Tag Archives: Sami Vatanen

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Riley Sheahan’s Return Could Force a Trade

Later this week, the Edmonton Oilers are going to march into Nassau Coliseum and go head-to-head with Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders. It should be a fantastic game of hockey to watch but there’s something else on my mind related to this game.

What I’m wondering about is this Josh Ho-Sang trade demand because I was passed along a message that the Oilers were looking at him. Now, what I’m about to discuss, I see very little chance of it happening for a few reasons but I still believe it’s worth talking about.

  • Lou Lamoriello’s ships are tighter than the lid on that jar of pickles at the back of your fridge. Nothing gets out of his office unless he wants it to.
  • If the Oilers did make a deal to bring JHS to the team, where would he play? Sure, he’s said he’d be happy starting in the AHL, but even then, where does he slot into the Condor’s lineup with Kailer Yamamoto, Josh Currie, and Kirill Maksimov occupying the top three RW spots? Unless they’re trading him for Cameron Hebig or Nolan Vesey…
  • Is this the kind of player that the Oilers should be bringing into their organization and would he fit into the new ethos that Ken Holland is trying to build?

On the other hand, there are some players that have done nothing more than sat on their hands since training camp started. Riley Sheahan will be coming back this week and somebody has to go to make room for him. A one-for-one trade makes sense here because Ho-Sang wouldn’t have to join the NHL club and he could stay in the AHL, meaning, he wouldn’t take up a roster space on the Oilers. I’d argue his value is as low as it could possibly be as well, so the price to acquire him wouldn’t be dear. Thoughts?

For me, Ho-Sang doesn’t do anything for me. I get that he played minor hockey with Connor and they were unstoppable, but that was then and the now tells me that he can’t score goals at even the AHL level let alone the NHL one. Eight goals last year? He’s never topped 45 points in a season playing in the Islanders farm system. For a player who might consider himself a top-6 forward? It doesn’t jive, baby.

One more thing, on Oilers Now last week Mark Spector and Bob Stauffer were discussing one of the Oilers who’d had a good game. I think it was Draisaitl but I’m not 100% on that. Spec just happened to slip into the conversation that he was talking to a Rangers scout at the Oilers season opener…

Fun Fact: Edmonton plays the Rangers on this road trip as well.

So if the Rags are watching the Oilers and the Oilers are watching the Rangers (pretty safe assumption I feel), you’ve got to wonder if there’s something brewing. Remember those Lemieux/Puljujarvi rumors that were popping up over the summer? A deal like that could be a bit more problematic because Lemieux would take up a roster spot and New York would have to sign Puljujarvi if they wanted him to play for them this season. Not that hard, but a bit more paperwork involved. Add to that the fact that along with the Oilers, New York has started their year very well. Does either team really want to tinker with the rosters so early in the season?

Look, if it were me, I’d rather move a Colby Cave, Markus Granlund (I know…), or a Jujhar Khaira than lose someone to waiver for nothing. It’s unfortunate that Adam Larsson fractured his leg because I’d add Matt Benning to that list too, but it is what it is. Those three forwards are not playing with any hunger in their games and there’s no fear of being sent down either. However, I could see Tippett wanting more of a look at that Khaira/Sheahan/Archibald line before agreeing to move JJ and Colby Cave can win faceoffs, a skill that cannot be overlooked in any situation.

The other teams that Edmonton will be facing on this roadie are the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks. I see Sami Vatanen playing 3rd pair minutes for the Devils, would he fit on the Oilers blueline? Maybe for Benning and another body?

I don’t know folks. As I said, most likely nothing is going to happen, but I wanted to bring up the topic anyhow. The timing seemed right.

What do you think? Are you a bit more optimistic that a trade could get done on this road trip than me? If so, let us know in the comments what you’re thinking.

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

Lowetide’s Defensive Targets

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Below is a list of targets our beloved Lowetide has come up with (Here’s the link). Now, I’ve been wanting to comment on something like this for a while now but my time is split between running around Taipei for work and my two young children at home, I haven’t had the chance. So I’d like to use Lowetide’s list and comment on each player because if anyone has their eye’s on the ball regarding the Oilers, it’s LT.

RD Josh Manson, Anaheim Ducks. A dream solution to 2RHD.

– Perfect dman for the Oilers right now. I agree with LT here. He’s as mean as his old man but doesn’t quite have the shot. Skates better and is a tad smarter though. Fearless.

RD Radko Gudas, Philadelphia Flyers. Duck killer, if acquired.

– Some might be scared off by his previous run-ins with player safety but he’d neutralize any threats from the opposition and be a mentor to someone like Darnell Nurse and Matt Benning. This guy is an absolute tank and his shot may very well be one of the hardest in the league. Players get hurt when he takes the ice one way or the other.

RD Alex Petrovic, Florida Panthers. Rugged D, good possession numbers.

– I’m not as sold on Petrovic as LT. He’s only okay to me. Kris Russell was a better defender with worse possession numbers for Edmonton in my opinion. There are better players out there and yeah, he’ll drop the gloves but he’s not a great scrapper.

RD Travis Hamonic, NY Islanders. A rumored target.

– Hottest rumor out there has Hamonic coming in for Eberle but I can’t see it. He’s better than De Haan I reckon but isn’t as consistent as of recent. The Isles would be better off finding a way to keep him but if Edmonton could get him, he’d be right up there with Manson as a very nice piece to add to the Oilers puzzle.

RD Mark Pysyk, Florida Panthers. Panthers young and emerging blue.

– Bob Green must be salivating at the thought of reuniting Griffin Reinhart and Mark Pysyk. Not only that but seeing as Reinhart looks to be the hill that Peter Chiarelli will die on these days, I’m sure he’d also be okay with him coming to Edmonton and attempting to re-animate that old Edmonton Oil Kings partnership. Is he a 2nd pairing dman though? Griffin sure isn’t.

RD Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes. He brings a lot of offense, bigger ask obvious.

– Is Faulk a better version of Justin Schultz? As LT says, he brings a lot of offense but he hemorrhages chances defensively and is that the kind of player you want partnering up with Kris Russell next season if KR were to be re-signed?

RD Kevin Shattenkirk FREE AGENT (80gp, 13-43-56). One year at big coin?

– Boy, that is a big ticket for one year. That being said, it’s a great opportunity for both parties to hit a home run as it’s well known Shattenkirk would like to be beamed up to the Rangers and New York needs to rid itself of one of Marc Staal or Dan Girardi before stumping up for Shattenkirk. And the Oilers could use the year to rip up the league offensively before McDavid’s new contract kicks in and that would also give them a year to find a replacement for Shattenkirk internally or externally.

RD Sami  Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks. Talented, inconsistent.

– Apparently, the teams are lining up for this Finnish defender even though he won’t be ready for the beginning of next season. I like him but man, coming back from that shoulder surgery will be hard. I can’t see him being as effective until the 2019 season. Not worth it to me.

RD Jason Demers, Florida Panthers. Veteran D visited Edmonton as UFA last summer.

– Honestly, I think that Matt Benning can do an equal-to-better job than Demers and he’s a helluva lot cheaper.

LD Kris Russell FREE AGENT. GM and coach like him, good chance he’ll return.

– I dig Russell but not at $4Mx4. Anything over $3M is an overpayment in my opinion.

RD David Savard, Columbus. Rarely mentioned but an interesting option.

– Really emerged this season on the Blue Jackets’ blue line. Very much an all-round defender but I think the Oilers are looking for somebody with a bit more offensive flair.

RD Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild. Power play option, chaos in his game.

– Dumba isn’t a puck rusher like a Kris Letang but he’s got a cannon like Ryan Ellis. He hits like Scott Stevens but he defends a bit better than Justin Schultz. So plainly put, he has his pluses but the warts are pretty apparent too.

LD Ryan Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets. Doesn’t seem a fit.

– That’s a good summary of Murray from LT. Is he better or worse than Kris Russell in your opinion?

RD Cody Franson FREE AGENT. His fancy stats: Out of the blue and into the black.

– I reckon I heard Jason Gregor talking about how Franson has trouble pivoting and is Marshmellow Man soft…

RD Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche. He had a poor year, but has talent.

– His price point is up there at $5.5M per year and he really is chaos defensively but he puts up the points and he doesn’t take shit from anybody. Just ask Pat Maroon. Could cost the Oilers dear to acquire him.

LD Brian Campbell FREE AGENT (80gp, 5-12-17). The man can still wheel.

– I like this option because it could be very helpful to the Oilers salary cap. I don’t think he’d cost very much, he’s a veteran (which I think the Oilers could use more of), and as LT says, he can still skate. Think of him as a 2006 Bret Hedican type.

LD Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins. Played over 23 minutes a game this past season.

– On the last year of his deal, making $4M, still plays a beastly game. I really believe he’d make a positive impact of the Oilers could get him. That said, the relationship between Boston and Chiarelli since his firing has been frosty at best.

RD Michael Stone FREE AGENT (64gp, 3-12-15). Last chance Texaco.

– He’s going to get the same kind of money that Kris Russell is going for, isn’t he? I don’t like it long-term. The Oilers need more offense in a defenseman for that kind of money on the 2nd pairing.

There are a couple names I believe Lowetide failed to mention, one being Jacob Trouba. I think he’d fit in well in Edmonton and surely that trade demand out of Winnipeg is still lingering.  The other being Noah Hanifin.

Don’t ask me why Ron Francis would even entertain the notion of dealing him. Maybe they reckon he’s going to ask for a pretty penny once his entry-level contract is up and they like Slavvin and Pesce in the long run a bit better. And with the likes of Roland McKeown, Hadyn Fleury, Jake Bean, and Klaus Dahlbeck coming up, perhaps they feel they could really cash in on him…

If that really is the case, I’d be happy to send Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to Carolina for Hanifin. I’d add to that to make it happen too. Noah Hanifin is a better version of Seth Jones and we saw how well he’s turned out for Columbus.

If I had to choose a top 5 out of the list of Lowetide’s above who I think the Oilers are after, I’d go with this:

  1. Kevin Shattenkirk
  2. Travis Hamonic
  3. Tyson Barrie
  4. Matt Dumba
  5. Justin Faulk

My top 5 would be different:

  1. Josh Manson
  2. Radko Gudas
  3. Travis Hamonic
  4. Tyson Barrie
  5. Zdeno Chara

Which dmen would you like to see the Oilers pursue? Are there any on Lowetide’s list above you wouldn’t tough with Zdeno Chara’s stick? Let us know in the comments below!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Is It Time To Move Another Big Name Oiler?

The powerplay just doesn’t seem to be clicking and that’s not a new story for Oilers fans. We’ve run assistant coaches out of town for less but what usually starts the ball rolling is horrid special teams. I mean I’m all for asking Ralph Krueger or Todd Nelson to come back and sort this sh*t out but I’m fairly certain those bridges have been burned with the people responsible for putting fuel on those bridge burnings still working for the team.

Edmonton is 18th in the league for PP% with 16%. Which isn’t horrendous by any means, at least we’re not Calgary, they’re sitting dead last in the league with a 10% PP… Now that is atrocious! We’re closer than ever to being a playoff team, yet, the Oilers are on the verge of another 5-game losing streak that is partly due to their inability to capitalize with the man advantage.

My thinking is that maybe that PP really needs a shot in the arm and what is more expensive to acquire, a right-handed defenseman to QB the PP or a right-handed centre that could play the McDavid role with Oscar Klefbom on the point?

I suppose that depends on the player, right?

I mean, why are the Oilers continually running the PP through McDavid like they are? His choices are:

  • cross-ice pass to Ebs
  • to the point to Klefbom or Sekera
  • stickhandle through the slot and try himself
  • shoot through two penalty killers

Why (and they might be doing this with Ebs and Klefbom put on the 2nd PP unit yesterday) don’t they run the PP through Ebs and Klefbom? And if that brings success, find a 2nd pairing righty for the McDavid unit or alter the positioning of 97’s unit in order to make room for Puljujarvi’s 1-timer?

What we do know is that Eberle can’t shoot right now despite being the most active shooter on the team and in the top 5 of the NHL.

You know, Leon Draisaitl hit the post versus Toronto with a beauty of a 1-timer, why haven’t they tried working the puck over to him?…

Maybe the Oilers should start looking at that right-handed PP QB that Hall was supposed to bring in… Somebody like:

  • Sami Vatanen (ANH) – (2013-2016) 4.99 pts/60 on the PP.
  • Justin Faulk (CAR) – (2013-2016) 17.2 shots/60 on the PP + 2.07 goals/60 (2nd in NHL in both stats).
  • Matt Dumba (MIN) – (2016/17) 20.3 shots/60 on the PP (2nd in NHL).
  • *Inhales sharply and says with a hand over his mouth*…Dennis Wideman (CGY) – (2016/17) 6.17 pts/60 on the PP + 3rd in the NHL w/3.09 goals/60 on the PP.

I dunno guys, right now Nuge for Dumba is looking pretty tasty and that was a deal turned down (rightfully so at the time) at the draft. That cannon of his, his urgency to use it and his physical play could really fit in on a Todd McLellan/Peter Chiarelli team, no?

Now, I know that a majority of the game is played 5×5, so let’s check the four players corsi for % 5×5 (close) with 100 minutes TOI minimum and see where we land (league ranking in brackets)?

  • Vatanen (#70) 51.3%
  • Faulk (#48) 52.4%
  • Dumba (#97) 50%
  • Wideman (#170) 42.9%

Comparing that with the Oilers we’ve got:

1 – Adam Larsson (#22) – 54.7%
2- Oscar Klefbom (#25) – 54.4%
3 – Eric Gryba (#26) – 54.1%
4 – Darnell Nurse (#30) – 53.8%
5 – Matt Benning (#79) – 51.0%
6 – Andrej Sekera (#135) – 47.2%
7 – Kris Russell (#138) – 46.8%

Oilers on the PP this season (I had to reduce the minimum TOI to 1 minute to get more than 2 Oilers):

1 – Matt Benning (#40) – 14:35 TOI, 4.11 pts/60
2 – Andrej Sekera (#66) – 43:23 TOI, 2.77 pts/60
3 – Oscar Klefbom (#89) – 68.50 TOI, 1.74 pts/60
4 – Adam Larsson (#161) – 6:23 TOI, 0.00 pts/60
5 – Darnell Nurse (#166) – 1:22 TOI, 0.00 pts/60
6 – Kris Russell (#183) – 11:06 TOI, 0.00 pts/60

If we jack the minimum TOI up to 50, which I think is a decent variable at this point in the season, then Oscar Klefbom jumps to #41 in the NHL. And if we change the time frame from just this season to the previous four (including this one), Kris Russell is 48th in the NHL over that time with a points per 60 of 3.80 and Andrej Sekera (3.77) is right under him at 49th. But that’s it.

As for the four dmen I named above, what do you think their teams would be looking to acquire in exchange?

  • Matt Dumba – Last I heard the Wild were looking for scoring. Do the Oilers have anybody they could serve up without handcuffing themselves?
  • Justin Faulk – Some don’t like that his defense is going off the rails this season but Carolina would kill to get Nuge, wouldn’t they? But do they have someone to replace Faulk? We know that person isn’t Ryan Murphy. But hey, what about Ryan Murphy for Griffin Reinhart? Hehehe.
  • Sami Vatanen – The ducks are having an odd season so far. Their big guns aren’t firing on all cylinders, so I imagine scoring is something they’d be looking for as well given their ridiculously deep back-end. Last year Pouliot was rumored to be of interest but I can’t see that this year. And what would you deal to a division rival?
  • Dennis Wideman – I think he could be had for a Bobby Nick’s Burger.

I don’t really like the idea of moving a high-profile player just to “fix” the PP to be honest but what would you do? Would you sacrifice a Nuge, Eberle, Nurse, Klefbom or a Draisaitl to upgrade the Oilers PP?

Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

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

Ducks Calling?

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Boy things are starting to move as we get closer to the draft, eh? Rumours be flying left and right! So let’s go with another quick hitter today guys! I’m going to comment on Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Nail Yakupov, and trading down.

Sami Vatanen Signs!

  • So there we have it. First it was Travis Hamonic rescinding his trade request, then it was Justin Faulk being pulled off the market, after that Avs head honcho Joe Sakic said Tyson Barrie wasn’t going anywhere, and now we’re at this point. Sami Vatanen is NOW the Anaheim Ducks most paid defenseman.
  • Every major right-handed defenseman the Edmonton Oilers are pursuing is becoming unavailable IF you believe what the GMs are saying.
  • Where do the Oilers go from here?
  • Well I guess that is a plus. Edmonton can still trade for Vatanen. But what about going after Cam Fowler or Josh Manson?
  • Fowler was a name that was being tossed around a bit in trade rumours last season as the guy Ducks’ brass was less than enamoured with. He was Taylor Hall’s teammate when they won the Memorial Cup together along with Zach Kassian.
  • I guess it all depends on your definition of “High quality left winger”. Is Taylor Hall that guy? Lowetide often speaks of the Hampus Lindholm for Hall scenario but you’d have to think that if Anaheim isn’t willing to give Lindholm $6M per year, why would he give that to Hall? And Lindholm is tracking as a future no.1 defender. So I could see why the Oilers would want him but that’s the same reason the Ducks won’t be letting him go.
  • But let’s say that was a deal that happened, what would that mean for Oscar Klefbom, Brandon Davidson or Darnell Nurse? Would we see Klefbom moved to Brooklyn for Hamonic?
  • Perhaps that Pouliot package may very well still be alive. Why Pouliot though?
  • Jason Gregor reported that Pouliot was rumoured to be going to the Ducks last year at the deadline WITH Nail Yakupov before his injury scuttled that deal. One can only at least speculate talks would resume this off-season.
  • Speaking of Nail Yakupov, how many of you think that he’s already been dealt and we’re just waiting for the announcement on draft day? The rumours are becoming stronger that he’s going to Philly but I have a hard time believing that one.
  • I wonder though, could Detroit get in on him? Maybe offering towering winger Anthony Mantha? Mantha hasn’t progressed at the pace the brass in Michigan have expected after tearing up the QMJHL.
  • There’s a connection there too. Yakupov’s agent, Igor Larionov, played many a year for the wheeled wing.
  • Would Montreal take a flyer on him and pair him up with his junior centre, Alex Galchenyuk? Perhaps dangling Nikita Scherbak or Jacob de la Rose?
  • Personally I think that Chiarelli would like to get a 1st rounder and perhaps a prospect. Yak’s contract is a value one given the potential he still has and it’s only for one more season expiring at the end of the upcoming season.
  • The team that acquires Yakupov would still have him under control I believe for another three years? But don’t quote me on that. I’m not too well versed in the regard.
  • If Arizona adds to that offer that was bandied about earlier this week (the #7 and #20 overall), I think there’s a good chance we could see the #4 pick moved.
  • And if that happens, I feel that it’s Mikhail Sergachev that will be picked at #7. His junior coach was a former member of the Oilers coaching staff and rising star in the coaching fraternity, Rocky Thompson.
  • As for the no.20… I had Arizona taking University of Wisconsin forward Luke Kunin in my mock draft here.
  • You’d have to think though that Chiarelli would be tempted into taking Connor McDavid’s old junior linemate in Erie. The uber-scoring Alex Debrincat.
  • God knows that the Oilers need some depth scoring coming up through the pipeline and Debrincat would be a blessing from Mana. Adding him to Slepyshev and Caggiula.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors, Trades

Dealing Down at the Draft

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I’ve been talking about the Oilers standing pat this summer and not doing a whole lot with regards to dealing out a big core piece but I haven’t talked about the Oilers trading down in the draft as much yet.

Today I’d like to present a scenario to you and you let me know in the comments below if you think that it is a realistic possibility. So here goes nothing!

You might’ve read Jonathan Willis’ latest post over at Oilersnation wherein he goes into depth framing a picture where the Oilers and Sabres could very well be excellent trade partners for each other. Read it here.

Basically he talks about the Oilers having too many LHD and the Buffalo Sabres having too many RHD. Willis also hypothesizes at a possible swap that could include the 8th overall pick and Zach Bogosian to the Oilers for Griffin Reinhart and the 4th overall.

To me that sounds fine. It could give the Sabres some reprieve cap-wise and a top 5 pick to which they could use to draft Matthew Tkachuk. It would alleviate some of the logjam the Oilers have on the left side of their defense and it would give them a legitimate shut-down defender at a great age (25yrs).

So for me it wouldn’t just stop there. I’d take that 8th overall pick and move it to the Avalanche plus Eberle or Yakupov for the rights to Tyson Barrie and the 10th overall pick. Elliotte Friedman talked about the Avs wanting a dman in return for any deal including Barrie on Friday’s Oilers Now but I have to wonder how much the relationship between Barrie and the Avs has deteriorated. Perhaps other pieces are included to make a deal work.

I think the Avs would love to get their hands on the left-shooting right-sided dman from Russia, Mikhail Sergachev and Edmonton could very well use that pick to take the gigantic Logan Brown, swift skating Jakob Chychrun, Johnny Gaudreau 2.0 Clayton Keller, or uber-intellect Tyson Jost. Patrick Roy loves his Russians but it’d open up a major hole on their D but is Sergachev NHL-ready? If so, that might ease the Avs’ worries.

If you really wanted to go all blue sky, they could use that pick (#10) and deal it to Anaheim for Sami Vatanen…

Imagine that. Peter Chiarelli picking up Barrie, Bogosian, and Vatanen and thus solidifying the Oilers defense for the next 5-7 years. Wouldn’t that be something.

Klefbom-Barrie
Sekera-Bogosian
Davidson/Nurse-Vatanen

Now THAT is some serious wishing.

What do you think? Do any of those scenarios make sense to you?

 

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