Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Matt Duchene, Kyle Palmieri, and many more!
Ah yes. Look at the way Puljujarvi stalked that goal down. Beauty! https://t.co/YhCHhBsgAQ
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) October 1, 2020
The News and Rumors
- Andy Strickland (The Athletic): If Alex Pietrangelo goes to UFA you can safely assume the Florida Panthers will be among the five teams he would entertain. Depends on if FLA can give him an offer he likes.
BLH’s Thoughts: I better defense in front of Sergei Bobrovsky could take that team a lot farther. That said, is it a good idea to have just under half of your payroll tied up in the top-four of your defense and your starting netminder? Maybe the Oilers would look at Anton Stralman to replace Klefbom as he sits on LTIR?
- Michael Smith (NHL.com): Don Waddell says the plan is to have RFAs Haydn Fleury and Warren Foegele back. Trevor Van Riemsdyk and Sami Vatanen are likely to test the market but could return if the price is right.
BLH’s Thoughts: Carolina has a ton of really good depth on defense. They can afford to let TVR and Vatanen walk. Van Riemsdyk would be a solid depth signing for the Oilers if the opportunity came about. I’m sure Vatanen’s name has been tossed around in connection to Edmonton but unless Nurse is moving to the top-pair, I can’t see Holland bringing the Finn in as he’s more suited to the middle-pairing or even the bottom one. Good vet, mind you. So he’s got that going for him.
- Pierre LeBrun (TSN): Word over the past week is the Columbus Blue Jackets are listening to offers on Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo. They’d like a top-6 center in return.
BLH’s Thoughts: Edmonton has a top-6 center playing wing right now but that would take some serious balls to move him to Columbus for one of their goalies. Further to that, is it in Columbus’ best interest to move one of those keepers right now? Why not sit on them and see how the season goes. It’s inevitable that someone’s goaltending is going to shit the bed or get hit by the injury bug.
- Irfaan Gaffar (The Fourth Period): The Coyotes were interested in Olli Juolevi and have been for a while. There’s speculation as to whether or not Arizona is on Brandon Sutter’s no-trade list with Vancouver.
BLH’s Thoughts: Is Gaffar proposing that Vancouver send Juolevi and Sutter to Arizona for OEL? Yikes…
- Marc-Antoine Godin (The Athletic): Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin says their 16th overall pick is available for trade. He wants a top-6 forward “who would help right away” in return.
BLH’s Thoughts: What would you ask from Montreal for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Obviously, the 16th overall pick would be in the package, right? Would you ask for one of Nick Suzuki or Jesperi Kotkaniemi too? Or would you simply go straight for the salary dump as the Habs have a shite ton of 2nd rounders as well?
- Joe Smith (The Athletic): Lightning GM Julien Brisbois says there will be “hard decisions.” The Priority is to re-sign RFAs Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli, and Eric Cernak. Some familiar faces will have to go.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’m very interested to watch this soap opera play out in Tampa. My bets are on Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn to get moved, who do you have?
- Frank Seravalli (TSN): Talks continue to progress between the Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a long-term extension. Not done and not close, but positive developments.”
BLH’s Thoughts: This is going to be a big story in Edmonton until he’s traded of re-signed. Everybody, including the organization, wants him to stay for as long as possible, but Ken Holland wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t listening to offers on him. I can see RNH’s camp wanting around $8M/yr if he has another season like he had this past one, but Edmonton will want that widdled down closer to $7M/yr.
What would you do if you where Nuge? You’ve given your entire career to this one team and you’ve seen your best buddies dealt away to Long Island and New Jersey and not really do any better… But the flat cap and COVID is handicapping your ability to maximize your potential earning income…
I feel like the club really needs to hang on to this player. I get the fans want Taylor Hall back, but let’s let that boat sail. Nuge is exactly the two-way forward Edmonton needs in its top-6. There has to be a defensive conscience in that group. It would be harder to find a player to replace him in my opinion.
- More Seravalli: The Nashville Predators are exploring moving Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, and Nick Bonino.
BLH’s Thoughts: On paper, you look at that group of centers and you have to think the Predators are nuts for wanting to split that up. I mean, they still might be. That said, is that the most overpaid quartet of pivots you’ve ever seen? Good luck moving them!
- James Duthie (TSN): Senators GM Pierre Dorion says “99%” chance they keep the 5th overall pick. It was thought to be potentially in play. The third overall pick won’t be moved.
BLH’s Thoughts: These picks are rarely if ever, moved. Dorion’s best play is to hold on to the pick since they’re not planning on competing for the playoffs next season.
- David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): The Dallas Stars are planning to start contract talks with RFAs Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz, and Denis Gurianov in the next couple of days.
BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting how Faksa’s luck has changed. Last season, he was on the block and rumored to be going to the Flames. Those are three players I’d love to have in Edmonton, I’ll tell you that.
- Roger Dicklund: The Calgary Flames are showing strong interest in Devils forward Kyle Palmieri this off-season.
- More Dicklund: The Calgary Flames have not given goaltender Cam Talbot a formal contract extension offer as of yet.
BLH’s Thoughts: Well, any rumors connecting a NJ Devil to the Flames will likely, at some point, have Johnny Gaudreau heading back to NJ. And why not? Those whispers have been going on for years. Maybe they should’ve pulled the trigger on the Taylor Hall/Gaudreau trade when they had the chance…
It sounds like Anton Khudobin could stay put in Dallas and that was one team rumored to be of interest to Talbot.
- Josh Yohe (The Athletic): The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres make the most sense as a landing spot for Penguins goalie Matt Murray.
BLH’s Thoughts: Both teams are looking for massive upgrades in net, right? I see Ottawa the more likely of the two though as Buffalo has some really nice goaltending prospects bubbling under and it wouldn’t make much sense to grab Murray via trade and then sign him long-term.
- Larry Brooks (NY Post): The Blues, Hurricanes, Canucks, and Oilers are potential landing spots for free agent netminder Henrik Lundqvist.
BLH’s Thoughts: Edmonton and Carolina? What?… Is King Henrik looking to slow things down off the ice?
The Oilers Speculation
So how about that flip-flop from OEL. One day he’s all gung-ho about heading to Edmonton to play for his old coaches and the next he’s got no interest in going to the Bubble City at all. The way I see it is that prior to it being reported that Ekman-Larsson wouldn’t waive to go to Edmonton or Calgary, the news leaking out was coming from his camp and it was the Coyotes management who let the insiders know that he wouldn’t waive because they weren’t getting what they wanted from the Oilers (this year’s first-rounder and one of Philip Broberg or Evan Bouchard) or the Flames.
How funny was it to see Darren Dreger commenting on how little it was going to take the Oilers to get him and then reporting that OEL wasn’t waiving for Edmonton not even two hours later.
Did the Coyotes do Edmonton a favor by asking for the moon? Maybe. It depends on who you ask. If the Oilers were able to shed $10M in salary and Arizona was willing to take a 2021 first-rounder, Russell, and Samorukov for him; I say no. OEL would be the best defenseman on the Oilers instantly and the best since Pronger, most-likely.
If Bill Armstrong wanted a 2020 first-rounder and Bouchard only, I would say Edmonton is doing the right thing by walking away.
No matter how you feel about Bouchard’s ceiling, he’s already the best passer on the team and the Oilers are horrid at moving the puck from the back-end. They need a guy like him, but you can understand why he’s on TSN’s Trade Bait board, right? He’s not one of Holland’s guys as he didn’t draft him and you can be damned sure that Holland has quite the extensive book on Bouchard from his time in Detroit.
Will the team acquire a replacement for Oscar Klefbom if he goes ahead and goes under the knife to correct that shoulder of his? I think they might because I can’t see Holland asking Coach Tippett to put his young defenders in above their heads.
We’ve heard some crazy names this off-season like Alex Pietrangelo and Aaron Ekblad, for example. But I do wonder if there’s someone out there that we’re not even thinking about, a Morgan Rielly, Cam Fowler, Nikita Zadorov, Colton Parayko, or MA Vlasic-like player…
Now, you might think those names would be impossible for Edmonton to obtain and to that I say, consider what everyone is saying, not just the pundits, It’s gonna be a crazy off-season.
Whatever happens, everything is tied together and with multiple teams involved, I reckon. A great big web of opportunities.
