Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “…it’s likely we’ll see a player from the Bakersfield Condors offered in a package.”

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The Athletic

If the Oilers add a big deadline asset, Philip Broberg will be the ask

If the intent is to acquire real talent between now and the trade deadline, the pressures of spent picks and no cap room mean the Oilers will need to give up someone close to NHL-ready and destined for a feature role in the league.
If the club gets into heavy negotiations for players like Jakob Chychrun or Marc-Andre Fleury, Holland’s first draft selection as Oilers GM (Broberg) could be the ask based on his current season.
(Trade) Candidates might include goaltender Mikko Koskinen and right wingers Zack Kassian and Kyle Turris. These men aren’t so much the target of an acquiring team but would be included to make the money work, much as Sam Gagner was used in the February 2020 deal with the Detroit Red Wings for Andreas Athanasiou.
If Holland isn’t going to deal young roster players who are emerging (Ryan McLeod, Stuart Skinner) and already in the NHL, then it’s likely we’ll see a player from the Bakersfield Condors offered in a package.
If Samorukov and Niemelainen progress, could Broberg be expendable?

BLH’s Thoughts: Broberg might be the ask, but he’s Holland’s boy and if he traded him, he’d be admitting he made a mistake seeing how well Trevor Zegras is playing for Anaheim and the American could’ve been an Oiler. Reckon they could use that guy on Leon’s wing this year?

If the Oilers do end up playing on the 27th of this month, they’re going to need reinforcements because they’ll be down five left-shot defenders this time because Nurse, Keith, and Lagesson are in COVID protocol, Niemelainen’s hand is broken and Russell is out with an upper-body injury. Meaning, Samorukov and Broberg will need to be recalled if Edmonton is to play with a full deck against Calgary their first game after this break.

Jesus… When’s the last time an NHL team went down FIVE dmen on the same side?…

Anyway, I feel like the trade deadline might be a tad disappointing in that the Oilers probably aren’t willing to deal the futures they’d need to in order to make a headline trade OR if they do go that route, the fanbase will be irate at who they decided to move.

So, we’ve got to ask ourselves, is it important that Ken Holland makes a big move or a series of right moves?

For me, the netminding position is of the utmost importance, then bottom-six depth, and then an extra defenseman. What about you?

Edmonton Sun

Another Olympics down the drain for Oilers captain Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid will be 29 and in his 11th NHL season before he gets his first, and perhaps only, chance to represent Canada in an Olympic Games.
All Olympic hockey tournaments are special, but this one — McDavid teaming up with childhood idol Sidney Crosby and Nate MacKinnon, a powerful American team led by Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin’s final hurrah with the Russians — would have been an all-timer.
That many players were still willing to run the risk of testing positive at the Games and spending between three and five weeks in a Chinese quarantine (which is probably even worse than it sounds), shows how badly they wanted this.

BLH’s Thoughts: Oh boo hoo. Cry me a bloody river… The Olympics are a massively overrated TV event anyhow. It’s supposed to be the best AMATEUR athletes competing against each other but where’s the money in that?

As if the NHL and the PA aren’t going to arrange a best-on-best hockey tournament to make up for the millions of Chinese dollars they’re losing by not heading to the Olympics. You don’t NEED the Olympics to have a major hockey event that would feature the world’s best.

Would it shock you if there were a few more Chinese companies sponsor NHL events in the future? Maybe some more exhibition games being played over there… Gary Bettman isn’t going to let all that revenue go for nothing.

Spector’s Hockey

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski observes the solid performance of Evan Rodrigues this season could force Penguins coach Mike Sullivan to rethink his lineup when everyone is fully healthy… Kingerski wondered if Rodrigue’s play could make Jason Zucker expendable. The 29-year-old left winger has 11 points in 30 games.

BLH’s Thoughts: Depending on the price and if the Penguins become sellers, Zucker and Rust might be two wingers the Oilers could use considering their experience and goal scoring talents.