Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “Insiders think a move is likely happening by the NHL Trade Deadline.”

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 Athletic

Four Oilers right-handed defence prospects impress while pushing for NHL

Vincent Desharbnais: It may seem a long shot for him to sign an NHL deal at this age, but the Oilers have a history of signing AHL players (Mark Arcobello, Josh Currie) and Desharnais has shown significant progress. He is effective in a shutdown role and on the penalty kill.
Phil Kemp: Kemp has size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and a strong reputation as a shutdown defender… Including last season, Kemp’s even-strength goal differential for his first 19 games (10-9), has improved (17-12 goals) in his most recent 20 games.
Michael Kesselring: Kesselring is also 22, and he too has improved as his AHL time progresses. In his first 28 games, his even-strength goal differential (13-16, -3) was a little underwater. In his most recent 19 games, he has a 10-5 goal differential at even strength. He’s also making plays and showing a range of skills.
Filip Berglund: There are reasons to believe Berglund is adjusting and we might see a more impressive back half of the 2021-22 season. In his first eight games, his on-ice goal differential (even strength) was 3-4; in the most recent 17 games, that total is 10-5, putting him in the range with the other righties.

BLH’s Thoughts: If I were the Oilers, I’d make it my priority to develop Phil Kemp into a Rob Scuderi (two-time Stanley Cup winner) Type. He’s got all of the intangibles and he’s been a captain or part of the leadership core of almost every team he’s played for. He’s a right shot, he’s got great size for a shutdown defender (6’3″, 209lbs), and I simply feel that he could bring what the Oilers lost when Adam Larsson left for Seattle. He’s that kind of player I feel.

Oilersnation

Game Notes Blackhawks @ Oilers: A Chance at Redemption

I asked Dave Tippett post game if he was considering switching up his defence pairs. “It is a possibility,” he said.
The challenge right now is Edmonton doesn’t have a top pair RD. Bouchard is a rookie, and like most rookies, his defensive game is his biggest area of weakness. He’d be better off playing lower in the lineup in more sheltered minutes. But if you move Cody Ceci with Nurse, then that means Barrie or Bouchard play with Duncan Keith.
Keith has been very solid the past two months. He plays well with Ceci because he doesn’t have to clean up messes created by Ceci very often. When you play with a rookie you have to clean up more messes. Just look at Keith’s numbers in Chicago the past two seasons: He was paired with rookies and his numbers struggled.

BLH’s Thoughts: And this is why I’m perplexed as to why there are so many left-shot defenders being connected to the Oilers. They need another veteran RHD who can move up and down the roster as required. Tyson Barrie was supposed to be that guy but he blew a wheel and has a cracked axle and he can’t be trusted to be a positive contributor on the top-pairing.

I suggested Justin Braun out of Philly this week because his relative against metrics are outstanding considering how shit his team has been this year. He’s 34, a righty, cheap on the cap, and a pending UFA; so there wouldn’t be any commitment required past this year nor would the cost to acquire him be dear. His TOI suggests to me that he’s been playing first or second pair for the Flyers too, so he could ride the ladder in Edmonton if required.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why Bob Stauffer keeps going on about how confused he is why Keith and Bouchard haven’t been put together. It’s so obvious as to why without Jason Gregor needing to spell it out.

As for some of Edmonton’s other options that could slide in on the right side, here’s what Dave Tippett had to say pre-game yesterday prior to Edmonton’s loss to Vegas,

“Sounds like Rusty may be out for a bit here.”

Coach Tippett said it’s a little bit concerning but he’ll be going for some more tests soon. The Oilers coach thinks it started with a play in the Vancouver game and that it built up over the course of the latest road trip.

So, scratch Kris Russell off the list of candidates to help out anytime soon, folks.

Maybe if things get dire (read: desperate), Phil Broberg gets recalled and they slide him over to the right side considering he’s got some experience playing his off side. Kinda dodgy if you ask me… Just make a trade at that point I’m thinking.

Daily Goal Horn

The Golden Knights may soon be forced into figuring out how to fit Jack Eichel under the cap… Two names that many are looking at to be traded are Reilly Smith and Evgenii Dadonov. Both make $5 million on the books. Smith is a pending UFA and Dadonov has one year left on his deal.
Sportsnet’s Canucks Central talked about J.T. Miller and a possible trade with the Rangers. Just who would Vancouver be looking to get back for their prized forward.
- One obvious player they feel would be part of the package is disgruntled prospect Vitali Kravtsov… Talk then quickly turned to Braden Schneider. If the Canucks can’t land him, Nils Lundkvist was considered another right handed option and even Zac Jones despite being a lefty.
The Seattle Kraken are sitting dead last in the Pacific Division at 15-27-4. This has many believing that their first-ever captain Mark Giordano’s stay will be rather brief. Insiders think a move is likely happening by the NHL Trade Deadline.
- Three teams to keep an eye out for his services are the Panthers, Rangers, and Flames.
“The Coyotes have let it be known that they’re willing to take on contracts or money in exchange for future assets. Just as we saw them do with a few transactions over the summer,” Chris Johnston reports.

BLH’s Thoughts: How many tops would blow if the Oilers brought Mark Giordano in? Gio isn’t an every day top-4 defender anymore, but he brings exactly what you’d like when the going gets tough…

I’d take more of this on the Oilers, that’s for sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loP_kbC6oxE