Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with 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 The Hockey News/Sports Illustrated
The Hurricanes have given their star defenseman permission to speak with other teams leading up to free agency. Who will join the feeding frenzy and make a play for Hamilton?
Edmonton Oilers
There’s a good case for re-signing Adam Larsson after he realized his potential as a defensive defenseman, sure. But with him and fellow righty Tyson Barrie slated to become UFAs, there’s room on the depth chart and the payroll for Hamilton, theoretically, especially if the Oilers are prepared to let Evan Bouchard and his entry-level contract occupy a full-time roster spot next season. With growing concern over the Oilers burning away crucial prime years of superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it would make sense for GM Ken Holland to throttle up and try to propel his top-heavy squad deeper into the post-season. Having Hamilton and Darnell Nurse playing 30 minutes a night sounds like a fine recipe for winning more playoff rounds going forward.
BLH’s Thoughts: There’s a common belief going around that Dougie doesn’t want to play in a hockey mad market. He enjoys playing in a city where he can walk down the street and nobody will notice him.
If that’s true, you can take Edmonton right out of the mix because even the folks who aren’t fans of hockey or the Oilers will give you trouble if the team is losing in that city.
I’d also add that if Holland lets Adam Larsson walk for nothing and uses Ethan Bear on the 2nd pair, he’ll regret it. Larsson’s skillset is required for post-season success in my opinion. Mind you, if Ethan can improve his skating like Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, and Jesse Puljujarvi have in the past, the sky’s the limit. At the rate he’s going, I just don’t think he’s going to be better than Evan Bouchard and in fact, I believe Bouchard will be the better player come game one of the 2021-22 season.
My suggestion would be trade Bear for Jake DeBrusk and sign David Savard, then use Bouchard in the same manner Tyson Barrie was used this past year. Savard and Larsson can always transition down a pairing as Bouchard gets better and the team will be set come playoff time. The right side of your defense is sorted for another three seasons.
From NHL Trade Talk
Hurricanes Playing With Fire Here
The risk for Carolina here is that teams are saying, ‘Hey, if you don’t take care of your own guy, who are you going to take care of?’ In other words, if a commodity like (Rod) Brind’Amour can’t even get an extension done in a place he wants to stay and with a team he said he’d sign with as long as they took care of his assistants and other staff, there’s no loyalty by the organization and that sends a terrible message throughout the rest of the league.
When asked if it’s Carolina or bust for Brind’Amour, Friedman couldn’t provide an answer. He said, “Every day this goes by without a solution, we don’t know.”
BLH’s Thoughts: They sure do things a bit different with Tom Dundon in charge, eh? I can’t think of a team sane enough to let a coach of the year candidate and one of the few right-handed no.1 defensemen in the league get to market.
Now, if it’s true that Brind’Amour would rather stay in Carolina than go anywhere else, even if that means not coaching in the NHL, that’s on him and he’s sunk his own battleship with regards to negotiating power. On the other hand, if he’s willing to go elsewhere and Dundon is playing chicken with Rod the Bod, it’ll be a massive loss for the Hurricanes.
Is this what happens when you only look at the numbers and disregard the human element of the game?
From NHLTradeRumors.me
4 Potential Destinations for Taylor Hall Besides Boston
- Los Angeles Kings: Kings’ general manage Rob Blake has made it known to every team across the league he’s looking to improve his top-six forwards. Hall would immediately step into the team’s top-line and give Anze Kopitar a speedy left-winger to work with. LA has been interested in the past, and could be a perfect fit for someone like Hall who doesn’t like to be in the spotlight.
- Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets have almost $25 million to spend this summer and while they are looking for a #1 center, adding a player of Hall’s caliber is a decent option B. Hall’s speed and skill would mesh well in Columbus and they are one team that actually may ‘overpay’ on a long-term contract.
- St Louis Blues: The Blues are a wildcard because they are looking to trade some big names off their roster including the oft-injured Vladimir Tarasenko. Hall could be seen as a stellar replacement for their top-two lines and would give the Blues forward group a much needed breath of fresh air. It all comes down to money, so unless there’s a trade or two from St Louis, don’t expect them to be involved.
- Minnesota Wild: The Wild were a surprise success story this season and are looking to carry that momentum into next year. The team is after some high-end talent to pair with rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov and Hall could be a nice compliment for the second line. The two could also play power-play time together and find some chemistry as they would play on opposite lines throughout the game. While it’s not the #1 center the Wild are after, it’s an upgrade and that’s all that’s on the mind of general manager Bill Guerin.
BLH’s Thoughts: Minnesota need a center badly and I’d argue the same with St. Louis unless the stick with O’Reilly and Schenn down the middle and allow Schwartz and Hoffman to walk but the Blues need to upgrade their defense in my opinion.
Columbus could be an option but surely that deal would have to have term, money, and a show of faith from the team by acquiring a real no.1 center for Hall to play with.
Now, LA is an interesting option. Hall had a year with Todd McLellan in Edmonton and if I recall, according to my sources, T-Mac was one of the main men who green lit the Hall trade. From what I’ve been told though, he expected the return to be somewhat more substantial.
With Taylor, I just expect him to pick the teams with the most potential for winning at this point in his career. He tried the one year mercenary deal with Buffalo and it didn’t work. He orchestrated his trade to Boston and the start was awesome but the finish sucked… We’ll just have to wait and see with him.
All of that said, if Hall does get to market, expect the Oilers to be in the mix as well. They were well in it with him last summer and if he’s available and willing to talk Edmonton, Holland will definitely be inquiring as to how serious the whole “there’s unfinished business” narrative is with the former Oiler. Should he like what he hears, I would think a competitive offer would be tabled.
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