This weekend holds some significance on a couple of fronts for the Edmonton Oilers. Firstly, if there are any teams who’d like to get Jesse Puljujarvi into their lineup, they’ve got until Sunday at 3pm mountain time to trade for him and have his name on a contract. Secondly, if the Oilers can go undefeated in this pair of games against their divisional rival, that would go a really long way in their bid to win the Pacific Division this season.
Getting back to the Puljujarvi news though. Yesterday, I threw out a tweet that got a modicum of attention.
It's my belief that the #Oilers have two, possibly three, trades that they're working on at the moment that would significantly upgrade the roster.
Unless something catastrophic happens, I don't see them being completed until after the new year though. pic.twitter.com/WL4MYUJEGt
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) November 30, 2019
A lot of people asked me for names and I didn’t want to disclose anything because all I have at the moment is what is in that Tweet. That said, if you’ve been paying attention and keeping your ear to the ground, you might agree with what I’m about to say.
Yesterday on Oilers Now, host Bob Stauffer was commenting on some texts from listeners and what peaked my ears is he said something to the effect that they might have to make room for another “Hallsy”. Now, I can’t be sure if he was talking about the Oilers bringing in Taylor Hall or simply talking about someone at the radio station. But what I do know is that Stauffer does hear things and he does drop very subtle hints from time to time on his show.
Another name that came up was Andreas Athanasiou from Detroit. Stauffer didn’t talk much on him but he did make specific mention that both Hall and Athanasiou are repped by Darren Ferris. This agent also represents Edmonton’s first-rounder from last year, Philip Broberg.
The final name that I think Edmonton will go out and try to bring in for the playoffs is Brendan Lemieux from the Rangers. Watching the big boys from St. Louis and Boston go at it for the championship last year tells us there’s still a place in the game for physical hockey players and how many of those do the Oilers have up front who could make an impact on the game like Lemieux possibly could? Plus the Puljujarvi for Lemieux rumor is one of the longest-lasting to date.
I think there’s a real appetite from New York to pair up Puljujarvi and Kaapo Kakko. In addition to that, a dream scenario, the potential for the Rangers to draft fellow countryman Anton Lundell in the draft this year is high. Also, with New York bringing in Tuomo Ruutu to help Kakko acclimatize to North America, I would imagine Puljujarvi would love to play there.
How could the Oilers bring in Hall, Athanasiou, and Lemieux? Good question. Dan Rosen of NHL.com recently said that he thought all it would take to acquire Hall was a good young defenseman and a high draft pick or prospect. I would say that the Oilers could afford that no problem, but there’s an issue with the salary potentially. They might be able to work around that by having NJ eat half of Hall’s contract and then Edmonton throwing in Sam Gagner or Brandon Manning, right? Does Edmonton go, Dmitri Samorukov, Kailer Yamamoto, and Sam Gagner for Hall?
The price for Detroit’s speedy 50pt winger might be up there though. I’m thinking a Tyler Benson-like prospect plus. The local lad is lighting up the AHL again this year but I believe there are still concerns about his skating and speed. Once again, things would have to get creative to appease the salary cap gods. Maybe Edmonton sends Cooper Marody to Detroit. He has a bit of history in Michigan and if I’m not mistaken, trains there in the summer.
Some might think that there’s no point in acquiring Puljujarvi as he might not play in the NHL this year, but I disagree. I do think there might be teams who’d rather get a jump on things rather than wait for a bidding war at the draft and for the price to go up. GMs might want to open up cap space or a roster spot to facilitate other moves as well.
In the short term, adding those three players to Edmonton’s forward ranks would instantly make them a Stanley Cup contender, but what about the long-term? Can the Oilers fit these three free agents to be under their cap going forward? If I had to guess, I reckon that’s about $15M-ish in talent coming in. It does concern me a little moving out that much future talent, but Bakersfield would still have Ryan McLeod, Kirill Maksimov, Raphael Lavoie, in addition to Philip Broberg, and many more, right?
This season, I’ve maintained that I don’t think that they should sell the farm to bring in the likes of Taylor Hall unless he can be signed to a team-friendly mid-to-long term contract. On the other hand, I don’t think that Benson, Yamamoto, or Samorukov will end up with better careers than Hall and Athanasiou. Puljujarvi might though but isn’t that the price you pay?
The Next Ten Games Part Three
The first ten games of the 2019/20 season went quite well for the Oilers, more so at the start than the end, mind you. The second ten games were equal to the first ten and it saw the team get a bit better from an analytical point-of-view. Now, the third installment might be the most important as we’ll pass American Thanksgiving (11/28) in this block. I think it was Elliotte Friedman that said 78% of teams who are in a playoff spot by this holiday tend to stay in that spot. I say the Oilers finish this segment of ten games with twelve points out of a possible twenty.
11/14 Colorado (11-5-2) (h): I like the Oilers’ chances against a third-string backup. Won’t be easy though. (WIN) WIN
11/16 Dallas (9-8-2) (h): The Stars are 8-1-1 in their last ten here and I don’t see Edmonton slowing them down. (LOSS) LOSS
11/19 San Jose (8-10-1) (a): Embarrassed from the spankings the Sharks have been giving them since last season, I think the Oilers bounce back here. (WIN) WIN
11/21 Los Angeles (6-11-1) (a): The Kings don’t scare me. Easy points for the Oilers. (WIN) LOSS
11/23 Vegas (9-8-3) (a): The Golden Knights are a dangerous squad and this game could go either way. I’ll take Vegas here as their home advantage is massive. (LOSS) WIN
11/24 Arizona (11-6-2) (a): Having already lost twice to the Coyotes, Edmonton will find a way to secure the two points here. (WIN) WIN
11/27 Colorado (11-5-2) (a): I reckon by this time, the Avs will be healthier and that much more dangerous. (LOSS) LOSS
11/30 Vancouver (10-6-3) (h): The first game of a B2B with the Canucks on a Saturday night and on the eve of Jesse Puljujarvi’s signing deadline. I’ll take the distraction-free Canucks. (LOSS)
12/1 Vancouver (10-6-3) (a): Revenge is a dish best served ice cold… (WIN)
12/4 Ottawa (7-10-1) (h): Much like the Kings, the Senators don’t have a lot going for them. (WIN)
Records as of Nov.14th, 2019.
Three Players to Watch for the Canucks
- #40 Elias Pettersson – Absolutely lethal. That’s all that can be really said about this guy, isn’t it? His wrister might be the best I’ve ever seen and his one-timer on the PP… Good Lord! Do not leave this guy with time and space or he’ll make you pay.
- #43 Quinn Hughes – Who would’ve thought that between Jack Hughes and his brother, that Quinn would be the one leading this brotherly competition in points? His hockey IQ, hands, edgework, and skating are elite. Vancouver’s never had a defender like this.
- #10 JT Miller – A lot of people groaned when they saw what the Canucks paid to bring in Miller, but he’s been more than advertised. Six points in his last five games. He plays a meat and potatoes style of game that can drive opponents nuts. Question though, is he just benefiting from playing on Pettersson’s wing or is he really this good?
Three Player to Watch for the Oilers
- #97 Connor McDavid – 21 points in his last ten games… I expect him to light up the Canucks without too much difficulty. He’s been playing more physical of late. I wonder if that continues as well.
- #89 Sam Gagner – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is going to be out for a bit longer than expected, so unless Coach Tippett plans on separating McDraisaitl, Samwise will be lining up at 2C. He’ll have his work cut out for him if he’s going to be marking one of Pettersson or Bo Horvat…
- #60 Markus Granlund – Three goals in his last five. How will he perform against his old team this weekend?
I’ve got no lines for you for this post since it’s meant for two games. I would think that Edmonton splits the goaltending duties as would Vancouver.
Let’s go Oilers!
