It seems like there’s been a trade nearly every day since the draft and yesterday I think the Edmonton Oilers might’ve missed out on one player they could’ve used next season. Erik Haula was sent from Vegas to the NHL’s newest Finnish franchise in Carolina for a B-grade prospect in Nicolas Roy and a conditional 5th round pick.
I really feel that Haula’s price point ($2.75M) and his skill set would’ve done the Oilers quite fine. He would’ve been a great third line center even if he has possibly lost a step since his injury last season. Instead of being really fast, he might just be fast now… I could’ve lived with that. Not only that but maybe that would’ve been a nice sign of goodwill on Ken Holland’s part in convincing Jesse Puljujarvi to reconsider his stance on coming back to Edmonton to play.
I imagine that the Golden Knights’ price for the Oilers would’ve been different than that of the one Carolina paid to get the Finnish center, but it was a pretty clear salary dump too. So I’m not sure we’ll ever find out and it sounds like Holland has been setting his sights a bit higher…
In James Mirtle’s latest post at The Athletic (paywall), he discussed a trade that had been in the works between the Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs and I think it should really perk the ears of those staunch supporters of Darnell Nurse.
Darnell Nurse isn't as safe as you think #Oilers fans. Been trying to tell you for quite a while now.
The old regime might've been attached to him but the new one isn't…
This is from Mirtle's latest btw. pic.twitter.com/Ce4MDO0T3i
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) June 27, 2019
No “I told ya so” from me, but I’ve been trying to open up the mind of our readership here to the idea of Nurse being moved recently and IF this story from Mirtle is true (keep in mind he said that Edmonton has been connected to Zaitsev since the Russian made his trade request public weeks ago), it would be massive for the Oilers.
My guess is that they might’ve been talking about a handful of Maple Leafs (Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johansson, Nylander, Nazem Kadri, and Nikita Zaitsev come to mind) but the uncertainty over next season’s cap might’ve caused havoc with the negotiations. I’d have a hard time not believing that Toronto would’ve been looking to unload Nylander and his cap too. Then there’s this,
At Pension Plan Puppets, they had a post back in February where they posted a 3-way trade rumor from an “unnamed executive” that looked like this:
The unnamed executive says he’s heard from very trustworthy sources that a potential three-way deal is in the works between Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary. It would work out to something like this:
The Leafs send Ron Hainsey to Calgary for defensive prospect, Andrew Nielsen
The Leafs then package Nielsen along with Connor Brown and a 2nd round pick to Edmonton
Edmonton sends Darnell Nurse to Toronto
So basically, Nurse for Nielsen, Brown, and a 2nd rounder (Nic Robertson). Yeah… Not so sure on this one. Nielsen hasn’t amounted to anything so far and he’s a lefty… Connor Brown has been a target of the Oilers in the past (still is according to my sources), and that extra 2nd rounder might’ve been useful in moving out a contract at the draft…
I think the drafting of Philip Broberg has set the table for one of Klefbom or Nurse to be moved. There are simply too many left-shot defensemen coming up and if you’ve been paying attention to the Oilers development camp this week, the swift Swede has been partnered with “Old Man” Evan Bouchard, there might be something to that pairing in about two or three seasons.
The fact of the matter is, this team absolutely collapses when Klefbom is out and when Nurse replaces him, it doesn’t fare any better. Adding to that, in a game where the importance of being able to move the puck is becoming more and more every season, this is an aspect of the game where Nurse struggles. He can hit, shoot, fight, and skate with the puck, but there’s an element of creativity and smarts with the puck that isn’t there for him. Then you’ve got Nurse’s next contract and not for one second do I believe he’ll be accepting anything less than what Esa Lindell took ($5,8Mx6yrs). My feeling is that he’ll wait to see what Jacob Trouba asks for and that’ll be his ask, which should be around $8M per year… Of course that’ll get whittled down to closer to somewhere between $6.5M and probably a shade over $7M if he should throw up some more offense 5×5.
I reckon this summer’s plan for the Oilers is to shore up the forward depth and goaltending. So they should be bringing in forwards who will gladly accept the role given to them and make it their mission to be the best player the team needs them to be. Holland should be signing a goalie who has the ability to be a starter in the event Koskinen turns into Scott Darling 2.0. Then, the third priority should be to improve the defense. They have enough left-handed defenders that they could actually lose one or two and not have it affect them all that much in my opinion.
#AskBLH Mailbag
@rinklyfebabe asks: What goalie should the Oilers be looking at?
An affordable one… Somebody in the $2M to $3M range and can play 30 or even 40 games next season. I like Petr Mrazek here but I wonder how the relationship between Mike Smith and Dave Tippett will come into play here?
@tusen_bitar asks: Where can you “find” Oilers team spirit? Does it exist?
I’ve heard that there are a few clubs downtown where the Oilers team spirit has been spotted… I joke!
I don’t really know how to answer your question. I’d say when they start winning, you’ll see some team spirit.
@StillAStyxFan asks a two-parter: Which of these dmen will get moved out first, Benning, Sekera, Russell, or Manning? Do you think one of Caleb Jones, Joel Persson, or William Lagesson crack the top six?
There’s a bit of chatter arising that the Oilers might buy someone out… So if that’s the case, it’ll probably be Sekera, which would be a mistake. If it’s a trade, I see Benning or Russell moving on.
I do think that at least one of those three defenders will start the year in Edmonton if not two. My money is on Persson.
@DieterWentzel asks: Will Holland upgrade Hunter? Could they pick up Connor’s old linemates?
I’ve got no insider scoop on the NHL’s scariest mascot Dieter, sorry! As for your other question, I wish I knew which linemates you were speaking of. Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, or Andre Burakovsky? Taylor Hall? Pat Maroon? It’s possible. I’ve heard that WAS likes Puljujarvi and are looking to move Burakovsky…
@ArchivistSports asks: What happens to Puljujarvi? If he stays in Edmonton, I think he’ll be more hated until he proves something.
Well SA, you’ve got a point there. If he’s not moved this week before July 1st, I think we’re looking at Holland calling his bluff…
@OilDoug asks: Who is going to be traded and when? Holland worked the floor too hard at the draft for something not to happen.
Well Doug, back in the dark days of Chiarelli, he used to work the floors like a madman too and rarely did he come out of it with anything more than his hands in his pockets. Lots of times GMs are simply setting up future moves here and I suspect a lot of that was done in Vancouver during draft weekend.
If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask me, catch me on Twitter @beerleagueheroe! Thanks for your questions everyone and I look forward to next week’s “Free Agent Frenzy” mailbag! There should be lots to talk about!
