Edmonton Oilers Talk: “A farfetched dream that could become possible if the Oilers play their cards right.”

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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Oil on Whyte

2 Trades The Oilers Could Pull Off This Off-Season

Tyson Barrie for Carson Soucy (SEA)
- Soucy is turning 28 this July, and has 20 points in 56 games with the Seattle Kraken while having an impressive +11. 6’5, 211 pound has been praised by scouts and executives around the league because of his impressive two way game, a game that Tyson Barrie lacks.
- With Evan Bouchard moving into the Oilers D core full time, he is the ideal power play quarterback and could easily replace the roles Tyson Barrie has had over the last couple of seasons.
Zack Kassian + 2nd Rd Pick for Mark Friedman (PIT)
- The Oilers need help as far as cap space goes. Paying a team to take the contract of Zack Kassian while receiving a D man in return is a farfetched dream that could become possible if the Oilers play their cards right.
- A 26 year old, 5’11, 185 pound defender with 9 points through 42 career NHL games. Friedman has a right shot, and seems to only be improving with every opportunity he gets.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d pass on the Kassian deal because acquiring Friedman would only serve as a roadblock for a guy like Vincent Desharnais who is probably better that the Penguins defender right now.

Would it make sense to see if Holland’s old understudy would accept Kassian and a 2nd for struggling winger Filip Zadina though? Detroit doesn’t have a lot of muscle on that team and Kass played a couple seasons in Windsor back in junior…

The Barrie/Soucy deal would be a helluva lot better if the team didn’t have Nurse, Keith, and Broberg pegged as club’s starting dmen on the left side in 2022/23 and you can’t have Soucy as your no.4.

The way I see it is if Holland could trade Kassian’s contract without retaining or taking back salary and then move Barrie for Soucy. After that the Oilers could grab Kass’ replacement off of the UFA market and then partner up Soucy and Broberg on the right side of the third pair or put the Alberta native on the 2nd pair which would force Keith to the bottom duo where he could mentor The Bro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIzHGbVg28

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Connor McDavid’s late season domination

What do you see in Connor McDavid’s game that seems to get ramped up over the final half of the year?

“He expects to be better as games become more important. He wants to be at his best when it matters most. Motivation from within. Elite athletes have it.” – Brownlee

How would you plan to run the goalies in the playoffs?

“I think it is clear who Woodcroft will start in game one. Woodcroft has been here for 32 games. Smith has started 16 and Koskinen has started 15. Smith has a .922Sv% and 2.47 GAA while Koskinen has a .905Sv% and 2.99 GAA… Smith is stopping more pucks, but he also has elite puckhandling skills which can help alleviate some pressure on the Oilers’ defenders.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: The feeling I get is that aside from McDavid’s superhuman abilities, it’s clear that by March there are teams whose seasons are lost at that point and the players on those clubs have no true reason to give it 100% other than to achieve some bonuses. The average player is definitely playing with a knock or two by then as well and Connor is nearly impossible to stop at 100% health let alone 80% or lower. But the true answer is there are too many factors that play into why 97 outpaces his peers in the final month of the year and most of them are right.

It’ll be Smith’s net until he shows it isn’t. His ability to handle the puck is a game changer Koskinen doesn’t possess. If Smith can gather those dump-ins that means Edmonton’s forwards don’t have to come as deep and the ice opens up way more.

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey: Ben Pope recently wondered if Jonathan Toews can stomach another season of losing as the Blackhawks rebuild their roster. He hasn’t hidden his feelings about his poor performance and that of the club this season.
- Larry Brooks believes the Rangers will try to sign Andrew Copp to a contract extension given how well he’s adjusted since joining the club in a trade deadline deal from the Winnipeg Jets. He’s fit in well on the second line alongside Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.
The Hockey Writers: There was talk before the NHL Trade Deadline that the Rangers would have considered moving Lafreniere in trade, assuming the team acquiring him was willing to give up a huge return. How long Lafreniere’s leash will be in the playoffs if he doesn’t produce will be an interesting storyline to watch.
- Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic writes that getting back injured players like Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis are only going to make a very poor Flyers team a little bit better. He notes that the team just isn’t anywhere near good enough in its current form. He also argues that the idea of an “aggressive retool” in Philadelphia could, but likely won’t work.

BLH’s Thoughts: It’d be a mistake to give up on Lafreniere right now. He’s starting to find his way, right? And it’s not like he’s struggling that bad. He’s got nearly 20 goals. Folks in the Big Apple need to chill out and let this killer develop into the assassin he’s going to end up being.