BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Owen Power, Jeff Blashill, Carter Savoie, Mat Barzal, and more!
Woodguy on the 2020-21 Edmonton Oilers.
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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.
Read what TSN’s Craig Button had to say about Carter Savoie, Dylan Holloway, and the 20201 World Juniors right here!
NHL Rumors and Speculation
- Bob McKenzie (TSN): The Bobfather’s latest top-20 draft rankings are out for the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s got hulking 6’6″ defenseman Owen Power sitting at #1, high-flying Swedish blueliner Simon Edvinsson at #2, the Edmonton Oil Kings future 40-goal NHLer Dylan Guenther at #3, and Jack-of-all-trades Matthew Beniers at #4, and lastly, uber-offensive defender Brandt Clarke at #5.
- Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports): “Talks are ongoing between the NHL and the NHLPA. We can’t expect any announcement before Friday at the earliest, I’m told.”
- Frank Seravalli (TSN): On the proposed “Taxi Squads” idea,
- “We know that’s not changing at $81.5 million but if your roster size is a maximum of 25, then how do you transition players to that taxi squad? We’re told that at this point it would seem to be like a normal AHL transaction in the sense that no, the player is not leaving town but his salary cap hit would come off the books unless it’s one of those larger salaries that you’re trying to bury. Everything except for $1.075 million would count against your cap.”
- Allan Mitchell (The Athletic): Is really happy with the work Oilers GM Ken Holland has done this off-season, so happy he compared it to a very famous one that took place nearly 15 years ago,
- “The last general manager who had a better offseason in Edmonton was Kevin Lowe in 2005, and he acquired Chris Pronger and Mike Peca in a dream summer.”
- Jim Parsons (NHL Trade Talk): Says if Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill can coach his team to some improvement in the standings, that should be enough to keep him from getting fired.
- Adam Gretz (NBC): In the past, promising Philadelphia Flyers teams have been sunk by sub-par goaltending, but now the team has a real bonafide no.1 in Carter Hart. Will things go differently in 2020-21?
- Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Is of the belief that RFA Mat Barzal is probably going to have to sign a short-term deal.
- “I just don’t know how they’re going to be able to get to a Barzal six- or seven-year number without major surgery. Even a two- or three-year deal could be somewhat painful surgery.”
- Kristen Shilton (TSN): Wonders if copying how the Tampa Bay Lightning play (using seven d-man and 11 forwards) will provide dividends for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
- “Ironic as it might be, a division rival’s blueprint may be the key to clearing it.”
- Corey Pronman (The Athletic): Replying to a question in a recent mail bag about Edmonton Oilers prospect Carter Savoie’s hot start to his NCAA career,
- “It’s been a very impressive start no question. He put up massive numbers in junior, so scouts knew about skill and the shot. He slid because of his size, skating and being a little soft. As he advances a level and continues playing great he alleviates those concerns to an extent, but they do remain and some NHL scouts I talk to still aren’t convinced it’s going to translate. If he keeps this up though you have to bump his stock up.”
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