It is rare, and I mean “blue moon” rare, to see two future 1,000 NHL games prospects playing an opening night game in the AHL. Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse didn’t stay long in the AHL, but they were there all the same. Looking at that list, can you name (no cheating) the player with the third most GP in the NHL through 2022-23? Answer: Tyler Pitlick, 386 games. Honorable mention for Jujhar Khaira, Jordan Oesterle, Brad Hunt and Laurent Brossoit.
Why do we keep talking about the draft and minor leagues? Well, both are important and there’s not much shaking around the organization in terms of news.
Holy hell, man! There’s plenty to discuss! Like?
Trading Jack Campbell. Won’t happen.
Dumping Cody Ceci! It could happen, but we’re miles from knowing.
Buying out Kailer Yamamoto! We’ve discussed it.
Oilers need cap room, man! We don’t know how much, though. You can set a cap number, as I did earlier this week, but it’s just blue sky.
So you go back to 2015 and Bakersfield. Bakersfield is the key. Recalls in-season is the subject.
And 2015-16 was good? Recalls that year, in order: Leon Draisaitl (72 games), Andrew Miller (6 games), Iiro Pakarinen (63 games), Darnell Nurse (69 games), Jujhar Khaira (15 games), Brad Hunt (7 games), Zack Kassian (36 games), Brad Hunt (7 games), Laurent Brossoit (5 games), Jordan Oesterle (17 games).
Lots of players. Lots of good players. That’s the point. Craig MacTavish brought in guys like Pakarinen, Oesterle and Hunt, Peter Chiarelli dealt for Zack Kassian, MacT for Brossoit, and the scouts drafted some interesting names.
So? Well, the Oilers need to keep procuring talent. The list above represents trades (Kassian), Euro signings (Pakarinen), college free agents (Oesterle) as well as draft picks.
Did the Oilers have good callups last season? Here’s the list, in order of recall: Devin Shore (47 games), Markus Niemelainen (23 games), Klim Kostin (57 games), Mattias Janmark (66 games), James Hamblin (10 games), Jason Demers (1 game).
Is there a point? Yes. Beyond the obvious (Draisaitl and Nurse were an anomaly) differences, the 2015-16 team had several men who went on the long careers and were worthy of their recalls. I don’t think this year’s recalls will have more than one or two names who hang around the league for a significant amount of time.
So, they’ll sign some guys. That’s my point. They’re not signing guys.
They signed that guy Carl what’s his name, isn’t that enough? He has a name. Carl Berglund. That’s his name. They also signed Xavier Bernard and Alex Peters to AHL deals, and college grad Ethan De Jong.
So, there you go! Problem solved. Not close. The defense is threadbare and the team needs more legit forwards.
Boy, if you can’t find a calamity you’ll create one, sure as hell. Ken Holland recently talked about being competitive, and I do think the Condors ran out of capable players in the postseason.
How many possible recalls are on the roster right now? I’ll say goalie Calvin Pickard, defensemen Markus Niemelainen and Cam Dineen. Forwards include Raphael Lavoie, Noah Philp and Brad Malone.
Okay, but what about Greg McKegg? What about Gregg McKegg?
The minor league team doesn’t matter. Yeah it does. Let’s take RH defense as an example. Edmonton’s depth chart currently has Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard (RFA), Vincent Desharnais and some lefties who can move over (notably Philip Broberg). The Condors have Phil Kemp and newcomer Max Wanner, who is promising but is likely most of his entry deal (starts this fall) away from the NHL.
Trade for Brandon Carlo. Easy peasy. Carlo’s numbers against elites this season weren’t fabulous, although I do like him as a player. Rumors have Boston looking for a center, and 97, 29 and 93 all have NMC’s and aren’t going anywhere.
What about Ryan McLeod and something to make the money work? McLeod will get a new deal, let’s say it’s $1.5 million AAV. Carlo’s contract is $4.1 million, reasonable for the role he plays (Carlo is top-four D, in fact he played the second most minutes versus elites on a strong and deep Bruins team). Edmonton would need to send Warren Foegele or Kailer Yamamoto over to make it work in terms of cap.
There you go! Make it happen! McLeod’s work this past season was strong, and Foegele’s too. I’m not sure the Oilers have the depth to overcome the loss at center and left wing.
But look at the defense! Ekholm-Bouchard, Nurse-Carlo, Kulak-Ceci! It looks strong for sure, and you could run Philip Broberg or Vincent Desharnais as the 7D.
Yeah baby! Nuge was 24-21 at five-on-five goal share without 97 and 29, but is inconsistent in the middle. His expected goals were 47 percent. I don’t know, man. We also don’t know if the Bruins are interested in McLeod, much will depend on Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
Are you still convinced trading Holloway is the right idea? If you read what I wrote, I said If he has real value, that might be an avenue to an upgrade for the Yamamoto replacement. I’m not sure that’s the right way forward, but Holloway’s offense so far is Yamamoto-level. I feel the same about Philip Broberg, trade him if you can make the team better and there’s another value deal coming up behind. The topic of this conversation is finding those value deals.
Why can’t you just be happy? There’s too much unknown. You have to wait for it. Be patient.
Patience my ass! I say we do something! Do I have to bring back the Winnie the Pooh quote about anticipation?
Dink! Settle down. We’re too old to get this mad in May.
Is this about Patrik Puistola? A little. I don’t know if he’s any good at all, but do know that Greg McKegg isn’t the answer as a recall. Nothing personal. Oilers need men who can arrive and be plug-and-play. I don’t see it in Bakersfield at this time.
Is this about Tyler Benson? No, that ship has sailed.
Teams where everyone can skate like McLeod are a pleasure to watch
Scungilli Slushy
May 26, 2023 9:17 pm
I like how the Remparts play. Collapse and defend, break out as a group, strong sticks, rush plays from turnovers, solid puck management, smart and are fast. Were outshot for a period, almost all low quality, now outshooting and dominating
I want the Oilers to play this style. They should hire that coach. Heh heh
Optimism is like heroin
May 26, 2023 5:43 pm
In regards to Yamamoto and Foegle, I feel both can be moved with minimal impact. I feel that Kostin can replace Yamamoto in the top 6 and at least provide the offense that Yamamoto did at 1/3 the cap. As to Foegle I think Holloway has the ability to replace what Foegle brings and again for much less money. That said Holloway hasn’t proven anything yet and Kostin is subject to some bad decisions so it is a gamble for sure.
Foegele and Yama are both streaky players. Right now most reactions I read are biased from the playoffs and disregard the regular season. Foegele was healthy scratched and Yama really just had 1 good hot streak 2 years ago.
Imo Yama, Foegele and kulak are the 3 cap hits that can be replaced for cheaper with better results.
I agree. The teams still playing don’t have GMs that are too slow and indecisive on things
I think Bro is right now better than Kulak like I felt Bouch was better than Barrie. Both of the latter have issues but Bouch is so talented and good at things Barrie wasn’t like denying zone entries etc. The Bouch bomb and the breakout passing are so good
Given time to settle and I’m gonna keep saying it a better system Bro will be ahead of Kulak come playoffs. He has offense yet to come and a higher skill set
Lavoie and Holloway are more skilled and more appropriate to Oiler’s hockey than Foegele and Yama. Yama is a smart player but the size thing says no to a contender‘s top 6. Foegele is a heart and ‘sole’ guy too, but to me a limited hockey sense guy and for huge stretches handled the puck like it was a potato. Good sticks are everything to a good team
I’m watching the Memorial and Quebec is getting outshot but their offensive acumen and great sticks mean the only shot that Kamloops got that was actually dangerous and as their goal in a tie last I saw
You can add at the deadline if needed. If playing those guys scuttles the team there are bigger problems
So that’s the thing right … Kulak kind of needs to go, so that Broberg can get real minutes at 3LD.
While Broberg can play RD, he didn’t look comfortable there, and notably stumbled a couple of times trying to turn while tracking the play from his weak side.
Kulak out opens up playing time for Broberg and cap space.
That said Kuluk has been a great luxury at 3LD … competent in his own end, great skater, good teammate on a team friendly deal. He can hold his own at 2LD for stretches.
For all of those reasons, he would probably net a pretty good return … maybe it’s time to sell high for once?
On the other hand, trading out Kulak leaves the Oilers D pretty thin past the top 6.
The lack of call up depth is a real problem for sure. I have no doubt Bro can be as good as Kulak with a full NHL season behind him. If he can not get hurt a bunch
The only streaks Yamamoto and Foegele have had is in their underwear. Dave Lumley scored in 12 consecutive games in 1981. Now that’s a real streak.
Optimism is like heroin
May 26, 2023 5:38 pm
In regards to Broberg. I think he should play full time 3ld. Moving players to the off side for defenseman costs on average 6.5 corsi events against per 60 min. Right now he is killing it vs middle and grit level players while getting lit up against the elites. Moving him up the line up to play on the off side would be setting him up for failure imo. The bright side however is while being sheltered he is one of the best in the league with what he allows for Corsi.
Some people outperform the average. Also comparing Broberg with Heiskanen is likely to disappoint oiler fans.
Munny 2.0
May 26, 2023 4:48 pm
Isn’t Boston looking to free cap space? I mean every team is, but they seem particularly constrained. Would they want a trade partner for Carlo that wants to send salary back? My guess is no, but YMMV.
I’m not sure they aren’t just going to shed salary. Like the Kniggets
Both can’t keep what they have
Reja
May 26, 2023 12:19 pm
Broberg sure looked Vanilla when he did play. I don’t know if that’s good are bad? Someone mentioned he shows lack of intensity. He didn’t look back or mumble a bad word when he recieved the phantom call that sank us. I’ve yet to see a bead of sweat on the man’s forehead. There’s a old saying never trust a individual that doesn’t sweat doing physical work or activities.
Did Broberg show a lack of intensity against Eichel? Bouchard shows a lack of intensity far more than Broberg does. When has Bouchard battled anybody like that.
He’s 6’3” 200 pounds but he does look like a stick. I remember reading he tried to bulk up last training camp but he went a little past the mark that his weight gain was slowing him down. Oilers need this player to pan out starting next year. I’m glad we have Ekholm to mentor Broberg and Bouchard.
6’3 200 is gangly for a pro athlete lifting a lot as they do off season. It would be a slight type of build to work out for a living and be that light at that height. I know because I have a build similar to that (or used to heh heh)
I thought based on last summer reports he’d gained a bunch of weight
I think Reja is speaking about how he “appears” unsure, or not assertive, or perhaps even too deferential at the the NHL level so far … which I’ve noticed too. Most players succeed in the NHL by playing on the edge (e.g. Nurse). But there are defenseman who have been successful in the league that appeared much more serene, emotionless (or whatever other adjective you want to use … e.g. Lidstrom).
However, Broberg really hasn’t been given any opportunity to play significant minutes in the NHL yet … this past year, was really unusual as the top 5 guys were pretty much healthy all season. Then there was the cap gymnastics that Holland was dealing with. And Woody seemed to prefer Desharnais in the 3RD role more.
His one chance to really prove himself recently went sideways due to a completely bogus call by the ref. His situation reminds me a bit of Valimaki in Calgary. The Oilers either have to commit to playing him regularly, or trade him while he still has some trade value.
I don’t think he can. One is an impact player and a draft home run, the other is likely to be Ekholm’s replacement in a few years.
The ONLY reason the Oilers would trade Broberg (or Holloway) is for a perfect fit who can help next year. I don’t know who that might be, but Broberg has a better chance to be here at the end of the decade than any young player on the roster.
That’s an interesting statement considering your long-standing desire to acquire Erik Karlsson.
Of course, I note that Karlsson is an elite offensive D but I would suggest that Bouchard is on the verge of also being elite, not to Karlsson’s level but a top 5 offensive d-man in the league.
His defensive inabilities are also highly exaggerated and he showed great progression through this past years in 1) urgency in puck retrieval and puck movement, 2) puck play in the defensive zone and 3) physical defending. Not to mention he is one of the team’s best at defending zone entires.
Oh and, of course, no the PP was never at (or near) 30% with either Klefbom or Nurse.
I see him as a guy who can develop elite defensive skills because his skating is off the charts good. He has game, he’s ahead of Klef same age in various comparisons without the DoD push Klef got in the NHL
Many Oiler fans and the OBC want everyone to be a banger. As long as the puck goes the right way a lot and they aren’t timid I don’t care
Is this a reenactment of that scene from money-ball when all the dinosaurs are talking about strong jaws and whatnot instead of how good someone is at getting on base?
As Shocking Blue once belted out.
Never marry a Railroad man. He loves you every now and then.
His heart is at his new train no, no, no.
Don’t fall in love with a Railroad man.
If you do, forget if you can.
You’re better off without him, ahh.
Moneyball was way over rated lots of Teams have shit payroll in the MLB yet they keep churning out quality players and playoff Squads. They could make a movie about the 8 placed Panthers who barley squeaked in with a no name Goalie Lyons going on a heater. Yet their Coach Maurice had vision and was man enough to take the heat by going with Bobrovsky when Lyons ran out of gas. Zito role could be played by Keanu Reeves
The other problem is that summer solutions with higher cap numbers tend to add too much duration, whereas trade deadline solutions, one tends to get better quality options at shorter duratioins.
i.e. see Campbell (summer acquisition) vs Ekholm.(trade deadline acquistion).
For the top 4 D and the top 6 forward, wait till the deadline. Give the young guys a chance. But them up with cheap summer stopgap UFAs.
Yes and they need to stay out of buyouts. Dead cap sucks and any GM worth his salt can trade any current player on this roster if the return doesn’t matter as much as disposing cap
I would note that the GM of the Eastern Conference finalist performed a buyout that’s not he books. The GM of a team in the Western Conference final bought out a player that was a star in the league a few years later. The much lauded Steve Yzerman has effected a buyout currently on his books. The US HHOF builder David Poile still have a Turris buyout on his books.
I imagine you think very little of Bill Guerin?
winchester
May 26, 2023 10:45 am
I have heard the organization has Lavoie as a front runner for fall camp.
I think there is little doubt that Bourgault will show well in camp and in early exhibition – higher pedigree skilled prospects almost always do so and he has in his previous camps.
Of course, we know that means all but nothing as far as NHL readiness and I would suggest that recent history of legit games played will be a major factor.
Through last season, in particular the second half of the season, Lavoie was two tiers ahead of Bourgault as far impact at the AHL level and looking to be NHL ready. I would suggest that Bourgault actually faded a bit in the second half (eye test) as the grind of the professional hockey season continued.
Of course, Lavoie would need to have a good camp and exhibition season to break camp with the team, even with waivers being required to send him down. He’s no lock but he’s got a good shot if he shows well.
I presume Bourgault learned a ton during his first pro season including what he needs to work on physically, and skill wise, in order to take the next step. I presume he’s going to have a strong off-season doing what he needs to do to put himself in the best position to take that next step.
At the same time, on the date the Condors were eliminated from the playoffs, Bourgault, while showing promise and potential, was not close – he wasn’t strong enough or consistent enough in most areas – somewhat of an expected result.
Here is hoping he has a great off-season and paralysis that in to a solid camp and start to the year for the Condors and puts himself in the conversation for a mid-season call up on merit but he likely isn’t even a legit consideration for a roster spot this coming October.
I don’t think he was even called up as a “black ace” to be around the playoffs was he?
Is Lavoie a smart player? Does Lavoie go to the hard areas? Why does Lavoie go on these amazing heaters ( going back to Juniors) then disappears for long stretches?
I’m sure you’ve read and countless posts on here about the marked decrease in disappearances this past season and on the changes to his game in recent times.
P.S. I would also encourage you to asses the known attributes of you long-standing favourite: Josh Anderson – not known as a smart player and known for disappearing over large stretches of time.
Go to Oilers Nation and find Curlock’s reviews of the Condors. Ralphy made big strides in every area and is no wall flower to boot. Curlock thinks his game is NHL transferable. Wicked shot and can make plays. French C players usually have jam and he shows it at that level
Almost always they have to learn how much work they have to do to get man strong and improve skating unless it’s already there. Top junior players have always been dominant in their time and when you get most of the world’s best together in the bigs it’s a different animal
jp
May 26, 2023 10:41 am
Just because it can be a bit hard to keep track of with all the AHL deals involved – here’s what I believe the Condors roster for next season looks like as we stand now.
I’m assuming Lavoie with the Oilers, Philp and Niemalainen with the Condors.
De Jong, Peters and Bernard are on AHL deals. I have no idea if Esposito, Kambeitz or Kaldis are still on AHL contracts or not (guessing not, though that doesn’t mean they won’t be back). Am I missing anyone?
I guess Puistola, Munzenberger and Matta could be possibilities to sign pro deals from within the system.
They’ve got a decent number of players already (and I’d expect there are a few AHL-bound signings after July 1st). More quality and call-up options all around would also be nice of course.
Cool, I was looking for that info on their site but couldn’t find it. That’s super useful (though I actually still can’t see how to navigate there from the main site without typing in the url).
So Kambeitz is still under contract (Esposito, Kaldis, etc are not), I think that’s all I missed from the above.
Mayan Oil
May 26, 2023 10:13 am
Another great conversation with you nemesis GG. Love those!
teddyturnbuckle
May 26, 2023 10:10 am
Speaking about the 2016 draft. Funny how 7 years later if Oiler fans had to choose one player to help their team from Edmontons 9 picks a lot of people would take Desharnais.
4 Jesse Puljujarvi
32 Tyler Benson
63 Markus Niemelainen
84 Matthew Cairns
91 Filip Berglund
123 Dylan Wells
149 Graham Mcphee
153 Aapeli Rasanen
183 Vincent Desharnais
His name was Carl Berglund… His name was Carl Berglund… His name was Carl Berglund…
Interesting games played exercise LT… I’ll admit to completely overlooking Pitlick’s name and chose Brad Hunt as my guess… wrong!
I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve mentioned trading a roster player. So question… “if” Broberg is to be seriously considered a possible trade piece. What does Broberg specifically have to show/not show to get him into another organization? Are we still considering him a prospect at this point?
As an example, I believe Godot (and others) wants him playing higher up the lineup (with Nurse on some posts). What if he fails? What if next year he keeps taking those punishing blows on the forecheck? What if he can’t handle top 4 minutes? When does the development axis and Holland axis of slow play prospects join on the chart and make him expendable?
Just curious to hear from the bigger brains… cheers!
Dont fall in love with anyone. Take time and effort to assess thier true value now and future. They are not scared to trade anyone if they think the team gets better. It’s not draft/develop model. I’m not sure what you call it, but they seem to maximize assets in any way possible. Are they on to something? Or just lucky?
There are so many unique factors to each team and player that I think each GM needs to have their own approach to team building. There isn’t one specific approach that can be successful.
jp
May 26, 2023 9:36 am
While neither were on the Bakersfield opening night roster, both Holloway and Broberg played AHL games this year and have legitimate chances at 1000 game careers.
Many, many miles to go of course, but both will turn 22 before the start next season, both are over 50 NHL games today, and I don’t think either will see the AHL again.
Health permitting both guys should be NHL fixtures for the next decade plus. The bigger question (hopefully) is where they end up in the batting order.
Yes, fair enough, just not quite as straight a path as for Broberg and Holloway since they’re already NHLers, if not established ones.
Rondo
May 26, 2023 9:31 am
I don’t think Oilers have drafted well. That said a lot of it is luck depending where you pick and who is picked in front of you especially in the 1st round.
The Oilers haven’t been able hit home runs as other teams have. I’m not talking about obvious picks. They have left good players on the board and missed their chance.
I don’t think the Oilers have drafted enough, but they have drafted well. The 2016 draft wasn’t good, though. Three defensemen in the third round, plus Benson when others were on the board, and JP who didn’t work out. Puljujarvi was the highest ranked player, but there was SO MUCH left on the board. Missing on that one will hurt for a long time.
I thought he was the right pick at the time. Math did not. There’s a lesson there.
For sure they need more depth on the farm, there’s no question. You’d like it ideally to be younger prospect types, but maybe they sign some more pro players this year to fill things out.
jp
May 26, 2023 9:08 am
Did the Oilers have good callups last season? Here’s the list, in order of recall: Devin Shore (47 games), Markus Niemelainen (23 games), Tyler Benson (2 games), James Hamblin (10 games), Vincent Desharnais (36 games), Jason Demers (1 game).
Broberg, Kostin, Janmark?
Holloway almost counts, but I guess he didn’t actually play a game after his recall.
OK, fair enough. Broberg was down, up, down around opening night and and started his playing season in Bakersfield so I figured he would count as a recall.
Broberg was shoehorned on to the team initially to vet his bonuses. Very next transaction was Broberg & Malone down, Niemelainen & Shore up.
Bling
May 26, 2023 8:16 am
Couple guys who played 1000-ish games in the NHL with significant time in the minors include Chimera and Cleary. Pisani would have gotten into the 700 range at least if not for his health issues.
Makes me think we’re due! McLeod will play a long time.
I’m holding out hope for Lavoie. I think he has a unique combination of skills.
Bling
May 26, 2023 8:13 am
I’d be interested in seeing if Lavoie could really hum in a third/fourth line role, ala Sprong in Seattle.
The bottom six was creating some nice centering opportunities throughout the playoffs. Kostin is a good finisher, the rest are meh.
Golden opportunity for Lavoie to find that soft ice for passes from the likes of McLeod and Foegele.
Teams where everyone can skate like McLeod are a pleasure to watch
I like how the Remparts play. Collapse and defend, break out as a group, strong sticks, rush plays from turnovers, solid puck management, smart and are fast. Were outshot for a period, almost all low quality, now outshooting and dominating
I want the Oilers to play this style. They should hire that coach. Heh heh
In regards to Yamamoto and Foegle, I feel both can be moved with minimal impact. I feel that Kostin can replace Yamamoto in the top 6 and at least provide the offense that Yamamoto did at 1/3 the cap. As to Foegle I think Holloway has the ability to replace what Foegle brings and again for much less money. That said Holloway hasn’t proven anything yet and Kostin is subject to some bad decisions so it is a gamble for sure.
I think it depends on if it’s good Foegele and Yama or the ones that mess up
Foegele had a better playoffs than reg IMO like Kulak. Yama just had a rough rodeo all round
Foegele and Yama are both streaky players. Right now most reactions I read are biased from the playoffs and disregard the regular season. Foegele was healthy scratched and Yama really just had 1 good hot streak 2 years ago.
Imo Yama, Foegele and kulak are the 3 cap hits that can be replaced for cheaper with better results.
I agree. The teams still playing don’t have GMs that are too slow and indecisive on things
I think Bro is right now better than Kulak like I felt Bouch was better than Barrie. Both of the latter have issues but Bouch is so talented and good at things Barrie wasn’t like denying zone entries etc. The Bouch bomb and the breakout passing are so good
Given time to settle and I’m gonna keep saying it a better system Bro will be ahead of Kulak come playoffs. He has offense yet to come and a higher skill set
Lavoie and Holloway are more skilled and more appropriate to Oiler’s hockey than Foegele and Yama. Yama is a smart player but the size thing says no to a contender‘s top 6. Foegele is a heart and ‘sole’ guy too, but to me a limited hockey sense guy and for huge stretches handled the puck like it was a potato. Good sticks are everything to a good team
I’m watching the Memorial and Quebec is getting outshot but their offensive acumen and great sticks mean the only shot that Kamloops got that was actually dangerous and as their goal in a tie last I saw
You can add at the deadline if needed. If playing those guys scuttles the team there are bigger problems
So that’s the thing right … Kulak kind of needs to go, so that Broberg can get real minutes at 3LD.
While Broberg can play RD, he didn’t look comfortable there, and notably stumbled a couple of times trying to turn while tracking the play from his weak side.
Kulak out opens up playing time for Broberg and cap space.
That said Kuluk has been a great luxury at 3LD … competent in his own end, great skater, good teammate on a team friendly deal. He can hold his own at 2LD for stretches.
For all of those reasons, he would probably net a pretty good return … maybe it’s time to sell high for once?
On the other hand, trading out Kulak leaves the Oilers D pretty thin past the top 6.
The lack of call up depth is a real problem for sure. I have no doubt Bro can be as good as Kulak with a full NHL season behind him. If he can not get hurt a bunch
The only streaks Yamamoto and Foegele have had is in their underwear. Dave Lumley scored in 12 consecutive games in 1981. Now that’s a real streak.
In regards to Broberg. I think he should play full time 3ld. Moving players to the off side for defenseman costs on average 6.5 corsi events against per 60 min. Right now he is killing it vs middle and grit level players while getting lit up against the elites. Moving him up the line up to play on the off side would be setting him up for failure imo. The bright side however is while being sheltered he is one of the best in the league with what he allows for Corsi.
Heiskanen is sure failing badly playing on the right side with Suter. I want Broberg to fail like that.
Some people outperform the average. Also comparing Broberg with Heiskanen is likely to disappoint oiler fans.
Isn’t Boston looking to free cap space? I mean every team is, but they seem particularly constrained. Would they want a trade partner for Carlo that wants to send salary back? My guess is no, but YMMV.
I’m not sure they aren’t just going to shed salary. Like the Kniggets
Both can’t keep what they have
Broberg sure looked Vanilla when he did play. I don’t know if that’s good are bad? Someone mentioned he shows lack of intensity. He didn’t look back or mumble a bad word when he recieved the phantom call that sank us. I’ve yet to see a bead of sweat on the man’s forehead. There’s a old saying never trust a individual that doesn’t sweat doing physical work or activities.
Did Broberg show a lack of intensity against Eichel? Bouchard shows a lack of intensity far more than Broberg does. When has Bouchard battled anybody like that.
I think Broberg is misunderstood because he’s kind of gangly. I don’t question his heart at all.
He’s 6’3” 200 pounds but he does look like a stick. I remember reading he tried to bulk up last training camp but he went a little past the mark that his weight gain was slowing him down. Oilers need this player to pan out starting next year. I’m glad we have Ekholm to mentor Broberg and Bouchard.
Agree completely on Ekholm. Huge addition, and one that could sustain this team for a long time if he can help the kids.
6’3 200 is gangly for a pro athlete lifting a lot as they do off season. It would be a slight type of build to work out for a living and be that light at that height. I know because I have a build similar to that (or used to heh heh)
I thought based on last summer reports he’d gained a bunch of weight
Broberg reportedly came to camp in the 212-215 range if I remember correctly.
Broberg was very good before Ekholm arrived and Desharnais took on more ice.
I like his game a lot.
So you would rather have a dman whose facial expression resembles a dog passing peach pits and razor blades every shift?
I think Reja is speaking about how he “appears” unsure, or not assertive, or perhaps even too deferential at the the NHL level so far … which I’ve noticed too. Most players succeed in the NHL by playing on the edge (e.g. Nurse). But there are defenseman who have been successful in the league that appeared much more serene, emotionless (or whatever other adjective you want to use … e.g. Lidstrom).
However, Broberg really hasn’t been given any opportunity to play significant minutes in the NHL yet … this past year, was really unusual as the top 5 guys were pretty much healthy all season. Then there was the cap gymnastics that Holland was dealing with. And Woody seemed to prefer Desharnais in the 3RD role more.
His one chance to really prove himself recently went sideways due to a completely bogus call by the ref. His situation reminds me a bit of Valimaki in Calgary. The Oilers either have to commit to playing him regularly, or trade him while he still has some trade value.
Bouchard appears unsure defending more than Broberg does. Broberg identifies his man on D as well an any of the Oilers defenders.
Broberg had an impact year D+3 in the AHL. The best D on the team out of the box from Europe.
All his numbers as a 3rd pairing D this season are more than fine.
Broberg has progressed step by step without stumbling.
Both of those guys are progressing very well. I highly doubt Holland trades either of them.
I don’t think he can. One is an impact player and a draft home run, the other is likely to be Ekholm’s replacement in a few years.
The ONLY reason the Oilers would trade Broberg (or Holloway) is for a perfect fit who can help next year. I don’t know who that might be, but Broberg has a better chance to be here at the end of the decade than any young player on the roster.
Yes, fully agree.
Offensive D who are weak defensively are luxuries, not cornerstones. And there are almost never value for money.
If one has five D who can defend like buggers, than having one is a really nice to have.
The Oilers PP was 30% with ho hum D like Klefbom and Nurse on the point.
Bouchard is a rare player. I believe that to be true. If Edmonton has to provide a luxury partner for the next 15 years, I’m in.
Yeah he scored 8-28-36 in 33GP after Barrie was traded. That’s basically 90 points in a full season.
Only a couple of Dmen have done that in the last 25 years (Karlsson + Josi).
Extremely rare air if he can keep it up. If only he were elite.
That’s an interesting statement considering your long-standing desire to acquire Erik Karlsson.
Of course, I note that Karlsson is an elite offensive D but I would suggest that Bouchard is on the verge of also being elite, not to Karlsson’s level but a top 5 offensive d-man in the league.
His defensive inabilities are also highly exaggerated and he showed great progression through this past years in 1) urgency in puck retrieval and puck movement, 2) puck play in the defensive zone and 3) physical defending. Not to mention he is one of the team’s best at defending zone entires.
Oh and, of course, no the PP was never at (or near) 30% with either Klefbom or Nurse.
Karlsson is a good defender, unlike most offensive D, who are offense only.
Bouch leads the D in many D metrics. I think the system is the biggest problem and they all struggled with it in playoffs
I see him as a guy who can develop elite defensive skills because his skating is off the charts good. He has game, he’s ahead of Klef same age in various comparisons without the DoD push Klef got in the NHL
Many Oiler fans and the OBC want everyone to be a banger. As long as the puck goes the right way a lot and they aren’t timid I don’t care
They have to be tall enough to get on the Roller Coasters at Knotts Berry Farm.
Is this a reenactment of that scene from money-ball when all the dinosaurs are talking about strong jaws and whatnot instead of how good someone is at getting on base?
Hopefully we aren’t out trying to hire Fabio.
I am told he helps sell romance novels if you put him on the cover.
As Shocking Blue once belted out.
Never marry a Railroad man. He loves you every now and then.
His heart is at his new train no, no, no.
Don’t fall in love with a Railroad man.
If you do, forget if you can.
You’re better off without him, ahh.
Moneyball was way over rated lots of Teams have shit payroll in the MLB yet they keep churning out quality players and playoff Squads. They could make a movie about the 8 placed Panthers who barley squeaked in with a no name Goalie Lyons going on a heater. Yet their Coach Maurice had vision and was man enough to take the heat by going with Bobrovsky when Lyons ran out of gas. Zito role could be played by Keanu Reeves
The Oilers are out of LTIR. That means one plays Holloway, Kostin, and Broberg (and Lavoie) and figures out what one needs at the trade deadline.
Ekholm was not available till a week before the deadline.
It is cap inefficient to fix your problems in the summer with expensive outside vets when one has inexpensive internal options that are ready to play.
High cap value acquisitions should wait till the trade deadline.
Value UFA’s are what is required during the summer.
The other problem is that summer solutions with higher cap numbers tend to add too much duration, whereas trade deadline solutions, one tends to get better quality options at shorter duratioins.
i.e. see Campbell (summer acquisition) vs Ekholm.(trade deadline acquistion).
For the top 4 D and the top 6 forward, wait till the deadline. Give the young guys a chance. But them up with cheap summer stopgap UFAs.
This is the way
Yes and they need to stay out of buyouts. Dead cap sucks and any GM worth his salt can trade any current player on this roster if the return doesn’t matter as much as disposing cap
I would note that the GM of the Eastern Conference finalist performed a buyout that’s not he books. The GM of a team in the Western Conference final bought out a player that was a star in the league a few years later. The much lauded Steve Yzerman has effected a buyout currently on his books. The US HHOF builder David Poile still have a Turris buyout on his books.
I imagine you think very little of Bill Guerin?
I have heard the organization has Lavoie as a front runner for fall camp.
Im going to guess he fades and Bourgault emerges.
I think there is little doubt that Bourgault will show well in camp and in early exhibition – higher pedigree skilled prospects almost always do so and he has in his previous camps.
Of course, we know that means all but nothing as far as NHL readiness and I would suggest that recent history of legit games played will be a major factor.
Through last season, in particular the second half of the season, Lavoie was two tiers ahead of Bourgault as far impact at the AHL level and looking to be NHL ready. I would suggest that Bourgault actually faded a bit in the second half (eye test) as the grind of the professional hockey season continued.
Of course, Lavoie would need to have a good camp and exhibition season to break camp with the team, even with waivers being required to send him down. He’s no lock but he’s got a good shot if he shows well.
I presume Bourgault learned a ton during his first pro season including what he needs to work on physically, and skill wise, in order to take the next step. I presume he’s going to have a strong off-season doing what he needs to do to put himself in the best position to take that next step.
At the same time, on the date the Condors were eliminated from the playoffs, Bourgault, while showing promise and potential, was not close – he wasn’t strong enough or consistent enough in most areas – somewhat of an expected result.
Here is hoping he has a great off-season and paralysis that in to a solid camp and start to the year for the Condors and puts himself in the conversation for a mid-season call up on merit but he likely isn’t even a legit consideration for a roster spot this coming October.
I don’t think he was even called up as a “black ace” to be around the playoffs was he?
Is Lavoie a smart player? Does Lavoie go to the hard areas? Why does Lavoie go on these amazing heaters ( going back to Juniors) then disappears for long stretches?
I’m sure you’ve read and countless posts on here about the marked decrease in disappearances this past season and on the changes to his game in recent times.
I would encourage you to read the following:
https://theathletic.com/4549049/2023/05/26/oilers-prospect-raphael-lavoie-lineup/
P.S. I would also encourage you to asses the known attributes of you long-standing favourite: Josh Anderson – not known as a smart player and known for disappearing over large stretches of time.
Go to Oilers Nation and find Curlock’s reviews of the Condors. Ralphy made big strides in every area and is no wall flower to boot. Curlock thinks his game is NHL transferable. Wicked shot and can make plays. French C players usually have jam and he shows it at that level
Almost always they have to learn how much work they have to do to get man strong and improve skating unless it’s already there. Top junior players have always been dominant in their time and when you get most of the world’s best together in the bigs it’s a different animal
Just because it can be a bit hard to keep track of with all the AHL deals involved – here’s what I believe the Condors roster for next season looks like as we stand now.
Savoie-Malone-Griffith
Petrov-Philp-Bourgault
McKegg-Hamblin-Tullio
Chiasson-Berglund-DeJong
Dineen-Kemp
Niemalainen-Wanner
Peters-Bernard
Picard
Rodrigue
Fanti
I’m assuming Lavoie with the Oilers, Philp and Niemalainen with the Condors.
De Jong, Peters and Bernard are on AHL deals. I have no idea if Esposito, Kambeitz or Kaldis are still on AHL contracts or not (guessing not, though that doesn’t mean they won’t be back). Am I missing anyone?
I guess Puistola, Munzenberger and Matta could be possibilities to sign pro deals from within the system.
They’ve got a decent number of players already (and I’d expect there are a few AHL-bound signings after July 1st). More quality and call-up options all around would also be nice of course.
Condors provide an offseason tracker each summer
https://www.bakersfieldcondors.com/team/roster_offseason/
Cool, I was looking for that info on their site but couldn’t find it. That’s super useful (though I actually still can’t see how to navigate there from the main site without typing in the url).
So Kambeitz is still under contract (Esposito, Kaldis, etc are not), I think that’s all I missed from the above.
Another great conversation with you nemesis GG. Love those!
Speaking about the 2016 draft. Funny how 7 years later if Oiler fans had to choose one player to help their team from Edmontons 9 picks a lot of people would take Desharnais.
4 Jesse Puljujarvi
32 Tyler Benson
63 Markus Niemelainen
84 Matthew Cairns
91 Filip Berglund
123 Dylan Wells
149 Graham Mcphee
153 Aapeli Rasanen
183 Vincent Desharnais
Wow. Thanks for the reminder.
His name was Carl Berglund…
His name was Carl Berglund…
His name was Carl Berglund…
Interesting games played exercise LT… I’ll admit to completely overlooking Pitlick’s name and chose Brad Hunt as my guess… wrong!
I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve mentioned trading a roster player. So question… “if” Broberg is to be seriously considered a possible trade piece. What does Broberg specifically have to show/not show to get him into another organization? Are we still considering him a prospect at this point?
As an example, I believe Godot (and others) wants him playing higher up the lineup (with Nurse on some posts). What if he fails? What if next year he keeps taking those punishing blows on the forecheck? What if he can’t handle top 4 minutes? When does the development axis and Holland axis of slow play prospects join on the chart and make him expendable?
Just curious to hear from the bigger brains… cheers!
I would call this a Vegas perspective.
Dont fall in love with anyone. Take time and effort to assess thier true value now and future. They are not scared to trade anyone if they think the team gets better. It’s not draft/develop model. I’m not sure what you call it, but they seem to maximize assets in any way possible. Are they on to something? Or just lucky?
All in…all the time.
Tampa, Vegas, Colorado and now Florida.
Toronto was all in … all the time during Dubas’ reign. They are now capped out, without first round picks to 2025, and won all one playoff series.
Sometimes you lose big when you go on tilt.
There are so many unique factors to each team and player that I think each GM needs to have their own approach to team building. There isn’t one specific approach that can be successful.
While neither were on the Bakersfield opening night roster, both Holloway and Broberg played AHL games this year and have legitimate chances at 1000 game careers.
Many, many miles to go of course, but both will turn 22 before the start next season, both are over 50 NHL games today, and I don’t think either will see the AHL again.
Health permitting both guys should be NHL fixtures for the next decade plus. The bigger question (hopefully) is where they end up in the batting order.
Bourgault should get some consideration as a player who could have a long NHL career as well.
Yes, fair enough, just not quite as straight a path as for Broberg and Holloway since they’re already NHLers, if not established ones.
I don’t think Oilers have drafted well. That said a lot of it is luck depending where you pick and who is picked in front of you especially in the 1st round.
The Oilers haven’t been able hit home runs as other teams have. I’m not talking about obvious picks. They have left good players on the board and missed their chance.
I don’t think the Oilers have drafted enough, but they have drafted well. The 2016 draft wasn’t good, though. Three defensemen in the third round, plus Benson when others were on the board, and JP who didn’t work out. Puljujarvi was the highest ranked player, but there was SO MUCH left on the board. Missing on that one will hurt for a long time.
I thought he was the right pick at the time. Math did not. There’s a lesson there.
Hmm, I suppose that’s somewhat relevant to Puistola as well then.
Puljujarvi’s draft year NHLe was pretty weak: 82 10-11-21
Puistola’s NHLe at 22 wasn’t much different: 82 10-15-25
If he doesn’t end up signing an NHL deal in the next few days maybe that’s why.
There’s some good verbal out there on him.
https://eprinkside.com/2023/02/01/finland-stock-watch-patrik-puistola-finally-seizing-on-his-offensive-potential
Yes, that is encouraging. Hopefully an offer is extended and accepted.
Jesse was consensus # 3 I have no problem with the pick. Benson. Xavier Holloway broberg these guys I have problems with
Bourgault was worthy of the pick, the other two I’ll give you.
Didn’t you have Holloway 17th? Very much in range, unless I’ve got that number wrong.
Edit: my mistake, you had him 25th.
I had him No. 25
https://lowetide.ca/2020/10/06/here-comes-the-sun-2020-draft-edition/
Yup, my mistake.
Also 2015 draft was tragic. Perhaps a cup might have come by now if they made the picks
The scouts nailed that draft, the GM robbed them of picks.
Good point
The next guy would’ve been better. Wyatt
Love the Q and A’s LT.
For sure they need more depth on the farm, there’s no question. You’d like it ideally to be younger prospect types, but maybe they sign some more pro players this year to fill things out.
Broberg, Kostin, Janmark?
Holloway almost counts, but I guess he didn’t actually play a game after his recall.
Kostin and Janmark qualify, I’ve added them and I thank you. Broberg was on the team originally. Here’s the list:
Forwards: Leon Draisaitl, Warren Foegele, Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, Brad Malone, Connor McDavid, Ryan McLeod, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Derek Ryan, Kailer Yamamoto
Defencemen: Tyson Barrie, Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg, Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak, Ryan Murray, Darnell Nurse
Goalies: Jack Campbell, Stuart Skinner
Injured and/or Non-Roster: Tyler Benson, Vincent Desharnais, Oscar Klefbom, Raphael Lavoie, Carter Savoie, Mike Smith
OK, fair enough. Broberg was down, up, down around opening night and and started his playing season in Bakersfield so I figured he would count as a recall.
Broberg was shoehorned on to the team initially to vet his bonuses. Very next transaction was Broberg & Malone down, Niemelainen & Shore up.
Couple guys who played 1000-ish games in the NHL with significant time in the minors include Chimera and Cleary. Pisani would have gotten into the 700 range at least if not for his health issues.
Makes me think we’re due! McLeod will play a long time.
I’m holding out hope for Lavoie. I think he has a unique combination of skills.
I’d be interested in seeing if Lavoie could really hum in a third/fourth line role, ala Sprong in Seattle.
The bottom six was creating some nice centering opportunities throughout the playoffs. Kostin is a good finisher, the rest are meh.
Golden opportunity for Lavoie to find that soft ice for passes from the likes of McLeod and Foegele.
Its got to be Khaira….. right?
Or is it Osterle, I know he’s sneakingly played lots of games – missed him on first blush.