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

2023/24 Edmonton Oilers GM19: Oilers @ Capitals – 3P2W – Whispers in Edmonton: Goalies or Gossip Queens?

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

Well, folks, let’s gather ’round and talk about the Oilers’ grand strategy here. Oh, what a brilliant plan! When Corey Perry mysteriously disappeared in Chicago, suddenly everyone’s Sherlock Holmes, connecting the dots like they’re predicting the next Marvel movie. “Perry and Mrazek to the Oilers?” Oh, sure, because that’s the miracle cure Edmonton needs. Raanta limps off the ice, and what’s the hot topic? “Will he be traded to the Oilers?” It’s like we’re playing some twisted version of NHL Bingo in Edmonton. Do we want Skinner to make a save? Of course, we do, but let’s not act like the guy’s got a force field around the net. Some of those goals were like Swiss cheese – full of holes. Practice time? Nah, who needs that when you can have a day off after every game? It’s like they’re avoiding the rink more than a vampire avoids sunlight.

Now, let’s talk about fixing problems. The Oilers, the masters of perpetual leaking, like a sieve on skates. But hey, at least they’re consistent. They changed coaches, but surprise, surprise, the leaks are still there. Teams are still strolling into their zone like it’s a holiday parade, getting chances like it’s a Black Friday sale. It’s like they’re allergic to defense. Maybe they’re preserving the excitement for the fans – who needs a shutout when you can have a rollercoaster of a game, right?

But fear not, because the Oilers are on a noble quest. They’re determined, folks, determined not to make a really bad trade. Because, you know, the last thing Edmonton needs is another chapter in the “Regrettable Moves in Oilers History” book. So, they’ll weather the storm, cling to their leaking ship, and hope that determination alone wins hockey games. Good luck, Oilers, you’re gonna need it.

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Three Players to Watch for the Bad Guys

  • #8 Alex Ovechkin (5g 7a 12pts) – Ovie’s heating up. He’s got three ginos in his last five for the Caps and with the way the Oilers’ defense is allowing cross-ice passes, he may very well tally another three before the 1st period is out.
  • #74 John Carlson (1g 10a 11pts) – Pretty mediocre production numbers but he’s got 39 shots and 40 blocks on the year so far. I like Carson, I always have and I think he always finds a way to make his presence felt. On top of all that, he’s averaging 27 minutes a night for the Caps this year… So we’re going to see a lot of him.
  • #17 Dylan Strome (8g 2a 10pts) – Going for the Cy Young I see. Connor’s BFF has had to replace not one but two all-star caliber forwards this year with Nick Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov out. Kinda weird seeing him with more goals than Ovechkin (and McDavid) though, isn’t it?

Three Players to Watch for the Good Guys

  • #97 Connor McDavid (6g 10a 16pts) – Connor’s starting to heat up here with 4g and 2a in his last five. He’s also starting to make his frustration more visible but not in a good way. Usually, I’ve found, when he’s struggling he’ll start to get more physical with the other team but right now he’s taking some poor penalties and he’s not playing defensively sound which is biting his team in the ass. Good defense will result in more chances the other way and considering that he’s not even close to 100%, he might want to think about playing the role of playmaker and emulating one of his heroes in Jonathan Toews.
  • #91 Evander Kane (8g 8a 16pts) – He’s scoring at a goal-per-game pace in his last half dozen minus one. He might be someone that the team is willing to move but I wouldn’t. Him and Hyman have been the only consistent players since he laid into Woodcroft on HNIC earlier in the year. I’m kinda hoping him and Wilson square off.
  • #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3g 11a 14pts) – One goal in his last ten games but four assists in his last five games. So he’s still finding a way to get his name on the scoresheet. Edmonton needs him to be an ace defensively right now. Kane and Leon and Hyman can park their asses in front of the net and shovel in the garbage or snipe from afar. Somebody has to grow a two-way conscience at some point here and I’d really prefer it to be Nuge so that the coach could afford to play him at center.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(3/23/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: “Evgeni Kuznetsov trade possibilities…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Evgeni Kuznetsov (WAS), Dustin Brown (LA), Niklas Hjalmarsson (ARI), 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

Larry Brooks (NY Post) wonders if New Jersey Devils $9M right-shot defender might have some interest from other clubs at this year’s trade deadline or prior,

  • “The Spirit of 76 has one year with a $9 million cap hit remaining on his deal. If the Devils retain half, contenders with needs on the right side of the blue line could do much worse than acquiring Subban.”

Emily Sadler of Sportsnet:  Mattias Ekholm emerging as one of the top defensive trade targets has been established. Now, where could he end up? The Jake Muzzin deal sets the bar but again the where is far from set.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto seems to be involved in everything but they do need defense and/or goaltending insurance. Ekholm would be especially helpful but a deal would have to be done in the next week or so. A pure rental makes more sense but Ekholm gives Toronto three left-handed anchors for defense.
  • Philadelphia Flyers:  Again, when Matt Niskanen retired, it left a huge void on the defensive corps. At first, the Flyers were able to hide their deficiencies but now they cannot. Giving up 25 goals in the last five games makes a deal more likely. Ekholm’s term helps here at a reasonable rate for Philadelphia. The Flyers have enough prospects to sweeten any deal for the Nashville defenseman.
  • Montreal Canadiens:  Montreal’s roller coaster of a season continues at breakneck speed. Marc Bergevin remains unafraid to pull off another bold move or three. With the Ben Chiarot injury, a spot has opened up. Unfortunately, cap space is an issue as it is for most teams. Montreal possesses a wealth of draft picks — 14 in 2021, and seven in 2022. Does Montreal add Artturi Lehkonen as well?
  • Boston Bruins:  Ekholm is one of those defensemen who can boost scoring a little bit while playing mostly excellent defense in a tougher top-four role. The problem for the Bruins is that teams know Boston has one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. A player may have to go the other way. Jake DeBrusk is the name bandied about as a possible return for Nashville.
  • Winnipeg Jets:  Winnipeg has the pieces to make a Jake Muzzin like deal according to Murat Ates via Adam Vingan of The Athletic. The problem is that other teams could offer a better package for Ekholm. Cap issues are there as well. However, adjustments can be made for the Nashville defenseman.

J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington (mailbag):  A flat salary cap remains for the next few seasons. The Washington Capitals need a center. It was something Washington did not address during the draft or free agency last year. They have a nice core of four centers with the big club but little or nothing else after that. A dollar-in, dollar-out deal to deliver a depth center seems unlikely.

Evgeni Kuznetsov trade possibilities rise a little but not until after the season. During the season makes little sense for the Washington Capitals. As for the expansion draft, stay tuned as Washington will try to steer certain deals to Seattle. A Vegas-like sequel will not happen again.

Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic: The New York Rangers would definitely be interested in Jack Eichel if he becomes available. That would be more of an offseason move, if at all. They will likely be sellers, but do have some assets/draft picks they could move for the right player.

Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, feels the Toronto Maple Leafs are talking trade for a defenseman to fill out their d-core and provide them some more insurance as they head into the playoffs. Candidates include: Nik Hjalmarsson (ARI), Marc Staal (DET), Jari Hakanpaa (ANA), and David Savard (CBJ).

Dennis Bernstein (The Fourth Period) says that that LA Kings are getting interest on veterans Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick.

  • “One team is an obvious landing spot for Brown – the New York Islanders, who were on the wrong end of a body blow when captain Anders Lee’s season ended with an ACL injury. Brown isn’t Lee, but what he is, is the most affordable and likely gettable player on the market. He’s not the only option for the Islanders (Kyle Palmieri, Mikael Granlund, Taylor Hall), but is having the best season of any options. “
  • The other player who has drawn attention is at the other end of the spectrum, goaltender Jonathan Quick. Though the Los Angeles net has not been handed over to Cal Petersen by Todd McLellan, the younger netminder is clearly the better goaltender. Some say that Quick is done and isn’t close to the Conn Smythe winner he once was and they’re right. “

Jimmy Murphy (Boston Hockey Now) recently reported multiple sources claiming the Bruins are scouting Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard. GM Don Sweeney is also continuing to monitor the situation with Ekholm and St. Louis Blues rearguard Vince Dunn. The Predators and Blues recently scouted the Bruins.

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(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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(3/18/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: Tyson Barrie to Be Extended By Oilers for Three Years?

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Alexander Ovechkin (WAS), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM), Devan Dubnyk (SJ), Clayton Keller (ARI), 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

  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet) says that the New Jersey Devils and forward Kyle Palmieri have begun conversations regarding his future. The Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs could be in on him.
    • The Detroit Red Wings have received some interest around the league in goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
    • The Philadelphia Flyers poked around Arizona Coyotes defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson last summer.
    • The Anaheim Ducks have been asked about forward Max Jones but have told teams that they aren’t moving him.
    • Friedman says he thinks it wouldn’t hurt for the Buffalo Sabres to sign forward Brian Boyle.
    • The Chicago Blackhawks are willing to consider taking on money if the assets are good enough.
  • Mark Spector (Sportsnet) and Bob Stauffer (630CHED) recently discussed the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers extending defenseman Tyson Barrie for three years in the neighborhood of $5M-$5.5M per year.
  • The Fourth Period as the Detroit Red Wings are getting calls on winger Anthony Mantha. The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers maybe be more willing to pay the price.
    • The Columbus Blue Jackets are listening on goalie Elvis Merzlikins. The Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks had interest in him this past off-season.
    • The Toronto Maple Leafs say they’d be willing to move a top prospect before this year’s trade deadline.
  • Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic) believes San Jose Sharks netminder Devan Dubnyk will be available for trade and the Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals are teams that come to mind.
  • Eric Engels (Sportsnet) is saying that the Montreal Canadiens are a team that have shown interest in Detroit Red Wings center Luke Glendening.
  • Josh Yohe (The Athletic) is claiming that the Pittsburgh Penguins bought out defenseman Jack Johnson in order to clear cap space so they could bring goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury back.
  • Tarik El-Bashir (The Athletic) believes that Alexander Ovechkin will sign an extension in a few months and is speculating that it’ll be a four-year deal worth $11M AAV.
  • Jimmy Murphy (Florida Hockey Now) reckons that Clayton Keller’s name is out there “more than you’d expect”. The Arizona Coyotes could hold a fire sale at the deadline.
  • Ryan Rishaug (TSN) says the Edmonton Oilers will resume contract talks with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Speculation is that it could be a long-term deal worth $6M-$6.5M AAV.
  • Chris Johnston (Sportsnet) is of the belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs are assessing everything the focus is on improving the forwards.

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(3/17/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: Rakell to Toronto? Rangers to Trade Buchnevich?

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Victor Mete (MTL), Pavel Buchnevich (NYR), Devan Dubnyk (SJ), Anthony Mantha (DET), 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

Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic) posted trade proposals for six contending teams not too long ago. Here’s some of the juicier tidbits from that article,

  • Mattias Ekholm to the Boston Bruins – “What’s a first-round pick and a prospect when you’re trying to max out Patrice Bergeron’s remaining time in the NHL and win another Stanley Cup? Could Jake DeBrusk be part of this deal? Ekholm remains a stud, top-four D. If you’re Sweeney, you owe it to your team to try to swing this.”
  • Eric Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes – “I know the Carolina brass recently discussed the merits of picking up the phone closer to the April 12 deadline if Staal was still on the Buffalo roster and seeing what it would take in a softer deal to get the pending UFA.”
  • Rickard Rakell to the Toronto Maple Leafs – “For me, that starts with the Leafs offering 2020 first-round pick Rodion Amirov and still, that probably wouldn’t be enough. Toronto would need another asset in the package.”
  • Alex Goligoski to the Philadelphia Flyers – “Not top of the list, but it’s one of those situations where if the Flyers strike out on other top-four targets, they could come calling to Arizona eventually.”
  • David Rittich to the Washington Capitals – “I think if there’s still any doubt at all closer to April 12 they go out and bring in some insurance in goal.”
  • Mattias Ekholm to the Winnipeg Jets – “I’ve heard some rumblings the Predators have chatted internally about 24-year-old Jets blueliner Sami Niku, who has struggled to become a mainstay in the Winnipeg lineup but remains a player with more ceiling. Would a first-round pick and Niku do the trick for Ekholm?”

Rob Ellis (nhltraderumor.com) reckons the Montreal Canadiens could include puck-moving defenseman Victor Mete in a trade for Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

  • “The Habs could look at moving Victor Mete as part of a deal for Ekholm. Earlier in the season, it was reported that Mete’s agent Darren Ferris had talked to GM Marc Bergevin and told him, Mete would like to be moved to have an opportunity to play somewhere else.”

Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Wonders if the Rangers will move Russian winger Pavel Buchnevich before the trade deadline as he’s a pending RFA with arb rights. He’s also their leading scorer this season though… Brooks noted, if New York does choose to move on from Buchnevich that they could look at bringing in current Toronto Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season.

Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times has suggested that the Chicago Blackhawks may be open to adding “bad contracts” at this year’s NHL trade deadline given they $23M in cap space they’ll have at that time and the flat cap going forward.

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the San Jose Sharks are expected to field trade calls on veteran goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Team’s expected to make offers include the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.

David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period) is reporting that the Detroit Red Wings are getting calls on hulking winger Anthony Mantha.

  • “According to multiple sources, the Red Wings are entertaining calls on winger Anthony Mantha, who is in the first year of a four-year, $22.8 million contract.”
  • “It’s unclear what type of return Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman would want for Mantha, or the type of trade he’d consider pulling the trigger on. Realistically, moving a player of his caliber is more likely to occur in the summer versus the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, but the right offer could compel Yzerman into making a move.”

Renaud Lavoie (TVA SPORTS): suggests Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Gudbranson could be a good trade target for the Canadiens. He wouldn’t have to be quarantined for 14 days and would bring a measure of toughness and shot-blocking to their roster, “and he speaks French very, very well.”

Arthur Staple (The Athletic): Listed Buffalo’s Taylor Hall, New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri and Columbus’ Nick Foligno among the pending UFA forwards of his suggested trade targets for the New York Islanders to replace sidelined captain Anders Lee. The Isles recently place Lee on long-term injury reserve, allowing them to exceed the salary cap by the equivalent of his $7 million annual average value.

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Flames Suck. Click the pic and get a shirt.
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!