Edmonton Oilers Talk: Irony, Roster Cuts, Expectations, and the Latest NHL Rumors!

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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The Cult of Hockey

Josh Archibald “out indefinitely” with post-COVID myocarditis; Oilers cut 5 others

“He had a severe viral infection coming out of his quarantine. He tried to skate for a few days and just wasn’t feeling right, so we got a bunch of tests done with him. What the tests showed was that at some point this summer, he had COVID, so he tested for the antibodies and he was struggling with the viral infection. He got a bunch of blood work done and since then has been diagnosed with Myocarditis.” – Dave Tippett

Archibald has been in the news a lot lately as the only unvaccinated player on a Canadian NHL team. Now he’s in the headlines for contracting the illness that the vaccine was designed to prevent.
Said illness is notorious for its belated and/or long-term after-effects. Myocarditis being one such.
That roster was further slashed by five players on Sunday,
- Cooper Marody: He didn’t get a sniff on the scoresheet in three preseason opportunities, likely sealing his fate.
- Seth Griffith is something of an older version of Marody, a 28-year-old scoring forward capable of playing centre or wing. Griffith played the last 3 preseason games, showing some offence at times but was among those burned on a key goal-against on Saturday night.
- Ilya Konovalov is a three-year vet of the KHL who is making his North America debut at age 23… He’s expected to share time with Stuart Skinner who remains on the big club’s roster, for now.
- Philip Broberg and Filip Berglund have been joined at the hip since camp began, and surely will remain a steadfast pairing in Bakersfield… A natural lefty-righty duo, the high-pedigreed Broberg is very much the proactive one, Berglund the smart positional player who’ll let the puck do the work and cover off his more adventuresome partner.

BLH’s Thoughts: OH! THE IRONY!!!

With that out of the way, get well soon Archie!

I fully expect Marody to clear waivers tomorrow and be on his way to Bakersfield unless the Oilers can find another team and make a trade. I mean it might even happen after he clears waivers because the team acquiring him can send Marody right to their own farm team at that point.

We can officially start to get excited for the upcoming Condors season now that Broberg and Konovalov are on their way to Bakersfield. It’s going to be a very entertaining season for Edmonton’s farm team with all of that talent suiting up for them in 2021-22.

With Mike Smith leaving practise yesterday, I would think Stu Skinner will stay up until whatever’s ailing Smitty is cleared up.

Oilersnation

Random Thoughts: NHL Preseason Edition

Brendan Perlini is turning out to be the preseason king we always love around these parts, and my body is ready to start inscribing his name on The Answer title belt if he can keep his mini heater going.
I know we’re not supposed to get excited about what happens in the preseason, but I am 1000% on board with what’s happening on the first line. I could be getting ahead of myself a little bit here but would you really look at the way they’ve been buzzing so far and bet against them? I wouldn’t.
I found myself feeling incredibly jealous of everyone that’s been lucky enough to check out a game so far.Before Monday’s game against Seattle, the Oilers unveiled their tribute to Joey Moss and I wanted to give them some quick props for nailing it. From mounting the statue at his actual height to creating an exact replica of his hand, the Oilers really went all-in on the details and I love knowing that they put this much care into creating a permanent place for Joey in their locker room.
Over at ESPN, Emily Kaplan wrote an article about the NHL considering its guidelines on the players’ dress code after the Arizona Coyotes announced that they’d let their guys wear whatever they want on game days instead of the traditional suit and tie we’re all used to. Does it really matter what NHL players wear to the rink? I don’t think so, but then again, I’m a guy that wears hoodies and hats no matter where I go or what I’m doing.

BLH’s Thoughts: Here’s the thing with heaters, they don’t last. Ask Kailer Yamamoto. The thing to watch out for with Perlini is if he continues to find the soft ice for chances on net as the preseason closes and the quality of competition rises. If he can keep getting that shot off, that’s a great sign. If the opposing defenses start boxing him out and he can’t get anything done, the party’s over.

Baggedmilk is right, the Oilers’ first line is going to cause an immense amount of havoc for their opponents going forward. Not only will the have to deal with Hyman and Puljujarvi’s talents in the muck, they’ve got McDavid lurking about too… Can they score more than Colorado’s top line or Boston’s?

A fine job done by the organization with the Joey Moss tribute! What more is there to be said?

I don’t care what a hockey player wears to the rink to be honest. If he wants to wear a banana costume, give ‘er. I’m concerned with how they play on the ice, not what they do off of it (within reason).

The Daily Goal Horn

Top 5 Trade Candidates

It should not surprise anyone that Jack Eichel would top the list followed by Vladimir Tarasenko. Phil Kessel is most likely to soon be traded within the group. Both Johnny Gaudreau and Tomas Hertl are pending UFA’s and likely to be dealt by the trade deadline if contract extensions can’t be reached.

Johnny Gaudreau no longer talking about contract

One thing is clear, now that the offseason is done Gaudreau doesn’t want to discuss it… If the two sides can’t work out an extension by the trade deadline, it will be Gaudreau whose in control of his destination. That’s because his 5 team no move clause kicked in this past July.

Predators and Filip Forsberg

In a recent article by Gentry Estes in the Nashville Tennessean, he suggest that if the Predators opt to trade a player like Forsberg at the deadline for futures, then they will have finally committed to a full rebuild.

The Sabres, Eichel, and the Rangers

Reports have surfaced that the Buffalo Sabres have finally agreed to share Jack Eichel’s medicals with interested teams. This ongoing saga still has a long way to go, but for the first time, teams now have more information in order to make what the feel is a fair offer.
I asked around and those in the know still see the New York Rangers as the most logical destination.