Happy Draft Day!!! Speculating from an Oilers fan’s perspective, BLH comments on the latest NHL news and rumors feat. Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, Marc-Andre Fleury, Patrick Maroon, the 2020 NHL entry draft, and many more!
McDavid has tested positive for the COVID last night. That is unfortunate and I hope he has a speedy recovery!
Bob Stauffer (630CHED) was talking a bit about teams looking to add muscle on his show today. Made mention of Toronto specifically.
I wonder if something is brewing there between the #Oilers and Maple Leafs?
Kassian for Johnsson?
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) October 6, 2020
The News and Rumors
- Bob McKenzie (TSN): Cup champs TB have let it be known to other teams they aim to be aggressive in offloading. How aggressive? Hearing teams have been told only four Bolts are unavailable/untouchable: Vasilevskiy; Hedman; Point; Kucherov. Presumably, RFAs Cirelli, Sergachev, and Cernak, too.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve been musing upon the idea perhaps Steven Stamkos could be moved to open up cap room for some time now… How many Maple Leafs fans are flooding the roster builder over at capfriendly right now trying to figure out a way to bring him home?
- Ryan S. Clark (The Athletic): The Colorado Avalanche want to add a top-4 defender with the plan to sign him on a one or two-year deal around $4M.
BLH’s Thoughts: Tyson Barrie anybody?
- Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): There’s a very good chance the Blue Jackets will buyout Alex Wennberg if they can’t trade him soon.
BLH’s Thoughts: I think the Oilers would have interest in this player as their third-line center if CBJ bought him out. Although, ideally, you’d like a player who’s more defensively-slanted in that spot. Not sure that’s where the Swede shines.
- Ben Pope (Chicago Sun Times): Dawson Mercer, Brendan Brisson, Braden Schneider, Seth Jarvis, and Connor Zary are all in contention for the Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick in today’s NHL entry draft.
BLH’s Thoughts: You know, Brendan Brisson played for the Chicago Steel in the USHL last season and his dad represents both Jonathan Toews AND Patrick Kane…
- Sean Shapiro (The Athletic): The Dallas Stars will look to draft a forward in round one of today’s draft. The pick is likely available to trade down and add more capital.
- David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): The Tampa Bay Lightning are interested in bringing back Patrick Maroon, but if he wants to stay he’ll have to wait until they sort out their cap.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Toronto Maple Leafs are serious about adding some beef to the lineup AND winning the Stanley Cup, what better solution than Patrick Maroon?! He’s effective!
- Rick Dhaliwal (TSN): “Very positive talks between the Canucks and pending RFA forward Zack MacEwan on a new contract. Expecting a one or two-year deal.”
- Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): Keep an eye on Ottawa’s pick at 28th overall because there’s a possibility it may be moved for immediate help. Lots of teams interested.
BLH’s Thoughts: If there’s one team that could grant the Oilers’ draft day wishes, it might be the Sens if they agreed to trade up and give Edmonton the 28th, 33rd, and 58th overall picks. I mean, think about it. They deal those picks to the Oilers for the 14th overall and then flip that pick for immediate help! Edmonton picks Ridley Greig 28th overall! It’s a win-win for both teams.
- Garrioch cont: Winnipeg Jets trying to sign Dylan DeMelo but there’s still a sizeable gap.
- More Garrioch: Keep an eye on Brandon Saad in Chicago… The Blackhawks have been trying to deal contracts for cap space.
BLH’s Thoughts: Saad’s name has been out there for a while now. If I were a betting man, I’d say that Chicago is going to have to part with something of substantial value in order to get rid of the winger’s $6M/yr deal…
- Even more Garrioch: The Florida Panthers are making a last-gasp effort to sign Mike Hoffman but it appears to be a long shot.
BLH’s Thoughts: Man, how good would Hoffman look flanking McDavid or Draisailt? And is it just me or does anybody else think this guy could be on the market for a while. He doesn’t seem like the type that’ll be interested in taking a paycut.
- Chris Johnston/Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): OEL has most certainly played his last game for the Arizona Coyotes.
BLH’s Thoughts: Man, Arizona is going to have to soften their demands or find a way to get OEL to broaden his list of teams he’ll be willing to go to. Why Vancouver and Boston only? That baffles me.
- More Johnston/Friedman: The Buffalo Sabres are interested in Nick Schmaltz.
BLH’s Thoughts: He’d be a really nice middle-six pivot for the Sabres. Can his health hold up though? He’s a young guy though, aside from a pretty fair contract ($5.85M/yr), why would they be looking to move on from him. He’s good for 50pts+ per year. They’ve got three more years until his yearly salary jumps up over $7M.
- Johnston/Friedman cont: The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens like Columbus Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson and CBJ is considering offers for defenceman David Savard.
BLH’s Thoughts: Anderson, Sean Monahan, and Matt Tkachuk on a line would be a hard one to stop.
- Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks were in talks for a trade involving Matt Murray but the Hawks couldn’t work out an extension with the RFA goalie. Both sides have moved on and are exploring other options.
BLH’s Thoughts: Geez, what is Matt Murray demanding? For Chicago not to be able to come to an agreement with him whilst having $11M in cap room is telling. No wonder the Oilers conversations with Pittsburgh were short.
- Kevin Paul DuPont (Boston Globe): Growing buzz regarding clubs interested in dealing for Bruins RFA winger Jake DeBrusk.
BLH’s Thoughts: I still think DeBrusk would be an outstanding addition to the Oilers but last time his name came up the plan was for Edmonton to deal a top-four defender for a 1st rounder and then flip that pick in a package for Louie’s boy. That sounds less likely now.
The Oilers Speculation
Oilers GM Ken Holland reckons the trade action in the league will go down between today and Thursday and likely calm down while free agency opens as teams try to fill needs that way and then after a few days of signings the trades might pick up again.
More pertinent to the Oilers themselves, Holland said that if he is making trades that they’ll be money in, money out kinds of deals. So, similar to the Chiasson/Bjork rumor that’s been going around.
With regards to Jesse Puljujarvi, I feel like my boy is looking for some guarantees that the Oilers aren’t willing to give him. Hence why Holland and coach Tippett are trying to build some trust with him and show him how things are done. This might take some time before we get a signature on a contract and that only makes sense for Jesse. He wants to see how Holland improves the squad and how he might fit into it before getting locked in.
Bob Stauffer talked a lot about Tyson Barrie again this morning and also brought up Sami Vatanen. Which is intriguing because they’re both right-handed. I wonder if the club is looking to bring them both in? Maybe move Adam Larsson for a skilled winger and some cap-relief and go with Barrie, Bear, and Vatanen on the right-side? What would that mean for the left side, then? I’m assuming that Kris Russell is on the move and that would tell us Darnell Nurse, Caleb Jones, and William Lagesson would run the show over there.
Hmmm. Not so sure about that, Ted.
Although, I will say it seems like it would be a lot easier to feed Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from the right side of the ice when they’re curling in to gather the puck in their own zone…
Jason Gregor came out yesterday and disclosed that Oscar Klefbom is dealing with severe arthritis in his shoulder and surgery could make things worse and possibly be career-ending and this is the reason Klefbom’s taken so long to make a decision on what to do about it.
Anybody else wondering who it benefits (apart from Gregor) by disclosing what Klefbom is dealing with? I can’t imagine Oscar or the Oilers would be happy with the radio jockey putting that info out there.
Anyways, Holland has said that he expects to go into next season without Oscar for most of, if not all, of next season but it sounded like he was putting some pressure on the Swede to hurry up so he can make the necessary adjustments to his roster for next year.
Do you think Kris Russell gets traded now?
As far as the draft goes, we’ve been hearing Portland winger Seth Jarvis’ name over and over and over lately. So if he’s there when Edmonton is picking, I would consider it a lock the Oilers take him. Add to that the fact that Holland said they’re “probably” not taking a defenseman because he’s happy with the depth there.
Edmonton will have five picks in this draft. At the time of writing, one in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th round, and since I’ve been on Draft Prospect Hockey.com‘s draft simulator all week, I will present to you my Oilers mock draft.
- 1st round – Anton Lundell – C – HIFK (SM-Liiga)
- 3rd round – Alexander Pashin – RW – Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
- 5th round – Ethan Cardwell – C – Barrie (OHL)
- 6th round – Daniil Zaitsev – LD – Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)
- 7th round – Yegor Chinakhov – RW – Avangard Omsk (KHL)
I love Anton Lundell. I think he’s probably the smartest guy in the draft and he’s one of the closest to becoming an impact player at the NHL level. Another season in Finland, one in the AHL, and then, in theory, he should be ready for the big leagues. He reminds me of Mikko Koivu (pretty good player) overall but more specifically I get a Sean Couturier vibe from him and we remember how his draft went, right? Concerned about his skating? Don’t be. He’s not fast off the block, but if you want an NHL comparable, look no further than Florida Panthers star Sasha Barkov.
I remember Pashin lighting up the Hlinka/Gretzky tourament last season with seven goals in five games. He’s electrifying and I have to admit, a bit of a high risk/high reward selection in the 3rd round. He’s not even 5’10”, so that adds to that, but he’s one nimble MFer! He’s fearless, the puck sticks to his blade, and he can finish. I wonder if there’s a bit of Pavel Bure in him?…
Ethan Cardwell is a player with an excellent work ethic and a never die attitude on the puck. His skating, shot, and hockey IQ is well above average. This fella could be a mainstay on the Oilers PK for years. He plays the Canadian way and he throws a bit of flash and dash in there too. Really cool hockey player.
I wanted at least one defenseman and so I picked Russian defender Daniil Zaitsev. He’s 6’1″ 183lbs and defensively, very solid. He takes care of his own end quite well and knows where to place himself in his own zone. He skates very smoothly, has a cannon of a shot, and is not afraid to mix it up physically. He sounds a little like Dmitri Samorukov but Zaitsev holds onto the puck and distributes it a bit better I’m told.
Lastly, Yegor Chinakhov. An overager that was passed over last year, this guy is 19 years old and lighting up the KHL. That’s right, the KHL. Not the VHL or the MHL, the 2nd-best hockey league in the world. In 12 games for Avangard, he has five goals and two assists. Last year in the MHL he had 69 points in 56 games. This guy scores for fun at every level. Here’s what the Draft Prospects Hockey guide had to say about him,
“A hard-working, two-way winger. Solid foot speed, strong first steps. Pivots well, balanced. Protects the puck and is a reliable puck carrier in all three zones. Overall awareness is strong. Hits his teammates with soft and accurate passes. He shoots the puck hard and creates quality chances. Strong for his size. Good defensive stickwork. Solid closing speed, good range. Disrupts passing lanes. Effective on the forecheck. Works hard. Wins battles with his stickwork and excellent positioning. There is improvement to be made on his edgework. He is a streaky player and needs to bring consistency shift after shift. Has bottom six two-way NHL potential.”
You’ll probably notice I picked quite a few Europeans and there’s a reason for that. I am curious if there’ll be a run on Euro-trained players at the draft this year with all the uncertainty due to COVID in North America. As far as I know, only the QMJHL and the AJHL are going ahead with their seasons right now. So where are all these North American players going to continue their development if the junior leagues and the minor pro leagues are shut down?
