Tag Archives: Spencer Foo

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

Sources Say: Pitlick, Foo, and No.22 (Plus Patty Kane, What?!)

Finally had the time to sit down and have a good conversation with one of my sources and I’m happy I did. Lots of Oilers talk was tossed about but I’ll keep this brief.

As I do each time I report what I’m told, please don’t shoot the messenger. I just let you guys/gals know what I’m told. There’s probably a less than %5 chance that any of this happens and things change all the time. If you don’t believe me, send me the batting average of McKenzie, Dreger, LeBrun, etc. So take it all with a grain of salt. If anything it’s great entertainment and excellent water cooler talk.

The conversation didn’t start on an Oilers note though:

  • “Patrick Kane is on the verge of being shopped by the Hawks. They need cap space. HOLY SH*T!!!”
  • “Everyone that isn’t named Toews is for sale!”
  • “(Hawks) Fans will hate whatever happens. That’s just the way it is. But if the Hawks want to remain a successful team, they need to make those tough deals, deals that they’ll probably lose, to make things work. Hossa shouldn’t have received his current contract, Anisimov, Panarin, the list goes on. Awful cap management. Now they’re paying for it and they’ll most likely have to dismantle their team. That Hawks team won’t win the Cup for a very long time now. 
  • “In a cap system, it’ll be very hard to trade those contracts.
  • “I expect VAN, LA, or ARZ to be in the mix.” 

Well, I didn’t expect to be talking about the Hawks but that’s some pretty big news given that the rumors started quite recently some big move(s) that Chicago would be making.

My thoughts about this are that they’ll get the most for Kane and trading him would allow the Hawks to remain competitive. I mean, what if they could get Max Domi, Dylan Strome, and a 1st rounder out of Arizona? Patrick Kane is still one of the best, if not THE best, winger in the game, he’s still young and moving him to a club like Arizona, where they have a plethora of great young talent coming through their system as well as the need for a face for their franchise if they choose to stay in Arizona or relocate to, I don’t know, Seattle.

Anyways, I don’t cover the Hawks nor do I really enjoy them as a team. So let’s move on to the other tidbits.

  • “Vegas will claim M.A. Fleury and flip him. The rumor at the moment is Sam Bennett going back to Vegas for Fleury.”

Makes sense. Bennett has loads of potential but doesn’t seem to be fulfilling that in Calgary. Perhaps a move to a club where he’d be more of a focal point would benefit him. And Calgary needs a keeper. Plus the fanbase down the QE2 is always complaining about how the Oilers got all the 1st overalls…

I asked, How much is there to the Buchberger/Eberle rough relationship Friedman was talking about this week?

  • “Pretty accurate. I don’t see it happening. Friedman knows what he’s talking about.” 

That was a follow up on a very popular post regarding the Eberle/Isles rumors being snuffed out by Friedman I did up this week.

I asked about who the Oilers are leaning towards in the 1st round of the draft coming up.

  • “I’ve heard Kailer Yamamoto.”

I also inquired as to the McDavid/Draisaitl contracts.

  • “Shortly after July 1st probably and they’ll sign together.”

The word on Kris Russell.

  • “Hearing $4.5Mx4. Oilers could be willing to go as high as $4.25M for 4 years. We’ll see.”
  • “They’re also looking at Cody Franson on a 1-year deal worth $4M to cover for Sekera but will try to sign him for less.”
  • “$4M is fair market for a top 4 dman.”
  • “They want Kris Russell back.” 

    Pick up the NEW “Beat His Ass” shirt right now!!

I’m torn on this. I think this says a couple of things regarding Darnell Nurse’s development. Either they’re not happy or skeptical on how it’s going or they’re willing to pay Russell over $4M to play bottom-pairing minutes at some point in his deal. Either way, it’s a point of concern.

One has to wonder if Chiarelli is open to moving Nurse to expedite the process of winning the Cup. I wouldn’t.

As far as Franson, I’ve heard that he’s not the most mobile defender in the league and $4M per seems like a lot of skrilla to give a guy who can’t pivot well and is a tad soft.

What about Spencer Foo? Is he coming to Edmonton?

  •  “He is. He’s coming to Edmonton.”

On Tyler Pitlick,

  • “I expect Pitlick to get another contract. Another 1-year deal to take Hendricks’ spot because Hendricks is done in Edmonton. Pitlick has had the injury bug like Klefbom. He needs to come back with more muscle and a bigger body. That way, He doesn’t get hurt as much. That’s exactly what Klefbom did.

    At the end of 15/16, Klefbom was around 205lb and at the start of 16/17, he was around 217lbs. The result, Klefbom finally had a full season.”
  • “I hope Nuge bulks up too. His lack of upper body strength is killing him. An extra 5lbs of upper body muscle would make a HUGE difference.”

I really hope that this is true and it really happens. Pitlick showed last season that he can float throughout the entire lineup and he can score on basically any line. He’d be a perfect replacement for Matt Hendricks too. Although, I hope the Oilers can keep Hendy on in some capacity. Maybe working with the prospects down in Bakersfield.

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

A New Name For the Oilers RW Depth Debate

At the moment, I’d like to say that the Oilers depth on the right-wing is one of the weaker areas of the team. More so at the minor league level than the NHL one but nevertheless, they both could be improved.

CURRENT RIGHT WINGERS

  • Jordan Eberle
  • Anton Slepyshev
  • Jesse Puljujarvi
  • Iiro Pakarinen
  • Greg Chase
  • Patrick Russell

Free Agents: Zack Kassian (RFA), Justin Fontaine (UFA), Tyler Pitlick (UFA)

Players who can play RW: Mark Letestu, Drake Caggiula, Leon Draisaitl

Maybe Caggiula and Draisaitl get a few games on McDavid’s right wing but I can’t see them spending any extensive time there in 2017/18. And Letestu might for a few shifts here are there for faceoff purposes. But don’t expect any of them to be full-time RWers next season.

I believe that Kassian, Fontaine, and Pitlick will be retained, as they should be. Zack Kassian had a very memorable season for the Oilers and is very well liked in the community and the locker room. Justin Fontaine played very well for Bakersfield (11pts in 15 gp) and should be re-signed to add some veteran scoring to the AHL club. And poor Tyler Pitlick, he looked as if he were just scratching the surface and a 1 yr deal would only be fair in my opinion.

We don’t really know what is going to happen with Jordan Eberle, do we? Things have died down a bit with him and if I had to say today if he was going to be on the team starting next season, I’d say yes.

I feel like everybody’s role is going to be clearly defined for next year and there’ll be no need for deviation. Last season I got the feeling like Nuge, Eberle, and Lucic didn’t really know what their roles on the team were because the coach had his line blender out all the time. And with the cap possibly going up to $77M, that’ll give the Oilers a bit more time to figure out their next move.

Speaking of moves, I’d like to propose that the Oilers sign Spencer Foo and use one of their picks in the upcoming draft on right winger, Nikita Korostelev.

We’ve already gone over Spencer Foo, so I’m not going to waste your time doing it again. But you should go here if you’d like to read a well-written in-depth article about the local lad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vADcIAfHn8

Now, Nikita Korostelev, there’s a player I’m not sure you had your eyes on in 2015. He was initially projected to be a 1st rounder but somehow fell all the way down to the laps of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 7th round. Some people say it was his skating that let him down, others say it was his dedication to the offensive side of the game only. But he was one of 33 players that weren’t signed by their teams from the 2015 draft (The Oilers let Czech goalie Miroslav Svoboda walk as well).

I imagine we won’t find out why he fell that far in the draft or why the Maple Leafs decided to cut bait on him but that’s neither here nor there and this is a very skilled player who doesn’t lack size (6’1″ 196lbs) and would fill a pivotal role on Edmonton’s farm club.

Last season he racked up 29 goals and 35 assists for Peterborough and Sarnia, then went on fire in the playoffs scoring 4 goals and 7 assists in 12 games.

Although, I reckon there’ll be some Oilers fans out there that would be wary of drafting a Russian who spent most of his time with the Sarnia Sting in previous seasons. He’s now a Peterborough Pete and teammate of Dylan Wells, an Oilers draft pick.

I believe that one of the assets that the Oilers organization is lacking is a pure offensive forward in its pipeline. You might argue that Slepyshev or Puljujarvi might be that guy but I see more of a two-way game when I watch them. What I’m talking about is a player who is responsible for making plays and scoring goals and nothing more or less. You’re probably saying that the Oilers have a guy like that and his name is Jordan Eberle and I’d agree with you if it was his rookie season or a couple of years ago but not now.

Nikita Korostelev’s profile over at Elite Prospects says he’s relentless on the forecheck and doesn’t shy away from the physical game. So that is a plus.

If the Oilers could draft and groom Korostelev and Foo for a season or two, I think they’d be WAY better off long-term and would give them a few more options going forward instead of having to trade for a scoring RW or signing one through free agency.

Actually, signing NCAA players and drafting overagers who can jump right into the lineup of your minor league team allows you so much control with regards to how to allocate your salary cap funds. Of course this plan’s effectiveness is predicated on those players turning into NHL players on a regular basis.

Now, do I think that Peter Chiarelli would take a chance on this Korostelev kid? I don’t to be honest. Not because he’s Russian either (he actually has dual citizenship with Canada), I’m not sure he’s cut from the right cloth for Chia and T-Mac. It’s obvious that Chiarelli and McLellan want players who have the right attitude and are willing to “buy in” to this new Oilers culture. Also, players that take care of defense first and offense second are right in their wheelhouses.

I’d like to see Korostelev and Foo in the Oilers system playing for Bakersfield next season but I reckon the Oilers are in tough to sign Foo as they’re not the only ones with interest in him. And if Shanahan, Hunter, and Big Lou have no interest in Korostelev, I’m not sure that’s a good sign for the Russian/Canadian.

What do you think? Would you draft Nikita Korostelev? Let us know in the comments below!

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

Foo Fighter!!! Are the Oilers in on this Hobey Baker Award Finalist?

So far the Edmonton Oilers’ dive into this year’s NCAA free agent class has come up fruitless. One of the, if not the, best options was Zach Ashton-Reese and he signed with Penguins. Josh Healey, an exquisite open ice checker, signed with the Flames yesterday, and now attention has turned to Union forwards Mike Vecchione and Edmonton native, Spencer Foo since their team was knocked out of the NCAA hockey tournament.

Elliotte Friedman gave Foo a nice plug on NHIC last night during the Oilers/Avs game and correct me if I’m wrong but did he not say (once again) that the four western-based Canadian teams are interested in him. I don’t want to put words in his mouth and I could be remembering that incorrectly. After all, it was only a short blurb.

Bob Stauffer also sent a tweet out that named the Oilers as a team that could be in the mix for Foo’s signature.

~FOOOOOOO ARE YOU? FOO FOO, FOO FOO~

Born: Edmonton, AB
Age: 23
Position: RW
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185lbs
Shoots: Right

Quotes:

The Edmonton, Alberta native is the ultimate team player that battles for the puck and can play on both the power play and penalty kill,  a coach’s dream while adding top college point production. – Broadstreetbuzz.com

I certainly like this sort of review. Players likes this are exactly the type that Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan are looking to add to their squad.

That consistency has been very important because it has allowed the younger players to see that through consistency breeds success,” Union coach Rick Bennett said. “Spencer is one of the hardest workers in practice each day. Hopefully that resonates throughout the year and when he moves on. My hope is that my younger players emulate his work ethic and consistency. – Union Head Coach Rick Barnett

Consistency has been a real area of soreness for the Oilers this season beyond Connor McDavid’s line. We’re just seeing the French Rejection Line (Pouliot/Desharnais/Kassian) as the 2nd most consistent line on the team and with Nuge’s line (w/Lucic+Eberle), it depends on the night I guess. Letestu’s line is never the same for more than a few games, so can we expect a lot of consistent performances from them?

He’s greasy,” Starman said. “He just does a lot of little things that are fun to watch. He’s got electric speed, hands, guts. He’s not afraid to try something difficult. He’s been good. He’s just fun to watch and he plays with an edge. – Dave Starman, CBS/ESPN college hockey analyst

A couple of thoughts on the idea of Spencer Foo joining the Oilers.

  • I still don’t believe that any of the NCAA free agents would be impact players on this Oilers squad and that signing Foo would be to add to the Oilers’ AHL depth as they are currently in a drive to the playoffs as well.

    Perhaps Drake Caggiula would be a good comparable in a case like this.

    If anything, Jesse Puljujarvi would be the guy that comes up if the Oilers need to shake things up or there is an injury. Could you imagine if the Oilers did sign Spencer Foo and then immediately threw him into the lineup? What kind of message would that send to the Puljujarvi camp?

  • I do like that Foo is 23 years old though. He’ll more or less be coming into the NHL with a mature body, meaning he shouldn’t still be looking to add that “man-strength” that 18/19/20 year olds are often lacking when then enter the league.

    Another plus is that he’s a righty and I love my righties!

  • Foo attended the Calgary Flames development camp this year. I wonder how he felt about that given he’s a diehard Oilers fan?

    I reckon it’s something that every player has to go through. It’s not often that a player gets to go to the team he supports or supported as a child. I mean Josh Healey (who also attended the same Flames development camp this year) just signed in Calgary and he was an Edmonton kid too.

  • If I’m not mistaken, the Oilers are sitting around the 48 contract mark (out of 50 allowable) and since the deadline has long passed, Edmonton can sign another player or two and be fine.

    To add to that, there are 10 unrestricted free agents set to leave the club this summer, so tacking on a couple of college FAs shouldn’t hurt the club.

  • Foo has a brother, Parker, who is set to join Union next season. At the moment, Parker Foo is playing for the Brooks Bandits and is having a solid season. He has 34G and 32A for 66PTS in 60 games played there. He’s 6’1″ and 170lbs and I’m just blue skying here but if Parker ends up being better than his brother, wouldn’t it be something to see a couple of local brothers suiting up for the Oilers someday? Has that ever happened for the Oilers?

“Work ethic is a huge thing,” Foo said. “As a player, if you don’t quite have the right work ethic, that is where the consistency problems can start. If you go out every game and focus on working as hard as you can, everything else will fall into place.”

I like Spencer Foo’s attitude and mindset. It’s a winner’s belief system.

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