Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Would the You Flip this Winger for Jake DeBrusk?

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

The Athletic (Mitchell)

Lowetide: Will the Ethan Bear trade be the latest shortsighted move that haunts the Oilers?

What do the Oilers need to accomplish after trading Bear?

When Bear was on the ice against the best in the Canadian Division, Edmonton enjoyed almost 60 percent of the shot share and quality.
Bear is making $2 million in 2021-22 and then will likely earn $4 million-plus on a longer contract that could buy some free-agent seasons.
He is 24 and, barring injury, is likely to be productive for the next several years. The Carolina Hurricanes have him signed through his mid-20s or close to his peak value.
That’s what Edmonton needs to replace.
I see the Bear trade as Holland measuring Bear’s future value (one year at $2 million, plus two more RFA seasons after his current contract expires) against signing Barrie to a three-year deal worth $4.5 million per season as well as the return he got for Bear in Warren Foegele.
Holland did a nice job delaying the start of Evan Bouchard’s entry deal, Edmonton will have the young phenom on a value contract for the next two seasons.
If the Oilers make the playoffs and win two rounds, fans will move on. If Edmonton falters, and Bear flourishes, the deal will join a long list of trades that are famous only for bringing back less than full value.

BLH’s Thoughts: What happens if the Oilers make the playoffs and win two rounds and Carolina also does well or what happens if Edmonton falters and Bear has a shit season? Why do we need to simply contemplate a scenario where one party does well while the other doesn’t?

Now, I’m willing to bet that Oilers fans will do what they do and that’s find a way to justify their position in the conversation as opposed to accepted what is and moving on…

I look at the team moving on from Bear this way,

The trade comes down to Edmonton adding Barrie’s value contract (which will outperform Bear’s), a full-time Evan Bouchard (who will also outperform Bear on the ice and at a cheaper rate) in the lineup, as well as the bet on Warren Foegele.

So, as far as I’m concerned, the Oilers have already done what they need to do to replace Bear. The club is older, more experienced, faster, more skilled, and bigger after the trade.

Lastly, and no disrespect to Bear, but if Ethan Bear was valued league-wide as a top-pairing right-shot defenseman, there would’ve been a lineup 31 teams long for his services. The rumor mill would’ve been in overdrive and pundits in Edmonton would’ve been chatting daily about this. I mean, you have to ask yourself, how often have you heard the talking heads, radio jockeys, and basement bloggers in other markets say publicly, “Team X would be a much better club if they could pry Ethan Bear out of Edmonton.”

Not. Very. Often (If at all).

Oil on Whyte (Coureville-Lynch)

Oilers Rumors: Is Jake DeBrusk a Solid Depth Option?

According to Fluto Shinzawa, a Bruins reporter for The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers are still interested in Bruins Forward Jake DeBrusk. The cost is expected to be a player of DeBrusk’s profile: An underperforming player with potential to improve on a different team.
I have created a shortlist of possible players, that the Oilers could trade for him.

Zack Kassian

…his grittiness and willingness to stand up for his teammates in any scenario, is something that the Bruins need in their lineup, and with Boston being a cup contender this upcoming season, Kassian could bring that extra spark.

Josh Archibald

Archibald is a gritty player. Always willing to battle in the corners with anyone, even if they are much bigger than he is, and his hockey IQ seems to be improving year after year.

Kailer Yamamoto

They don’t want him to be offer sheeted and lose the young star in the making for nothing if they can’t afford him.
If Boston retains salary on DeBrusk, they can flip Yamamoto for DeBrusk and draft picks, and be left with a bit of money to work with come the deadline.

BLH’s Thoughts: I think we’ve been over this far too much in recent months but that was before Holland suped up his LW with the additions of Hyman and Foegele. DeBrusk qualifying offer next summer is $4.85M and to me, that’s going to be too much for Edmonton. On the other hand, it might be too much for Boston too and if they hold onto him through the 2021-22 season and then not qualify him, DeBrusk could become a free agent…

A hopeful and overly optimistic scene, in my opinion. Boston’s looking for another center and another defenseman anyhow, but as I often say, anything can happen and things change all of the time.

NHLTradeRumor.com

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports the Senators want to make another move or two to either add a veteran centre or another forward to the mix after making a couple of additions on defence this offseason.
- Garrioch added, Erik Brannstrom could still be a trade chip in these trade negotiations if the organization tries to make a deal
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski asked Panthers GM Bill Zito, if there was a date when he’d have to consider trading the star center. He said there isn’t one, because “I’m confident we’ll be able to work something out.”
- The Panthers may be able to sign Barkov to a $9 million/year deal since the state of Florida does not charge tax, but the Panthers will still have to find cap room to sign 10 other players that will be a UFA or RFA after the 2021-22 season.
Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com reports Habs general manager Marc Bergevin said Weber’s career could be over, so finding a top four defenseman for the long term should be a target.
- Montreal will have to trade for one or wait till next off-season and maybe look at some free agent options like Morgan Reilly.