Edmonton Oilers Talk: “…the Oilers might not go long-term with Jesse Puljujarvi, but they will with Evander Kane.”

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The Hockey Writers

Report: Summer Will See “Painful and Unnecessary Departures” for Oilers

In an attempt to construct a roster that is devoid of holes in certain areas, one Edmonton Oilers journalist suggests he’s hearing whispers from those media members more closely connected to the franchise that there could be some changes this offseason for the team. Unfortunately, this journalist suggests the changes could be painful and unnecessary.
three separate long-time media members all came up with a similar conclusion that, in an attempt to better round out the roster, the Oilers might not go long-term with Jesse Puljujarvi, but they will with Evander Kane.
…the Oilers may try to focus on securing a goaltender, improving their blue line, and locking in contracts for a few of the big players that need new deals. Perhaps not all of that gets accomplished, especially if GM Ken Holland tries to employ strategies that worked for him in the past and with other teams (signing proven, but older players) — in this case Kane.
There is chatter that Kane has taken a liking to Puljujarvi and that the two would like to keep playing together. Does one person leaving affect the other’s willingness to stay? Or, will Kane go for the biggest deal he can get and the Oilers are going to find a way to give it to him?

BLH’s Thoughts: When Keith Primeau was 24, Ken Holland moved him and Paul Coffey to Hartford for Brendan Shanahan. So if there’s a player out there that Holland wants, he’s not afraid to sacrifice a promising young player to get him.

The way I see it is that Kane IS the Shanahan already and Holland didn’t start going out and paying big prices for elite goaltending until very late when he brought in Curtis Joseph and Dominik Hasek. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s a chance the Oilers GM might stay with Smith and Skinner next year if it means he can keep his ideal forward group together.

Now, this week Bob Stauffer said he could see Pulju and Yamo signing bridge deals worth between $2.5M and $3.5M/yr. So there’s that to wrinkle to chew on until the summer.

As for painful and unnecessary departures, Evan Bouchard might be ripe for the plucking there but it could also mean Tyson Barrie. It’s clear as day that the club is going to need to get a bit bigger (aka: meaner) on the back end and they could do that by promoting Markus Niemelainen or Vincent Desharnais or they might reach out and acquire one on the FA market or via trade. Whatever road the Oilers choose to go down though, it’ll require somebody to be heading out as that new body comes in.

I think we all know the contracts that should be on the move, but personally, I’m not convinced that Holland will pay to move them in order to open up cap room. However, as of right now, there’s a market for the likes of Barrie and Warren Foegele and depending on who gets their asses handed to them in the first round by a bigger, tougher team, somebody might come calling for Zack Kassian with the hope that they could convince them to “get angry” again…

Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: Throwback practice in Nashville; Jesse trying to find his groove

Jesse Puljujarvi is trying hard to generate offence on Connor McDavid’s right side, but he keeps seizing up when the captain serves up those point-blank opportunities.
…one point in the last seven games and three goals in the last 32 are hard to ignore for a player getting that kind of premium ice time and linemates.
“You worry when people aren’t getting the chances, when they are nowhere near an opportunity to finish,” said Woodcroft, adding he thinks Puljujarvi still does other things well. “I think he does a lot of good complimentary things for other people.”
“For young players, it’s important to not just measure their game in scoring statistics. When it’s not going in for you, you need things to hang your hat on. Sometimes it’s a finished check, sometimes it’s a play on the wall. Sometimes it’s being good defensively.
“… I like that he’s finding himself in those positions and if he keeps working at it he’ll finish eventually.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Bottom line is, if the coaching was truly concerned with Jesse’s lack of scoring and really needed to get him going, they’d throw him onto one of the PP units.

Jay Woodcroft is right, if Pulju wasn’t getting to those grade A scoring areas to get the chances, there’d be reason for concern, but he is and the fact of the matter is, Jess is still finding his way in this league. He’s a very safe hockey player I find and when he can start to find the opportunities to take a risk for a goal that won’t put him in a bad spot should the puck go the other way, he’s going to start producing more and more. It’s a balancing act though and he doesn’t want to disappoint his linemates or his coaches, so he keeps it simple.

As thing stand right now, the only folks who are making a fuss about JP’s lack of goals are journalists looking for clicks and fans who are still butthurt that Jesse left the club to go to Finland. The rest of us see the value, immediate and long-term.

An interesting scenario to ponder is how #13 performs in the playoffs. That will be an interesting watch. What if he’s the type that turns it on in the post-season like Claude Lemieux used to? I know it’s in him, but does he know that he has the ability to take the wheel and drive this bus to Lord Stanley’s porch? Time will tell on that regard.

Trade Rumors

The Hockey Writers: As per Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News, the Colorado Avalanche are likely to lose Andre Burakovsky in free agency this summer as he could price himself out of the Avalanche’s plans if he has another strong postseason. In 2020 he scored 17 points in 15 games and this season he’s already produced 20 goals and 53 points in 70 games.
- Corey Masisak of The Athletic took a look at the situation evolving between defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and the San Jose Sharks and wondered if the team would consider buying him out and if they do, how will it affect the next general manager?
- According to John Vogl of The Athletic, it isn’t likely the Buffalo Sabres move their first-round draft picks at this year’s NHL Entry Draft. The team has three first-rounders, their own, plus ones from Florida and Vegas (the Vegas pick is Top 10 protected)… If the Sabres even consider moving one of those selections it will be the Panthers’ pick that will land near the end of the first round and only for a player who could be ready to play. They could use a right-handed defenseman, a top-six winger and a goaltender.
- As per Mark McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press, the Jets’ offseason priority must be fixing a blue line that is both comical and painful to watch. They do have a number of promising youngsters making their way up the system, but McIntyre writes that an immediate solution needs to be found.
- As per Dan Rosen of NHL.com, there might not be a big market for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood who has been injured for most of this season for the New Jersey Devils. Rosen doesn’t see the Devils as a team that is willing to dump their goalie for little return and believes they’ll choose to keep him as a 1A or 1B goalie depending on who they bring in during the offseason.