Tag Archives: Rasmus Ristolainen

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BLH Trade Rumors: Oilers, Sabres, Flames, Leafs, Wild, etc.

Oilers Most Likely to be Traded This Season

Jonathan Willis reckons that the Oilers have at least three players who are solid candidates to be traded this season. Matt Benning, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kris Russell, in Willis’ opinion, are the likeliest options to be moved due to the fact that Benning is both useful and expendable, Russell being a reliable veteran presence with to offset a team going through a youth movement, and Puljujarvi’s growing value due to age (21) and how well he’s performing for Karpat in the SM-Liiga. (The Athletic)

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BLH’s Thoughts: I have a feeling that there will be a trade in the new year but I’m not sure if it will feature any of these players. Should the Oilers continue on the pace they’re currently on, I don’t think they’ll want to sacrifice their veteran defenseman going into the post-season. If anybody gets moved, it’s Puljujarvi, but there’s a part of me that wonders if Holland is playing the long game with him in hopes that he can get the big Finn to change his mind and return to the Oilers. 

Teams Who Need an Early Season Trade

Lyle Richardson recently blogged about five teams who could use a trade to shake things up because their campaigns have started off in a rather pedestrian manner.

Richardson cited Eric Francis, Darren Dreger, James Mirtle, and Elliotte Friedman who all commented on potential trades between the Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs that included names like Tyson Barrie, Travis Hamonic, and TJ Brodie. (source)

BLH’s Thoughts: Are any of those players really going to make a real difference for either team. Calgary’s stars are shooting at ridiculously poor percentages and the Leafs simply need a shakeup. Hopefully, the firing of Mike Babcock brings that because I feel like the playoffs are better with Toronto in them. Even if they only last one round. 

Then the man behind Spector’s Hockey moved on to a trade proposal from ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski where Puck Daddy threw out the idea of a Tyson Barrie plus sweetener to Pittsburgh for Justin Schultz.

BLH’s Thoughts: That sweetener would have to be a helluva player I’m thinking. I get that Jultzy has had some injury problems but what if Tyson Barrie is no better in Pittsburgh than Toronto? I just feel like Sheldon Keefe might have better luck with Barrie if he gets some time with him. From an Oilers point of view though, Tyson Barrie would look good on their blue line as a rental…

It’s widely known that the Buffalo Sabres have a surplus of defenders on hand and are looking to make a trade. Richardson suggests that there could possibly be a deal to be made centered around defender Rasmus Ristolainen where the Sabres would send him to Vegas for one of Jonathan Marchessault or Reilly Smith.

BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting proposal. Not sure about Marchessault moving but Smith for Ristolainen is an intriguing idea. 

Wild GM Gauging the Market

Directly from Richardson’s main site, there’s a bit talking about what the Minnesota Wild are up to. Elliotte Friedman has reported that Bill Guerin is working overtime to assess the market on his roster.

It’s been rumored Wild forwards Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato, and Joel Eriksson Ek are available. They probably don’t have much value in the trade market. Fiala and Eriksson Ek have shown some improvement of late, but likely not enough to entice a lot of interest. (source)

BLH’s Thoughts: As an Oilers fan, Kevin Fiala would be a player to keep an eye on. In my opinion, he would be a great addition to the Oilers middle-six forwards. If we’re talking Puljujarvi though and I’m Ken Holland, I would try to take advantage of the fact that Minnesota’s first-rounder from this past draft, Matthew Boldy, is having a real tough go in his first season at Boston College with only 1 goal in 11 games. I’d be finding out what the price is for Boldy AND Fiala. 

Team Canada Names Coaching Staff for Spengler Cup

The Team Canada coaching staff for the upcoming Spengler Cup has a familiar feel to it for Oilers fans. Former head coach Craig MacTavish, ex-teammate and hall-of-fame defender Paul Coffey, as well as Vegas Golden Knights Director of Hockey Ops Misha Donskov will guide the Canadians through the annual tourney that will run from Dec. 26th-31st this year.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t really have any feeling for this tournament to be honest. But it seems like MacTavish and Coffey are really trying to get back into the coaching game. I wonder if Seattle will be keeping a close eye on one or both of them? 

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Edmonton Oilers: Finding One Goalie, Three Forwards, and One Defenseman PLUS BLH’s Top 50 2019 Draft Prospects

Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer recently tweeted out what he felt like the Oilers would be adding going into the 2019/20 season under the context of an $81.5M-$82.5M salary cap.

  • Sign 1B goalie who can start 30-35 games ($1.5M-$2.5M).
  • Add one top-9 forward ($2.5M-$3.5M).
  • Bring in two forwards for the bottom-6 ($1M or less).
  • Get creative opening up a couple of spots on defense for Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, Ethan Bear, and/or Joel Persson.

Well if I had to guess for each one of the suggestions above and taking into consideration Ken Holland’s relationships created through his time in Detroit, I would say that there’s a really solid chance that he’s going to be able to spruce up the Oilers roster in short order.

THE 1B GOALIE

I really liked Petr Mrazek’s season for Carolina and I believe there’s still a lot of game left in the 27-year-old. He played 40 games and 2.39 GAA and a .914 save percentage. If the Oilers are looking for a guy who’ll be able to play a solid chunk of the season, then Mrazek is their man. I think it would be tough to say if playing for Holland in Detroit was a pro or a con at this point. He was traded away from the Red Wings after all, but if anybody knew this guy through and through, it’d be Holland.

If the Oilers are looking for a more veteran presence here, Maybe Mike Smith. As much as I disliked him in Arizona and Calgary, he’s a pretty ornery goalie who doesn’t take any shit and he was the only Flame to show up in their brief playoff appearance this past season. I also like how he can play the puck, that said, it does come back to bite him in the butt from time to time.

THE TOP-9 FORWARD

Joonas Donskoi is my pick here. He’s the perfect middle-6 option for the Oilers. He’s fast, he can play both ways, and he’s seemingly good for around 30-40pts a year. He can skate quite well and he will go to the dirty areas. I also happen to believe that he’d be a great help to Jesse Puljujarvi and be able to mentor him a bit in the event that Pulju gives this new regime a chance. I’d reckon he’ll command close to $3M per year depending on the term length.

If the Oilers were to open up some cap space with a trade or two, I think Gustav Nyquist and Mats Zuccarello would most definitely be in their sights. I do see them demanding closer to the same dollar value and term as Jordan Eberle mind you. So would you be satisfied paying either $5.5M for five years?

Now if we come back down a bit, then I see Brett Connolly and Michael Ferland in the $4M-ish camp. Maybe Connolly will try to really bank on that career year of his and Ferland might get a bit more considering the narrative set from this year’s Stanley Cup Final. That being teams need to have tough mobile forwards to win.

And if we come right down, Alex Chiasson shouldn’t be commanding more than $2.5M nor can I see Richard Panik or Thomas Vanek charging any higher.

Some wildcards here might be Wayne Simmonds, Marcus Johansson, and Ryan Dzingel. Simmonds has really slowed down in recent years. His point totals have been decreasing and his PIMS increasing. Maybe that’s born out of frustration, but can you think of a GM that would pay him more than $4M given the unsure status of the cap and the expansion draft coming? He’s become a bit of an injury concern to boot.

Johansson was outstanding for the Bruins in the playoffs I found. His speed and puckhandling made him a dangerous target for Boston. Unfortunately, his health has been a major concern for the last two years and thus his production has dropped. What would you pay someone with a recent history like that?

As for Dzingel, I think he might be happy sticking in Columbus. He played college hockey there and with Artemi Panarin leaving, there’s pretty much a spot there for the taking. But in the case that he wants to hit the open market and see what’s out there, his speed and tenacity would be very welcome on the Oilers. Is he going to price himself out of Edmonton’s range though? Might be another guy looking at $5.5M a year.

THE TWO BOTTOM-6 FORWARDS

Daniel Carr has been on the Oilers radar for a long time. He’s basically a Brendan Gallagher-lite. Same playing style and traits but to a lesser degree. He spent the year in the AHL last season but he lit it up with 71pts in 52 games. He’s too good for that league and Edmonton could use him in their bottom-6. He’s a local lad too, so that might help getting him in under a million bucks.

Another player who spent the year in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, Brandon Pirri, would be a nice fit for Edmonton’s bottom-6. He scores wherever he goes but he can never stick. Now I’m not sure if that’s an attitude thing or what, but he produces and the Oilers need depth scoring. Had 12 goals in 31 games for Vegas last year.

Brandon Tanev piled up 29pts in 80 games for Winnipeg in 2018/19 while averaging around 14 minutes a game. 15 of those points were goals. Tanev plays a very aggressive game and he’s both fast and quick. Quite the waterbug he is. He won’t be signing for $1M but if the Oilers were interested, I wonder if he’d sign for Kassian money (a shade under $2M).

Other options here might be Adrian Kempe, who gave the Oilers fits last season with his tenacity and smart play down low. Garnet Hathaway would add some toughness to the bottom-6 IF Edmonton were looking for that, and Kenny Agostino kind of came out of nowhere to score 24pts in NJ/MTL last year. He’s got some speed to his game too.

The wildcard in all of this is Patrik Berglund. Yes, he quit the Sabres last year, turned down a crapload of cash to return home, but he says he’s ready to return to the NHL. At 31 years old, do you think he’s done as an NHLer? Would he be a decent 3rd line center?

THE DEFENSE

My feeling here is that Kris Russell and Matt Benning will be traded to open up that right side for Joel Persson and Caleb Jones. I get that Jones isn’t a right-shot defender, but he played that side almost all season last year in Bakersfield as he was pair with Mattias Ekholm clone, William Lagesson.

Getting back to Russell, no question, he’s not in the same bracket as Justin Braun, Matt Niskanen, or Radko Gudas, but he’s a wanted man in the NHL. His teammates love him wherever he goes and he’s well respected by coaches across the league.

Now if Braun can be moved for a couple of draft picks, I would think Russell could too (not a 2nd and a 3rd) and that would really create some wiggle room for Holland and co. They’ve got just over $9M in cap room right now and if they could move him without taking salary back that would take them to around $13M.

On the other hand and to make this a bit bigger of a deal, yesterday on Lowetide’s show, Tom Gazzola and Tyler Yaremchuk were discussing the possibility of moving Darnell Nurse for a right-shot top-4 defender and then using Sekera on the 2nd pair. It’s not a bad idea depending on who the dman coming back is… Ideally, you’d want someone who puts up as much as or more offense at evens than Nurse AND is a threat on the powerplay.

People aren’t going to like this suggestion, but what about Rasmus Ristolainen? His 65 points with the man advantage over the past three seasons has him tied with the $11M-man Erik Karlsson and that total has him above other all-star defenders like Kris Letang, John Klingberg, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Morgan Reilly, and Drew Doughty.

I’ve always liked this player because he’s massive, he’s tough, and he’s got a Cannon the likes Edmonton hasn’t seen since Sheldon Souray was around. That said, he’s not as proficient a scorer at evens as Nurse (60pts to Risto’s 51 in the past three years). I imagine folks will point to his fancy stats and complain as well, but it doesn’t matter which metric you use, I can most likely show you someone you might consider to be a much better defender who has similarly poor numbers there too.

Ristolainen is tied down for another three seasons at $5.4M per and if he’s putting up around the same stats as Nurse but better on the PP and the Oilers have players to fill in for Darnell, what’s the problem? Can you tell me that Darnell Nurse isn’t going to be asking for around $7M on a long-term deal next summer? If so, what number do you think he’ll sign for and do you think he’ll have earned that?

In three seasons, if it’s not working out, the Oilers could move Ristolainen if need be. It’d be easier due to his handedness and his PP production AND it would give the Oilers more time to develop their bluechip prospect, Evan Bouchard.

BLH’S TOP-50 2019 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS

After extensive research and the use of around five draft guides this year, this is my list of 50 prospects for the upcoming 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

I dinged guys for work ethic issues or consistency problems. Players that were poor skaters were ranked lower if they didn’t have much else they could bring to the ice. If a player was considered a perimeter player, that didn’t help their case either. I do take size into consideration a bit. I found that there is a massive influx of sub-6-foot players eligible for the draft and that if everything was equal, I’d probably still take the bigger player.

Conversely, skaters who had a high work ethic and those that were outstanding skaters were ranked higher. I feel that skating is of the utmost importance with regards to the direction of hockey now. I’m also a fan of players who will play a bit old-school, meaning they aren’t afraid of the rough stuff and will get their noses dirty. Defensive IQ is as important to me as offensive IQ as well.

But as it is every year, sometimes a player is just so good at one thing, it overshadows his flaws, like Kirby Dach (consistency/work ethic) or Trevor Zegras (High risk/selfish). These players are ridiculously skilled and should be taken in the first seven picks I imagine, but for me, they drop a little bit. Whereas Matthew Boldy and Vasili Podkolzin probably aren’t as skilled as Dach and Zegras but they are much smarter players at both ends of the rink and if their offense dries up, they can still be impactful to the game.

The players in bold are where the Edmonton Oilers would be selecting.

  1. Jack Hughes – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  2. Kappo Kakko – RW – TPS (SM-Liiga)
  3. Bowen Byram – LHD – Vancouver (WHL)
  4. Alex Turcotte – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  5. Matthew Boldy – LW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  6. Vasili Podkolzin – RW – SKA-Neva (VHL)
  7. Cole Caufield – RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  8. Alex Newhook – C – Victoria (BCHL)
  9. Kirby Dach – C – Saskatoon (WHL)
  10. Trevor Zegras – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  11. Dylan Cozens – C – Lethbridge (WHL)
  12. Peyton Krebs – C – Kootenay (WHL)
  13. Spencer Knight – G – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  14. Raphael Lavoie – C – Halifax (QMJHL)
  15. Cam York – LHD – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  16. Viktor Soderstrom – RHD – Brynas (SHL)
  17. Philip Broberg – LHD – AIK (Allsvenskan)
  18. Pavel Dorofeyev -LW – Magnitogorsk (KHL)
  19. Thomas Harley – LHD – Mississauga (OHL)
  20. Simon Holmstrom – RW – HV71 J20 (Superelit)
  21. Bobby Brink – RW – Sioux City (USHL)
  22. Jakob Pelletier – LW – Moncton (QMJHL)
  23. Mortiz Seider – RHD – Mannheim (DEL)
  24. Nils Hoglander – LW – Rogle (SHL)
  25. Tobias Bjornfot – LHD – Djurgardens J20 (Superelit)
  26. Lassi Thomson – RHD – Kelowna (WHL)
  27. Ryan Suzuki – C – Barrie (OHL)
  28. Matthew Robertson – LHD – Edmonton (WHL)
  29. Phil Tomasino – C – Niagara (OHL)
  30. Connor McMichael – C – London (OHL)
  31. Ville Heinola – LHD – Luuko (SM-Liiga)
  32. John Beecher – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
  33. Samuel Poulin – RW – Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
  34. Arthur Kaliyev – RW – Hamilton (OHL)
  35. Vladislav Kolyachonok – LHD – Flint (OHL)
  36. Patrik Puistola – RW – Tappara U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)
  37. Robert Mastrosimone – LW – Chicago (USHL)
  38. Albin Grewe – RW – Djurgardens U20 (Superelit)
  39. Semyon Chistyakov – LHD – Tolpar (MHL)
  40. Brayden Tracey – LW – Moose Jaw (WHL)
  41. Yegor Afanseyev – LW – Muskegon (USHL)
  42. Nolan Foote – LW – Kelowna (WHL)
  43. Anttoni Honka – RHD – Jukurit (SM-Liiga)
  44. Ryan Johnson – LHD – Sioux Falls (USHL)
  45. Nic Robertson – LW – Peterborough (OHL)
  46. Ilya Nikolaev – C – Loko Yaroslav (MHL)
  47. Jamieson Rees – C – Sarnia
  48. Jackson Lacombe – LHD – Shattuck (MIN- HS)
  49. Shante Pinto – C – Tri-City (USHL)
  50. Ethan Keppen – LW – Flint (OHL)
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Edmonton Oilers: Mark Spector’s Summer Plan for the Oilers

As depressing as it is to be talking about the Edmonton Oilers off-season plans and the draft, if you’re a fan of the team you have to be glad that the team was “in it” until the final ten games of the year. They haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet but unless they go on an undefeated streak to end the year and the teams ahead of them in the standings stumble, they’re out of it for the 12th time in 13 campaigns.

So we’ve indeed come to that time.

Mark Spector released his thoughts on what the Oilers should do this summer here and I think he offers up some ideas that are good, okay, and bat-shit crazy.

Interview people from as many organizations as you can (for the GM’s position)

I agree and yesterday I posted what Bob Nicholson had to say in the Oiler season ticket holder’s event on this. He said he had about 34 names on his list that he wants to trim down to 10-12 to interview.

All signs pointing north there.

The Oilers are a top-five revenue team in the league. We can list off the names of 15 hockey scouts whose names make hockey people nod their heads in respect. Guys whose pedigree for evaluating talent is proven, and deadly. Not one of those people work for the Edmonton Oilers.

They’re easy to find because everyone knows who they are. Guys like Craig Heisinger (Winnipeg), Vaughn Karpan (Vegas), David McNabb (Anaheim), Al Murray (Tampa), Pat Verbeek (Tampa). There are 10 more people we could name off the top of our head.

Find them. Pay them.

Once again. I concur.

It’s incumbent upon the Oilers to pluck some talented individuals away from some successful clubs and whatever the cost might be. Rumor has it that the Detroit Red Wings are planning to hire Steve Yzerman as their POHO and Pat Verbeek as their GM. That’s exactly the kind of procurement I’m talking about.

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We’ve all heard the list. We’re not in the interviews, so we won’t pick a name. But hire a bird dog — a real personnel man like Kelly McCrimmon or Mark Hunter — who knows talent. Then hire people to do the contracts, etc.

Depth in talent is the issue for Edmonton. Player evaluation skills are first, second and third on my hiring list.

I think that the team needs to make a HARD pivot here and copy the model that was used to build the Vegas Golden Knights and if that means hiring Kelly McCrimmon to do it, so be it! BUT let’s be clear, that team started with a blank slate and some of the trades they’ve made haven’t been amazing. McCrimmon won’t have that luxury in Edmonton IF he comes in. That said, he’s got the right blueprint. Can he find a way to acquire a future hall-of-fame goalie to tide the team over while the overhaul is in process?

This organization should be able to afford the best Director of Analytics, aided by four or five support staff. It’s 2019. Get after it.

The team SHOULD be hiring the best of the best at every position in the organization and that includes sports science. They’d have to spend on it mind you and they’re behind the 8-ball (as usual), so they wouldn’t have a lot of leverage in negotiations.

I like what my friend SPR has said about analytics in a thread today,

https://twitter.com/TheOilKnight/status/1108455294286233600

Take a Hard Look at the Pro Scouts:

We’d take a long, hard look at the last five years of reports from anyone who said Ryan Spooner could help. From anyone who was on-side with acquiring Brandon Manning, Nikita Nikitin, Tobias Rieder, Anton Belov, Chris Wideman, Alex Petrovic…

Sure, some of those players go years back. But if that scout is still working for me, I want to see about two things: has he been making the same mistake all the way along, and if so, why is he still working for me?

The evaluation of pro players in this organization rates out at about D-minus. That means the pro scouting staff isn’t good enough.

Edmonton needs to acquire some right-now, step-into-the-lineup players. How on earth do we expect the same people who have made mistakes for a decade to have success this summer?

Was Spector taking a shot at Craig MacTavish there?

My feeling on the pro scouts is that they can only bring in so many reports on players and if the GM on hand doesn’t take that knowledge and put it to use, then what more can they do? Or what good are the scouts if the director of pro scouting is directing them to find moar grit?

The Oilers tried to bring back Matt Hendricks at the deadline for the same reason that Winnipeg re-acquired him. He brings locker rooms together. He has the respect of the players on every team he plays for and he loves playing hockey. He’ll do anything for his teammates.

Edmonton brought in Sam Gagner for the same reasons.

So I don’t have a problem with one more year of the current crop of pro scouts but I’d like to see the Oilers tack on another five new ones with some different thinking. I don’t think that Duane Sutter will be back next year, so a new director will be heading that group up.

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Package Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and get a top pairing defenceman.

We use Nugent-Hopkins for two reasons: The Oilers already have two top-six centremen, and Nugent-Hopkins is a very good player who has excellent value. He is the Oilers’ best chip, below the two obvious ones.

Edmonton does not have a legitimate, no-doubt, top pairing defenceman on their roster. So package Nugent-Hopkins — a good second-line centre on many teams — with an Adam Larsson, or more preferably, a Kris Russell or Andrej Sekera, and make a deal.

If it’s Nugent-Hopkins and Larsson, you should get your defenceman and a serviceable winger. If it’s the Russell or Sekera model, you take the D-man, maybe a prospect, but gain in the salary that goes out the door.

I’m not against using RNH to bring in an upgrade on defense. There are teams out there that would love a player like Nuge on their roster. I don’t see him as a massive loss if the Oilers move him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a VERY good two-way pivot but he’s still not great on the faceoffs and his career high in points has come playing a good chunk of time with Connor McDavid.

The way I’d do it is if RNH were moved, the team would have to bring in a center who could float between 3rd line center and 2nd line center for those times that the coach puts Leon and Connor together.

So is that a player like Sam Reinhart? A guy who can float throughout the lineup and play every forward position? Is it a guy like Alexander Wennberg, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Brayden Schenn, or Nazim Kadri?

Jason Gregor and Ryan Rishaug brought up an interesting scenario,

RNH+Klefbom for Sam Reinhart+Rasmus Ristolainen

Personally, I’d keep Klefbom and replace him with Darnell Nurse. Then you’d have some balance on the back end. Ristolainen is a perennial 40pt/yr defenseman. He’s a massive SOB on the back end (ask Lucic), and he’s can move the puck. Reinhart will help on the PK and he’s a very versatile and high hockey IQ forward. Both are cheaper as well, now and in the future.

Buyout Milan Lucic:

Lucic asked for a trade last summer. If he asks for one again at the exit meetings, then buy him out and wave goodbye.

If he promises to spend the summer with a skills coach, shed as much weight as possible (he’s always been in great shape) and shows me that he wants to succeed in Edmonton, then give him the chance. Because a buy-out saves you about $1.4 million per season, which buys you a decent fourth-line winger.

Which Lucic already is.

Man. That’s a solid chunk of change to buy him out and I’m of the belief that the Oilers made some ground before the trade deadline on a deal to move him this summer.

I just think that the team should move on from him but in a manner that doesn’t eat up a bunch of their cap. A good GM should be able to trade him.

What I’m hearing is that this summer is gonna be a BOLD one in Edmonton but we’ve also heard that before and nothing crazy ever really happens in hockey anymore, does it?

So we wait and see… I hope that the Oilers absolutely blow the doors off this summer and create some mad drama for not only their fanbase but hockey in general.

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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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Speculation: If the Oilers Want an Elite Defenseman, Here are the Prices!

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Just a quick update here from one of my sources on the Oilers search for their top pairing defenseman.

Now I’ll preface this by saying that these deals rarely happen and that all I’m doing is passing on the information that was given to me. Don’t kill the messenger… You can take it for what it’s worth to you but this is what I was told,

ON OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON

The Oilers are out on OEL cause he wants to stay in Ari. 8 years reported at more than 8M AAV. Chayka asked for Drai and Nurse for OEL.

At one point OEL WAS willing to come to Edmonton but Chayka has his head up his ass.
No thank you to that one. Draisaitl AND Darnell for Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Just give me the Rishaug trade if that’s the case.
ON ERIK KARLSSON
It was Drai and a 1st to even start talks
Also, no thank you to that one.
Also, Cody Ceci’s name was brought up and I can’t for the life of me figure out why Peter Chiarelli would even think of bringing him in. Ottawa has done him no service by expediting his development and not bringing him along properly.
I guess Matt Benning contract negotiations are going poorly, so perhaps he could be moved this summer.
Just stay away from Ceci… Please. No disrespect to the guy, I’m just not convinced he’d be an upgrade on what the Oilers have at the moment.
As I said on Twitter, I do not want to see the Oilers make a massive trade this year. I don’t think they’re in the position to make one to be honest and I don’t think they’ve got the pieces to bring in the kind of player that would put them over the top.
That said, there are a couple of trades I would make. Klefbom for Ristolainen straight across, I’d do it. I don’t think Buffalo would. I think a trade like that would balance out the defense. And the #10 overall to Tampa for Tyler Johnson as suggested by one of my Twitter followers. Kucherov is going to get as much as he can from Tampa when his contract is up and Brayden Point has basically taken over Johnson’s job on that team.
Do you have any thoughts? Leave them in the comments below!
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