Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has done a masterful job and undoing the handy work left by former general manager Peter Chiarelli. The bottom six forwards are deeper than they’ve ever been, the goaltending tandem is of NHL caliber, and the Oilers top-6 has the potential to be one of the most dangerous in the league just as long as James Neal’s season last year was an “outlier” as TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is calling it.
It’s really hard to refute Holland’s performances to date, I mean, a week ago everyone was up his ass giving him failing grades for the Oilers off-season so far and then he found a way to do the unthinkable by dealing Milan Lucic’s contract. I reckon some folks just don’t have the patience to see things through these days… The summer is long when there’s no hockey to watch.
I’ll go back to what I’ve said previously, Ken Holland is simply reversing some of Chiarelli’s mistakes.
- Drake Caggiula out, Josh Archibald in.
- Jordan Eberle out, James Neal in.
- Ryan Strome out…
And so here we are waiting to see who Mr. Holland is going to bring in to replace Ryan Strome and on that note, I was passed this message a couple of days ago but life got in the way of getting a post out at the time.
“Keep an eye on 98. It sounds like a there’s a team from a small hockey market in the states, who just moved a major piece off their blueline, that has their eye on him.”
I’m under the impression that before he re-upped with his team, the Oilers were in on Nashville’s most recent RFA signing, Colton Sissons. Considering the message from my source above, a trade to acquire him (and perhaps more) might’ve included Jesse Puljujarvi and possibly a defenseman, my guess that defender might’ve been Matt Benning but I’ve got nothing substantial on that. It’s just a hunch given how he’s been in the rumor mill for some time and that the Oilers have guys like Joel Persson and Ethan Bear coming not to mention Evan Bouchard at some point as well. Bob Stauffer sort of spoke to that a couple of days ago on his show,
“Maybe the way to go might be to get a prospect from another organization that’s looking for traction/chance to breakthrough as well. I wonder if you’d consider doing that with an organization that’s maybe short of 45 contracts. Maybe there’s a guy you’d like to get off your 50-man list and maybe no money-wise but maybe just to create a bit more flexibility moving forward.”
I asked around about a possible Eeli Tolvanen exchange and was told: “No way that happens.”
Personally, I can’t really see that deal having made sense from NSH’s point-of-view. They are stacked on the wings and they have seven NHL defenders ready to go, so why add another winger and dman? So anybody reading this might chalk it up to hearsay, but then I think we could politely remind ourselves of the trade Calgary just made to acquire Milan Lucic and how that didn’t really make much sense to their team either…
The one last thing that makes me wonder about a Puljujarvi to Nashville is their coach. Would Peter Laviolette have time for Jesse? I mean, of all the teams, the Preds are really laden with vets and maybe that’d be the perfect place for Pulju. Also, he’d be closer to his best friends in Carolina (Sebastien Aho) and Dallas (Roope Hintz).
Trades happen for a plethora of reasons and they don’t always make sense. Sometimes perfectly reasonable trades don’t happen too. It’s just how NHL hockey works sometimes.
TPE Hockey’s 2019/20 WORLD JUNIOR SUMMER SHOWCASE PREVIEW
The World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS) is an off-season showcase to give an idea of who could be on the roster come the World Juniors at New Years. Sweden and Finland each field a roster of their best U20 players while Canada and the US roster two different teams. The showcase isn’t a tournament so the teams don’t compete for anything, although the players are competing for a roster spot at the real World Juniors.
The competition is set to begin on July 26th and run until August 3rd in Plymouth, Michigan according to www.teamusa.usahockey.com
Canada
Canada’s team will be highlighted by the consensus #1 pick for the 2020 draft in Alexis Lafreniére. He’s expected to put on a show and display why he will go 1st next summer. Two other 2020 prospects in Justin Barron and Braden Schneider will also appear on Team Canada on their blueline. Both are projected 1st rounders. Speaking of the blueline, Bowen Byram and Noah Dobson will be their top players. For forwards expect Joe Veleno, Alex Newhook, Barret Hayton, and Kirby Dach to dominate. In net, Edmonton’s Olivier Rodrigue is the Team’s go-to-guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1GlzDh6Drw
USA
The Americans, unfortunately, don’t feature any 2020 prospects due to a weak year from the US. Nonetheless, this team is very good. The 2019 draft class featured a ton of American talent. Obviously, Jack Hughes won’t attend, but Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras, Cam York, Cole Caufield, and Spencer Knight will all be there. This team is stacked with great players. Even when divided into two squads the Americans will be the best at this showcase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOgi9bbsZu4
Finland
After last year’s WJC victory the Finns are in a rebuild of sorts. Without Kaapo Kakko the team isn’t great. Anton Lundell will be very fun to watch as he’s a top 5 prospect for the 2020 draft. He’s coming off a strong performance as a draft minus one player at last year’s WJC. Finland will look to their top 2019 picks in Patrik Puistola, Ville Heinola, Mikko Kokkonen, and Anttoni Honka. In net, they’ll play Justus Annunen, but with Ukko-Pekka Luukonen gone their goalie crop is weak.
Sweden
If you’re looking for an exciting team, look to Sweden. With two electrifying 2020, top 10 picks in Lucas Raymond and Alex Holtz you don’t want to miss a single one of their games. Aside from those two the Swedes still poses some fun, fun players. Jonatan Berggren, Nils Höglander, Sam Fagemo, Victor Söderström, Toby Björnfot, and Philip Broberg are all can’t miss players.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YNqwlJNB0
I’m really looking forward to seeing these powerhouses go at it! Give Max (@TPEHockey) a follow if you’re a draft geek like me!
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
