Happy New Head Coach day Oilers fans! This morning the newest bench boss was introduced and that man’s name is Dave Tippett. Now, I’ll be honest, my knowledge of this gentleman comes from his teams consistently giving my Oilers a hard time whilst running the early-2000 clubs from Dallas and then again when he was coaching the Coyotes of Phoenix. Also, I do believe his glorious mustache might’ve made an appearance in a few early Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em VHS tapes from back in the day. Remember those? VHS tapes… Man did I spend a lot of time at the old Video Spot in Camrose as a youth…
Anyways I digress. The presser was encouraging. I think Tippett said all the right things and touched all the bases necessary in order to appease all the different factions of this fanbase. Now, the work begins for both Tippett and Holland because if this team is going to improve drastically in its first year under this new coach, upgrades will need to be made at near every corner of the roster.
The #AskBLH Mailbag
Yesterday I asked for some questions on the Twitter machine and you fine folks delivered, I will now address said queries.
@timboggsDOTcom asks: Who will be the next big Oilers flop?
Well, I guess it depends on your definition of flop. I mean, could Ostap Safin be considered a flop? He hasn’t really done a lot since being picked by the Oilers. I don’t consider Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto flops because neither has been brought along correctly and both have had to deal with considerable injuries since joining the pro ranks. If I had to pinpoint it for you, I think I’d say one of the defensemen who is being projected to graduate from Bakersfield will probably fail to make it. Be that Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, William Lagesson, or Dmitri Samorukov.
@mattitude99 asks: Will Holland add two top wingers?
No, I don’t think he’ll add two. He might upgrade one. I reckon the team is behind the 8-ball a bit again and other teams know that. Another thing is, they might just have a top-winger in Edmonton in Jesse Puljujarvi. From all accounts there, the rehab is going VERY well and he’s working hard on improving his English (which isn’t that bad as it is), but I think IF the Oilers keep him and re-sign him, he could impact this roster in a positive manner in 2019/20.
@toyboy48 asks: Two part question, 1) Do you think Milan Lucic will be moved this off-season? 2) What team do you think will pick him up and for what?
That’s a tough question but I do feel like the trade chatter is stronger than ever. That said, Holland is a man who likes his vets and if there isn’t a trade there that he feels will make his team better somehow, I think he holds onto him. Could Lucic turn into some version of Shane Doan for the new coach?
So to answer your questions, 1) Maybe and 2) If he was getting traded, I would think it would be to a team in a warmer climate.
@IainAJohnson asks: What players, if any, will move into the Oilers lineup next year from Bakersfield?
Edmonton needs some cheap contracts at the bottom of their roster, so I could see someone like Joseph Gambardella graduating amongst the forwards. My personal preference is Patrick Russell mind you, but I’m not the GM. Holland mentioned perhaps 1-2 dmen joining from the farm and to me that screams Caleb Jones and William Lagesson. I don’t think a goalie will make the jump nor do I think Cooper Marody (skating) or Tyler Benson (too green yet) will make the leap full-time at forward in 2019/20.
@JezzeG asks: I’d like you to guess as to what the defense will look like in 3 years. Do you see a trade being made for a higher-end RHD?
I don’t think we’ll see that trade unless the team is making the playoffs. Fans might be thinking that Adam Larsson has played his last game as an Edmonton Oiler and that he could be moved in order to facilitate a trade to bring in a Tyson Barrie, but I don’t see it. The best way is to draft and develop at this point.
As for the 2021/22 defense? It’s hard to say because who knows about free agents and future trades, so if we’re just going by internal graduation, I’d say this.
Klefbom/Bouchard
Nurse/Jones
Lagesson/Bear
@mattitude99 asks: Can Holland trade Russell and Benning to free up the cap?
Yes. I firmly believe that these two players will be playing elsewhere next season. Now, will they be moved to free up the cap? Not sure there, but if one or two dmen are coming up from their AHL club, roster spots will need to be cleared.
@StillAStyxFan asks: Sounds like a completely new coaching staff accept one.. Do you honestly think they are going to keep Dustin Schwartz as Goalie coach? You’d think Holland would have realized that it’s a weakness? Since every goalie under him has regressed?
Hmmm. Good question. Holland is a very smart man that has seen it all at this point. I reckon he’d have poked around a bit on the goaltending front, be that the goalies themselves and the coaches. My feeling is that when everyone thought Sean Burke was being interviewed for the GM’s chair, he was actually being interviewed for the assistant GM’s job and that IF he does come on board, part of his responsibilities might be shoring up the goaltending.
@ComeFromAwayNL asks: If Lucic’s $6 could be dumped by trading away prospect and/or picks, what would you do with the new cap space? UFAs? Cap tight team to trade with?
Good question! I’d probably use that new cap space to try and make a deal with Toronto to bring in Nazem Kadri. I don’t know what the future holds for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but I can be certain he’s not re-signing in Edmonton for $6M a year again. So I’d like to bring in a player who has performed very well in a middle-6 role. Sure he’s a bit erratic, but I like that unpredictability. Plus, he scores and draws penalties.
On the other hand, maybe a guy just sits on that cap space and waits until the trade deadline to utilize it should the team be in a spot to make the playoffs.
@RScafone asks: Why do the Oilers seem risk-adverse to hiring a younger coach? It seems counterintuitive to bring a younger assistant in to bridge the age gap. Just hire a younger guy to coach and have all plays/directions come from one mouth.
Probably they just want structure and smoother waters ahead. Like I said above, Holland is big on veterans, be those coaches or players. I understand Jeff Blashill isn’t the most veteran of coaches in Detroit, but I do believe that he was simply swinging the pendulum the other direction after many years of vet coaches before him.
Another thing is the pressure to make the playoffs next season. Dave Tippett has a history of making an immediate positive impact on his teams and I would reckon that had something to do with the hire as well.
@AnnaDanychuk asks: Lucics comments a little while back about playing for other teams particularly Vancouver, suggests he may be mentally checked out for playing for the Oilers, doesn’t want to play for this team. Has Holland any wind of this?He’ll bring the team down cuz he’s not happy. IMO
Is it possible for a GM to add two top wingers and a solid second pairing dman in one off season without using RNH or Nurse ?
From all accounts, Lucic’s wishes to play elsewhere have had little to no impact on the dressing room. The players like Milan and love playing on the same team as him. I think Jason Strudwick has spoken to this in the past in that every locker room has players who aren’t happy with their current situation, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but they are professional and they know how to do their jobs regardless.
It’s always possible, but what do you want to sacrifice to do it? Salary cap? First round draft picks? High-end prospects? If you were happy to move Evan Bouchard, I’d be willing to be you could get a really good winger for him. I wouldn’t marry myself to the idea that RNH and/or Nurse will be career Oilers.
@edmoildrops asks: How good is Spencer Knight? Last similar situation I can recall was MTL taking Price 5th overall in 2005. Price was ranked somewhere like 13-14 I believe. Is Knight worth a gamble at 8? Or are any of the forwards in the Oilers’ range too good to pass up?
Look, this goalie is going to be a starting netminder in the NHL someday. He’s being compared to Carey Price (5th overall selection?) and Bob McKenzie even went to the lengths to say that he might be the best goalie to EVER come out of the US. The Bobfather isn’t usually wrong on these things. He’s one of the calmest goalies under pressure that I’ve ever seen and the way he handles the puck and moves laterally… Good Lord… Think Marty Turco spliced with Jonathan Quick and then mix that with some Vasilevskiy.
If your team needs this sort of player, you pick him and then bring him along the right way because we all know the value an All-Star goalie can have to a franchise. So if you’re the Oilers, do you feel like Stuart Skinner or Olivier Rodrigue have starting potential and how far away are they? Are they garnering attention from other clubs? Could you make a deal to improve the roster somewhere else in the future because you’d have a Spencer Knight coming?
@chriscurtola asks: when you get your inside Oilers information, how do you determine when and how to put it out there. Also any interesting insider stories you can tell us without naming names?
Sometimes I just ask if it’s cool to publish because that’s not always the case. But I’m pretty liberal with my insider stuff. As for insider stories, there’s not too much really. I mean, I was asking how many other employees of the Oilers do side-jobs for the team recently, right? Every wondered how Bob Stauffer seems to know about Edmonton’s moves before they happen? I don’t believe it’s because he’s the host of Oilers Now or the colorman for their radio broadcasts.
@JM84YEG asks: when did you change your name from Eklund? What’s Tencer like?
(In the voice of Sean Connery) Right after I gave your mother and good bonestorming! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
@RINKLYFEBABE asks: Can we trade Lucic this off season or would we have to buy him out?
Either would work but I wouldn’t suggest buying him out. She’s a costly choice that one is. I would say a trade is likely in the future of Milan Lucic at some point, but I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee this offseason.
@Randall_B_Noble asks: Do you think we’re keeping any of the assistant coaches?
I don’t know. I would say that every head coach likes to have his own guys. Tippett said today that he needs to talk to the current ACs before making a decision, but I reckon he’ll bring one or to of his own men in.
Thank you to everyone who submitted their questions! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
