BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Evan Bouchard, Patrik Laine, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a couple of potential rebuilds, and more!
Watch the “Punch-up in Piestany” in its entirety right here!
Woodguy on the 2020-21 Edmonton Oilers.
Watch 16yr Old Wayne Gretzky Destroy the Czechs at the ’78 World Juniors!
Watch Connor McDavid help Team Canada end a five year WJHC gold medal drought right here!
Evan Bouchard has been recalled from his loan in Sweden, now he’s got to make the Oilers or his future could be cloudy. Read about that here.
NHL Rumors and Speculation
- Corey Masisak (The Athletic): Believes the New Jersey Devils could be a “no-doubt playoff team by 2023 and a Cup contender for much of the remainder of this decade” IF GM Tom Fitzgerald can keep the club in position to strike when potential impact players become available in the next couple of seasons.
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t agree with Masisak here in that the Devils have the potential to be a Cup contender past 2022. They’ve got some nice young pieces there in Hughes, Hischier, Holtz, and Smith. Even having MacKenzie Blackwood is great, but past their homegrown talent, I just don’t see anything more than a mid-range club. Who will be signing in Jersey anyhow? It’s not exactly a requested locale of employment from players…
- Eric Stephens (The Athletic): Feels like the Ducks should go for the rebuild despite what GM Bob Murray stands for. He says the club doesn’t have Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in their primes to carry them anymore and it’s time to embrace the rebuild (in so many words).
- “Make this year a wash and try to gain some more draft capital or prospects that can be players in 2021-22 and beyond. And say your prayers on Lottery Night. It’s bound to go Anaheim’s way one day. Right?”
BLH’s Thoughts: Murray says he still wants to compete this year and as dumb as that sounds, you have to take him for his word. For him to trade one of his older vets, it will take a trade request I figure. If Getzlaf wants another shot at the Cup, he’ll need to walk into Murray’s office and let him know. Otherwise, those old Ducks will be riding out the duration of their contracts and moving on that way.
- Ryan Dixon (Sportsnet): Says there are five trades to watch for before next season,
- Tampa, the Islanders, and Vegas all have cap crunches to deal with.
- Patrik Laine (WPG) – If a team meets Winnipeg’s asking price, maybe this trade finally happens.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI) – If OEL expands his no-trade list, new GM Bill Armstrong will surely make something work.
BLH’s Thoughts: When Boston doesn’t start well this year, some panic will set in and that’s when we could see that OEL trade re-visited.
As for Laine, it’s really a “wait-and-see” kind of scenario. With how tight cash is right now, I don’t know too many teams that will be looking to add the kind of money Laine will be looking for.
Tampa and Vegas might have to lose a trade here to get rid of some cash. Lou Lamoriello doesn’t lose trades, does he? He’s the NHL’s godfather. You make the deal he wants or maybe you’re taking a sleep with the fishes.
- Gene Principe (Sportsnet): Edmonton Oilers blue-chip prospect Evan Bouchard was recently interviewed by Prince of Puns and he had an interesting thing to say about what he was looking to focus on when he moved to Sweden to play for Sodertalje,
- “You’ve got to make sure your strengths stay your strengths, and (offence is) definitely a strength of mine,” Bouchard told Principe. “But I came over here really focusing on trying to work on the defensive end. I’m really trying to learn what I can here while trying to keep up the offence…”
BLH’s Thoughts: The kinds of things that Bouchard needs to improve on might just require him to play NHL-caliber opposition. Look, the way I see it is that he’s dominated every league he’s played in to-date. What’s stopping him from doing the same in the NHL aside from some staff with the Oilers who feel he’s not assertive enough on the ice in his own end? I’d love to know what those folks who feel that way think about how Larry Murphy or Niklas Lidstrom played hockey…
- Joe Haggerty (Boston Hockey Now): Is Boston done making moves?
- “At this point, I think a trade is more likely than a free agent signing. I just don’t get the sense they have left room to bring in Mike Hoffman even if he’s a proven 30-goal scorer that the Bruins would be able to get for great value on a one-year deal.”
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Bruins want to compete from the get-go this season, they’re going to need an upgrade on defense and a short-term acquisition on forward until Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak return. So, OEL is one name and I’ll say one of Anthony Duclair or Mike Hoffman are a couple of others. Winning has robbed them of some impact prospects and so they’re going to have to bring that sort of talent in from the outside.
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