On Friday’s edition of Oilers Now, Sportsnet’s hockey insider Elliotte Friedman was a guest and he was asked about two situations that are affecting the Edmonton Oilers both directly and possibly indirectly.
Friedman on the goaltending,
“Oh, I think there’s no question that’s an issue (the US/Canada border). If you’re a Canadian team and you want to bring someone over the border, that’s 14 days and I’ll tell you something else, That’s why Toronto isn’t putting Aaron Dell on Waivers…”
BREAKING! THIS. JUST. HAPPENED.
Aaron Dell (TOR) and Jason Spezza (TOR) are among those on NHL waivers today.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1350851878687551493
Have you ever been so excited about a backup goalie?…
What I’m waiting to hear is that the Oilers had to pass on Dell because they’d already claimed Grosenick or something as daft…. They MUST attempt to claim this goaltender. If everything we’ve been told about him by guys like Bob Stauffer and Darcy McLeod, then he’s perfect. He’d actually move Mike Smith to no.3 and I do recall The Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins during the off-season hinting at Smith not being traded but demoted…
Another thing I wonder is if the Oilers claim Spezza too! They need a 4th line center and this player seemed to have done wonders last year with the Leafs… Could he just what Edmonton needs in the bottom-6? A big-bodied, highly-skilled, intelligent veteran forward with lots of character who can help on special teams… He’s not that fast anymore, so that could deter teams from signing him, but he’s bottom-dollar cheap and he can still play.
Getting back to Friedman’s content now…
Friedman on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contract negotiations,
“I’d heard some rumblings that maybe things had closed in but then I asked around and was told that wasn’t the case. I think there was a time when things got closer during the off-season to the point where some people were optimistic that it was going to get done. That obviously didn’t happen, the momentum has seemed to have stalled and we’ll see where it goes.”
“I do believe that if you can get close, then you’ve got a willingness there to get it done.”
“It’s pretty obvious to me that he wants to be there and it’s obvious to me that the Oilers want him, but you have to work it out. It’s that simple.”
Look, if the Oilers cannot come to an agreement with Nuge, then they have to try and move him, no? Losing him for nothing would be a travesty and a poor look for Ken Holland.
I don’t like the idea of Nuge playing for any other team but we have to look at things in a realistic manner too. It’s a business first and foremost and this team is in the business of winning, losing Nuge for nothing would not bring the club closer to a Stanley Cup… Unless… Now bear with me… They used the cap space to sign a player like Dougie Hamilton.
The one thing I’m noticing early on this season is that having all those skilled forwards is great unless they are getting pounded into the ice and you can’t keep possession.
This team, in my opinion, will not be anything more than a playoff contender without addressing their defense and I’m not talking solely about a top-pairing d-man. Lord knows they are in desperate need of a couple of those. I’m also talking about forwards who excel defensively.
I mean, did you see what Montreal had on their back end last night? No true high-end puck movers on that club aside from maybe Petry but they were all good-to-great-amazing defensively.
They’re forwards also subscribed to the gameplan. Phillip Danault and Nick Suzuki shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Sure, the boys had some chances, but they didn’t score any goals… It was Slater Koekkoek that did that…
Remember back in 2006 when the Oilers added Peca, Pronger, AND Roloson. Mike Peca was known for his defense-first style of play and Roloson was no world-beater either. Pronger was a Hart Trophy-winning defender in a unique situation in St. Louis before he was dealt, but what I’m getting at is Kevin Lowe addressed the other side of the puck in his transactions that year (whilst also paving the way for the decade of darkness).
Then again, we’re three games into this 56-game schedule, maybe we just let things unfold as they’re meant to.
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