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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Lowetide.ca
- Jesse Puljujarvi delivered a tremendous season of outscoring (64% GF%), and those who understand the importance of this statistic know it’s really really real.
- Did JP benefit from playing with Connor McDavid? Of course. The thing is, and that trips people up very often, Puljujarvi helps the captain outscore and therefore has tremendous value.
- The combination I worry about right now is Leon Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto. Since Jay Woodcroft took over, the two men have played 230 minutes together, outscoring opponents 10-6. However, the shot differential (45.83 percent) is a concern.
- Zach Hyman with Draisaitl have played together 278 minutes, have outscored opponents 17-15 and have a 50.92 shot share. Something to keep in mind as we enter the playoffs.
BLH’s Thoughts: When Leon plays center on his own line he’s forced to be both playmaker and sniper. Imagine how much better his line would perform if he had Hyman on one wing and a shoot-first winger on the other?
I like Yamo just fine, but I still maintain that he’s an elite 3rd line winger. How would he look alongside Nuge and Foegele next season on that line if Ken Holland could find a way to give Drai a target man to hit or conversely, what if Dylan Holloway shows well and plays the role of assist man thus freeing Leon to be the sniper?
Either way, Killer’s got the magnifying glass on him from all sides now and if he gets muscled out of these playoff games, the outcome may be an unfortunate one for him.
The Athletic
‘He’s a gamer’: Evander Kane’s banner Oilers performance was fitting. And there could be more
- …his on-ice fit with the Oilers has been as close to perfect as can be. However, it will take a lot of moving and shaking from Holland for Kane to return to the team next season on a new contract.
- The Oilers are tight against the salary cap. They have $8.9 million in space with 15 players under contract, though one of them is injured defenceman Oscar Klefbom — per PuckPedia. Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod need new contracts. That’s without potentially adding a goaltender, too.
- The Oilers also should have a top-six wing replacement ready in 2020 first-round pick Dylan Holloway, a cheaper option since he’s on his entry-level deal.
- Kane is going to command much more than his current $2.1 million cap hit. That salary, combined with the type of longer-term agreement that ended so infamously in San Jose, should be enough of a deterrent to the Oilers — a team with plenty of lengthy commitments on the books. Someone is bound to pay Kane, but it’s buyer beware.
- “The playoff-style hockey is what Evander is all about. He gets in the trenches. He goes in the hard areas. He’s not afraid to mix it up and stick up for a teammate and get involved physically. That’s what playoff hockey is all about.” – Mike Smith
Bob 💰💰💰 😂 https://t.co/dUhwDdmcaF
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) April 23, 2022
BLH’s Thoughts: I do not envy Ken Holland’s position this summer at all, but that being said, if Evander leaves, the Oilers are in a good position to sign the top UFA NOT playing in the NHL, Andrei Kuzmenko.
However, as good as Kuzmenko is, I feel like the Oilers need Kane more. Off ice stuff aside, to win in this league, you need players like Evander Kane on your team and you need a handful of them at each position. If it were at all possible and I was in charge, I’d find another power forward like Kane to play on the RW and one or two power dmen as well. Although if Niemelainen, Samorukov, and Desharnais are coming, Holland might not have far to look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsc7aIErSBQ
Trade Rumors
- Spector’s Hockey: Ken Wiebe believes the Winnipeg Jets must begin the process of repairing a winning culture that’s been in decline in recent years starting with their remaining games in this season. He feels the franchise’s foundation is showing cracks in need of repair.
- Kevin Allen and Bob Duff recently addressed some questions about the Red Wings’ future plans. They don’t see Jeff Blashill returning as head coach, with Allen saying he’s heard GM Steve Yzerman could look at some tough, demanding coaching candidates if he replaces Blashill.
- They also suggest Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina as trade candidates if the Wings don’t see them as part of their long-term plans… Duff’s also hearing Yzerman could target Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg if he hits the open market.
- The Hockey Writers: While the Anaheim Ducks aren’t rumored to be shopping goaltender John Gibson, Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes that it is likely the team will listen to offers for the veteran netminder.
- NHLRumors.com: The Arizona Coyotes asking price for defenseman Jakob Chychrun is really high – four assets. Would have to think that for the Anaheim Ducks Olen Zellweger would be a part of the asking price.
