Ilya Konovalov was injured so unable to perform in a pre-season tournament in Sochi (Daniil Isayev filled in). Konovalov is reportedly fine and ready for the regular season with Lokomotiv. Yaroslavl’s first game in the regular season is September 3.
THE ATHLETIC!
Great perspective from a ridiculous group of writers and analysts. I am proud to be part of The Athletic. Here are the most recent Oilers stories.
- New Lowetide: Oilers Top 20 Prospects, Summer 2020
- New Jonathan Willis: Unqualified RFAs could be top offseason targets for the Oilers
- New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Q&A: Legendary Oilers PA announcer Mark Lewis discusses his temporary comeback
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s bet on Andreas Athanasiou and how Oilers will proceed
- Lowetide: Lessons learned from the ghosts of Oilers’ draft weekends past
- Lowetide: Oilers’ William Lagesson may benefit from extraordinary circumstances
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘We’ll learn and grow from it’: Connor McDavid’s tune different compared to last year
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Who stays? Who goes? The most likely players to stay with and leave the Oilers
- Lowetide: A rational approach for the Oilers at the 2020 draft
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: What’s holding back the Oilers? Superstars’ defence and team’s depth under focus
- Jonathan Willis: After a play-in round exit, the Oilers need an offseason of change
- Lowetide: Oilers 2020 picks finalized, it’s go time for Jesse Puljujarvi
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s urgent summer as Oilers general manager begins
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: The Oilers have some disappointing lessons to learn — even in season of progress
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Replacing Tyler Ennis: Ranking the best left wing and backfill Oilers options
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Bang for your buck: Ranking the Oilers based on contract expectations
- Jonathan Willis: Is Philip Broberg on track to be a top-pairing defenceman?
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s roster construction options over the next five months
JOAKIM NYGARD
He has been loaned to Farjestad BK in the SHL, a team he played seven seasons for before heading to the NHL. He’s a proven scorer at this level posting 21 in 52 SHL games during 2018-19.
TRADE TALK
Fussy Britches has been right in the past and this is an interesting item. The only player who fits is Andrew Cogliano, who can still skate at age 33 and has a contract ($3.25 million) with a season to go. He plays a substantial amount (34.2 percent of his five on five time) against elites according to Puck IQ, delivering 51.40 DFF% and a DFFRelCorsi of 3.4.
He’s not an offensive driver, posting 1.17 points-per-60 while playing with Blake Comeau and Radek Faksa. He went 68, 3-11-14 in 2019-20, those are all five on five numbers with a dozen (3-9-12) primary points. Cogliano-McDavid-Kassian? It’s one online rumor let’s all calm our various appendages. One thing I will say: This does suggest Ken Holland is interested in a two-way forward for the McDavid line, something I suggested here.
What would Dallas want? Well both Andrej Sekera and Roman Polak are unrestricted this summer, so Kris Russell, Adam Larsson or Matt Benning might be of interest. In every trade discussion this summer, I’m going to mention Andreas Athanasiou and Jesse Puljujarvi, although it sounds like JP might be signing here. I’ll also mention Alex Chiasson. Note: Some of these names would require a pick to be added imo, we’re just blue sky here.
IS THIS IDEAL?
Of course not, but then again not every solution is going to be from the “A” list. A year ago, Holland’s solutions were:
- James Neal for goals and getting out from under the Milan Lucic deal.
- Alex Chiasson for a veteran winger with some offense.
- Mike Smith as No. 1A starter.
- Josh Archibald for 12-15 goals, a checking role and penalty killing.
- Markus Granlund for 12-15 goals, a checking role and penalty killing.
- Riley Sheahan for checking center and penalty kill.
- Joakim Nygard to add speed and two-way play into the top-9 forwards.
- Tomas Jurco as a possible top-9 forward solution.
- Gaetan Haas as a long shot checking center.
- Patrick Russell as a low event fourth line checker.
HOLLAND’S 2020-21 LIST
He’s already underway of course, trading for Andreas Athanasiou was clearly a 2020-21 transaction. Here are the items I think Holland will look at this offseason:
- No. 1A goalie option. Suspect a free agent, from Holtby to Greiss.
- Top 4-RHD. I do think Larsson is a candidate for trade, and Holland will need to replace him. Mike Green might have been an option, I think Sami Vatanen or Tyson Barrie might fit here.
- Two-way winger for McDavid’s line. Andrew Cogliano fits here.
- No. 3 center. Extremely difficult to find.
Holland’s solutions a year ago helped Edmonton to finish second in the Pacific Division in 2019-20. The Oilers system delivered three exceptional talents (Ethan Bear, Kailer Yamamoto, Caleb Jones) who pushed the team to greater heights. I believe Evan Bouchard, Tyler Benson and William Lagesson can and should have an impact on the 2020-21 campaign, although not at the Bear-Yamamoto-Jones level.
Catching up a bit… This made me lol :p
The world today is a strange, silly thing. Seemingly innocuous things are no longer harmless. Seemingly unrelated things are now spewn to be intriniscal. Rabid consensus and sansationalized narratives are available on demand and they can strike like thousands of hammers at any given time.
LT is 100% correct in how to deal with this, of course. Conform to the silliness.
There is no winning against the correctors. They usually have very valid points! They may be very trivial points and super annoying and/or contextless, but they are likely right in a basic sense, when you big-picture things.
Defending our outdated ideals/opinions doesn’t usually help anything in the long run. The wheels are already spinning and we should know what that means (move along or get run the F over!).
It’s the way it has always been.
I believe there’s still room to say your piece to try to get some context out into the world, but anything beyond that is shaking your fist at the clouds.
I’m admittedly not as seasoned as some on this blog. I have young children now that I am going to be helping navigate through this world. The more I can learn to understand and participate in it is only going to help my family and myself through the journey. I hope others start feeling the same 🙂
It is fundamental to mob morality to heavily overstate the case in order to ensure the indictment is echoed in faraway places like this tiny corner of the internet.
The word is entirely inappropriate and inaccurate; however in today’s world that’s a good thing, and sadly endorsed by good people.
Holy crap. Did HH hijack the blog tonight or what. Arguing with him Is like grabbing a ghost.
AHL level trolling. Definitely not an elite troll. Not enough skill 🙂
How deep up your ass did you have to dig to get those numbers
Because those are not true
Theodore post draft 1 Whl
Post draft 2 Whl
Post draft 3 Ahl with 19 nhl games
Bouchard post draft 1 ohl and 7 NHL games
Post draft 2 Ahl
Post draft 3 ???
You’re not even trying anymore
Theodore got to the games you listed in post draft year 4
Also known as when Bogdan Rafferty was pretending to be a freshman
Yeah one is a lotto pick
I did like the Joe Colborne on top of your forwards list
Was that intentional?
It had to be intentional
At Bouchard’s age, Theodore had 53 NHL games to his credit.
Makar…are you kidding?
Virtually every NCAA draftee spends at least one more year in college before signing.
Like Quinn Hughes who is exactly the same age as Bouchard.
One of these players scored 53 points in the NHL and the other scored 36 points in the AHL.
Can you spot the difference?
Giordano Theodore Yandle Weber Keith Kronwall spurgeon got to play in Ahl
Your question Is nonsensical And you are just trolling
Because a lot of D have two years in juniors or ncaa after being drafted
Bouchard had the option of Ahl after one year
Makar even needed two years after being drafted and he was a lotto pick
Oh yeah that Theodore guy is not half bad either
Now back under the bridge
Milbury played the game hard and with passion. I hope he doesn’t go down begging on his knees for the terrible sin he committed.
Harpers Hair,
Unhinged is visiting a blog for a team you don’t cheer for, only to be a constant critic and create conflict. And you do it on the daily. You are truly pathetic.
Nothing like claiming Theodore as success
Without acknowledging his almost 100 Ahl games
A misogynist is a white-cis-male! -).
Misogynist.
You all keep using that word.
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Calvin De Haan
Ryan Ellis played parts of two seasons
Ekman-Larsson played parts of two seasons
Dylan McIlrath
Brandon Gormley
Derek Forbort
Adam Larsson parts of two seasons
Duncan Siemens
Ryan Murphy
Jamie Oleksiak
Griffin Reinhart
Hampus Lindholm
Derek Pouliot
Slater Koekkoek
Samuel Morin
Josh Morrissey
Ryan Pulock
Haydn Fleury
Julius Honka
Jacob Zboril
Olli Juolevi
Jake Bean
Erik Brannstrom
Cal Foote
Evan Bouchard
Not so small. Around two per draft year from 2009-through-2018.
Let Nill down.
Russell was 3rd in TOI for them while leading the team in goal differential and finishing 2nd in points.
Definitely let down by his deadline addition.
Oh is stupid troll unhappy his stupid troll argument got turned inside out
Silly troll
Jesus, if you’re not careful, the trolls in here will kick the shit out of you.
How do you get WiFi under that bridge
You lame troll
You’re becoming unhinged.
Don’t you have a police department to de-fund or something?
You’re right Barry, not misogynist.
Lowetide is right, in the times we live there is a cancel culture where some people want to decide what should be said and the validity of their judgment is not a factor many times.
One of those pick your battles propositions. Milbury needs to be smarter or he’ll soon be out of a gig.
Not like you’re going to pay up if they lose anyway
Sad day in the life of a troll
Now that’s some lame ass trolling from a lame ass troll because you clearly realize that most of Bouchard peers have to play in Chl or NHL
So Moritz Seider
You see what I did there
You stupid stupid troll
Meh…lot’s of hockey to be played.
How much time do they need when the young guns are blowing by them?
Sean Shapiro
@seanshapiro
Stars take Game 1 5-3. They are the highest-scoring team in the playoffs.
Name the defensemen picked in the top 15 (a concession to your whining) in the last ten drafts who spent an entire season in the AHL.
Exclude 2019 since it’s very early for them.
It’s a really, really small list.
No!!!
That’s a generation ago. I mean now!!!
Show me all the players drafted in the modern game (that’s about 3 years old) that are 24 years old
(Am I doing this right)
That’s a function of the question. Pretty tough to demonstrate late-bloomers without significant time elapsing to allow them first to bloom and then to prove themselves..
If anyone here has a wager on the avalanche, I’ve got some bad news for you.
HH is schooling you all. Most of your counters are from a generation ago.
Caleb Jones is not an exceptional talent, fullstop.
I’ll admit it. I love it every time they say “in Edmonton.”
Klima’s_Bucket,
No M-NTC.
Agreed 100 percent. Every young dman should be watching film of Miro. Makes it look so easy.
Riley Nash.
Is UFA Next year, former Oiler Draft pick. Right shot C.
Maybe that’s who fussy britches is thinking about and not Cogliano.
Giordano
Josi
Zibanejad
Miller
Wheeler
Draisaitl
Panarin
Heiskenen just makes the game look so easy. Maybe Josi is better now, but not by much and not for long. He’s the best young D in the league; a level above Makar and Hughes.
What if a team wanted to trade similar cap hits it only had to pay at most 1.5M?
2.5M is a lot of cash especially now.
Let’s see if Francouz can bring it.
He is pretty sound technically (from what I have seen – IMO)
Dang what is it with avs goalies and groins
Yes and I noted most of them on my list.
Duncan Keith is 37 years old and started his career when the game was much different.
Pretty much my point.
You just said 10 points in 10 games as elite production
Have some consistency man!!
It’s only been 5 minutes
Zdeno Chara also not elite before 24
Resident troll listing Joe Colborne top on his list is truly priceless
Yes he did.
And he credits Alain Vigneault with kicking him in the ass to reach his potential.
He’s now a very good player but not elite.
Zibanejad took some time to establish himself as a star level player. So did Blake Wheeler.
Mark Stone broke out at 22 in a big way but was sub PPG in his first AHL season. Pacioretty played a half NHL season at 22.
Duncan Keith played 2 seasons in the AHL.
These are just off the top of my head. Of course, we’re missing players like Connolly, who aren’t stars but score goals at an elite clip at even strength.
Just naming people of the top of my head
As the originator of the name of the game is speed speed speed there’s been recent correction towards me.
10 games is just what it is 10 games in a very strange circumstance
I like the blue jackets and he’s a fine young player but he’s not a top 10 player in the league right now
I recall JT MIller “meandering” in the minors in to his draft plus 4 season. Now that was meandering – eventually becoming a top 6 winger.
It is until he can do it in the NHL…and being a second pairing D will NEVER be elite.