Edmonton Oilers Talk: “It’s a good bet Holland will trade…”

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Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Would you bring Mikko Koskinen back?

With the inevitable trades made throughout the league lately, which one has caught your eye?

• “The Bruins gave up a lot for Hampus Lindholm. The fact that they got him signed to a long-term deal I suppose makes it easier to stomach but still, that was quite the haul.” – Yaremchuk

If we can resign for Koskinen for ~$2 million, would you run with Koskinen and Smith/Skinner next year, and use the freed-up funds to deepen our defense in the offseason?

• “If Koskinen can maintain what he’s done over the last dozen games for the rest of the season, there’s nothing wrong with considering a deal for two years at less than half of he’s making now while they see if Skinner is ready to be No. 1.” – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: I think the Habs did very well at the deadline this year gathering picks and prospects. The Wild did an awesome job of upping the roster’s compete and netminding. The Rangers adding Copp and Motte is also very interesting considering how much elite skill it has up the lineup. Those two alone could be a very disruptive presence for New York and they’ve got the goaltender who could take them right to the Final. I’d keep an eye on Panarin’s team this year. Boston grabbing Lindholm and Brown will really help but their goaltending is going to need to hold up. 

The Maple Leafs… Kind of an underwhelming deadline. Not sure they’ve got what it takes to get out of the first round this year… Again. Colorado really bolstered their bottom six. Lehkonen, Cogliano, and Sturm are excellent adds to that team, but just like Boston, if Kuemper gets hurt, that could be curtains for the Avs.

Here’s an underrated deal, the Predators picking up Jeremy Lauzon (who the Oilers were in on according to Bob Stauffer). Their bottom pairing is going to be a massive pain in the ass to line up against be in Lauzon with Borowiecki or Matt Benning. Those three are the kinds of guys you want to go to war with. 

FWIW, Koskinen isn’t signing for under $3M next season and considering what he’s gone through in Edmonton, he’s not going to do this club’s fanbase/media any favors by returning… 

The Athletic

Oilers’ 2022 draft strategy takes shape after trade deadline — low picks, high skill?

• Edmonton will not have its pick in the second round of the 2022 draft, and could be without second-round selections in the next two drafts.
• This year’s third-round pick could be Chicago’s, and the fourth-round pick belongs to the New Jersey Devils due to the 2021 deadline trade that brought Dmitri Kulikov to the Oilers.
• Edmonton owns its own first, fifth, sixth and seventh, and could retrieve the third-round pick if the Keith conditions click in.
• Ken Holland has made deals to add picks in each of the last two seasons in order to increase total picks… If the Oilers enter draft weekend with just one selection in the top 145 picks, expect a similar deal to be struck by Holland with another NHL team.
• (From 2009-2018): Over 40 percent of Edmonton’s selections came from the combined talent coming from the WHL and OHL, and if the QMJHL (Canada’s other major junior league) is added, the total approaches 50 percent.
• (Since 2019): With the Oilers, Holland’s scouting department chose a Swedish defenceman (Philip Broberg), an NCAA forward (Dylan Holloway) and a QMJHL forward (Xavier Bourgault) in the first round… Not yet a trend, the three Canadian junior leagues may have less impact on Edmonton’s list in the years to come.
• The Oilers’ obvious weakness in the system (centre) is a reflection of the team’s historic quality and depth at the NHL level.
• …taking a centre at the draft this summer would be wise, although replacing either McDavid or Draisaitl would require a lottery pick and an enormous amount of luck.
• Other areas that could use some help: right defence, shutdown defence and skill forwards.
• Here are five possible options (four forwards and defenceman Denton Mateychuk) if Edmonton hangs around between Nos. 15-20 in the first round:

• It’s a good bet Holland will trade down again, and this might be the year the club drafts a centre that is more likely to remain in the middle or another power forward. The pipeline is surprisingly rich in pure scorers, two-way defencemen and forwards.

BLH’s Thoughts: Edmonton’s wings are pretty set for the foreseeable future, so my hope is that they focus on drafting centers and defensemen. 

I don’t have a lot of faith that this group will get out of the first round, but that being said, they have the elite talent and potential to upset some really good teams. Just look at how they’ve played against Tampa, Florida, Colorado, and Carolina this year. However, the peaks and valleys this team has gone through this year have been maddening and LT’s suggestion that they might be drafting 15-20 is very realistic, in my opinion. 

The fella on my radar for Edmonton’s first pick in the 2022 draft is a big bodied  right-shot center out of the QMJHL named Nathan Gaucher (Quebec Remparts). Here are some of the highlights from his report via Future Considerations (NHLEntryDraft.com),

• Gaucher is a 6-foot-3, 207-pound right-shot center.
• Gaucher is a highly competitive two-way center.
• He uses his big frame effectively, can throw his weight around, lean on opponents, has a rocket of a shot and some really nice touch around the net.
• Gaucher does it all for Quebec in every situation.
• He’s a beast on the cycle.
• As an NHL comparable, I think Chris Kreider provides a hint at where Gaucher’s potential could be.
• His net-front play is very similar and, like Kreider, Gaucher is strong on the puck, can blow through the neutral zone and take pucks hard to the net. 
• Gaucher is a nightmare for defenders to face with his size and strength.
• He can drive around you or through you, but when he wants access to a patch of ice there isn’t much that slows him.
• As an offensive net-front presence, Gaucher is at an NHL level already and it’s not hard to imagine how difficult he is to contain.
• What may be less obvious when you look at Gaucher is how good he is at slipping away from defenders and reading loose pucks and rebounds.
• Gaucher’s passing and puck support is very good. He comes back deep in his zone to support his defensemen, and provides pass options for linemates in transition.
• Gaucher isn’t an elite passer, but his vision under pressure is outstanding and allows him to find pass options and prolong his team’s puck control.
• Gaucher can sometimes be just plain mean. He can lay out the big hits and bully players along the boards and in the corners.
• He is a very competitive player in the defensive zone. Gaucher can anticipate sudden changes in possession, defend the slot area, identify and prioritize potential threats, get under sticks and close out passing lanes.
• I see Gaucher’s ceiling as a top-six forward with some potential as a second line center.

Gaucher, in 49 gp has 24 goals, 16 assists, and is +18 at this point, He is projected to be a mid-late first round pick. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_PD_dWYNNY

Trade Rumors

• The Daily Goal Horn: The general consensus is Forsberg will get a new deal in Nashville, likely for max term and just less than Roman Josi’s $9 million cap hit.
  •  The pending UFA (Phil Kessel) will probably garner some interest over the summer on a one or two-year deal with a low cap hit. Are we talking less than a $1M? I’m not sure, but I also wouldn’t rule out a return to Arizona on a multi-year deal to provide the young group with some veteran leadership.
  • (Jakob Chychrun): This will be the draft day trade everyone will be looking for. Boston’s acquisition of Lindholm clears the runway for L.A. to make the deal. However, there will be other suitors in Carolina, and Anaheim. I also wouldn’t sleep on the Islanders.
• NHLRumors.com: Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said that the next player they will start contract talks with is pending RFA forward Lawson Crouse.
  • Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson on talks involving defenseman Calvin de Haan:  “if the value’s not met, then you value the player more than anyone else. So we’re happy with the players that are here. We value them more than other teams around the league, clearly. We’re happy they’re still with the Blackhawks.”
  • GM Kent Hughes said that they came close to trading Shea Weber‘s contract and will revisit it again in the offseason.
  • There have been no contract extension talks with newly acquired pending UFA defenseman Brett Kulak.
• The Fourth Period: The Calgary Flames were looking for ways to improve their defensive corps and explored the possibility of acquiring Hampus Lindholm before the Anaheim Ducks traded him to the Boston Bruins prior to the deadline… Elliotte Friedman reported Monahan would have been included in a deal for Lindholm had the two sides finalized a deal.
  • Monahan’s name had been floating around the rumour mill for the last few weeks. He has been playing on Calgary’s fourth line and had the Flames been able to acquire another impact player with a significant cap hit, Monahan would have needed to be included.

BLH’s Thoughts: Whattya think? Monahan to ARI in a deal for Chychrun?

Lawson Crouse better be asking for mega bucks to keep playing for the Coyotes… My-lanta… 

Can the Predators afford to sign Forsberg to a $9M/yr deal without offloading some bloated deals? They’ve already got Josi, Duchene, and Johansen on similar contracts while Ekholm’s deal doubles to over $6M next year and Granlund is on a $5M/yr ticket. I dunno… They might’ve missed the boat on being able to get some good assets in return for him in order to keep their cap structure reasonable. I’m thinking a team like Seattle could back up the Brinks truck and give their fans a double-feature addition this summer that includes Forsberg and fellow Swede John Klingberg…