Edmonton Oilers Talk: Puljujarvi Yanked Off of Edmonton’s Top PP Unit

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

Is Josh Archibald’s anti-vaxx limbo going to be Kyle Turris’s gain?

The Oilers thought enough of Archibald to protect him in the expansion draft. But now his status with the team is unclear, as a team can include an unvaxxed player on its roster only if it is intending to bend over backwards on an ongoing basis through the season to accommodate that player. It’s hard to imagine the Oilers will do so in the case of Archibald, a fourth line player and penalty killer.
Turris as a replacement for Archibald on right wing? It seems an unlikely fit. Archibald is a skater, a hitter and a defensive specialist, strong on the penalty kill. Turris is more of a playmaker and offensive player. His defence last year at centre at even strength was woeful and his work on the penalty kill wasn’t much better.
But it’s been said that Oilers coach Dave Tippett put in a good word when it came to offering Turris a contract, and that Turris has worked exceptionally hard to get in shape for the season.
If Archibald is out, which forwards will the Oilers use?… Warren Foegele got 1:02 per game of PK time in Carolina last year, so he’s a possibility. Derek Ryan got 1:50 per game in Calgary, so he’s another good bet. Zach Hyman got 1:58 in Toronto, the most of any Leafs forward, but do the Oilers want him to play that role here?
…might it not make more sense to have Jesse Puljujarvi as a regular PK player? I’ve often thought that big, fast and long Puljujarvi would make a strong PK player.
“Wild” Bill Lagesson is in the second-pairing right now, with Kris Russell coming back from injury and Duncan Keith still in quarantine. But Keith will be back Friday and Russell is already on the ice. Lagesson also played well against Calgary and will get a chance in more exhibition games, at least until Keith returns.

BLH’s Thoughts: On Jason Gregor’s show yesterday, he had a lot of praise for Kyle Turris and his performances so far. Pundits in town are noting a renewed focus and energy this year from the veteran.

Coach Tippett seems to have some time for Turris, so I reckon the veteran will have to play his way off the club at this point if Archibald remains unvaccinated.

As for Jesse Puljujarvi, his reach and defensive smarts could have him on the PK, but I don’t think his feet are quick enough. With that said, he’s yanked off the top powerplay unit and replaced by Zach Hyman (nobody could’ve guessed that would happen…), so I feel like there’d be no pain in trying him out on the penalty kill in the preseason just to see if a fit could be found there.

Lowetide.ca

NOTES ON A SCANDAL

There are times when preseason showcases a player who has not yet landed as an NHL regular, but shows enormous ability during the early games before the regular season. It’s a signal for fans, and indication that the depth chart that rolls around in their mind all day is about to get an adjustment… Ladies and gentlemen, Evan Bouchard is electric.
Who helped his cause the most among the bubble people? Already mentioned Perlini and man his speed is going to be tough to send away. A fourth line of Perlini-McLeod-Kassian would be fleet of foot and dangerous. Perlini’s flaws were not apparent on this night, that’s why you play him several times in the next two weeks. Players do grind out their flaws, Edmonton may have found a real player.
How many players will not be in Edmonton or Bakersfield opening night? Sceviour could be in another NHL town, the loser of the Benson-Perlini battle could be lost on waivers, Bourgault will be in the QMJHL.
Name the No. 1 priority for Woodcroft and Manson? Coach up Broberg. He was the talk of bubble camp in August of 2020, but he looked a little tentative in tight spots last night.
Who surprised you with their play? Kemp. I didn’t expect him to touch the puck as much, or the results to be as successful. I’m starting to think this young man has NHL quality.

BLH’s Thoughts: Perlini was getting a lot of accolades from Oilers talk radio people today. They liked his size, skating, and shot in that Calgary game. On Jason Gregor’s show, a question raised was, who should get that final spot on the 4th line LW, Tyler Benson or Perlini? Ryan Rishaug made a point to say that he didn’t think that Benson fit Edmonton’s image of that line and Perlini did. Whereas Jason Strudwick thought that Benson’s playmaking and hockey IQ could be an asset to that line. Gregor’s response was that if there’s nobody else on the line that can score a goal, what’s the point in having such a good playmaker out there?

For me, I didn’t think Perlini was noticeable aside from his goal. Benson was involved in the plays much more and therefor his visibility was way higher. Had he cashed in that chance in the 3rd period, the conversation would be a helluva lot different today.

The Hockey Writers (Rumors)

On Sunday, the Canadiens confirmed that Caufield is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury… Head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed today that Caufield’s injury will keep him out for about one week but it isn’t anything serious.
Mark Spector was on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer on Friday and said he doesn’t believe the Edmonton Oilers will work around Josh Archibald and his choice not to be vaccinated… Because there are so many buildings in the United States players can’t even get into without proof of double vaccination and because the Bakersfield Condors are among those that don’t allow unvaccinated people inside, the Oilers might be waiting for Archibald to opt-out of this season.
James Neal scored three goals on Saturday for the Blues, sending a statement to the rest of the league that he should be considered for a regular role on an NHL roster… It’s not clear if the Blues will offer Neal a contract based on one game or see it for what it is, just one game… Still, his three goals should be enough for a team that wants scoring depth to know that Neal can offer that.
Jakub Vrana did not get off to a good start this season. As per Kevin Allen, Vrana arrived late to training camp due to visa issues and joined the team late on ice. To make matters worse, less than ten minutes into his first on-ice session, he suffered a shoulder injury and left.
According to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson said he’s had “several conversations” with the agent for pending free agent center Tomas Hertl. At the same time, reports are that he’s gotten a number of calls about Hertl’s availability. Wilson is not providing any details on either scenario.