Tag Archives: Trade Rumors

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Walter Foddis

Oilers to Trade Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins?!

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Could Nugent-Hopkins become as good as Jonathan Toews someday?
Could Nugent-Hopkins become as good as Jonathan Toews someday?

I’m flabbergasted by the amount of news coming out of the mainstream media this past couple days about the Edmonton Oilers willingness to deal Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. It’s overwhelming to be honest. From Jim Matheson to Pierre LeBrun to Ryan Rishaug, there are some pretty big names talking about the Oilers making a huge splash to try and shake this team up.

https://twitter.com/nhlbymatty/status/671836266569175041

Is this Chiarelli’s way of trying to send a message to his young stars or is this a message from the media that enough is enough? The Oilers are stuck in Auston Matthews land and it seems as if they’re going to be there for some time. But you have to know as a fan that the Oilers would never win that lottery pick if they finished in last place. So they’d have to settle for Jakob Chychrun… A potential franchise defenseman… Ouch!

Now if we’re talking about actually trading Nugent-Hopkins, which I think is a horrible idea UNLESS the team gets back a young two-way center who’s ceiling is that of a 2nd line center, help in the bottom six and a top four or near top four defenseman OR a top pairing defenseman (aka the oft mentioned Seth Jones). For example:

Mika Zibanejad, Curtis Lazar, and Cody Ceci/Patrick Wiercioch.

I think a player like Marc Methot would serve the team better but unlikely to be moved given his playing relationship with Erik Karlsson.

I like Zibanejad’s and Lazar’s physical game when they’re not producing offense and their versatility when it come to positional play. I’m not sure why Nuge falls into that newly-formed category of “soft skilled” given his eagerness to grind down low and get to the puck first on a forecheck but Mark Spector is the fella that labeled him, so I guess we’d have to ask him.

I can’t imagine the Senators being willing to give up so many assets for one player but Nugent-Hopkins isn’t just any player. He’ll be one of the best two-way centers in the league inside 3 years and having a Turris/RNH combo down the middle would be a fine proposition.

The new McDavid inspired design! Click the pic and get yours today!

I don’t reckon the Oilers need to trade Nugent-Hopkins because I think he’s just going through a tough spell comparable to that of say Sidney Crosby from 2 weeks ago or Claude Giroux from a couple of seasons ago. Players go though peaks and valleys. It happens. Get over it. Move on. You don’t see Pittsburgh or Philly entertaining offers on their top players do you?

As for Eberle, I’m fine with dealing him. Trading Ebs and Justin Schultz to get that upgrade on defence to me sounds like a sound plan. Jultz will never be worth what he’s going to be asking for this summer so it’s best to cut bait and move on. Elliotte Friedman eluded to a 3-way deal that has since collapsed between St.Louis, the Islanders, and the Oilers in today’s 30 Thoughts. If we are the speculating kind, and we are, I’d say the major names involved there were Shattenkirk, Hamonic and Eberle.

But for me, trading Eberle had better bring back a solid NHLer with experience. I’d want him to be a ‘hard’ player as Todd McLellan likes his players to be but I wouldn’t want him to be Colton Teubert or Andy Sutton, even though Sutton was pure entertainment when he played in Edmonton. You definitely want a Travis Hamonic/Dougie Hamilton type player if you’re trading Eberle. You also want said player to be right-handed.

Who’d I target of Hamonic wasn’t in the plans? I think I’d look to Florida. I’d suss out Erik Gudbranson’s availability. I think he’s on par with Hamilton and Hamonic but not as good offensively.

Edmonton needs a player of Gudbranson’s ilk. A pure shutdown defensive defender who’s a killer and from all accounts a wonderful locker room guy. Standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 220… Tell me you wouldn’t want a guy like that on the Oilers blue line. He’ll bring you zero offense if you’re wondering but that’s not his game.

Would the Panthers be keen on this sort of deal? Well, I’d say no at first glance because Gudbranson and Willie Mitchell are the Panthers shutdown pairing. But with that said, the team has Alex Petrovic and Dmitri Kulikov out with injury right now. I reckon Petrovic would be a prime candidate to take Gudbranson’s spot if a deal could be made. Mike Matheson and Ian McCoshen are also on their way up and apart from Kulikov, they’re lacking an offensive blueliner like Justin Schultz.

I believe they have Jussi Jokinen playing a tad high in the lineup and perhaps they’d like to see Jonathan Huberdeau playing left wing. Also, they have zero depth on the RW…

I don’t think you deal Eberle and Schultz for Gudbranson alone but I think it’s a helluva starting point.

So how would you feel if the Oilers parted with 93, 19 and 14 but brought in Zibanejad, Lazar, Ceci, and Gudbranson, etc? Let me know in the comments below!

I’ll leave you with this quote from the beloved Lowetide:

If Peter Chiarelli trades Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, that will probably be the thing we remember him for, and it will not be a good memory. A trade of RNH leaves the team (once again) completely vulnerable at center, with two extremely young men on skill lines. I would suggest to you if Nuge leaves, a (bigger) center should be the return. I do not see the wisdom in robbing Peter to pay Paul.

There’s something happening here.

Take Care!

BLH

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Ryan Robinson

Oilers Vlogs, Trades with the Blackhawks, and More…

Trade me right f*cking now!

In the last week to ten days the rumor mill has been churning out some beauties. I’ve seen Nikita Nikitin’s name being bandied about in connection to the Colorado Avalanche via Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that Patrick Marleau’s name is coming up and just yesterday on Oilers Now Bob Stauffer proposed a “hypothtical” trade with a team who had a $4M winger in the minors that could be acquired in return for Mark Fayne.

So I deduced that last rumor down to the Chicago Blackhawks and the player to Bryan Bickell.

Now, at first I didn’t like the idea of bringing in another overpaid 3rd liner but after more thought I wouldn’t mind picking up a guy like Bickell. He would offer size, character, he hits, he’s a champion and he’s going to provide a net front presence. Getting demoted to the minors probably has him hungrier than ever and I reckon he could really serve the Oilers well even in a bottom 6 role.

I mean honestly, would you rather have Teddy “Soft as Warm Butter” Purcell in the bottom half of the forward corps or a guy that’s going to go out there and take care of business in the corners and in front of the net. I mean Purcell would still be there because he’s not in the deal but I think you get the gist. Bickell’s also willing to let the other team know what time it is if you know what I mean. The other thing we know is that this team is a bit edgier when Matt Hendricks is in the lineup and we also know what Hendy brings to the table. Grit Chart high. We can’t forget about Bickell’s playoff performances either.

Ryan Robinson’s newest vlog is out and he’s not happy with the goaltending… Check it out below!

I’ve been taking part in The Oilers Rig podcast this season and it’s been a blast so far! I’d never done any sort of podcasting before and to be honest I was a bit timid but the shakes are gone and it’s shenanigans!

The most recent edition was released yesterday and it was a helluva roundtable with Alex Thomas, DAve Gordon, Jackie Dawson, and Sean Wingrave! We talked about the Oilers defence, what to do with this team, what to do with Nail Yakupov and a former SNL cast member makes an appearance!

I’d like to invite you to have a listen! Also you can find it on iTunes and Soundcloud! You need to subscribe to it NOW!!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232539355″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”15″ iframe=”true” /]

Lastly, the Beer League Heroes Merch Shop is having a HUGE SALE for the next 72 hours. You can get your tees for $14, your hoodies for $35, your tanks for $18 and there are many more deals to be had. So if you want to catch the good deals you’d better hurry before the sale is over! Click the pic below and it will take you on over to our shop!

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

Oilers Moving Mark Fayne?

The line combinations have been released for tonight’s game versus Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mark Fayne is set to be scratched for the third game in a row. Now either he’s injured, he’s done something so egregious that he’s been sent to the 3rd tier of the dog house’s basement, or he’s set to be part of a trade.

Now if I were a betting man, I’d say he’s going to get moved soon. There’s no way a veteran coach like Todd McLellan sits a veteran NHL defenceman three games in a row this early in the year unless he’s injured or the team is already out of the playoffs and he needs to see what the prospects look like or he’s getting moved.

Now if you ask me where he’s likely to end up… I haven’t the foggiest of ideas. I could take a couple stabs at it though.

Philadelphia: We just watched the Oilers beat the living daylights out of the Flyers and if not for their goalie it would’ve been a massacre. They need D and they need it bad. Is Mark Fayne better than Luke Schenn? Marginally… Would you take a Luke Schenn back for Fayne? Would he be better suited for the more physical Western Conference?

Colorado: There are already rumors that the Oilers and Avalanche are talking about Nikita Niktin. Well what about Mark Fayne instead? I talked about this yesterday and mentioned John Mitchell.

Columbus: Here’s a team that is also struggling and with a forward corps that is so much better than what it is showing… If there were a way to get Zach Werenski or Kerby Rychel out of Columbus I think that’d be worth the venture. Coincidentally Rychel was just called up…

Tampa Bay: The Bolts are looking for someone to pick up the tab on Matt Carle’s deal. He’s a puck moving dman that got lucky after playing a season partnered with Chris Pronger and cashed in but if Tampa was willing to eat the difference in salary between Fayne and Carle… Why not? Or perhaps long rumored target of the Oilers Braydon Coburn?…

That’s just me spit balling off the top of my head. I imagine you could go through a few more teams like Calgary or St.Louis, Anaheim or Boston; and find some more targets that would be of service to the Oilers.

The reality is Mark Fayne is playing like a bag of burning dog poo and his value is about as tempting as said bag. The most likely scenario, he gets dealt for future’s or draft picks. So don’t be too pissed when he’s part of a Kris Draper special.

Take Care and Enjoy the game tonight! Should be a beaut! Our very own Corey Mitchell will be in the crowd so Beer League Heroes will be represented again!

BLH

All eyes will be on Leon Draisaitl tonight now that he’s centering the 1st line with Hall and Eberle! Why not have all eyes on you when you’re wearing a 29C 16-Bit Superstar hoodie! Click the pic below and head over to the BLH Merch Shop and pic up a tee or a hoodie! Cheers!

Edmonton Oilers, Kris Hansen, NHL

The Weekly Round Up September 20-26

Hey everyone, this is Kris here and here is the weekly round up for the week that was September 20th-September 26th. With pre-season underway, we inch ever so close to the debut of what should be, an exciting, 2015-16 season.

My Top Three Oilers of the Week:

Honorable Mention: Leon Draisaitl. It was a toss up between Draisaitl and McDavid for the three spot. Draisaitl has arguably been one of our best players this pre-season, although he did not look as effective last night as he has in prior games. He’s going to make it a really tough decision for Todd McLellan and that’s a great thing.

3. Connor McDavid. He had two assists in his pre-season debut with the Oilers on Monday against Calgary. McDavid looked (and even he admitted it) shaky at the start but McDavid is exciting to watch every time he touches the ice. His skating is really something else and his defense was really underrated.

2. Griffin Reinhart. A surprising pick but his game against Winnipeg on Wednesday was superb. He did everything right, not flashy, but right. He’s basically the yin to Nurse’s yang: opposites in style but each offering a unique game that the Oilers sorely need. Reinhart was effective in all areas and hence why he earns my number two spot. I wrote about Reinhart on Oilonwhyte.com yesterday and I think we should definitely be supporting the young man.

1. Justin Schultz. Oh boy, I really hope this is the Justin Schultz that we get for the regular season. Forget the goal he scored but look at the Klefbom hit: Schultz of all people was the first one in the scrum! Finally some resilience from the man. He’s been playing like a top four defenceman. Perhaps he could surprise everyone with a rock solid year.

TSN Had a recent feature on Schultz

Connor McDavid to Play Against Minnesota in Saskatoon Tonight

There has been much talk about Connor McDavid and his lack of Pre-Season play, but this confirms that he will be playing in Saskatoon tonight rather than Winnipeg last night. This makes sense on a couple fronts: Yesterday’s squad was mostly filled with AHL players and players fighting for their roster lives and tonight’s squad is playing in an Edmonton Oilers market. It also makes sense on the front where Saskatoon has a large Oilers fanbase. Might as well treat them to one of the best stars in the league.

 

Lowetide’s Rollerball

Lowetide has always been a favorite of mine. He’s THE icon of the Oilers blogging community and he constantly produces quality content. This one stands out however, as he looks at the big three on the back end (Klefbom, Nurse and Reinhart) and their potential offensive production. Lowetide urged that some of the comparables for offense was a good Steve Staios and that we should not be disappointed with that especially if they are rock solid defensively. I think it’s important to stress the defensive side of the game here since quite frankly, the Oilers have had very ineffective defenseman who can play quality defense. Lowetide also hints that maybe Klefbom’s potential might be hidden due to the invisible Swedish Secondary Assists (where they do not count the secondary assist, just the primary).

Patrick Kane’s Case is Bizarre 

Patrick Kane’s Rape Accusation case took a really bizarre turn of events this week when the accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, held a press conference declaring that the Rape Kit was delivered to the Accuser’s Mother’s doorstep and that it had been tampered (the evidence bag was empty, was supposed to hold the rape kit). Eoannou, the very next day no less, resigned from the case stating that it was within ethical reason for him to leave the case as he did not believe the Mother’s story.

This is downright confusing. I have no opinion on whether Kane is innocent or not and that is not up to me to decide. I am purely neutral in this case and without anymore evidence or news related to the story, I will remain neutral. That said, this is just plain nutty and confusing.

Even ESPN’s first take had talked about it (although I do warn you, tolerating Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith takes a lot of patience)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfkleAuOl1I

 

Flyers Brothers on Trading Block?

According to NBC hockey, both Braydon and Luke Schenn are on the trading block from the Flyers. It’s not really surprising: I find both players to be blunt, mediocre at best. Luke Schenn is fighting for a job with a log jam of defensiveman and Braydon Schenn has not produced to the levels that were expected of them. One thing though, I really hope that the Oilers stay far away from both of these players. They are not what the Oilers need in my opinion: We are set at Center and I would rather have Lander over Braydon Schenn and Luke Schenn would just be another 5-6 Defenceman that the Oilers don’t need.

 

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

What’s Bruin in Boston?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTx9q8CrLt4

Ohhhh BOY! Those Bruins are in trouble. Dennis Seidenberg just had lower-back surgery and is out for two months, Zdeno Chara played 4 minutes the other night before leaving the game and Joe Morrow took a slapshot in the leg during the same game. The Boston Bruins are having a fever of sorts and the only cure is a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.

Look, the Boston Bruins defence would look like this if the regular season started tomorrow:

Joe Morrow (maybe) – Torey Krug
Zach Trotman – Adam McQuaid
Kevan Miller – Matt Irwin
Linus Arnesson/Colin Miller/Chris Kasto

And these were the pairings for the last game on the 22nd courtesy of Dobber’s Hockey:

Chris Casto – Joe Morrow
Torey Krug – Adam McQuaid
Linus Arnesson – Kevan Miller

This would be a chance for Don Sweeney to mend some fences with Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli after F-ing him over at the draft in the Hamilton deal… I’m still miffed about that. The Oilers have a glut of men on the back end that could be of service to the Bruins.

Ship ‘Em Out!

Andrew Ference is a former Boston Bruin and one has to wonder if he’d be okay waiving his no-trade clause to go back to the place where he found success. I think the Oilers probably wouldn’t mind him heading that way as well so they could get this captaincy business off the table and so they could let Griffin Reinhart know he can find a place in Edmonton to live in. His value can’t be more than a 5th or 6th round pick right now.

Nikita Nikitin would be the ultimate apology from Sweeney. Even if the Oilers took on some salary to force this deal through, it would be a blessing for them. Nikitin has done jack shite this preseason so far despite what Jack Michaels and Bob Stauffer have been saying during their radio broadcasts. You can even hear it in their voices as they since Nikitin’s praises, it sounds like they’re going to puke. Nikitin’s value surely sits at “Steaming Pile of Rhino Dung”, so if Chiarelli could get a late draft pick I’d see that as a major victory.

Brandon Davidson, if I’m not mistaken, will have to clear waivers to go down to the AHL this year and there’s no way he’s making the team with Reinhart and Nurse sitting there. Personally I think he’s 50/50 to get claimed and he’d probably have the most appeal to the Bruins apart from maybe Ference. Davidson’s a young guy still and I reckon he’d probably go for a 4th rounder.

Mark Fayne doesn’t seem to be in the foreground of Chiarelli’s mind and I wonder aloud if he’s going to be one of the Oilers GM’s trade chips this year. Fayne doesn’t really standout when he plays but he’s a very steady Eddie type and at this point he’s still a serviceable NHL defenceman and the Oilers should hold on to them in fear of becoming what the Bruins are right now. But with all of that said, is he really a no.4 dman or is he more of a no.5/6? I could see Fayne’s value at around a Chris Kelly or a 3rd rounder.

A Bear Market

So what is it that the Bruins have that maybe the Oilers would covet? We know that Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan like heavy teams and Chiarelli said in his interview with Bob McKenzie that he’d like to acquire some “heavier” players. The way I read that is he wants some higher-end foot soldiers. Yes men that make it easier for the skillers to work their magic.

Unfortunately the only players that fit the description of “heavier” players are players that the Bruins just signed, have ugly contracts or will never leave the team.

Matt Beleskey is a gritty winger coming off a career season but he’s a recent signing and Benoit Pouliot is doing a fine job. Not gonna happen here.

Jimmy Hayes is an interesting character. He’s 6’6″ 220lbs, can skate and is a shooter. He put up 19 goals and 16 assists last year for the Panthers and would be a nice replacement for say Nail Yakupov if he were sacrificed. Not gonna happen here either.

Patrice Bergeron? Not unless Nugent-Hopkins is going the other way…

Loui Eriksson isn’t quite the player that comes to mind when I think heavy and his contract is ugly. But even then, as unfair as it would be, Nikitin for Eriksson straight across might rid each team of a headache as their contracts are identical ($4.5m for 2015/16). Do the Oilers really need him though? Somebody would have to be sacrificed to fit him in the top 9.

Chris Kelly… He’s probably the guy with the greatest potential of becoming an Oiler but how much better is he than say Rob Klinkhammer or Tyler Pitlick?

So as it looks, any deal that could potentially take place between the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers would most likely see the Oilers taking back draft picks or prospects that might never see the light of the NHL.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! Take Care!

BLH

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