Edmonton Oilers Talk: Puljujarvi, Bourgault, Nurse, and the Latest NHL Rumors

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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The Athletic (Allan Mitchell)

Lowetide: How many goals will Jesse Puljujarvi score for the Oilers next season?

Last season, Puljujarvi’s fourth in the NHL, he scored 15 goals in 55 games at 22.
Since peak seasons offensively arrive around 24-25, there’s still some room for growth for the big winger. It’s also true he scores well with Connor McDavid, and if he ever spends 82 games with the captain (and getting power-play time) the goal total could be over 30 during his peak seasons.
In reading comments from Oilers fans since the end of the season, there’s a growing worry over Puljujarvi’s spot in the lineup.
The one scenario I could see is chemistry between Foegele-McDavid that forces Hyman to right wing on what would become the de facto top line with two new wingers.
The next pressure point for the Oilers as it pertains to Puljujarvi will come next summer.
I count 24 goals in a full season for the big right winger. But if his ice time with McDavid is reduced, expect a much lower total.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m not as confident that Jesse will spend the whole year on Connor’s wing and thusly, I don’t know if he’ll score at the same pace as he did last season. The other thing is that I believe Jesse will lose his spot on the first unit power play as its net-front presence to Zach Hyman and that’ll eat into the goal totals too.

Fifteen goals seems a very fair prediction, but I’m willing to go as high as twenty on the campaign.

I don’t know if you saw or not, but Pulju was part of the team meetings for the Finnish Olympic ice hockey team recently. That means our boy might be reuniting with Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine IF the NHLers decide to head to China for the Olympics. Very cool!

The Hockey Writers (Brian Swane)

Oilers Prospect Bourgault Impressive at World Juniors Summer Camp

Bourgault found chemistry with centre Zach Bolduc, who had two goals and one assist. The biggest story to come out of the game was how the Quebec natives elevated each other’s performance.
Bourgault saved his best for last with one goal and two assists in the final game of the week, making highlight plays to stand out among the 26 forwards attending camp.
In 2020-21, he led all QMJHL draft-eligible players in both goals (20) and points per game (1.38).
When it comes to earning a spot on the 2022 Canadian World Junior team, the 6-foot-0, 172-pound Bourgault has a few things going for him. He’s versatile, effective at both centre and on right-wing for the Cataractes. The ability to play multiple positions is crucial at the World Juniors, as teams are often forced to shuffle their lineup due to injury or a suspension. He’s also a late birthday (he will turn 19 in October), and the Canadian Junior team is known to favour older players with more Major Junior experience.

BLH’s Thoughts: For Go-Go to stand out in a camp that includes Hendix Lapierre, Shane Wright, Dylan Guenther, Mason MacTavish, Seth Jarvis, Cole Perfetti, etc. that’s a real feather in this young man’s cap.

The positional flexibility in Bourgault’s game may very well be the key to him making that team though.

The Hockey Writers Trade Rumors

After signing Paul Stastny and landing Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt in trades, the Winnipeg used a good chunk of their cap space to try and compete again this coming season. In the process, they’ve created a bit of a salary cap issue in respect to trying to get players like Andrew Copp, Neal Pionk and Logan Stanley signed.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo looked more closely at Kevin Fiala’s salary arbitration case, one where it was the organization that elected to go to arbitration and not the player. Obviously, there’s some back and forth going on between the two sides and trying to get a contract done hasn’t been an easy process.
Evander Kane has a full plate of trouble when it comes to his future in the NHL. Add to it the fact that a number of players on the Sharks’ roster are apparently tired of the distraction and it could spell the end for the forward in San Jose. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Kane simply doesn’t follow team rules and it has created frustration in the Sharks’ locker room.
With huge deals going out to defensemen like Seth Jones, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Dougie Hamilton and others, blueliners like Darnell Nurse and Morgan Rielly are licking their chops knowing that the market is set for them to make a lot of money on their next deals. In Toronto, the question is, can the Maple Leafs afford what Rielly will command on the open market?