This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!
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Cult of Hockey
Edmonton Oilers should go all in and pay the price to get Marc-Andre Fleury, argues NHL insider
- Brian Lawton: “But I will say this: it is time for him to go all in and really bust the door down on a guy like Marc-Andre Fleury. And he (Holland) may have to do something that is unpopular there in order to make that happen but I do believe in this team enough where that would be a serious, serious condition.”
- It will take a first round pick or last year’s first Xavier Bourgault in order to get Fleury, Lawton said, though Edmonton would also move out money to make the money work, and Edmonton could also get a pick back, with Edmonton maybe moving out a first pick but getting a second round pick back.
- Oilers GM Ken Holland has said repeatedly when discussing potential trades that he’s not that interested in a rental. He’s also said recently that he’s not that keen on trading his first overall pick, but that was before goalie Mike Smith got hurt again and went back on Long Term Injury Reserve.
- …generally when a careful and smart insider like Lawton states something so clearly, such as Edmonton paying a high price to get a specific player, I take it more as fire than smoke.
- …would Holland go against his earlier statements and trade the team’s first this year for Fleury? Perhaps if he got back a second round pick in return, maybe then.
- This is a team that can go on a serious playoff run, but only if it gets good goaltending, and that is now in grave doubt with Mike Smith’s iffy health.
BLH’s Thoughts: For me, I wouldn’t give up Bourgault in a deal for any rental let alone a goalie. That would be a serious mistake unless the Oilers have come across some information on the young man that makes them feel that long term he’s not going to pan out as a legitimate NHL player.
I think as a hedge against the possibility of Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl leaving, they should be collecting and keeping as many high-end prospects as possible because by the time those two are in a position to go elsewhere, these kids will be in prime position to be right proper NHLers.
There’s talk of one of the big UFA rentals refusing to be traded to a Canadian club, could that be Fleury and that’s why Lawton said “there’s some work to do there”?
As for Mike Smith being put on LTIR, I wonder if that’s more to do with the acquisition of a future contract than his thumb. Although, I believe Jason Gregor was saying that Smith isn’t anywhere close to coming back, so maybe it’s both, a contract and the injury.
I like two netminders especially right now, Braden Holtby (DAL) and Ville Husso (STL) and both will be UFAs this summer.
Lastly on this topic, I do think the Oilers should go out and find an upgrade ASAP. Koskinen has been playing great, but at the same time, there’s still a feeling of fragility with this team when they get scored on.
Cult of Hockey
Edmonton Oilers closing in on Evander Kane, insiders say, but one other team still in mix
- Ryan Rishaug: “Assuming a decision comes tomorrow, sounds like Kane could be ready for games as early as the weekend, or early next week. Sources say he has been skating for a week or so in Vancouver. Contract details needs to be buttoned down, but strong sense Edmonton will land him.”
- Kevin Weekes: “As the NHL investigation is reaching its final phase; Sources tell me that Evander Kane’s Camp have notified interested clubs, that it’s down to two teams. Bearing any last minute changes as of now the Edmonton Oilers are the likeliest destination for Kane.”
- Darren Dreger: “As Evander Kane awaits word from the NHL on further suspension or not, the Oilers interest in the power forward remains strong. Sources say Kane met with GM Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett earlier this week to discuss his fit on the team. Oilers, one of two teams in mix.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Woof! That’s a lot of smoke.
I was listening to Bob Stauffer on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and Paul Bissonnette piped up at one point and said, “It doesn’t look like Kane’s coming, does it?”, to which Stauffer replied, “We’ll have to wait and see.”…
Talking with Dustin Nielson, Tom Gazzola said his sources told him that Kane’s equipment is indeed in town or on its way. Wink wink.
Yesterday, on Oilers Now, Brian Lawton said that he didn’t think a suspension would be coming down from the league for Kane but John Shannon thinks there will be.
So… Your guess is good as mine on that one. We’re going to find out one way or another whether or not Evander Kane will be on the Oilers roster this week or not and depending on the length of the suspension (if there is one), we’ll find out if he’s even going to join the team.
In the event that Kane gets to play for the Oilers this year, I’d like to see the forwards lined up like this:
Kane-McDavid-Hyman
RNH-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Foegele-McLeod-Yamamoto
Sceviour-Ryan-KassianPerlini can score a goal now and then, but I’m a real believe in line identity and a line with Sceviour, Ryan, and Kassian is a muck it up, grind it out line.
One could argue putting Nuge at 3C and McLeod on the 4th, but I like the way young McLeod is playing right now and I think he deserves to be rewarded. Nuge and Foegele could be swapped at any time too.
The Athletic
Grading the first 3 years of Ken Holland’s Oilers trades
- Clear wins by Holland (1): Ennis for a pick
- Clear losses by Holland (4): Lucic for Neal; Marino for a pick; Picks for Athanasiou; Jones for Keith
- Trending in a good way for Holland (2): No. 76 pick for Savoie and Tullio; Bear for Foegele
- Neutral (3): Draft pick for Green; Pick for Kulikov; No. 20 pick for Bourgault, Munzenberger
- The trades for Neal, Athanasiou and Keith have been damaging to the organization’s asset base and there’s no argument beyond bad luck (COVID-19 in the case of Athanasiou).
- The Foegele for Bear trade, along with the Zach Hyman signing, are the only transactions among a long list that suggest (even in a minor way) the organization’s pro scouts are capable of proper valuation in large, franchise-altering deals.
- What does this mean? The Oilers under Holland are shopping in the wrong places.
BLH’s Thoughts: So. Ethan Bear has been a healthy scratch for five straight games… When’s the last time Warren Foegele was a healthy scratch? What does Ethan Bear do to get himself banished to the pressbox so often by NHL coaches anyhow? At some point, should he have a look in the mirror?
By the fancies, the Jones/Keith trade is probably sitting in Chicago’s court and that’s fine too. The Blackhawks might get many more years out of Caleb and the Oilers will squeeze out the remainder of Keith’s career but I don’t see Jones making the kind of impact in Chicago that Duncan Keith will in Edmonton when it comes to mentoring the Oilers’ young dmen as they graduate to the NHL.
However, Keith has seen a real uptick in his quality of work since December 1st. His ability to make the long bomb pass is keeping opposing defenses on their heels a bit more I’m finding. In addition to that, it appears that he’s finding a bit of a comfort zone in Edmonton’s system and with his teammates and the reason I say that is, to my eye, he seems to be making better plays with the puck more often recently.
I don’t know how you can justify giving the Marino trade an “L” when the guy wasn’t going to sign in Edmonton after they fired Chiarelli. To me, it’s a clear win considering they got any assets for Marino as there were ZERO indicators that he was going to come out of the NCAA and be as impactful as he’s turned out to be. I do agree that it’ll be years before a true judgement on the trade can be made as we’re probably four years away from seeing what Shane Lachance turns into.
The one trade I’m very curious to see how it turns out is Jesper Wallstedt for Xavier Bourgault and Luca Munzenberger. I’ve been impressed with Bourgault and Munzenberger so far, but god damn did the Oilers need an elite goaltending prospect in their ranks and Wallstedt is a bloody brick wall… Fingers crossed that GoGo and Munzy turn into big pieces for Edmonton going forward!
