Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “He’s an unrestricted free agent to be and there is interest,”

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The Athletic

Revisiting Oilers’ choice to take Kailer Yamamoto in 2017 NHL Draft

Edmonton passed over Kristian Vesalainen, Eeli Tolvanen, Klim Kostin and Ryan Poehling to select Yamamoto (based on McKenzie’s list). Included in the group chosen after Yamamoto are forwards with size, pure skill wingers who were bigger and two highly regarded centres (Poehling and Shane Bowers).
The same questions surrounding durability that were mentioned on draft day remain.
Using the last three seasons as the pool of available talent, there have been 372 forwards who have played over 990 minutes at five-on-five in the NHL… Yamamoto, scoring 1.73 points per game, ranks No. 157 alongside names like Alex DeBrincat, Max Domi and Mikael Backlund. In terms of offensive output and outscoring, Yamamoto belongs on an Oilers skill line until someone better replaces him.
Fans who are not enamoured with Yamamoto’s size and scoring slumps often connect the young winger to the Seattle Kraken in trade.
Unlike many young players, Yamamoto’s offensive slumps are not connected to the rest of his game. He is a rare case of a young player who performs his two-way role well even when pucks aren’t going in the net for him.
…the Oilers were correct in passing on other options based on what we know today.

BLH’s Thoughts: Hindsight is always 20/20 when re-visiting drafts from the past, but how good would 5th round selection Drake Batherson look on Leon’s right wing today? Or what about point per game forward Jason Robertson who was picked 39th overall in that draft. Alex Formenton (OTT) and Maxime Comtois (ANA) are worthy mentions as well.

Personally, I’m not convinced Yamamoto will sign a third contract in Edmonton and if I’m being completely honest, I wanted the Oilers to take Eeli Tolvanen because he was lighting up the USHL in his draft year and I felt like the team needed a goal-scoring winger.

This is just my opinion, but I just don’t see Killer as a top-six option for Edmonton, fancies be damned and one season of traditional stats too. Aside from that one heater he was on with Nuge and Leon, he’s not done anything of note that tells me he’s a top-six forward. To me, he’s an elite third line penalty killing specialist and I believe the club will get the most out of him in that role.

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Signing of Kane Could Be Biggest Midseason Move In Team History

Bernie Nicholls was acquired by the Oilers on Oct. 4, 1991, along with Louie DeBrusk and Steve Rice in exchange for Mark Messier, but it would be more than two months before the All-Star centre would even show up in Edmonton, let alone play his first game in blue and orange.
- Nicholls was instrumental in Edmonton’s surprise run to the Campbell Conference Final in the 1992 playoffs. He notched eight goals and 11 assists to rank second on the Oilers with 19 points that postseason.
In August 1995, Sather made a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Blues to acquire Curtis Joseph, a 28-year-old goaltender who was both an All-Star and Vezina Trophy finalist.
- An improving Oilers team bettered its win percentage following the trade and went on a late-season run of 8-2-1 that set the stage for 1996-97, when Joseph’s brilliant play keyed Edmonton to its first playoff appearance since 1992 and a memorable first-round upset of the Dallas Stars.
On Dec. 30, 1997, the Oilers traded for top-pairing defenseman Hamrlik, a former No. 1 overall pick, from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then, on Jan. 4, 1998, Guerin was acquired by Edmonton in a deal that included all-star centre Jason Arnott going to the Devils.
- Immediately following the Guerin trade, Edmonton reeled off six straight victories. That momentum never let up, as the Oilers finished the season going 24-15-1 over their final 40 games to clinch a postseason berth.
After months of negotiations, Comrie agreed to a three-year contract with the Oilers on Dec. 30, 2000, and made his debut that night on Hockey Night in Canada against the Montreal Canadiens.
- After starting 17-15-6-1 (.526 points percentage), the Oilers went 22-13-6-2 (.605) following the Comrie signing. Edmonton climbed from ninth to sixth in the Western Conference standings to clinch a spot in the playoffs, where Comrie scored the overtime winner in Game 4 of the first round against the Stars, an iconic goal in Oilers history.

The Daily Goal Horn

“Lafreniere is going to have to move to the right wing in order to get top six minutes in New York. If there is doubt that he can handle the move, the Rangers are going to have to consider their options.” – Larry Brooks
“A number of their forwards that they are discussing with teams around the league… including potentially Conor Garland.” Elliotte Friedman said on HNIC. “You’ve all heard some of the rumors, Rangers, Boston, Calgary, but I think NJ is in there too.”
“He’s an unrestricted free agent to be and there is interest,” Friedman noted. “Toronto is one of the teams believed to be looking at (Josh) Manson.”
“I think if the Leafs, all things being equal, could control things, they’d rather acquire a player who has a little bit of term left on their contract rather than a straight rental,” Chris Johnston said on the most recent TSN Insider Trading.