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 Athletic
Edmonton Oilers beat reporter Daniel Nugent-Bowman recently wrote what his idea of a perfect offseason would be for the club he covers. Here are some of his more interesting quotes from the article,
- “In free agency alone, there could be lots of options. The best one out there is Gabriel Landeskog, a talented, do-everything winger who suits Edmonton’s needs in many ways. His cap hit is just over $5.5 million these days, so he’s due for a raise. Getting him to sign for $7 million on a mid-term deal, say five years, would be a major win.”
- “Nothing is final until it is, but it sure seems like defenceman Adam Larsson is heading toward re-signing with the Oilers. As long as he’s not getting a raise and the term isn’t too long, that should be a good thing… Let’s say three years for no more than $3.75 million per annum on the next deal.”
- “The contract former Oilers forward Jordan Eberle signed with the Islanders in June 2019 — five years, $5.5 million average annual value (AAV) — could be a good template for a new deal for RNH, representing a $500,000 per year drop in pay. Ideally, the Oilers knock off a year, too.”
- “There are a pair of 27-year-olds in Linus Ullmark and Chris Driedger who would allow the Oilers to possibly have a goaltender of the present and future on the roster. The Oilers shouldn’t commit too much term, say three years, but Ullmark or Driedger would be a nice addition on a shorter-term deal.”
- “Klefbom returns fully healthy – It sure doesn’t seem like this is likely, but boy would it be nice.”
- “There’s a backup plan in case Klefbom’s health fails – An upgrade here is so important to the Oilers’ prospects for next season. Jamie Oleksiak, Ryan Murray and Alec Martinez are the standout free agents who could fit the bill.”
- “Nurse signs a long-term extension – A five-to-seven-year deal with an AAV that begins with a seven should suit the Oilers just fine.”
- “It would be best if another team took Kassian off the Oilers’ hands. All that said, the Oilers should jump at the chance to move Kassian if another team valued his size and toughness enough not to present a lowball offer.“
- “Young players show they are ready to make an impact – Bouchard and Ryan McLeod are being pencilled in for regular duty.”
- “Benson has done everything asked of him in the AHL. Skating remains an area of concern and will need to be improved. He’s also an RFA, so a new contract is required.”
- “The organization isn’t sure what kind of impact Holloway could have next season, especially initially. Don’t be surprised if he starts out in the AHL.”
- “Veteran Derek Ryan could be the best short-term solution. He wouldn’t block McLeod’s path, at least for long, and at 34 he certainly wouldn’t make anywhere close to the $3.125 million AAV he’s getting now. A two-year deal at half the price, or less, sounds good.”
- “The Oilers must be harder to play against and need more offence in the bottom six. Landing someone like Barclay Goodrow or Joel Armia in free agency could go a long way toward fixing those issues.”
(LINK)
BLH’s Thoughts: Alright, let’s take this point by point,
- Consider it a minor miracle if Gabriel Landeskog leaves Colorado to go to Edmonton… I’m in agreement with DNB though. I think if Landeskog came to the Oilers it would be akin to Brendan Shanahan joining Detroit back in 1996. Luckily for the Oilers they wouldn’t have to trade Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse to get him.
- Remember early in this past season when pundits in Edmonton were saying that Larsson would return for something that would start with a two?… $3.75M for four years, that sounds pretty good to me.
- DNB is on a roll at this point. Nugey taking the Eberle contract would be outstanding for the club. They’d get to keep one of the NHL’s best special teams contributors and positionally flexible skaters in the league. Also, he’s achieved a special status in Edmonton joining the likes of Ryan Smyth, Georges Laraque, Fernando Pisani, Curtis Joseph, etc. as a player who’s absolutely beloved by the fanbase.
- I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Drieder and Ullmark aren’t coming to Edmonton for anything less than five years. They’re both fantastic options though, especially if the Oilers plan on taking Sebastian Cossa at this year’s draft.
- Until something contrary emerges, I’m still giving Oscar Klebom a 20% chance of starting the year in Edmonton in 2021-22.
- Jamie Oleksiak seems a bit of a pipe dream unless the Stars are unable to find a way to keep him, but Ryan Murray and Alec Martinez are very realistic. I’d go as far as to say if the news on Klef is less than celebratory fireworks-worthy, that Murray and Martinez will definitely be on Ken Holland’s radar. Personally, I have a lot of time for Martinez.
- I don’t agree with DNB on Kassian though. As soon as they move him, they’ll be looking for him. He’s a rare talent in that he’s got hands, a good wrister, he’s physical, he can skate and think the game at a top-six level, and he’s not afraid to mix it up… Kass is also a player Dave Tippett can slot into his top-six or bottom-six… If a trade involving Kassian doesn’t clearly end up with the Oilers winning the deal, I don’t think it’s worth it to move him.
- What I’m hoping is that the Oilers pick up a 3C on a short-term deal, someone who can win faceoffs, and McLeod starts the year on the wing. With Bouchard, he’s ready, but full-time on the 3rd pair wouldn’t be a bad place to start at all.
- Tyler Benson should get an honest chance to make the team next season but the fact that there are still people talking about his skating is worrisome. I know that he took on penalty killing as one of his responsibilities this year, but he might have to add “physical presence” to his resume as well…
- My prediction with Holloway is that he shines during preseason and everyone will be calling for him to start in the NHL but the Oilers will do the right thing and send him to the AHL to start his career.
- One observation of him with DH, he starts his rookie years slowly but ends them on fire. Read into that at your discretion.
- I’ve got zero qualms if the Oilers bring in Ryan, Goodrow, and Armia this summer. They all fill required needs for the club and they’d all be signing contracts as cheap as borscht.
I’ll end this by asking, when’s the last time the Oilers had a “perfect” offseason? I’ll be honest, even though Edmonton has all this cap room, I’m getting prepped for a considerable amount of disappointment. Maybe it’s just some overflow from the 10+ years of underwhelming returns, but man, the Oilers simply have not performed well on the UFA market over the years aside from a few moves where they overpaid something fierce.
Let’s hope Mr. Holland can change that this year.
From NHLRumors.com
Ben Kuzman: Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning on trading the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NHL draft: “We’re going to look at everything. We’re going to call other teams. I know we’re going to get a real good player in the draft. We’re going to have to get a young player who we feel is worth trading the pick. We’re keeping options open.”
Senators willing to move their No. 10 pick
TSN Simmer: Sources are saying that the Ottawa Senators would be willing to move up or down from the No. 10 slot.
If they trade the No. 10 pick, they would want a player that could make an impact immediately.
If they keep the pick, they will take the best player available and not by need, and are confident they would get a good player at 10.
(LINK)
BLH’s Thoughts: Are either of those organizations expecting to take the next step as soon as next season? This year’s top-ten is quite decent, no? My feeling is that they’d regret trading their picks and long-term, they’d be better off picking the best player available and developing him properly.
If the Canucks want the next coming of Pavel Bure, they should be looking at Swedish winger Fabian Lysell very seriously and if Ottawa is still smarting from trading Nick Foligno all those years ago, Mason MacTavish could be available around their pick.
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