The Fourth Period Summer Trade Chart has the Edmonton Oilers Connected to EIGHT Players

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!

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From the Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: It’s Duncan Keith vs. Vlad Tarasenko on the Edmonton trade front

The loud dissenters want no part of a Chicago trade for a guy who makes $5.4 million the next two seasons, yet a good number want the Oilers to investigate St. Louis winger winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who has had three shoulder surgeries, makes $7.5 million for two more years and whose game has regressed. In good part, because his shoulder won’t allow him to shoot like he used to. A shoulder that may never be what it once was.

“Here’s the deal with Keith. I’m sure (general manager Ken) Holland has talked to (Connor) McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl and (Darnell) Nurse about whether he would help them. Same as Glen Sather asking Wayne Gretzky back in the day about a player on another team.” said a long-time NHL team executive. “Keith can teach them about what it takes to win.”

If the Oilers are looking for a mid-20s goalie to partner with Mike Smith, rather than Mikko Koskinen, who turns 33 on July 18, free-agent names like Linus Ullmark (Buffalo) and Chris Driedger (Florida) are possibilities. But they could also make a call to Pittsburgh on Tristan Jarry as a trade.

At 26, Jarry is the right age for the Oilers, has a friendly contract of $3.5 million for two more years before he hits the open market and has a strong history with Oilers goalie coach, Dustin Schwartz. Schwartz was his instructor with the junior Oil Kings when they won the Memorial Cup in 2014.

Definitely on the Oilers’ free-agent radar is Joel Armia, because he can play right or left-wing, he can kill penalties and he’s a big body. Plus, he’s a Finn who could help Jesse Puljujarvi.

The Oilers most likely do not want to qualify Jujhar Khaira at his $1.2 million to keep his rights before, but it’s suspected they might offer a two-year deal at $900,000 and $1 million for the fourth-liner, who is one of their top two penalty-kill guys because he’s breaks up plays with his long arms and wins battles along the boards.

The Oilers may also take a look at Leafs unrestricted free agent Freddie Andersen, who has beaten them over and over again. The only problem is he turns 32 in October and they may want to look younger.

BLH’s Thoughts: Vlad Tarasenko has had TWO botched surgeries on his shoulder that have all but robbed him of his scoring touch. Oilers fans should be used to watching a player’s prime taken away because of a bad shoulder, no? Oscar Klefbom? Hello?!

Andersen seems like a bit of a far-fetched option unless everything falls apart, no? I mean, I could see him heading to SoCal. Especially in the event that the Anaheim Ducks move on from John Gibson. Andersen has a history in with that franchise.

As far as the other netminders mentioned, I think you always have to step lightly with the ones who have poor injury histories. I hear a lot of good things about Linus Ullmark, but he’s a guy who can’t stay healthy apparently.

From The Hockey Writers

Maple Leafs Have Interest in Tyler Bertuzzi

After a report by TSN’s Darren Dreger that the Leafs might be a team that kicks tires on Taylor Hall, per Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs might have their eyes on someone different. He says the Leafs organization had interest in Tyler Bertuzzi for a while now. This could be a player the team looks at if they are unable to re-sign Zach Hyman and if Alex Kerfoot is picked up in the NHL Expansion Draft.

“I’m wondering if he’s one of the guys they’re going to look at,” Friedman said. ” He plays a way that I think Toronto would like to add to their roster.”

Bertuzzi is three years younger than Hyman and already has had two seasons with career highs (47, 48 pts) that were higher than anything Hyman has produced (41 pts). For Toronto, there could be a belief that Bertuzzi hasn’t scratched the ceiling of what he could do, especially if placed with some elite-level talent.

Bertuzzi is an RFA this summer and Friedman heard the Maple Leafs were looking at him ahead of the NHL trade deadline last year, but before the player got hurt and was done for the season.

BLH’s Thoughts: I love Bertuzzi. This is the guy Edmonton should be chasing instead of Zach Hyman, in my opinion. He’s greasy, thrives in the muck, and his underlying numbers have been quite nice in the past. He’s also younger than Hyman!

The Fourth Period

SUMMER TRADE WATCH 2021

The pundits over at TFP have the Edmonton Oilers connected to multiple players on their top-30 list of players they think could get traded this summer.

6. Phil Kessel (ARI)
9. Conor Garland (ARI)
10. Rickard Rakell (ANA)
12. Darcy Kuemper (ARI)
13. Mattias Ekholm (NSH)
21. Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ)
25. Duncan Keith (CHI)

TFP also released a report claiming Edmonton is one of the teams interested in the aforementioned Tyler Bertuzzi.

“Teams have inquired about Bertuzzi,” Pagnotta said. “He’s a pending RFA. I’m told Detroit’s not against moving him.”

Several teams are believed to have interest in Bertuzzi, including the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings, among others.

BLH’s Thoughts: Of all those names, I wonder about Mattias Ekholm. I do believe that the Predators really want to bring him back for the remainder of his career, but it feels like they’ve they’ve got something up their sleeve. I think the Oilers would be fine paying an above average price to bring the Swede to Edmonton.

Everybody else on that list would be nice to have in Edmonton but the real push right now is to shore up the defense and give it a harder look. There aren’t too many competitors like Mattias Ekholm out there either…