Edmonton Oilers Talk: Gm1 Three Players to Watch PLUS the Latest Rumors (Klingberg, Toews, Soucy)

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The Hockey Writers

Oilers Linked to Both Toews & Klingberg

Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman stated that he could see the Oilers being a fit for Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
“I assume Toews is going to be traded, I assume Kane is going to be traded,” Friedman said. “We both said the New York Rangers are the most likely team for Kane. Toews, I’ve mentioned Colorado. I know I’m trading everyone to Edmonton in this pod but I wonder if Toews would make sense there?”
“This is just my prediction; (John) Klingberg finishes the year in Edmonton,” Friedman said. “I could be wrong. That’s my prediction.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Toews is definitely the kind of player you’d like to have on your team as you hit your Stanley Cup window, however, do you go through all the trouble and cap gymnastics to make a trade like that when you can have Ken Holland work his magic in the summer when he’s a free agent?

Klingberg, I’ve been told, has been on the Oilers radar for a while and continues to be. I said it way back in early-September and I still believe it to be true. If I had to guess, that’s a trade that could include Puljujarvi.

Another player the Oilers will be keeping close tabs on is Carson Soucy because he can play both sides, is relatively cheap, and will be a UFA at the season’s end. This one is more predicated on how well Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen, and Ryan Murray perform.

Time will tell… Time will tell…

Oilers lines and pairing at morning skate vs. VAN (home/season opener):

Kane-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Holloway-Draisaitl-Hyman
McLeod-RNH-Foegele
Malone-Shore-Ryan
Extra: Yamamoto (inj)

Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Barrie
Murray-Bouchard

Campbell
Skinner

— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) October 12, 2022

Edmonton Oilers 2022/23 GM1: Oilers vs. Canucks

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

#55 Dylan Holloway – Big game for the rook. Against AHL competition he was so so SO much better but against NHL players, he was less impactful. He can skate with the big boys, he thinks the game on their level, he’s not afraid to hit or shoot, and he’s not a liability, but if we’re to hold everybody who plays in the top-six to the same standard, he’ll need to produce.
#13 Jesse Puljujarvi – JP needs to continue his strong play that he ended the preseason with. He was aggressive, confident on the puck, and a pain in the ass to deal with in the muck. He won’t have to deal with Tyler Myers tonight, so that should give him some extra room to move around with in Vancouver’s zone.
#36 Jack Campbell – First impressions, right? Edmonton’s worst nightmare would be Campbell getting outplayed by Thatcher Demko tonight and losing.

Three Players to Watch for the Canucks

#43 Quinn Hughes – He’s not 100% but even then, this guy is such a fantastic talent on the back end. His edgework, IQ, and playmaking is really Norris-level, but I don’t know if he’ll ever get the recognition he deserves playing in Vancouver. As for tonight’s game, there’s a chance with Tyler Myers out and him being paired with Luke “The Iron Boot” Schenn, he might not be as impactful. He’s still worth keeping an eye out for.
#96 Andrei Kuzmenko – He didn’t light up the Oilers when he face them in the preseason games, but when he had the puck you could see that this guy has some skill. The way he cycled with Pettersson was impressive and I also see him being an impactful asset on Vancouver’s powerplay.
#81 Dakota Joshua – During preseason he had an opportunity to stick up for Elias Pettersson after Markus Niemelainen wallpapered him in the corner and did nothing. He was soon demoted down the lineup for his lack of “effort” in that instance. I wonder if we see a more aggressive Joshua tonight as he attempts to win back some favor from BBQ Bruce.

BLH’s Thoughts: Boeser, Garland, and Hughes might play but they won’t be at full health. Myers is out, Mikheyev is out, and Dermott is out too and I feel like those six players in their current situations is more detrimental to their hunt for the two points on the night than Edmonton’s with them possibly being without Kailer Yamamoto and/or Warren Foegele.

So, that being said, the Oilers should really win this and it shouldn’t even be close. Vancouver’s top three when healthy has a dangerous element to it and they’ve got a right proper no.1 goalie in Demko.

As I said above, Demko is the wild card. He could outright dominate Edmonton tonight and steal 2pts for the Canucks. I wouldn’t bet the family cat on it, but I think there’s a chance it could happen.