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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The Athletic
5 quality Edmonton Oilers trade targets for low-budget offseason
- “Almost every arrow is pointed in a good direction as it concerns Nils Hoglander being acquired for a low cost this summer.”
- “He’s aggressive on the forecheck, has averaged 15-16-31 boxcars per 82 games in the NHL and he’s an RFA with no arbitration rights.”
- “Arthur Kaliyev is a natural goal scorer whose first two NHL seasons have shown flashes of what most believe will be an impact career.”
- “If the Oilers plan to move on from Kailer Yamamoto, (Matthew) Phillips is likely to be an inexpensive replacement who might enjoy similar success on a value contract.”
- “He has scored miles more AHL points than other 1998-born players because everyone else who can post offence has long since arrived in the NHL.”
- “Philip Tomasino spent half of 2022-23 in the minor leagues and with new management and coaching coming in…”
- “He’s a right-handed offensive player with a nice range of skills. He can score goals by getting into good positions and has a good release. He’s just getting started and a player of his quality ordinarily remains with his drafting club…”
- “(Alex) Turcotte has had a seemingly endless string of injuries and is unlikely to max out on his draft-day potential (chosen No. 5 in 2019).”
- “Big winger (he shoots right but plays left wing) Egor Sokolov is a doppelganger for Patrick Maroon at the same age.”
- “Sokolov has playmaking ability, a plus shot, can win battles and is difficult to strip when he has the puck. Like Maroon, skating will be the issue but he’s a smart player who can make skill plays.”
- “The math suggests both Yamamoto and Warren Foegele could exit, meaning Lavoie and Dylan Holloway are in good position for big opportunity.”
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Oilers have an appetite for replacing Yamamoto with another small forward it should probably be one of a different style, no? Hoglander, Phillips, and Tomasino are higher skilled players than Yamamoto but they won’t wow you with their efforts in the muck like Killer used to. So, maybe we’re looking at a little less Kenny Linesmen and a bit more Linus Omark.
Kaliyev and Sokolov are big boys with big shots and slow wheels but Edmonton kind of has a couple of those in Kane and Kostin. I don’t know if the Oilers’ top six needs that element more than a winger who’s highly intelligent off the puck. I mean, is goal scoring during the regular season really a problem that needs to be addressed?
However, if I had to choose which player to gamble on, I’d go with Phillips probably. The AHL production is something that can’t be ignored and could you imagine if the Flames passed on another pint-sized production machine and he went on to become an all-star?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDjHYG81ybQ
Oilersnation
Around the NHL: Buyouts, Rumours, and Oilers Free Agency Targets
- “OEL was quite good in Arizona, but his play in Vancouver fell off much quicker than I expected. I’m curious what team will sign him and for how much this summer? He could be a solid third pairing defender, who could moonlight in the second pair, based on recent play, and his cap hit should reflect he is a #5 Dman until he proves otherwise.”
- “The Oilers could use a right winger, assuming Kailer Yamamoto doesn’t return. The UFA options include Connor Brown, Garnet Hathaway, Pierre Engvall, Jesper Fast and Corey Perry. Edmonton doesn’t have the cap space to look at Alex Killorn, Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko, unless they take a major discount, which I don’t expect.”
- “There is one other name, and I think he might be the best fit for Edmonton. Evgenii Dadonov is 34 years of age. He scored 4-6-10 in 16 playoff games for Dallas.”
- “A one-year deal at $1.3-$-1.7m is something I’d think about. He could be the complementary top-six winger Edmonton needs. I’d look at him on a one-year deal.”
- “Would any of these UFA forwards, who likely will have an AAV of $800K to $1.5m, be of interest for the Oilers? Danton Heinen, Zach-Aston Reece, Brett Ritchie, Tyler Motte, David Kampf, Luke Glendening, Trevor Lewis or Ryan Reaves.”
- “Edmonton will need to add a bottom-six forward. Ideally a centre. There are some decent options, and with Edmonton being a legit contender, they don’t need to overpay a fourth line centre.”
BLH’s Thoughts: OEL and Ekholm have played together for the Swedish national team in the past, I wonder if there’d be an appetite to move Ceci or Kulak and replace them with OEL on a cheaper contract? Ekman-Larsson’s numbers probably don’t look great in recent years but look at the teams he’s been playing for… My personal feeling is that he could have a resurgence on a good team playing down the lineup.
Between Brown, Perry, Hathaway, Engvall, and Fast, I’m going Hathaway because I feel he brings more of what the Oilers need. He quite adept on the penalty kill, he’s fast, physical, and thrives in the dirty areas; he brings heart and character, he’s big (6’3″ 210), and he can play as high as the 2nd line but is more suited for the 3rd line or the 4th line.
That said, he will not score a lot of points as his career high of 26 on the Caps a couple seasons ago will attest. But, for me, I’m not signing that guy to score. I’m signing him to kick the shit out of the opposition and keep the other team’s powerplays from running roughshod when the Oilers can’t get a call.
I don’t think Connor Brown is going to sign for 900k plus bonuses in Edmonton. There will be other teams who’ll give him more immediate money and possibly more term. To be honest, I think the local media guys pumping up his tires aren’t helping.
Fast won’t give the Oilers anything special, Engvall will be too expensive, Perry sounds like an ideal Ken Holland signing but my guess is that he signs for a team in the East like Boston or Carolina.
How much would you give Dadonov if you looked at his regular season production of SEVEN GOALS over the last two seasons?
Anybody wanna bet Edmonton signs former Red Wing Luke Glendening? He’s a right-shot who is one of the best at winning faceoffs but like Hathaway, can’t score at this level any more. I know I said I wouldn’t sign Hathaway for his goal scoring but you can’t have all of your bottom-sixers posting zeroes on the scoresheet every night. A smart thing to do would be to find out who the next Luke Glendening is and grab v2 as well as the OG.
Trade Rumors
Spector’s Hockey
- Pierre LeBrun reports San Jose Sharks management met with Erik Karlsson’s representatives last week with both sides agreeing they’ll attempt to get a trade done.
- Shayna Goldman and Harman Dayal recently listed the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators as clubs that could be interested.
- LeBrun indicated the Buffalo Sabres have reached out to the Hurricanes regarding Pesce’s status. Darren Dreger, meanwhile, believes the Edmonton Oilers could also be interested.
- Pierre LeBrun reports all signs pointing to defenseman Noah Hanifin not signing a contract extension with the Calgary Flames.
- Jim Matheson believes an offer sheet for Evan Bouchard could put the Oilers in a salary-cap bind. The 23-year-old is a restricted free agent who could become a 50-60 point player next season.
- Mark Spector cited colleague Elliotte Friedman reporting teams are interested in Edmonton Oilers winger Warren Foegele.
- There’s some talk of the Oilers signing former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews as a fourth-line center.
- Spector expects the 35-year-old would be a one-year, $1 million signing. Toews’ former teammate Duncan Keith, now the Oilers’ scout and advisor, has been put in charge of monitoring this situation.
BLH’s Thoughts: Would Boston trade Hampus Lindholm to Calgary for Noah Hanifin?
Little bit of heat coming out of Detroit with regards to Erik Karlsson… The Red Wings aren’t far from being a playoff team. Would EK get them over that hump?
Pesce to the Oilers for Ceci and Broberg? Ceci, Broberg, and a conditional pick? What’s your offer? Pesce for Bouchard?
Is there a planet where Edmonton could come out of the summer with both Pesce AND Karlsson? Maybe getting creative by using a couple of other teams to facilitate some of the financial aspects of the trades?
It’s fun to speculate on Toews but I still don’t think he’s coming to Canada. Edmonton isn’t the only Cup contender that’ll be vying for a $1M 40-ish pt center. As if the Avs aren’t going to be all over him. The Devils, Hurricanes, Sabres, Vegas… They’ll all be courting him and they’ll all have more to offer than playing with McDavid and Draisaitl. I mean, if Duncan Keith has been tasked with getting Toews to the Oilers, he’s got his work cut out for him.
