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Oilersnation
Report: Edmonton Oilers coaching change could come next week
- A coaching change behind the Edmonton Oilers bench could come as soon as next week, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Thursday.
“I’ve talked to a lot of sources in the league who don’t know what Ken Holland is going to do, but if he does make a move, January 10th is their next game, they play the Ottawa Senators. If they lose to the Senators, there will be a lot of pressure from fans and that would be the time to do it as they have 10 days before their next game.”
“If they do make a change, I get the sense the Oilers wouldn’t go for one of the re-treads on the market like a Claude Julien who would be looking for term. Instead, look for them to promote either Glen Gulutzan, he’s an assistant on the staff, obviously has head coaching experiences or Jay Woodcroft who is running their AHL team right now.”
BLH’s Thoughts: There is one issue here, if Tippett goes, I think his longtime assistant Jim Playfair goes too and that most likely means both Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson get the promotion. That’s not the issue, the issue is who replaces them in Bakersfield?
Something else Emily Kaplan mentioned that might be more shocking,
“I expect them to call Stuart Skinner up, their best prospect, and also look for a goaltender on the free agent market.”
WHAT?! Are they planning on bringing Devan Dubnyk back or submarining Boston for Tuukka Rask? Is Ryan Miller bored?
The Hockey Writers
4 Timely Trade Targets Oilers Should Consider To Fix Goaltending Issues
- …because a rental is less expensive now than making a full-blown hockey trade would be, names like Marc-Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, Joonas Korpisalo and others are out there.
- Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now took a look at the New York Islanders’ situation and wondered what could happen with Semyon Varlamov. He notes, “at the age of 33, with one year remaining on his contract, should Varlamov be dealt elsewhere comes the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline?”
- With the news that Tuukka Rask signed a PTO with the Providence Bruins on Thursday, it’s just a matter of time before the veteran netminder makes his way back to the NHL and that means a move is likely in Boston, with Jeremy Swayman being the likeliest casualty.
- If Rask plays well and wants to sign for one more season, Ullmark or Swayman could be moved.
- Perhaps, Driedger can be pulled out of Seattle, leaving the Kraken with Grubauer, Joey Daccord, and the chance to add another less-expensive backup.
BLH’s Thoughts: Don’t forget what Bob Stauffer reminded us of last year on so many occasions, Chris Driedger is rep’d by Edmonton-based player agent Gerry Johansson. His injury history is worrisome to me though…
I don’t think Braden Holtby is “out there” per se, at least as long as the Stars are lose to a playoff spot, they’ll keep him and Jake Oettinger as Ben Bishop’s playing career is over.
With Boston, Swayman can still play in the AHL, so there’s no real urgency to make a trade there either.
Korpisalo isn’t having a great year. He doesn’t seem like an option to Edmonton anymore.
MAF and Varlamov, in my opinion, are probably the likeliest of the options presented and even then, Holland is going to get taken to the woodshed if he tries to move for one when there’s no real pressure on the Islanders or the Blackhawks to make a deal right now.
The Daily Faceoff
2. Ben Chiarot – Chiarot is a minute-chewing, dependable defenseman who is also incredibly well-liked in locker rooms. Think about how hard the Winnipeg Jets fought to keep him – and how long it took the Jets to adequately replace him.
4. Lawson Crouse – The big, rangy winger has already bested last season’s production and teams think he can easily be a plug-and-play 20-goal guy consistently with more support and situational deployment. One team that’s talked about Crouse is the Philadelphia Flyers.
5. Alexandar Georgiev – Over five NHL seasons, Georgiev has a career save percentage of .911. The league average is .905 this season… Georgiev seems to be an unnecessary luxury in New York at a time when other teams are dying for help in goal.
9. Max Domi – Domi is three years removed from a 28-goal and 72-point campaign in Montreal. He’s undoubtedly been underwhelming in Columbus. If there is a silver lining, it’s that Domi has remained productive this season – with 15 points in 21 games – and he’s done it all at even strength with relatively limited ice time (13:37).
11. Nick Leddy – Leddy is dependable, steady and can chip in the odd point from the point as a capable second unit power play guy. Leddy has missed only a small handful of games in his career and he’d be a solid option on the rental defense market.
16. Calvin de Haan – You can add de Haan to the list of rental defensemen that will be in play at the deadline. He’s struggled at times this season, like most of Chicago’s blue line, but would be an ideal third pair option on a contending team.
20. Evander Kane – So far, Kane has eight points in five AHL games with the Barracuda but has only played games in California.
BLH’s Thoughts: Those are the players from Seravalli’s list that I think Edmonton could, or at least should, have some interest in depending on how creative they can get between now and the deadline.
