Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Willis Says Oilers are Being Connected to Fleury and Gibson

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The Athletic

Do the Oilers need to trade for a goalie?(Mailbag)

Do you think Smith and Koskinen are still the Oilers‘ two goalies for the playoffs, or is Ken Holland still on the hunt for a goalie prior to the trade deadline?

I’d say that’s a fair assessment. Mikko Koskinen, notably, was good in the regular season in 2019-20. Neither goaltender was good enough in the bubble playoffs. It was obvious enough to anyone watching, and Holland told me as much.
If they’re dumping Koskinen in the deal (and, remember, he has a partial no-trade clause, too), they’ll almost certainly have to add a sweetener.
Given Fleury’s age (37 in November) and contract status, it shouldn’t cost the Oilers a ton to acquire him. However, given their cap constraints (more on that later), they’ll need to come close to making the money work.
What I’ve heard is the asking price could be as high as four assets for (John) Gibson: Koskinen (as a positional/salary dump), a good roster player (someone like Kailer Yamamoto), a first-round pick and a top organizational prospect.

Realistically, what do we have to part with in terms of assets at the deadline (whether for a goaltender, depth D, etc.)?

I’d categorize Tyson Barrie and Zack Kassian as potential deadline assets, albeit with slim odds of moving.
In terms of non-roster assets, I’d be stunned if a first-round pick isn’t in play this season — even for a rental.
I don’t get the impression the organization is eager to move him (Yamamoto), but it’s clear Puljujarvi now ranks ahead of him on the depth chart.

What do you think is still missing from this team? Do you think Holland adds anything major prior to the trade deadline?

The Oilers could use another top-nine forward for more depth, to safeguard against injury, and maybe even to push someone down the lineup. Another fourth-liner would be a nice luxury.

With more horrible news about the Blackhawks coming out, do you see any repercussions for Duncan Keith on the Oilers?

As for potential repercussions for Keith, I very much doubt there will be any unless evidence comes to light that he’s being disingenuous in what he’s said and what he knew.

BLH’s Thoughts: There’s a part of me that thinks Holland could ride Koskinen out until the end of the year if he keeps playing this well, but then there’s another part of me that’s saying Holland might be able to move him without adding that sweetener if he keeps this up.

As for Fleury and Gibson, I’m not sure… You know that 1st rounder is going to be the ask and I personally do not like throwing those away unless the team is a proper contender and I don’t simply due to the fact that the 4th line isn’t good enough yet. Plus the salary cap juggling that’ll have to be done seems tedious.

Oilersnation

Breaking down Kailer Yamamoto’s recent play

In 20-21, in spite of producing 4 goals in his final 43 games like stated before, Yamamoto still finished 7th on the team in 5v5 SH%, which is hard to refer to as unlucky. To add on, his PDO was at 1.018, which means if anything, he still had a fair share of luck on his side. He especially obtained some defensive fortune in 20-21; Edmonton’s goalies had a 0.934 SV% with him on-ice.
It’s a limited sample size, but during his six games in 21-22, Yamamoto still has a PDO of 1.013. From an “eye test” perspective, I feel that he’s been inconsistent. Offensively, he’s displayed occasional flashes of his 19-20 self, especially in his game against Vegas. However, there’s still been numerous shifts where he’s been nearly unnoticeable.
He’s begun shooting at a more rapid and higher rate this season, but the quality of his shots has reduced…
In his past 3 seasons, Yamamoto has played in a very significant role. He’s frequently deployed against tough opposition. However, he’s also obtaining desirable zone start deployment (although he’s strangely had quite a lot of defensive zone starts this season) and has been consistently deployed alongside Edmonton’s top players (most notably, Leon Draisaitl) in each of the past 3 years
A huge reason for why that trio (DRY Line) was such a success, most notably in 19-20, was due to how Yamamoto was so successful at his tenacious, forechecking style. He excelled in retrieving pucks for Draisaitl and RNH. Yamamoto doesn’t work as well as a primary play-driver on a line or alongside another aggressive forechecker, but more as a support/complementary player for two strong shooters.
It’s debatable if he’s a bonafide top-six player either (although that could very well change). However, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be deployed in the top six at all, as he performs best when deployed as a 3rd wheel or support player alongside two strong shooters. His play dwindles when alongside a player whose strength is also his forechecking abilities, but he can thrive as a top 6 complementary player. He has the potential to become even more if he can work on his shot.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Yamo is an elite 3rd line winger who specializes on the PK… You can point to that heater all you want but now his slump is as long as said heater… He’s got ZERO confidence right now and Coach Tippett has to do something to rectify that before they lose the player…

Spector’s Hockey

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports trade discussions between the Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights regarding Jack Eichel have been heating up over the last couple of days.

THE ATHLETIC’s Jesse Granger took to Twitter Thursday speculating Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore would be an attractive piece for the Sabres in a hypothetical Eichel trade.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Ed Graney took note of recent speculation linking the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks to Eichel.

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens doesn’t see the Anaheim Ducks parting with promising center Trevor Zegras or defenseman Jamie Drysdale for Eichel. He points out they have the cap space to take on Eichel’s contract. He doesn’t dismiss the possibility of someone like Mason McTavish, Maxime Comtois or Troy Terry being part of the return for the Sabres…

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski reports the Golden Knights could have competition for Eichel. “Don’t sleep on Calgary or Colorado,” said one source.