Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!
From Lowetide.ca
LARSSON
- Many on this blog were not in favour of signing Larsson, and many balked at my assertion that $4 million times four years would be required. Now? That may not be enough to get him. Larsson will be a unique free agent, a RH shutdown defender on the good side of 30.
- The list of possible replacements isn’t promising. A quick glance at the free-agent pile gives up Mike Stone and dozens of other candidates who boil down to six levels of Dylan McIlrath. Not going to be easy. No sir.
TYLER BENSON
- Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Tyler Benson isn’t the next Ryan Smyth. However, the Oilers don’t know what he is yet, having deployed him in just seven NHL games.Josh Archibald can be replaced in free agency, Zack Kassian’s contract means he won’t be chosen and even if he was those dollars could be used elsewhere.Benson is a value contract, offers Edmonton a player at a position of weakness, and can make plays with depth linemates (shown with a lovely pass to Archibald for his only NHL point.
BLH’s Thoughts: If Adam Larsson finds a new home this summer, the Oilers will be up shit creek without a paddle unless a miracle occurs and they can find a way to sign Dougie Hamilton or get Rasmus Ristolainen in a reasonable trade.
I suspect Evan Bouchard will come out of the blocks like a bat out of hell but there’ll still be somewhat of a learning curve that every young defender goes through. Ethan Bear might be training harder than ever this offseason, but last season’s performance has raised questions within Edmonton’s coaching ranks, so he’ll be starting 2021-22 with that ball and chain locked to his ankle…
What I’m trying to say is that the Oilers will be in for a challenging year if they have to rely on Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard to marshall the club’s top-four on the right side. That said, there’s enough potential talent amongst that pair that it’s very possible they emerge as what everybody in the organization is hoping.
As for Tyler Benson, two regimes have thought it best he go down to Bakersfield to work on his game and he’s yet to impress them enough to get more than a handful of games in the NHL. He’s had numerous off-seasons to get his skating to an acceptable level and Jay Woodcroft even did him a solid by getting him on Bakersfield’s PK this past year in order to give him another skill that might get him a shot with the Oilers, but nadda!
With Josh Archibald, the coach trusts him A LOT and therefor I cannot see the GM taking this player away from his coach in order to save a few bucks. On top of that, Archie hits, isn’t afraid of anybody, and is a good skater.
I think the same goes for Kassian but instead of the coach trusting him, the players trust him and if Duncan Keith sees enough value in Kass to single him out in his first interview as an Oiler with positive words, the GM isn’t going to lose him for nothing.
As I’ve said before, the time for experimenting with questionable NHL prospects is over. Connor has laid his foot down and has let it be known, it’s time to bring in some established NHLers who’ve been to the show and have won.
From Spector’s Hockey
NHL Rumor Mill – July 17, 2021
THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports the Columbus Blue Jackets are letting it be known they don’t have to trade Seth Jones this summer. They’ve set a high asking price, seeking a combination of young NHL players, prospects and draft picks. However, it doesn’t appear they’re getting any offers to their liking for the 26-year-old defenseman.
TVA SPORTS: listed six candidates for the Montreal Canadiens to pursue as a potential replacement for Shea Weber. The 35-year-old defenseman could miss all of next season recovering from various injuries.
Seth Jones topped the list, following by Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie and Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton. Edmonton’s Adam Larsson, Calgary’s Mark Giordano and Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen rounded out the list.
THE ATHLETIC: Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal report Vancouver Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby is drawing interest from the Seattle Kraken and other teams around the league. At least one team from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference are believed among the suitors.
BLH’s Thoughts: Personally, I think holding on to Seth Jones until the trade deadline in order to create a season-long bidding war is a really decent plan. Especially if the offers are shite at the moment.
Here’s an interesting question, what happens if Carey Price gets claimed by Seattle AND Shea Weber is done? That’s got to be close to $20M in salary that Marc Bergevin could use to bring in some really good hockey players. Dougie Hamilton might be a quiet dude, but could he be tempted to sign with the Habs for big money? What about Alexander Ovechkin? What about both?
I haven’t heard anything, but I do wonder if Braden Holtby would interest the Oilers. Oilers fans, could you get behind a Mike Smith/Holtby tandem for 2021-22?
From The Cult of Hockey (Kurt Leavins)
At the 11th hour, the Edmonton Oilers make their final plans for expansion: 9 Things
- 8. There is no question Kyle Turris failed to live up to any expectations with the Oilers in Year 1. But I’ll give him credit: The guy never made any excuses and since has decided to spend the off-season in Edmonton training, in hopes of rebounding. I respect that. I hope he proves everyone (including me) wrong.
BLH’s Thoughts: If Turris can come back and have a rebound year, that would relieve some of the pressure that is on Ken Holland right now. In his last appearance with Edmonton, I do believe Coach Tippett had him playing wing, and there was an urgency in his game that I’d not seen all year. Now, that could’ve been because he was chomping at the bit to get back on the ice or maybe he was a tad embarrassed at being a healthy scratch, who knows? But I noticed the effort and I don’t imagine I was the only one.
- 7. Defenceman Ethan Bear is also back training in Edmonton. Between a contract distraction in 2020, COVID-related lockdowns that interrupted everything and a summer training regime in the Okanagan, Bear never really did get on track last year. So, Ethan is back to the scene of the off-season that led to his breakthrough 2019-20 campaign. I take that as a good sign.
BLH’s Thoughts: As I said earlier, the seeds of mistrust have already been sown with regards to Bear’s relationship with his coaches. He’ll need to have one helluva training camp in order to reverse that. Let’s hope this new (old) training environment rebuilds his confidence and gives him an extra gear to work with.
What I’m going to need to remember to keep an eye on in 2021-22 is how Edmonton’s coaching staff deploys him as his current deal will be expiring.
- 6. I think it was Jonathan Willis that first floated the possibility of Alex Chiasson as a late-Summer re-signing in Edmonton for the right price. The suggestion has merit. Through our Cult of Hockey Game Grades process, I charted many of Chiasson’s games closely. He regularly had a positive impact on games, very rarely a negative one, and he’s a good pro.
BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer has made mention now and then since the season ended that he could foresee a scenario where Chiasson returns on the cheap and I’m all for it on the condition that he’s not stealing Jesse Puljujarvi’s earned spot on the first unit PP. I think Pulju deserves a longer look as the net-front presence on the NHL’s best powerplay.
- 4. There are some people who are convinced that Adam Larsson is all but locked up in Edmonton, too. SportsNet’s Mark Spector mused Saturday about a 4-year, $3.9m contract. I don’t disagree with him on the projected range on either salary or term. But I do get mixed signals on the status of the negotiation. Once source that would have an opportunity to speak with both sides in that negotiation thinks Larsson may in fact hit the UFA market, if for no other reason that to see which way the wind is blowing.
BLH’s Thoughts: Between Leavins and Stauffer, they’re afraid Larsson will have his head turned by another club and I get that fear-based opinion, but Adam has earned the right to go through the UFA experience and if he’s right for the Oilers, he’ll sign with them. If he’s not right for Edmonton, that’ll open up the door for somebody else. Simple as that.
Despite possibly leaving the team I support in a very precarious position should he leave, I’ll be happy for The Iron Swede as I’ve enjoyed his time as an Edmonton Oiler. I’d like him to stay, but if he signs with Edmonton, by the time he’s a UFA again, his career might be over, unless he’s the next coming of Ken Daneyko (a multiple Stanley Cup winner btw).
With all of that in mind, Spector seems really confident that Larsson will be re-signing with the team. Enough so that he’s willing to put his professional reputation on the line.
- 3. News came on Saturday that the Dallas Stars had inked Miro Heiskanen to an 8-year, $68M extension. The AVV will be $8.45m. I would keep this contract in mind when it comes time for Edmonton to lock up Darnell Nurse on a long-term deal.
- Tyler Benson I have time for. But we still don’t know what he is. Nobody does. And Benson’s relative lack of foot speed makes his ability to crack an NHL lineup suspect.
BLH’s Thoughts: Heiskanen is a bloody fantastic defender and he’s so electric and dymanic, one of the most entertaining hockey players in the entire league, for sure.That said, Nurse is going to get $8M AAV or more on his next deal and he deserves it. I doubted him early in his career, but not any more. Nurse is the real deal and if he can keep up that 5v5 scoring rate, he’ll prove it even further.Edmonton will try to sell him on the future of the club and get him down to $7.5M though. Will Darnell take a “hometown” discount?
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