I’ll be honest here, I’ve never heard of this guy before. Which is kind of surprising, right? He’s HUGE! And to top it off he played in three different leagues last season, so maybe that’s why we never heard about him.

His stats told an interesting story though. Check them out.

Frolunda J18 (J18 elit) – 10 gp 2.41GAA .931%
Frolunda J18 (J18 Allsvenskan) – 11 gp 3.08GAA .907%
Frolunda J20 (Superelit) – 2gp 0.71GAA .974%

He absolutely dominated at the higher level but that could be due to playing with a better defense too.

According to The Black Book, one of the things that really separates Portillo from other big goalies is his reflexes. He’s an aggressive goalie who likes to cut down the angles on the shooter as soon as possible but he has trouble with rebounds and sometimes that uber-aggressive play gets him into poor positions. Remember Fleury for Vegas in the Cup final?

If the Oilers selected him I’d be happy as he’s more of a project than an immediate solution. They could leave him in Sweden to develop more and bring him over when he’s older to marinate in the minors.

Could you imagine having Stuart Skinner AND this Portillo fella developed and guarding the Oilers nets? Couple of big boys right there…

Portillo is a very tall, yet coordinated and fluid goalie, giving him one of the better bases in this year’s draft class. Despite his rangy build, Erik likes to cut off his angles aggressively. This allows him to take up a tremendous amount of the net

  • 164th – Blade Jenkins (LW), Saginaw Spirit, 6’1″, 201lbs 

Tough to go wrong with a hockey player named “Blade” right? Well, from what info I’ve gathered, he’s had a tough go of it so far in junior hockey. Jenkins was the 4th overall pick in the 2016 OHL draft and this past year only managed to score 44pts in 68 games. Probably not what the GM of Saginaw was expecting when he took him over the likes of Ty Dellandrea, Barrett Hayton, or Aidan Dudas.

It’s not what this player does with the puck that is slotting him so low in the rankings. He’s well-built, quite strong (with room to get stronger), and he’s difficult to contain below the goal-line. He’s been praised for having silky mitts, great hockey sense, and excellent vision but…

It’s away from the puck that has scouts concerned. I guess he started the year as a centre and ended it a wing because he simply couldn’t get a grasp of where he needed to be on the ice defensively. Sometimes he takes shifts off and is invisible for long periods of time.

Not a player I’d pick here for me. A guy like Nando Eggenberger is around this range, Alexis Gravel is hovering around 164th ov for The Hockey Prospect, and perhaps Nathan Dunkley out of London would be a better pick.

“Good individual skill, good size but really needs to learn how to play the game the right way.”

  • 195th – Isaac Johnson (LW), Tri-City Americans, 6’2″, 186lbs 

Johnson is an overage player that went unselected in last year’s draft. He’s a complimentary player who can benefit playing with skilled linemates because he likes to do the perimeter work along the walls. He’s got busy feet and has no qualms heading into traffic to get things done.

I’m thinking that Johnson’s game sounds like an AHL game but in the 7th round, there’s not much more a team can expect at that point, right?

The 7th round is a place the Oilers did fine in last year with their selection of Phil Kemp. Could they do it again? Probably not with Johnson but there aren’t many options left on the Black Book’s rankings here.

One option I do like here though is Ryan O’Reilly (yes, he’s got the same name). He’s ranked 196th by The Hockey Prospect but he was the USHL rookie goal leader last year. He’s got an NHL shot already but simply lacks the boots.

Johnson displayed good physical tools with his size and reach but in our evaluation, there’s aspects of Isaac’s game that are lacking

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments!

You can get your copy of The Hockey Prospect’s Black Book here.

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

Thoughts on the Lucic Situation and Other Oilers Trade Rumors/Proposals

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Milan Lucic… The Oilers have quite the situation on their hands right now and part of that is on the player, part of it is on the coach, part if it is on the GM, and part of it is on the fanbase. I always knew that Edmonton could be a volatile market for players and perhaps I’m being naive but over the past 12 months was the first time I heard of a player’s family getting harassed. It has to have happened before then though.

These sort of harassment stories start leaking out, be they regarding Lucic’s family or McDavid’s, and folks still wonder why players won’t come to Edmonton via free agency unless the Oilers completely overpay.

Can you blame Milan Lucic for going to Peter Chiarelli and saying to him that he’d be willing to work with the team IF they felt a move out of Edmonton was the best course of action for the organization and the player? For a person like Lucic to go into the office of a man who’s been his boss for the majority of his career and a man who stepped up to sign him to a long-term deal, that’s probably one of the hardest things he’s had to do. I’d say that’s a pretty honorable thing to do if you ask me.

And NO it’s not quitting on the team. If you’re suggesting that I’d argue that you’re not fully on board with Milan Lucic being a member of the Edmonton Oilers and/or you’re still reeling from the Taylor Hall trade. Either way, feel free to move on.

Personally, if the Oilers can find a way to keep Milan Lucic and help whatever may or may not be happening off of the ice, that’d be the best way to go about things for me.

I’m not a huge supporter of the idea that trading him out for another bad contract is going to help the Oilers in their chances of making the playoffs next year. Milan Lucic plays a major role on the Oilers team and what message does that send to the rest of the roster if they trade him after having a bad 4 months? Mind you they did trade Eberle after a poor season but I think that had more to do with Eberle not buying into McLellan’s systems.

I do not believe that trading Lucic with a “sweetener” in order for another team to take the entire contract off their hands is a good idea either. Not only does that dig the team into a bigger hole long-term development-wise but there’s no guarantee that the Oilers will find a player in free agency that will do better than Lucic’s average of 42pts a year since joining the club.

Some will say that Pat Maroon would be a perfect replacement and that was suggested on Oilers Now yesterday. Stauffer immediately scoffed and said something to the effect that Maroon doesn’t scare anybody whereas Milan just being on the team is a deterrent for the “rats” on the other team.

Some might say David Perron or James Neal but I’m here to say that they’re not signing in Edmonton for less than what Milan Lucic made and they’re the same age. So not only would the Oilers be overpaying those players, they’d be giving them NMCs and term up to 6/7 years IF they’d be willing to sign.

Look, you could say Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, JVR, or Thomas Vanek. It doesn’t matter if none of them want to come to Edmonton after what’s happening with Lucic here. So you trade him and none of them want to sign, what then? You’ve got that cap room and Darnell Nurse, Ryan Strome, and the rest of the RFAs are licking their chops now. But you’re down a top-6 winger, again!

Speaking of Milan being a top-6 winger, it’s up for debate at the moment. I had no problems with him playing on the 3rd line near the end of last season as the opposition wasn’t as difficult. If that’s where he helps the team the most, so be it. Phil Kessel has spent time on the Pens 3rd line in the past. I believe David Backes, Andrew Ladd, and Kyle Okposo have as well. It’s not the end of the world if he plays there.

In 16/17, Milan Lucic had excellent fancies with Connor McDavid but in 17/18 he had better fancies with RNH (hard to believe) but in both years, he was best served away from Leon Draisaitl. So with Nuge now on Connor’s LW and the numbers telling us that McLellan should avoid playing Lucic and Draisaitl together, that leaves only the 3rd line for him apparently.

That’s not to say that things couldn’t change next season. Maybe in 18/19 Leon will be the best centre that Milan plays with IF he’s an Oiler. I just found that when Lucic played with Puljujarvi and Strome, it was a very disruptive line and maybe that’s on Jesse and Milan’s forechecking less than Strome’s work at centre. Maybe it was the 3rd pairing defensemen they were lined up across from but whatever it was, it worked between the three of them.

Anyways, the Oilers have a top-6 winger right now. If there’s a way to keep him and keep him happy (on and off the ice), the Oilers should do it.

Jason Gregor had a helluva rant on his show yesterday that I thought summed up my feelings perfectly. Take a listen to it below. The rant starts around 13:15.

Enjoy!

TRADE RUMORS/PROPOSALS

A caller named “Travis” called into Oilers Now yesterday and offered the following proposal and I’d love to know what you think about it because I dig it.

To Buffalo: Jacob Trouba
To Winnipeg: Oscar Klefbom
To Edmonton Rasmus Ristolainen

I’ve come to the point to where the only thing that Oscar Klefbom has going for him right now is his contract. He doesn’t produce points nor is he the best possession positive player. He’s hurt a lot and isn’t very mobile.

The Jets could use a LHD to replace Enstrom, for some reason the Sabres are souring on Ristolainen (I’m not sure if that’s Jack Eichel talking or what), and a Sabres top pairing of Dahlin and Trouba wouldn’t be too bad. Although I think they should go after Shea Weber to be Dahlin’s partner, that’s just me.

I want the Oilers top PP dman to be one that actually produces on the PP. One that is actually a threat and there are a couple of defensemen in the league that always do well versus Edmonton, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov. Or at least they had great seasons against the Oilers last year. Either of those two players would be outstanding additions to Edmonton’s back end. They shoot, their big, mobile, and they’re mean MF’ers.

CAROLINA

Stauffer had Tripp Tracy (Carolina’s television analyst) on his show yesterday and they were discussing what the Hurricanes problems where and Tracy said that Carolina was looking to add physicality to their team. He also talked about times when the team wasn’t playing the right way and specifically tossed out Jeff Skinner’s name. That got Stauffer’s attention and he hummed in agreement. So I guess we can safely assume that Skinner has got some Eberle-like tendencies. They also said that Skinner has been inconsistent in his goal scoring.

Justin Faulk’s name came up and Tracy said that Faulk has let him down on the defensive side of the puck and that he’s got a lot more to give. Tracy also noted that Faulk has lost some quickness due to the addition of more muscle mass.

“Would there be an appetite to change the makeup and add a different ingredient to the organization? Because to me they lacked a bit of physical competitiveness.” is what Stauffer asked Tripp Tracy at one point and Tracy’s response was,

“I literally couldn’t agree more.”

Tracy also went on to say that he thought the culture has quite a bit to be desired and the biggest reasons for that were,

  • “Guys not playing the right way all the time. With a team-first mindset. Jeff Skinner’s a classic example of that.”
  • “Being too perimeter based.”

I don’t watch the Hurricanes ever. I think they’re pretty boring to watch and therefore not worth my time unless they’re playing the Oilers. That said, Tracy mentioned that the ‘Canes new coach Rod Brind’Amour will demand they play the right way and that softens my stance a bit with regards to the Hurricanes being a destination for Milan Lucic.

Tom Dundon, it’s been said, is very much into the analytics and will rely on them and while Lucic doesn’t have “bad” possession numbers, they’re above water, for the most part, but he doesn’t have amazing ones either.

But maybe it wouldn’t be Lucic going to Carolina, maybe it’d be Zack Kassian. Maybe it’d be Jujhar Khaira or Darnell Nurse. Who knows?

What I will say to end this off is that IF this Lucic situation was a fabrication or a falsity made up by the media, the agents would be all over it. Lucic’s agent is local but he’s not the kind of agent that goes around stirring the pot either. The fact that we haven’t heard anything from the player, the agent or the GM says something.

I’d like to see him stay but if it’s not a fit for his family after 2 years, I’d understand.

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

Is this Oilers Insider Spilling the Beans on Chiarelli’s Annual 1-for-1 Trade?

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Well if you haven’t read it by now, Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer has sent out a tweet that has the oilogosphere more confused than Pat O’Neill Riley from SNL. Let’s check it out below and then do some analyzing afterward.

So according to Stauffer, the Oilers are going to sit on their pick (a good idea) and see how things play out. If Adam Boqvist drops as a lot of people are prognosticating, then good for the Oilers! He’s really the kind of player they need but won’t be ready for a few years mind you. I talked to a scout in Sweden this morning and he said Brynas has one of the best d-corps in the SHL and that Boqvist would be given a chance to break into their lineup next year but would probably be a no.7 defender on their team and PP specialist. Makes you wonder if the team that selects him moves him to their AHL club immediately if that’s going to be the case for Boqvist in Sweden.

Bobby S. then says that the Oilers won’t be “chasing” the pricier UFAs and that says to me that perhaps there’s a UFA out there that is considered amongst the pricier ones who is willing to come to Edmonton. No chasing required hence the word being in quotation marks.

Lastly, the juicy part and the timing couldn’t be any better as we’re coming up to the annual Chiarelli special, a June 1-for-1 trade!

So a player with term for a player who brings a different dynamic to the team? What does that even mean?

Oh and if you don’t know, No movement clauses, no trade clauses, modified ones, they all mean nothing to me. They’re a request away from being waived. Just because a player has one doesn’t mean he’ll use it.

Who are the players with term?

  • McDavid
  • Draisaitl
  • Nugent-Hopkins
  • Lucic (NMC)
  • Kassian

Well, I know which one a lot of fans want to be traded and he very well could be. Milan Lucic is never going to become Pavel Bure over the course of a summer. Hell, he probably couldn’t become as good-a-skater as Kassian over the offseason. So asking him to change his body composition is a tall ask and I know there are teams out there that would trade for him. Vancouver being one, Montreal being one, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit of a team like Carolina wanted him.

but I’m going to say that if the player with term being moved out is a forward, it’ll be Zack Kassian. Chiarelli loves Lucic too much and I imagine he’s learned from his trade with Eberle but Kassian’s got one more year after this one at $1.95M and that’s a tad too much for what he brings in the regular season production-wise. I love the guy so much but I do believe the team could find a similar type of emotional player for cheaper.

  • Klefbom
  • Larsson
  • Sekera (NMC)
  • Russell (NMC)

Two players stand out right away for me here. Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera. That’s because Larsson and Russell will be required come playoff time 🙂

The Klefbom for Krug rumors started a while back but kinda of kicked it into another gear this year. I wrote about it twice. Once when Jimmy Murphy tweeted something out and again when Fluto Shinzawa. So the trade fires are burning in Boston.

I think with Oscar there are a couple ways of looking at his situation.

  1. Great player WHEN HEALTHY. Do we know that he has the ability to stay healthy? As a fan, are you willing to give him that chance? He’s a 40pt dman and is the team’s PP threat from the point when he’s not on that IR.
  2. Given his contract and age, he could very well bring back an excellent return and now that he’s had surgery on that bum shoulder of his, he should be ready to tear it up. Great! More value.

If Krug IS the return, that’s not bad but you’d hope there’d be a bit more to that as Krug is older and makes more money. He also produces more points mind you but as a lefty. Could he be paired with Larsson leaving Nurse to play with who? Sekera? Russell? Benning?

As for Sekera, who knows with him. He seemingly had a good World Championships as we never heard a peep about a poor performance or struggling like he did when he returned to the team last season. I think he’d be the kind of guy who would waive his NMC because he just wants to play and probably sees the writing on the wall or maybe he’s received an invitation letter from Ference Island…

My personal preference is for the team to move on from Andrej Sekera. I’ve never been a huge fan of his and I’m more afraid for his playing future than Milan Lucic’s. But would a trade involving him bring back a player that moves the needle for the Oilers because I’m still trying to figure out what the bloody ingredient is that Stauffer is talking about?

Is it a PP producer from the point like Krug? Is it a faceoff specialist like Ryan O’Reilly? Is it a speedster like Chris Kreider?

Could it be a player that is so far off the radar? A guy like Phil Kessel?

Since Chiarelli is the worst poker player on the planet and has already telegraphed his moves this year, I assume it’ll be a PP quarterback like Krug or Faulk or maybe Ristolainen.

Surely Bob will clear the air a bit on his radio show today…

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

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