BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Taylor Hall (BUF), Nikita Gusev (NJ), Jonathan Drouin (MTL), Mike Hoffman (STL), and more!
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This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.
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🔁 #Oilers roster move 🔁
Kyle Turris has been placed on waivers.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 9, 2021
NHL Rumors and Speculation
Bob Stauffer (630CHED): Said recently that the Edmonton Oilers might value Ryan McLeod more than Tyler Benson because of his skating and size and intimated that they could use Benson to bring in a right-shot centre like Derek Ryan if the Flames would eat some of Ryan’s Salary.
- Before the Islanders traded for Palmieri, Stauffer said that the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders were the most involved teams with the Buffalo Sabres about Taylor Hall. Both teams wouldn’t need to have salary retained.
Mike Johnson (Sportsnet): “It is not out of the question Taylor Hall would be open to going back to Edmonton, says he and Connor McDavid are still very tight, they hang out in the summers.”
Frank Seravalli (TSN): “So now we believe the other team that was in on Taylor Hall was the Boston Bruins. Do they double down and now make the deal with the Buffalo Sabres or do they consider some of their other options on the board? Like a Mike Hoffman. A guy they had an interest in the offseason or do they go further down the list to a Nick Foligno.”
BLH’s Thoughts: A person could twist themselves into a pretzel trying to guess what Ken Holland is going to do at the deadline. On one hand, there’s a part of me that could see him taking advantage of this very special opportunity and fleecing a couple of teams to get valued playing assets. We don’t know what some GMs are being directed to do by their owners in this COVID world we’re living in.
So if Holland went out and got himself a Taylor Hall, it wouldn’t shock me in the least. I know I’ve been told in the past that Hall feels like there’s “unfinished business” in Edmonton… Maybe he’s the one that dictates where he lands.
Boston doesn’t seem like a fit for him to me. I’m getting Iginla vibes from that kind of deal. Florida would be a really decent landing spot but I wouldn’t rule out other contenders like the Capitals or the Lightning, the Avs or the Maple Leafs either…
Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Nikita Gusev on unconditional waivers for purposes of termination. Has not played since March 20, as young players take over in NJ. Was on waivers 9 days ago, but hit of $4.5M made it untradeable, unfortunately. This creates possibility of signing elsewhere at a lower number.
Chris Johnston (Sportsnet): Nikita Gusev hopes to find another NHL job once his contract is terminated by the NJ Devils tomorrow. If he signs somewhere before 3 p.m. on Monday, he’s eligible to play games in this year’s playoffs.
BLH’s Thoughts: Hmmm. Could this be a guy the Oilers would take a chance on? Is he better than Dominik Kahun or Tyler Ennis? I think they’d have to relieve themselves of some money beforehand if they even wanted a shot at him.
This player was once very touted before jumping over the Atlantic to join the NHL. He had 44 points in 66 games last season, obviously there’s a player there, but he’s really having a bad year in New Jersey.
Darren Dreger (TSN): Says if he were the Canadiens he wouldn’t overpay to get David Savard, calls him an “experienced body” but not someone who moves the needle. Adds he wouldn’t be surprised if Savard ends up in Florida, Zito obviously knows him well & he just cleared up some space
TSN690: Wondered about whether it’s possible to move Jonathan Drouin, which will free up money to re-sign Phillip Danault. No one believes any one team will take on Drouin’s contract.
Brian Lawton (NHL Network): Says the Minnesota Wild would consider moving one of their blueliners due to expansion draft list-related issues.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman (The Athletic): Per Oilers, Kyle Turris on waivers. Creates more roster flexibility and the ability to call up another taxi squad member. The Oilers only have two extra skaters on the active roster because they’re carrying three goalies. We’ll see if there’s an update about RNH’s status later.
Bruce McCurdy (The Cult of Hockey): Today’s waiver of Kyle Turris opens the door a crack for Evan Bouchard. Oilers have been running 13F/7D/3G with only Yamamoto eligible to be sent to taxi squad (which is not happening). Now they can get down to 12 active forwards so can in theory activate an 8th defender.
BLH’s Thoughts: As we’ve said on this site a couple of times this past week, if the Oilers wanted to go out and trade for a good winger and target a team that has said winger and is desperate for draft picks, they could package Turris and another contract in addition to a good pick in the 2022 or 2023 draft and make a deal with the other team retaining salary on that player. Look no further than what New Jersey took for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac in order to get New York’s first-rounder.
They should find a way to get Evan Bouchard into the lineup though. I wonder if it’s possible that the Oilers were showcasing some players ahead of the deadline though and maybe after Monday we’ll see more of Bouchard as we head down the final stretch.
Jordan Hall (NBC Sports Philadelphia): Alain Vigneault targeting a defenseman is nothing new given how the Philadelphia Flyers have played defense over the last month or so. Marc Staal might plug some holes — particularly on the penalty kill (30th at 72.8%).
Dan Kingerski (Pittsburgh Hockey NOW): Pittsburgh should be more aggressive but their limited resources prohibit anything much more than just a rental.
Dennis Bernstein (TFP): The Boston Bruins had a pro scout at the Los Angeles Kings – Arizona Coyotes game last night. On Saturday the Bruins Executive Director of Player Personnel John Ferguson was at the Kings game.
Eric Engels (Sportsnet): “While the ability to exceed the cap by Gallagher’s salary will only ramp up speculation Bergevin will add to his defense, we shouldn’t discount the possibility he’ll make some changes up front. Many options on the table for Canadiens to improve between now and Monday’s deadline.”
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