Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “His size and skill make him a strong option for McDavid and Draisaitl…”

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 Hockey Writers

Oilers’ 3 Early Christmas Gifts for 2021-22 Season

(Evan) Bouchard has produced offensively despite not being given top power-play time. He’s currently second among defencemen in points on the team with 16, one behind Tyson Barrie, who gets the time on the best power play in the NHL. Bouchard has been very efficient for what opportunity he’s been given to put up points, recording 14 at even strength.
Markus Niemelainen has been the most impressive defensive prospect recalled from the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League (AHL) team.
Matvei Petrov may be one of the biggest steals of the 2021 NHL Draft… In 29 games, Petrov is third in the league in points (49)…
Xavier Bourgault is the player chosen in the first round by the Oilers in the aforementioned 2021 NHL draft, 22nd overall… Bourgault ranks ninth in points with 42 in 24 games, despite playing fewer games than the players above him.
The Oilers have the No. 1 power play in the league at 31.5 percent, 0.9 percent ahead of second-place Toronto Maple Leafs despite struggling a ton on their recent six-game losing streak.
The team also has a good penalty kill at ninth in the NHL at 82.8 percent. Anything better than 80 percent is typically considered above average.

BLH’s Thoughts: On Christmas, I hope the Oilers open up their gifts and find more bottom-six scoring, healthier defense, and maybe an early return to the game for Dylan Holloway.

What about you? What do you wish for? Let me know on Twitter @beerleagueheroe!

The Athletic

7 AHL trade targets that could immediately improve Oilers’ NHL forward depth

Cody Glass was the first draft pick in the history of the Golden Knights and as has been the case with most of the selections by the expansion outfit, Vegas traded him before he could get established as an NHL player… High-end skill needs high-end skill and even if this player ends up on the wing, his size (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) and skill (4-15-19 in 21 AHL games) might make him a strong option for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on one of the top lines.
Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks is trying to get back into the NHL. He is currently playing for the AHL affiliate (Barracuda) and having success. In three AHL games, he has scored 1-4-5 and looked ready for a bigger challenge.
David Gustafsson is a centre with size who is in the final year of his entry-level deal with the Jets… a forward who can win battles, make plays with the puck and has an idea about positioning.
Matias Maccelli of the Arizona Coyotes is in the second year of his entry-level deal… Maccelli is posting 7-12-19 through 19 games, including 3-6-9 on the power play. He’s a natural left winger and will be applying for NHL work on a skill line.
Valtteri Puustinen is an undersized skill winger in the Pittsburgh Penguins system. At 5-foot-9, 183 pounds, scouting reports have him as a plus shooter with good not great speed… Puustinen has scored 6-7-13 in 21 games in the AHL this season after two highly productive campaigns in Finland’s Liiga.
Evan Barratt is a lefty centre in the Chicago Blackhawks system with average size (6-feet, 188 pounds) but enough skill to have a chance in the NHL if development continues.
Zach Senyshyn of the Boston Bruins is a famous prospect because of the wild 2015 draft… Senyshyn may not be an NHL talent but if he can post more than three shots a game with a shooting percentage over 10, he might be able to fill a role on an NHL team.

BLH’s Thoughts: Yeah, small skilled Euros who don’t skate well… I don’t see Holland scooping any of those up for his NHL squad.

However, I do recall watching the Gustafsson fella prior and nothing how difficult he seemed to be to play against. Not sure if he’s a realistic option this year with McLeod and Ryan seemingly having 3C and 4C wrapped up. Maybe in the future though, we’ll see.

Evander Kane, I’d be flabbergasted if the Oilers took a chance on him. He needs to go to a veteran-laden lineup with very few young players to be influenced or Vegas, who don’t seem to give a shit who’s on their team as long as he can play.

Cody Glass?… I’ll pass. He came out of the Portland Winterhawks system and they’ve got a history of pumping up their high-end prospects’ values in their draft years. He might have size and skill, but I don’t see a player who’d thrive in Edmonton’s system. The Oilers are pretty sorted in the roles and positions he can play, are they not?

The Daily Goal Horn

#7 Anton Khudobin (G), Dallas Stars
Notes: 2020 Playoff Hero is on the outs in Dallas and just cleared waivers. Teams are interested but some salary will need to be retained.
#10 Jake DeBrusk (F), Boston Bruins
Notes: DeBrusk made his trade request public, now the Bruins are looking to facilitate a move but only for equal value.
#13 Joonas Korpisalo (G), Columbus Blue Jackets
Notes: Columbus committed to Elvis Merzlikins as their #1, Korpisalo is now expendable. He could be a trade deadline rental.
#16 Marc-Andre Fleury (G), Chicago Blackhawks
Notes: MAF is playing really well for the Blackhawks and his name is now climbing up the trade bait boards.

BLH’s Thoughts: Fleury’s the only one on this list that would help AND is a realistic acquisition target for the team. That said, the better he plays, the higher his price tag gets…