Tag Archives: Patrik Laine

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

(1/23/2021) – BLH’s NHL Rumors: Dubois/Laine Trade Reactions and Fallout

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring some reactions to the Pierre-Luc Dubois/Patrik Laine trade from hockey Twitter from the likes of Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger, David Pagnotta, and more!

The Oilers have a bit of a mind-bender brewing on the right side of their defense and a couple of big contracts set to expire there with some high-end prospects almost ready to take over. What is Ken Holland set to do?

TSN’s Frank Seravalli says that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might not be in the Oilers’ plans going forward. Read all about it right here.

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

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NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Irfaan Gaffar (Sportsnet?): “So Pierre Luc-Dubois would have to quarantine for 14-days upon arrival in Canada. Earliest he could play would be after Super Bowl. Laine only 7-day quarantine upon arrival in Columbus. Roslovic is in Columbus already.”
  • Pierre LeBrun (TSN): “The Jackets and Jets were both in unenviable positions with star players who wanted out. From the get-go Wpg and CBJ getting together on this seemed destined but the CBJ spoke to a pile of teams before circling back in the end to Winnipeg. Like 15-20 teams to varying degrees.”
  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): “Became clear fairly quick the Ducks, Habs and Flames weren’t going to best Winnipeg’s offer. This is a great deal for the Blue Jackets given the circumstances.”
  • Darren Dreger (TSN): “Some perspective. PLD is an excellent addition to the Jets. Roslovic made it clear he was never playing for Winnipeg again. Laine didn’t see a future with the Jets beyond this season. This is asset management. 20+ teams expressed interest in Dubois.”
  • Ross Joy (CrossingBroad.com): “Laine and Roslovic were discussed in a deal with the Flyers prior to the season, but Winnipeg wanted Provorov, Konecny, and more.”
  • Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): The Blue Jackets had to make this trade for two reasons according to Portzline,
    • “First, the Jackets were off to a sluggish 1-2-2 start, and it appeared as though the Dubois drama was casting a pall over the club. Second, the reputations of the Blue Jackets’ franchise and the city of Columbus were taking a beating with yet another player desiring to leave Columbus.”
  • Ken Campbell (The Hockey News): “So we have three players here, none of whom wanted to be where they were and were traded for each other to teams that are not exactly preferred destinations for players. This should be interesting.”
  • Grant McCagg: “Columbus holding out for, and somehow getting, Laine…tells me Jarmo was only going to accept a deal that involved Suzuki or KK and a top prospect. Glad it was the Jets that overpaid.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The trade makes sense on one level given that every player involved didn’t want to be where they were. In some twist of fate, Dubois, who wanted to play in a bigger market goes to one of the smallest (albeit one of the loudest), and Laine will now play for John Tortorella…

In very short order Columbus is going to have to re-sign Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Patrik Laine to long-term contracts and each player is going to command close to $9M or $10M a year on said new deals… Is there a goalie in there that will need a new deal too? Jarmo Kekalainen has made a really decent trade here if he can sort the money out down the line. 

Winnipeg now has a very good 1-2 center combination with Dubois and Scheifele and they’ve got Cole Perfetti coming too. Did the Jets not need help on defense more though?

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

Deals on the Table?

Hendy’s balls got rung vs. Dallas
Just a quick update, I’ve been thinking, Pouliot and Hendricks are being shopped like mad and it’s my belief that there are some deals on the table for both of them. I can’t see Chiarelli wanting to tinker with this current roster too much right now apart from picking up that elusive right-handed powerplay quarterback. So it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if all Edmonton got back in return for our beloved Matty Hendricks and Benoit Pouliot was draft picks.

Now, here’s the thing. I think that Chia might just load up on draft picks in order to give him some slack with Las Vegas. I reckon that Brandon Davidson will be left unprotected and perhaps Tyler Pitlick will be the one that is protected in his spot. But I also know that the Oilers LOVE Brandon Davidson and really want him to be part of this team. Chia also needs a 2nd rounder and he’s got a glut of RFA dmen in Bakersfield that need tending to.

Minnesota and Anaheim are teams that have been linked closest to the Oilers in recent rumours and oddly enough, both of those teams are in a pickle regarding their expansion draft protection list. And what better year to go shopping for underperforming defensemen? Barrie, Vatanen, and pretty much any of the Islanders defenders are up for grabs.

Eklund has the Oilers eyeing up defender Derrick Pouliot of the Pittsburgh Penguins… It’s hard to imagine a man’s job being taken by Justin Schultz but this seems to be the case… Now I’ll have to do more digging as to why D-Pou hasn’t been able to catch on in Pittsburgh yet but the connection to the Oilers is obvious… Bob Green was the Edmonton Oil Kings’ GM back in his junior days and when Derrick Pouliot and his Portland Winterhawks were going toe-to-toe with the Oil Kings. Talk about a rivalry…

Bob Green was the Edmonton Oil Kings’ GM back in his junior days and when Derrick Pouliot and his Portland Winterhawks were going toe-to-toe with the Oil Kings. Talk about a rivalry… WOWZAS!!! Those playoff series were epic. Ahhh I yearn for the days of Lazar, Brossoit, and (young) Griffin Reinhart.

I’m a little hesitant with Bob Green’s trade-for-this-great-WHL-defenseman history as it hasn’t really panned out for Griffin Reinhart yet but his draft history has been pretty tight.

What do you think about these rumours? Let us know in the comments below! Oh and pick up this sweet Patrik Laine 16-Bit Superstars tee!

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

Beer League Heroes NHL Mock Draft: 1st Round

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I figured that I’d better get this out before more trades get made and the 1st rounders start getting bandied about. I did a mock up of all nine of the Oilers picks here if you’re interested.

So here is my mock draft of the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. It’s a quick one because the profiles have been written and re-written over and over again. If you’re curious about a player’s profile I suggest you head over to The Hockey Writers or Steve Kournianos’ website. Lowetide also does a very nice job cleaning up all the noise in his posts on the draft.

  1. Tor – Auston Matthews (C) Zurich Lions – 6’2″ 216lbs
  2. Wpg – Patrik Laine (LW) Tappara – 6’4″ 201lbs
  3. Clb – Matthew Tkachuk (LW) London Knights – 6’2″ 188lbs
  4. Edm – Jesse Puljujarvi (RW) Karpat – 6’3″ 196lbs
  5. Van – Pierre-Luc Dubois (C) Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – 6’2″ 200lbs
  6. Cgy – Logan Brown (C) Windsor Spitfires – 6’6″ 220lbs
  7. Ari – Olli Juolevi (D) London Knights – 6’2″ 185lbs
  8. Buf – Jacob Chychrun (D) Sarnia Sting – 6’2″ 194lbs
  9. Mtl – Mikhail Sergachev (D) Windsor Spitfires – 6’2″ 221lbs
  10. Col – Clayton Keller (C) USNTDP – 5’10” 190lbs
  11. NJ – Alex Nylander (LW) Mississauga Steelheads – 6’1″ 178lbs
  12. Ott – Tyson Jost (C) Penticton Vees – 6’0″ 190lbs
  13. Car – Mike McLeod (C) Mississauga Steelheads – 6’2″ 185lbs
  14. Bos – Charlie McAvoy (D) Boston University – 6’0″ 198lbs
  15. Min – Kieffer Bellows (LW) USNTDP – 6’0″ 185lbs
  16. Det – German Rubtsov (C) Vityaz Podolsk – 6’1″ 190lbs
  17. Nsh – Dante Fabbro (D) Penticton Vees – 6’0″ 172lbs
  18. Phi – Max Jones (LW) London Knights – 6’3″ 205lbs
  19. NYI – Jake Bean (D) Calgary Hitmen – 6’1″ 170lbs
  20. Ari – Luke Kunin (C/LW) Univ. of Wisconsin – 6’0″ 173lbs
  21. Car – Julien Gauthier (RW) Val d’Or Foreurs – 6’4″ 225lbs
  22. Wpg – Riley Tufte (LW) Fargo – 6’5″ 210lbs
  23. Fla – Alex Debrincat (RW) Erie Otters – 5’7″ 165lbs
  24. Anh – Rasmus Asplund (C) Farjestad BK – 5’11” 176lbs
  25. Dal – Tage Thompson (RW) Univ. of Connecticut – 6’5″ 185lbs
  26. Was – Pascal Laberge (C) Victoriaville Tigres – 6’1″ 175lbs
  27. TB – Adam Mascherin (C) Kitchener Rangers – 5’9″ 192lbs
  28. Stl – Tyler Benson (LW) Vancouver Giants – 6’0″ 185lbs
  29. Bos – Logan Stanley (D) Windsor Spitfires – 6’7″ 225lbs
  30. Tor – Will Bitten (C) Flint Firebirds – 5’`0″ 170lbs

    Bonus:

  31. Tor – Carter Hart (G) Everett Silvertips – 6’0″ 165lbs
  32. Edm – Nathan Bastian (C) Mississauga Steelheads – 6’4″ 194lbs

You have no idea how hard these mock drafts get as the picks go on.

For the most part I took a look at each team’s prospect cupboards over at Hockey’s Future and took into account what they needed. It’s not brain surgery. If a team has the option of choosing for need, then fill a hole. If they can afford to take the best player available, voila! Take said BPA.

Feel free to comment on my picks in the comments below!

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

Auston 3:16 Says…

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

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

If the Oilers Get the 1st Overall Pick…

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

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

If the Oilers Get the 2nd Overall Pick…

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

If the Oilers Get the 3rd Overall Pick..

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

If the Oilers Get the 4th Overall Pick…

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

If the Oilers Get the 5th Overall Pick…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Kosmic’s Top Ten NHL Draft Prospects: #1 Patrik Laine

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Hey guys! Can you believe that it’s the end of April already? And that in exactly 2 days we will find out just where we stand in the pecking order known as the 2016 NHL Draft. Come on, as a sad fanbase let’s face it, this IS our playoffs. This upcoming weekend will determine a lot for Edmonton. For example, where we land in the draft order is going to decide, I think, whether we trade the pick or use it to draft someone. Personally, I think that if they fall outside of the Top 3 then they will end up trading the pick. Possibly packaging it up with one of their many rumoured wingers/forwards for some top-notch help on the “D”. But that’s just my take on this…

PLEASE Hockey Gods, let this be the last year that we care about which position we get in the draft! I’ll do anything!! Even sacrifice my youngest! Sorry Caleb, but you’re a ginger…it was bound to happen sooner or later! I KEED, I KEED! I JOKE! HaHa! But for real….it’s almost the Oilers time to shine! It’s Lottery Time! So buckle up mofo’s!!! Heeeeeeeeere’s Numero Uno…..

Patrik Laine – LW/RW
Tappara (Liiga Finland)
6’4″ 211lbs
46GP 17G 16A 33PTS 6PIM 6+/-

Ok so I’m going to try something new, and start off by saying the worst possible thing that I noticed, and read about this prospect….his skating. Trust me, it’s not too much of a knock either, or really even one at all. So he isn’t the fastest skater and he takes big, long, powerful strides. Scouts say that he’s very reminiscent of Mario freaking Lemieux when he skates, yeah that guy! How did he do in his career? LOL! Being compared to Super Mario in any regard is never a bad thing.

So moving along to his many lovable traits, skills, and characteristics. Patrik Laine is about as complete of a natural goal scorer as you can possibly get. Seriously, he possesses an absolute laser beam of a shot that leaves fire trails similar to everyone’s favorite time traveling Delorean. What a bomb, this is the shot that every coach craves to have for his powerplay. He has an ultra quick release wrist’er, and a behemoth of a blast when he unleashes his slapper or snapper. His ability to read the play more often than not puts him in an advantageous position to shoot the puck. He’s constantly thinking out on the ice, and loves to create plays himself. He is a big bodied winger that I think is perfectly built for the much larger Western Conference. Now I’m not saying that he’s overly physical, not at all. But he definitely knows how to use his size and reach to his advantage, and can hang with the big boys as well. He will use his massive frame to drive players off the puck, and doesn’t really shy away from mixing it up when he needs to.

His defensive game could use a little work, not much though, and come on? That’s not really why you’d be drafting Patrik Laine. You’d draft him for his uncanny ability to score! Remember, Patrik is a 2016 Liiga Champion and playoff MVP, as well as a 2016 World Junior Champion and All-Star. So he knows what it takes to win and lead a team to the promised land.

NHL Comparable(s): Alexander Ovechkin, and Mario Lemieux.

Why would this player be on the Oilers Draft List? Well, because we’d land an elite, top-notch natural goal scorer to possibly compliment McDavid for years and years to come…and…we’d also get a s**t load of options. Options you say? Why yes fine fellow, options a plenty!

First of all, if we draft Laine, we wouldn’t need to even think twice about trading an Eberle, or Yakupov for some help on the “D”. Or maybe who knows, it could influence a major trade involving Taylor Hall. As I believe that this kid is going to step straight into the league and light it up like his name was Bob Marley!

Another option is, we flip the pick itself for some immediate help. One suggestion out there, is that if the Oilers do land the 1st overall pick then we should trade it to whoever drafts 2nd overall. People are suggesting they then make a “Lindros” like trade with that team involving the 2nd overall, and then draft Laine. Now I just don’t see that happening in the cap-era, but could you imagine? We could possibly fix our defense and bottom six in the trade, and then draft Patrik Laine!!

If only, but in reality, who knows…like Kevin Garnett said “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!”. Honestly though, as amazing as it would be to have Matthews, I think we’re more than set at “C” with McWizard, Dr. Drai, and RNH. Me personally, I’d love to have the opportunity to see McDavid and Laine become the new Gretzky and Kurri.

Well my friends, that concludes my 2016 Top Ten Oilers Draft Prospects series. Stay tuned and see what I have in-store for you next! As always, stay trippy!!

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