Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!
From Sportsnet
Oilers’ decision on veteran Duncan Keith hinges on intangibles, not analytics
- This trade, should the Edmonton Oilers choose to make it, is about intangibles. It is not — we repeat, NOT — an analytics trade. Even if this Sportlogiq piece makes a favourable case of the numbers for Keith on a team where he can play secondary minutes.
- The difference for Keith is, his minutes and on-ice responsibilities would decrease in Edmonton, an important distinction. And the areas that improve with age — leadership, teaching ability, helping younger players — would be a great part of his game.He can still skate and he can still play. That is what all of my sources tell me.
- the people I talk to all indicate that Keith can still skate, and as such, can still play. On a second pairing with Larsson, we would like Keith’s analytics much, much more than the ones posted playing with (in order of minutes) Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist and Connor Murphy this past season, those voices add.
- While the Oilers have most of what they need to become a Stanley Cup contender, adding Keith as their second left defenceman, and injecting all that he brings inside the culture being built here is a no-brainer, said Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray.
“The last thing you need?” Murray said. “If I’m Ken Holland, he’s the first thing you need. Not the last. The first thing.”
- Could you trade a useful player/prospect to Chicago, along with goalie Mikko Koskinen? Edmonton could retain half of Koskinen’s salary and have Chicago buy the goalie out. That would leave both teams with a $750,000 cap hit for two seasons.
BLH’s Thoughts: The wave of momentum coming from the analytics driven portion of the hockey world is starting to die down now that there’s been a few days to digest such a move and cooler heads are prevailing. Some pundits are even of the thought that the deal is on the verge of collapsing.
My feeling is that this feels similar to the OEL rumors from last offseason. A lot of hot air being blown about and then nothing as a result. But you can see what Holland is trying to do though and that’s bring in proven leaders on defense who can still play the game. He sees the quality of prospects coming through his system and realizes the need for proper mentorship so as he can continue to develop these players into the best players they can be for the club.
From DailyFaceoff.com
SERAVALLI: 10 buyout candidates this NHL offseason
When the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, three players with “no-move” clauses were bought out – Francois Beauchemin, Dan Girardi and Scott Hartnell – to alleviate the requirement to protect them in the Expansion Draft.
We could well see history repeat itself. There were 14 buyouts that summer. There were 10 last fall as the league transitioned amid the flat cap pandemic.
Here are 10 buyout candidates who could then become free agents:
2. JAMES NEAL
Scoop: Oilers GM Ken Holland indicated he could buyout one, if not two players this summer and Neal rises to the top of the list. He was a healthy scratch for a large chunk of the season after struggling to regain form from an early season COVID-19-related illness. Neal finished with 10 points in 29 games. A buyout would leave Edmonton with a $1.92 million dead cap charge for the next four seasons, representing just shy of a $4 million savings in each of the next two campaigns.
3. ERIK JOHNSON
4. KEITH YANDLE
5. MARTIN JONES
6. ZACH PARISE
8. BEN BISHOP
9. PAUL BYRON
10. SONNY MILANO
BLH’s Thoughts: So, if Edmonton can find a way to move Koskinen and buy out Neal AND a guy like Ben Bishop also gets bought out of his contract, would you be comfortable with the Oilers bringing Bishop in on a cheap one year deal if he was willing to go to Edmonton to play?
I’d have time for Paul Byron and Keith Yandle in this scenario. They’re both very solid veterans in my opinion.
From Spector’s Hockey
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson reports the Oilers’ pursuit of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith could be complicated by the upcoming expansion draft.
With the Oilers expected to protect seven forwards and three blueliners, perhaps it means any possible deal for Keith takes place following the July 21 expansion draft. In that case, however, it could mean the Blackhawks risk losing Riley Stillman to the Seattle Kraken if Keith won’t waive his no-movement clause for the draft.
Given Keith’s age (37), Matheson suggested the Oilers would be better off in an ideal world trying to sign 28-year-old Dallas Stars blueliner Jamie Oleksiak via free agency. However, Oleksiak could command $4 million per season. Oilers GM Ken Holland would likely be bidding against eight-to-10 other teams.
BLH’s Thoughts: I also like Jamie Oleksiak, but why not both? If the rumors about Duncan Keith getting bought out by the Blackhawks are even remotely true and he signed with the Oilers on the cheap, why not have both Oleksiak AND Keith for the year?
Well, one reason could be that the Oilers would be in tough to get the big man (without overpaying significantly) to sign with them given how many teams would be chasing him. Plus by all accounts, he’s going to stay in Dallas where there’s a definite tax advantage for him and the weather is slightly more savory than in Edmonton.
Give us a follow on the socials!
- Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
- Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
- Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
- Facebook: Beer League Heroes
