The Smart Play and Two Mock Trades

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Oilersnation (Brownlee)

Off the Top of My Head

Enough already about Kailer Yamamoto’s contract status… Honestly, I had the best intentions, but along comes Joel Farabee and his new $30-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers and here we are.
Farabee has 59 points. After 105 games in parts of four seasons, Yamamoto has 52 points with the Oilers. That, some people insist, makes them comparable. Well, no. Farabee’s deal sets the market. Well, no.
I don’t think there’s any question the Flyers are overpaying Farabee right now, which is not a luxury Oilers’ counterpart Ken Holland has.
The Oilers, clearly, aren’t as sure about Yamamoto at this point with the way the second half of this season went.
There’s no good reason for Holland to rush to judgment. The smart play is a two-year bridge deal at right around $1.5 million per.
Farabee doesn’t change that. If Yamamoto and agent J.P. Barry think he does and are dragging their feet because of it, it’s a mistake.

BLH’s Thoughts: Clearly Robin Brownlee and Jim Matheson are not on the same page with regards to Kailer Yamamoto and his next contract.

You hope for Yamamoto’s sake that his agent isn’t actually using the contracts signed by Drake Batherson and Joel Farabee as comps for Killer’s next deal because it’s a horrible plan and Yamo doesn’t have arb rights anyhow. JP Barry may very well see his client sitting at the beginning of the season instead of working his way into a much better third contract with the Oilers.

On the other hand, Ken Holland had better not get screwed into signing another bloated deal because the peers of that player signed big contracts. One’s enough…

Oil on Whyte (Courville-Lynch)

Two Mock Trades for Mikko Koskinen

Trade #1:
Oilers Acquire: Joonas Korpisalo
Blue Jackets Acquire: Mikko Koskinen(25% retained)

A trade to Columbus makes the most sense for both sides. Flipping him for another struggling goaltender in Joonas Korpisalo would be perfect for both goalies, and both teams. Korpisalo is 27 years old, whereas Koskinen is 33, so the Oilers may have to either retain a little salary to make it work or add another piece into the deal.

BLH’s Thoughts: I see where Courville-Lynch is coming with this one, it’s been through the rumor mill over and over this offseason. I like the idea of getting a bit younger in net, but I’m not a huge fan of Korpisalo’s numbers since that fantastic playoff series he won for Columbus over Tampa a few seasons back. I’m also not certain that he will end up saving the Oilers some money when if he chose to sign with the Oilers as opposed to hitting the open market next summer…

Trade #2:
Oilers Acquire: Jake Allen
Habs Acquire: Mikko Koskinen, 2nd Round Pick

Allen was arguably the best backup goalie in the league behind certified legend Carey Price. But the Oilers were linked to Jake Allen in the past, and when Montreal exposed Price to Seattle for the expansion draft, the rumors began to fly that it was because the Habs had a trade lined up for Allen, and didn’t want to lose him for free.
But the advantage would be that Allen is locked up for until 2023, and is only making $2.875M a season in comparison to Koskinen’s $4.5M a season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Another thing to add here is that Allen was a legitimate starting goalie in St. Louis before getting usurped by Jordan Binnington during the Blues’ Cup run and that can’t be said about Joonas Korpisalo. This is important considering the Oilers’ hopes are pinned on Mike Smith recreating his form from last season.

I do like this trade for Edmonton but the Habs are already over the cap, both GMs would need to get creative to make a trade like this work…

The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Trade Bait Tracker

#1 Jack Eichel (C), Buffalo Sabres
Destinations: Rangers, Golden Knights, Wild, and Ducks

#2 Vladimir Tarasenko (F), St. Louis Blues
Destinations: Rangers, and Devils

#3 Alexandar Georgiev (G), New York Rangers
Destinations: Sabres, Coyotes

#4 Phil Kessel (F), Arizona Coyotes
Destinations: Golden Knights

#5 Christian Dvorak (C), Arizona Coyotes
Destinations: Bruins, Rangers, Devils, Flames

#6 Tomas Hertl (C), San Jose Sharks
Destinations: Rangers, Kraken, Golden Knights, and Blue Jackets

#7 Evgeny Kuznetsov (C), Washington Capitals
Destinations: Rangers, Blue Jackets, Kraken

#8 Joonas Korpisalo (G), Columbus Blue Jackets
Destinations: Oilers

#9 Ryan Strome (F), New York Rangers
Destinations: Senators, Kraken, Sabres

#10 Sean Monahan (C), Calgary Flames
Destinations: Rangers, Wild, Blue Jackets

#11 Johnny Gaudreau (F), Calgary Flames
Destinations: Flyers

#12 Claude Giroux (C), Philadelphia Flyers
Destinations: TBD

#13 Rickard Rakell (F), Anaheim Ducks
Destinations: TBD

#14 Evander Kane (F), San Jose Sharks
Destinations: TBD