August 29, 2021 /

Edmonton Oilers Talk: “I wonder how long it will be before he forces his way onto the big club’s lineup.”

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are 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!

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Lowetide.ca

TRAINING CAMP HOPEFUL NO. 4: MARKUS NIEMELAINEN
  • He was described as being a big defender with a terrific wingspan and good speed for his size, but a poor passer.
  • Despite being a third-round selection, nothing that came my way for years—years!—suggested he had an NHL chance. He has an NHL chance.
  • What role will he play in Bakersfield this season? Shutdown defender, penalty killer, he posted 2-4-6 in 21 AHL games but his game is about suppression.
  • So he’s David Musil offensively? He’s a little more capable offensively than guys like Martin Marincin, Brandon Davidson or Musil were at the same age, but they’re all part of the same family, yes.
  • What about Samorukov and Broberg? Sure, they’re in the group pushing, too. I just don’t see a clear winner from the group behind Nurse. We know Keith and Russell will be on the roster. What else do we know?
  • Do you honestly believe he’ll play? Both Ken Holland and Dave Tippett have deployed this player type before, and the future of Edmonton’s defense is size and speed. He has those things.
    • Edmonton’s defensive depth chart on the LH side is fuzzy right now. Keith and Russell are older men and may not be healthy all season. Lagesson and Koekkoek will need to show they can deliver at higher levels than one year ago. Samorukov, Broberg and Niemelainen are big, fast and either ready or close to NHL-ready.
  • Will he play? Barring a trade or waiver pickup, I’d say Niemelainen has an excellent chance to make his NHL debut in 2021-22.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I’ve mentioned before, Edmonton’s glaring weakness on defense is its lack of cycle-breakers since Adam Larsson joined that grunge outfit in Seattle. So I believe that’s a role with an easier barrier to entry than that of puck-mover as the club is stocked full there.

You should read all of LT’s post though, he’s got around 15 questions on Niemelainen in total worth reading about. I only chose the five I found most interesting and to the point. 

Oilersnation (baggedmilk)

  • I know the most likely scenario for Dylan Holloway is that he’ll head to Bakersfield for at least the start of the season, but I wonder how long it will be before he forces his way onto the big club’s lineup.
  • Would it really be that unreasonable to think that he could be with the Oilers in the last half of the season if he manages to score with some consistency at the AHL level?

BLH’s Thoughts: BM correctly notes that Kailer Yamamoto only played 50 games with the Condors before getting his permanent recall, but I’d also point out that Edmonton’s depth on the wings was pretty woeful back then too. 

So, we’ll have to see on Holloway. He’s always had a tough first year with a new level dating back to his u15 days in Calgary, so if he takes a season to find his footing in the AHL, it wouldn’t shock me at all. I think it would also be fair for Holland and Tippett to give the new acquisitions a season to find their footing with Edmonton… 

NHLTradeRumors.me

Carolina Hurricanes Send Offer Sheet To Jesperi Kotkaniemi!

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have tendered an offer sheet to Montreal Canadiens forward Jesper Kotkaniemi. It is a one-year, $6.1 million deal.
  • If the Canadiens decide not to match it, they will get back a first and third-round pick as compensation.
  • Lastly, the offer sheet comes with a $20 bonus, which of course is Aho’s number. You can’t make this stuff up.

2 Possible Destinations For Trade Target Dylan Strome

  • Seattle Kraken: The Chicago Blackhawks could use another defenseman on their team and the Kraken happen to have an abundance of them. The Kraken also would certainly benefit from adding a center on their team, too.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets: Strome would also be given the chance to play top-six minutes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. With him still being quite young, he also fits into their current rebuilding stage. 

Canucks Bo Horvat is Sick and Tired of Losing

  • Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat continues to say all the right things this offseason as he recently opened up about how much he hates losing,
  • “I’ve been on the team, this will be my eighth year coming up, which is crazy. And I want to be in the playoffs. I don’t want to go through the motions in the regular season and be done in April. I want to be playing in the playoffs, it’s the best time to play, it’s when I find I take my game to the next level. And I think we have the team here to get there. We just have to prove it now. Enough is enough, we can talk all we want, at the end of the day we have to go out there and prove it on the ice.”
  • The Canucks made a huge trade and brought in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland and also added Jason Dickinson and Tucker Poolman. Let’s see if it’s enough to satisfy Horvat. who will be doing his best to lead by example next season.
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CategoriesArmchair GM Beer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL Rumors

TagsEdmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers Rumors NHL NHL Rumors

Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!