The regular season’s day to day activity is making it difficult to give consistent updates on the 2020 draft. As you know, it’s a passion of mine going back to 1971, so this is the fun stuff.
You may read and hear today about what’s wrong with my list, flaws in my rankings. Things like I’m not at the rink and old people can’t see. So, allow me to be clear: This list adores math, reads scouting reports and (as the draft season moves along) is gifted with intel from bona fide sources.
If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If it offends you, then I expect we’re very different people and wish you well. The list loves speed, NHL equivalencies, takes age into account and apologizes to no one. It’s just the way math works, with some informed verbal (from outside) and the experience that comes with staring at these numbers for 50 years.
THE ATHLETIC!
The Athletic Edmonton features a fabulous cluster of stories (some linked below, some on the site). Great perspective from a ridiculous group of writers and analysts. Proud to be part of The Athletic, less than two coffees a month offer here.
- New Lowetide: For Oilers’ Kailer Yamamoto and Leon Draisaitl, first impressions are long forgotten. Why not for Jesse Puljujarvi?
- New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Next-night masters: How the Oilers beat the Hurricanes and improved to 6-0 in the 2nd half of back-to-backs
- Lowetide: Oilers reap benefits of Bakersfield Condors’ strong development process, even in a losing season
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Stepping out and up, Leon Draisaitl puts himself in the Hart Trophy mix in Connor McDavid’s absence
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Despite ‘transformation’ with Oilers, Zack Kassian’s on-ice actions come under scrutiny again
- Jonathan Willis: Why the Oilers are playing their best 5-on-5 hockey of the season
- Lowetide: Making sense of the Oilers defensive depth chart for the stretch run and the summer
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘It was reactionary’: Oilers’ Zack Kassian addresses alleged kick; Lightning depth strikes; and Kailer Yamamoto’s big game
- Jonathan Willis: 10 overlooked trade targets for the Oilers before the 2020 deadline
- Lowetide: Why Connor McDavid’s injury is unlikely to alter Ken Holland’s trade deadline plan for the Oilers
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘We want to take it as a challenge’: Oilers survive first game without McDavid as room for improvement remains
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Trying to make sense of Connor McDavid’s injury and Darnell Nurse’s new contract with Oilers
- Jonathan Willis: Faced with uncertainty, Oilers hedge their bet on Darnell Nurse
- Lowetide: Oilers sign Darnell Nurse
- Lowetide: The Oilers trading their first-round pick is a bad idea
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: 15 potential trade targets for the Oilers before the 2020 deadline
- Lowetide: Drilling down on right-handed centres for the Oilers to target before the trade deadline
- Lowetide: If fast is the new big, the Oilers are trending in a very good direction
- Lowetide: Why the Oilers are more likely to trade Adam Larsson than Kris Russell
- Lowetide: Oilers prospects Evan Bouchard and Tyler Benson deliver best minor league performances in 20 years
- Jonathan Willis: An updated list of which Oilers are most likely to be traded in 2019-20
THE TOP 62 FOR 2020
1 (1) L Alexis Lafreniere, QMJHL. Speed, shot, passing, vision, he has it all. October 2001. Insane talent, WJ performance sealed his spot as the best available.
2 (2) LC Quinton Byfield, OHL. August 2002 and a big man (6.04, 215). He skates well, can pass, take a pass and has a dynamic ability to him. Not a major factor at WJ’s.
3 (5) LC Tim Stuetzle, DEL. Dynamic player, highlight reel offense and dangerous on every rush. His two-way game is good for his age. January 2002
4 (8) RHD Jamie Drysdale, OHL. Great speed, passing and instincts, he’s instant offense from the blue. Part of Canada’s WJ Gold winner. April 2002
5 (6) LC Marco Rossi, OHL. Posting jaw-dropping numbers, he’s a September 2001. Good speed, exciting, range of skills.
6 (3) LC Cole Perfetti, OHL. Intelligent center with a terrific release, Perfetti is a January 2002. His wrist shot is already a great weapon in the OHL and he’s not fully grown (5.10, 177).
7 (4) RW Alexander Holtz, SHL. First-shot scorer with a range of skills, he’s an electric player. He’s quality. January 2002.
8 (7) LW Lucas Raymond, SHL. Smart player who has ridiculous skill, his WJ’s might hurt him in the draft. March 2002.
9 (11) RC-RW Dawson Mercer, QMJHL. Highly skilled forward who is a plus passer. He emerged a year ago and is taking another step this season (very good sign). October 2001.
10 (10) RC Mavrik Bourque, QMJHL. Creative center with great hands. Great passer, great shot. January 2002.
11 (22) RW Jack Quinn OHL. He’s doing it all now, skating with power and scoring with authority. He could go top 10. One of two new entries into the top 20. Sept 2001
12 (12) G Yaroslav Askarov, VHL. He plays an unusual style. June 2002, has a .923 VHL save percentage. He could go anywhere 8-25 in the first round.
13 (15) LC Connor Zary, WHL. Scouts will love his range of skills and passing ability. Two-way center who is likely to top out as a top-six forward is a good bet by this point in the first round. September 2001
14 (9) LC Anton Lundell, Liiga. October 2001 has a nice range of skills and is showing nice growth in his second Liiga season.
15 (13) LW Dylan Holloway, Big 10. Big power forward. He has a great shot and makes good passes, strong skater, nice range of skills. I’ve faded him a little because his offense hasn’t shown yet. If that continues, he’ll fall on my list.
16 (14) RW Noel Gunler, SHL. Young winger has a great release and an impressive resume but is only an average scorer in the SHL. However, the points he is gathering are at even strength. October 2001
17 (20) LD Jérémie Poirier, QMJHL. Smart two-way defender who may rise on my list. Solid from the Hlinka forward, he’s a gathering storm and could slide up several spots. June 2002
18 (16) RC Jacob Perreault, OHL. Skates well, great shot, great numbers. His numbers earn Perreault this spot. April 2002
19 (28) LD Jake Sanderson, USHL. This is Geoff Sanderson’s son and he can skate like the wind. Smart player, have drilled down a little on him and expect he’s going to be a top 20 pick on merit. July 2002
20 (21) RD Braden Schneider, WHL. Fine skater who has a range of skills, owns a fairly complete game. Schneider’s offense is comparable to most of the defenseman I have in the first round. Sept 2001
21 (19) RC Jean-Luc Foudy, OHL. Speedy center with plus skill, he’s a May 2002 and has 61 assists in 99 junior games. His brother is a famous prospect, not certain how he compares but in this year’s draft looks like mid to late first round.
22 (18) LC Hendrix Lapierre, QMJHL. Skill center who projects as a playmaker. The buzz on him entering the season was far more pronounced than it is now, so the second half of his season will be vital. Feb 2002.
23 (17) RHD Justin Barron, QMJHL. Mobile defenseman who can defend. Lacks top-end offensive ability so is shy of the top-10 overall, but a team who likes him might jump up. November 2001.
24 (NR) RC Seth Jarvis, WHL. The highest new entry from the last list, I didn’t have him in my initial pool for evaluation. Jarvis is a fantastic player, undersized and skilled. He might end up in my top 15.
25 (23) LW Jake Neighbours WHL I was surprised math liked him so much compared to his draft rivals. I have spoken to scouts who have him as an early second round pick, but he’s here on math. He’s skilled, gritty and plays a strong two-way game. March 2002
26 (24) LW Rodion Amirov, KHL. His offensive potential is high, although the KHL numbers (21, 0-2-2) are shy. Scouts love the tools and he’s a fast train in a draft season with slow boats. October 2001.
27 (25) LC Ty Smilanic, USHL. Lean two-way center with enough skill to project into the top six based on math. Scouting report talks about plus skating and finding another gear. Promising resume. January 2002
28 (NR) RW Luke Evangelista, OHL. I don’t trust London Knights numbers but this young man looks like a hit. Spiked in a big way this year, I like his scouting reports. Feb 2002
29 (NR) LC Jan Mysak, OHL. A late breaker and someone who has quite a lot of buzz around him all of a sudden. He’s a June 2002, very skilled and is effective in all three disciplines. He’s going to land in a good spot on the final list.
30 (NR) RC Tyson Foerster, OHL. Great offensive weapon, quick release and accurate. His NHLE is very strong (around 35 points) and he has reasonable size, so he might land higher on my final list but we need to find out more about his skating.
31 (29) LD Kaiden Guhle, WHL. Big defenseman has good foot speed and appears to have something resembling an ideal skill set. I’m nicking him because of math, he’ll go earlier. Jan 2002
31 (NR) LW Lukas Reichel, DEL. One of the mid-season risers from Europe, his totals in the DEL (32, 10-11-21) are promising. He has skill, speed and plays with abandon. I like him better than Peterka but we have some distance to go.
33 (NR) LD William Wallinder, Superelite. He’s a big (6.04, 195) defenseman with great speed and the scouting reports suggest offensive potential. His numbers in the Swedish SuperElite don’t scream offensive defenseman to me.
34 (NR) RW Ozzy Wiesblatt, WHL. Skill winger lacks size but plays with great determination. Scoring at a point per game rate, and has already reached 20-goal plateau. March 2002.
35 (30) LC Vasili Ponomaryov, QMJHL. Great hands and good speed, he’s a little under the radar but rates well with other skill forwards I have ranked in the bottom half of the first round. March 2002
36 (26) LC Antonio Stranges, OHL Terrific speed and skill, and delivers solid offense but the math doesn’t match the verbal. We wait. Feb 2002
37 (NR) LD Ryan O’Rourke, OHL. Good size (6.02, 181) and growing offensive ability have him here. Foot speed improving as he matures, projects as a top-four defenseman. May 2002.
38 (NR) LW Ridly Greig, WHL. Smart offensive winger with good instincts, he isn’t a fast train so gets nicked a little. August 2002 so there’s still room to grow.
39 (NR) RW Sam Colangelo, USHL. Big power winger with skill, he has scored 20 goals in the USHL already. His speed is going to decide his final draft number, based on what I’ve read it’s average but we still have some time to go. December 2001
40 (NR) LW John-Jason Peterka, DEL. A speedy winger with skill, and not yet the sum of his parts. Is scoring well (33, 6-4-10) in a men’s league, the question pertains to the quality of the league. I have faded him.
41 (NR) RW Zion Nybeck, SuperElite. Undersized playmaker, creative, great passer. Impressive speed. Smooth. May 2002.
42 (NR) LW Brendan Brisson, USHL. Undersized speedster has a late 2001 birthday and lots of talent. His skating is good.
43 (27) LC Thomas Bordeleau, USHL. Owns a great shot and is highly skilled with the puck. First shot scorer, year over year improvement looks substantial. He could climb. Jan 2002
44 (NR) LD Emil Andrae, SuperElite. Fast defenseman with offensive potential. Plus passer. He may climb in the spring. Feb 2002.
45 (NR) LW Luke Tuch, USHL. Alex Tuch’s brother, he plays a similar style. Tuch’s USHL numbers are good not great, he could have more offense but it’s difficult to get playing time in the program. March 2002
46 (NR) RC Jaromir Pytlik, OHL. He’s a fine skater and has two-way skills, meaning he’ll probably land in the top 50 on my list. I like players with a wide range of skills. His NHLE is a little shy to be in this company. Sept 2001
47 (NR) RW Daniil Gushchin, USHL. Small, speedy playmaking forward. Good numbers. Feb 2002.
48 (NR) LW Will Cuylle, OHL. Lots of positives about Cuylle, I have him here because I don’t think his offense makes him a likely top-six forward. Has a great shot. Could fall on my final list
49 (31) RC Justin Sourdif, WHL. Two-way winger gained notice at the Hlinka and has scored well on an average offensive team (Vancouver Giants). March 2002
50 (NR) LW Martin Chromiak, OHL. I like his scouting report and his OHL scoring numbers, not certain if he’s getting zoomed by Shane Wright. He looks substantial.
51 (NR) RW Connor McClennon, WHL. His offensive numbers are solid to excellent and he’s a June 2002 so there’s room to grow. He’s undersized but drives to the net. Range of skills.
52 (NR) RD Topi Niemela, Liiga. I’ve faded a couple of Finnish defensemen this year because of foot speed. Niemela skates well but has some chaos. March 2002.
53 (NR) LW Daniel Torgersson, SuperElite. He has size and good speed, plus his numbers at lower levels are impressive. A January 2002, we’ll know more about him by April.
54 (NR) RW Alexander Pashin, MHL. He won’t be the first Russian chosen but he’s very interesting. Small winger with impressive skill who gives effort across 200 feet. He can score and pass. Valuable skills.
55 (NR) LW Roby Jarventie, Mestis. He’s an August 2002 and a nice size and speed combination. Has a good shot. Has played five Liiga games (scored a goal) and could spike.
56 (NR) LC Jack Finley, WHL. An August 2002 and a big pivot, he plays a fairly complete game and scouting reports have him as a good skater but without a strong first step. Could fall because of it but there’s a lot to like.
57 (NR) LC Roni Hirvonen, Liiga. Undersized two-way forward, he can play center or wing. Known more for playmaking but he scored four times in three games at the Hlinka. January 2002.
58 (NR) LW Sean Farrell, USHL. A good skater with plus skills, he is posting strong numbers this season. November 2001
59 (NR) RD William Villeneuve, QMJHL. Tall, thin two-way defenseman is spiking offensively this season (51 points in 56 games). Great passer, March 2002.
60 (NR) LD Tyler Kleven, USHL. A big shutdown defenseman (6.04, 201) with good speed and a scouting report that says he has ‘offensive tools’ but his USHL numbers are shy. January 2002.
61 (NR) G Nico Daws, OHL. Hard to know where the goalies land, but his numbers in a good league have him here.
62 (NR) Kasper Simontaival, Koovee (Mestis). Unusual skating style but he’s quick and has high-end skill. I’m uncertain of the league quality offered by Mestis, but he has posted impressive numbers all the way through his career.
MOCK DRAFT!
I’m using Bob McKenzie’s mid-season list as my guide, my selections for the first two rounds represent players I have ranked highest (but still available on BM’s list) at the time of Edmonton’s selections .
FIRST ROUND, NO. 20 OVERALL: RC Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan (QMJHL). 5.11, 171. January 2002. I keep wondering what I’m missing but Bourque appears to be strong candidate for top-10 overall based on skill set. He was strong across 200-feet at the Top Prospects Game, he’s a great skater with vision and passing ability. And he has a plus shot. NHLE: 33.7
SECOND ROUND, NO. 51 OVERALL: RW Luke Evangelista, London (OHL). Skill winger with great hands, he can play in all three disciplines and flourish. He is not the highest ranked Knights player in the draft, but I like the math, especially considering he isn’t playing a feature role (based on reports). NHLE: 28.0 (Raphael Lavoie was in the same range one year ago).
FOURTH ROUND, NO. 113 OVERALL: LW Roby Jarventie, Koovee (Mestis). I have him in my second round but doubt he goes before Edmonton’s fourth-round pick. Great shot, powerful skater. 6.02, 185, August 2002. I really like this player.
FIFTH ROUND, NO. 144 OVERALL: LC Dmitri Zlodeyev, MHK (MHL). In keeping with last year’s Russian drafting (Konovalov, Denezhkin) I’ve chosen a solid two-way center who skates well and has some skill.
SIXTH ROUND, NO. 175 OVERALL: RD Alex Cotton, Lethbridge (WHL). Puck-moving defenseman is an overager having a breakout season. Power-play quarterback, fine skater.
It’s important to know the third round and seventh round picks are gone, one in the Milan Lucic deal and the other for Nolan Vesey. So, in a seven round draft, the Oilers have five picks. I expect we’ll see some picks added but it isn’t certain because the 2020 draft is a very good one. Ideally a general manager gives his scouts a pick in every round, that hasn’t happened much in recent years for the Oilers.
On the other hand, seems the trade market involves prospects quite a bit so far this deadline. That could benefit Holland. The intel (can’t remember, Friedman?) a couple of weeks back had the 2020 first round pick, Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov on the ‘no chance they’re traded’ list. Here are the prospects with NHLE:
Players of value not on the no trade list include Jesse Puljujarvi, Raphael Lavoie, Tyler Benson, Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, Ilya Konovalov, Olivier Rodrigue, Stuart Skinner, Joel Persson and Filip Berglund. I don’t think Jones or Benson are going anywhere, but what about Lagesson? Lavoie? And of course Puljujarvi is in play (wrote about him at The Athletic this morning, looking at what Ken Holland might be thinking). Maybe Samorukov or the 2021 first come in to play, or a ‘conditional’ is placed on the 2020 pick.
I do think the Oilers impressive run since January 1 should impact the deadline decisions. Dave Tippett has this bunch playing well. Flawed lineup for sure, but you can say that about 28 clubs in the NHL.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A busy morning gets underway at 10, TSN1260. Jonathan Willis from The Athletic joins me to talk about the Oilers road trip and how that impacts the deadline. Jon Abbott from TSN1040 talks Tyler Toffoli trade at 10:45 and we’ll touch base with Andrew Peard and Corey Graham on the Oil Kings at 11. Who knows, maybe we see a trade today. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. Talk soon!
Sounds like Nicholson has finally admitted to Kenny that McDavid was killed on that board collision play.
On the rise to top echelon.
Too early to spend 1st or 2nds
Need to protect the prospect pool.
Mentions this years big 4 callups.
Can’t replace Klef but should replace KRusty at the deadline
Guy gets his notes here?
The headline writer implies something desperate, but the article says add moar depth at Krusty level. More readable than most of his stuff with less bozo/60. Strange.
It would be unreal if after this stretch the Oilers have 2 more young D emerge as legit top-4 dmen.
Big test coming up. Shit, it’s a big test with a fully healthy lineup let alone the depleted one that will be iced.
Go Jonesy – here is you opportunity to prove you are top 4 ready.
Go Willie – you could all jut earn you self a contract with term and a job for next year in the next couple of weeks.
Whatever they do with them it’s about as close as you can get to a no-lose.
I can Chiarelli that no-lose scenario in a jiffy:
“And breaking news… Montreal Canadiens have re-signed 36 year old Ilya Kovalchuk to a 6 year, $8 million AAV contract. The contract is front loaded with two $ 10 million signing bonuses in the first two years of the $48 million extension with a 15 team NTC clause for the duration of the deal….”
Haha, nice.
Alright. Yes. That is terrifying.
Best to stay away from good bets lest they turn into bad ones.
A pick or two would be fine, they can cash them at top value for a player at the draft.
They should get something useful for Kovalchuk.
Yes, the MTL example is what a rebuilding team should do. Two months of a $500k retention for a 2nd round pick is excellent use of cap space.
I agree with general posts on this topic.
Prices too high for return.
KH does not swing for the fence.
If he can get a good deal at the last minute that is the play this year…
How is retaining on Scandella to get a better return inefficient?
His contract ends this June so it doesn’t matter to MTL.
Am I not getting your gist?
Are you using MTL as an example of “what to do” ?
The news that the Oilers were willing to move a first for Coleman but not for Hall should cause a reaction; not “what an idiot Holland is” as some suggest but rather, highlight the true positive and negative values associated with contracts.
In true arbitrator worth (not supply and demand) Coleman is worth, what, 4 million and is paid 1.8 through his 20s.
Hall is worth what, 9 million and will be paid 9-11 and we’ll into his 30s.
The calculus on that means player A is worth as much or more to a team in need of cap relief, than the vastly superior player B
Interesting.
Picks have their lowest value at the deadline and their highest value at the draft. I’m surprised more rebuilding GM’s don’t use this simple fact to their advantage, it could shorten their timeline considerably.
This and the inefficient use of cap space by rebuilding teams boggles the mind. Look what Montreal just did with Scandella: traded a 4th for him after his salary was half paid for the year, then a month later they retained 50% of his remaining $1M cap hit and traded him for a 2nd + a conditional 4th.
Pretty sure this is written on the Motivational Poster hanging behind Holland’s desk… under a picture of a sleek barque under sail, carving through 4 foot whitecaps.
Munny,
Yeah I figure he may have offered the 2021 #1 but not this year’s for Coleman because of the low cap hit next year. Steady as she goes, see what’s available in the last hour, maybe beef up the bottom 6 a bit more. Not opposed to a top 6 LW, but unless JP is the major piece going the other way, don’t care for the prices.
Meanwhile our intrepid hometown reporter with the big-time national network, posts headlines like this:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-must-act-fast-secure-blueline-help-nhl-trade-deadline-looms/
Just because you’re employed by Toronto doesn’t mean you have to do their dirty work for them.
I’m sure most everyone reading here has already seen that article. I just needed to record its existence for posterity.
defmn,
I think he had his target: Coleman. Came up with a budget, went to the auction and when the prices got too rich, quietly bowed out. There’s a level of astuteness and resolve there we haven’t seen in a GM since maybe Sather.
I have a hard time believing these prices we’re seeing will hold till the end. Look for assets teams would like to divest but are garnering little interest. Make two or three pitches… And wait. Play the sellers off against each other if you need to. If a team failing elsewhere steps in, move to one of the other pitches.
I mean if you’re OTT and can get two 4ths for Ennis (to pull a completely random name outta my ass), are you really going to kibosh that deal and walk away with nothing just because you can’t get a 3rd?
If you’re OTT, certainly you’ll wait till the bitter end to see if you can get something better, certainly… and we will wait with you.
That is my expectation. When everybody who is willing to over pay to get what they want is finished he is going to see what is on the discount counter and see if he can improve the bottom six a little bit more. The only exception would be if a younger guy with term becomes available and I don’t see the TD being the time for that to happen.
Munny,
I’m glad we don’t have many chips because 9 times out of 10 they are wasted. Look at what WPG, CLB and NSH did last year pushing their chips into the pile. What did it get them? Nothing. St Louis got Del Zotto for a 6th, period, and won the cup.
A majority of deadline deals are busts or merely a waste of time. Shop the last minute bargain bin and you might get something modestly useful. Keep the picks. Best deal for JP might be a young backup goalie with 1B potential (Georgiev?) this summer to replace Smith next year.
I don’t disagree in the least. I dream of major problems being solved now, but the smart time to take care of that business is in the summer when prices are lower. And I have the same feeling about deadline deals… some help, many don’t.
I don’t mean to be argumentative but we technically have a ton of cap space at the moment… sitting on the IR. Shelving KRusty and Neal till the playoffs gives us over $9M AAV worth of cap space through the LTIR facility.
What we should’ve been doing instead of trading for marginal NHLers is trading for draft picks to use as future trade currency. But hey, Brandon Manning, people.
All we really have is the 2nd and Pujo. I think Holly is leery of using either with such a deep draft imminent. He might trade the 2nd and see if he can recoup a pick with Pujo in June, but his verbal has indicated he wants a more material return than that for the wayward Finn.
But let’s say he’s willing to part with the 2nd (and it seems he would for the right player)… the market is telling us that at best that brings back a rental, not a longer-term solution.
I’d want a Gobstopper or a Jawbreaker… not a Mojo.
Pretty sure kids today just buy whatever they want, but back in the day if we got 50 cents from our parents’ pockets, it would take us half an hour in the candy shop to figure out the most efficient way to spend that 50 cents.
Holly gonna be stretching his dimes too. Might not see a trade till the closing bell on Deadline Day.
Good analogy,
Agree with you regarding Holland’s philosophy.
Oilers have plenty of trade chips,
no cap space is the killer.
Those trade chips now need to be used to offload salary.
Fucking Chiarelli
?
That’s interesting.
Are there any research-validated protocols in athletes? I’d like to see them.
There’s a lot of folklore when it comes to corticosteroid injections.
By no loading, I presume you mean the standard no strenuous activity for a week.Otherwise, you’d be implying no walking post intra-articulations injections of the hip and knee for a week.
Most of the research on the potential impact of corticosteroid injections on joint damage was at supraphysiologic doses in animal models in really old studies.
Obviously any athlete returning to sport would want to have full ROM and strength before returning, so I agree with that.
Id like to learn more about any research-validated protocols you’re using.
Sirius NHL has been running a sound bite of Burke-halter… they’ve been using it as a plug for one of their shows, so I’m not sure if it is even from this season, but at any rate in the clip Burke is expressing how shocked he is at what GMs are paying just to see if they can get in the playoffs… ie not for a Cup run. He goes on to say that he couldn’t do that, the “Math” just doesn’t work for him.
I suspect that Holland’s philosophy on this matter is closer to Burke’s than it is to, say, Mike Milbury’s.
But hot damn we have no trade chips. It’s like your parents finally gave you permission to go in the candy store and that’s the day you don’t have a dime to your name.
Per Adrian Dater, Rantanen’s injury doesn’t look as serious as initially feared and he has a good chance to be back for the playoffs.
A couple of the teams we are fighting with have made their moves (VAN, ARZ) and others are unlikely to do much or much more (NSH, WPG) after splurging and losing last year. So IMHO that leaves us, VEG and CGY as the only teams who might do anything substantial. VEG has a pile of 2nd round picks to play with and will likely do something on defense. CGY’s troubles go deeper than a deadline rental and who knows what they do.
As others have said, team buy-in on the Oilers is very high right now so you don’t want to move a leader or bring in someone who doesn’t fit. Don’t really want to lose the #1 or #2 pick this year unless it’s for a younger guy who is under control for a while. The 2021 picks might be on the table though along with a guy like Samarukov for the right guy. Should be an interesting week.
Nope but I did hear coach Tippett say it.
Better not to look
Per Oilers twitter, KRusty took his skate prior to practice today… Apologies for the false alarm above; Leavins had worded his tweet ambiguously. Still not the best of news, but not as dire as a complete reset to the protocol would be.
jp,
Finally a question I can answer. Standard protocol post Steroid injection is 7 days with no loading. Very dependent on where the injection takes place – if the joint is inflamed/injured, and the injection is intra-articular, you wouldn’t want to risk further joint injury by taking contact too early. Cortisone causes connective tissue to weaken for a period of time – hence the delay in return to sport. The other factor in return to sport is that the athlete has to typically display full range of motion and full strength through range, so in Oscar’s case, there may be some rehab needed to get him truly up to speed. There’s more factors still, but kind of beyond the scope of discussion here.
I can confirm what you said is correct.
Cool, thanks very much.
This is definitely fair. And thanks for the Barrie example. I was thinking we don’t have many/any examples (on the D side at least) but maybe that’s not true.
Florida wants a proven legit top 4 left D entering their prim for Trochek to play with Ekblad.
Some hyperbole on my part.
I had mentioned in a prior thread now would be an opportune time to sell high on the Larsson contract.
That’s changed due to circumstances.
He did skate today – on his own, before the team.
Ahh… you were there.
Doubtful in my opinion.
I’m highly confident the coaching staff is deploying his roster 100% with a view to winning the game.
I don’t think Holland has any interest in trading any d-man that is able to play in the NHL right now.
We are seeing expressly how important depth at the position is.
Yes, there’s no question that adjustment would take some time. Which Larsson didn’t really get until Nov/Dec. Hopefully he’s there now, or close. Tippett’s really done a hell of a job with the team so far.
You should see the size of the needle
Maybe Benning can masterstroke Yorgan Zafferty into signing a max contract extension once he puts his second line on LTIR.
Per Leavins, KRusty did not skate today.
This most likely means he has experienced a setback and will have to return to the beginning of his concussion protocol. That means at least two weeks from playing, probably longer.
Either that or my alternate theory about him making sure he’s always injured at the trade deadline is true, lol…
#ironcladNTC
A steroid injection wouldn’t take 2-3 weeks to recover from though, would it?
No, not a steroid injection itself.
I would assume he’d get the steroid injection along with some physio to rehab his shoulder.
He’s certainly not getting a slap repair and returning to play in 2-3 weeks.
Benning says Beergain Rotundy will be on the Canucks next year?
And so begins the endless night.. the end of times.. the end of a competitive hockey league.
It was a fun run while it lasted.. but it’s Beergain’s league now. It’s no coincidence that Klefbom opted for surgery. Don’t be surprised if he finds some excuse to milk it and retire young to avoid facing BR.
Showcasing for a possible trade
I’d be shocked if Holland did anything like that.
He’s building culture first.
Any deals will be low level in season.
The strongest teams don’t rock the boat much because buy in means everything.
If a survival mentality exists as it has forever it’s every man for himself.
As in everything in life, human nature.
If I had a dime for every time a company rep focused on how rare the given mistake is and a dollar for every time they forget they had done the same thing before….
We ALL make mistakes (me more than most). If they need to be made whole that’s where the focus needs to be. Otherwise be ready to laugh and learn something in the process.
The Klefbom injury kills any chance of flipping Larsson for one red paper clip or Vincent Trochek.
Clifford has provided everything missing from the Leafs.
As Wonder Boy sees it. Or somebody.
Maybe?
There can only be one Boy Wonder.
He’s not in the NHL.
IMO trading Kadri was Lowe/MacTesque.
Reactionary, and it’s hurting big time beaucoup now.
Other than he’s hurt of course.
Scungilli Slushy,
Agree 100%. At the very least you have a couple of games to monitor the results. Use them before doing another “acquire Brandon Manning” panic move.
I’m thinking the same. Would a low cost D do any better than the farm provides?
Hard on Woody and the kids down there, but it is also opportunity.
Play Willie, save acquisition cost. He’s ‘ probably’ as good now as any purchase.
It’s not a Cup year barring miracle trades or a miracle run.
Put it in the bank for next year and use what you have.
Talking about ‘supporting’ the room, what are the optics of acquiring a lesser player when you have home grown?
As GM I’d support the family before adopting. Lesser trades or sometimes any trade do not guarantee anything.
Milan Kytńar said yes,
yes I have
Tippett has gone to great lengths this year to have d-men not play their off-side and has spoken about it multiple times. I can’t imagine he’s going to have Benning play his off-side, something I can’t recall him ever doing in the NHL.
Steroid injection
Hopefully just a case of subacromial bursitis.
Didn’t he have it last year?
I have a thought about that. For the summer.
Iirc, they mentioned a minor procedure on his shoulder last year (in neither case did they mention which one) which was presumed to be a corticosteroid injection.
In 2018, he had surgery on his left shoulder presumably for a labral tear though I am not sure if the details were released.
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/breaking-former-knights-coach-gerard-gallant-named-new-jersey-devils-head-coach/
BAG OF PUCKSsays:
February 1, 2020 at 8:55 am
…Wonder where Gallant will end up?…
ORIGINALPOUZARsays:
February 1, 2020 at 9:20 am
Galant was hired by Jersey.
NIT64says:
February 1, 2020 at 9:48 am
As per the Devills fake twitter account.
I said “usually” – what’s your point?
As far as I can tell, the point is that you are willing to take the time and effort to search for old posts in the name of deriding another on a matter that is entirely inconsequential.
No worries.
I know trading a first and a good prospect would be nuts for the Oilers, but part of me would love to see Palmieri on McDavid’s wing assuming we’re not on his no trade list.