On yesterday’s edition of The Lowdown with Lowetide, LT and Young Tyler were discussing what it might take to get Taylor Hall to come to Edmonton and to Yaremchuk’s credit, he bravely put his balls on the cutting board with his proposal in response to Lowetide’s question of “What would you give up for a clearly signed long-term Taylor Hall”.
TY: In my mind, if the New Jersey Devils were to trade Taylor Hall this summer, I think you’re looking at a package that includes one or two high-grade NHL prospects. So from the Oilers, I bet you’re looking at Jesse Puljujarvi and Even Bouchard, at the minimum for prospects. You’re probably looking at a real good NHL roster player as well. Probably looking at Darnell Nurse in that case.
LT: You’re saying Nurse, Bouchard, Puljujarvi…
TY: And a first round pick…
LT: The no. 8 pick?
TY: If it’s at this year’s draft, you’re probably looking at no. 8 and you’re probably looking at a conditional first or second in next year’s draft if you get him to an extension. I think it’s a 5-for-1 piece deal.
LT: There’s no way it’s that high.
TY: I guarantee you it’s that high.
LT: No!
TY: This guy won the Hart Trophy Al.
LT: There’s no way, no way it’s going to be that high. You can’t sign him apparently because he’s in the market. Bouchard, you’ve said Bouchard, Puljujarvi, a couple of firsts, one for sure, another a conditional. What else was there in that package? Oh, Darnell Nurse.
LOL! “I guarantee you it’s that high!” Made me chuckle.
This is the guy that basically guaranteed Jay Woodcroft was on his way to LA to ride shotgun to Todd McLellan again… Does your head hurt yet? I put this out on Twitter and got absolutely flamed for it and rightfully so because it might be the dumbest trade proposal I’ve seen publicly announced since Woodguy said Oliver Ekman-Larsson for Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl was ok… F*ck me people!
Later on in their segment, Lowetide had this to say,
I think you’re on the right track. Bouchard, and, no. 8 is high, maybe next year’s; You’re going to have to give something up like Bouchard. I believe that.
Here’s the voice of reason and wisdom speaking, not a video game GM. Yaremchuk’s whole proposal is based upon Taylor Hall’s Hart Trophy, an award he won on the back of Keith Kinkaid’s Hasek-like performances that dragged NJ into the first round of the playoffs where they barely showed up vs. Tampa Bay and bowed out in five games. No Kinkaid, no playoffs, no Hart Trophy…
So now we’re talking about a player who has trouble staying healthy. Elite, no bones about it, but has trouble staying off the IR. So the closest trade comp to that might be Erik Karlsson to SJ.
In exchange for Karlsson, the Senators receive four players — forward Chris Tierney, defenceman Dylan DeMelo, and forward prospects Josh Norris and Rudolfs Balcers — as well as a first-round draft pick (2019 or 2020) and a second-round pick in 2019. (source)
If we were to put Oilers players in that deal, wouldn’t it look more like Caleb Jones, Kailer Yamamoto, Cooper Marody, and Kirill Maksimov, as well as a couple of draft picks? You’d have to think that Puljujarvi would need to be included. I mean, the draft picks would have to be altered as well since Edmonton is always picking higher than San Jose. Honestly, I think the prospects Edmonton are offering are better too.
New Jersey likes to have a strong American presence in their organization according to Bob Stauffer, so in MY mind, I would think that Kailer Yamamoto and Caleb Jones, as well as a 1st round draft pick, would need to be at the center of any trade that includes Taylor Hall. The Devils have Ty Smith coming next season, so would they really want Jones? What about Samorukov or someone who is a bit closer to being NHL-ready, like William Lagesson or Ethan Bear?
If the cost is that high, I reckon you pass. Why gut the organization’s depth to bring Hall in? There’s no guarantee that he’ll stay healthy enough to make the impact expected. For a player who plays like he does to be having his knees worked on at this point… Yikes. Yellow flag!
But if the price is more reasonable, say, Yamamoto, Lagesson, and a 2020 first round draft pick (a proposal that is more akin to what Ottawa got for Mark Stone). I would be down with that. It gives the team time to make the necessary moves to fit him under this year’s cap and to negotiate a team-friendly contract going further.
I get that he’s really good and that he’d probably have no problems coming back but… Ken Holland’s message to everyone was that this team was going to be built properly. Draft and develop. If Hall wants to come back, he’ll be a UFA after next season. The two sides can talk then.
Now, I might be picking on Young Tyler here because he’s a bit brash and doesn’t always think before he speaks but isn’t that the case with most confident youth? One day he’ll say something I find smart and I’ll give him credit for it. He’s a talented and knowledgable fellow, but he’s in that mode of life where you speak first and listen second. I feel for Lowetide and it’s part of the reason I don’t listen to his show that much anymore, I can’t really stand to hear how Yaremchuk talks to him. Luckily, LT is a patient man and he puts up with it.
YESSA!!!
I asked around about this whole Puljujarvi to Russia/Pulujarvi wants out of Edmonton bullshit and there’s nothing to it. He’s in Edmonton right now rehabbing with the Oilers medical staff right now and is expected to do so until late-June before going back to Finland to continue his off-season training and participate in charity games as he’s done for the past few seasons.
The fact that he’s in Edmonton right now under the close eye of the Oilers speaks to his commitment to the team and to his rehabilitation. I’m not sure if Mikko Koskinen is around, so he’s on his own, therefore, his English is going to improve. Unless he never leaves the house…
You might say, “Bob McKenzie is reporting that he wants out of Edmonton and it’s no surprise!” and to that, I’ll say, Jesse’s frustrated, no doubt about that. He’s never really had anyone in his corner since he joined the team. Nobody to guide him through the peaks and valleys of an NHL season. Had he had a mentor to show him how to deal with slumps and injuries, maybe we’d be talking about something else today, but he’s got to be excited about the regime change and possibly getting a clean slate as it’s probably the best thing that could happen to him right now.
He’s never said he wants out of Edmonton, EVER. Unlike others on the team, he’s never gone on a Vancouver radio show and pumped the tires of another team… He’s frustrated and confused.
Let’s say they do move him, the overriding thought is that he’ll be moved for a player in a similar situation. One that isn’t gaining traction with his team, a guy like Julien Gauthier in Carolina. He had 27 goals in the AHL this past season and has six points in 14 playoff games for the Checkers. Personally, I think that Pulju is better and would’ve had more than 30 goals had he spent the season in Bakersfield. Probably closer to 40 given what I saw during his short stint which was absolute dominance.
The other scenario is dealing him with one of the contracts and I’m not sure at this point if he’s a sweet enough sweetener, but you never know what another GM is thinking. Lots of folks think that the Canucks don’t have any interest in Milan Lucic but I’m pretty certain Jim Benning has time for him.
So it just sounds like the reason for trading him is to simply get him out of the organization. That’s ridiculous to me. They screwed it up, they should fix it. You don’t treat the European kids differently from the North American ones with regards to their development.
Then again, this is the NHL and there’s little room for patience.
Pulju is 21 now and right at that mark where he should be really breaking out. Kinda like Roope Hintz did in the playoffs this year. Do the Oilers really want to move him right now when they are in need of offensive wingers on the cheap?
