Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest Edmonton Oilers news as well as the freshest NHL speculation featuring players such as Tyler Johnson, Erik Haula, Shane Gostisbehere, and many more!
Another very good piece by @JhanHky
He talks about Draisaitl's puck control and touches in the d-zone being a problem.
I try to measure this as puck management, which has indeed been a problem throughout his career with little improvement. https://t.co/igub5Coti6 pic.twitter.com/zNwdiKUrlp
— Bryce Chevallier (@FauxCentre) October 25, 2020
The News and Rumors
- Dan Kingerski (Pittsburgh Hockey NOW): In talking to sources: “Not everyone believes the Penguins are done in free agency. Multiple sources are watching (them and) Erik Haula.
BLH’s Thoughts: Are the Pens really that weak on forward? Their defence is the area I’d be working on if I were GM Jim Rutherford.
- Ben Kuzma (Vancouver Sun): The Canucks offered Josh Leivo a contract similar to the $875k deal he signed with Calgary. Leivo said when free agency opened, Calgary seemed very interested.
BLH’s Thoughts: What are the Canucks doing? They’ve lost three or four players from last year’s roster because they didn’t “seem interested” in signing them… Jim Benning must have something cooking here.
- Eric Stephens (The Athletic): “I do think the Ducks have real interest in Tyler Johnson, but not at his full $5M cap hit.” Tampa would have to retain 50% and add a sweetener.
BLH’s Thoughts: Johnson at $2.5M? He’d be a good add to any team let alone Anaheim. But I thought the Ducks were looking to upgrade the defence?
- Matthew DeFranks (Dallas News): The Dallas Stars are likely to get going on extension talks with Miro Heiskanen closer to the start of next season. A long-term deal will probably come in between $8M-$9M AAV.
BLH’s Thoughts: Whatever it ends up being, it’ll be a steal. Heiskanen is going to be a beast for years to come. I absolutely love how he plays the game.
- Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): There was an in-depth conversation at Friday’s GM meeting about the draft lottery. There are teams that would like to see a change in the format.
BLH’s Thoughts: I would also like to see a change in the format. The lottery should only be for the teams with the five worst records at the end of the regular season. A team who’s slated to draft 13th shouldn’t have the chance to select in the top-3, in my opinion.
- Josh Wegman (The Score): Lists Flyers defenceman Shane Gostisbehere as someone who could still be traded this year. “His contract – three years left at $4.5 million per season – is reasonable, too. He needs to go to a team where he can use his biggest strength: quarterbacking a top power-play unit.”
BLH’s Thoughts: What about Winnipeg or Boston? Could they not use a PP specialist like Ghost-Bear?
- Kurt Leavins (The Cult of Hockey): On the reason Andreas Athanasiou rejected the $2M offer from the Oilers; “Perhaps he didn’t like the role Edmonton projected for him, less than the offer itself.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Says a bit about the character of the player if this is true. Man, did that trade blow up in Holland’s face. No wonder he was so adamant in interviews over the off-season that he wouldn’t be spending draft picks like that again.
The Oilers Talk
At the end of yesterday’s post, I asked this question,
Last question, where do Joakim Nygard and Tyler Benson fit in to the Oilers equation of nobody is talking about either of them as an option for the club’s available spot on the LW?…
Maybe they don’t fit in…
Something I’ve noticed is the enthusiasm surrounding both Nygard and Benson from the likes of Bob Stauffer, Kurt Leavins, and more of the local Edmonton media has quieted substantially since the 2019-20 season ended. That could be simply because the Swede was injured quite a bit last year and Benson only had a handful of games in Edmonton, but I really feel like those two wingers were getting a solid push from those that cover the team prior to the play-ins.
In his latest post at the Cult of Hockey, Leavins wrote that there’s a chance the Oilers will bring in a couple of players on PTOs when training camp opens. Possibly a left-winger and a right-shot defenceman.
So, not only in addition to moving a right-winger over to the left-wing, they Oilers are thinking about bringing in ANOTHER left-winger?
I get that Holland wants competition, but that, to me, sounds like Benson and Nygard will be lucky to get any ice-time in Edmonton next season.
As for those PTOs, I wonder if a certain winger with ties to a league MVP might be a candidate should he not sign on somewhere else?
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