What should the Edmonton Oilers do with their star veteran, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? There’s a story to be written here that has never really been put to paper. That is of the career-long Edmonton Oiler. It seems like the players who start their careers with the Oilers and create an unbreakable emotional bond with the fanbase always move or get moved. Be that Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Ryan Smyth, Alex Hemsky, or possibly Nuge.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a 15-year Edmonton Oiler. I mean a player who played 15 consecutive seasons with the club. I know other players left and came back like Lowe, Smyth, McSorley, and others, but none who spent the whole time as an Oiler and frankly, I think it’s about time we had one or five…
Now, Mark Spector seems to think that Nuge will be asking for a contract similar to Leon Draisaitl and that’s in or around $8.5M per year but reckons it’ll be closer to $7M. Bob Stauffer threw out Brayden Schenn’s $6.5M per year deal as a comp, and then there was some talk about a Kevin Hayes-like deal (7yrs @ $7.1M per year). Either way, I’m absolutely fine with RNH getting a raise after what he’s sacrificed for the club, he deserves every penny he gets, But with that said, Ken Holland is trying to build a perennial contender here and does an $8.5M left-winger contribute to the success of that goal or the opposite?
I think the fact of the matter, without getting into the statistics, is that Edmonton doesn’t have a top-6 left-winger now and it doesn’t have one coming. An argument could be made that it only has TWO top-6 wingers in its whole organization (RNH and Yamamoto) and everybody else that makes an appearance playing alongside Leon and Connor are simply stand-ins until a better option can be acquired.
Personally, Holland needs to do this community a solid and get RNH under contract long-term and sort out the rest as it comes. He had great success in Detroit accruing veteran talent and keeping it and that is one of many factors that lead the Red Wings to multiple NHL Championships. There is great potential for him to simply copy and paste that plan here in Edmonton.
The one thing that has me thinking though is if a team comes in with a really good package of a top-6 forward (who’s an upcoming RFA), a top prospect, and a high draft pick and offers that for Nuge… It might be worth considering if you’re Ken Holland, no?
BLH Hockey Interview Series Vol.5: Andy Sutton
We’ve got another short-form interview for you! This time with the head of one of the fastest risers in the world of hockey equipment! Andy Sutton played thirteen seasons in the NHL for San Jose, Minnesota, Atlanta, Long Island, Ottawa, Anaheim, and Edmonton before retiring to start up Verbero.
I’ll be honest, Sutton scared me back then just watching him on the TV and he still scares me now. He laid some guys right the F out back in his day be that by making them part of the advertising on the boards or using those cinder blocks he calls fists in a fight. Luckily for me, like most big tough hockey players, he’s the nicest fella.
Let’s begin!
Who was your favorite player growing up?
Wayne. Hands down
Which hockey team was your favorite?
Sadly, the Leafs.. a lot of broken hearts and remember being at a game against Calgary in the early ’80s. The Leafs lost 13-1 bad fans were throwing their jerseys and game pucks onto the ice.
Can you share a special memory from your hockey playing career?
Getting to go to Ottawa at the trade deadline. The team was awesome to play for and My family was able to come to most of the games.
Who was the best player you played with?
Wow. So many.. Nolan, Gaborik, Hossa, Heatley, Kovalchuck, Tavares, Alfredsson, Karlson, Getzlaf, RNH, Khabibulin to name a few…
Who was the hardest player you played against?
Peter Forsberg or Sidney Crosby
Who was the most memorable opponent in a fight?
Maybe Odjick, first fight in the Xcel energy center in Minny
Can you share some thoughts about your time in Edmonton?
I absolutely loved playing there. So many incredible young players, awesome fans and a top-notch franchise/staff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_LEgMmjJjE
Who’s in your all-time starting line-up? (3F, 2D, 1G)
Lemieux, Gretzky, Ovechkin
Khabibulin
What’s the best piece of advice given to you in your career?
Play without fear in your heart
How would you advise players to stay healthy in today’s game?
Train smart, stay aware and learn to protect yourself to gain space
How could the NHL make the game more exciting but maintain or improve player safety?
More 4 on 4 or 3 on 3
How has hockey equipment changed from the time you played to when you retired to right now?
There hasn’t been enough change. Verbero will be addressing that in a big way.
Where do you see the future of hockey equipment going? (We’re seeing stick blades with holes in them now and shafts that are offset)
Removal of more weight, ventilation and moisture management
With Verbero, what are a few of the challenges that come with working in the same space as manufacturing giants like CCM and Bauer? Conversely, what are some of the advantages you have over them?
Unique top tier products, Better pricing, better product development
If I’m heading into the local hockey shop and I see a Verbero stick, a Sherwood, a CCM, and a Bauer one, what would it be about the Verbero one that would have me select it over the other three?
We have the only 350-gram stick on the market and always priced under $200. It’s a no brainer!
From Verbero.com:
“The lightest and most balanced stick ever built with a 45-day warranty. The pure carbon Mercury stick brings the perfect balance between performance and durability. With its high strength and tensile capacity, Mercury has a consistent shaft wall for good balance, light weight, and impact resistance. Mercury’s 18K carbon fiber construction uses compressed carbon fiber on the blade to increase shot accuracy, along with a top of the line foam core for excellent feel and increased durability. Mercury is available in grip shafts and comes in hockey’s most popular curves to suit any player’s individual style.
SPECS:
Weight: 350+/- grams
Flex Offerings: Senior 75, 85, 95
Flex Profile: Mid/Low Kick Point
Curve Offerings: V88 – Lie 5, V90 – Lie 5, V28 – Lie 5.5,
V92 – Lie 6, V91 – Lie 5.5
Shaft: Length: 60 inches
Blade: See our NEW blade pattern chart.
Built with 4 compressed carbon fiber ribs, along with 5 foam sections to increase shot accuracy. Additionally, it features a PMI aircraft-grade foam core to provide durability and excellent feel when shooting.”
A MASSIVE thanks to a MASSIVE man! I’m completely humbled by the fact that Andy Sutton would be so gracious with his time in order to answer some questions for us. Verbero is a real up and comer on the hockey equipment market and you should keep an eye out for them because they’re going to bring some products to the ice that will be game-changers for a lot of players.
Puck Racism
The sales are starting to trickle in with this design and I’m going to spam the hell out of it on my website and the BLH Hockey Instagram because I feel passionate about it and I feel like Hockey is Diversity deserves the proceeds that I’ll be donating to them.
So, please. If you’ve got an extra $20 lying around and you want to do a good thing for good people, click the pic down below and grab a t-shirt, a mask, a onesie, a tank top, or some stickers.
Hockey is Diversity is a German group whose aim is to draw attention to the ethnic diversity in society, which goes beyond the sporting borders in order to sensitize people interculturally. The diversity that has long been regarded as an enrichment in sport as a melting pot of people of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions should also be transferred to society.
