Tag Archives: Vegas Golden Knights

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

2023/24 Edmonton Oilers GM21: Oilers VS Knights – 3P2W – The Knight Kings to Battle the King of the North!

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

Buckle up kids… You’re about to witness a donnybrook.

  • It’ll be the first regular season meeting since “The Slash” between these two clubs and while the Knights are slumping (One win in their last five) and the Oilers are streaking (three wins in their last five). I reckon there’s going to be some serious fireworks and I’m okay with that. Hell, even if Edmonton loses this game but they go down swinging, I’ll be completely satisfied.
  • Getting back to the goalie rumors, nobody’s said anything about Florida’s buried blue-chipper, Spencer Knight and that makes me curious. He was once one of the more higher rated young netminders over the last five years or so and now… Nadda. Has he lost it already? Did the Panthers botch his development?
  • How would Edmonton look with a duo of Knight and Skinner in the pipes? Would that be any better than Rodrigue and Skinner?
  • Knight shares an agent with current Oilers prospects Ryan Fanti and Phil Kemp.

I wrote about Philip Broberg as a trade option at The Athletic and I do think the changing of the guard in management puts him front and center as a possible trade piece. Dylan Holloway might suffer the same fate eventually, but his injury puts him in the file drawer for a deal. I see this club needing a strong backup goaltender, a veteran two-way winger and a veteran defenseman who can push Vincent Desharnais or replace an injured hand in a pinch. The coaching staff (as detailed in my article) doesn’t see Broberg as that solution. – Lowetide

  • In a Ken Holland-managed team, you cannot get attached to young players as he’s made it a career-long habit to turf them for help in the immediate.
  • I still like Philly Broberg and believe he needs his reps but they’re not going to happen in Edmonton unless one of Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, or Brett Kulak go down.
  • Vinnie Desharnais has stepped up VERY recently but in reality, Broberg should be splitting duties with him about 50% of the time. Then again, maybe Broberg is another Anders Eriksson considering he never developed into a Nik Kronwall.
  • It’d be a shame of Edmonton gave up on Holloway so soon. Unlucky injuries shouldn’t see him viewed in a lesser sense. He just needs time and I think there’s a ready-made spot on the roster for him once Foegele and Janmark are gone. He’s exactly what this team’s 3rd line needs, energy and his give-a-shit meter is red-lining all the time.
  • A strong back-up might mean Jake Allen but for some reason I can only see it happening closer to the deadline when prices come down a bit.
  • Maybe Fleury out of Minnesota… However I feel like that’s a long shot.
  • Vejmelka could be an option but they seem to be reaching out to upgrade their roster with the likes of Noah Hanifin rumored to be on their radar, so that would lead one to believe they’re not aching to rid themselves of a starting goalie.
  • I can’t remember who, but one of the insiders was bringing up MacKenzie Blackwood and he isn’t impressing me much.
  • Eric Comrie out of Buffalo? Who knows…
  • How do you feel about Nathan Bastian or Mikey McLeod out of New Jersey? Big boys with some speed and muscle. McLeod can take a draw…
  • Would you bring Bjugstad back? I would.

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

  • #9 Jack Eichel (8g 12a 20pts) – Jack vs. Connor has always been a fun rivalry. It’s not held up to the Sid/Ovie one but there’s still time considering that they may play out their careers in the same division.
  • #27 Alex Pietrangelo (1g 8a 9pts) – I don’t think he’s going to show up on the score sheet very much but he will be getting some “special attention” tonight, you can be sure of that.
  • #81 Jonathan Marchessault (9g 5a 14pts) – This guy shows up against Edmonton very consistently. In 20 games vs. the Oilers he has 11 goals and 8 assists.

Three Players to Watch for the Good Guys

  • #97 Connor McDavid (7g  18a 25pts) – Mother of God. He’s back.
  • #29 Leon Draisaitl (9g 19a 28pts) – Reckon Leon does something suspension worthy tonight?
  • #22 Darnell Nurse (3g 5a 8pts) – His last game was one of his best in quite a long time. Is he a $9M yet, no, not unless he can turn into a 60pt dman as well as a superb defensive defender too. All that said, when Edmonton plays the likes of the Knights, Bruins, or Avs; they need Darnell to step the f*ck up. Tonight’s gonna be a fun one.
The King of the North is here! Click the pic and grab a shirt!
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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This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(2/25/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: “The Wings have the prospects to pull this off…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Jack Eichel (BUF), Sam Bennett (CGY), Mike Babcock (Univ. Sask), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), and more!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

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.

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

NHL Rumors and Speculation

TSN: The Calgary Flames are struggling, and even though there has been a bit of trade speculation regarding Sam Bennett, Pierre LeBrun doesn’t believe anything is imminent.

  • “Of course, we know about the Sam Bennett situation, but certainly from talking to people around the league it seems actually pretty quiet on the Flames’ front. Which is not to say Treliving isn’t talking to a lot of teams. He’s actually notorious among his peers for checking in on every single team in the league every 10 days or so, where is I think where some of this noise comes from.”

Sportsnet: In an interview with Sportsnet, former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock recently admitted to tanking in 2015-16 in order for the team to draft American superstar Auston Matthews.

  • “We went from making sure we finished last to get Auston Matthews, we built a program that was competitive, we set the record for regular season points.”

Cam and Strick Pod: Golden Knights owner Bill Foley recently said denied that his club was ever close to trading their franchise netminder, Marc-Andre Fleury even though there were reports that multiple teams, including Fleury’s old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were reported to have inquired.

  • “He [Fleury] never came close to be part of a deal,” In fact, it was noted that if the team or its general manager Kelly McCrimmon had come to him and asked about moving Fleury: “I would’ve had a big problem with it if that had been presented to me.”

Bleacher Report: Lyle Richardson (Spector’s Hockey) recently listed out five teams who he believes would be right in the mix should Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel ask for a trade.

  • 1. Los Angeles Kings – the Kings have a ton of young assets including recent #2 overall pick Quinton Byfield and former first-rounder Gabriel Vilardi who could both help propel a rebuild in Buffalo. The Kings also have the upcoming cap space to facilitate the deal which will certainly be a factor considering how Eichel makes $10 million a season. 2. New York Rangers – the Rangers have a projected $26 million in cap space next season and certainly have some young pieces that Buffalo would be interested in. If the Rangers were to pull this deal off expect to see one of their goaltenders, and likely forward Kaapo Kakko included. The price for 24-year-old Eichel will be tremendous and these two teams connected last offseason on the parameters of a trade and could certainly pick up talks again if things turn sour for the Sabres.3. Detroit Red Wings – Steve Yzerman is dying to make his first ‘bold move’ for the Wings and turn this rebuild into a re-tool. Eichel would give them a legit superstar to build around and watching Eichel and Dylan Larkin together would be a treat. The Wings have the prospects to pull this off so consider them a dark horse in this race.

    4. New Jersey Devils – Richardson included the Devils in his article which is a bit of a surprise. The team does have the financials to make it work and adding Eichel would be a huge boost for their franchise. The Sabres would likely ask for Jack Hughes in any trade for Eichel.

    5. Ottawa Senators – Certainly a long shot but the Senators were also named. They have the upcoming cap space to fit in a $10 million player and they’re loaded with young talent. It will all come down to how much you want to pay and considering they are normally in the same division as the Sabres, the price would be absolutely massive.

The Athletic: In a recent mailbag, Bruins beat writer Fluto Shinzawa was asked about the future of winger Jake DeBrusk as there’s a growing sense of frustration amongst the Boston fanbase regarding his inconsistency.

  • “I can understand the frustration with Jake. Management and the coaching staff feel similarly. But there is too much there for the Bruins to toss aside. They would be selling low at this point. If they move him and he hits his sweet spot, that would be a really tough asset to lose, especially given Brad Marchand’s age and the eventual departures of Bergeron and Krejci. Jake is worth working with to express the entirety of his skill set.”

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Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!
Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(2/17/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: “There has been some talk of trading him if he isn’t going to fit in…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Dylan Holloway (EDM), Matt Dumba (MIN), Patrick Kane (CHI), Jake Virtanen (VAN), and more!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

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.

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

NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): Recently there was some chatter between Garrioch and TSN’s James Duthie with regards to Sens forward Logan Brown. The scribe noted that there has been some talk of trading him if he isn’t going to fit in with the Senators anymore. If they do decide to put him on the trade market, there would definitely be some interest in him.
  • Jim Matheson (Edmonton Sun): Said he wouldn’t be surprised if Edmonton Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway signed with the club at the end of his season with Wisconsin (NCAA). Matheson believes Holloway might be able to fit into their bottom-six with his skating, size, and competitiveness.
  • Darren Dreger (TSN): Is of the belief that the Vancouver Canucks want a young forward in return for winger Jake Virtanen who has another year left on his contract worth $2.55M.
  • Michael Russo (The Athletic): Said in a mailbag this week that he thinks defenseman Matt Dumba’s performances the rest of the season once he returns to play will dictate whether or not he gets moved.
  • Jimmy Murphy (Boston Hockey Now): A source of Murphy’s believes goaltender John Gibson may have issue with the team’s direction and could be looking to be moved.
  • Adam Vingan (The Athletic): Believes if the Nashville predators could get a similar return for defender Mattias Ekholm that LA got in the Jake Muzzin and Alex Martinez deals that would simplify their approach to the Seattle expansion draft.
  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportnet): Friedman thinks that the Vegas Golden Knights aren’t looking to trade goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. They’re playing very well right now and in a year where some teams can’t even make it work with four netminders, why would they move him?
  • Matt Larkin/Ryan Kennedy (The Hockey News): Noted that they believe players like Chicago superstar Patrick Kane and Edmonton Oilers MEGA star Connor McDavid are their picks for quarter season NHL MVP so far.
  • Jonas Siegel (The Athletic): Doesn’t think the Jimmy Vesey project is working in Toronto and they may move him at the deadline for a draft pick.

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This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
Classic Captain Wendel taking care of business once more! Click the pic and grab a shirt for yourself!