I wrote this yesterday, and I was tweeting about the possibility of Chiarelli being let go throughout the 3rd period. Now with this loss to Detroit the MSM have finally caught on to it.
It is my belief a change is imminent at the GM position in Edmonton. It’s no longer a matter of it, but when Peter Chiarelli’s is let go. I’d expect news shortly.
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 23, 2019
Anybody seen The Purge?
I figure we're about to experience the #Oilers version and the team we see lineup in their next game might look a tad differently… pic.twitter.com/kwBJzGBP4B
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 23, 2019
I won't make any proclamations tonight but if the #Oilers lose this, it wouldn't shock me if somebody loses their job on this team.
That could be a player or the GM or both.
Fact is, we can only sit and wait to see.
Upper mgmt is IRATE though…
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 23, 2019
This is a pretty embarrassing effort… Some fans might be getting what they've been wishing for soon…
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 23, 2019
So I’m not going to toot my own horn here but the writing has been on the wall since the previous loss to Carolina and you read it here first or from my Twitter profile…
It is what it is. Chiarelli got caught right in the middle of a massive change in how hockey teams were being played and he couldn’t find his way out. He scrambled and we’re here now because of it. Injuries didn’t help his cause any.
It’s believed that Craig MacTavish or Keith Gretzky will take over as interim GM.
More to come folks but things are going to get REAL interesting now. Some names that you thought were untouchable are now very touchable. It’s my belief that the defense will be targeted for upgrade and it’s going to take some serious assets to do that…
More on this later!
PS: Weebo, your requested article is coming. Keep it in your pants fella!
Last night I was contacted by more than one source to tell me that Jesse Puljujarvi is SAFE and wouldn’t be traded. That message is obviously contrary to what insiders like Elliotte Friedman, Ryan Rishaug, and Chris Johnston are saying but I have a theory on that. It also dovetails with what Kurt Leavins said yesterday on Twitter,
I’m made to understand that the reports of #Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi being on the market are greatly exaggerated. Clubs have asked, which happens. But he’s just as unlikely to move as Yamamoto or Bouchard.
I feel like the Edmonton Oilers fanbase is one of the most active in the NHL and that it drives a lot of numbers for TSN’s and Sportsnet’s hockey coverage. I have no proof of course but with the way that the media is crawling all over Peter Chiarelli right now, it makes sense on their end to exasperate the perceived situation for profit.
Case in point: Craig Button saying Evan Bouchard ISN’T one of the top-50 prospects not playing in the NHL right now.
Not close to NHL ready. Not then or he’d still be there and not now. Very good prospect but has to improve the pace & tempo of his play. That’s developmental but it is essential for success at NHL Level. This is my view of 50 Best NHL affiliated prospects at this time.
That’s a giant line of bullshit! He was in love with Bouchard before the draft and was saying if he was a better skater, he might be challenging Dahlin for 1st overall. To put a guy like Gabe Vilardi ahead of Bouchard is disingenuous. I mean, a scout worth his salt would never rate Vilardi ahead of Bouchard at this point. Generally, you want a player who’s going to actually play hockey in the future to be on a list like that, no? I wonder if Button is a bit salty that Bouchard had a tough World Juniors?
Getting back to Puljujarvi, Oilers management feels that they need to do right by this player and are willing to do what it takes to see things through with him. The same goes for Kailer Yamamoto. Peter Chiarelli is VERY hesitant to deal these players because he sees the potential in these players and Edmonton needs value contracts going forward. Pulju might not be producing at a Patrik Laine-like rate and that might result in his next contract being more affordable or “cheap” for lack of a better description. So him struggling to produce points might actually be a blessing in disguise because when he breaks out, and he will, the Oilers will be underpaying him.
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I’m just going to put the other things I was told in point form here to get this post moving a bit faster for you,
New Name: Oilers like Miles Wood out of NJ
Keith (Gretzky) is a big part of the negotiations, Peter is manning the controls, but Bob (Nicholson) has final say.
On Josh Ho-Sang: He’s a good young player. Just has to get his game together. If we get him, I wonder what Hitch can do for him?
On Michael Ferland: Oilers are talking to Car about him. They like him. No offer made but they’re chatting.
Oilers are also talking to Pitts about Brassard
Nuge isn’t being moved. Klef, Nurse. None of them.
They’re also not moving the 1st round pick for a UFA rental. That is out of the question.
On Wayne Simmonds: At this point is an absolute no. Philly wants a goaltender or top 6 roster player, a 1st pick AND a top blue chip prospect. Edm isn’t going down that road
On Cam Talbot: I don’t believe they’re moving Cam Talbot at this time unless a knock your socks off offer comes along that involves a goalie coming back.
On Tyler Toffolli: They’re not talking with LA. Not trading within their own division.
That first pick, unless it’s a productive player WITH term (3 4 years) the 1st will not be moved.
On Rishaug’s “Young developing player”: That young developing player would be a guy in Bakersfield. It will not be a guy like Yamo or Pulju. Have to stay patient with those two blue chippers.
They’re shopping Spooner and Benning. Trying to find a partner to dance with. Tough market for those fellas.
They’re not moving Milan Lucic either.
On Jordan Eberle: There is also some chat garnering around about bringing in Eberle. Now whether that’s now or offseason, I’d suggest off-season. Eberle would come over at $3M-$4M per on a 2 or 3-year deal is my guess.
So there you have it! It looks like Chiarelli is ready to die on the sword to save the core of this team despite what the owner wants. I can respect that and I might be in the minority here, but I don’t want him to do anything big. The teams around Edmonton in the playoff race are struggling and despite the Oilers poor recent record, they’re still in the thick of this. This is exactly the right time for some shooting percentages to return to the mean and Oscar Klefbom’s return is right around the corner.
Friedman mentioned Mats Zuccarello out of New York and I could see him being a nice add to the team. I wouldn’t pay top dollar for him as he’s struggled all year but if the Rangers would take Spooner back (hahaha, as if) or maybe Matt Benning, Edmonton might actually be able to afford him? What about a Rieder for Zuccarello trade? Ethan Bear and Ostap Safin?
If I had to guess, I wonder if Edmonton will try to acquire a really good right-handed face-off man for the 3rd line. It’s been a weakness of the team for some time and it really hurts them late in tight games I feel. Glendening out of Detroit comes to mind for me.
If not that piece then a veteran winger to give the Oilers the option to send Yamamoto back to Bakersfield. The aforementioned Zuccarello fits that description.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! Enjoy the game tonight!
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I got to speak to one of my sources last night and boy was it a doozy. Chiarelli could be on his ass tomorrow if the Oilers lose to Anaheim and the Milan Lucic trade request that wasn’t official this summer is now official.
Scroll down for more.
**Preface: Use your own judgment here. I’m only a guy who happens to know someone within a professional hockey organization. I’m not an insider per se, but I hear things and I’ve been given permission to pass them on to you. All of this could come true or none of it could. It’s more likely the latter because things change all of the time. My advice, treat this like water cooler banter and don’t take it too seriously. It’s all entertainment at the end of the day anyhow, right?**
I don’t know if this information is 100% accurate but some have said that Chiarelli has family in Anaheim. So if he gets axed, it’ll be convenient for him… I guess he won’t have to fly anywhere with the team after that…
If It was a good place to can Todd McLellan, should be as good as any to give Chia the pink slip.
Just so I can clear things up here. On Twitter, I will try my best to find the positive in the moves the Oilers make. I’m not a fan of joining the mob for the sake of it. I’ve never agreed with all of Chiarelli’s trades but I have tried to shed light on the pros of the deals. Has he screwed the team, sure. Have some of the players he’s brought in failed to live up to expectations, absolutely.
It’s a calamity of errors that seems to be getting worse and worse.
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I’ve wondered if the weight of having this “GM on the hot seat” news daily has affected the Oilers? I mean, it’s his own fault more or less but I still think that the negativity finds a way through the cracks to the players.
I won’t be upset if the Oilers choose to relieve Peter Chiarelli of his duties. It’s been over four years and for whatever reason(s), it hasn’t worked out. It didn’t work out for Todd McLellan and things aren’t looking good for Chia no matter how many players he flips to spark this team.
Speaking of player flipping and PC…
"Pete, and Keith especially, deserve a lot of credit for trying to help us here."
I've alluded in the past that Chiarelli's duties as GM would be reduced and Keith Gretzky's responsibilities would increase.
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 1, 2019
I had heard that the team reached out to Kings AGM Mike Futa and the Oilers are in California but IF the Oilers make changes, it’ll be one of Craig MacTavish or Keith Gretzky taking the interim tag into the trade deadline should someone else not be hired instead.
Apparently, Gretzky orchestrated the Manning/Petrovic trades.
How would you feel about either of those gentlemen taking over the GM duties (officially) until the summer?
I’d be okay with Wayne’s brother taking over. His record at the draft since his time in Boston is encouraging. Not sure on MacTavish. He dealt away a lot of really decent Oilers (Gagner, Horcoff, Hemsky, Dubnyk, and Petry) in his time. Now whether that was all him or they were influenced by Kevin Lowe, I’m not sure. You just don’t want him bringing in more Nikitins and Belovs.
Milan Lucic Wants OUT!
I have to say that I was very happy to hear this. I was absolutely disgusted with Lucic’s effort and subsequent actions in Los Angeles last night. He’s so buddy-buddy with those Kings players (ex-teammates) that he doesn’t bother to show up. He had ONE HIT in the game FFS!…
What topped it off for me was the altercation with Leipsic, a player a third his size… That’s the guy he goes after?! Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter each get their licks in on Connor McDavid and Lucic’s reaction is to go after the smallest player on the Kings?! WTF Milan?
This is the same feeling I had during the 2015-16 season when the Oilers young guys were getting run and nobody was stepping up for them even though they had tough guys on the bench.
I texted in to Reid Wilkins post-game show and about Lucic’s actions and Rob Brown’s answer sent rage down my spine…
He wanted out of the game.
F*ck me… Seriously? That’s about as candyass as you can get.
Then I hear about the official trade request later in the evening and I’m elated. Good. Get out Milan. I’ve tried in the past to go to bat for him and he’s probaly a stand up guy outside the rink, but this behavior and these actions are pure selfishness. If he wants to go party it up with his boys in LA, do it.
He should be a man, waive the NMC, and let the Oilers send him to Bakersfield to “regain his confidence”. Since there’s not a team in the league that will take him off the Oilers’ hands, i’m sure his “leadership” will be well recieved in the AHL.
It wouldn’t be the first time a player with a huge ticket went down. The Rangers sent Wade Redden, 33-years-old at the time, to their AHL club. He was two years into a contract that would pay him $36M.
Lucic is not doing anything to help the team on the ice, so what’s the point of having him out there if he’s not going to hit or get in the other team’s faces?
If this is true, this is not at all good, he is A and should be a leader. Only way is to scrach him for rest of the season untill he wants to remove that NMC. Terrible waste of money.
If this is the end of the Chiarelli/Lucic era in Edmonton, so be it. Let’s move on.
New rumor blog to come out later! I guess Edmonton has been scouting Philly, the Habs, and the Islanders closely for a winger.
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Another late post, I’m very sorry! She’s been a busy week for writing and other family responsibilities. This one is really good and I’m really happy to be able to offer it to you.
It was hard not to expect a deal of some kind today after the painful effort put forth against SJ. Chiarelli has acquired defenceman Alex Petrovic from Florida for Chris Wideman and a conditional 3rd round pick. The acquisition cost was certainly right. Wideman cost Edmonton a conditional low round pick, and the Oilers had a 3rd round pick to spare in the upcoming draft. Petrovic will provide some stability to a back-end that sorely needs it because of some key injuries. The Oilers have allowed at least 4 goals in each of the last 5 games, which were all losses.
With rumours of Chiarelli’s demise running rampant, a deal had to made.
Here is a look at the current cap situation after the Petrovic deal, and the call-up of Kailer Yamamoto:
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If you were lucky enough to listen to the Edmonton Oilers’ radio broadcast last night, you might’ve heard Bob Stauffer say that he thinks a goalie is going to be moved to clear up cap space and that he’d like to see a defender brought in. But who’s making that trade if Chiarelli gets the axe in the next seven days?
Well, I don’t think it takes too much to figure out which goalie Stauffer’s talking about. Given that comment followed a game where Cam Talbot got shelled for seven goals and how we’ve been talking about him being available on more than one occasion this year.
I’ve been in touch with my sources and from what I’ve gathered, I believe that there are three teams in on Talbot. Maybe more.
Carolina Hurricanes
Philadelphia Flyers
St.Louis Blues
I’ve wondered if Chicago would be in on him too given the current and unknown future status of Corey Crawford.
Now, out of those teams, Carolina and Philadelphia could afford Talbot’s salary ($4.166 million) outright.
Carolina has $31 million in cap space right now.
Philadelphia has $14 million available.
St. Louis has a shade over $2.2 million open.
Chicago has $6.3 million to use.
My feeling is that Philly is the most desperate to upgrade their goaltending, but I’ve heard all they’re offering is defenseman Robert Hagg and that simply won’t do. Edmonton has enough left-handed defenders as it is and it’s my understanding that they aren’t looking to acquire young players.
I’m not sure about the status of the negotiations between Wayne Simmonds and the Flyers right now but I’d be very happy with a straight swap (Talbot for Simmonds) if that could be managed. If not him, bring me Radko Gudas!
Carolina is having major issues scoring, therefore, I’m skeptical as to how urgent they are to acquire a goalie. That said, Trevor Van Riemsdyk ($2.3 million until 2019-20) would be a very handy addition to the Oilers. He’d be an excellent 2nd/3rd pairing defender because he’s adept at moving the puck and he’s a fantastic skater. At the moment though, he’s buried behind Justin Faulk, Dougie Hamilton, and Brett Pesce.
(Fack. Why aren’t the Oilers looking at one of Faulk, Pesce, and Hamilton? Sell Nurse to them and add a sweetener. Do your team a favor, Pete! FFS.)
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As for the Blues, they’ve got Jake Allen as their starter and no matter how disillusioned they might be with his performances this year, I think they’re stuck with him. With that in mind, if they found a taker for him and were still interested in Talbot, I’d have time for Robby Fabbri but the more prudent acquisition (or re-acquisition I should say) would be David Perron. He’s got a M-NTC though, and I’d be hard-pressed to believe he’d waive that to go back to Edmonton.
Wondering who would be the back-up if Talbot is moved? Well, if you haven’t noticed, Dylan Wells and Shane Starrett have been sharing the net for Bakersfield lately. Weird, right? Especially when Al Montoya is right there. The Condors head coach Jay Woodcroft said that Monty had been out with sickness but it’s been a month. What kind of ailment is this that keeps a guy out for a month?
Anyways, I think if Talbot is moved, Montoya is called up. Illness be damned.
Other Moves?
From all of my conversations since last night, It looks like the Oilers are going to try and chip and chase their way into the playoffs. What I mean by that is since their hands are tied by the cap, they’ve got try and unearth another diamond in the rough ala Alex Chiasson. I’ve heard they’re looking at other leagues to find players who can help with depth scoring. Perhaps skaters with NHL experience, possibly some players who haven’t signed a contract yet this year but are still interested at playing but are training elsewhere.
Man. Wouldn’t it be something if the Oilers could get Rick Nash to agree to play out the season with them?
The brass and the coaches aren’t happy with the players’ refusal to go to the net. So they’re looking for players who have a reputation for doing so. Which I love because I’m a huge fan of net drivers. If you haven’t caught it, goals seem to get scored when there’s a bit of chaos that shakes loose.
I wish them luck in their search.
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