Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!
Former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Brian Lawton was on Oilers Now yesterday and he had some very interesting things to say about the Duncan Keith and the rumors connecting the Blackhawks dman to Edmonton.
Can Duncan Keith still play?
- “He can still play. You have to take into account what system they’re playing, who’s coaching, a lot of different things, you just can’t go by last season and what the player’s numbers were, but that’s why you wanna blend. It’s not just straight numbers and it’s also not necessarily the eye test but taking into account other factors that don’t show up in the analytics.”
- “I like Duncan Keith for a variety of reasons, I think he can still skate, but it’s really his leadership. You cannot deny what Montreal was able to do plucking some veteran players like Corey Perry, even Eric staal too much lesser degree, that have added significantly to the mix.”
- “The Edmonton Oilers are a very young team, regardless of whether they get Duncan Keith or not, I believe they would be well served, they don’t have to be an old team, but to add at least a few veterans that could maybe help show the way to a lot of different players on this Edmonton team. Connor McDavid is Great, Leon Draisaitl is amazing, but neither one of them has gone deep in the playoffs in the National Hockey League. They have the pedigree to do it but it would make their lives a lot easier if you got some more veteran leadership in there.”
- “I would not take Duncan Keith at $5.5M, I will tell you that Bob, but I think that there’s some middle ground there. I really do think there’s a deal with Chicago potentially maintaining 30% to 50% of the salary. If that were to happen, I think this would be a very good deal for the Oilers depending on what they give up, not being anything other than what I’ve heard.”
- “A guy like Caleb Jones is expendable to me.”
Chicago doesn’t want to add money at this time, does that change the closer we get to putting in your expansion draft list?
- “It does for me.”
So what’s true today might not be true a week from now for Stan Bowman?
- “Correct. 100%. I don’t have any doubt about that. I talked to somebody the other day that was calling the NHL the nothing happening league in regard to moves made because of the salary cap crunch. Now there’s nothing you can do about that, it was a pandemic but it’s pretty stifled out there right now and that’s why I say “out of the box”.”
- “A day ago, a couple days ago, a guy like Phil Kessel, a guy that nobody would want in Edmonton, just got paid a $5 million signing bonus team. You have a team like Arizona, who isn’t so concerned about the cap hit, I expect a guy like him to be moved. Would Edmonton consider him? I’m not saying that, I’m just saying think outside of the box. Things you wouldn’t normally do, you have to consider. Arizona is looking for draft picks.”
If you’re Stan Bowman, are you taking James Neal back?
- “I wouldn’t do that. That’s just bad, that’s not realistic.”
- “What is realistic is recognizing Stan Bowman’s position though and Duncan does have a no move clause. He does have great performance in history and is revered by the fanbase behind him as well. So, he’s gonna dictate if it goes anywhere where he goes.”
- “He seems to have made it clear that he would accept a trade to Edmonton. Somehow you have to figure out a way to take advantage of that.”
Can Duncan Keith play in the NHL as a second pairing left-shot D in the NHL?
- “Yes, I do and I do think that’s part of thinking outside of the box. Everyone will discount him because his age, He’s 37 turning 38 very soon, but as a lot of players that have played, because of the way they’re conditioned, and Duncan Keith falls into this, guys can go longer than you normally expect.”
- “Duncan Keith to me is that Perry guy. I mean, he lead their team in ice time. The fans understand that, right?”
- “A team that had a surprisingly better season than a lot of people thought they would have, I think he was a big part of the reason for that. I didn’t like the way they necessarily played defensively and yet this guy got a ton out of himself last year playing against a system that didn’t favor for him.”
- “23 1/2 minutes of the game nearly. That’s pretty darn impressive if you ask me. The next closest guy was not a defenseman, it was Patrick Kane.”
- “Duncan Keith can still play, it’s a worthwhile risk. you’re not gonna find a lot of options this year, you gotta look under every rock to come up with the best possibilities for a team like Edmonton that desperately needs to add some veteran leadership in my opinion.”
What do you think McDavid and Draisaitl want Ken Holland to do?
- “Those guys would revere a player like Duncan Keith. They’re fully aware of his history and there’s not a lot of guys that are gonna move the needle for them, but he would be one of the few players in terms of respect that he would immediately bring to the club and I mean those guys would respect him enormously.”
BLH’s Thoughts: So, the major thing I took out of that portion of his spot on Stauffer’s show was there the closer we get to the July 17th deadline for teams to have their protection lists in for the expansion draft, the more flexible Chicago might get with regards to retaining salary on Duncan Keith in order to move him out.
I also think there’s a chance Edmonton could be talking to teams about players like Phil Kessel. Meaning skaters who’ve had big bonuses paid out and that play for teams who really need to move on from them. Actually, it wouldn’t shock me in the least if Kessel was actually somebody the Oilers were inquiring about. That would totally fall in line with the kind of move Ken Holland would make.
I like listening to Lawton speak. He doesn’t pull any punches and gives it to you straight but not in an assholey kind of way. He tells you what, why and how and from a very unique point of view given he’s been a 1st overall pick in the NHL, a GM, an agent, and a pundit too… One might say his lack of success in the National Hockey League also adds to the credibility of his wisdom.
From NHLTradeRumors.me
TSN’s Darren Dreger recently reported it wouldn’t come at a huge surprise to him to see the Edmonton Oilers try to get involved.
Dreger reported it wouldn’t shock him if Oilers general manager Ken Holland called Dubas and inquired about the asking price for Hyman’s negotiation rights. Imagine the Maple Leafs end up landing a first-round pick for Hyman, it’s certainly going to set off a fire storm of mixed feelings to the fan base.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the cost to acquire Hyman’s rights is a first round pick, I hope the Oilers pass on that ridiculous ask. The team is much better off sending Tyler Benson or another prospect over.
I wonder if Bob Stauffer’s player source with the Maple Leafs still thinks Hyman will re-sign with Toronto on the cheap?
From NHL Trade Talk
Vladimir Tarasenko Requests Trade From Blues, Where He Might Wind Up
Speculation is that Tarasenko’s camp has already given the Blues a list of preferred trade destinations. From what some have said, there are as many as 10 teams on that list.
When you consider that he’s a $7.5 million cap hit and his actual salary in 2021-22 is $9.5 million, that’s not an easy pill to swallow for many teams. For teams struggling financially, to ask them to take on someone with his injury history and pay almost $10 million, it will likely rule out a ton of potential buyers.
Rutherford writes:
- “The Islanders, who were knocked out of this year’s playoffs by Tampa Bay, have been mentioned as a possible fit. The New York Rangers, who have Tarasenko’s close friend Artemi Panarin (who is also represented by Theofanous) could be another. Would he waive his no-trade clause to play in Edmonton with Connor McDavid and company?”
As for what the Blues might want back, it’s likely the team will have to retain some salary, but the good news is, they probably want a player in return that can slot in and contribute immediately. This opens the door for a team to move salary in a deal where they otherwise might have been able to afford Tarasenko.
BLH’s Thoughts: Reckon if the Oilers were to get in on Tarasenko it wouldn’t cost them one of Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto, at least? Tack on one of their top prospects and a draft pick as well as a contract to even out the financial end of the deal… Could be a pretty complicated deal to make.
I dunno, He’d be a helluva add, but his injury history and that ticket could be too much to overcome. Who knows though? Things change every day and I wouldn’t underestimate the powers of Ken Holland.
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