Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Lightning

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

2023/24 Edmonton Oilers GM27: Oilers VS. Lightning – 3P2W – Oilers Looking at Pending UFA RW for Top-6 According to Stauffer

Hey y’all! Welcome back for another season of Edmonton Oilers hockey! I’m BLH and I’ll be giving you the skinny on today’s game!

If you’re new here and are wondering what 3P2W means, well, it stands for Three Players to Watch and seeing I’m as lazy as I am, I figured we’d shorten it to 3P2W.

So with that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s been going on lately in the Oilogospehere and then get into the player’s I’ve put under the spotlight for today’s matchup!

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Random Pontifications

  • So we know now that Evander Kane is dealing with some sort of nagging injury that’s keeping him out of practise. Hence the halt in 5v5 production. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious but at the same time we should probably expect more and more of this as he gets older considering his playing style. The Oilers might consider going out and getting a middle six tweener in order to manage Kane’s game load as the playoffs approach.
  • That guy could be Dylan Holloway should he find a way to stay healthy himself. He’s got the wheels and if he starts gaining some shooting confidence, he’d be an easy fill-in for Kane.
  • Bob Stauffer was tallking about the Oilers and a pending UFA top-6 RW recently… So I guess the Connor Brown experiment is over? How beneficial for the team would it be if they could find a way to move Brown in a deal for this mysterious RW who’s about to hit free agency.
  • Wondering who the candidates are?
    • Vlad Tarasenko (OTT): Has a no trade. Six goals and 13 assists this year.
    • Kevin LeBanc (SJ): One goal and four assists in 20 games?… Yikes!
    • Tyler Toffoli (NJ): Twelve goals and nine assists. NJ won’t deal him, will they?
    • Viktor Arvidsson (LA): Hasn’t played this year. Health concerns.
    • Victor Olofsson (BUF): Had 20 and 28 goals in the two seasons prior. Only four this year.
    • Jake DeBrusk (BOS): 53 goals in his last two campaigns combined. Four in 26 games this year…
  • Sam Lafferty’s name might come up but I don’t see the Canucks moving him unless they absolutely shit the bed by February.
  • Jordan Eberle is another one but he’d have to waive his NTC. Only three goals for the Kraken in 23/24. Could he regain that scoring touch on a line with Draisaitl?

The BLH Instagram account is growing like crazy! Three weeks ago when we started to get it back going we were at a shade over 1900 followers and now we’re gunning for 2000. So please, head on over and give us a follow as we’re posting exclusive content over there that won’t be published here or on our Twitter page.

Three Players to Watch for the Bad Guys

  • #86 Nikita Kucherov (19g 28a 47pts) – Four goals and three assists in his last five. He’s been rolling all year and it will be a good test for Edmonton’s defense to see if they can keep him off the scoresheet.
  • #98 Mikhail Sergachev (2g 16a 18pts) – He’s the only defenseman on the active roster with a goal. He’s also the only top-four dman currently getting played at the moment. No wonder the Bolts are 4-6-0 in their last ten.
  • #71 Anthony Cirelli (7g 8a 15pts) – Six of those fifteen points have come in the last week or so. That said, over the six games he’s played against the Oilers, he’s not scored much with only two assists in six matches.

Three Players to Watch for the Good Guys

  • #18 Zach Hyman (16g 12a 28pts) – He’s got 26 shots in his last five games! I’m not sure if Vasilevskiy is playing tonight but the only goals Hyman is going to score on that guy will be the Smytty specials.
  • #14 Mattias Ekholm (4g 6a 10pt) – He’s looked dangerous when he’s been on the ice with McDavid. He has a good nose for when and when not to jump into the slot when McDavid has the puck in the offensive zone.
  • #89 Sam Gagner (3g 4a 7pts) – Samwise is on a little heater here. I’m loving that production from the 4th line.

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

2023/24 Edmonton Oilers GM15: Oilers @ Lightning- 3P2W – Could the Oilers Join the Dark Side with this Acquisition?

Hey y’all! Welcome back for another season of Edmonton Oilers hockey! I’m BLH and I’ll be giving you the skinny on today’s game!

If you’re new here and are wondering what 3P2W means, well, it stands for Three Players to Watch and seeing I’m as lazy as I am, I figured we’d shorten it to 3P2W.

So with that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s been going on lately in the Oilogospehere and then get into the player’s I’ve put under the spotlight for today’s matchup!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Random Pontifications

Who is Kris Knoblauch Anyhow?

Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers’ new head coach, embodies a modern coaching approach, prioritizing positive reinforcement over criticism. Replacing Jay Woodcroft, Knoblauch faces the challenge of reshaping the underperforming Oilers.

His calm demeanor, rooted in his teaching background, resonates well with players, fostering a positive and calculated coaching style. Knoblauch, known for empowering players and valuing teamwork, has a track record of success, notably with the Erie Otters in the OHL and the old Kootenay Ice of the WHL.

Despite the Oilers’ initial struggles, Knoblauch aims to bring defensive improvements and elevate the team’s performance, drawing inspiration from past mid-season coaching changes that led to Stanley Cup victories. With a focus on communication and strategic adjustments, Knoblauch, echoing his positive philosophy, strives for continuous improvement and stability within the Oilers’ lineup.

Could the Oilers Go After Darth Vladar?

Well, the Oilers’ so-called “starter” got the AHL ticket, putting up a stellar 0-3-0 record with a .819 save percentage. Not exactly Vezina material. Now, some folks think a sports psychologist might be in order because no goalie goes from hero to zero without some mental gymnastics.

With Calvin Pickard expected to ride to the rescue, surprise, surprise! Stuart Skinner’s in the spotlight, putting up some solid numbers. But let’s face it, Skinner is going to need a break sooner or later, and the Oilers don’t look like they’re itching to throw Pickard into the fire at all.

The Oilers aren’t scouting for a starter, just a reliable netminder. Enter Dan Vladar from the Flames, who did a stellar job holding their season together when Markstrom hit a rough patch. Sure, Vladar’s not cheap, but maybe a deal’s in the cards. His .858 save percentage isn’t stellar, but hey, the struggling Flames might be willing to part ways. It’s trade talk time.

The BLH Instagram account is growing like crazy! Three weeks ago when we started to get it back going we were at a shade over 1900 followers and now we’re gunning for 2000. So please, head on over and give us a follow as we’re posting exclusive content over there that won’t be published here or on our Twitter page.

Three Players to Watch for the Bad Guys

  • #86 Nikita Kucherov (11g 13a 24pts) – Kucherov has 76 shots on the year so far. That’s a bit of volume shooting to say the least. This guy stirs Tampa’s drink. Shut him down and I think the rest of the offense follows. I mean, Nick Paul is their 2C and AHL Uber-star Alex Barre-Boulet is their 2RW…
  • #77 Victor Hedman (4g 15a 19pts) – I think it’s a safe bet to go into any game that involves Tampa thinking that Hedman will be a factor one way or another. He’s one of the best big dmen to ever play in the league and I’m definitely looking forward to his battles with Draisaitl tonight.
  • #91 Steven Stamkos (5g 11a 16pts) – 33 years old and he’s producing at a point-per-game rate. I don’t know how he’s going to do it alongside Paul and Barre-Boulet tonight though. I feel like that line is going to get lit up.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #28 Connor Brown (0g 0a 0pts) – No pressure tonight…
  • #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3g 8a 11pts) – Nugey started hot but has cooled right the f*ck off now. He’s only got 9 shots in his last 5 games and he’s missed on some golden opportunities lately. He needs to pick his ass up off the floor and get going here.
  • Edmonton’s Bottom Six (5g 7a 12pts) – Those five goals have come from two players, Warren Foegele and Sam Gagner. Derek Ryan has ONE BLOODY POINT this year!!! McLeod has TWO!!! For the love of Pete… This group needs to get going and if I’m being honest, I don’t think we’ll see these guys in Edmonton past the deadline aside from one or two.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(3/22/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: “Elliotte Friedman said that the Ottawa Senators will be listening to teams inquiries about…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Erik Gudbranson (OTT), Darcy Kuemper (ARI), Ryan Getzlaf (ANA), Mikael Granlund (NSH), and more!

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.

Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.

This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

Satiar Shah: The best-case scenario if the Vancouver Canucks were to trade Tanner Pearson would now be to get a conditional draft pick for him if he’s healthy enough to move before the trade deadline.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman said that the Ottawa Senators will be listening to teams inquiries about their pending unrestricted free agents including Artem Anisimov, Ryan Dzingel and Erik Gudbranson.

Sportsnet: The Montreal Canadiens have a deep prospect pool and plenty of draft picks. GM Marc Bergevin did a lot this past offseason and he’s said he may not do much. Friedman says that Bergevin is never afraid to make a deal.

“The thing about Bergevin is he’s unafraid and he’s shown that this is an enormous year for the Canadiens with all of his actions so far… So what he’s selling, not everybody is buying. He’s got a lot of picks, he’s got a lot of good players. He said he won’t use things like that to alleviate his cap burden, but if he wants to do something big, there’s probably nobody in Canada that’s more capable of doing it than Bergevin is.”

The Athletic took a look at some potential trade candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both James Mirtle and Jason Siegel listed their top five trade targets, focusing exclusively on forwards.

Siegel’s List Mirtle’s List
Alex Iafallo Mikael Granlund
Taylor Hall Kyle Palmieri
Filip Forsberg Tanner Pearson
Rickard Rakell Bobby Ryan
Matt Nieto Eric Staal

Honourable mentions include Nick Foligno, Adam Henrique, Darcy Kuemper, Mattias Ekholm, Jamie Oleksiak, and Dmitry Kulikov.

Shug McSween (nhltraderumors.me) believes the Los Angeles Kings have two forwards who are very likely to be traded, Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown.

On Iafallo: The 27-year-old versatile forward is a pending unrestricted free-agent and drawing the most interest of Blake’s hockey team. So far this season he’s recorded seven goals and 19 points in 27 games and can easily jump into a top-six or top-nine forward group on a contender. Last season he finished with 43 points and has shown he’s capable of producing on a nightly basis. Iafallo is making $2.45 million this season and team’s interested include the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

On Brown: Brown is battle tested, a proven winner and has outstanding leadership qualities, most playoff bound teams would love to have him. The 36-year-old veteran has one season left on his contract for 2021-22, making $5.6 million on the cap. A steep number for sure, however with the resurgence of 13 goals in 27 games this season, some team’s may be willing to pay it. If the Kings retain salary, their return gets even bigger, it’s likely this is the case if a trade transpires. Teams interested include the Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins.

The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs have been talking about goaltender Jonathan Quick as of late,

According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Kings have spoken with the Maple Leafs about Quick. At this point, a move does not sound imminent, but the option appears to be available if Toronto decides to pursue it in the next three weeks.

There’s a belief out there that if Andersen isn’t severely injured, he (and his $5 million cap hit) would be sent to the Los Angeles, upon which Kings GM Rob Blake can hold on to him for their own playoff run until he hits the open market as a UFA in the summer or flip him to another team before the deadline – the Carolina Hurricanes had interest in him in the off-season.

Assuming this actually plays out and the Kings take back a portion of Quick’s deal, acquiring him takes care of Toronto’s starter’s role for the next two seasons at a lower cap figure… It also creates slightly more space for another add up front, which Dubas is trying to do ahead of the April 12 trade deadline.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Ben Pope reports Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is “actively having conversations” regarding trade possibilities with other clubs as deadline day approaches. Bowman suggested he could be a buyer and seller. He’s seeking players who can be a part of the club’s future but won’t ship out players he feels can be part of their long-term plans.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: David Schoen reports the Vegas Golden Knights are unlikely to make moves before the trade deadline. They’ve made big splashes during the last two deadlines by acquiring Mark Stone and Robin Lehner but GM Kelly McCrimmon believes his club is in a different position now. He also pointed out his club has limited salary-cap space.

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox listed Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf, Buffalo’s Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund and Los Angeles’ Alex Iafallo as his top-seven pure rental targets for the Leafs.

TSN: Frank Seravalli considers the following clubs as “soft” buyers: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Oilers need either a scoring left-winger or a second-pairing left-shot defenseman but they aren’t interested in rentals or moving draft picks.

Sources: Spector’s Hockey, NHLTradeRumors.me, The Athletic, NHLRumor.com, NHLTradeTalk.com, The Fourth Period,

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

(3/20/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: Erik Gudbranson Being Linked to the Oilers?

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Erik Gudbranson (OTT), Barrett Hayton (ARI), Jonathan Quick (LA), and more!

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.

Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.

This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Chris Johnston (Sportsnet) says that the Toronto Maple Leafs may be a front-rummer for Nashville Predators d-man Mattias Ekholm.
  • Kevin Weekes (NHL.com) reports that interest is heating up in veteran goaltenders Jonathan Quick (LA), Jonathan Berner (DET), and Devan Dubnyk (SJ).
  • The Fourth Period believes the Colorado Avalanche have been linked to Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno.
    • They’re also saying that the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins are being linked to Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan.
    • TFP reckons the Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, and Montreal Canadiens have been linked to Columbus Blue Jackets defender David Savard.
    • The Buffalo Sabres are apparently interested in Jake Virtanen (VAN) and the Maple Leafs are looking at Luke Glendening (DET) according to the rumor site.
    • Erik Gudbranson (OTT) is garnering some interest from the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
    • The New York Islanders could be looking at Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rackell.
  • Shawn Simpson (Sportsnet) says there isn’t much of a trade market for Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel and suggests that “maybe” the Sens could get a 4th or a 5th round pick for him.
  • Bruce Garrioch (Post Media) has been by Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion that it should be a “very quiet” trade deadline this season.
  • Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic) thinks that the idea of Taylor Hall signing an extension in Buffalo is “out the window”.
    • The Islanders and Maple Leafs are two teams to watch in the Nick Foligno sweepstakes.
  • Mike Johnston (Sportsnet) believes the Leafs, Avalanche, Panthers, Bruins, and Islanders could be potential destinations for Taylor Hall.
  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet) says some Maple Leafs targets are unavailable until teams figure out if they can sign them to an extension (Kyle Palmieri (NJ), Alex Iafallo (LA))
    • He’s not convinced the Flyers will be “big players” for Predators d-man Mattias Ekholm.
  • The Athletic have added Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljgren and Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton to their trade bait board.
  • Joe Smith (The Athletic): Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien Brisbois says it’s “realistically unlikely” the Lightning will add a player by this season’s trade deadline. “We literally have zero cap space.”
  • JD Burke (Elite Prospects) is reporting that as many as six teams were prepared to offer Matt Kiersted (UND) and ELC last season. He says nothing is imminent but at least 20 teams are offering a contract this season.
    • The Edmonton Oilers are looking at UND netminder Adam Scheel.
  • Frank Seravalli (TSN) is reporting that the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks are not willing to retain salary in any trades involving defender Mattias Ekholm and forward Rickard Rakell respectively.
  • Bob McKenzie (NBC) is of the belief that Jason Karmanos is the leading contender for the AGM job in Buffalo. “Somebody is going to be hired as AGM before they get to hiring a new head coach.”
    • He also said that the New York Rangers will continue to build towards the future and if there’s a hockey deal out there, GM Jeff Gorton can make one. McKenzie also added that prospect Nils Lundqvist is probably due to join the NYR in the fall.
  • Eric Engels (Sportsnet) has sources telling him that the decision for defensive prospect Jordan Harris to sign with the Montreal Canadiens is in the player’s hands and an announcement could come as soon as this weekend.
  • Darren Dreger (TSN) says early next week it’s expected that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland will engage in preliminary discussions with UFAs Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie, as well as, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

BLH’s Hockey Fights of the Night: Which Tilly Was Better?

In the last two nights, there’ve been four outstanding hockey fights that have taken place. One in the Tampa Bay Lightning/Nashville Predators game, one in the Vegas Golden Knights/Anaheim Ducks matchup, and two in the Edmonton Oilers/Ottawa Senators game.

There might’ve been more but these are the ones that stood out to me. Man, there were some behemoths chuckin’ knucks in these battles.

My question to you is, which one was better? Let us know in the comments below!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hx4OLLeies

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Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!