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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: NHL Trade Board Edition (9/17/2020)

Recently, The Athletic released their trade board and I’d like to take a look at it coming from an Edmonton Oilers fan’s perspective. If you want to look at the whole article, I will include a link at the bottom of this post where you can read the full snippets on each player from Craig Custance.

The Oilers are going to be in tough to do anything more than tinker with their lineup seeing that they only having around $6M-$8M in cap space depending on if you include the qualifying offers to William Lagesson and Ethan Bear. Three million less if they qualify Andreas Athanasiou and they need a 3C and a backup goalie.

There will be moves…

That said, if the club was willing to take a hit on a couple of trades in order to open up cap room, they do have the assets to bring in one or two really good hockey players.

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Let’s get to the board,

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The Athletic:

1. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets: “It would have to take a monster offer to pry Laine away from the Jets, but they need a No. 2 center along with a top-four defenseman and are loaded on the wing.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Just this morning, Bob Stauffer suggested an offer of Max Domi, a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and Cale Fleury for Patrik Laine to George Laraque… He felt confident that would get the conversation started if Montreal wanted to grab a winger. 

2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes: “The problem here is that his contract is rich even for a player of his caliber, with seven years remaining on a deal that averages $8.25 million.”

BLH’s Thoughts: There’s a lot of anxiety in Oil Country right now regarding OEL. A lot of fans are not exactly enamoured with the idea of Edmonton trading for a 29yr old defenseman with 7 years left on his deal that pays him over $8M per annum. That’s understandable and defenseable.

On the other hand, if you thought the numbers Darnell Nurse are putting up with Connor McDavid are good, what do you think OEL will put up with him? Bringing a consensus #1 d-man to the Oilers would give the coach the ability to properly deploy his defenders and give the team some balance.

Lastly, how much do you think a proper #1/2 defenseman is paid? If it’s below $7.5M/yr, it’s a bargain. 

3. Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild: “Billy (Guerin) wants a centerman somehow,” said one NHL executive. “(Dumba) is dynamic and right-shot defensemen are a premium.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The Wild are also after a bunch of Minnesota-born players. Likely why Brock Boeser’s name is being linked to the club. If Minnesota is after a 2C, I can’t see Edmonton being a good trade partner for them save for one scenario, the Oilers use Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to acquire Dumba and then go out and sign Taylor Hall. 

However, Minny does have one player I wouldn’t mind Edmonton taking a look at, Luke Kunin. A right-shot center who scored 15 goals and had 31 points this season. He’s only 22 years old and would be more than a perfect third-line center. He can also play the wing if need be.

Joel Eriksson Ek may be another option. Offense hasn’t progressed as expected but is a good defensive pivot. 

4. Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins: “A team like Edmonton might make sense here but signability is key. If he’s willing to take a short-term deal to rebuild his value, the options open up. If he wants, say, John Gibson money ($6.4 million per) it’ll make finding a fit more challenging.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Unless the Penguins trade demands are lowered, I don’t believe Oilers GM Ken Holland will acquire him. Maybe Pittsburgh includes Bryan Rust or Patric Hornqvist and takes on a contract from Edmonton though. That might be a workable deal. 

5. Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs: “Andersen has appeal for teams looking to upgrade in goal without a lot of out-of-pocket expense.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Does an Andersen/Kuemper swap make sense? 

6. Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils: “One source on a potentially interested team said the price on Palmieri is high in part because the Devils are in no rush at this point.”

BLH’s Thoughts: If there was one player who I thought would not get traded out of New Jersey, it’s Palmiere. I was under the impression that he wanted to stay there and that the Devils wanted him to stay. Why would they want to move a good veteran who can score goals and be a trigger man for Jack Hughes?

7. Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens: “While Domi’s name has been attached to trade rumors, the reality is that this probably isn’t the time to maximize his trade value.”

BLH’s Thoughts: He’s going to get moved. Montreal has Philip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Nick Suzuki as their top-three centers. There’s simply no room for Domi unless he goes to the wing. That worked for Nugent-Hopkins, could it work for Domi?

8. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights: “If Vegas retains money, he’d be an interesting fit in Colorado, a team some believe would like to upgrade their goaltending situation if the right opportunity presented itself.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t even want to think about what the Avs are going to do this offseason… They could do nothing but graduate Alex Newhook, Martin Kaut, and Bowen Byram and be better or they could let those players marinate and sign Taylor Hall, Alex Pietrangelo, and deal for Marc-Andre Fleury. It’s sickening is what it is. But, it’s only for one year…

9. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins: “Letang believes a trade now or before next season is expected. The talk around Letang may just be Rutherford getting a feel for what his options are as he makes another push.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Letang is one of those players that I could see Edmonton trading for but not this year but the next one. A deadline acquisition in the same manner that Mike Green was traded for. Hopefully sans a blown out knee.

10. Nik Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets: “If you’re moving one of either Laine or Ehlers, Ehlers might be the Jets forward most appealing for teams looking to make a big deal with the Jets.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The Jets shouldn’t be looking to move Ehlers at all. He’s been very good for them and it’s not easy to score in the NHL at the rate he does. It’s not like they have a plethora of high-scoring wingers coming up through the pipeline either. 

11. Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs: “There are people around the league who believe Johnsson is the player they’d prefer to trade and where talks have centered even if they’d be selling low.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Hmmm. If his trade value has diminished, maybe the Oilers could avoid moving Adam Larsson in a trade for him… 

12. Brady Skjei, Carolina Hurricanes: “Carolina acquired Skjei at the deadline and are getting numerous calls from teams looking to see if they’d be willing to spin him again.”

BLH’s Thoughts: This is a good hockey player. I have no idea why he’s getting tossed around like a hot potato. Some murmurs online that the Oilers are interested but Skjei is a lefty and Edmonton already has Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Caleb Jones, Kris Russell, William Lagesson, Philip Broberg, and Dmitri Samorukov in their system… Unless one of the first two names in that list is traded, I believe Skjei will not be playing with the Oilers any time soon.

13. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes: “One source suggested that the asking price on Kuemper is a first-round pick. “And it’s probably worth it if you’re in the hunt,” he said. San Jose and Carolina could be options here.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The Flames are in a good position to acquire him IF they decide they’d rather have him than Cam Talbot… It’s my belief that the Oilers have possibly balked at Arizona’s demands to date and will be focusing their goaltending attention elsewhere. Thomas Greiss and Anton Khudobin remain possibilities. 

14. Josh Anderson, Columbus Blue Jackets: “An extension in Columbus remains a possibility. One NHL source described contract talks between Anderson and the Blue Jackets as “fruitful” for the restricted free agent.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Did you hear that his agent is seeking a 7yr deal worth $6M per year?… Good Lord that’s ambitious. He’s not coming to Edmonton if that’s the case. Anderson and Athanasiou share the same agent for what it’s worth. 

15. Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche: “He also sees what’s coming with Colorado’s loaded defense and may end up pushing hard for a trade if he doesn’t anticipate getting the opportunity to play the role he expects.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve always really enjoyed Zadorov. He’s a big, tough, agitating character with a massive shot from the point. I don’t see Edmonton having an interest at this time though. 

16. The negotiating rights to Taylor Hall: “Without the interview window, there’s an advantage to be had for teams to try and get a head start and it would make sense for Arizona to try to get an asset back for numerous reasons.”

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers were in on him when NJ was trading him, it wouldn’t shock me any if they were going for his rights at all. Edmonton could get him in, sign him to a 1yr deal at an affordable price and then make subsequent moves to get their cap in order. 

17. Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche: “Colorado might want to get out front of any future cap issues, although Johnson would have a say because of a modified no-trade clause.”

BLH’s Thoughts: They Avs’d be right daft to move Johnson. They missed him so much in the playoffs vs. Dallas. He’s a great leader on that club and a d-man that cleans up a lot of messes for those youngsters on Colorado’s blue line. 

18. Noah Hanifin, Calgary Flames: “There are definitely people around the league who see Calgary as a team to watch in the next month for something major.”

BLH’s Thoughts: This guy can’t seem to get a foothold anywhere. Does he have a lot of value right now? Maybe they include him in a Johnny Hockey trade to bring in a top-pairing defenseman.

19. Brandon Carlo, Boston Bruins: “The Bruins are getting calls on him but aren’t actively looking to move him. If he gets traded, it’s part of a major deal that brings a legitimate top-six forward back or a similarly talented (and aged) left-shot defenseman.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Do the Bruins need a legit top-six fwd right now? I mean, so much as to trade one of their best defenders for? I can’t see it. They should probably focus on re-signing Jake DeBrusk…

20. James Reimer, Carolina Hurricanes: “Reimer is an interesting option because his actual salary is just $850,000 next year…”

BLH’s Thoughts: Is that new Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong’s music I hear?! I smell a Kuemper to Carolina trade brewing…

21. Justin Faulk, St. Louis Blues: “If the Blues are going to sign Alex Pietrangelo, they’re going to have to move some salary to make it happen.”

BLH’s Thoughts: There was a time when the Oilers would’ve loved to have a player like Faulk on their team… Not. Any. More… The Blues will have to pay to move him I reckon. 

22. Andreas Athanasiou, Edmonton Oilers: “The problem here is that other teams know this (the QO being too much) so they might prefer to see if the Oilers decline to qualify him and pursue him as an unrestricted free agent instead.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yeah, I don’t see anybody chomping at the bit to trade for AA given the season he’s just had… Losing those two 2nd-rounders will hurt though and I am not confident that those will be recouped. The Oilers could however move Kris Russell to Arizona (if he were willing) and then qualify the player though… 

Source (paywall)

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Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Two Edmonton Oilers on Craig Custance’s NHL Trade Big Board

As we near the middle of January, the trade chatter is going to pick up for the Edmonton Oilers. Just yesterday The Athletic’s Craig Custance released his latest list of names on their NHL Trade Big Board and there are two Oilers on said list, Zack Kassian and Jesse Puljujarvi.

Custance’s list of buyers and sellers included the following:

Buyers: Colorado, Vegas, Dallas, Boston, and possibly Calgary
Sellers: Detroit, LA, Ottawa, Chicago, San Jose, New Jersey, and possibly Minnesota

Here are a couple of snippets on what he had to say about the Oilers players,

Jesse Puljujarvi (#9)

The Oilers had seven or eight offers from August to November on Puljujarvi. Holland scouted him personally at the Channel One Cup in December. Edmonton likely believes he’s, at worst, a third-line NHL forward right now with potential for more. He’s 6-foot-4, still only 21 years old and the challenge is making a deal that lives up to his lofty draft status. “Kenny is in tough there,” said an executive. “You’re never going to get that pick. Maybe you want somebody else’s problem and you both swing for the fence.”

Holland sure picked the right tournament to watch Puljujarvi. He was Finland’s best player at the Channel One this year.

Tell ya what, if the Oilers are solidly in a position to make the playoffs, I hope they use this asset to shore up the depth on forward. I don’t mean using it on a rental either. if they’re trading Pulju, they need to get back a young(-ish) player who the Oilers would still have under control contract-wise. A lot easier done in the summer in my opinion but if they can use Jesse to bring in Andreas Athanasiou, Artturi Lehkonen, or Ondrej Kase, that’s probably an avenue worth exploring. Josh Anderson is someone who also finds himself on Custance’s list and I think the Oilers would have a lot of interest in this player but would Jarmo Kekalainen be interested in Puljujarvi now?

Zack Kassian (#24), 

Here’s where things stand with Kassian. The Oilers would like to re-sign him. They expect to get serious on that front over the next couple of weeks. But they’ll want to know one way or another by mid-February if they can get it done.

I have a hard time coming to the conclusion that the Oilers won’t be able to re-sign Zack Kassian. He wants to stay in Edmonton and as we all know, it’s not easy to attract players to that market without overpaying them heftily. I’ve been told that he’s acutely aware of the reason to his personal success since joining Connor McDavid, but in his defense, he is not just another Pat Maroon. All due respect to Patty, but he can’t skate, handle the puck, or think the game on Kassian’s level. I’d argue his shot probably isn’t as good as Zack’s either. Both players are tough as nails and will take on all comers, but Kass is a much better player and the great thing about that is the Oilers could sign him to a three to four-year contract and as the years passed on, he could be moved down the lineup without compromising the team or the player because we know he can play different roles.

But let’s say for the sake of argument that nothing gets agreed to and the decision to move Kassian is made. Could the Oilers get a 2nd and a 4th rounder for him like New Jersey got for Marcus Johansson? Would Holland consider sending packaging Kassian to the Maple Leafs for one of Kyle Dubas’ talented bottom-sixers?

For what it’s worth, I’d stay away from Jeremy Bracco. Some questions about his work ethic have arisen and he’s only scored three goals this year after ripping up the AHL with 22 goals and 79pts last year.

The San Jose Sharks’ season seems to be heading straight downhill. Not only are they massively underachieving but now they’re getting smacked in the face with injuries. Could the Oilers target someone like Kevin Labanc or Melker Karlsson? How bold could Ken Holland go? Is MA Vlasic out of the question?

If you’d like to read more and are subscribed, click here. It’s behind a paywall but if you’re interested in subscribing to The Athletic (and I recommend you do), why not accept this gift of a discounted subscription?

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

Oilers Trade Landscape to Change with Injury to Nugent-Hopkins?

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Poor Nugey, out with a fractured sternum, which is ridiculous by the way. The Oilers, and more importantly Todd McLellan, are now forced to go with McDavid and Draisaitl down the middle. Iiro Pakarinen is back up from his destruction of the AHL to hopefully help on the PK (at home).

FYI: Lowetide has a similar post up at the Athletic. If you’re not signed up, do so through my link here and I’ll get a tidy little gift certificate for $10 from Amazon and a hardy handshake from me if we ever meet. It includes a free 7-day trial so you can try The Athletic on for size free and see if they enjoy the in-depth, ad-free coverage on the site. If you don’t feel it’s worth the $4.49/month, cancel anytime during the trial before getting charged.

I just want to answer the question presented in the title quickly and if you’d like to read on to get a more detailed answer (albeit a bit unorganized), you can continue. It’s game day and I’d rather not waste TOO much of your time, that’s what we have Oilers Twitter for 🙂

Answer: RNH’s injury will not change the Oilers trade landscape. If there’s a team that wants him and is willing to pay, he’ll be traded. IF not, he’ll be an Oiler after the deadline and most likely into next season. This isn’t a playoff team today but ask me in a month and we might have a different answer because if there’s any team in the NHL that is capable of winning 85% of their remaining games, it’s this Oilers squad.

So, we’re about to see what the team might look like sans RNH but with Leon and Connor running their own shows. If I’m not mistaken I believe the latest line combos have Strome as the 3rd line pivot and Letestu as the 4C. I would prefer Khaira to be the 3C myself but I believe it was Woodguy who said that Strome should actually move up with Caggiula to play with McDavid on Lowetide’s show this week thus moving Puljujarvi and Lucic to Draisaitl’s line and Maroon down to RNH’s. That way the unicorns are still present but of course, that was before the extent of the RNH injury was known.

Speaking of Woodguy, I guess he’s not a fan of developing players…

Isn’t that a line of bullshit if you’d ever read one.

I’ve got time for McLeod but this is where the analytics community loses its traction with folks who are on the fence. Could you imagine if there was no Twitter to be a dick on?

Listen, if Nurse is already leading the team in scoring from the blueline, it’s obvious some offence is coming and whether that’s now or in 2 years, he’s going to get paid. Not giving him the reps to become a better dman would be an egregious error on management’s and/or the coach’s parts. This isn’t a 7 game “heater”, it’s a 46 game progression. Not only that but just because a player hasn’t played on the PP in his previous 3 years doesn’t mean he can’t do it now or he’s not equipped to do it. He doesn’t have to score goals to be an effective piece of the powerplay either as you’ll see below.

Moving on…

These are the lines as of practise yesterday:

The PP units have been altered slightly as well.

Now with Nuge out 5-6 weeks, how is that going to change what direction the Oilers go on the trade market and what kind of effect will his absence have on the Oilers’ roster?

Well, we can already see that the special teams units have been affected. The 2nd unit has no true playmaker but maybe that’s not such a huge deal. I put it out on Twitter and Kurt Leavins suggested that McLellan might just load up one unit and run that group for 1:30 of the 2-minute man-advantage. I remember back in the early 90s that the Pittsburgh Penguins would run Mario Lemieux’s unit for nearly the entire PP and it was so deadly that they were rarely out there for more that 1:30. The downside to this tactic might be having to run your bottom 6ers immediately after the PP and risk a bad matchup vs. the other team’s better players.

This season Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took over Jordan Eberle’s scoring, so we may very well get hit there too. That being said, Nuge only had two goals in the last month, so I might be wrong there.

The Oilers PK could take a hit as well. Nugent-Hopkins has been a mainstay on the kill since he joined the team and I find him to be a good penalty-killer. Will the road PK continue to be top-5 in the NHL with RNH on the IR?

On the other end of the spectrum here is an opportunity. When one player goes down with an injury, it opens up the door for another player to take advantage of the situation. I believe that most fans are thinking that person will be Ryan Strome. I think it will be Jujhar Khaira. But it’s entirely possible that it’ll be both.

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Bumping Strome up to the 1st unit PP might be exactly what he needs to kick start some production out of the guy and I really love Khaira on the PK. I think he’s just as good of a player as Benoit Pouliot in that role.

Where do the Oilers go from here with the trade deadline approaching fast?

I am of the belief there are two ways they can go:

  • Go for it! – Basically, try and do the improbable and make the playoffs. Make trades that’ll better the club more than weaken it.
  • FIRE SALE! – Concede the season and make plans for the summer and next season.

There’s actually a third way to go and that’s simply staying status quo.

There’s a belief that the Oilers really need that right-handed PP guy who can improve the Oilers’ transition game but if we look at some of the teams who have top PPs we might be tempted to believe that a top RH’d defenseman isn’t what the team needs for its PP but more for its transitions.

2017/18 Top PP Teams (PP%/goals):

  1. Pittsburgh (26.9%/46) – 3 goals from dmen (Letang has 2, Oleksiak has 1)
  2. Winnipeg (25.5%/42) – 4 goals from dmen (Myers has 3, Byfuglien has 1)
  3. Tampa Bay (24.4%/39) – 3 goals from dmen (Sergachev has 2, Hedman has 1)
  4. Nashville (23.6%/38) – 12 goals from dmen (Josi has 5, Ekholm has 4, Subban has 3)
  5. San Jose (22.1%/34)- 7 goals from dmen (Burns has 4, Heed has 2, Vlasic has 1)

Edmonton’s PP is 27th in the NHL and running at a blistering 15.4% and they’ve only scored 19 times with the man advantage with Oscar Klefbom scoring the only tally from the point on said PP.

Kind of a long way of saying that maybe the Oilers don’t need to pay a premium price for an effective RH’d defenseman who can run the PP. Maybe if they’re going to make a big move using a Nugent-Hopkins or a Klefbom, that they go for an elite RH’d 2-way defender who is an upgrade on the current personnel offensively.

But I digress (sort of). Despite Nugent-Hopkins being hurt, there’d still be teams interested in him, like the Montreal Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Carolina Hurricanes.

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A wild card might be the Colorado Avalanche though. Now that they’ve got Samuel Girard running their PP due to Tyson Barrie’s injury, is there an opportunity there for the Avs to send Barrie to Edmonton for RNH to upgrade their 2C position from Carl Soderberg?

The Boston Bruins are looking to add a LH’d dman apparently and if it weren’t for the strained relationship between Chiarelli and the Bruins brass, I’d think there would be a real chance at Chiarelli being able to strike a deal there.

Those would be summer moves though.

Realistically, the UFAs are gonzo. I’m not sure if Slepyshev will find a new home next month or head back to Russia this summer. So what we’ll be looking at is Chiarelli thinning out the wings even more so and replacing those players with temporary solutions with an eye to the summer where he’ll (if he’s around) sort out the flanks then.

Does that mean Ty Rattie and Brad Malone are coming up from Bakersfield? Does it mean we’ll finally see Slepyshev (if he survives the deadline and McLellan) up in a top-6 role? If those players were successful in their short stints, would you sit on them and look for them to continue their performances into 2017/18 or would you try to deal them or simply say thanks for helping out and let them walk?

If Chiarelli and his team decide to take a mulligan this year I’d be very excited to see who he brings in but concerned for the compete level of the team for the rest of the campaign. It’s been a bad luck year which keeps getting compounded with injuries like the one to RNH.

Would you be okay if he moved out some of the youthful players who are RFAs this summer like Drake Caggiula or Matt Benning in return for some older players who have term left on their deals? Maybe you trade both for Andrew Shaw or simply one of them for Charles Hudon (sniper with a poor sh%).

Let us know in the comments under our newest addition to the Beer League Heroes YouTube channel. We’ve got a shift-by-shift of Rasmus Dahlin’s from the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship Gold Medal Game. Check it out and please SUBSCRIBE! I’m on the hunt to 1000 subscribers (currently at 638)!