Ken Holland traded two NHL players to save $3.1 million of cap dollars, and followed by signing Mattias Janmark for the bottom six. The club’s roster is fairly close to complete. The seven defenders and two goalies are known and if Connor Brown signs today, the top six forwards will also be known. Is it possible Kailer Yamamoto returns?
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers top 20 prospects, summer 2023
- DNB: Assessing Edmonton Oilers’ remaining roster needs ahead of NHL free agency
- Lowetide: Realistic draft options for an Edmonton Oilers team low on picks
- DNB: What I’m hearing about the Oilers 3.0
- Lowetide: Why Connor Brown is a fit for the Edmonton Oilers in free agency
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s top-5 moments from another awards-laden season
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Jayden Grubbe and his organizational importance
- Lowetide: 4 impact QMJHL centres for Oilers to target late in 2023 NHL Draft
- DNB: 10 questions with director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright
- Lowetide: Why Oilers’ Dylan Holloway is in prime position for a major role
- DNB: Five burning Edmonton Oilers questions ahead of the NHL Draft and free agency
- Lowetide: 5 quality Edmonton Oilers trade targets for low-budget offseason
- Lowetide: Ken Holland’s Oilers roster construction missing one final piece
- DNB: What I’m hearing about the Oilers 2.0: Evan Bouchard offer sheet? Klim Kostin to KHL?
- DNB: Oilers’ offseason options: Comparing conservative and aggressive approaches
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers targets early and late in NHL free agency.
THE IMPORTANCES OF THE CONDORS, 2021-22 (NHL NUMBERS)
- Ryan McLeod 71 games, 9-12-21
- William Lagesson 30 games, 0-4-4
- Philip Broberg 23 games, 1-2-3
- Brad Malone 8 game, 1-1-2
- Markus Niemelainen 20 games, 0-1-1
- Cooper Marody 1 games, 0-1-1
- Dmitri Samorukov 1 game, 0-0-0
- Seth Griffith 1 game, 0-0-0
- Dylan Holloway 1 game, 0-0-0 (playoff)
- Stuart Skinner 13 games, 2.62 .913
These are the NHL totals by the recalls, so names like Tyler Benson, Brendan Perlini and Colton Sceviour do not appear. The Condors recalls were important to the team’s success, and remember, this team went to the final four in 2022. You can see Stuart Skinner and Ryan McLeod break on through to the other side and become real NHL players. You can also see the rest of the group show promise, but also betray they are not NHL-ready. Same as it ever was.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONDORS 2022-23
- Klim Kostin 57 games, 11-10-21
- Devin Shore 47 games, 1-8-9
- Vincent Desharnais 36 games, 0-5-5
- Markus Niemelainen 23 games, 0-0-0
- James Hamblin 10 games, 0-0-0
- Brad Malone 10 games, 0-0-0
- Tyler Benson 2 games, 0-0-0
- Jason Demers 1 game 0-0-0
There was no McLeod or Skinner, but Klim Kostin and Vincent Desharnais contributed a great deal to Edmonton’s success. Also noteworthy: Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway made the big team out of camp and emerged as NHL players in 2022-23.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONDORS 2023-24
These are AHL numbers from 2022-23, and the list is my take on players who may appear in the NHL after recall from Bakersfield this winter.
- LW Raphael Lavoie: 61 games, 25-20-45; 47-33 EV goals (59 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 15-13-28.
- LD Cam Dineen: 19 games, 2-10-12; 14-13 EV goals (52 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 4-21-25.
- RW Xavier Bourgault: 62 games, 13-21-34; 37-25 EV goals (60 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 8-14-22.
- LC James Hamblin: 52 games, 10-18-28; 35-36 EV goals (49 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 8-13-21.
- LC Brad Malone: 41 games, 4-17-21; 29-22 EV goals (57 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 4-16-20.
- RW Tyler Tullio: 63 games, 13-13-26; 35-30 EV goals (54 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 8-8-16.
- RD Phil Kemp: 71 games, 6-15-21; 51-41 EV goals (55 pct). NHLE: 82 games, 3-9-12.
- LD Markus Niemelainen: 30 games, 2-5-7; 18-17 EV goals (51 pct). NHLE: 3-6-9.
- G Calvin Pickard: 38 games, 2.70 .912
- G Olivier Rodrigue: 29 games, 2.77 .912
There are some who have a clear shot at the opening night roster (Raphael Lavoie, Markus Niemelainen) and others who are unlikely to be recalled unless things get dire (Cam Dineen has four rock solid LH defensemen ahead of him, plus Niemelainen, who in theory is a more reliable defender).
I think Ken Holland should add at least one defenseman and a center who could be recalled for any forward position. He might be tempted to add a free agent winger, I pray it’s Justin Kirkland. He’s wicked smart.
Bottom line: The Condors roster opening night is going to house 7-10 men who will play for the Oilers next season. Damned important part of the plan.
KAILER YAMAMOTO?
This blog is somewhat divided on the player, but I do believe the organization likes him. Ken Holland said the problem was cap and Steve Yzerman wiped away that issue. Here’s Yamamoto’s numbers compared to some other free agents suddenly available. Sorted by five-on-five points-60 and I didn’t pay close attention to what the ask would be in terms of salary.
- Daniel Sprong: 3.10 pts-60; 66 pct goal share; 57 pct expected goal share.
- Morgan Geekie: 2.47 pts-60; 59 pct goal share; 50 pct expected goal share.
- Nathan Bastian: 1.96 pts-60; 59 pct goal share; 55 pct expected goal share.
- Connor Brown (21-22): 1.71 pts-60; 45 pct goal share; 49 pct expected goal share.
- Jesper Boqvist: 1.66 pts-60; 58 pct goal share; 54 pct goal share.
- Kailer Yamamoto: 1.53 pts-60; 57 pct goal share; 53 pct expected goal share.
- Garnet Hathaway: 1.48 pts-60; 54 pct goal share; 50 pct expected goal share.
- Colin White: 1.38 pts-60; 50 pct goal share; 47 pct expected goal share.
- Craig Smith: 1.34 pts-60; 57 pct goal share; 51 pct expected goal share.
- Christian Fischer: 1.33 pts-60; 43 pct goal share; 43 pct expected goal share.
- Denis Gurianov: 1.09 pts-60; 42 pct goal share; 41 pct expected goal share.
I wouldn’t have Yamamoto number one on this list, but would have him near the top. My order is probably Daniel Sprong (great numbers, volume shooter), Connor Brown (he has played versus elites), Christian Fischer (as has he) Morgan Geekie, Kailer Yamamoto, Garnet Hathaway. You?
ESTIMATED PRICES
- Kailer Yamamoto $1.86M
- Morgan Geekie $1.8M
- Nathan Bastian $1.6M
- Christian Fischer $1.57M
- Max Pacioretty $1.5M
- Noah Gregor $1.2M
- Phil Kessel $1.1M
- Matthew Phillips $750,000
These numbers are via Daily Faceoff, please click on link to thank them. I like these prices, don’t think the Oilers go $1.8M on Yamamoto or Geekie but the rest of these cap hits look fine. I bet there are people in hockey ops pushing for Nathan Bastian, he’s a fun player and no easy out.
CURRENT OILERS LINEUP
This is the current lineup. There are 17 men listed, meaning five (or six) more roster spots to fill in. About $8 million remains, with the big contracts still to be signed coming from rfa’s Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod. Estimates have those two coming in at around $5 million, I have my doubts. After that, Raphael Lavoie needs to be signed but it will be far below $1M. If Ken Holland can get the three RFA’s on the roster for $6M, that would leave $1.9235M for two men. Connor Brown and Nick Bjugstad would be ideal, but I can’t see that happening. It’s close. Soon you will know, when the bullet hits the bone.
Oilers could not do much at this time,but Holland seems to get value deals.
Slip Kid a good Who song,but for me their best work was Quadrophinia.Was lucky enough to see them 1976 at the Edmonton Coliseum, John Entwhistle in a book I read said that tour was peak Who.At that time new laser light show and Keith Moon still alive.Best show ever.
Was there & can confirm. Great concert.
There’s been no announcement for the development camp yet (that I can see, anyway).
However, according to this tweet from late May, one of Münzenberger and Määttä’s Vermont teammates has been invited.
Also invited is Preston Lounsbury from the Moncton Wildcats who was passed over in the recent draft.
@FriedgeHNIC
There are some moving parts here — particularly how things unfold with Alex DeBrincat — but word is Ottawa had a conversation with Vladimir Tarasenko earlier today.
Was wondering where he lands. That korpi signing has me worried Ottawa might crash before they really fly though.
So where are we at after day 1?
Entering free agency the Oilers needs (aside from re-signing Bouchard and McLeod) were:
2RW, 4C and NHL-ready depth for Bakersfield.
About the NHL-ready depth for Bakersfield, this morning LT said:
There was no Justin Kirkland, but 2 forwards and 2 defensemen were added in the NHL-ready depth category.
Their NHL and AHL boxcars from last season:
Pederson RHC
NHL 27 3-3-6 -1 26
AHL 22 17-7-24 1 22
Caggiula LW/RW
NHL 4 0-0-0 -1 0
AHL 65 22-31-53 -5 47
Hoefenmayer LHD
AHL 65 11-27-38 -2 114
Gleason LHD
AHL 68 9-24-33 2 40
These are all quality AHL players who’ll help the Condors and may also help the Oilers in a pinch.
And of course we know about Connor Brown and 2RW.
So after the dust has settled, the Oilers only clear UFA need is their a 4C.
If you project Lavoie at league minimum on the roster that leaves $6.38M for Bouchard, McLeod and the 4C.
A surprising amount of work got done on day 1.
Appreciate the post.
Leaves $5.6M if that 4C is league minimum.
Yes, though I was thinking the other way.
If Bouchard and McLeod can be signed for $5M total then the 4C add could be ~$1.3M.
Seravalli was suggesting Bouch at 2 x $3.75, McLeod at 2 x $2, which means we run a 21 man roster again with $1.4 for the 12th forward.
Yes, it sounds like that’s a possibility as well (Holland mentioned the potential 21 man roster again in his availability).
Not ideal, though getting Bouchard done for 2 years would be nice.
It would be nice. It means they don’t have to worry about a second raise when there is the big deal cap hit from Brown’s bonus overages next season but, on the other hand, it comes due for the BIG contract when Drai’s next deal kicks in.
This Oilers team is better than the one they iced at the start of last year (imo). Ekholm alone changes the composition of the d core. I haven’t seen a lot of Brown but I’m guessing he’s better than Yamo? Past that a lot of the same down in the bottom 6. Those positions are easy to supplement at the deadline too.
I also think all the other PD teams got worse maybe outside of Seattle.
Encouraged by the work by Holland despite the somewhat weird contrac to brown.
is Oskar Sundvist or Derek Grant options for our 4C?
Happy about Brown but losing both Klim and Bjugstad hurts. Less so for Bjugstad since he certainly isnt concerned about winning going back to ARZ. More bummed about Klim but there is probably more to the story we dont know. The usage of Yamo-Klim made zero sense just like Skinner-Campbell made no sense. Lost a fair bit of confidence in Woody. This team is alway looking for the next Guerin, then he falls in your lap, and they won’t deploy him properly or sign him for relative peanuts on a one year show me deal. Le sigh.
I liked Kostin, but he isn’t in the same realm as Guerin. And Holloway, Foegele, Janmark, Ryan, Lavoie, make Kostin at 2 mil a pass.
Have to see what happens in DET. Yes obviously he’s not Guerin now – but he has the tools – depends on whether he can put it all together. At the end of the day it’s a cheap bet for DET on a very difficult player type to acquire (true power forward). Would have liked to see him in the top 6 with Drai and Nuge but we decided to go with Brown for twice the money (not saying Brown is a bad player at all).
Twice the money but less than half the cap hit which is, as you know, the pressure point this season.
Twice the cap hit spread over two years.
Unless he gets a MAJOR injury early, most, if not all, of that $3.25MM will be a dead cap hit next season – end stop.
They may be able to fit some of it in at year’s end but a fraction of it.
Many enticing possibilities…
Hyman-McD-Brown
Kane-McD-Hyman
Kane-McD-Brown
Pylon-McD-Drai
Kane-Drai-Foegele
RNH-Drai-Brown
RNH-Drai-Foegele
Kane-RNH-Brown
RNH-Drai-Holloway
In unicorn land a 3rd line of:
McLeod-RNH-Brown
or similar…
!
There are a ridiculous amount of options up front. Hopefully something gets nailed down and we don’t see ever changing lines. I’m guessing we see a lot of 11/7 again this season.
Kane-McD-Hyman
RNH-Drai-Foegele
Holloway-McLeod-Brown
Janmark-Ryan
Nurse-Ceci
Ekholm-Bouchard
Kulak-Broberg
Desharnais
Kane and Hyman should not play together unless absolutely necessary, in my opinion.
I also think that McDavid/Hyman needs to almost be locked as a duo.
if one of these players shows the clear ability through their performance with skilled top6 players, to be a top 6 player, it would be fantastic:
Brown
Foegele
Holloway
McLeod
Lavoie
I would suggest:
Brown – could prove to be legit complementary 6F with an elite center but is likely best served as 3rd liner.
Foegele – was the best last season and has shown well in small samples – can fill in but has never had the consistency to fill the slot for term
Holloway – highest ceiling of the group and the real skill-set to be a legit 2nd liner – main question is when?
McLeod – I like him as a center with his transporting ability
Lavoie – he has the skill-set with that body and shot.
—–
One issue: only one of those guys is not better suited on the left side (Brown) and even the 1RW (Hyman) is better on the left side.
So curious question. If Brown gets injured on game 11 And is out for rest of year how bad does that screw us?
I believe the term is ‘royally’
Imagine signing 10 great players to one year contracts like this, practically double your cap. Could go on a one year fun run for the cup!
If he has hit his ten day bonus then gets hurt, is the bonus awarded eligible for LTIR?
Its super confusing, but yes I think so.
Here’s an article outlining it.
https://theleafsnation.com/news/war-series-part-4-extras
As far as I know, you cannot pay for any bonuses with LTIR reserves, and in this case, the bonus vests at the end of the season
Capfriendly has Brown’s bonuses at $3.25MM for 10 games played so……. ya.
Holland best be doing day to day cap management to accrue as much space as possible to see if he can maybe fit some of them in at year’s end to reduce next season’s cap charge.
Can you give example? Let’s say Oilers are IR free for 41 games 1/2 a year. How much bonus money would occur for the present season? How much in the hole would we be to start the 2024 season?
Essentially the season is 186 days with 82 game days. We’re he to send down Broberg (4.64k per day) and Holloway (4.97k per day) for those 104 days. He’s accrue about 1M in space.
Essentially every player only counts towards the cap for the amount of days there were on the roster (1/186 of their cap hit for each day).
Realistically those guys wouldn’t get sent down for all non game days – they wouldn’t be able to practice, participate in team meetings, etc.
Its impossible to say as the cap hit of a team is calculated daily. The amount any particular player counts towards the end of the year cap calculation depends on the amount of days they were on the roster.
Sending Holloway and Broberg down on off-days, will change the calculation, for example.
How much of their projected cap space they acquire at the deadline, also changes the equation.
They will ultimately be on the hook for almost all of it, I’m sure.
Are the Kings really gonna go into the season with Talbot, Big Save Dave, and Copley in net??
because that would be hilarious
Vegas played 5 goaltenders last season.
Worked out okay.
BTW, since I know you were so worried about the Kings centre depth, they signed Jarrett Anderson-Dolan after declining to qualify him.
The issue with doing the Vegas goalie thing is you actually need to have a decent goalie
LA is going to get lit up next season – they don’t have a single goalie that would qualify as a decent backup, never mind a starter. They should’ve traded for Hellebuyck instead of Dubois.
Copley .903
Rittich .901
Talbot .898
——————
Campbell .888
LA is paying those 3 goalies a total of $3.375 million.
Oilers are paying Campbell $5 million to be worse than all of them.
Good thing Campbell is not the starter then.
Oh, so what happens if Skinner gets injured?
Same thing that happens with any other team that loses its starter.
Of course.
But having a a capable backup then becomes paramount.
See Vegas for reference.
Campbell may recover. I’d say regression for both me is likely. This is a discussion that has no real solution because we can’t know the future.
That is pretty much my point.
LA has made 3 small bets and with two of the three playing in an entirely new system, it’s impossible to know how they will respond.
Absolutely. I don’t think three is always better than two with goaltenders, though. It’s a strange vibe.
I once read that goalie performance can vary wildly from year to year which would give credence to Campbell being much better than his one clear outlier season.
That’s weak HH. Every team is in trouble if they lose a key player to injury.
It’s true they are paying less for their backup then we are. The issue is lack of a starter
You have to make the Playoffs first. L.A will be duking it out with several other teams for a wild card spot. Goaltending could sink them especially if first shot Talbot makes a appearance in the first 1/4 of the season.
Goaltending can vary widely from season to season and teams like Vegas and Colorado are showing that making a series of small bets is preferable to sinking large cap commitments into big contracts.
Playing a lockdown defensive system can make an average goaltender look very good.
True. A couple of years ago TB showed that having the best goalie was the winning formula.
There are a lot of different ways to win and, of course, then there is luck. Injuries, goalie gets hot etc. I don’t put much credence in ‘this is how they did it’ because there is a story to back up pretty much any story other than managerial incompetence.
Campbell had a terrible year. I expect him to return to somewhat above average this coming season and, as you know, I was not a fan of the signing.
Tyler Pitlick and Cogliano get 1 year deals If you have above average speed you can last in this league for 15 plus years.
San Jose acquires Duclair from Florida.
Oof. As I just wrote a post about the Connor Brown contract being real good, I see Capfriendly has the details of his bonuses up. https://www.capfriendly.com/players/connor-brown
$3.225M for 10 games played. So he’s 99% assured to be paid $4M this season.
Hopefully they can stay out of LTIR and accrue some space so that less of those bonuses end up on next years cap.
I’m still fully on board with the deal (and there were multi-year competing offers) but I wasn’t expecting the bonuses to be quite that much of a gimme.
Very happy with having him as an Oiler but the bonus conditions are quite disappointing.
I would think making those bonuses so easily attainable is very close to cap circumvention.
The Oilers will pay in full – next year
Yeah, that’s a little disappointing, but not terribly surprising
I figured most of the bonus would be a tap in, with maybe a small portion based on reaching the final (or winning)
Oh well, cup or bust
I wonder if anyone brought up cap circumvention with Bergeron had a $2.5MM bonus for 10 games played last season.
Pretty sure Holland had to match an offer from another team to get him and it is quite possible that other offer was just made in order to drive the price up for the Oilers since his preferred destination was broadcast all over.
Yeah, there are 31 other teams out there, it’s disingenous to view this transaction only through an Oilers lens
I said earlier that $775k is the only number that matters today – we’ll worry about the rest next year
This would seem a loophole.
I can understand an “option” in terms of bonuses for someone coming back from long term injury and increased uncertainty in the value of the player but, 10 games seems a rather low bar for the player. Probably a critical part of the negotiation
Yes, a loophole, but the team needs to pay the piper in the end so it’s not an overly objectionable one. The Burins did this exact thing with Bergeron and Krejci last year, so there’s precedence too.
And yes, I’m sure it was an important part of the negotiation, with Brown’s bonus essentially being deferred salary rather than true performance bonus.
If we look at value of in and out for
KY out (3.1) – Brown in (4.0) is there an improvement?
not being antagonizing, I am for the swap – and curious if other opinions if viewed simply under this context
I think there is an improvement even if you include total compensation, and I’ve been a bigger Yamamoto supporter than most.
Brown’s pro-rated boxcars in Ottawa are superior to Yamamoto’s in Edmonton. Brown got PP time that Yamamoto didn’t, but if you look just at 5v5 scoring rates there’s a considerable gap as well (in Brown’s favor). Then factor in that Yamamoto was playing with far superior linemates than Brown was.
I’m very optimistic this is a legitimate improvement, but obviously we need to see how it actually plays out.
FOr this particular season, its:
1) KY out (3.1)
2) Brown in ($775K).
Is $4m/year a bit much for Brown?
How competitive did the Yotes and Ducks make their teams?
Not much more than they were last season. Neither team has NHL calibre defence.
That Killorn deal atomically became one of the worst contracts in the NHL the minute it was announced.
For the #1 pick?
Lavoie is a reasonable fascimile of Kostin. And Holloway bring rambunctiousness also. Why is Stauffer pining for Luke Gazdic?
Lavoie has size, and he has upped his battle level but, no, I don’t really agree with the style comparison to Kostin. He is not a banger at all and I recall one fight as a pro.
I dunno, I just don’t feel great about the Connor Brown contract. It feels too much like the JT Compher contract. Brown is the right player, for sure. But not the right contract.
In his career, Brown has averaged 39 points per 82 games. You know who else has averaged 39 points per 82 games? Kailer Yamamoto.
Is that a $4M player? I say no.
And if Brown is healthy, correct me if I’m wrong, he’ll count $3M against next year’s cap. By my math, if we want him back in 2024-25, we’ll need another $3M in 2024-25 to cover his bonuses for 2023-24, plus presumably at least another $4M to cover his 2024-25 salary. That means we would need another $7M in cap room next year to re-sign him, which likely isn’t happening. The irony is that we may not have enough room to pay him for 2024-25, because at that point, we’ll already be on the hook for his past services.
It’s borrowing from the future for the present. It sounds like the work of a GM who is facing his potential last year as an NHL GM.
It could also be viewed through the lens that he just signed a top 6 two way winger for league minimum.
Guess it depends on the bonus structure – any word yet on how the bonuses are laid out?
Yup: Full bonus vested at 10 games played.
Not good at all.
Holland best be doing day to day cap management to try and accrue as much cap space as possible. The likes of Holloway and Broberg assigned on off-days when there are no practices, etc.
FWIW Brown averaged 82 20-30-50 his 3 years in Ottawa, which I think is more representative than his whole career.
His most common linemates in order were Tkachuk, Paul, Tierny, Pageau, Stutzle, Formentin, Norris (that’s everyone over 200 minutes).
It’s very possible his bonuses hurt next season, but he’s a legit top 6 forward. He should be a real improvement on Yamamoto, and I definitely do think he’s a $4M player.
Holy smokes, I didn’t realize that Talbot was old enough to receive a 35+ contract.
Lol – that’s a bad thing if you are the LA Kings.
I think I have to declare NYR the winners of free agency signings today.
Lots of low risk, high reward bets on players with decent or better track records.
They’re adding around the edges of an already decent core. Could be a big season in the Big Apple.
LAK sign Big Save Dave…1year $875K
Big Save Dave to the Kings … lol.
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
·
14m
Toronto is signing John Klingberg
1-yr, $4,150,000
4.15 million for next season. This signing is going to make Leaf’s fans pine for Justin Holl.
Yeah I think the leafs are going to be worse this year than last. Treliving is going to drive them into the ditch…
That will sort their D out defensively
Supposedly we just signed D Noel Hoefenmayer to a 1-yr ELC at $775,000?
According to CapFriendly
I read this as Dr M Hfuhruhurr
M. Hfuhrfurhurr, MD is a real sleeper pick.
Taking a flyer on a late bloomer, who was also good in the AHL last season. The Condors are going to have some sizzle next season.
I like this strategy … since they don’t have cap space available, they are trying to stack the AHL with guys on 2 way deals who could provide cover when injuries arise.
Both Hoefenmayer and Gleason can skate and transition the puck well at that level. Add in Cam Dineen and there should be enough depth to call upon if the need arises.
Apart from the pipedream of Toews, the only viable 4C candidates that I see left are Grant, Nosek, and Stastny. Barring a trade, I’ll be interested to see how this plays out.
I’ve got time for Statsny.
Eller as well. Not much crack in’. My concern is no RS C again except the faceoff winger Ryan
I checked and Brown doesn’t faceoff
They definitely should get a RHC
Mayfield for 7 years. That is a very long contract from Lou
And a 35 year old Varlamov for 4 more years. Some of these contracts might outlive Lou.
Sorokin 8.25 * 8
Engvall 3 * 7
Lou doubling down on “too much for too long” 🙂
It brings the cap hit down for these players for this season. They can buy out some of these players in the last couple seasons if they need to. By then the cap should be close to 100 million. It’s a risk though.
Sorokin is the goods. The few goalies who are well above average every year are worth $10M+ in my books. (Vasilevsky, Hellebuyck, Shesterkin, Sorokin.)
Bowen Byram 2 X $3.85 million in Colorado
Avalanche also acquire Jonathan Drouin.
1 X $825K for Drouin.
That’s a nice bet by the Avs. And a good landing spot for Drouin.
Will be interesting to see if he can re-invent his game now that he’s out of the spotlight in Montreal.
Drouin has been a below replacement level player for the past 4 seasons. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s out of the league after next season. He’s softer than the butter sitting on my countertop.
The only thing keeping him in this league is his draft pedigree. If he was drafted in the 3rd round he would be a Centre with Kahun on one wing and Hass on the other somewhere in the Swiss Alps.
That and the inflated contract that Bergeron signed him to years ago. He’s probably a worse player than Alex Galchenyuk.
Kind of gives the range for a Bouchard bridge, I guess. Bryam more highly regarded but Bouchard with some extremely strong recent results.
Colorado caps Bouchard for the OIlers.
Don’t think so.
Byram has had numerous injuries and is younger.
Based on this contract, Bouchard should be asking for $4.5 million.
Holland will overpay both RFAs it’s guaranteed
Id say you scored less than Dobson you make less
Earlier this season, “Bouchard is not an NHL d-man”.
When Bouch needs to be re-signed, he should get more than the long-lauded Byram.
Wild stuff there.
—–
Dobson has only scored more than Bouch in the past due to PP time – he’s an inferior producer at 5 on 5 and on the PP.
Willy Lags is a Leaf
Gleason for 2 years at minimum deal. solid AHl work, with chance to play. Good offensively. no idea on defensive side.
What’s the intel on Ben Gleason?
Playmaking offensive LD with above average skating last I recall reading about him. Why?
Holland:
1) No, nothing in the hopper.
2) Just working on finalizing contract with Brown.
3) Woody and Holland spoke to Brown earlier today – both sides are excited.
4) Other signings are minor league.
5) Yes, though Brown could be part of the top 6. October will be 11 months out from the injury.
6) McLeod and Bouch are big parts of the future and the priority with signings – hence how the money was spent today.
7) Ideally would like to get another center.
8) Any concern about the injury – do expect it will take a bit of time to get going. Don’t expect him to be the same player at game 1. Once he gets up and running to full speed, expect him to be a very good player.
9) Caggulia – wanted some depth to play in the AHL. Good depth is the plan but maybe he’s on our team.
10) DNB asked about balance with bonuses hitting next year – Holland really lays in to DNB – “I’m doing what you wanted me to do for three years. I’m spending. You’ve been all over me to do this since I got here”.
11) Talked to McDavid a few times over the last few days about Brown. He hates to lose. He’s a driven athlete.
12) Message is we’re in it to try and win it.
13) At the end of the year, whatever doesn’t fit in to this year’s cap gets pushed to next year but we are trying to win.
14) DNB asked about improving the D as a focus – Holland talks about being top 10 in goals against since Ekholm was acquired. Acknowledges that was only a quarter of the season
15) References Connor Brown as a good penalty killer.
16) We’ve added Brown and Ekholm. We’ve lost some player but I’m hoping young guys will help out team.
17) Rishaug asks about Brown having long-term deals offered and if that’s a good sign – Holland can’t confirm but he does think there were some term offers. Talked about Connor and Connor and Jeff Jackson being the agent. Spoke with Brown, he’s skating and training and pushing hard. Indications are everything looks good and he’s trending to be ready to rock and roll for training camp. Believe he’ll have a positive impact on the team.
18) Stauff asks about losing Kostin and the dynamic he brought and if he wanted to add some depth truculence. Right now not sure if we are carrying 12 forwards or 13. You are talking toughness but we want to add a fourth line center. A really good PP is some sort of toughness but, yes, I Iike toughness on the team. Still some time here.
19) Ideally would like to sign Bouch and McLeod before adding the 4C but don’t know how long its going to take.
20) Yes, still a bridge for Bouch.
21) Any though of bringing Yamo back on a cheap deal. Did talk to his agent and Kailer wants to explore the market. I have a finite amount of dollars and he’s aware of that and, if he is OK with that, “I’d love to talk”.
22) Lane Pederson – think he’ll be out 1C in the AHL. May be able to play in NHL. Another guy that provides depth. Lets get to camp and see what these guys look like.
How about Michael McLeod? Have both on the same line and you will have a right and Left hand Centerman.
M. McLeod re-signed with the Devils earlier.
So only order of business short of a trade is 4C. Who is left that fits?
My pick is Oscar Sundqvist from Minny (and Detroit to start year). Stanley cup with blues a few years ago. RHC, 6’3. Not sure on his fancies, but fits the mold of lower end player who can fill a need for less then $1 mill. right handed and has size.
Austin Watson is also out there. Brings truculence.
I looked him up, he doesn’t PK really and apparently doesn’t take many faceoffs. Also scored 10 goals and 28 points, and made 2.75M. Probably not getting that again but I’m not sure that he’d take what Kenny has
Dubas going to work in PIT. Jarry, Acciari, Graves, Nedeljkovic,
Same as before. Doesn’t understand goalers, D, and bottom 6
Holland confirms the signings other than Brown are minor league deals.
Holland’s media avail coming up shortly on Oilers Plus.
Laurent Broissoit back in Winnipeg 1X$1.75 million.
That’s smart on Brossoit’s part – when Hellebuyck leaves, he could have a chance to start again.
Killorn did well for himself in his 34 YO season
4 x $6.25M AAV
Worst deal of the day.
Nick Bjugstat signs for 2 years in Arizona.
2X$2.1 million
Lane Pederson now happiest man in Canada
You mean Bakersfield, right?
Pederson was awful in Vancouver
No, there are not a lot of centres left out there, so I’m saying there’s a chance!
Yes it would be a bad thing
Nah – there will be a depth 4C (actual NHL depth 4C) sign – at least I’m pretty sure there will.
I can’t see many. Acciari is the only RS C approaching ok. Made 1.25M last year.
Forget that
Acciari signs for three yrs. x $2M with PIT, says LeBrun.
Various reports that Pittsburgh and Seattle are trying to land Erik Karlsson.
I was just thinking that Seattle has been quiet so far.
And sitting on $20 million in free cap space.
How much after signing Dunn and the other 8 spots they need to fill on their roster?
Just saw an update that Pittsburgh is out but Seattle and Carolina are working on it.
Karlsson and Burns on the same team, cause that worked out so well last time. Lol
Carolina is probably out too, after signing Orlov for 7+ million. It really doesn’t make sense to have Karlsson, when you have Brett Burns … that’s been tried in SJ already, and it was a total fail. They should go get Tarasenko instead.
Seattle is going to be sacrificing some of their depth to add a high end piece in Karlsson. They better hope last year’s healthy season wasn’t an outlier.
Pittsburgh just signed Ryan Graves 6X$4.5 million.
The Brown signing gets a whole lotta love from The Athletic.
good article, though it tended to Ramble On
Talking about the good times, bad times?
Enjoying this thread. Thank You.
I think we can keep it going. But how many more times?
I’m just glad they got the deal done, it seemed for a time like there was a communication breakdown.
For Connor and Connors friendship this is a celebration day
Jonathan Willis
@JonathanWillis
One really cool thing about Brown: he’s a takeaway machine. Among forwards at 5v5 over this span (min. 1,000 minutes), he ranks 17th with 2.7 takeaways per 60; that’s just a hair lower than Barkov.
Thats fun
So, almost as good as Foegele. Love to see the two of them out together.
The Connor Brown signing is only an hour or so old (the Oilers haven’t even officially announced it yet), so this is somewhat premature.
But I think Brown is better than 50% to be an Oiler beyond this season. I think he’ll ultimately sign a multi-year deal like Kane and Kulak did.
Do you think they’ll have the cap in 2-3 years to take another big contract? Even if it goes up 10-12M it’s spoken for. Bouch is a bridge, Leon and Connor re-ups
its a 50% chance leon and connor re-up, IMO. If Oilers win a cup in the next 2 years, maybe that changes.
Kane and Hyman have NTC’s overlaid of the NMC
Kane’s NTC is enabled Mar 1/25, Hyman in 26/27, so whoever the Oilers GM is at the time has a little bit of wiggle room in the next 2-3 years
I think so, yes.
Next summer (in advance of 24-25) the cap should increase by at least $4M, plus Foegele’s deal is finished. So at least $6M more available vs. this coming season.
The following year (going into 25-26) Draisaitl’s new deal is the worry but the cap will jump again and the Neal buyout come off the books. So at least $6M there as well, plus Ceci’s deal finishes that summer too.
When Connor’s next deal would kick in (26-27) there’s a bunch of other contracts coming off (Kane, Ekholm, Skinner, Kulak). He’s also already making $12.5M – is the next deal going to be more than $16.5M? Who knows, but the jump to his new deal likely won’t be too extreme.
Seems doable, and McLeod, Bouchard, Broberg, Holloway are the only young guys who are going to be looking for raises in that time.
Subject to Matthews effing everything up:
Drai: $13MM
McDavid: $15.5MM
I put the odds of re-signing both well above 50%.
Michael Bunting 3X$4.5 million in Carolina.
Miles Wood signs in Colorado as they rebuild their bottom 6
Brogan Rafferty signs in DET on a $775K NHL/$450K AHL deal.
A long sigh is heard from Parksville.
A man looks at DET’s roster to see if he can be a fan but turns away in disgust.
The world keeps on turning…
Stevie Y knows hockey.
StevieY just signed Justin Holl to 3+ million with term a year after signing Chariot. He clearly doesn’t know much about defense.
Perhaps he can be Oilers new GM then. 🙂
Ha, TBay signs Archibald for 2 years, $800k. Good for him.
There would always be a player of Archie’s character and capabilities on my roster.
Punting for Archibald based on so called “character and capabilities,” and making perpetual character attacks against “stone hands” Yamamoto is utterly laughable.
Archibald, he of G6 A6 P12 last year in 62 games last year on PIT. The guy who is:
GM 305 G 45 A 38 P 82 PIM 143
vs
Yamamoto, with G10 A15 P25 last year in 58 games, basically his worst season since being in the league full time, with career boxcars of:
GM 244 G 50 A 68 P 118 PIM 106
How about in the real season, you may ask?
Archie:
GM 24 G 1 A 1 P 2 PIM 12
Yamo:
GM 34 G 3 A 9 P 12 PIM 36
Including a series winning goal against LAK this last year.
I like elements of both players’ game, but try for once to be objective (or fair, even).
Neither was a success in EDM, but that level of analysis is lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut — do better.
Caggiula deal official now (1 year, 2-way, league min).
Pederson got a 2 year, 1-way, league min.
And Connor Brown for 2RW. Legit top 6 forward.
Brown is about the high end of what one could have reasonably hoped for today. I’m tickled that he actually signed with the Oilers.
And Pederson + Caggiula are some quality depth who can push but are likely to end up in Bakersfield.
Still need a 4C and a Pederson/Caggiula type Dman or two for the Condors, but so far so good in my books.
I’m hoping the Oilers reach out to Samorukov
Yeah I’d be cool with Samorukov returning. Lots of other options out there too though.
Vegas Dallas Minnesota LA Edmontons D not good enough and goaltending is a hope. Still some holes to fill
Colorado
Are you saying the Oilers D is worse than all those teams?
** Caggiula is a 2 year, 2-way deal (not 1 year)
Could we please return to the C-L-R format for forward lines? Just for the possibility of discussing a Drai-Brown-Hyman line, it would literally never get old for me.
connor brown reduces the 24/25 cap room significantly; Holland is not that shrewd
Well, let’s wait and see what the bonus structure is before condemning it
Also, if the Oilers have any cap room after the trade deadline that will be applied to (any) bonuses that have vested
One would do well to explain that nuance to LeBrun (whom I generally like), emphasis mine:
It spells the end of Foegele or Kulak next year. It gives the Oilers a better chance to win this year. It WAS a shrewd addition, Brown isn’t the shooter you’d like but he is a solid two-way guy who has played versus elites (a lot) for years.
Or, it could spell the end of Campbell.
So you’d rather he didn’t get a buy low top 6 forward on a deal they can afford this year and keep the cap space for next year?
This team is burning daylight- they need to contend for a cup now.