Edmonton Oilers Offseason Talk: “I’ve always believed these names arrive because there is some smoke…”

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Lowetide

The Josh Anderson Trade

Things happen for a reason. Remember when the name Duncan Keith landed in Edmonton last offseason? It was many weeks before the actual trade.
I’ve always believed these names arrive because there is some smoke and it could turn into a fire. That said, it doesn’t mean a trade has been made. I expect any acquisition of a player like Anderson depends on the Evander Kane negotiations.
I don’t believe it’s realistic to expect the Canadiens to trade Anderson for just established players. The club is clearly reloading, and that means picks and prospects.
The No. 29 selection at this year’s draft, next year’s first, Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, Matvey Petrov and other picks and prospects would likely need to be part of the equation.
I don’t believe Philip Broberg would be in play, Oilers are a year away from replacing Duncan Keith with Broberg on the second pair. Edmonton doesn’t have time to develop another one.

BLH’s Thoughts: Just for shits and giggles, let’s ponder an off the cuff trade.

With the emergence of Ryan McLeod as the team’s 3rd line center, how would you react if the Oilers sent RNH to the Habs for Josh Anderson and signed Andrei Kuzmenko to take Nuge’s spot in the top-six?

Montreal’s centers next year will be Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans, Shane Wright (maybe), Christian Dvorak, and Ryan Poehling. They could use a Nuge-like center to help bring along Young Wright.

However, for the same reasons Edmonton could move on from Nuge, the Habs would prefer not to acquire him. For example,

5v5 Production: RNH only had six 5v5 goals last year and 20pts at 5v5…

Durability: When’s the last time Nuge played a full season?

Faceoffs: His career success rate on the dot of 44%.

I will say this though, Nuge shot at a 7% clip last year and his career sh% is nearly 12%… So there’s potential for things to even out in the production department. That said, I think Edmonton’s PP needs a fresh look on the left wall. A one-timer would be nice because everything slows down once 93 gets the puck and they would have much more success if they kept things quick.

I just think there’s a part of me that wonders what a top-nine without Nuge and with Kane and Anderson would look like.

Kane-McDavid-Kuzmenko
Hyman-Draisaitl-Anderson
Puljujarvi-McLeod-Yamamoto

(Holland would have to move on from Foegele and Kassian in this discussion)

See, I’m not convinced that Yamamoto is any better of an option alongside 97 and 29 for the Oilers than Puljujarvi plus I see the Avs with some sizeable scoring wingers ripping up the Champs right now and knowing that the NHL is a copycat league… You can see what I’m getting at, right? And look at that third line… Good lord! It might not score (right away) a lot but it will cause massive problems for other teams on a nightly basis.

Another thing I was thinking about with regards to this team’s window/build, wouldn’t it make sense to keep the futures and move on from the players that are slowing down or are on expiring deals so that the organization has a constant supply of talent coming up and available in times of need (injury/suspension).

What do you think? Feasible?

The Athletic

What if Edmonton Oilers trade Jesse Puljujarvi? The case for and against

The philosophy of the late Sam Pollock, one of the greatest general managers in NHL history, was to never trade a young player until he was completely certain of what he had in him.
Strictly from an offensive standpoint, the last five months of the season didn’t do much to support his case as a top-six forward.
- He had four goals and 13 points — three goals and 11 points at five-on-five — over his last 37 games.
- Puljujarvi scored just twice and added one assist in 16 playoff games…
From the December holiday break until the regular season’s end, Puljujarvi ranked first on the Oilers at five-on-five in goals-for percentage (70.7) and Corsi for percentage (59.4), per Natural Stat Trick.
- He was second in two other prominent categories — shots for percentage (58.1) and expected goals percentage (60.3) — over the same time span.
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft also cited the winger missing time with COVID, a lower-body injury that at least initially hampered his skating and a late-season illness.
Puljujarvi had a $1.175 million cap hit last season and his qualifying offer is $1.41 million.
- If retained, the Oilers are expecting the arbitration-eligible winger to make roughly $3 million in salary next season.
The more likely returns would be a more established but cost-controlled forward, a middle- or lower-pairing defenceman or some combination of a draft pick or two and/or a prospect.
…the Finnish forward could become more costly in a year or two. Flipping him for someone who’s locked up on a multiyear deal would have its appeal to the Oilers from a cap perspective.
Getting futures — picks and prospects — for Puljujarvi could be flipped for other immediate help.
They might even be OK without him because they have Dylan Holloway coming on an entry-level contract. Signing free-agent Russian winger Andrei Kuzmenko would help, too.
If Puljujarvi takes the next step in his career and the Oilers don’t adequately replace him, it will be a move the organization will likely rue for years.

BLH’s Thoughts: Is anybody else watching Valeri Nichushkin having a helluva post-season and thinking every time he scores a goal or gets a point Puljujarvi’s value, trade or contract or both, goes up?

As a fan of the human, I’d like to see Jesse move on from Edmonton because he’s a tractor beam for hot taeks from the old Oilers scribes that grate on my nerves. I’d like to see them pick on somebody else for a change.

As a fan of the player, I want Pulju in Edmonton’s lineup because I think he’s on the verge of becoming an absolute tank for the club. Most players learn the defensive side of the puck later in their careers and the offense comes first, not JP. It appears that his offense is going to develop as he’s hitting his physical prime and I’m okay with that.

Who knows what will happen though. In 1996, Holland moved Keith Primeau (3rd OV pick in ’91) to Hartford (with Paul Coffey for Brendan Shanahan) just as he was hitting his stride as an NHLer and I think Primeau was around 24 years old, the same age as Puljujarvi is now.

That line above from Sam Pollock really needs to be taken into consideration by Ken Holland and this management team.

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

Pierre LeBrun reported Friday the Chicago Blackhawks are listening to offers for Alex DeBrincat. There’s no guarantee they’ll trade the 24-year-old winger but if they do it’ll be for a “young player/high picks/top prospect type of return.”
Charlie Roumeliotis wonders if Patrick Kane will want out of Chicago if the Blackhawks trade DeBrincat. The 33-year-old winger has hinted his potential future with the club could be tied to his linemate’s.
ESPN.COM’s Kevin Weekes tweeted yesterday that he’s been told there have been no significant contract extension talks between the New Jersey Devils and winger Jesper Bratt.
The Senators have been linked to Wild winger Kevin Fiala as he could be a good fit alongside Tim Stuetzle.
Elliotte Friedman reports Senators winger Connor Brown might test next summer’s UFA market. They’ll have to decide if they’ll let him play out the season or make a move.

No. Stauffer already said it’s Foegele going to Ottawa. Foegele+ for Brown and probably some cap relief.

— WK (@KorkieWarren) June 18, 2022