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!
- Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
- Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
- Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
- Facebook: Beer League Heroes
Sportsnet
Will Keith’s experience help push team forward?
- In Edmonton, Keith will play second-pairing minutes on a much better team, likely with veteran right-shot Cody Ceci. He’ll kill penalties but see minimal powerplay time. As such, his minutes and the competition he’ll face will be more suitable for a 38-year-old.
- At camp, we’ll be watching for his ability to hit forwards with accurate breakout passes, and we’ll want to see the state of what was once a world-class ability to skate the puck out of the defensive zone and be a factor in trailing plays off the rush.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’d be willing to bet that Keith will be one of the better skaters from the start of camp considering his rigid offseason training regime. The change that he’ll have to go through this season is not being “the guy” on defense as that job belongs to Darnell Nurse and to a lesser extent, Tyson Barrie.
Edmonton Sun
Steep learning curve for Oilers Russian goalie prospect Ilya Konovalov
- Ilya Konovalov, bypassed in three NHL drafts before the Edmonton Oilers took a flier on the Anton Khudobin-sized Russia goalie in the third-round in 2019 when he was 21…
- He’s 23, so a little late to the North American party, but he’s intriguing. Economy-size by NHL goalie standards, but he’s played against men in Russia for three years…
- Konovalov will learn on the job, although the size of the NHL rink may not be such a big deal.
“It’s going to take time to adjust but there are many rinks in Russia that are North American size now. It’s not a big problem,” he said.
This ‘n That:
- Goalie Alex Stalock, 34, who played in the annual Da Beauty League with other NHLers in Minnesota this summer and has another year on his Oiler contract at $785,000, hasn’t been at the Captain’s Skates. He might not be here for start of Oiler camp.
- At present, there are no plans to bring an extra right-shot (Jason Demers, Sami Vatanen) defenceman in on an Oiler PTO.
BLH’s Thoughts: I thought Konovalov looked steady yesterday in Calgary. The game was a bit of a snoozer, mind you, and I’m not sure how much he was really tested. The two goals he did let in, he didn’t really have much of a chance on.
Interesting note on Stalock projecting to be late for the start of Oilers camp. For a veteran not to show up for the beginning of training camp, there must be something up. Is he injured? There’s talk there are some players yet to be vaccinated, might he be one of them? Maybe there are visa troubles.
Spector’s Hockey
NHL.COM: Tracey Myers recently reported Tomas Hertl isn’t concerned about his future with the San Jose Sharks. He’s an unrestricted free agent next July but claims his focus is on the upcoming season.
STLTODAY.COM: In a recent mailbag, Tom Timmermann was asked about the status of Robert Thomas… The Blues are pressed against the $81.5 million salary cap. With Oskar Sundqvist expected to go on long-term injury reserve to start the season, they’ll have around $3.5 million to work with as they attempt to sign Thomas… Timmermann also suggests this gives the Blues a little more time to find a trade partner for Vladimir Tarasenko.
