BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Rickard Rakell (ANA), Luke Glendening (DET), Tanner Pearson (VAN) and more!
BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!
NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here.
Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.
A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.
Are the Edmonton Oilers Going Duck Hunting? Read about the latest trade rumor here!
NHL Rumors and Speculation
The Athletic posted their most recent NHL trade deadline board and here are a few names I think might be of interest to Edmonton Oilers fans.
- 5. Rickard Rakell, Ducks: He is 27 and has this year and next remaining on a contract with a relatively modest $3.789 cap hit. While he’s not lighting it up right now, his shooting percentage this year is unsustainably low — 1.7 percent.
- 8. Brandon Sutter, Canucks: Sutter is quietly having an effective season. Injury issues have held him back in the past, but he’s been healthy this year and even if his salary-cap number is higher than you’d like ($4.375 million), he’s on an expiring contract and can immediately solidify the bottom half of any contending team’s roster.
- 13. Luke Glendening, Red Wings: He’s just about the perfect depth add for a team hoping to make a long playoff run. For a team high on skill but looking for an edge on their fourth line, Glendening might be the best option. He wins a ton of faceoffs and is miserable to play against.
- 18. Tanner Pearson, Canucks: At 28, and earning $3.75 million on an expiring contract, Pearson can play a middle-third role on any team looking for scoring. “He’d have some value. He’s a good solid winger,” said an exec. “Not flashy but he can produce. He can play with good players.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Obviously there’d be issues trading with any club south of the border but Edmonton needs a bottom-6 right-shot center to take some of the faceoff pressure off of Leon Draisaitl. If he’s the only guy they can depend on to take draws AND he’s dealing with a wrist problem, they could be in a heap of trouble as the season wears on because they need the reigning MVP. Sutter and Glendening could solve that problem for the Oilers I feel.
Another issue that is starting to fester is scoring off the wing in the top-six. Dominik Kahun is starting to make clear why he’s been on so many teams in such short order. His defensive game drives coaches nuts. Last night he let William Nylander walk right past him off of a neutral zone faceoff and Toronto’s Swedish skiller went right in an put a backhand over Mikko Koskinen’s glove because of it and the game was basically given to the Maple Leafs.
Kahun is more suited for a 3rd line complementary scoring role I reckon. Someone who can move up and down the lineup as required and therefor wingers like Pearson and Rakell could make life a bit easier for Edmonton’s big centers and their coach in my opinion.
These two losses to the Leafs should serve notice to the Oilers brass. They’re not as deep as they thought they were and there is still some work to do but it can be done creatively and effectively.
That said, it’s got to be done quickly.
Much like the deals made close to the deadline in 2006, the #Oilers need moves for modern day equivalents to:
G – Roloson
LHD – Spacek
LW – Samsonov pic.twitter.com/i2f3jGli8q— Paul Almeida (@AzorcanGlobal) March 2, 2021
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