Edmonton Oilers Talk: “… any team coming in with an offer sheet above $3-million would put the Oilers in a precarious position.”

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Sportsnet

Connor McDavid’s NHL MVP defence begins with defensive improvement

McDavid is widely considered the best player in the world but at 24 he said he feels he is just entering his prime. Last season he put up 21 more points than the next-closest player — teammate Leon Draisaitl — and had the best faceoff percentage of his career, yet there’s still room to improve.
- “It’s lots of battle drills, lots of little 1-on-1 things, scrimmage stuff — just trying to stop on pucks, get into some battles and really focus on that,” he said. “For me that’s always kind of where the defensive game slips is when I’m not dialled into those details and stopping on pucks and supporting guys and doing all that.”
According to analytics data, McDavid ranks 100 per cent offensively at even strength and 66 percent on the defensive end.
- “Heading into my seventh year, you realize that you’ve always got to be building on your game, growing your game and working on a full, 200-foot game. It takes some growing up to kind of realize that. I’ve definitely gone through that process.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Ya know, Connor McDavid is so good offensively that I really don’t give two shits if his defensive game progresses. I think the club could do a better job of building out the roster so that everybody’s defensive metrics improve as a result. I mean, he’s going to have to excellent 200ft wingers on his flanks this year in Hyman and Puljujarvi, so what are we really getting at here?

I think when 97’s two-way game gets brought up, it’s just a talking point because no player can be perfect. He’s not going to get 100s in both offense and defense, it simply doesn’t work that way and to think it does is wishful thinking.

McDavid has one responsibility right now, score, and that’s hard enough as it is.

The good thing about the Oilers captain is that he’s always striving to get better, so I’ll bet that by the time he’s 29, his defense will be better. By the time he’s 32 or 33, it will be even more improved.

So can we get back to what really matters and start digging into what brand of sock tape he’s using?

Oilersnation (Laing)

Should the Edmonton Oilers be concerned about a Kailer Yamamoto offer sheet?

He’s appeared in 105 NHL games and has scored 20 goals and 52 points in that time. This next deal, much like that of Kotkaniemi’s, is his first outside of his ELC.
A Yamamoto offer sheet could put the Oilers in a serious bind. The Oilers have around $3-million in cap space when you account for Oscar Klefbom destined for the LTIR and I could see the team wanting to bring in an extra body or two on offence and defence.
…money-wise, any team coming in with an offer sheet above $3-million would put the Oilers in a precarious position. The offer sheet compensation for any deal between $2,055,365 and $4,110,732 would be a second-round pick.
The teams that could offer that compensation would be the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and the Seattle Kraken.
The number of teams that could offer between $4,110,733 – $6,166,096 and the 1st and 3rd round pick compensation that follows shrinks more: Arizona, Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, Ottawa and Seattle.

BLH’s Thoughts: This post made me literally laugh out loud. It was only a matter of time before somebody in the Oilogosphere threw this post out there.

First off, if anybody wanted to come in and offersheet Yamamoto, the only way they’d be putting Edmonton in a bind is if the Oilers matched it.

Second, who’s going to give a winger who scored TWO goals in his last 30 games an offer sheet of any substance?

Third, and no disrespect to Kailer, Edmonton’s got the pieces to replace him if he’s not in the lineup. Giving them more cap room only serves to help the team down the road, not hurt them.

I don’t see any team’s trying to pull one over on Ken Holland by tempting Yamo with big money. My feeling is that the Oilers would trade him before that happened.

Now, that being said, Jesse Puljujarvi is a prime target to be poached by another team as his contract expires next summer. The Oilers will not have a lot of extra cash in the upcoming campaigns and Jesse has certainly shown he’s got what it takes to be a top-six winger, plus with his size and two-way game, there will certainly be a lot of other teams who’d be interested in his services and dropping a few draft picks might be worth it to them. If Ken Holland wants to keep this player in tow, his best plan of action might be to get him under contract ASAP.

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Jeremy Rutherford provided an update on the trade status of St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko. He believes the Carolina Hurricanes remain interested as they need scoring help, especially on the power play. The New York Rangers could also be among the suitors.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski suggests the Carolina Hurricanes’ signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi could affect the Jack Eichel trade market. If the Montreal Canadiens don’t match it, they’ll receive the Hurricanes’ first-round pick and their third-round pick in next year’s NHL Draft.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Luke DeCock acknowledged the salary-cap issues facing the Hurricanes if they successfully sign away Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens. He speculates one way to address it is by placing defenseman Jake Gardiner and his $4.050 million cap hit on long-term injury reserve.

BLH’s Thoughts: