“Edmonton will not trade down from 29. They will make the pick.” Predicts Gregor

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Monday Mailbag – NHL Draft week predictions

What is your bold (or not so bold) prediction for the Oilers at the NHL Draft?

“Edmonton will not trade down from 29. They will make the pick.” – Jason Gregor

The Jesse Puljujarvi conundrum seems to be picking up steam as we head into the summer and my question for everyone is what they would personally do with the player if you had control?

“Unless I find out that Jesse would go back to Finland if a trade can’t be worked out, I’d get working on a one-year deal. If a trade is indeed in the works, the best way to get the most out of it would be to have him come back to Edmonton and compete hard. The tail end of his 2021-22 campaign wasn’t what he would have wanted and I’m not selling low on a guy I think can contribute at this level.” – Baggedmilk

Ryan McLeod took a big step forward this season, but what’s his ceiling?

“How much he produces offensively will come down to the role he’s placed in. If the Oilers groom him to be their homegrown shutdown centre, we won’t see much offence. But if he continues to get reps as a winger in the top-six, we surely will.” – Cam Lewis

Are there any pending UFAs that intrigue you as potential upgrades or roster fits?

“Jack Campbell. Ville Husso.”

BLH’s Thoughts: What about Val Nichushkin as a UFA signing? What about David Perron? Vlad Namestnikov is a scrappy little guy with some skill. Johan Larsson on the 4th line would certainly add some fluidity to the club’s center depth. I was impressed with what Michael Raffl did in the Calgary series, could he be a Alex Chiasson-like addition?

Toothy McWheels has got himself a long future ahead with this team if they don’t trade him like they’ve done to so many young players in the past. I hope his offense doesn’t dry up or he starts to run into injury problems because we’ve seen what happens then…

Despite the rhetoric that Mark Spector keeps throwing out there (Puljujarvi wants out), Jesse’s never said that. He’s always said that he loves Edmonton and the club but at the same time his ultimate goal is playing in the NHL. So I don’t think it’d be a problem for him to come back on a one year deal because if we’re being honest, everybody needs to see if the beginning of last season was a mirage and he needs an opportunity to show everybody that it wasn’t. It’s a win-win scenario for everybody aside from Connor and Leon I guess.

Bold prediction for the weekend, eh? The Oilers trade Kailer Yamamoto.

Now, with regards to the Oilers’ first round pick (29th OV), Seattle’s hulking power forward Reid Schaefer is the name that’s popped up most often so far and since Holland has arrived in Edmonton, we’ve been told pretty much who the Oilers like well ahead of time. You really hope that he’s not another Tyler Biggs if Tyler Wright has his eyes set on the local boy though…

I haven’t done a ton of homework with the draft this year, but I’m not against drafting Schaefer. Who doesn’t like a throwback player?

Other skaters that have peaked my interest are right-shot center Nathan Gaucher. He’s 6’3″ last I checked and could shape up to be a great shutdown pivot when he’s peaked. The knock on him is that the offense might not be that great at the pro level but this is a player with high work ethic too. So a team could develop him into an high-end checker.

Tristan Luneau is an offensively-minded right-shot defenseman. I want him to be the next Kris Letang, but I don’t know if he’s that good. Similar size as Evan Bouchard, skates well, moves the puck well. I think he’d be a nice player to transition into when Cody Ceci’s contract expires.

He’d be a long-term project but 6’7″ righty Maverick Lamoreaux (D) could be somebody that helps the Oilers down the line. For a guy that size, I think he’s got good boots and skates fine. He’s physical and that long stick is problematic for wingers coming down his wing.

Do you think Montreal would trade up if their GM’s kid (Jack Hughes) is available at 29?

For me, I think it’d only be responsible to gauge what the 29th OV selection is worth to other clubs. I don’t know if there’s a massive gap in quality between 20th and 40th this year and the player the Oilers select isn’t going to be ready for at least four seasons. Moving back and gaining more picks wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

Cult of Hockey

Edmonton Oilers quite rightly chasing that high of another Evander Kane-style deal

This in from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, his report that the Edmonton Oilers might be a destination for Unrestricted Free Agent Claude Giroux, if Giroux, 34, does not return to Florida…
Friedman said, but one name floating around out there is Giroux. “We’ll see if there’s a fit… I do think he’s somebody that’s potentially on your radar.”
Toronto goalie Jack Campbell is also on the Oil’s radar as a free agent signing, Friedman said.
Andy and Rono tweeted: “Giroux is still great two-way winger, legit 1st line forward. He can also play on both wingers. He would be huge addition for Edmonton for sure.”
For the Oilers to win with so many big contracts already on the books, the team can’t afford to keep giving out big contracts to every player who wants to come here, or every player who does well here.

https://twitter.com/AdamsOnHockey/status/1544356430697811969

Instead of signing a player like Evander Kane right now, Edmonton has to find another bargain deal, maybe not the brilliant kind of value deal that Kane represented last January when his reputation was a dumpster fire, but something close to that, with a top player willing to come here on a bargain contract.
Capfriendly places Giroux at a career estimated earnings of $78 million. That’s a lot of money even after deducting taxes, escrow and agent fees. It could put Giroux in a spot where he’s more likely to choose a situation where he can win…

BLH’s Thoughts: I like that Edmonton is becoming more of a desired destination for the league’s premier players. It’s something I’ve never seen Alberta’s capital city as in my lifetime.

Now, in this instance with the Oilers still apparently in on Evander Kane, I think if they were to add Giroux it’d have to be on a cheaper deal for multiple years. Maybe three to four seasons at around $3M/yr seeing as he’d basically be replacing Pulljujarvi, right?

Lastly on Giroux, Friedman brought up a good point on his 32 Thoughts pod earlier today. He questioned why Giroux would choose Edmonton if he wasn’t willing to choose Colorado at the deadline. Also, considering that the Avs are set to lose some big forwards, would that club be more of a tempting option now? Then there’s the family thing. If they spend their summers in Ottawa, aside from paying him more (maybe) and a better chance to win, why would Giroux pick Edmonton over the Sens?

For what it’s worth, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug has been steadfast in his opinion on whether or not Evander Kane re-signs in Edmonton. That being he doesn’t think it’s going to happen.

Another thing that’s coming up in one place and nowhere else is the idea of trading Kailer Yamamoto and Jason Gregor is the only pundit in Edmonton I’ve seen bring that up over and over.

One more… During Gregor and Rishaug’s talks since the Oilers’ season ended, they’ve mentioned a lot about the club bringing in size and functional toughness saying that if Holland is going to move Puljujarvi, Kassian, Foegele, and miss out on Kane, they’re going to need to bring in some larger physically imposing replacements.

So, if Kane doesn’t come back, Keith retires, Smith and Klefbom are put on LTIR or their contracts are moved, Barrie, Kassian, Puljujarvi, and Foegele get traded; there’s going to be some flexibility for Ken Holland to work with. Both under the cap and on the roster.

Silly season is upon us…

What would you do if Ken Holland turned around and signed Val Nichushkin to a 7yr deal @ $5.5m per year? #LetsGoOilers

— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) July 5, 2022

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey

Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers believe the Chicago Blackhawks could begin to address their goaltending this week. They anticipate GM Kyle Davidson could contact the Toronto Maple Leafs about Petr Mrazek or the Ottawa Senators regarding Matt Murray. He might be willing to take on one of them in exchange for draft picks and/or prospects.
Nugent-Bowman also reports winger Jesse Puljujarvi hasn’t requested a trade. It sounds as though he’d like to return with the Oilers as a top-six winger. The Oilers could ask the restricted free agent to start the season on their third line and see if he can work his way higher in the lineup.
Owen Krepps acknowledged recent trade speculation swirling about Golden Knights defenseman Nic Hague. He believes it wouldn’t be a bad thing to move him in a cost-cutting deal given their blueline depth, allowing the Golden Knights to recoup some assets in return.
(Terry) Koshan dismissed the notion of shipping out William Nylander given his value to the Leafs. He suggested forward Alex Kerfoot ($3.5 million cap hit) or defenseman Justin Holl ($2.1 million) as trade candidates.
Pierre LeBrun wouldn’t be surprised if the Leafs are among the clubs with an interest in Marc-Andre Fleury.
Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Pierre Dorion is still open to shopping his first-round pick (seventh overall) in the upcoming draft… trade options include Vancouver’s J.T. Miller and Conor Garland, Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi, and Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler or Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Colin White (OTT) is on unconditional waivers for a buyout.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 5, 2022

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve not done any digging on him, but I wonder how Nic Hague would look on Edmonton’s 3rd pairing?