Tag Archives: Tyler Toffoli

The Edmonton Oilers have had another wonderful opportunity to separate themselves from the pack in the Pacific Division placed on a platter in front of them as the Tampa Bay Lightning have punched right in the ear by the hockey gods. The Lightning will be without FIVE of their best players tonight (Stamkos, Kucherov, Cirelli, McDonagh, and Rutta). To add to the pressure on Edmonton, Tampa hasn’t lost in eight games…

The Oilers have to find a way to get it done tonight because Calgary last to the Kings last night and Vancouver won on the Sedin’s jersey retirement night. The Coyotes are taking on the Senators and Vegas will be trying to overcome the Blues this evening. Both of those clubs are sitting on 64pts and behind the Oilers by only two if Edmonton loses this one.

No Tyler Benson tonight if you’re wondering.

Latest Oilers Trade Rumblings

According to one of my sources, the Edmonton Oilers had a scout in Los Angeles watching the Kings beat the Calgary Flames. The focus was on a winger for Connor McDavid and I’m sure you’ve guessed who the scout was viewing… TYLER TOFFOLI!!!

Now, I’ve been told (I’ve also read this but forgive me, I can’t remember where) that the Kings would be very lucky to get a 2nd round pick for Toffoli and that he’s not a first or second choice option for a lot of teams in the buyer’s market which makes him a very realistic target for the Oilers.

The Oilers probably could’ve had the Kings winger last year but they were unwilling to trade within the division under Gretzky’s interim guidance. Now we know that isn’t much of a factor with Ken Holland driving this bus.

FWIW, Dreger made it sound like an Alex Keefoot/Matt Benning trade (not necessarily 1for1) is the sort of thing that's possible this morning on TSN1260.

— Ross Creek Nasty (@akaRCN) February 13, 2020

“Sometimes it takes a year to make a trade.” This is what I was told last evening when talking to my sources about a possible Maple Leafs/Oilers trade I was asked not to say much about but I can speak to the tweet above. Fact is, if you go back in this blog almost one year ago you’ll find me saying the following,

“Matt Benning – Toronto, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Dallas, and Arizona are teams I’ve heard with interest in the rugged defender. He’s on the IR right now though.” – Feb.18/2019 (source)

“I’m still hearing that Pittsburgh has interest in Alex Petrovic, but teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay are also looking for depth right-hand shots. Matt Benning also fits the description there and in all honesty is probably who the Oilers would prefer to move given he’s got an extra year left on his deal.” – Feb.20th/2019 (source)

“Mark Spector said that a Kassian to Toronto for Connor Brown deal never went through. I’d heard a Matt Benning for Brown trade was on the table and I think that Stauffer was saying the Maple Leafs wanted Jujhar Khaira because he was making a bit less. Probably the same reason that Edmonton wanted to keep him.” – Feb.26th/2019 (source)

Alex Kerfoot isn’t Connor Brown and to be honest, I haven’t watched a lot of him aside from the Oilers/Leafs games this year, but from what I remember; this player is similar to ex-Oiler Drake Caggiula in how he plays the game, no? Fast, quick, fearless, good IQ, great hands, good passer, goes to the dirty areas, has some real zip on his snapper… If the Oilers could get this player for Matt Benning, I think that would be a clear win for Edmonton.

“If he’s put in the right situations with the right linemates, he’s a guy that can have an impact on the game.” – Jean-Michael Liles

Kerfoot has 109pts (42g 67a) in 209 games. This season he’s off his regular 40pt pace a bit with the Leafs (8g 16a in 52gp), so his price might’ve dropped given the Leafs just re-upped Pierre Engvall for another two years for a million dollars cheaper. A straight swap of Benning for Kerfoot might be wishful thinking though as the former Av isn’t an RFA this summer. He’s signed for another three years after this at $3.5M AAV.

I think I may have talked myself into really liking this player…

Three Players to Watch for the Lightning

#79 Alexandre Volkov – For the majority of us, this will be our first in-game viewing of the man whose name has been connected to Jesse Puljujarvi in trade rumors for half-a-year. He’s a skilled goal-scoring winger who, if he’s in the lineup, will be starting on the 4th line, left-wing.
#18 Ondrej Palat – I’ve always liked Palat’s game. He’s just a very solid two-way winger. Not flashy at all. He goes about his game in a very clinical manner and really is all business. Tends to make life tough for the other team’s forwards AND defenders given how well he is defensively.
#7 Mathieu Joseph – You might remember this name from last season (?) when he was running around hitting the Oilers skilled players like a chicken with his head cut off until Farmer Lucic caught up to him and tuned him in. He can flat out fly, so he’ll be a scoring threat in addition to a physical one.

Tampa hasn’t released its lineup yet, so I apologize for not posting it here.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

#29 Leon Draisaitl – All eyes will be on Der Panzer to see if he can keep up this superhero-like form. It would be something if he could put up four points on Jon Cooper’s squad.
#16 Jujhar Khaira – I’ve seen a bit more urgency in his game lately. He’s been more physical and has shown more confidence with the puck. I’m hoping this continues this evening.
#74 Ethan Bear – Speaking of confidence with the biscuit, Bear has been taking us to Dangle City more and more as of late and I’m a massive fan. Not sure if he’ll want to be doing that against a team like the Lightning, but I respect the cahones for trying.

Oiler lineup tonight (Smith starts in goal)…

RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Gagner-Haas-Chiasson
Archibald-Sheahan-Kassian
Khaira-Cave-P. Russell

Nurse-Bear
Klefbom-Larsson
Jones-Benning

Put another way, exact same lineup as Tuesday. https://t.co/BtoV1EdHko

— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) February 13, 2020

The Next Ten Games (51-60)

vs. St. Louis Blues (31-12-8) – I’m not 100% sold that the Oilers will be focused on this game seeing as they play Calgary the next night. They have played well against the league’s best this season at times though. Can McDavid and Draisaitl beat the Blues in this one as they did at the All-Star game? (WIN) WIN
@ Calgary Flames (27-19-6) – If you thought last night’s game was fun with all the fights and cheap shots, this game is going to be bonkers. It always seems to be in Calgary. Losing three times to the Flames and that post-game celly by Rittich will be eating away at the Oilers. They’ll be doing their damnedest to bring home the two points. (WIN) WIN
@ Arizona Coyotes (26-21-5) – The Oilers put up a touchdown on the Coyotes right before their bye-week and I don’t imagine that sat well with Taylor Hall and co. That said, they’re on a bit of a slump in their last ten (4-5-1) and Edmonton is flying high as of today (6-2-2). On the other hand, just when the opportunity presents itself to the Oilers they usually take the night off. (LOSS) LOSS
vs. San Jose Sharks (22-26-4) – Man, this Sharks team is bad. With Vlasic, Karlsson, and Burns on the back-end no less… Can you believe the Golden Knights fired Gerard Gallant to hire San Jose’s old coach? I think this will be a scheduled win for McDavid’s boys. Watch out for shenanigans from Evander Kane and Timo Meier. (WIN) LOSS
vs. Nashville Predators (23-19-7) – Since the Preds hired NJ’s old coach, they haven’t been scoring much and that’s not a good sign when you go into Edmonton. Couple that with Pekka Rinne’s game falling right off of a cliff and the Oilers should be able to walk away with two points. (WIN) WIN
vs. Chicago Blackhawks (24-21-6) – The Hawks are coming on as of late and I think they could pull this one off in Edmonton. Maybe Drake Caggiula does the ex-Oiler thing and scores. (LOSS) WIN
@ Tampa Bay Lightning (30-15-5) – This will be a fine test for the Oilers. Tampa has found their stride at the right time and are looking very dominant. Might we see another ex-Oiler in Pat Maroon score or drop the flippers? I expect McDavid to be flying in this one. (LOSS)
@ Florida Panthers (28-16-5) – This match-up is going to be a fun one. The Panthers have some really fun players to watch like Huberdeau, Barkov, and the very underrated Vincent Trochek. Which Sergei Bobrovsky might we see if he gets the call though? (WIN)
@ Carolina Hurricanes (29-18-3) – It’s hard not to like what they’ve built in Carolina. Andrei Svechnikov is already a scoring phenom at 19-years-old and it’s hard to overlook the wonder Finns (Aho/Teravainen), right? How will this team be sans Dougie Hamilton though? Can the Oilers sweep back-to-backs again? (WIN)
vs. Boston Bruins (29-10-12) – Edmonton goes from one team who doesn’t lose in OT to a team that seemingly only loses in OT. The Oilers gave the Bs a pretty sound beating last time they played and we’re close to the trade deadline here so I’m not sure what the rosters will look like. I like Boston for this one though. (LOSS)

(Standings as of January 20th, 2020)

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: New Names to Add to the Mill PLUS Who’s Safe in Edmonton?

January 16, 2019 Beer League Hero

Last night I was contacted by more than one source to tell me that Jesse Puljujarvi is SAFE and wouldn’t be traded. That message is obviously contrary to what insiders like Elliotte Friedman, Ryan Rishaug, and Chris Johnston are saying but I have a theory on that. It also dovetails with what Kurt Leavins said yesterday on Twitter,

I’m made to understand that the reports of #Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi being on the market are greatly exaggerated. Clubs have asked, which happens. But he’s just as unlikely to move as Yamamoto or Bouchard.

— Kurt Leavins (@KurtLeavins) January 16, 2019

I feel like the Edmonton Oilers fanbase is one of the most active in the NHL and that it drives a lot of numbers for TSN’s and Sportsnet’s hockey coverage. I have no proof of course but with the way that the media is crawling all over Peter Chiarelli right now, it makes sense on their end to exasperate the perceived situation for profit.

Case in point: Craig Button saying Evan Bouchard ISN’T one of the top-50 prospects not playing in the NHL right now.

Not close to NHL ready. Not then or he’d still be there and not now. Very good prospect but has to improve the pace & tempo of his play. That’s developmental but it is essential for success at NHL Level. This is my view of 50 Best NHL affiliated prospects at this time.

— Craig Button (@CraigJButton) January 16, 2019

That’s a giant line of bullshit! He was in love with Bouchard before the draft and was saying if he was a better skater, he might be challenging Dahlin for 1st overall. To put a guy like Gabe Vilardi ahead of Bouchard is disingenuous. I mean, a scout worth his salt would never rate Vilardi ahead of Bouchard at this point. Generally, you want a player who’s going to actually play hockey in the future to be on a list like that, no? I wonder if Button is a bit salty that Bouchard had a tough World Juniors?

Getting back to Puljujarvi, Oilers management feels that they need to do right by this player and are willing to do what it takes to see things through with him. The same goes for Kailer Yamamoto. Peter Chiarelli is VERY hesitant to deal these players because he sees the potential in these players and Edmonton needs value contracts going forward. Pulju might not be producing at a Patrik Laine-like rate and that might result in his next contract being more affordable or “cheap” for lack of a better description. So him struggling to produce points might actually be a blessing in disguise because when he breaks out, and he will, the Oilers will be underpaying him.

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I’m just going to put the other things I was told in point form here to get this post moving a bit faster for you,

New Name: Oilers like Miles Wood out of NJ
Keith (Gretzky) is a big part of the negotiations, Peter is manning the controls, but Bob (Nicholson) has final say.
On Josh Ho-Sang: He’s a good young player. Just has to get his game together. If we get him, I wonder what Hitch can do for him?
On Michael Ferland: Oilers are talking to Car about him. They like him. No offer made but they’re chatting.
Oilers are also talking to Pitts about Brassard
Nuge isn’t being moved. Klef, Nurse. None of them.
They’re also not moving the 1st round pick for a UFA rental. That is out of the question.
On Wayne Simmonds: At this point is an absolute no. Philly wants a goaltender or top 6 roster player, a 1st pick AND a top blue chip prospect. Edm isn’t going down that road
On Cam Talbot: I don’t believe they’re moving Cam Talbot at this time unless a knock your socks off offer comes along that involves a goalie coming back.
On Tyler Toffolli: They’re not talking with LA. Not trading within their own division.
That first pick, unless it’s a productive player WITH term (3 4 years) the 1st will not be moved.
On Rishaug’s “Young developing player”: That young developing player would be a guy in Bakersfield. It will not be a guy like Yamo or Pulju. Have to stay patient with those two blue chippers.
They’re shopping Spooner and Benning. Trying to find a partner to dance with. Tough market for those fellas.
They’re not moving Milan Lucic either.
On Jordan Eberle: There is also some chat garnering around about bringing in Eberle. Now whether that’s now or offseason, I’d suggest off-season. Eberle would come over at $3M-$4M per on a 2 or 3-year deal is my guess.

So there you have it! It looks like Chiarelli is ready to die on the sword to save the core of this team despite what the owner wants. I can respect that and I might be in the minority here, but I don’t want him to do anything big. The teams around Edmonton in the playoff race are struggling and despite the Oilers poor recent record, they’re still in the thick of this. This is exactly the right time for some shooting percentages to return to the mean and Oscar Klefbom’s return is right around the corner.

Friedman mentioned Mats Zuccarello out of New York and I could see him being a nice add to the team. I wouldn’t pay top dollar for him as he’s struggled all year but if the Rangers would take Spooner back (hahaha, as if) or maybe Matt Benning, Edmonton might actually be able to afford him? What about a Rieder for Zuccarello trade? Ethan Bear and Ostap Safin?

If I had to guess, I wonder if Edmonton will try to acquire a really good right-handed face-off man for the 3rd line. It’s been a weakness of the team for some time and it really hurts them late in tight games I feel. Glendening out of Detroit comes to mind for me.

If not that piece then a veteran winger to give the Oilers the option to send Yamamoto back to Bakersfield. The aforementioned Zuccarello fits that description.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! Enjoy the game tonight!

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

Pre-Xmas Edmonton Oilers Rumors and Notes

December 23, 2018 Beer League Hero

Even the most staunch Edmonton Oilers supporter could see this coming. The Oilers are 1-3-1 in their last 5, a run that includes games versus the best teams in the NHL (TB/WPG) and not the best teams in the NHL (VAN/STL/PHI).

I don’t care what you say, a team run by the greatest GM in the world would still struggle with the loss of two of its top-4 defenders.

Tampa Bay is ridiculously talented. They’ve got the best goalie in the league, in my opinion, a Norris trophy candidate anchoring their defense, a RWer that challenges for the Art Ross every year, a Rocket Richard trophy candidate, and perhaps the best coach in the league at the moment. There’s no shame in losing to that club at all and a lot of credit should be given to the team for hanging in there for as long as they did.

That being said, Edmonton’s first and second lines are doing all of the heavy lifting and not getting a lot of help from the bottom-6. It’s a sentiment that echoes what head coach Ken Hitchcock said in his post-game avail.

This is the first time since Hitch took over that he’s looked and sounded defeated. His body language also reflects this. I hope his GM was listening because his message was loud and clear,

GET ME BETTER SUPPORT PLAYERS!

At some point after JJ Khaira returns from his suspension, I get the feeling that he will be reunited with Jesse Puljujarvi and the Anti-Puljujarvi Brigade (Jason Gregor and Ryan Rishaug) will get loud and tell us,

“I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU HE WOULDN’T LAST WITH McDAVID!”

It’s at that point you need to point them in the direction of this presser where Hitchcock says that was the plan all along.

“That’s going to be a line after the 27th, we hope.” You can find that quote around the 7:04 mark below.

I talked to my sources last night and they basically said that Peter is working the phones on daily basis. The scouts are giving him information constantly and it’s really up to Peter to make the deals. I also got the impression from what I was told that Chiarelli is attempting to rebuild the old Bruins squad that he won the Cup with, and if he continues down that path, he’ll be out of a job.

I guess folks in the organization are getting impatient with Chiarelli’s patience. PC wants to build from within and make small deals for young inexperienced players. To put it plainly, he’s bringing in guys who hit singles but hoping they’ll give him some home runs.

I will continue to put my support behind the current Oilers GM. Should he be let go though, I will understand why, write about it, and subsequently transfer my support to the new GM. That’s just how I roll. Call it an appeal to authority if you want to. I call it deferring to authority. If I want a medical opinion, I’ll talk to a doctor. If I want an opinion on building an NHL team, I’ll talk to someone who is or was an NHL GM.

The Forwards

I have a list of forwards who I think are expendable that I asked about,

Milan Lucic – Team likes him but he’s starting to get frustrated and he’s not getting any puck luck. Questions about why he’s not driving the net anymore. Expect him to move this summer either through buy out or salary retained trade.
Zack Kassian – Will be moved.
Matt Benning – Most likely to be traded.
Drake Caggiula – Too inconsistent and expensive. There’s interest in him.
Ty Rattie – Can’t seem to convince Hitch to give him any TOI. Could be headed to waivers.
Valentin Zykov – Nothing here. Destined for Bakersfield unless someone takes a chance on him via waivers.
Ryan Spooner – He’ll be dealt probably for a player with an expiring contract to a team who needs some flair in their top-6. Not a Hitchcock player.

There are folks out there that believe Chiarelli will be fired because of the Larsson/Strome trades but I think the deal that will probably be the one that seals it is the Spooner/Strome trade. Barring he doesn’t do anything to improve the roster substantially before the season is out of course.

It’s too bad about Milan. He’s put on a brave face through all this adversity (which you have to respect) but he keeps getting shuffled down the lineup. The brass agrees that the experiment hasn’t panned out as they’d liked are willing to move on from it now.

If I were Chia, I’d be calling Jim Rutherford every day. I’d be texting him that Oleksiak/Wilson fight looped over and over until he agreed to take Lucic.

See, I don’t think all is lost with Looch. I simply believe he’s lost his desire in Edmonton. The experience here has beaten him down to the point to where his heart isn’t there. He’d look great in Pittsburgh and I’m sure he’d be a willing combatant for Tom Wilson.

The guy the Oilers are looking at in Pittsburgh is Derrick Brassard. So, maybe Edmonton deals Looch and retains 50% of his salary in return for Brassard. Some say Kassian would make more sense but I don’t think Kass is in Wilson’s weight class.

The Defense

As for the defense, I asked about these players,

Darnell Nurse – Hitch likes him. He’ll get better. Russell is a good partner because he cleans up for him. He’ll be a helluva 2nd pair defender.
Chris Wideman – He’s done. Coach doesn’t trust him.
Jason Garrison – Also done. Can’t keep up at this level consistently. A great influence on the young players in the room though.
Kris Russell/Andrej Sekera – Both will be back in the coming weeks. Russell will play vs. Vancouver. Probably will get moved in the summer when their NMCs change to NTCs. Will probably have to include some sweeteners to do so.

I asked about Nurse because I feel like he’s been caught out more times than not this year. Not only that but his decision making is all over the place I find. He doesn’t know when to pinch yet and his passes have a bit too much “hate” behind them. Why was he firing a 90km/hr pass to Puljujarvi when Jesse was 10 feet away from him last night? How was Yessa supposed to NOT bobble that pass and send Kucherov on a breakaway?

For me, with the amount of veteran LHD on the roster already, if Nurse could be dealt away in return for either a scoring winger or a right-shot defender, I’d be open to something like that. Once the defense is healthy being the caveat.

It sounds like Sekera might be back sooner than expected and he wants to go on a conditioning stint to the AHL before getting starts in Edmonton. I love this attitude by the vet! When he is ready to come back up, how will that defense look? I’d have it like this I think,

Nurse/Larsson
Sekera/Russell
Gravel/Jones
Benning

Then when Klefbom returns,

Klefbom/Larsson
Nurse/Russell
Gravel/Sekera
Jones

I have a funny feeling that Sekera might come in a bit better than people expect him to. There’ll just be an adjustment period to get up to game speed.

If the Oilers found a way to move one of Russell or Sekera and bring in Anton Stralman this summer, how would you feel about that? Stralman is very solid and a righty. Not sure what that’d cost dollars/term-wise but he’s an excellent veteran defenseman.

The Boys on the Farm

Bob Stauffer said he could see Kailer Yamamoto getting the call-up after Xmas. I guess the feeling there is because the bottom-6 isn’t pissing a drop, they’ll call up the shifty one. I don’t agree with it but I understand it.

I’ve been watching Yamo in Bakersfield this summer and down there his edgework, hockey IQ, and his checking stands out. He has to get stronger though. He gets pushed out of games and loses a lot of battles on the boards because he hasnt’ built up the muscle mass yet. There’re also questions about his ability to protect the puck.

As for Tyler Benson, Cameron Hebig, and Cooper Marody; good players but they need more time in the minors.

Who the Oilers Will be Looking at After Xmas

I guess there are a few surprising names on the market right now. Brett Pesce in Carolina is on the block. Timo Meier in San Jose is too. So Edmonton will definitely be scouting those players in the coming weeks. Other players I could see Chiarelli getting looked at include Tyler Toffoli (LA), Colton Sceviour (FLA), and Brendan Gallagher (MTL).

So a lot of Eastern Conference teams. Which makes sense. Chiarelli doesn’t want any players coming back to haunt him if they meet up in the playoffs I suppose.

Weird about Meier, eh? My thought there is that Wilson wants to retain Karlsson this summer and they’ll need Meier’s cap room to do it. They could simply let Pavelski and Thornton walk away, keep Meier AND re-sign Karlsson though…

If there’s one Western Conference team that the Chiarelli will be scouting heavily, it’ll be the St. Louis Blues. Everybody is on the block there and how good would Brayden Schenn, Vladdy Tarasenko, or Colton Parayko look on the Oilers?

Any idea why teams who have Ryan O’Reilly on them tend to have challenges? Probably coincidence.

If you listened to that presser where Hitchcock talks about having Pulju and Khaira on the same line (3rd line), that probably means that someone is going to have to play alongside McDavid or Draisaitl at some point and I wonder if that will be either Spooner (because Hitch said he’s comfier at RW) or if that means someone is coming in. Maybe Jake Debrusk?

Swing away Merrill, Swing away.

I hope you all have a great Christmas! Take care during the holidays! I wish I was back home to join in the wintery-fun!

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumor: Are These Kings on the Oilers Radar?

November 5, 2018 Beer League Hero

Yesterday the LA Kings relieved their head coach of his duties putting to rest the notion (and probably hopes of some Oilers fans) that Todd McLellan would be the first coach fired in the 2018/19 NHL season.

John Stevens was in his 2nd season as Kings skipper and nobody would’ve guessed that the Kings would be this poor with how they fared last year being a playoff team and then they went ahead and won the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes this summer.

I thought they’d be a lot better.

So that takes us to where it always does when a team is performing poorly.

THE RUMOR MILL!

As Oilers fans, we know all about the rumor mill. We know what it’s like to be fans of the team that other fan bases want to pick at in hopes of getting a player on the cheap and in some cases over the years, that’s exactly what has happened.

That brings us back around to the LA Kings. Are they a club who would consider a minor tear-down and rebuild on the fly? They do have the veteran pieces that I feel are of the highest importance when rebuilding your team in players like Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick.

If there’s a club that could pilfer off some complimentary players to address team needs without finding themselves drafting in the top-5 at the draft, it’s the Kings.

Craig Button said on the Jason Gregor Show recently that he thought the Kings’ biggest problem is that they are too slow. A problem that hindered the Oilers somewhat last year (Chiarelli fixed that this summer and is reaping the benefits as we speak) and is causing issues for teams like the Blues and the Ducks this season.

So how would the Kings go about getting some team speed from the Oilers?

I would say they’d have to consider forgetting about this season and go for players that could start helping them next season (vice versa for the Oilers perhaps) and this is a list of current Oilers I think would be more available than not.

Caleb Jones (LD) – Jones is a FINE skater and a smooth puck mover.
Ryan McLeod (C) – Speed personified. Should be ready for 2019.
Ryan Strome (C) – He’s not Pavel Bure but he’s no Jason Allison either.
Jesse Puljujarvi (RW) – Fast not quick and very powerful. Lots of potential left.
Kailer Yamamoto – (RW) – Opposite to Puljujarvi. Quick, not fast. Tenacious too.

The Oilers are in a small spot of bother with regards to their RW depth. Ty Rattie is slated to return to action very soon, Drake Caggiula and Alex Chiasson are scoring consistently right now and Zack Kassian has really returned to form since that whole “The Oilers gave Kassian’s agent permission to seek out a trade” deal went public last week.

That leaves Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto more or less on the outs because neither are producing.

Now, I don’t think the Oilers are absolutely desperate to make a trade to sort out this RW issue. I think they’re happy to have the problem and I’d also go as far as to say that they’d be willing to send both Pulju and Yammo to the AHL if they could find a deal to bring in a RWer who could float throughout the lineup on the cheap. And maybe they have that guy already in Cooper Marody.

I’m not sure if Scottie Upshall is done either. So if the Oilers brought him in at some point during the year and then sent down Jesse and Kailer, they’d be more or less sorted BUT I don’t think that Peter Chiarelli wants to simply be “sorted”. I think his job depends on the playoffs.

So one has to ask the question, what kind of transaction is going to give the team the best chances at making the playoffs this year?

You’re probably wondering why I haven’t named the players on the Kings that I believe Edmonton is looking at and I’ve got no good reason for you, so let’s do that now.

Tanner Pearson (LW) – 26 years old –
Tyler Toffoli (RW) – 26 years old –
Jake Muzzin (LD) – 29 years old –

Tanner Pearson has three years left on his deal and is paid $3.75M per year. Tyler Toffoli has two years left on his and is paid $4.6M per season and Jake Muzzin also has two years left to go on his contract that pays him $4M per annum.

Toffoli only has three goals so far and Pearson has managed to rack up a single assist to date while Muzzin has three assists and is dash three on the year with 15 PIMs.

I think it’s safe to say they are struggling production-wise.

But the rub in any deal the Kings and the Oilers make lies in how they manage the trade from a financial standpoint.

LA has a shade over 400k in cap space but could utilize the $5.8M cushion that Jonathan Quick provides them while he’s on the IR. The problem there though is that when he returns, they’d have to find a way to clear however much of that cushion they used. A conundrum that Edmonton is dealing with this season too with Andrej Sekera out.

I reckon there’ll be some that’ll say “trade Lucic to the Kings” and I think there’s some validity to that but on the other hand, you saw how the Capitals bulldozed their way to the Cup last year. Even the Golden Knights had Ryan Reaves playing an important role on their path to the final.

I’d be curious to know what a package of Lucic, Strome, and say Puljujarvi or Yamamoto would bring back. Nothing like trading an entire line eh? Because I’ll be honest, I love the idea of an Oilers roster that has Toffoli, Pearson, and Muzzin on it.

Experienced players, nay! Stanley Cup winning players really rev my engine when it comes to building a roster. I’m near obsessed with having players on a young team that know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Not only that, the Oilers have a coach who has no interest in developing players at the NHL level.

How would you go about negotiating a trade with the LA Kings for one, two, or all three of Pearson, Toffoli, or Muzzin? Or would you even bother?

Let us know in the comments below!

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

Lucic to Vancouver? Plus More Oilers Takeaways From the 31 Thoughts Podcast

March 2, 2018 Beer League Hero

Tough game for the Oilers last night. ‘Twas a shame to waste that glorious goal from Connor McDavid, that PP laser from Leon Draisaitl, and Milan Lucic’s best performance in a very very long time. The goal is coming, you can feel it. 27 games on but mark my words, it won’t be much longer especially with the Rangers coming up who have Marc Staal and a bunch of AHLers manning their blueline.

Did you know: Even though the Oilers PK is last in the NHL (that won’t last, they’ll catch the Islanders), the only month that they were the worst PK in the league for the whole month was October. In fact, they had the 14th BEST PK in the league in February. #silverlinings

BEAR WITH ME

Ethan Bear had a tough game last night. I wouldn’t say he was directly responsible for 2 of the Predators goals but he was definitely part of the reason they were scored and I would say that’s fine given the circumstances. It’s not like the Oilers are trying to lock down a playoff spot here.

Bear’s stat line read like this:

No points
minus 3
14:42 TOI
1 shot
2 blocks
1 giveaways

That said, he was noticeably out of his depth but on the plus side, that boy can pass a puck and I didn’t see any panic in his game! If he gets a few more games (hopefully not paired with Sekera), I hope to see that cannon of his. The former WHL defenseman of the year is one player I think all of us are eager to see more and more.

PUL-ME? PULJU!

When is Todd McLellan going to put Jesse Puljujarvi in the top-6? When will Jesse get his shot on the first PP?

Since he joined the Oilers, I’ve gotten the impression that McLellan was the type of coach who would give TOI where TOI was earned. Well, what I’ve noticed is that isn’t really the case. He’ll move players up and down from Lines 1 and 2 or Lines 3 and 4 or sometimes from lines 2 and 3 he’ll swap a bit but not often.

If ice time is earned, what does Jesse Puljujarvi have to do to get some ice time with Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid? And if that isn’t something that is in the coaches plans, then can he keep some linemates for more than a game? I thought that the Aberg/Strome/Puljujarvi line looked very dangerous against San Jose.

I just don’t understand how McLellan is “rewarding” his players…

31 THOUGHTS PODCAST TAKEAWAYS

Milan Lucic for Loui Eriksson

This was something near the end of the podcast that Friedman had suggested reasoning it with the notion that he thought they could both use a change of scenery. Marek added that the Oilers would have to “sweeten” the deal because Lucic had more term.

I have to decline on this one. We saw last night what kind of physical impact Milan Lucic can have on a game and just because he didn’t score doesn’t mean he wasn’t useful and that’s the difference between the two really. When Eriksson isn’t scoring, what else is he doing to impact the game?

IF Loui Eriksson was the shooting machine he used to be, then that might be a different story but it looks like he’s lost confidence there or he could be dealing with some physical ailments.

As it stands, Lucic brings more to the table than Eriksson.

Marek mentioned that the Blues were asking organizations other than the Jets about BIG LH’d dman Logan Stanley before they dealt Paul Stastny to Winnipeg for picks and prospect Erik Foley.

The Oilers have a few LH’d dmen they’d like to move but this SO weird because it seems like the Blues only have LH’d dmen in their system. According to rosterresource.com, the only RHers playing defense for St.Louis are on their parent roster…

But I mean if they’re looking to add to that stable of lefties, I think the Oilers could help there 🙂

The cost for Pacioretty is HIGH!!!

Friedman says he believed MTL asked LA for Toffoli, Vilardi, a 1st rounder this year and maybe a 1st rounder next year and LA for good reasons said no. He also mentioned the Habs wanted Charlie Coyle plus and Minnesota said no. Lastly, Florida was one of the teams that Max Pacioretty wanted to go to but Montreal wanted Trocheck and so no deal was made because the Panthers turned that down.

So if the Oilers are looking at Max Pacioretty, I’m not sure it’s going to be a worthwhile trade because it’ll cost players like Yamamoto, Puljujarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or more.

It’s not worth it to deal that much future out for a guy whose contract is up shortly. Not only that but it sounds like Pacioretty is willing to make it work in MTL. Who knows if that’s true or not? Maybe Max is doing his GM a solid by saying that publicly and something at the draft happens like a 3-way between Montreal, Ottawa, and Edmonton…

Could the Blackhawks trade a core player?

Friedman and Marek pontificated upon what Chicago might do this summer. Are Bowman’s and Quenneville’s jobs safe? Could the move Toews because of the season he’s having? Is Duncan Keith an option to go because he’s got the easiest contract to move?

Friedman said he’d give Toews one more year before moving on him but that he’d check the market on Saad, Anisimov, and Duncan Keith.

Keith and Toews have NMC’s on their deals which means they’re not going anywhere w/o consent. Anisimov’s NMC lifts July 1 but Saad is clause-free.

Keith and Saad jump out to me for a couple of reasons:

Duncan Keith is the type of General that the Oilers blueline is desperate for. There isnt’ a go-to guy in that defense. Not one. A lot of “complimentary” dmen back there but no alpha. It needs one and Duncan Keith would be that guy.
He’s 34 years old, makes $5M+ per yer and his contract goes for another 5 years but the real money comes way down starting in 2019/20.

He can’t score 50pts a year anymore but I’d say he’s still good for 40 at least. He’s one of the NHL’s great dmen and I could see him playing at a 1st pairing pace until he’s 39 too. What would you give up for him?
Brandon Saad is only 26 years old and has another 3 years @$6M per on that deal left. He’s got the wheels, we know that. And he can shoot the pill. That’s pretty apparent.
In order to get a guy like Saad, some major futures would have to go. What I mean by that is exactly the kind of players that the Oilers are looking for right now. I think Puljujarvi or Yamamoto for sure. But then the Oilers would have to get Chicago to take a contract back too.

Or maybe the only deal would be Saad for Nuge… Both players contracts are the same term and dollar…

I still think RNH on McDavid’s wing would yield the Oilers a 50pt winger, so why move a guy that could do that for you AND provide you with a kickass centre if one of McDavid or Draisaitl goes down or if McLellan wants to move Leon up to Connor’s line…

Anyways, those are a few of the trade murmurs that Marek and Friedman talked about on this weeks 31 Thoughts Podcast.

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