September 22, 2021 /

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Archibald, Keith, and Possibly Stalock to Sit Out Start of Training Camp

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!

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Edmonton Sun

Oilers defenceman Phillip Broberg draws comparisons to Jay Bouwmeester
  • When the Edmonton Oilers best defence prospect becomes a regular, is there any reason why Broberg, 20, can’t be a Bouwmeester facsimile?
  • Same size, same skating ability, same defence-first-with-some offence trait. If Broberg, who will get a long look at training camp but will start the season in Bakersfield, turns into Bouwmeester, this is a major win.
  • Bouwmeester, who turns 38 next week and retired because of heart issues, played 1,240 NHL games.
    • He won a Stanley Cup in St. Louis and played on the 2006 and 2014 Canadian Olympic teams.
    • His skating allowed him to choke off attacking players, he had a great stick to knock down pucks.
    • Not overly aggressive, he still used his frame effectively and he always made a strong, first pass up ice, or he carried it out.
  • It’s more congested on left D here right now. Maybe Oilers see him as a possibility on right D, not just left. Jonas Brodin has done that his whole NHL career in Minnesota, playing his off-side, and well.

This ‘N That:

  • Not sure of a reason why, but don’t believe we’ll be seeing goalie Alex Stalock at Oiler medicals and fitness testing Wednesday. Maybe not at Oiler camp at all.
  • Kris Russell is taking Adam Larsson’s No. 6 with Oilers retiring Kevin Lowe’s No. 4 on Nov. 5.

BLH’s Thoughts: Broberg is going to be a fantastic NHL defensemen, but I don’t know how long he’ll play in the league with the way that he positions himself to get destroyed by heavy forecheckers in his own zone. He’s going to need to work on getting thicker so as to absorb those checks better or his brain/feet are going to have to het a helluva lot faster. 

Stalock joins Duncan Keith and possibly Josh Archibald as members of the Edmonton Oilers who will miss the start of training camp. 

Now, we know that Duncan Keith’s excuse is because he’s awaiting his second vaccination shot for COVID. GM Ken Holland will be discussing that later on today (9/22/2021). 

There are rumors running rampant that Josh Archibald (who is in Edmonton)  may not be vaccinated at all, we don’t know that’s the case, but he’s not been skating with the rest of the team according to Tom Gazzola. So that might lend some credence to the rumors in addition to some anti-vax stuff that’s appeared on his Twitter account.

Not sure what’s up with Alex Stalock aside from what Matheson has put out. Has his heart issue flared up again? The American netminder says he wants to play out his final year with the Oilers, however the fact that Matheson is saying that Stalock will be missing physicals and maybe training camp altogether doesn’t speak well to him re-joining the team anytime soon.

So speculate what you will there and add that to the fact that Elliotte Friedman said in his latest 32 Thoughts that he thinks Edmonton isn’t done in net… 

It’s been pretty sunshiny with regards to Oilers news this offseason, I was wondering when the rainy clouds would start to hover over the team.

Oilersnation

Yamamoto and Puljujarvi. Who Takes a Step?
  • Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi and Ryan McLeod will be unrestricted free agents next summer.
  • What type of production will lead to a significant raise? Twenty goals and 40-45 points will lead to a solid raise.
  • I don’t believe it is realistic to expect both Puljujarvi and Yamamoto to score 20 goals.
  • I think Puljujarvi will continue to improve his point totals… I could see him scoring 55 points, maybe more depending how he does on the power play.
  • It also helps that he had tried two new stick patterns this off-season. Small tweaks on his lie will help him handle the puck better.
  • It is realistic to expect Puljujarvi to score 23-27 goals.
  • Yamamoto will need to produce if he wants to play in the top six regularly. He spent 81% of his 5×5 TOI with Draisaitl and/or McDavid. Four goals in 40 games won’t get you that opportunity now.
  • The challenge is he is 5’6″ and 155 pounds. Battling much larger men takes a physical toll. He will go to the net without the puck, but he does struggle getting there with the puck on his stick when defenders can impede his progress. 
  • He doesn’t have the velocity to be an outside shooter, so if he wants to produce offence he needs to find ways to get to the net more with the puck or he has to play with a great passer.
  • When skill is similar size is a big advantage and Puljujarvi’s strength combined with his skill sets him to be the one to have a breakout season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Gregor goes into a lot of detail to find suitable comps for Yamamoto in this post and I encourage you to head over to read them. 

If we go by Gregor’s findings, then it isn’t inconceivable to think the Oilers could keep both wingers next season as Yamo’s deal, unless he turns into Brad Marchand, will most likely come in a lot cheaper than Puljujarvi’s. 

If Pulju blows up and gets 55pts next year, he’ll be looking for Farabee/Batherson $$$, whereas Killer might only end up with something closer to what Tyler Bertuzzi or Anthony Beauvillier make IF he blows up and that’s over $4M.

But is that a realistic scenario? Can both youngsters hit 50pts in 2021-22? It’d be rad, but I don’t see it. 

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal cited sources in Pettersson’s camp saying the young center has departed Vancouver and flown to Michigan to be with Hughes. Both are close friends and represented by agents Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry. They will remain in Michigan preparing for the upcoming season while awaiting a resolution in negotiations.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the lines of communication remain open between the Senators and Tkachuk but the two sides remain at a stalemate. While things can change with one phone call, it’s expected the Senators will open training camp tomorrow without the 22-year-old left winger.

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CategoriesArmchair GM Beer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL Rumors

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Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!