That’s it! Another draft is in the books and I have to say, after day 1, I was slightly disappointed that the Oilers didn’t take my boy Matthew Boldy. I couldn’t really wrap my head around the idea of Edmonton leaking out who they were going to pick more than a week in advance of the draft. That said, two possibilities did cross my mind,
- They were trying to lure a team into offering up a package to move up. Vancouver being the most likely team as there were rumors they would’ve liked to have a higher pick.
- They were simply letting it be known who they were taking. Not the best course of action in my opinion, but it is what it is.
The thing is, as I sat and gave the thought of Philip Broberg more time, I came to appreciate the pick more and more. Every report I read on the big Swede said that he had some sort of issue with his defensive IQ, but if you think about it, what high-end offensive defenseman that has EVER come through the draft hasn’t had those?
(I’ll be getting in touch with some folks in Sweden soon and doing a bit more homework on this player. So I hope I can bring you something you haven’t read yet on him in the coming weeks.)
This player is one of the youngest in the draft and he was playing 2nd division pro in Sweden. All the while staying afloat against men and playing a safe game. This tells me that he’s open to instruction and is coachable, I like that. When he did lace up the blades vs. his peers, he was undoubtedly one of the most dominant players on the ice at any given time.
So if he can perform like that vs his peers now, who’s to say he won’t be able to do that against them in the future. He’s 6’3″ right now, but I’m thinking he’s going to grow a bit more yet. He might end up being 6’5″ and 225lbs when all is said and done. Add to this that he wants to work on his physicality…
It’s kind of hard to give this guy an NHL comparable because he rushes the puck so well and he’s so big. I can’t really think of a man as tall as Broberg with this sort of skill. Maybe Larry Robinson but he hit like a freight train and he was one mean son of a bitch. Right now, that’s not part of Broberg’s repertoire.
I’ve said he reminds me of Brent Burns a bit whereas others have said he’s more like John Klingberg. Now, both Burns and Broberg were forwards who converted to defense, right? At best, we’re probably looking at a lesser version of some Burns/Klingberg hybrid but if he can find a way to pattern his game after his favorite player (play the video below if you don’t know who that is), that would be quite advantageous for the Oilers.
As for Raphael Lavoie, I’ve been high on him since the beginning of the year. My favorite player was Mario Lemieux, so when a big guy with hands who can score goals comes out of the “Q” arrises, it perks my ears.
But I’d heard throughout the year that perhaps he had some “issues” and I wanted to be sure so I contacted a scout for a successful QMJHL team and I asked him for his uncensored opinion of Lavoie,
Lavoie is an “if” player. That means, no one is willing to be unsure in round #1. Really good shot but other than that I’m wondering why he was considered a first round pick. His compete level is not the best and also, he’s 6’4″ but not physical. 1v1 battles are lost a majority of the time. In tight spots he’s not the best with the puck. Honestly, That’s a good pick in the 2nd round but the kid has to work on A LOT of things, specifically his attitude.
I saw him play all year and he was never a first round pick for me.
Yikes… That said, Mario wasn’t known for his stellar attitude when he joined the Penguins in ’84 either. Someone told me his dad is the mayor of a small town outside Montreal and he’d ran into some problems not too long ago. I guess that person was right. Not that any of that should matter for Raphael, but if it’s said that he has some mental shortcomings, you’d like to know to what extent they go.
(How many readers will come away from this thinking I believe Lavoie is the next Mario Lemieux now or that I’m shit-talking this player?…)
Did anybody else here Bob Green (Edmonton’s director of player personnel and head amateur scout) say that Bill Scott should be happy with this pick because he could go to Bakersfield next season?
- Isn’t Bill Scott the Oilers cap management expert?
- Do you think it would be a good idea for Lavoie to leave Halifax and start his pro career in Bakersfield next season?
It’s been said that if Lavoie has a good center passing him the puck he’ll be very dangerous. Luckily, the Oilers have some pretty decent centers, eh?
The Oilers third pick in the draft this year ended up being the KHL rookie of the year. I’ll be honest, I’d never even heard of Ilya Konovalov, but I guess he’ll be backstopping Craig MacTavish’s team for the next two seasons unless he’s dealt.
Konovalov is only 6-feet tall, which is short by today’s standards for goaltenders, and so my thinking is that if he can turn out to be the next Anton Khudobin, I’ll be happy.
I don’t mind Edmonton taking him here because they’ll still have to wait a couple of seasons before they can bring him over BUT they won’t have to wait five or more seasons for him to be ready as they would if they’d taken the goalie I liked in this draft, Dustin Wolf. But had they not selected the double-overager who’ll be 21 next month, I’d have liked to have seen them take Semyon Chistyakov.
In the fourth round, a young Czech shooter who plays the left-wing by the name of Matej Blumel was taken. Again, probably not my first choice but at this point, it’s apparent that the Oilers were taking players that wouldn’t have to be signed very quickly. Blumel will go to play in the NCAA next season and he could spend three or four years there developing. When his time is over at the collegiate level, he’ll be in his early 20s and at that point a mature young man. His required time spent in the minors would most likely be minimal, basically allowing him to sign an ELC as an older player and really give the Oilers and decided upper hand.
Maybe Holland sees this young man as the next Jake Guentzel or something, who knows?!
#Oilers draft pick Tomas Mazura will join another Oilers draft pick in Vincent Desharnais next season at Providence College and Matej Blumej will go to the Univ. of Conneticut and get coached by a former teammate of Alex Chiasson, Joe Pereira.
The Hockey world is small…
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) June 23, 2019
Funny enough, in the 6th round, Matej Blumel’s best buddy was taken by the Oilers. Tomas Mazura played US High School for Kimball Union last year. He’s a tall lanky center with some good playmaking skills. Another long-term project.
I might’ve taken super speedster Leevi Aaltonen here or perhaps the enigmatic Blake Murray.
With their last pick, the Oilers analytics team went to work and picked a diminutive center from Craig MacTavish’s new team in Russia, Maxim Denezhkin. I won’t begin to try and describe this player for you because I have no idea who he is. To me he sounds like one of those tiny skillers that you see racking up the points in European leagues that never come over to North America.
I might’ve taken someone like Kristian Tanus, Billy Constantinou (possibly Broberg’s teammate next season), or Michael Gildon but who am I but a lowly armchair GM and scout?
All in all, I don’t think it was an amazing draft for the Oilers. I like the potential of the top two selections and I’m intrigued by the Russian netminder but my list would’ve looked a bit different at the end of the day on Saturday.
Just a couple of other notes:
- The draft didn’t exactly shout out Bob Green to me. One player drafted out of the CHL? I wonder if his days are numbered amongst others in the scouting department, both pro, and amateur.
- It didn’t really scream out Keith Gretzky either if I’m being honest. But his job seems to be secure, so no need to speculate there.
- Bob Green made mention that Bill Scott should be happy because Raphael Lavoie is eligible to play in Bakersfield next season. I’m not super tight on the rules there but if that indeed is the case, 1) Would you rather see Lavoie in Bakersfield or Halifax next year and 2) Isn’t Bill Scott the director of salary cap management? Why would he be happy if Lavoie was in Bakersfield or not? I was under the impression that Keith Gretzky was the GM of the Condors…
- Is it weird that MacTavish is going to be overseeing two of Edmonton’s draft picks in Russia next season? Green said that it was a coincidence and that the final lists were done before MacT got the job but what team in the history of the NHL finalized their draft lists in the middle of May? I call BS on Bobby here…
The BLH 2019 Top 50 NHL Draft Prospects
As you know, I did up a list of the 50 best prospects for this year’s draft and I have to say, I think I did ok. 40 of my suggestions were indeed taken by pick #50. Here’s my list again and the pick that player was taken in brackets. The players in bold are the ones that slipped out of my top 50.
- (1) Jack Hughes – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (2) Kappo Kakko – RW – TPS (SM-Liiga)
- (4) Bowen Byram – LHD – Vancouver (WHL)
- (5) Alex Turcotte – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (12) Matthew Boldy – LW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (10) Vasili Podkolzin – RW – SKA-Neva (VHL)
- (15) Cole Caufield – RW – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- ( 16) Alex Newhook – C – Victoria (BCHL)
- (3) Kirby Dach – C – Saskatoon (WHL)
- (9) Trevor Zegras – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (7) Dylan Cozens – C – Lethbridge (WHL)
- (17) Peyton Krebs – C – Kootenay (WHL)
- (13) Spencer Knight – G – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (38) Raphael Lavoie – C – Halifax (QMJHL)
- (14) Cam York – LHD – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (11) Viktor Soderstrom – RHD – Brynas (SHL)
- (8) Philip Broberg – LHD – AIK (Allsvenskan)
- (79) Pavel Dorofeyev -LW – Magnitogorsk (KHL)
- (18) Thomas Harley – LHD – Mississauga (OHL)
- (23) Simon Holmstrom – RW – HV71 J20 (Superelit)
- (34) Bobby Brink – RW – Sioux City (USHL)
- (26) Jakob Pelletier – LW – Moncton (QMJHL)
- (6) Mortiz Seider – RHD – Mannheim (DEL)
- (40) Nils Hoglander – LW – Rogle (SHL)
- (22) Tobias Bjornfot – LHD – Djurgardens J20 (Superelit)
- (19) Lassi Thomson – RHD – Kelowna (WHL)
- (28) Ryan Suzuki – C – Barrie (OHL)
- (49) Matthew Robertson – LHD – Edmonton (WHL)
- (24) Phil Tomasino – C – Niagara (OHL)
- (25) Connor McMichael – C – London (OHL)
- (20) Ville Heinola – LHD – Luuko (SM-Liiga)
- (30) John Beecher – C – USNTDP (USHL/NCAA)
- (21) Samuel Poulin – RW – Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
- (33) Arthur Kaliyev – RW – Hamilton (OHL)
- (52) Vladislav Kolyachonok – LHD – Flint (OHL)
- (73) Patrik Puistola – RW – Tappara U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)
- (54) Robert Mastrosimone – LW – Chicago (USHL)
- (66) Albin Grewe – RW – Djurgardens U20 (Superelit)
- (117) Semyon Chistyakov – LHD – Tolpar (MHL)
- (29) Brayden Tracey – LW – Moose Jaw (WHL)
- (45) Yegor Afanseyev – LW – Muskegon (USHL)
- (27) Nolan Foote – LW – Kelowna (WHL)
- (83) Anttoni Honka – RHD – Jukurit (SM-Liiga)
- (31) Ryan Johnson – LHD – Sioux Falls (USHL)
- (49) Nic Robertson – LW – Peterborough (OHL)
- (88) Ilya Nikolaev – C – Loko Yaroslav (MHL)
- (44) Jamieson Rees – C – Sarnia
- (39) Jackson Lacombe – LHD – Shattuck (MIN- HS)
- (32) Shante Pinto – C – Tri-City (USHL)
- (122) Ethan Keppen – LW – Flint (OHL)
Jesse Puljujarvi, Gone This Week?
Late last night, Kurt Leavins of the Cult of Hockey reported that he expects the Oilers to trade Jesse Puljujarvi before July 1st and his reason why the big Finn would be dealt this week was…
- The Oilers are tight to the salary cap.
At the time of writing, the Oilers’ cap space sits at $8.33M according to Cap Friendly or $9.4M according to Puckpedia.
Ty Rattie and Tobias Rieder aren’t being re-signed nor do I imagine Tyler Vesel and Colin Larkin are. So that leaves JJ Khaira, who’s been linked to Vancouver and our boy Pulju. Even if the Oilers were to re-up both Khaira and Puljujarvi, how much would they really cost? $3M maybe? $2M? Not enough to make a dent in my opinion.
But that said, Holland has said he needs to “sign or acquire” a backup goalie and he’d like to add some middle 6 forwards as well. He needs to free up some room on the defense because he has seven defenders on 1-way deals.
Does that mean Joonas Donskoi or the guy that Leavins said in his post, Brett Connolly, who’d probably come in around $3M?
I don’t think Connolly is going to sign for $3M at all. If Kevin Hayes is getting near $7M for a shade over 50pts last year, do we actually think that Connolly who had 46pts is going to sign $3M x 3 yrs? Not me, but Mr. Leavins and Mr. Stauffer seem to think so and they’ve got contacts that are right in the thick of things (Stauffer is tight with Connolly’s agent Gerry Johansson), so maybe I’m wrong.
So if the Oilers pay to move out Kris Russell for example, they won’t be “tight to the cap” and thus the narrative that’s being thrown out here is voided.
I’m not against the idea of trading Jesse anymore. It seems like a foregone conclusion as it is, which is a shame. I’m just not buying the reasons that are being thrown out there like “salary cap”, but if I had to read the bones on this, I feel like it’s being rushed a bit and the return for Puljujarvi isn’t going to be anything you’ll be bragging to your buddies about.
Holland has said he’s had “lots of calls, lots of calls” on Puljujarvi and Leavins repeats that. I don’t doubt they’re getting calls on him, they’ve been getting those since before Chiarelli was fired; going back to last season I believe. GMs are still trying to fleece the Oilers on him, right?
Why in the world would you trade a player so young, with so much potential to realize still for a player who “has 30-150 NHL games on their resume but with comparable struggles”? Are we thinking that this “struggling” player is going to help Edmonton win more from the bottom six than someone like Patrick Russell or Joe Gambardella?
Maybe Holland is softening his tough stance on Jesse since he said he’d be happy to watch him score lots of goals in Finland last week? Maybe the offers are getting better? Who knows?
I’m just saying, none of this is adding up. You?
