BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Derick Brassard, Vlad Tarasenko, Connor Hellebuyck, Dillon Dube, Philliip Broberg, and more!
BLH has five pre-training camp questions regarding the Edmonton Oilers’ upcoming season. Read all about them here.
The Fourth Period is reporting that the Oilers are in on FIVE players! Read about it here!
Could Ryan Nugent-Hopkins be leaving Edmonton and might his replacement be Dylan Holloway? Read about that here!
Read about BLH’s FIVE underrated players to watch at this year’s World Juniors here!
Are the Oilers going to make a trade sooner or later? Read about that conundrum here!
NHL Rumors and Speculation
- Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic): Says that 15-16 teams were in on UFA Mike Hoffman over the past three months but only Columbus, Montreal, Nashville, the Islanders, and St. Louis were serious.
BLH’s Thoughts: I imagine the Oilers were one of those 15/16 teams that checked in on Hoffman but were turned off by the initial asking price.
Fun water cooler debate for Oilers fans, would you rather have Hoffman or Tyson Barrie?
- Tim Campbell (NHL.com): Says that 19yr old Swedish defenceman Philip Broberg could make the Oilers this year.
- At defenseman, Philip Broberg, who was selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, impressed during training camp in July. The 19-year-old could earn a spot in the top six if he can outplay Caleb Jones or Kris Russell.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Nope. As much as I’d like it to happen, Philly B should probably head back to Sweden until his season with Skelleftea is over, then come to Edmonton. Besides, you’d have to add Slater Koekkoek’s name to the list of players that Broberg would need to outplay.
- Adam Gretz (NBC): Says that Winnipeg’s playoff hopes hinge on their no.1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck,
- “They are going to need him to play a lot of games (again) after taking on the league’s heaviest workload for three years. Does that eventually catch up to him? Or what if his production just simply regresses? Even with his Vezina Trophy season the Jets were still facing the possibility of missing the playoffs in a normal season. If his level of play regresses, winning becomes a lot more difficult in Winnipeg.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Since their defence isn’t holding up, then I’d say Gretz has a really good point. But you could say that about every team. The goalie is the most important player on the ice at any given moment.
- Eric Francis (Sportsnet): Believes that Dillon Dube could joing Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the Calgary Flames’ top line.
- “Dube can line up on either wing and can play many different roles, as he proved on the third line last summer when he crashed, banged and scored on the team’s third unit alongside Milan Lucic and Bennett.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Dube is a competitive little guy, he’d definitely add a little “Tasmanian Devil” to that line. I like Lindholm a bit better there, but that’s just me.
- Bardown: Tells us that Vladimir Tarasenko is a little pissed he wasn’t given the St. Louis Blues captaincy.
- “Of course, when you play for eight years at a club and have been an assistant for a long time, you count on it. [Jaden] Schwartz and I have been playing for the longest at St. Louis of the guys on the team now,”
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t think spending as much time in the infirmary as Tarasenko has helped his cause… I think this is the end of him in St. Louis. Age is catching up and he’s got a fairly substantial contract in addition to the Blues’ window closing fast.
- Craig Morgan (AZ Coyotes Insider): The Arizona Coyotes are working on bringing free-agent centerman Derick Brassard to the desert,
- “This deal is not done yet, but it is in the works to bring Derick Brassard to the Coyotes.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Arizona has done a tidy bit of business moving out Derek Stepan and possibly replacing him with Brassard. I like this move. Now we just wait to see if Phil Kessell can reignite some old chemistry with Brassard.
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