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!
*This is a repost from 6/16/21*
From Oilers Now
We’re only three days into the week and Bob Stauffer is tossing names out left and right on his AM radio show Oilers Now. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve gathered listening to the shows from Monday and Tuesday,
- Names most brought up, Tomas Tatar (MTL), Joel Armia (MTL), and Alex Killorn (TB).
BLH’s Thoughts: So there ya go. Now there are reports that Zach Hyman is done in Toronto, add his name to the list along with RNH. I would be willing to bet those give individuals are who Ken Holland has on his list right now.
Mr. Stauffer reckons Tomas Tatar might be willing to come to Edmonton on a one year deal in order to earn himself a larger deal the following year akin to what Tyson Barrie did last summer.
- Bob reckons Tampa could move Killorn for a 2nd rounder and then use that draft pick to sweeten the pot for Seattle to take Tyler Johnson, a local lad for the Kraken given he’s from Washington state.
- Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer was on the Monday show and Bob ended his segment with him by asking Lauer, who coached Killorn in Tampa, for a report on the player.
- John Shannon said Killorn is “The secret sauce” for Tampa because he’s one of the Lightning’s best players when playoff time comes.
BLH’s Thoughts: Lotta talk on Killorn recently… Very convenient that Stauffer had his ex-coach on and the reports from Lauer and Shannon were more than glowing. And for good reason too. Killorn is a stud.
So, you reckon Edmonton gives up a 2nd round in the 2022 draft for him or is there a deal coming this year that’ll land the Oilers one in 2021?
- A texter brought up potentially trading Ethan Bear for help on the wing and then signing or trading for a RHD or LHD like Jamie Oleksiak, Bob completely ignored the trade suggestion and instead focused on shutting down the Oleksiak idea.
BLH’s Thoughts: Stauff’s not saying much on Bear these days when prompted, I find that to be a bit of a tell.
There’s a market for this player but if the Oilers are going to speed things up a bit here, even marginally, they’ll need a better defender than Bear in their top-4. Somebody who can skate better, is more assertive, has a bigger frame, and doesn’t buckle under a hard forecheck.
- Bob said he’d consider bringing back Alex Chiasson for the 4th line if “something” moved on the right side (Zack Kassian to the Rangers, maybe?)
BLH’s Thoughts: The Kassian to New York narrative is really piling on now. I wonder if we’re getting into “when” not “if” range.
- Regarding RNH, “time will tell, the price has got to be right.”
BLH’s Thoughts: The feeling on Nuge is turning a bit I feel. Then again, when I heard Stauffer and Spector talking about how good of a person RNH is, that was a sign to me that something was afoot.
- On Tuesday’s show, the big question was what if Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway are ready to go out of camp? Meaning Broberg has shown to be the 2nd-best LHD and Holloway has outplayed his peers to win a spot in the top-9.
BLH’s Thoughts: If they’re that good, I’m okay with the team starting the year with them in those spots BUT only if they have the proper depth to bail those young guys out when there’s a bump in the road. Also, the club has to be comfortable with sending them to the AHL if they really struggle. They’ve got to be able to put the ego aside and do the right thing.
That’s a funny thing for me to say given how the team handled Puljujarvi and how staunchly against him playing in Bakersfield I was. But the fact of the matter was, he was a superstar in that league from the age of 18… Edmonton simply could figure out how to put him in a position to succeed in the NHL and destroyed his confidence in the process.
- A very thick “draft and develop” narrative was being thrown out on Tuesday.
- Stauffer’s already prognosticating that Klefbom might not be ready and that’ll open up the door for Broberg to step in. Mark Spector and him spent some time recalling last summer’s training camp when the swift-skating Swede looked very good.
- Spector finished that off by saying he thought Broberg looked that good because the rest of Edmonton’s defense were well under form.
BLH’s Thoughts: What is up with the media in Edmonton and this burning desire to recreate the early 80s Oilers? I get it that the young players are more ready and more mature when they enter the league now, but there’s no way a team like the ’84 Oilers will ever be recreated. People in Edmonton have to get that through their heads. Stop building the team from the top-six forwards out and get the spine of the team constructed out of elite NHL hockey players. They need eight of them (four fwds, three dmen, and a goalie) and the Oilers have three (McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nurse).
- Bob reckons the Oilers need another big body for Klefbom’s spot. Cites the four remaining teams playing hockey right now and the defensemen they’re deploying.
- “(Ethan) Bear is a serviceable defenseman that can play some minutes. Is he a stone cold mortal lock to be a top-4 D at this time? Don’t know. He’s a really good no.5 defenseman on a team.” – Stauffer
BLH’s Thoughts: The Edmonton Oilers need more than a serviceable defenseman in their top-four. If Bear is Edmonton’s 3rd pair RHD, I think there are worse situations to be in, let’s put it that way. And maybe that’s what happens this year because Evan Bouchard is going to come in and blow the doors off next season.
- The Oilers need to continue to focus on a drafting and developing because it’s a market that struggles to attract top free agents. Spector and Stauffer liken Edmonton to Winnipeg and add that two cities on most of the no-trade lists are in fact, Edmonton and Winnipeg…
- Rob Brown says if Boston couldn’t get a deal done with Taylor Hall, that he’d have no problems signing him in Edmonton if the money was right. Term wouldn’t be an issue.
BLH’s Thoughts: Another interesting question from Bob. Not a peep about Hall all week and then BAM! However, I’ve said this before, it’s my belief that Ken Holland went hard after Hall last summer and at this year’s deadline.
Now, if you’re asking me to choose between Hyman, Hall, and Nuge, I’m probably taking Hall but I’m with Rob Brown here. The money will need to be right because I’m not so concerned about term with Taylor.
- “I don’t believe that the money Taylor Hall was going to get two years ago is still out there for a couple of reasons. He hasn’t put together the back-to-back seasons that he needed and you can’t afford to pay that kind of money right now.” – Brown
- Brown says that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed an opportunity to get a bigger contract (not just in Edmonton but around the league) and now he’s a very good complimentary player, not a line driver.
BLH’s Thoughts: So, Nugey can stay in Edmonton if he’s willing to sign long-term and lower cash OR he can go somewhere like Seattle and sign long-term for MEGA bucks… It comes down to what Nugent-Hopkins values most now, winning or skrilla.
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