Would You Make This Trade?

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Oil on Whyte (Lynch)

Could a trade with the Rangers solve one big problem?

One possible goalie that could help the team would come from the New York Rangers. With Igor Shesterkin locked up for the next four seasons at over 5.5 million, New York might want to move their other young goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
Last season he put up a .905 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.71. The 25-year-old has played in 96 games over the course of his career including 19 last season.
Edmonton could try and get Georgiev from the Rangers in return for Koskinen and a second-round pick in 2023.
Edmonton gets a younger goalie that they can hopefully make the starter in the next few seasons, and New York gets a couple of draft picks as well as a netminder to serve as the backup for the season.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I’ve said before, there are some who are quite close to the organization that wonder if Georgiev is even an upgrade on Koskinen at this point. The other thing we have to consider is what the Russian netminder will be asking for on his next contract because there’s always a flight risk with these guys and I don’t know if the Oilers would be willing to bet long term on him yet.

As for Koskinen being a backup option for New York, I think that there might be an appetite to bring Henrik Lundqvist back if he’s medically fit and give him a proper send off. Also, they’ve got Keith Kinkaid and Adam Huska down in the minors that they could bring up… No real need for a $4.5M Koskinen.

The fact of the matter is, Ken Holland might’ve missed his window to grab a top-15 goalie and now he’s got a pile of salary cap tied down… If he wants to go the UFA route, next summer may present the best option with the likes of Fleury, Kuemper, Merzlikins, Korpisalo, Campbell, Martin Jones, and Holtby set to hit the market.

But if he waits or misses out on his targets, the following summer’s UFA crop is very thin in net unless he’s willing to sign an older netminder like Jonathan Quick, Semyon Varlamov, Frederik Andersen, or Jake Allen.

Now, Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic will be UFAs that year, but if they make it to the first day of free agency without a deal, there’s going to be plenty of competition and they’ll be demanding a shit ton of money…

Tick tock, baby!

The Cult of Hockey

At long last, Edmonton Oilers appear serious about developing a goaltender in-house

2021 Edmonton Oilers prospects: #16 Olivier Rodrigue

Rodrigue turned pro this past season, not exactly ideal timing. He took the opportunity to get his feet wet in the Austrian League, playing a substantial 23 games with Graz EC and posting a credible .908 save percentage, ranking him in the middle of the pack in the ICEHL. But this as a raw rookie, just 20 years old, playing in a strange environment on the wide ice for the first time. I give him a passing grade for both initiative and performance.
In a normal world, Rodrigue could look forward to another season backing up Skinner at the AHL level. But this is 2021, and what’s “normal”?
Instead, the youngster finds himself further down a depth chart that has added Ilya Konovalov, a third-round pick from 2019 who is two years older than Rodrigue even as he was drafted a year later.
What they do have, is a place to put Rodrigue. That surely is with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, the squad which in ordinary circumstances he would have played for last season.
Expectations for 2021-22: The #1 role with Wichita Thunder and plenty of playing time. With his second-round pedigree and a couple of different pro experiences already under his belt, it’s reasonable to expect Rodrigue to be one of the better stoppers in the ECHL.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m feeling obliged to agree with Bruce here and there’s no shame in Rodrigue heading to Wichita to play out the year in the ECHL. He could regain some confidence down there, but with that in mind, a goalie can get lost in the shuffle sometimes and if he’s not worked himself out of the ECHL after one season, he risks becoming another Dylan Wells or Tyler Bunz.

The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Rumors: Top Remaining Free Agents

James Neal (F):To date there’s been little interest from teams in adding him. He is a prime candidate for a PTO.
Sami Vatanen (D): He’s only 30 years-old so he should at least get a PTO. The Oilers are rumored to possibly give him one.
Ryan Donato (F): Donato scored 20 points in 50 games last season and should be picked up before the season starts.
Jason Demers (D): He’s a prime candidate for an invite to a training camp on a PTO.
Nikita Kusev (F): He could be worth a cheap flyer or at least an invite to camp on a PTO.
Tyler Bozak (C): He has a one year deal from the Blues available to him, but is currently seeing what else is on the market.
Eric Staal (C): Staal could bring value to a team’s fourth line next season at a bargain price. His leadership and experience would be worth the money alone.
Travis Zajac (C): There’s a rumor that he has also agreed to return to the Island.
Zdeno Chara (D): The 44 year-old defender isn’t even sure if he will play next season or retire. “I think it’s not always a decision I can make myself,” If he does play, he’d be a great value add to shore up a team’s bottom pair.
Artem Anisimov (C): Anisimov was recently in Detroit skating with Dylan Larkin and Vlad Namestnikov. He could see an offer or a PTO from the Red Wings.

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