Bob Stauffer on Yamamoto: “He needs to be here. He NEEDS to be here!”

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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Edmonton Sun

Nugent-Hopkins hoping revamped Edmonton Oilers can finally push through

Aggressive off-season moves by general manager Ken Holland haven’t been popular with all of the fans, but there is a different look and feel to this year’s team and the 28-year-old likes it a lot.

“We know it’s not easy and we’re finding that out the hard way, but the guys coming in have a lot of playoff experience. They know how hard it is and what it’s going to take and that’s exactly what we need.”

The two biggest additions are six-foot-one, 211-pound left winger Zach Hyman and three-time Stanley cup champion and two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith. Those are big additions that check off a lot of boxes.

“We obviously had to improve that and it’s something I’m pretty excited about,” said Nugent-Hopkins, adding Hyman is precisely what they need.”

Keith is 38 with a lot of hard miles on him, but having played against him enough in recent years, Nugent-Hopkins has a good sense of what the veteran defenceman has left in the tank. He doesn’t think anyone in Edmonton will be talking about his age for very long.

“He’s one of the most fit guys in the league. He’s always been known as that. Guys like that don’t taper off like a lot of guys do. We played him in the bubble and he has tremendous poise back there and an ability to get pucks through to the net for rebounds and tips.”

There are other pieces — Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan and Cody Ceci – added to a core that should still be getting better with age. So, like every September, there is reason to hope, even believe, that this really will be the year the Oilers do something big.

“In the past we might have as well, but this year we have some guys with experience, guys who’ve won and know what it takes.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Nuge sounds energized and ready to go. There’s a real buzz going into camp this year that this is a team that can do some damage IF the goaltending holds up and the defense doesn’t fall apart.

I was passed along a message from a source out West that, behind the scenes, a lot of teams are laughing at Edmonton’s goaltending. They think Smith’s contract is a joke and they’ve got no faith in Koskinen. So those two are going to have their work cut out for them in order to prove folks wrong.

Keep an eye out for Ryan McLeod, Bob Stauffer couldn’t stop talking about how fast he’s looking at the “Captain’s Skates”. If R-Mac can find a way to get comfortable getting some dirt on his nose, he could very well end up being one a feature player in their bottom-six instead of a complimentary one.

I do love the idea of a Foegele-McLeod-Yamamoto line though… Lots to like there. LOTS! Speed, grit, skill. Very cool!

Oilersnation

Welcome Back

There are those who argue there’s a connection between having revved up fans in the rink and seeing Kassian at his best — skating like a demon, walking a line bordering on mayhem and hacking the rubber into the net now and then. Maybe so, but I’m thinking being banged up with injuries had just as much to with what we saw, or didn’t see, from Kassian as empty seats did last season.

“I think everyone, not only myself but everyone, is extremely excited to get back to get back to some normality here,” Kassian told Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer today… To go on the road and get the boos. That, to me, is hockey where you get the goosebumps, you get the adrenalin. It’s fun to play in away barns, it’s fun to play in home barns. Fans are a big, big, big part of hockey and there’s no doubt we missed them. In saying that, we’re very excited to get them back . . .”

To borrow from Kassian, big wingers who can skate, raise hell, impose their will and score a little are big, big, big. At his best, those traits have been Kassian’s calling card. Coach Dave Tippett could use some of that in a group of right wingers that will include Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and Josh Archibald.

BLH’s Thoughts: If you heard that interview on Oilers Now yesterday, you’d have noticed it sounds like there’s some pep in Zack’s voice. He sounds really optimistic and in a good place and I don’t think it’s far fetched to say that he knows what he’s got to do. I’d also go as far as to predict, he’s going to get it done and early as the Oilers first two games are against Kass’ old club in Vancouver and the Calgary Flames.

Have you noticed the tide turning on Kailer Yamamoto recently amongst the Oilers fanbase and the media covering the club? Check out this text a fella named “KDK” sent into Oilers Now,

“If Yamamoto doesn’t want to sign a 2yr deal then the Oilers should trade him or add him to part of a Koskinen deal. Anybody who’s too selfish to be on this team based on money relative to what they’re worth should just be moved on and done with. It’s clear that Yamo has a great opportunity to succeed and get paid in the long run, he just has to stop being your typical young American player and figure it out.”

Ouch! Bob Stauffer went on to say very sternly that Yamamoto NEEDS to be in camp because he fears the same could happen with him what happened to Ethan Bear last year… I don’t see the text messages getting any nicer if Killer doesn’t get signed quick, Edmonton’s mega annoying 3rd line needs him!

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Kevin Kurz was asked what potential return the San Jose Sharks could get if they traded Tomas Hertl.

Kurz speculates the Sharks would want a first-round pick as part of the return. He also believes they’ll have to get a high-end prospect, “preferably someone who could play NHL games ahead of or along the same timeline” as Sharks prospects like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Joe Haggerty suggested Hertl as a trade option for the Bruins if Charlie Coyle struggles to replace David Krejci as their second-line center. He proposed offering up a first-rounder and Jack Studnicka if the Sharks center becomes available.

THE BOSTON GLOBE: Matt Porter suggests Nashville Predators general manager David Poile should give consideration to trading Filip Forsberg this season. The 27-year-old winger is slated to become a UFA next summer.

With the Predators “lacking oomph on the roster” and shipping out veterans like Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson, they might think about peddling him for “exciting prospects and younger NHLers who have yet to peak.”