Today’s NHL news, rumors, and speculation feature the likes of Darnell Nurse, Marc-Andre Fleury, Patric Hornqvist, Alex Galchenyuk, Mike Babcock, and many more!
Check out this post from a guy who is claiming that he knows what’s going on with Puljujarvi as well as the details on an OEL to Edmonton trade.
The #Oilers could've used an Eric Staal… https://t.co/DyVm57Xu4g
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) September 17, 2020
The News and Rumors
- Ryan S Clark (The Athletic): If the Avalanche want to keep pending UFA Vlad Namestnikov, it’s expected to cost them more than the $4M AAV on his current deal.
BLH’s Thoughts: Reckon he’s gonna get that much with the cap situation the way it is? My feeling is that if he wants that kind of skrilla, he’ll be getting on a plane to Russia to play in the KHL for it.
- Michael Russo (The Athletic): Bruce Boudreau has finally talked to Toronto about an assistant coach’s role, and would consider the job if offered. But he wants to be the head coach.
- Russo cont: Will GM Bill Guerin: “If I don’t make any moves, we’re just going to stay the same and that’s not the idea… Unlikely that Alex Galchenyuk returns.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Galchenyuk is an interesting name to keep an eye on for Oilers fans. I don’t know if there’s going to be a big market for him this offseason and he might have to join a club on a PTO or for really cheap. But I remember watching him in the Wild’s series vs. the Canucks and noticing a more aggressive nature to his game. Something I hadn’t seen from him before. Now, it didn’t help him score any points or prevent his team from getting scored on, but I suppose it’s good to know that he’s got that in him considering he was drafted to be an offensive forward.
- John Vogl (The Athletic): The Sabres could shop Brandon Montour for cap relief from his pending extension. It might finally be time to forget about a Rasmus Ristolainen trade.
BLH’s Thoughts: Just think, the Sabres gave up what basically amounts to two first rounders for Montour and now they’d be happy to walk away from him for nothing. That is what we call “bad asset management”…
- Josh Yohe (The Athletic): Trading Patric Hornqvist is worth considering for the Penguins. His full NTC becomes an 8-team M-NTC after this year. That’s when the Pens will try to deal him.
BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers have been missing a net-front presence like Hornqvist since Ryan Smyth retired. If the money could be made to work, I’d like to see this kind of competitive professional added to Edmonton’s roster.
- Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): There were rumblings that if Mike Babcock had become the new Washington Capitals coach, they would have brought in Jim Montgomery as an assistant.
BLH’s Thoughts: Am I the only one or are we good if Mike Babcock takes some more time off from the NHL? Great coach, don’t get me wrong, but I am enjoying the new blood that is coming in.
- Sunuya Sapurji (The Athletic): It sounds like the Ottawa Senators will land German center Tim Stutzle with their 3rd overall pick at the 2020 NHL Draft.
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t think the Sens can go wrong with one of Quinton Byfield or Stutzle. They both are projected to be top-6 impact centermen. They’d get a little bit of roster flexibility with the German, mind you, as he could be sent to the AHL and available for recall. Whereas Byfield, if he didn’t make the club or was struggling, would need to be sent back to the OHL for the year. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Edmonton did it with Leon Draisaitl in 2014/15 I believe and they should’ve done it with Puljujarvi in 2016/17.
- Rob Rossi (The Athletic): Don’t expect a reunion this fall between Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins. Fleury wants to be a starter and he has a point to prove, especially to the Vegas Golden Knights management.
- According to defenseman Libor Hajek, Rangers legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist told his teammates that he had played his last game with the Rangers after the game three loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
BLH’s Thoughts: It’s interesting how hockey works. One year you’ve got Fleury and Lundqvist dominating the crease and in another they’re both looking for work… Personally, I think that King Henrik might be past it a bit but Fleury can still play.
- Corey Masisak (The Athletic): The NJ Devils could look to add Calgary Flames d-man TJ Brodie in free agency at around $5M-$5.5M AAV for five years.
BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if the Devils have plans to insert blueline prospect Ty Smith into their lineup full-time next season? Having Brodie, Will Butcher, Smith, and possibly Mirco Mueller competing for spots could eventually be problematic I would think. Plus, do we know what this club is doing? I mean, are they planning to compete in 2021? If so, they’d best aim a lot higher than TJ Brodie.
- Ethan Carter (The Hockey Writers): The St. Louis Blues could target; Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Maroon, Patrick Marleau, Matt Irwin, or Oscar Fantenberg this offseason.
BLH’s Thoughts: Isn’t it about time the Blues started introducing some of that talent they’ve got marinating in the minors to the big league team? Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin, and Scott Perunovich have to be NHL-ready by now, no?
- Greg Wyshynski (ESPN): The Vegas Golden Knights could try to trade F Paul Stastny to attempt to clear up some cap space.
BLH’s Thoughts: Not without adding some serious sweeteners thanks to the flat-cap… Vegas has its own first-rounder and two thirds in this year’s draft they could use but most likely they’d be using their first round pick or one of the two (if not both) second round picks in 2021 to get rid of Stastny.
The Oilers Speculation
Has anybody noticed that the Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Edmonton talk has calmed right down? By the sounds of it, the Coyotes are asking for a lot of “futures”. Meaning, They’re not interested in taking on contracts with a lot of real money on them and would like picks (high ones) and prospects. They don’t mind players that have a high cap hit but the real money is a real deal-stopper. Also, with Bill Armstrong coming in as the new GM, he might have some ideas on any potential deals that are on the table right now.
Quick question, will the return Arizona gets for Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a trade be equal to, more than, or less than what they gave up to get Taylor Hall from New Jersey?
Staying on the topic of defensemen, I have a theory as to why there are so many fans clamoring to see Darnell Nurse traded. I’m sure there are some that are still mad about his performance against Chicago and there’s sure to be a bunch whose eye tests of the player aren’t getting a passing grade, but I believe if the names Aaron Ekblad and Oliver Ekman-Larsson hadn’t been mentioned publicly by those that work for the club or close to it, there wouldn’t be so many hoping to see Nurse traded.
Bob Stauffer said that “Doc” is a “pretty good defenseman” and he doesn’t get why the fans want him gone on his show yesterday. The way I see it is if Nurse is only a “pretty good” defenseman, why not use him to trade for a “good” defenseman and make the team better? That’s just my personal opinion.
