Edmonton Oilers Waiver Wire Talk: “The question is, will he get picked up?”

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Cult of Hockey

Final roster takes shape (on paper at least) as Edmonton Oilers waive Turris, Lagesson, reassign Skinner

The easy choice was Stuart Skinner, who by virtue of being a goalie remains waiver-exempt for one more season, this despite having completed his ELC and signed a two-year club-friendly extension this past summer.
Skinner had a strong camp, playing in parts of three games, all of them on the road. He shared a shutout in Calgary, mopped up in Winnipeg, then held down the fort for the last 40 minutes in Vancouver last night.
He’ll now join another battle for ice time in Bakersfield, where two other decent prospects await in Ilya Konovalov and Olivier Rodrigue.
The partnership/battle between Skinner and Konovalov will be the most intriguing for Oilers prospects since the days of Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk.
This year, after large scale changes on the back end, Lagesson still clearly slotted in at #8 on the logical depth chart. Arguably lower on a merit-based one, given the showings of fellow Swedes Filip Berglund and Philip Broberg at camp, along with the looming presence of the injured Dmitri Samorukov.
He does have the virtue of a one-way salary in this the second year of the pact he signed in 2020, so he’ll get paid regardless. The question is, will he get picked up?
Based strictly on preseason play, Kyle Turris is the surprise cut. He started camp playing right wing on a line with Devin Shore and Brendan Perlini, and ended it in the exact same place.
After a disappointing first season in Edmonton, it’s fair to say Turris left it all out there this fall. The Oilers’ 2021 nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy arrived in camp in tip-top shape and showed significant signs of recovering his offensive game.
In the unlikely event somebody does put in a claim, the Oilers would lose a player but save both cap space and cash dollars, a chance Holland is more than willing to make. The bigger risk by far would be losing the more club-friendly Lagesson contract.

BLH’s Thoughts: Could Turris head back to Ottawa? I thought I read that they’re in the market to add some bodies to get to the cap floor.

I hope Lagesson catches on somewhere. He’s been up and down the ladder more times than not and he’s proven his worth at every level but the NHL. I’d just like to see him get an opportunity to be a full-time NHLer because it’s pretty clear that the Oilers don’t see him as somebody they can trust in that role yet.

Skinner vs. Konovalov will be a fun internal competition to keep an eye on going forward. The way I see it is that they share the duties in Bakersfield this year and next season Skinner gets the promotion and Konovalov takes over as starter for the Condors. In two years, maybe they’re sharing the Oilers net? Who knows?

Oilersnation

Random Thoughts: It’s Go Time

Kailer Yamamoto missed Thursday’s game as a precaution after he took a knock to the melon in the 4-3 comeback win over the Calgary Flames, and it got me thinking about how desperately we need him to stay healthy this season.
As much as it was great fun to watch Yamo pop a shortie against the Canucks, we need him to keep the good times rolling when the games matter otherwise, unfortunately, there are line blender options available that could mean that he loses his spot.
I don’t think it’s unfair to suggest that he needs to add some of that Spokane finish to his little engine that can.
Before Kassian went down in that fight against MacEwan, I was looking at a line like the Foegele-Ryan-Kass trio and thought about how this is a line that could cause some damage if they can find a way to get going.
I am expecting that this line will be able to cause a little mayhem on a nightly basis and that this bull in a china shop mentality will provide them with plenty of scoring chances.
I can’t think of a pairing with more pressure to perform than the second pair with Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci.
… to this point, at least for me, this pairing has been an adventure out there.

BLH’s Thoughts: It’s hard to argue with baggedmilk’s sentiments on Killer. The little katana’s steel hasn’t quite been tempered enough and needs more time to toughen up. That’s not me saying Yamo isn’t tough, I’m saying his body needs to get stronger so he can withstand playing the style he does.

Now, with that in mind, it’d be nice of Yamamoto’s teammates stuck up for him from time to time when he got flattened…

You know who looked good in his limited preseason appearances? Kris Russell. He was skating very well, but I do find it interesting that nobody is speaking to how much of an adventure the Russell/Bouchard pairing might be…

The Hockey Writers Rumors

Allan Walsh is among the most controversial agents in the NHL. Always on social media and always speaking his mind, he often steps over the line on behalf of his clients, which has rubbed a number of general managers the wrong way. Apparently, it was Walsh who forced the Vegas Golden Knights to keep the Marc-Andre Fleury trade a secret from the player.
While rumors persisted the Rangers might be a team still kicking tires on Jack Eichel, the Eichel talk will quiet down now as New York has signed center Mika Zibanejad to an eight-year contract extension worth $8.5 million per season.
On Saturday night, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noted the Maple Leafs might lose both veteran forward Kurtis Gabriel, (placed on waivers) and 25-year-old centerman Adam Brooks.