Today’s NHL news, rumors, and speculation feature the likes of Tyson Barrie, Alex Pietrangelo, Jake DeBrusk, Henrik Lundqvist, Andre Burakovsky, and more!
"I could see a trade potentially between Boston and Edmonton but it would be a RW for a LW and maybe not quite the caliber of DeBrusk." – Bob Stauffer
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) September 10, 2020
The News and Rumors
- Fluto Shinzawa (The Athletic Boston) says the Boston Bruins are contemplating the future and next contract of Jake DeBrusk and there could be a window of opportunity to acquire him this fall.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Oilers wanted to get him, it’d probably cost. I’m thinking Jesse Puljujarvi, Andreas Athanasiou, and a pick/prospect. He’d be an instant favorite in Edmonton though. Local boys who are known for their hard work get a lot of love in Alberta’s capital.
- Scott Powers (The Athletic Chicago) – “Malcolm Subban wasn’t expected to re-sign with the Blackhawks when they acquired him from Vegas in the Lehner trade, but may consider it now.”
- Jesse Granger (The Athletic Vegas) is reporting that pending RFA forwards Nick Cousins and Chandler Stephenson are expected to take up to $3M to $4M of combined cap space on extensions.
- The Athletic NYC’s Rick Carpiniello believes that all signs point to Henrik Lundqvist being done with the Rangers and the team knows it must buy him out.
BLH’s Thoughts: Ken Holland has a history of picking up veteran superstars who everyone thinks is over the hill and getting them to sign good deals. It didn’t quite work out for Mike Modano in Detroit but Curtis Joseph and Dominik Hasek were no spring chickens when they joined the Red Wings… I don’t know why Lundqvist would sign in Edmonton mind you, I’m just throwing the notion out there.
- Ryan S. Clark (The Athletic Denver) is saying that Andre Burakovsky will get a raise on his next deal. The Avalanche could’ve offered him a 4yr deal worth between $4M and $4M, but that was pre-flat cap.
- TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal says the Canucks’ offers to goalie Jacob Markstrom haven’t been good enough so far. Also there’s some thought that Brandon Sutter might be able to bring Vancouver something of value in a trade and Jake Virtanen may get upwards of $3M in arbitration.
BLH’s Thoughts: Burkovsky could squeeze the Avs a bit knowing that they’ve got a lot of cap room at the moment. I wonder if he does though given how talented that team is and the bright future it has.
Some in Edmonton are pondering what it would take to for the Oilers to get Sutter as there’s an opening at third line center and he’s a righty. Imagine a Sutter playing for the Oilers… Would be a long-time coming for the legendary hockey family out of Viking, AB. I reckon it’d have to be a money-in, money-out kind of deal though.
- Jeremy Rutherford (The Athletic St. Louis) had a source tell him that the Blues were offering Alex Pietrangelo a 5yr deal closer to $7M than $8M and the St. Louis captain is disappointed in how talks have gone so far.
- Last week, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that there wasn’t much optimism in negotiations between the Bruins and Torey Krug, but the team would take one more crack at it.
- Satiar Shah of Sportsnet has said that the Canucks have a desire to add another puck-moving defenseman and to keep an eye on Tyson Barrie.
BLH’s Thoughts: It doesn’t sound like the Blues management really wants their captain to return… What an odd way to treat a player of Pietrangelo’s ilk.
Krug isn’t going back to Boston. I wonder if he’d join the Canadiens? They need a LHD and Krug would be a great fit for Montreal.
Barrie going back to British Columbia would be interesting. There’s some that believe he will probably get around $4M/yr on his next deal. I’d love him in Edmonton but he sounds like a plan B at the moment. More on that below.
This off-season is going to be nuts. What an opportunity for a team who’s willing to lay their balls on the table to pick up some fantastic talent.
The Oilers Speculation
This offseason is going to present some teams with a very rare opportunity to add a player of significance and I’m of the belief that the Oilers are looking to acquire a #1 defenseman with players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Aaron Ekblad possibly being on their list of targets.
Just from what Bob Stauffer was saying on his show yesterday, I gather he believes a high end prospect, a significant player on a short term deal (klefbom’s AAV isn’t enough and term is too long and Larsson isn’t an option according to Bob) and maybe a lottery protected first in 2021 for OEL.
So if Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom aren’t options, that leaves Darnell Nurse as his deal is more expensive and has a shorter term as the likely candidate. Bob talked a lot about bringing in a player who could slot other players in their correct roles too and don’t forget he’s been talking a lot about Edmonton finding a way to reduce Klefbom’s minutes. The Oilers Now host made mention of the impact Chris Pronger had when Edmonton brought him into town.
The other thing Bob mentioned was who Ekman-Larsson’s partner was at the Worlds. That would be current Oiler Adam Larsson. In addition to that interesting fact, it wouldn’t shock me if Stauffer had spoken to Taylor Hall and got his thoughts on Arizona’s #1 defenseman.
I don’t know who the high-end prospect would be, maybe that’s Dmitri Samorukov or Tyler Benson. What do you think? Samorukov, Darnell Nurse, and a lottery protected 1st in ’21 for Oliver Ekman-Larsson?
So there are a couple of specific reasons I throw Nurse in that deal and those are, A) because his contract isn’t too restrictive at $5.6M/yr for the rebuilding Coyotes and B) after the contract is up, they could move him again for picks and prospects depending on where they are in their rebuild.
Darryl Katz has said time and time again that he’s fully committed to this team in every aspect, including financially and OEL is due around $30M over the next three years. That is a prohibitive amount of money for the Coyotes. Not so much for the Oilers.
Could you imagine a scenario where Oilers GM Ken Holland brought in a bunch of Coyotes like Hall, Antti Raanta, and Ekman-Larsson?
