Edmonton Oilers Talk: Yamamoto’s New Contract, Rebound Candidates, and a Surprise Fact about Cody Ceci!

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 Hockey Writers (Swane)

Oilers’ Cody Ceci: 4 Things to Know About Edmonton’s New Defenceman

He Got to Live His Childhood Dream

A lifelong Ottawa Senators fan, Ceci first got to play to major junior in his hometown with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, then was drafted by his favorite NHL team, 15^th overall, in 2012.

He’s a World Champion

Ceci was a member of Canada’s team that won gold at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Russia. He had one goal and five assists, zero penalty minutes, and a plus-eight rating in 10 games. His Canadian teammates included Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

He’s Back With Tyson Barrie

While the two right-side defencemen won’t play on the same pair, Ceci and Oilers defenceman Tyson Barrie are reuniting as teammates in Edmonton after a season together with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20.

His Dad Played Football For Edmonton’s Enemy

Cody’s father, Parri Ceci, was a wide receiver who played in the Canadian Football League. Parri, however, lined up for Edmonton’s least favorite gridiron team, the Calgary Stampeders, who drafted the elder Ceci 27th overall in 1984.

BLH’s Thoughts: Do you reckon Connor McDavid would’ve signed off on the Oilers going with Ceci if they didn’t play together at the World’s in 2016 and how long until Bob Stauffer throws out that tidbit about Ceci’s dad? Bob’s a massive football fan, if you didn’t know.

Oilersnation (Brownlee)

Off the Top of My Head

At 26, I don’t know if there’s much more room for development with Nurse.
For this contract to make any sense, Nurse has to play at the same level he did last season for the majority of this new deal. That’s the floor, not the ceiling.
What I like right here today, given GM Ken Holland’s win-now mandate, is that Nurse’s contract sends a message to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that owner Daryl Katz is willing to back up all the talk about contending now with money that ensures the core of this team will stay together at least until their deals expire.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of money RFA Kailer Yamamoto gets on his next deal.
Speculation is agent J.P Barry would like two years at about $2 million a season. I don’t see it.
- First, Yamamoto doesn’t have arbitration rights.
- Second, as noted, he was cold as a divorcee’s lawyer to end the season.
If Yamamoto can come in above the QO, say, two years with and AAV of $1.5 million, it’s a win. Ink the deal and put together two solid years with the cap edging up.

BLH’s Thoughts: Personally, I think that Nurse can improve on the defensive end of his game. The offense is what it is and I’m not expecting that to spike without getting time on the PP since Barrie and Bouchard will be running that for the foreseeable future. I really am hoping that he develops into another Alex Pietrangelo.

It wouldn’t shock me if it took until training camp to get a deal done between the Oilers and Yamamoto. Killer’s got zero leverage here and that 25-game goal drought playing alongside the reigning MVP didn’t do him any favors. That said, I don’t think he was 100% healthy last year but he ploughed through. We should keep in mind that when he was in the AHL he had some issues staying healthy too. I’m not sure his frame will support his style of play until his body can catches up.

For what it’s worth, teams are asking about Yamamoto…

NHLTradeRumors.me (DeRosa)

Edmonton Oilers: 2 Players Who Will Bounce Back Next Season

Zack Kassian RW: In 27 games, the 30-year-old only scored two goals and recorded five points. This kind of production is far too low for his standards, so there is reason to believe that he can bounce back stronger this upcoming year.
Kyle Turris C: He posted identical statistics to Kassian, as he too had two goals and five points in 27 games. Keep in mind, he had 31 points in 62 games with the Nashville Predators the season before. Therefore, he is capable of producing decent numbers as a third-line center. He should be able to yet again next season.

BLH’s Thoughts: I think Kassian is an obvious choice here, but I’m going to say Mikko Koskinen is the other bounce back candidate. I’m not confident that Mike Smith is going to have another year like he did last season, but with rest and proper deployment, Koskinen may very well. Don’t forget, it’s a contract year for the big Finn too…