The last time an Oilers general manager went to market in an attempt to attract NHL talents on a budget, Ty Rattie, Grayson Downing, Mitch Callahan and Ryan Stanton were the headliners.
Ken Holland and his pro scouting staff did a better job than Peter Chiarelli back in 2017, but he has a better team with a real chance at Stanley. What did Holland procure?
The Oilers are having a good summer, but one massive free-agent remains unsigned. https://t.co/SX6FWkVMoE
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 NHL DEALS
RW Connor Brown is the top choice, he’s several miles past Rattie in 2017. Brown isn’t a perfect fit as a sixth man on Edmonton’s top two lines, but there is much to recommend him. He averages 16-24-40 per 82 NHL games, but he hasn’t been able to play 82 games in recent seasons. I think it was a helluva get for a team in need of a specific thing and staring at a universe of two (Max Pacioretty) due to a unique cap situation. His injury worries may give opportunity to younger players should he falter. All the Oilers really need is for Connor Brown to be Connor Brown by the playoffs.
Plenty of rage in regard to the nature of the deal, but it’s predictable and Ken Holland is flooring it for Stanley. He may not be in the GM’s chair next season, it’s his last chance Texaco. I expect more aggressive moves through the season and at the deadline. I think it was a reasonable bet under the circumstances and probably means Foegele doesn’t get signed next summer. That’s probably Steve Staios’ problem.
RC Lane Pederson was an astute signing, far better than most takes I saw yesterday. Just because you don’t know a player doesn’t mean he’s bad. Pederson’s rel numbers (five-on-five) were positive in shots, goals and expected goals in two (poor) NHL cities a year ago. In 27 NHL games during 2022-23, he scored 3-3-6. Before you go poo-pooing those totals, remember James Hamblin and Brad Malone each played 10 NHL games one year ago without pissing a drop offensively. He’s terrific as an AHL player and could mentor the young Condors wingers this season. I’ll guess he plays 25 NHL games in the coming year. RHC has extra value. This is a one-way deal.
LD Noel Hoefenmayer. I had him No. 40 overall in the 2017 draft, and liked him so much I learned how to spell his name. That makes him the modern Sheldon Kannegiesser. He had a fairly complete skill set on his draft day, that’s why I liked him. He finished minus 2 on a Toronto Marlies team that boasted a -10 even strength goal differential and he delivered 11-27-38 in 65 AHL games. It was his first full AHL season, and he had a terrific year. He played RH side with the Marlies, Joshua Kloke wrote an outstanding article about him for The Athletic last season. I’m a big fan of this signing. It’s a one-way deal, one year and he’s RFA at the end. I’m excited to see what he can do, won’t predict NHL games this season but I’m cheering for him.
LD Ben Gleason. This is another interesting addition, two-year deal that features a minor league season and then graduates to a full NHL contract in year two. I love the approach by the Oilers here, getting some puck movers to go along with physical shutdown types (Markus Niemelainen, Phil Kemp, Max Wanner) already in the system. Gleason (like Hoefenmayer) has some impressive offensive ability. His +2 total at even strength trails the team number (+43) by a wide margin. A guess would be Hoefenmayer is a little more successful as a two-way type.
LW Drake Caggiula is the replacement for Tyler Benson. Caggiula is 29 and per 82 NHL games has scored 13-13-26, that’s a solid total for a bottom-six winger. Benson is 1-2-3 career in 38 NHL games. Injuries derailed Caggiula’s NHL his career, small forwards pay a price. One hopes for no more concussions, good to have him back. I’ll guess 10 NHL games this coming season, all on right wing. This is a two-way deal.
NEW CONDORS
G Tyler Parks. A great story, Parks has worked his way up to the AHL from the Southern Professional Hockey League over just less than a decade. He played for the Tucson Roadrunners last season (21 games, .888SP). I expect he’ll see action in the ECHL and AHL this coming season.
RD Connor Corcoran. He has a story to tell. Just 22, he has scored 7-6-13 in 25 AHL games with the Henderson Silver Knights. He improved in his final junior season and at that point became a legit prospect. Vegas signed him and he ripped up the ECHL but didn’t get much time in the AHL. Intriguing player.
LD Jake Johnson. He played for the national championship Quinnipiac side a year ago, his outscoring numbers shine like a diamond. Looked good in 10 games with the Fort Wayne Komets at the end of the year, that probably got him this contract.
RW Cameron Wright is an older winger (24) with decent size (6.01, 200) coming off a 29-34-63 (in 64 games) ECHL season.
A guy like Maroon as an extra forward would be good. Watson is out there as a guy who can add a bit of grit on the 4th line – but he’s been an ES black hole forever (3-17 in OTT last year!). Brett Richie actually one of the few available who actually looks half decent for the role and is a RW. Might be interested.
This is a tough role to play and IMHO it’s the biggest reason why Kostin didn’t come back. You don’t want to be pegged as a fighter and regularly risk getting your melon beaten to a pulp with longterm consequences (like Kass and many others). Klim did it last year to rescue his career – mission accomplished – but I don’t think a guy with his skill and any sense of self-preservation wants to do that full time. The expectation in EDM would be more of the same while DET offers him a chance to play skill minutes and be a hockey player. I know what I’d choose and wish him luck.
€√¥£€^$
July 3, 2023 12:32 am
Excellent and eye-opening article from Bruce McCurdy tonight! Outstanding as usual, sir!
Brady Stonehouse is an interesting player, one scout I read called him a forechecking demon. He is an agitator for sure (sounds a lot like what Tullio was expected to be by some, but I saw little evidence of that during his rookie AHL season).
The only other invitees that have caught my eye with their stats are local product 6’3” Jake Sloan who was a top goal producer on a weak offensive Tri-City team and the goalie Zachary Bowen who has a stellar W-L record, but a small number of GP and an underwhelming Save %, like every other attendee….
Note: Only Akey & Wanner are the only Oilers D prospects in attendance. No Luca….
I think of the invitees, Stonehouse could get a contract out of camp.
***Doug Lynch is an invitee to the CBJ Development Camp. The article lists him as 26 years old, lol. He was a 2001 Oiler 2nd round pick…
The Stonehouse invite is definitely the most intriguing of the group. 37 goals for a very young overager in the OHL along with his motor. Wonder if this speaks to Staios’ front office influence with his likely viewings of Stonehouse.
Getting him and Akey signed to ELCs this week would be some positive news for sure.
My ADD is showing…. This was the third article that showed up when I googled 2023 NHL Development Camp”, I thought it would actually list the most recent articles in order, but attention to details is a thing I continually have trouble with, especially when my insomnia has me searching for articles after midnight 😕.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention, sincerely, I need to know this, so I can address it.
€√¥£€^$
July 2, 2023 11:31 pm
Hey Patrick the Oilers Fanatic, just watched your YouTube video regarding the offer sheet threat from the Kraken. They still have Vince Dunn & Will Borgen, a very good & young RHD, left to sign. Why would they risk a chemistry upset on their club?
They aren’t offer-sheeting Bouchard, unless you have inside info on that team.
Last edited 1 year ago by €√¥£€^$
Harpers Hair
July 2, 2023 8:33 pm
@TBLightning
We have acquired a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forwards Pat Maroon and Max Cajkovic.
As an AHL depth defender, yes. He struggled on Nashville’s 3rd pairing after being traded from Tampa, slow boots. There are pilon’s with more mobility.
OriginalPouzar
July 2, 2023 7:51 pm
I find it a bit odd that development camp is underway but we’ve heard like zero about it – or at least I haven’t.
It is weird though, it used to be such a focus. Potentially Shane is right that it’s due to the shift in focus for the organization as a whole.
kinger_OIL
July 2, 2023 7:12 pm
— Kailer to his home state was something a few of us opined made a lot of sense
— Granted it wasn’t through a buy-out, but it made a lot of sense. OP in particular adamant about Kailer being from a different part of the state as proof positive he wasn’t going there, or that they didn’t pick him up in years past as strong indications made me laugh.
— Off-season requires a lot of fill. Buying out Kailer fill never made sense. Him going to Seattle did. Being right doesn’t matter nearly as much as having critical push back against narratives IMO.
— would you rather in a vacuum Bertuzzi or Conner Brown: asking for a friend.
Never posted anything as proof of anything except that he was from Spokane, not Seattle, which is a fact and that they are farther apart than, say, Edmonton and Calgary, also a fact.
Looks to me like Seattle didn’t rank the hometown thing that highly as they never tried to get him when there was much cost involved. Perhaps just enough for them to outbid others by 100k on a one-year contract.
I won’t take up more of your time though, I know you have to get back to your search for sticks to pat your own back.
Are you implying Bertuzzi is better value at $5.5M vs Brown at $775K? Or that the Oilers could have shoehorned Bertuzzi’s contract onto their books somehow?
AMD
July 2, 2023 6:31 pm
The one advantage of picking up a player now is, they can to play the whole season, as opposed to the trade deadline.
They still love Reeves MAF in Vegas I was so surprised how passionate ( be it small compared to Edmonton) of a fan base they have with Football and now Baseball coming to the strip Hockey is their first and true love.
Mayan Oil
July 2, 2023 2:54 pm
Re remaining Oiler UFA’s. I assume Koekkoek, Demers and Bailey long gone. Any interest in resigning for depth Shore or Benson? Or are they gone as well? I am wondering about Shore as an end of roster(12th-14th forward)/AHL depth piece player What say you?
I agree. Benson is hoping for a second opinion. I have time for SHore though, as a 15th forward and to mentor on the farm if nothing else. Always nice to have extra depth on the farm in case of injuries. I am not sure I see much better available on the open market right now for an affordable price!
Still a LOT of road to be travelled between now and next year. We can accrue cap space until the end of season, reducing next year’s bonus hit, If Holloway, Broberg and Bourgault hit their bonuses we can move other more expensive pieces next offseason to make opportunity for them and also gain space, If anyone ends up on LTIR this year, it may allow us to potentially and indirectly reduce the bonus carryover depending on circumstances, If anyone underperforms, they might be replaced with cheaper players… the list goes on and on.
Let’s say Skinner still holds the crease and Campbell reverts to his normal level. maybe someone gets into injury trouble at goalie and is desperate enough to take Campbell and we replace with a more realistically priced backup/1B goalie for 2m cap hit. Lots can happen. The story is largely unwritten.
They wanted him at $1.5 million, not $3.1 million. Holland and Francis probably talked. Who knows what Francis’ ask would have been to take on the full $3.1 million and keep him. Holland got Yamamoto’s contract off the books without the 2 year buyout cost, by giving up the rights to a player he couldn’t resign anyway.
To clarify, my thinking this comes from when perusing US team rosters I started to notice how many more US players (sorry I need to say US – we are also American, there are Central and South Americans as well) they often have
It makes sense to me as a business person. Only the original 6 US teams have any fan loyalty guarantees
Vegas is different it’s a very Canadian team, but they are in a theme park for tourists so a different animal
Seattle is not close to the cap. They can afford higher quality depth in the AHL. Coachella is nicer than Bakerfield. The $1.5 means that they can shuttle him without fear of a waiver claim. Cap teams have to add a 2nd year to do that. Teams with cap space can to 1 year deals for less overall money.
Ron Francis didn’t offer Yamamoto a one year deal because he expects to waive him. He currently has only 10 forwards signed. Yamamoto, if healthy, is very unlikely to get sent down next season. He is a bonafide NHL player, just not at $3.1 million in the current cap environment based on last year’s performance. Also, Yamamoto, under the circumstances, wasn’t going to sign more than a one year deal with anyone.
I initially thought American apple pie homeboy. Then we were repeatedly told by the mob that the landing spot of Yamamoto to Seattle was a pipe dream never going to happen. Because of this I changed my thinking and thought for sure he would end up with Briere in Philly.
teamblue
July 2, 2023 2:12 pm
I hope we don’t have to continually hear the whining about Brown’s bonus all year. Some people always post how Holland can’t do this or do that every offseason because he lacks cap space. Yet, every offseason, Holland has made additions to improve the team and found cap space to do it. People said we couldn’t get Keith, couldn’t re-sign Kane and Nuge, add a dman like Ekholm etc. Yet, Holland did make the space to get those moves done. Maybe the guy in charge does know a little better of how the cap works and ways to get things done than people think.
Sure, moves can be questioned. Can disagree with them. That’s what us fans do. It’s just amusing when people use the cap as a reason for it, yet Holland has stickhandled around it very adeptly every year.
BornInAGretzkyJersey
July 2, 2023 2:04 pm
Is Egor Solokov the type of player we’d have to trade an asset for, or the rights to a longshot like Philp or one of the Russians who are unlikely to come to North America?
BornInAGretzkyJersey
July 2, 2023 1:43 pm
Ben Gleason’s contract terms have been updated to one-way in the second year, per TSN.
DBO
July 2, 2023 1:24 pm
So unless they get a nice cheap signing, if they run with this signed group. Wonder if this is the lineup opening day
Kane. McDavid. Brown
Nuge. Draisatl. Hyman
Foegele. McLeod. Janmark
Caggulia. Holloway. Ryan
Lavoie
Balance. And Holloway at centre with two vets allows them to play bottom two lines 10 mins plus specialty teams. Lavoie can push into lineup. It may lack gritensity but it does have speed and enough size and scoring to compete.
Holloway, McLeod, Foegele
Lavoie, XXX, Janmark
Ryan
The 4th line centre has yet to reveal themselves. We may see Hamblin or Pederson there if the 4th line centre does not reveal themselves till the trade deadline.
I’m not sure Ryan has the gas for 82, and have enough left for playoffs. I’m certain he’s fit, but he’s smaller and not fast so he works hard when he’s on the ice
He could spell with Nuge/McLeod but they don’t like Nuge at C or bottom 6. He also as it stands has to take the right side faceoffs, which is a toll
Not at you Sir, but isn’t the wisdom that dominating in the A means time for the N?
Can he not be better by season end on the 4th line than a replacement level established NHL guy? Or done NHL guy?
I suppose it’s the PK thing. Can he not PK? Is it that hard especially if you are tall and can skate, and have a good coach? Does he lack hockey IQ? Great skill to learn unless you are able to do expected things upon promotion, like the tear up the score sheet
Sometimes it seems they over think things, or are too stuck in well worn ruts
I suppose my comment derives from them not rolling with what’s in front. Hiring lesser players just because they have experience, mentioning cap difficulties, and watching the experienced lesser guys underwhelm is boring me, after so many cracks at it. And watching better teams do the opposite
It’s sad to me that it appears many of his troubles has been the hips. I don’t think he could have been – actually I’ll leave that start and walk it off – he may have been the two way,get the puck in the right end, steal pucks like a freak, score 20 G the hard way, top 6 guy many of us saw at the start, and in glimpses
I hope that his medical problems were handled in the best way. He has played a lot of NHL hockey in pain in a place that hugely affected skating, which would really be hard to overcome
Harpers Hair
July 2, 2023 12:59 pm
@frank_seravalli
·
Bowen Byram new bridge signed yesterday helps set the table for on Evan Bouchard, but not in a money saving way.
Byram (2 x $3.85m, $4.62 in Yr2)
91 career GP: 15+28=43Pts, 19:57 TOI
Bouchard (2 x ??)
184 career GP: 23+66=89Pts, 18:34 TOI
B2B 40Pt Seasons
I can’t believe that people are calling the Ryan deal poor value. He’s cheap in both years, his deal is fully able to be buried in the AHL, he’s good in the community and given his hockey IQ will be a great asset on the Condors in bringing along the young kids if the wheels fall off and he needs to get sent down. This doesn’t even take into account how effective of a player he still was in the NHL last year. On top of all of that if the wheels fall off, given how low the dollar value of the contact is, he may just retire anyway.
To be clear, I never said the deal was poor value. I just don’t consider it a value contract. I love Ryan but he is an ageing bottom of the roster player. I am not going to give big props to Holland for signing this type of player to a two year deal.
I don’t get the hand wringing about the second year. It was reported early and often that the player understands the possibility of being waived in year two. If he clears, he doesn’t count against the cap and is an ideal mentor in BAK… easily a tier above a Malone type journeyman.
Ryan will effectively be a playing coach in Bakersfield next year at no cost to the Oilers cap. This is the advantage a team with a rich owner has, and you apparently don’t want Holland to take advantage of spending off cap to make the team and organization better.
DieHard
July 2, 2023 12:39 pm
Holloway has played center. Can he take faceoffs since his hand injuries? We have lots of left shot forwards. If he can take faceoffs then try him at 4C to start the season.
I think we need to play 12/6 more often this year with more spread out TOI. Double shift when needed.
Doing that with Brown is a much better bet than doing that with Toews anyway. I’d save the money and only bring in another C if you need it at the deadline.
OriginalPouzar
July 2, 2023 12:08 pm
LT, that is wonderful info on Hoefenmayer – I had previously thought of that signing as an after-thought vis-a-vis the NHL team but I know look forward to watching him as a Condor.
Very good info on him playing RD last season. With Dineen and Niemo, he probably plays top 4 with Kemp on the right side – until Wanner forces his way up….. eventually.
OriginalPouzar
July 2, 2023 12:05 pm
I know somewhere posted about how horrible Pederson was for the Knucks last year but it likely wasn’t a post made honestly or without bias and doesn’t seem to be reality.
What I do know is that Pederson and Drake were signed to play in Bakersfield and as deep depth – likely 15/16F and that depends on how the likes of Bourgault, Tulio, Grubbe develop this coming season.
OriginalPouzar
July 2, 2023 12:03 pm
PuckPedia @PuckPedia #VegasBorn signed 27 y/o F Gage Quinney to 2 year deal
NHL 775K Minors 475K
25G 64P in 66 AHL GP
————————
I see the Stanley Cup winning, and much lauded, GM of the Knights signs AHL player/NHL tweeners to TWO YEAR NHL contracts. I wonder if the Oilers fans that lambaste Holland for signing two year deals under $1M, including the deals to Lane P. and Drake C. signed yesterday, post about the “laziness of giving a 2nd year”, also think that Kelly M. is undertaking poor management?
AsiaOil
July 2, 2023 11:56 am
So we basically traded Yamo and Kostin for Brown (a not unreasonable hockey trade) with 3/4 of Brown’s salary being deferred to 2024. I like Kostin a lot and Brown’s bonus is big – but come on – that’s one hell of a magic trick in a flat cap world. Credit where due.
Anyone know how much cap space would credit to next year if we were $1 million under the cap from day 1 of the season until the trade deadline?
I’m not worried about 4C with McDavid, Drai, RNH, McLeod, Ryan and Holloway on the roster and 7 dmen who need to play regularly. Wouldn’t mind another banger on a minimum deal to replace some of Kostin’s truculence though (guess I’m channeling Stauffer today 🙂
If the final tally at the end of the season for all roster players added up to $82.5 million vs the cap, then the Oilers would carry over into 24/25 all bonuses earned in 23/24 less $1 million. If there are no bonuses earned the savings does not carry over. At the trade deadline, had they been running at that roster all season, the $1 million savings can be used to trade for a ~$3 million contract, but then that contract would eat up all the accrued savings by year end and 100% of any earned bonuses would carry into next season.
Besides Brown, Holloway, Broberg and Bourgault all have bonus potential.
If Holloway hits any of his bonuses, it means he’d producing at a top 6 player on the team.
Same for Broberg (as a top 4 d-man that’s producing).
Notwithstanding what a hater might post, the chances of them hitting more than 1 or 2 of their bonuses (combined) is low and there very well may be none hit.
Kostin was the cost of getting rid of Yamamoto. No sober G.M was taking Yamamoto straight up. Just like J.P both had ample enough opportunities to carve out a nice career it just wasn’t meant to be. If Brown is smart enough to keep his stick on the ice and not panic like Yamo, J.P and Kahun who were all scared of their own shadows. Brown will score 20 plus as well as being the defensive presence on the line.
Same as the above 3 Kassian looked like a lock for the top 6 as he seemed to have chemistry. Something happened to Kassian unrelated to Hockey in the off-season of 2020. Slepyshev looked good on Leon’s wing in 2016-17 Playoffs. Brown has pretty good hands this is going to be fun watching the Oilers pile up Goals like we haven’t seen in over 30 plus years.
Anyone know how much cap space would credit to next year if we were $1 million under the cap from day 1 of the season until the trade deadline?
It depends how much of it they spend at the deadline.
The cap hit of a team is calculated daily.
1/186 of every player’s on the roster on a given date is added to the cap.
If a $1MM player was on the roster for exactly half the days in the season, his ultimate contribution to the year end cap calculation would be $500K.
When a player is acquired in-season, he is projected to be on the roster for the entire rest of the season so you need to fit in that portion.
If the Oilers use it all up, its all used up and they will likely use up most of it with additions.
leadfarmer
July 2, 2023 11:43 am
I don’t like that Brown contract. Royally screws us next year and even potentially this year. What’s the game plan if he has a season ending injury at game 15? Burn assets to dump him on Arizona?
I very much doubt Holland will make any roster decision this season solely for the purpose of having cap space at year end to minimize the carry over of bonuses. If he accrues cap space between day 1 and the deadline, there is a high probability he would use almost all of that up to acquire a player or 2 at the deadline. He certainly wouldn’t not use it at the deadline to save it to offset this year’s bonuses.
Besides, the best case scenario would be that both Broberg and Holloway also play well enough to earn a meaningful chunk of their potential $1.5 million in bonuses though that is likely not the expectation right now (Broberg needs to play top 4 and Holloway top 6 to have a good shot at these bonuses). Holland will manage this season expecting the $3.25 million for next season, and anything less, will be an unexpected upside.
Holland’s group has shown they don’t have the cap chops for this. I don’t think the org has ever been very good with the cap. It should be a main priority. The verbal to me comes across like it’s happening to them, not like they can control it much
Despite that the teams they have lost to in the playoffs do that and much more, so there’s even a road map, to form the rosters they want
Game plan is none of Browns bonusses kick in (which are largely numbers of games played I understand) and you just have to pay him his base $775,000 slaray. Unless he has a 10 game bonus I guess.
His entire $3.25MM bonus vests when he plays 10 games and hits the Oilers’ cap at the end of the season.
jp
July 2, 2023 10:56 am
Bob Stauffer@Bob_Stauffer·20m
As we continue into free agency it is not set in stone that the @EdmontonOilers
“Have” to sign a 4C.
Assuming Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and RFA Ryan McLeod are down the middle…both RNH and Derek Ryan also can play center too.
IMO…could sign a winger with speed or bite
Centres are far more important than wingers. A strong C can make a 775K winger look better. The inverse isn’t true
It was often commented here that it would likely have to be two players out for cap. They don’t seem to like Nuge at C other than injury cover. There seems to be a bias Holland has mentioned that certain players have to play top 6 for the TOI, and certain players shouldn’t, so they rarely ‘keep’ lines balanced for depth, get into trouble in tough for them games, and load up the top line. Nuge plays less, but they still don’t use him at 3C.
I think this is why Holloway has to be a winger to them. He can’t be a top 6 C on this team, so he’s a winger. To me all things being equal, he would pass Mcleod quickly at C as well. They are similar but Hollway is far more assertive and has a much better shot. The rest is a wash. Maybe they dopn’t think he can pass well enough or playmake enough. It’s not like Mcleod does any of it consistently so far
So it’s unlikely they go CMD Drai McLeod Holloway. So then it is better strategy to me to ‘have’ spent Foegele’s money on a C, if we’re all in, leaving McLeod as 4C. Key positions with better quality players, get by with the best suitable bottom 6 wings you can find or use Lavoie. 4 lines deep, 3 pairs deep
They also need a RC. They need two actually. Unless they do a trade, that ship has sailed, there isn’t anyone to sign that’s good enough I don’t think. He could overpay Toews with the money (which he would), but that’s more risky than Brown in terms of working out. Brown could stay healthy, or play enough, and be available and good in playoffs
Toews doesn’t have a structural injury to recover from. He has long term auto immune issues. I have some. There is basically no chance he’s going to get back to 82 games plus playoffs, full of energy and stamina, in the hardest pro league, at 35, after years of it robbing his full health
He’s not even sure he wants to play. That speaks volumes. At least Bergeron deciding that is whether he wants the physical torture he always goes through – ‘in the playoffs Bergeron played with his lower mandible missing, 3 fingers, had a broken leg and lacerated liver” – but he’s still at the top of the game in play. Not seeing Toews helping us get a Cup. And as said Holland wouldn’t ask him to take a buriable contract which is what’s appropriate, almost certainly based on past actions
Centres are far more important than wingers. A strong C can make a 775K winger look better. The inverse isn’t true
Sure centers are more important, but I’m not sure how the 2nd part is true.
I assume Bob’s tweet simply means if there are better wingers than centers available for the same money, then the team could opt for the winger. Seems reasonable.
In terms of centers who are available and actually worth signing, I see Toews and a few others (not RHCs, but ‘not perfect’ doesn’t mean ‘not an improvement’).
In terms of Toews health, yes he does need to see how he’s feeling and decide if he’s still got the motivation for more NHL hockey.
You know he was healthy enough to play the last 7 games of this regular season though, right? It’s not like he’s been unfit to play hockey for the last year and still not recovered.
When he did play this season he scored 53 15-16-31 and was 63.1% on faceoffs. If that guy feels he’s healthy and committed enough to play hockey this season, and if he’ll sign for something that fits on the roster, then I’d be ecstatic to have him.
He could overpay Toews with the money (which he would)
/
And as said Holland wouldn’t ask him to take a buriable contract which is what’s appropriate
Where/when was this said? Everything I’ve heard (DNB and multiple others) is that if Toews does decide to play that the Oilers would be offering him something in the $1M range.
cowboy bill
July 2, 2023 10:52 am
Tomas Nosek might be an option for 4c . There’s other options available like Sunquist , Stephan ,Stastny and those are only the S’s But Nosek & Pederson might be able to get the job done. Also Austin Watson might be able to ease the lose of Kostin, or anyone with size that can potentially run around and scare folks. LOL.
Bag of Pucks
July 2, 2023 10:46 am
It’s interesting that it continues to leak how much influence McDavid has on personnel decisions like the Nurse extension, Brown signing and Ekholm trade.
On one hand, it’s the strongest signal imaginable that the org is bending over backwards to keep him invested in staying here. I suspect that level of player influence will pay dividends improving the odds of a contract extension.
The obvious downside is there’s an element of the “inmates running the asylum” when procurement decisions are based on ‘we were good together in junior’ or Darnell has to be kept at whatever price.
It reminds me a bit of Aaron Rodgers in the NFL. Widely regarded as the most talented QB in the league, Rodgers has only 1 ring to show for it. His recent move from GB to NY was almost solely based on the Packers having the temerity to draft a young QB prospect without consulting Rodgers first as well as Rodgers chafing at not having more influence in virtually every aspect of the Packers organization from procurement to coaching to cap management. With Rodgers, ego is most definitely a factor in this.
This is the new normal now with franchise players commanding so much money and organizational influence. The days of players playing, coaches coaching, and managers managing are well and truly dead imo.
I suspect the reason there are ‘leaks’ are the Oilers are making it clear. This is the team that Connor McDavid wants. If it works, credit where it’s due. If it doesn’t? Well, it’s pretty obvious what that implies.
Good point. I forgot about the endorsement of the Keith add. There’s definitely a pattern of influence there. Wonder if it extends to the amateur procurement?
Holland strikes me as the kind of GM who listens to as many voices as he has access to and then makes his decision. I would be more concerned if he wasn’t getting input from his star player as he approaches FA.
I’m guessing Treliving skipped that step when he hired Sutter. 😎
The NHL favours an apprenticeship model to management training. Ex players or coaches pay their dues as scouts and assistant GMs before they’re handed the keys.
This will I’m sure be unpopular, but if you have no skin in the game, you don’t get to call the shots. Might leave a bit on the ice now and then, but that’s not the same thing. Or, in an LT old timey way, whoever writes the cheques calls the shots
Now a good management group will talk to key players, other people, be open as much as possible, be respectful of their points of view, etc.
But outside of refinements, this is as good as it gets for players. Improvements in safety Bettman has said are in the hands of the NHLPA, they can have what they want if they want it
In a business sense they take no financial risk (none would have the capital pre-retirement and few even then), invest nothing, and get half of revenues (after years of battling for it), because they are the performers of the product
The product is NHL hockey. It’s entertainment. This is how the league and owners view it they’ve stated at CBA times. There isn’t really anywhere else to go from here in a major way, it’s 50/50. The crooked days up to the 90’s or 2000’s are long gone
Players also have a much shorter shelf life than a team does, even the 2 decade players, who are hen’s teeth. This really reduces their leverage, and also creates tensions of financial interests within the players group, based on career and contract status. To me that things are where they are, 50/50, deserves kudos, to both sides
I was thinking the same thing.
Kind of a double edged sword. You hope having that much influence keeps him engaged and willing to extend in Edmonton. On the other hand, it can lead to some questionable decisions.
You haven’t even mentioned the most mystifying decision that is being attributed to Mcdavids influence. Warren Foegele is a vital member of the team and cannot be traded? Because he’s a workout buddy?
If McDavid stays in Edmonton, it’s all worth it. If he doesn’t, …….?
I think Holland has maximized the roster for the upcoming season. Although that Brown bonus is going to really hurt! It’s certainly better than the roster that started last season. Is it as good as the one that ended the playoffs? I don’t think so. I would rather have Kostin, Yamamoto and Bujstad than Connor Brown. But that’s the cap world we live in.
The Oilers are going to need some internal growth from Broberg and Holloway. And a comeback season from Campbell. If that happens, they are a legit contender.
I would have signed Kostin and traded Yamamoto and Foegele. Time will tell.
McDavid was also tight with Tyson Barrie and they moved him as they geared up for a cup run. His “cards-buddy” on the plan is Devon Shore and he’s not being brought back (it seems).
I’m a believer that having a better player is worth more than a few lesser players (theoretically they are less impactful and more plentiful), and assuming the coach can deploy a roster well. None of the 3 were top 6 players, Brown is and to date plays elites well
Wasn’t it Pollack that said ‘whomever gets the best player wins the trade’? Still for a conservative guy Holland does like to roll the dice for sure. Big problems with the contract structure if Brown can’t play enough or in playoffs
Some counter examples in other sports: Messi, Lebron.
Bag of Pucks
July 2, 2023 10:28 am
I’ll never understand why people are shocked or disappointed when Holland overpays on a contract. It’s what he does. Sure’s there’s some outlier value contracts (Kane, Kulak, Skinner) but the majority of the value deals on this club are ones Kenny inherited or acquired from other teams. When the Dutchman’s at the dinner table, he’s always throwing in an extravagant tip. Hey, it’s not his money!
This club has made a LOT of progress since Chiarelli but contract negotiation is not a strength of the Holland regime. Nor will it ever be I suspect.
Nuge, Ceci, McLeod, Kane, Kulak, Skinner, Ryan. Not a bad list. Janmark is probably about right.
Where people think he overpaid – Nurse, Hyman and now, I assume, Brown – the players had the hammer so Holland chose to overpay rather than come away empty handed.
There are arguments for either scenario but I think it is important to remember that time was not on his side given the tik tok on McDavid & Draisaitl due to previous management decisions so choosing the overpay to get the player is defensible.
Would you have allowed Nurse to walk and not signed Hyman?
Campbell was pretty much market value but I agree that I should have added him to the list. I scanned the roster and forgot to look at the goalies. I wasn’t a fan of the Campbell signing but I disagree that it was an overpay based upon the market. It wasn’t the choice I would have made but once that decision was made the price was pretty much in line. For the record I expect the feeling around here to be very different concerning him at this time next summer.
Kassian? Meh. Linking it to the Nurse contract is a narrative here. I’m not convinced it is anything else.
Kassian didn’t live up to that contract and the chances that he would were always slim but I have, and still would, argue that at that point in time it was important for the team to keep him. Sometimes you have to lose a battle in order to move forward.
Derek Ryan just signed a value contract. Janmark’s was slightly less than market value, too, in my opinion. RNH and Hyman’s UFA deals were good signings by UFA standards and have benefited the Oilers immensely. Evander Kane’s deal was a good signing (and solid procurement). The Ryan McLeod deal from last season was a steal. Jesse Puljujarvi’s ‘return to the Oilers deal’ was generally considered a value deal at the time. Perhaps you aren’t giving Ken Holland enough credit…
How is Ryan’s deal value? He was given and extra year. He is a career 4th liner and 36 years old. I am fine with the contract but it certainly is not a value deal.
11 goals at 5 on 5 – all from the bottom 6 plus two shorthanded to tie for sixth on the team in goals with 13. Some depth help on the PK. Smart 2-way player that “makes the right play” and a 56% goals share, almost exclusively away from McDavid and Leon.
He made the $1.25MM a value contract.
He is in regression year but for $125K over league minimum – its a massive value contract based on recent performance.
McLeod’s deal was good last year but the constant bridge deals are going to lead to issues in the coming seasons.
OriginalPouzar
July 2, 2023 9:46 am
The more I think about, the more I dislike the Brown contract.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s a strong signing at league minimum for this year’s cap and, I get it, this team is in “win now mode”.
At the same time, for me, “win now mode” is a window and that window is open past just this season and we are creating a dead cap hit of likely over $3MM for next season – end stop.
Lets be clear, Connor Brown did not take less to come to Edmonton – $3.25MM for 10 games played is cap deferral and not really a performance bonus contract. For Brown himself, that’s a one-year, $4MM contract. Yes, he probably could have got term elsewhere but not for $4MM per. Lots of UFAs took 1-2 year contracts and Brown did the same and got himself paid.
I would have thought the bonuses would have taken him closer to $3MM, not $4MM and, if they were going that high, a good $1MM plus should have been real bonuses, like 20 goals scored, for example. There could have been games played increments as opposed to, BOOM, here is $3.25MM.
That’s a massive cap hit for next year and lets not forget, it could take this player 20, 40, 60, shit, until 2024/25 until he’s the same player he was before ACL surgery – we see it all the time.
Foegele off the books next year pays for most of the Brown bonus and we don’t have either of those players. Holloway/Lavoie/Bourgault better be ready for 6F on merit come 2024/25 as the cap increase is partially going to this bonus, to replace Foegle and likely for another raise to Bouch.
Obviously, based on Holland’s verbal 97 had a massive influence in this decision, so it seems that it was Brown or bust.
It also appears the shared Agent and competition for his services really inflated the ask, not an ideal bargaining position for the GM.
This team was incredibly healthy (Kane, Ceci, Yamo & Janmark aside) last season, that is always part of the luck factor for high-level teams. Perhaps the stars will finally align and the team gets the most of the good literal and figurative bounces this season.
Could the Oilers do the same thing next year and keep deferring to the following year with a different player. Let’s use Foegele for example since his contract expires this following season. Holland or his Son could sign Warren to League minimum plus bonuses that will be reached easily. What stopping a G.M from doing this year after year?
That would actually make sense to do until you run out your cup window. Then pay the piper on a year you know you won’t make it. Seems like a thing Pitts or TBay would (should) have done.
No – performance bonuses are only permitted in ELC contract and for 35+ contract but for this exception. There is an exception for one-year contract to players that have played 400 NHL games but missed 100 plus days on LTIR the prior season – hence Brown this season.
The performance bonus is $3.25MM for 10 games played – end stop.
Brown gets paid the bonus this season (presuming it vests) and it gets added to the Oilers final cap calculation at year’s end – that is, it hits the cap in the year accrued/vested – to the extent a team doesn’t have cap room to fit in a vested performance bonus, or a portion thereof, it creates a cap charge for the following season. That’s why the Oilers have $850K of bonus charges for this coming season from Bouch from last season.
Now, the Oilers will likely not start the season in LTIR and do “plan” on accruing cap space through the year. Chances are they will spend/use most of their projected cap space at the deadline but there may be a bit of room to fit in some of the bonus.
The vast majority of it ($3MM plus) will almost certainly hit next year’s cap.
Cap will likely raise by $4.175MM next season as, under the current agreement, it can only go up by 5% per season. They could re-negotiate that but, of course, as we saw this past off-season, the owners will require increased escrow to negotiate anything and the players won’t even go there.
Holland took a lot of criticism a couple years back at the trade deadline when he said “you can’t go for it every year” Clearly this year and last year he’s going for it. I see no issue moving things down the road today if you have a legitimate chance to win now which the Oilers do. I think most would take a Cap headache next year for Stanley this year. I guarantee every fan in Vegas would agree.
Sure, if this move can guarantee a cup then I won’t worry about the cap issues for next season. Of course, that isn’t the case and I plan on competing for the Stanley Cup for a number of years going foward.
I would note that, while the Knights have been ruthless with moving players out (and the Oilers just did the SAME thing with Yamamoto as the Knights did with MAF and Max P.), the Knights have zero dead cap space for this season – ZERO.
This locks in an additional (apx $3MM of dead cap space plus the Neal buyout.
Its a big blow to next year to acquire a middle six player (great on the PK mind you) that is coming off major knee surgery and a missed year.
Lehner is on IR; that’s not the same as dead cap. If Lehner’s cap hit would put Vegas over the cap, Vegas moves Lehner’s contract to LTIR and gets relief. The drawback can be it prevents accruing deadline cap space. There is no relief from true dead cap space. It always lowers the cap available for the 23 players or less on the active roster.
And the transactions creating dead cap are chosen by the team. Having players eligible to be on LTIR is not a management decision (except in the few rare instances where a team trades for a contract where the player will not play again, but this is generally done to get maximum LTIR relief, or sometimes to get to a cap floor).
That is not a bonus overage, a buyout, a retained salary, etc.
That’s a player that may play for them and, if he doesn’t, while LTIR isn’t the best, it does provide them was LTIR reserves and they will be able to spend more of that money.
Its not dead cap and far different than, well, the dead cap listed above.
Guarantee a Cup? I’m sure each GM would like that luxury. The Knights have sacrificed much more than the Oilers in the last couple years as talent goes. Far more. Just look at the players they’ve moved to get better. That said I think of the Sharks and Canucks who had very good teams for a long time and never won Stanley. I just agree with doing whatever it takes to win now when you’re in a position to.
The Knights have moved out players “ruthlessly” in order to add players. What the Oilers did with Yamo is the same as what they did with MAF and Max P. (although less scale).
The Knights have NOT created massive cap charges in future years in order to add – like the Oilers just did.
Its not equitable.
Of course there is no guarantee – hence why, for me, I want that window to stay open past this season – the chances of the cup this season aren’t high – they aren’t for any team as only 1 wins and there are lots of good teams.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to have Brown on the team for cheap this season. I just don’t think its a “great contract” overall, provides a legit BIG dead cap hit next season and for a mid-roster player coming off major knee surgery.
I just wish there was some staggered games played bonuses and, if there were really $3MM worth, that a real portion of them would have been production based.
The player is not giving up anything to play in Edmonton – 1 year, $4MM is top of market for him I’m sure. Any term would be under $4MM AAV for sure.
It’s always a risk to take away future cap, but in this case the bet is sound that the oilers should push hard this year and generally in todays NHL, it’s next to impossible for an NHL team to really have enough in the tank for two runs back to back to win the cup unless it’s an acutely shortened season in the first win like Tampa had. The team just has to give too much emotionally and physically, in my opinion to do it twice. So to go all in on this year and then not have all ammunition for the next is reasonable. Past history shows us since the cap, and later yet, since players have gotten more equalized in their skills and strength, it’s just too hard of a grind on a team. So going hard this year is a must as we are here in the window and then there likely will be a possible small regression next year if we make it to the end this year.
Next year when we have the extra bonus on the cap (amount will depend still if Conner Brown makes them all or not)
your right, we may have only one more year of Foegle, and I think he is consistent but has obviously peaked with his skill set which is replaceable . I think hopefully we will have Holloway ready to step in. And barring a crazy good year this year, he won’t cost a fortune yet.. then in three years we still have our whole expanded core and the Neil buyout off, bonuses hopefully lower, a huge cap increase from two years prior where it’s supposed to expand drastically and lots of money for Conner McDavid, Leo, and some new friends.. Oilers can make a second strong run three years from now .. I see it as a big run this year, a year of minor slump and then a major big year after that. I know everyone wants it year after year, but my daughter also wanted Peter Pan and the lost boys to come down from never never land to help with her minor chores and that never happened either ..
I’m still waiting for all these bargain contracts that are supposed to coming Edmontons way for a chance to play with McDavid and win in a new Building. The landscape has improved from the dark days but even at its peak the Oilers and other Canadian teams struggle to compete with teams down south. Is it too much to ask that for once we get a good solid veteran on a 1 year, 1 mill contract. Like a Perry 4 years ago, or Phil Kessel or Bill Guerin in Pittsburg
If the Oilers had, say, a 20% chance to win Stanley in each of the next two years before signing Brown, they now have a ~25% chance this year and a ~15% chance next year. The Brown signing has changed the odds for the two years on an individual basis, but hasn’t done much to change the odds that the Oil will win Stanley in the next two Yeats combined.
Brown vests his bonuses but underwhelms – trade by trade deadline, or trade rights BEFORE June 30 as a poison pill to another trade.No bonus problem next year.
Brown does not vest his bonus, no problem next year.
Brown vests his bonus and does well, but we cannot afford him. Trade his rights before June 30 for a little less return and no bonus problem. Perhaps to a team on the upswing who needs to get closer to the floor or has lots of cap room.
There are other options to swallowing the whole bonus should it vest and not be covered in this years cap. A lot more is possible if we find a partner who is willing.
Brown is precisely the kind of player we needed. We could use another of similar skillset. Capable scorer, strong without the puck. Methinks our ouscoring issues is less about the defencemen and more about the forwards playing better without the puck.
He should perform once he gets back into the swing, but also, it’s said that he’s he’s Big on heart and has high compete. Is a leader . Sounds like a great team and playoff addition..
DBO
July 2, 2023 9:19 am
Still think Sundqvist is the best bet at 4C. I believe he is a UFA. Size (6’3). Physical (he does hit). Right handed Only 29. He seems like he played mostly wing last few years so not sure on the centre option, but him and Ryan and rotate in faceoffs.Could be had for less then $1 mill.
I left him off my list because he hasn’t been a full time C and IIRC his on ice numbers have been really poor. He checks other boxes though, so you never know.
I agree, I’ve been watching him very closely for the past 3 years, if anything he has seemed to take steps back. Unfortunately I think he would be a very poor bet.
I like Tatar as a top 6, low cost ($1,000,000 or less) RW option and Rodrigue ($1,000,000 or less) as a 3C/2RW option (more offensive upside than Brown). Both would be a dream.
RNH-97-Hyman
Kane-Drai-TT
War Foe-ER-28
Hollywood-Clouder-Janmark
If Pesce goes to San Jose in an Eric Karlsson deal, the Oilers should try real hard to do a Ceci plus plus for Pesce.(with 50% retention).
Or find a new home for Ceci and do a Pesce deal with San Jose. The Oilers don’t have the assets with which to do a Pesce deal with Carolina, but do have the assets to do a deal with San Jose.
Pesce is probably going to test the market next year regardless.
If you got Pesce at 50% for Ceci and a 1st, it allows for another move for a better player in season. And clears cap to resign Bouchard longer term right now or at least next summer. That would be a great add.
I think Pesce wants to ultimately land in Boston, which would be the closest he can get to New Hampshire, where his wife is. He has no say in it this season due to his contract, so could end up anywhere.
So if, and I don’t understand the Karlsson to Carolina thing if Burns is there (AND DeAngelo?? maybe the intent is for DeAngelo is to be flipped to SJ), Pesce is moved to San Jose. He might be a player within reach.
I think if that’s the case maybe Pesce (or his rights) could be flipped at the draft for Carlo (he would have a 10 team no-trade list at that time, but he is from Colorado Springs, so might be open to moving to Western Canada). Carlo would have 3 x $4.1 million left on his deal, is 2 yrs younger than Pesce and his game is still growing.
Heard yesterday from both Friedman & Bobby Mac that Pittsburgh is very interested in EK65, I am not convinced that any contender (are the Pens even a contender anymore?) can make it happen.
Moving Ceci, plus futures, for a RD that will be gone after this season, meaning that the Oilers are likely looking at a material D-acquisition next season, plus $3M of new dead cap hit – YIKES – this window might close shut in June.
I’m not sold on Ceci going next year for cap reason and, on the off chance that Pesce wants to re-sign here, where is that $7MM plus coming from (prices will be expensive for contracts starting in 2024/25)?
I’m getting confused on if Broberg should be slow-played or if he should be right up as 1RD with Nurse…..?
Last edited 1 year ago by OriginalPouzar
Todd Macallan
July 2, 2023 9:17 am
Terrific Athletic article on Hoefenmayer, really cheering for the kid and he seems to have terrific potential as perhaps more than just AHL depth down the road.
Cool to see he was the OHL dman of the year his final jr season, and based on his early progress as a pro I can’t help but wonder if the Oil pro scouts took advantage of the Leafs new gm who may not yet be overly familiar with all of their depth prospects.
jp
July 2, 2023 9:12 am
I don’t think Lane Pederson is plan A for the Oilers 4C (and Holland said as much).
So aside from new deals for McLeod and Bouchard the main order of business remaining is adding that 4C.
There’s not a ton left out there in free agency, but there are still options. Here are the players I see as plausible adds for 4C or extra forward:
(Note that the list is ordered by TOI/game even though that isn’t shown – listed is GP G-A-TP +/- PIM FO%)
J. Toews 35 LC 53 15-16-31 -31 43 63.1%
D. Grant 33 LC 46 5-13-18 -4 26 55.2%
E. Staal 38 LC 72 14-15-29 -5 26 46.2%
P. Suter 27 LC 79 14-10-24 -3 6 46.8%
JJ. Khaira 29 LC 51 6-8-14 -11 31 48.4%
T. Nosek 31 LC 66 7-11-18 9 48 59.3%
P. Stastny 37 LC 73 9-13-22 4 16 57.6%
PE. Bellemare 38 LC 73 4-9-13 -9 34 52.3%
C. Tierny 29 LC 36 3-7-19 -8 6 47.0%
D. Stepan 33 RC 73 5-6-11 8 8 54.0%
I’ve liked PE Bellemare since I first saw him play in the last World Cup. If he still has hands and boots, he’d be a nice one year addition.
Stastny and Toews are also nice players but they seem like more of a pipe dream, unless they’re convinced on the team’s potential. Deadline deals maybe?
Bellemare has quite the resume for a guy who’s never scored 10 goals. 2 year stints in Vegas, Colorado and TBay. He’s 38 now though so I don’t know what he’s got left. TBay also swapped him out for Glendenning this summer, for what that’s worth.
In terms of Toews and Stastny, honestly the ball is in their court in terms of where (and if in Toews case) they want to play. Toews has been linked to the Oilers so there may indeed be some mutual interest there.
Likely moreso a deadline move but if Calgary would retain half on Lindholm or Backlund, then Foegle+ futures (more significant for Lindholm) would be a nice allin move.
Pretty sure lindholm is going to end up the golden Goose of deadline.
I definitely would be trying to hold onto my first until then.
TheGreatBigMac
July 2, 2023 8:51 am
Looks like tidy work for Holland so far. The bonus for Brown is big but if he was in a bidding situation, I’m happy we won and excited for the season.
Holland says he’s going for it, but when asked about a 4C he said he’d like to get Bouch and McLeod signed as priority. Seravalli mentioned 2 year contracts for both.
I think there might be a little more going on. It’s not a contract year for Drai but if we don’t want to risk loosing him for nothing, it’s a contract year for Drai. It would be helpful to have a strong run this season and then only have Drai’s contract to negotiate not Bouchard too. Of course then it’s McDavid and Bouchard after that but if we can extend Draisaitl first that will go a long way to keeping the band together.
I’ve been saying here for weeks. ! yr deal for Bouch, hopefully made whole on any discount with a signing bonus for next year’s long term deal. SPreads the AAV of the signing bonus across the length of the eventual long term deal. Have the long term deal already agreed upon and in the desk drawer for reveal later, when won’t cause problems with HO in Tranna.
Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve
July 2, 2023 8:50 am
I am quite happy with Holland’s work since the deadline. Oilers are really squeezed by the flat cap. Tough decisions to be made.
With Brown and RNH the top two lines can have a two-way type. Brown does not need to score a ton, he just needs to be reliable, especially on the back check.
Gameplan is the same as last season: play it out and fill the gaps at the deadline.
Pederson seems like a very low risk option to take some shifts at 4C. Especially on a team that frequently does not ice a 4C.
All this is to say, I am not worried about the upcoming season.
Last edited 1 year ago by Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve
A guy like Maroon as an extra forward would be good. Watson is out there as a guy who can add a bit of grit on the 4th line – but he’s been an ES black hole forever (3-17 in OTT last year!). Brett Richie actually one of the few available who actually looks half decent for the role and is a RW. Might be interested.
This is a tough role to play and IMHO it’s the biggest reason why Kostin didn’t come back. You don’t want to be pegged as a fighter and regularly risk getting your melon beaten to a pulp with longterm consequences (like Kass and many others). Klim did it last year to rescue his career – mission accomplished – but I don’t think a guy with his skill and any sense of self-preservation wants to do that full time. The expectation in EDM would be more of the same while DET offers him a chance to play skill minutes and be a hockey player. I know what I’d choose and wish him luck.
Excellent and eye-opening article from Bruce McCurdy tonight! Outstanding as usual, sir!
https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/will-2023-24-season-be-ken-hollands-last-as-oilers-gm-connor-browns-bonus-structure-might-be-a-signal
Oilers Development Camp Roster was posted about 25 minutes ago:
http://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/345196270/binary-file/file.pdf
The article and schedule is here:
https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-announce-development-camp-schedule-and-roster/c-345196264
Looks like Jake Chiasson has grown 2” since drafted, now listed as 6’3”. However, he is only up to 187 lbs from 180.
Brady Stonehouse is an interesting player, one scout I read called him a forechecking demon. He is an agitator for sure (sounds a lot like what Tullio was expected to be by some, but I saw little evidence of that during his rookie AHL season).
Interesting article on Stonehouse:
https://thehockeynews.com/.amp/news/real-prospect-gossip-dont-sleep-on-brady-stonehouse
The only other invitees that have caught my eye with their stats are local product 6’3” Jake Sloan who was a top goal producer on a weak offensive Tri-City team and the goalie Zachary Bowen who has a stellar W-L record, but a small number of GP and an underwhelming Save %, like every other attendee….
Note: Only Akey & Wanner are the only Oilers D prospects in attendance. No Luca….
I think of the invitees, Stonehouse could get a contract out of camp.
***Doug Lynch is an invitee to the CBJ Development Camp. The article lists him as 26 years old, lol. He was a 2001 Oiler 2nd round pick…
Article with quotes here:
https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/opportunity-knocks-for-camp-invites/c-498806
The Stonehouse invite is definitely the most intriguing of the group. 37 goals for a very young overager in the OHL along with his motor. Wonder if this speaks to Staios’ front office influence with his likely viewings of Stonehouse.
Getting him and Akey signed to ELCs this week would be some positive news for sure.
That CBJ article is from 2009.
My ADD is showing…. This was the third article that showed up when I googled 2023 NHL Development Camp”, I thought it would actually list the most recent articles in order, but attention to details is a thing I continually have trouble with, especially when my insomnia has me searching for articles after midnight 😕.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention, sincerely, I need to know this, so I can address it.
Hey Patrick the Oilers Fanatic, just watched your YouTube video regarding the offer sheet threat from the Kraken. They still have Vince Dunn & Will Borgen, a very good & young RHD, left to sign. Why would they risk a chemistry upset on their club?
They aren’t offer-sheeting Bouchard, unless you have inside info on that team.
@TBLightning
We have acquired a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forwards Pat Maroon and Max Cajkovic.
That’s harsh … Maroon was a damn good soldier for the Bolts.
@FriedgeHNIC
Max Domi is overseas, so this might be finalized tomorrow, but he is signing with Toronto. 1x$3M-ish
How about Cal Foote ? Big right shot , 24 year old UFA , solid defensively with emerging offense. His Dad was pretty good.
As an AHL depth defender, yes. He struggled on Nashville’s 3rd pairing after being traded from Tampa, slow boots. There are pilon’s with more mobility.
I find it a bit odd that development camp is underway but we’ve heard like zero about it – or at least I haven’t.
I didn’t even know it had started!
I wonder if this is because the fanbase/franchise is looking a little less into the future at the moment?
Didn’t the same thing happen last year?
It is weird though, it used to be such a focus. Potentially Shane is right that it’s due to the shift in focus for the organization as a whole.
— Kailer to his home state was something a few of us opined made a lot of sense
— Granted it wasn’t through a buy-out, but it made a lot of sense. OP in particular adamant about Kailer being from a different part of the state as proof positive he wasn’t going there, or that they didn’t pick him up in years past as strong indications made me laugh.
— Off-season requires a lot of fill. Buying out Kailer fill never made sense. Him going to Seattle did. Being right doesn’t matter nearly as much as having critical push back against narratives IMO.
— would you rather in a vacuum Bertuzzi or Conner Brown: asking for a friend.
Never posted anything as proof of anything except that he was from Spokane, not Seattle, which is a fact and that they are farther apart than, say, Edmonton and Calgary, also a fact.
Looks to me like Seattle didn’t rank the hometown thing that highly as they never tried to get him when there was much cost involved. Perhaps just enough for them to outbid others by 100k on a one-year contract.
I won’t take up more of your time though, I know you have to get back to your search for sticks to pat your own back.
Are you implying Bertuzzi is better value at $5.5M vs Brown at $775K? Or that the Oilers could have shoehorned Bertuzzi’s contract onto their books somehow?
The one advantage of picking up a player now is, they can to play the whole season, as opposed to the trade deadline.
I’m not a believer in trade dead stuff unless it’s a major player like EK
I believe now from watching teams its destabilizing if there is no significant injury to fill in
It’s a signal to the roster you don’t think they are good en. Exactly the wrong message if you don’t have holes in the roster
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
I do believe Toronto and Max Domi are working at this too. We will see.
Is Nylander not re-signing then?
Seems like something is afoot.
Treleving seems intent on adding some snarl to the Keafs.
Bouchard 3M
Mcleod $1.750
Toews or Eric Staal $.775
Lavoie $$.775
I’m still stumping for nolan Patrick on a league minimum.
Good a place as any to stand a chance of resurrecting the kids career.
RHC
Big body
Plus shot
Average or above average skating
Winnipeg kid
I’d pass.
During his draft year I worked with an on-ice official whom I talked at length about that cohort.
He said there’s no way NP should have been ranked so high, because he had “no hockey sense.”
Don’t hold your breath for Staal. He is only interested in Eastern-based teams. This was the verbal 2 years ago, highly unlikely anything has changed.
my rock solid connections tell me Winnipeg and CBJ were in on Connor Brown.
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
·
2m
It is 1x$5.5M for Bertuzzi in Toronto.
It is 1x$5.5M for Bertuzzi Toronto
$9.65 mln for Bertuzzi and Klingberg combined doesn’t scream great value to me.
$11 mln if you include 36 year-old Ryan Reaves, whom they are stuck with for 2 more years after this one.
Reaves contract is so low he can be stuffed in the AHL for a very small penance,
They still love Reeves MAF in Vegas I was so surprised how passionate ( be it small compared to Edmonton) of a fan base they have with Football and now Baseball coming to the strip Hockey is their first and true love.
Re remaining Oiler UFA’s. I assume Koekkoek, Demers and Bailey long gone. Any interest in resigning for depth Shore or Benson? Or are they gone as well? I am wondering about Shore as an end of roster(12th-14th forward)/AHL depth piece player What say you?
I imagine Benson would prefer to sign anywhere else.
Shore actually had a couple decent stretches post number change but I think management has moved on.
I agree. Benson is hoping for a second opinion. I have time for SHore though, as a 15th forward and to mentor on the farm if nothing else. Always nice to have extra depth on the farm in case of injuries. I am not sure I see much better available on the open market right now for an affordable price!
Wouldn’t be against that but I would think Shore is looking for a place where he has more of a line on NHL time. He’s still in his 20s.
No gracias, to all of the above.
Still a LOT of road to be travelled between now and next year. We can accrue cap space until the end of season, reducing next year’s bonus hit, If Holloway, Broberg and Bourgault hit their bonuses we can move other more expensive pieces next offseason to make opportunity for them and also gain space, If anyone ends up on LTIR this year, it may allow us to potentially and indirectly reduce the bonus carryover depending on circumstances, If anyone underperforms, they might be replaced with cheaper players… the list goes on and on.
Let’s say Skinner still holds the crease and Campbell reverts to his normal level. maybe someone gets into injury trouble at goalie and is desperate enough to take Campbell and we replace with a more realistically priced backup/1B goalie for 2m cap hit. Lots can happen. The story is largely unwritten.
Yamamoto signs with Seattle 1.5 M
Hilarious. I have said they should trade him there – US teams like US players for marketing purposes, and he’s a local
Yeah and HH and others said they would have no use for him there.
They didn’t at his inflated cap hit and they moved on from Sprong for the same reason,
GM who overpay bottom 6 forwards quickly get into cap helll.
They wanted him at $1.5 million, not $3.1 million. Holland and Francis probably talked. Who knows what Francis’ ask would have been to take on the full $3.1 million and keep him. Holland got Yamamoto’s contract off the books without the 2 year buyout cost, by giving up the rights to a player he couldn’t resign anyway.
All true, I still find it amusing
To clarify, my thinking this comes from when perusing US team rosters I started to notice how many more US players (sorry I need to say US – we are also American, there are Central and South Americans as well) they often have
It makes sense to me as a business person. Only the original 6 US teams have any fan loyalty guarantees
Vegas is different it’s a very Canadian team, but they are in a theme park for tourists so a different animal
Seattle is not close to the cap. They can afford higher quality depth in the AHL. Coachella is nicer than Bakerfield. The $1.5 means that they can shuttle him without fear of a waiver claim. Cap teams have to add a 2nd year to do that. Teams with cap space can to 1 year deals for less overall money.
Ron Francis didn’t offer Yamamoto a one year deal because he expects to waive him. He currently has only 10 forwards signed. Yamamoto, if healthy, is very unlikely to get sent down next season. He is a bonafide NHL player, just not at $3.1 million in the current cap environment based on last year’s performance. Also, Yamamoto, under the circumstances, wasn’t going to sign more than a one year deal with anyone.
I think you may have forgotten about Andre Burokovsky, Shane Wright, and Ty Kartye.
Weren’t we told that being from Spokane means he’s ‘not a local there’?..
I initially thought American apple pie homeboy. Then we were repeatedly told by the mob that the landing spot of Yamamoto to Seattle was a pipe dream never going to happen. Because of this I changed my thinking and thought for sure he would end up with Briere in Philly.
I hope we don’t have to continually hear the whining about Brown’s bonus all year. Some people always post how Holland can’t do this or do that every offseason because he lacks cap space. Yet, every offseason, Holland has made additions to improve the team and found cap space to do it. People said we couldn’t get Keith, couldn’t re-sign Kane and Nuge, add a dman like Ekholm etc. Yet, Holland did make the space to get those moves done. Maybe the guy in charge does know a little better of how the cap works and ways to get things done than people think.
Sure, moves can be questioned. Can disagree with them. That’s what us fans do. It’s just amusing when people use the cap as a reason for it, yet Holland has stickhandled around it very adeptly every year.
Is Egor Solokov the type of player we’d have to trade an asset for, or the rights to a longshot like Philp or one of the Russians who are unlikely to come to North America?
Ben Gleason’s contract terms have been updated to one-way in the second year, per TSN.
So unless they get a nice cheap signing, if they run with this signed group. Wonder if this is the lineup opening day
Kane. McDavid. Brown
Nuge. Draisatl. Hyman
Foegele. McLeod. Janmark
Caggulia. Holloway. Ryan
Lavoie
Balance. And Holloway at centre with two vets allows them to play bottom two lines 10 mins plus specialty teams. Lavoie can push into lineup. It may lack gritensity but it does have speed and enough size and scoring to compete.
Lavoie isn’t going to get better in the pressbox.
Holloway, McLeod, Foegele
Lavoie, XXX, Janmark
Ryan
The 4th line centre has yet to reveal themselves. We may see Hamblin or Pederson there if the 4th line centre does not reveal themselves till the trade deadline.
Ryan should be in the lineup most nights. He can play C if needed when we go 12-6 and sit when we go 11-7. No need for another C until the deadline.
I’m not sure Ryan has the gas for 82, and have enough left for playoffs. I’m certain he’s fit, but he’s smaller and not fast so he works hard when he’s on the ice
He could spell with Nuge/McLeod but they don’t like Nuge at C or bottom 6. He also as it stands has to take the right side faceoffs, which is a toll
Not at you Sir, but isn’t the wisdom that dominating in the A means time for the N?
Can he not be better by season end on the 4th line than a replacement level established NHL guy? Or done NHL guy?
I suppose it’s the PK thing. Can he not PK? Is it that hard especially if you are tall and can skate, and have a good coach? Does he lack hockey IQ? Great skill to learn unless you are able to do expected things upon promotion, like the tear up the score sheet
Sometimes it seems they over think things, or are too stuck in well worn ruts
I suppose my comment derives from them not rolling with what’s in front. Hiring lesser players just because they have experience, mentioning cap difficulties, and watching the experienced lesser guys underwhelm is boring me, after so many cracks at it. And watching better teams do the opposite
Mental fences that don’t actually help winning
Which player are you talking about???
Jesse after surgery.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20039154
lots of content there
If you’re using Chrome, you may have to enable the Finnish language before it prompts you to translate to English
settings/languages/manually add finnish to ‘always translate’
long story short
– he was in pain all last season
-6-10 months rehab
-hopes/plans to return to the NHL
It’s sad to me that it appears many of his troubles has been the hips. I don’t think he could have been – actually I’ll leave that start and walk it off – he may have been the two way,get the puck in the right end, steal pucks like a freak, score 20 G the hard way, top 6 guy many of us saw at the start, and in glimpses
I hope that his medical problems were handled in the best way. He has played a lot of NHL hockey in pain in a place that hugely affected skating, which would really be hard to overcome
@frank_seravalli
·
Bowen Byram new bridge signed yesterday helps set the table for on Evan Bouchard, but not in a money saving way.
Byram (2 x $3.85m, $4.62 in Yr2)
91 career GP: 15+28=43Pts, 19:57 TOI
Bouchard (2 x ??)
184 career GP: 23+66=89Pts, 18:34 TOI
B2B 40Pt Seasons
Wait, so Evan Bouchard IS a good defensemen now??😉
He’s a second pairing D…just like I said all along.
If Byram had not suffered concussions, this wouldn’t even be a conversation,
Its interesting as I recall reading earlier in the season “Evan Bouchard is not an NHL defenceman”.
He is certainly no Brogan Rafferty….
Craig Conroy signs Jordan Oesterle to a one year $925k deal.
Over 7 million in career earnings, 349 gp.
Carved out a solid career.
I can’t believe that people are calling the Ryan deal poor value. He’s cheap in both years, his deal is fully able to be buried in the AHL, he’s good in the community and given his hockey IQ will be a great asset on the Condors in bringing along the young kids if the wheels fall off and he needs to get sent down. This doesn’t even take into account how effective of a player he still was in the NHL last year. On top of all of that if the wheels fall off, given how low the dollar value of the contact is, he may just retire anyway.
To be clear, I never said the deal was poor value. I just don’t consider it a value contract. I love Ryan but he is an ageing bottom of the roster player. I am not going to give big props to Holland for signing this type of player to a two year deal.
I don’t get the hand wringing about the second year. It was reported early and often that the player understands the possibility of being waived in year two. If he clears, he doesn’t count against the cap and is an ideal mentor in BAK… easily a tier above a Malone type journeyman.
Ryan will effectively be a playing coach in Bakersfield next year at no cost to the Oilers cap. This is the advantage a team with a rich owner has, and you apparently don’t want Holland to take advantage of spending off cap to make the team and organization better.
Holloway has played center. Can he take faceoffs since his hand injuries? We have lots of left shot forwards. If he can take faceoffs then try him at 4C to start the season.
I think we need to play 12/6 more often this year with more spread out TOI. Double shift when needed.
Yes, he took a lot of draws in Bakersfield. He is also ripping the biscuit. His wrist is 100 %.
Oilers certainly can’t think about giving J. Toews any performance bonuses in a deal now to try and entice him to sign on the cheap.
Doing that with Brown is a much better bet than doing that with Toews anyway. I’d save the money and only bring in another C if you need it at the deadline.
LT, that is wonderful info on Hoefenmayer – I had previously thought of that signing as an after-thought vis-a-vis the NHL team but I know look forward to watching him as a Condor.
Very good info on him playing RD last season. With Dineen and Niemo, he probably plays top 4 with Kemp on the right side – until Wanner forces his way up….. eventually.
I know somewhere posted about how horrible Pederson was for the Knucks last year but it likely wasn’t a post made honestly or without bias and doesn’t seem to be reality.
What I do know is that Pederson and Drake were signed to play in Bakersfield and as deep depth – likely 15/16F and that depends on how the likes of Bourgault, Tulio, Grubbe develop this coming season.
PuckPedia
@PuckPedia
#VegasBorn signed 27 y/o F Gage Quinney to 2 year deal
NHL 775K
Minors 475K
25G 64P in 66 AHL GP
————————
I see the Stanley Cup winning, and much lauded, GM of the Knights signs AHL player/NHL tweeners to TWO YEAR NHL contracts. I wonder if the Oilers fans that lambaste Holland for signing two year deals under $1M, including the deals to Lane P. and Drake C. signed yesterday, post about the “laziness of giving a 2nd year”, also think that Kelly M. is undertaking poor management?
So we basically traded Yamo and Kostin for Brown (a not unreasonable hockey trade) with 3/4 of Brown’s salary being deferred to 2024. I like Kostin a lot and Brown’s bonus is big – but come on – that’s one hell of a magic trick in a flat cap world. Credit where due.
Anyone know how much cap space would credit to next year if we were $1 million under the cap from day 1 of the season until the trade deadline?
I’m not worried about 4C with McDavid, Drai, RNH, McLeod, Ryan and Holloway on the roster and 7 dmen who need to play regularly. Wouldn’t mind another banger on a minimum deal to replace some of Kostin’s truculence though (guess I’m channeling Stauffer today 🙂
If the final tally at the end of the season for all roster players added up to $82.5 million vs the cap, then the Oilers would carry over into 24/25 all bonuses earned in 23/24 less $1 million. If there are no bonuses earned the savings does not carry over. At the trade deadline, had they been running at that roster all season, the $1 million savings can be used to trade for a ~$3 million contract, but then that contract would eat up all the accrued savings by year end and 100% of any earned bonuses would carry into next season.
Besides Brown, Holloway, Broberg and Bourgault all have bonus potential.
The way the roster is setting up, both Broberg ($825K) and Holloway ($550K) could hit their performance bonuses.
Along with the Brown deal, the Oilers could face $4.5 million in cap charges.
That alone could eat up the projected cap increase and of course both Broberg and Holloway will be looking for raises as their ELCs expire.
If they play well enough to earn decent raises, players like Ceci, Kulak and Foegele become possible sources of cap space for 24/25.
If Holloway hits any of his bonuses, it means he’d producing at a top 6 player on the team.
Same for Broberg (as a top 4 d-man that’s producing).
Notwithstanding what a hater might post, the chances of them hitting more than 1 or 2 of their bonuses (combined) is low and there very well may be none hit.
Kostin was the cost of getting rid of Yamamoto. No sober G.M was taking Yamamoto straight up. Just like J.P both had ample enough opportunities to carve out a nice career it just wasn’t meant to be. If Brown is smart enough to keep his stick on the ice and not panic like Yamo, J.P and Kahun who were all scared of their own shadows. Brown will score 20 plus as well as being the defensive presence on the line.
How many goals did Archie score when he was gifted top-6 minutes?
Same as the above 3 Kassian looked like a lock for the top 6 as he seemed to have chemistry. Something happened to Kassian unrelated to Hockey in the off-season of 2020. Slepyshev looked good on Leon’s wing in 2016-17 Playoffs. Brown has pretty good hands this is going to be fun watching the Oilers pile up Goals like we haven’t seen in over 30 plus years.
Zack Kassian only busted ass in contract years. He signed his retirement contract in the spring of 2020. That is what happenedl
It depends how much of it they spend at the deadline.
The cap hit of a team is calculated daily.
1/186 of every player’s on the roster on a given date is added to the cap.
If a $1MM player was on the roster for exactly half the days in the season, his ultimate contribution to the year end cap calculation would be $500K.
When a player is acquired in-season, he is projected to be on the roster for the entire rest of the season so you need to fit in that portion.
If the Oilers use it all up, its all used up and they will likely use up most of it with additions.
I don’t like that Brown contract. Royally screws us next year and even potentially this year. What’s the game plan if he has a season ending injury at game 15? Burn assets to dump him on Arizona?
How does it screw the Oilers for this year (besides not having Brown available in the line up, which isn’t a contract issue).
that we have to try and eat as much of that cap hit this year so it doesn’t end up with over 3 mil dead cap next year
I very much doubt Holland will make any roster decision this season solely for the purpose of having cap space at year end to minimize the carry over of bonuses. If he accrues cap space between day 1 and the deadline, there is a high probability he would use almost all of that up to acquire a player or 2 at the deadline. He certainly wouldn’t not use it at the deadline to save it to offset this year’s bonuses.
Besides, the best case scenario would be that both Broberg and Holloway also play well enough to earn a meaningful chunk of their potential $1.5 million in bonuses though that is likely not the expectation right now (Broberg needs to play top 4 and Holloway top 6 to have a good shot at these bonuses). Holland will manage this season expecting the $3.25 million for next season, and anything less, will be an unexpected upside.
Holland’s group has shown they don’t have the cap chops for this. I don’t think the org has ever been very good with the cap. It should be a main priority. The verbal to me comes across like it’s happening to them, not like they can control it much
Despite that the teams they have lost to in the playoffs do that and much more, so there’s even a road map, to form the rosters they want
Can you list the top teams in term of cap efficiency for me?
I get your argument, but I’m having a hard time seeing scores of teams who are above average and winning Cups for their effort.
atta boy
Game plan is none of Browns bonusses kick in (which are largely numbers of games played I understand) and you just have to pay him his base $775,000 slaray. Unless he has a 10 game bonus I guess.
His entire $3.25MM bonus vests when he plays 10 games and hits the Oilers’ cap at the end of the season.
Bob Stauffer@Bob_Stauffer·20m
As we continue into free agency it is not set in stone that the @EdmontonOilers
“Have” to sign a 4C.
Assuming Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and RFA Ryan McLeod are down the middle…both RNH and Derek Ryan also can play center too.
IMO…could sign a winger with speed or bite
Or they could accrue that valuable cap space?
What cap space?
After Bouchard and McLeod get signed, there isn’t much.
Not really – they only have 11 forwards (including McLeod) plus Lavoie.
Essentially, this newly signed forward would be competing with Lavoie and Pederson for 12F.
This isn’t adding to the number of forwards on the roster – they will have 12 forwards.
Centres are far more important than wingers. A strong C can make a 775K winger look better. The inverse isn’t true
It was often commented here that it would likely have to be two players out for cap. They don’t seem to like Nuge at C other than injury cover. There seems to be a bias Holland has mentioned that certain players have to play top 6 for the TOI, and certain players shouldn’t, so they rarely ‘keep’ lines balanced for depth, get into trouble in tough for them games, and load up the top line. Nuge plays less, but they still don’t use him at 3C.
I think this is why Holloway has to be a winger to them. He can’t be a top 6 C on this team, so he’s a winger. To me all things being equal, he would pass Mcleod quickly at C as well. They are similar but Hollway is far more assertive and has a much better shot. The rest is a wash. Maybe they dopn’t think he can pass well enough or playmake enough. It’s not like Mcleod does any of it consistently so far
So it’s unlikely they go CMD Drai McLeod Holloway. So then it is better strategy to me to ‘have’ spent Foegele’s money on a C, if we’re all in, leaving McLeod as 4C. Key positions with better quality players, get by with the best suitable bottom 6 wings you can find or use Lavoie. 4 lines deep, 3 pairs deep
They also need a RC. They need two actually. Unless they do a trade, that ship has sailed, there isn’t anyone to sign that’s good enough I don’t think. He could overpay Toews with the money (which he would), but that’s more risky than Brown in terms of working out. Brown could stay healthy, or play enough, and be available and good in playoffs
Toews doesn’t have a structural injury to recover from. He has long term auto immune issues. I have some. There is basically no chance he’s going to get back to 82 games plus playoffs, full of energy and stamina, in the hardest pro league, at 35, after years of it robbing his full health
He’s not even sure he wants to play. That speaks volumes. At least Bergeron deciding that is whether he wants the physical torture he always goes through – ‘in the playoffs Bergeron played with his lower mandible missing, 3 fingers, had a broken leg and lacerated liver” – but he’s still at the top of the game in play. Not seeing Toews helping us get a Cup. And as said Holland wouldn’t ask him to take a buriable contract which is what’s appropriate, almost certainly based on past actions
Sure centers are more important, but I’m not sure how the 2nd part is true.
I assume Bob’s tweet simply means if there are better wingers than centers available for the same money, then the team could opt for the winger. Seems reasonable.
In terms of centers who are available and actually worth signing, I see Toews and a few others (not RHCs, but ‘not perfect’ doesn’t mean ‘not an improvement’).
In terms of Toews health, yes he does need to see how he’s feeling and decide if he’s still got the motivation for more NHL hockey.
You know he was healthy enough to play the last 7 games of this regular season though, right? It’s not like he’s been unfit to play hockey for the last year and still not recovered.
When he did play this season he scored 53 15-16-31 and was 63.1% on faceoffs. If that guy feels he’s healthy and committed enough to play hockey this season, and if he’ll sign for something that fits on the roster, then I’d be ecstatic to have him.
Where/when was this said? Everything I’ve heard (DNB and multiple others) is that if Toews does decide to play that the Oilers would be offering him something in the $1M range.
Tomas Nosek might be an option for 4c . There’s other options available like Sunquist , Stephan ,Stastny and those are only the S’s But Nosek & Pederson might be able to get the job done. Also Austin Watson might be able to ease the lose of Kostin, or anyone with size that can potentially run around and scare folks. LOL.
It’s interesting that it continues to leak how much influence McDavid has on personnel decisions like the Nurse extension, Brown signing and Ekholm trade.
On one hand, it’s the strongest signal imaginable that the org is bending over backwards to keep him invested in staying here. I suspect that level of player influence will pay dividends improving the odds of a contract extension.
The obvious downside is there’s an element of the “inmates running the asylum” when procurement decisions are based on ‘we were good together in junior’ or Darnell has to be kept at whatever price.
It reminds me a bit of Aaron Rodgers in the NFL. Widely regarded as the most talented QB in the league, Rodgers has only 1 ring to show for it. His recent move from GB to NY was almost solely based on the Packers having the temerity to draft a young QB prospect without consulting Rodgers first as well as Rodgers chafing at not having more influence in virtually every aspect of the Packers organization from procurement to coaching to cap management. With Rodgers, ego is most definitely a factor in this.
This is the new normal now with franchise players commanding so much money and organizational influence. The days of players playing, coaches coaching, and managers managing are well and truly dead imo.
I suspect the reason there are ‘leaks’ are the Oilers are making it clear. This is the team that Connor McDavid wants. If it works, credit where it’s due. If it doesn’t? Well, it’s pretty obvious what that implies.
Indeed.
Iirc Connor also wanted Keith. Or there was a quote about Connor being impressed by Keith during the Chicago play in series.
It is definitely a concerning trend IMO.
Good point. I forgot about the endorsement of the Keith add. There’s definitely a pattern of influence there. Wonder if it extends to the amateur procurement?
Connor and Leon should definitely have somewhat of a say especially if it means both men staying and finishing their career’s in Edmonton.
Holland strikes me as the kind of GM who listens to as many voices as he has access to and then makes his decision. I would be more concerned if he wasn’t getting input from his star player as he approaches FA.
I’m guessing Treliving skipped that step when he hired Sutter. 😎
If you get blindsided twice like that you’re skipping a lot of steps. Owner interference aside
Amen, Sir!
These young whippersnappers need to remember they’re nothing but pieces of meat!
Owned by the likes of me!
And if they don’t like it, tough t*tty! I’ve got 7 others lined up to take their place!
Does playing hockey for a living assume a person has elite level management acumen?
[Looks at majority of NHL management teams]
“All Signs Point to Yes”
The NHL favours an apprenticeship model to management training. Ex players or coaches pay their dues as scouts and assistant GMs before they’re handed the keys.
This will I’m sure be unpopular, but if you have no skin in the game, you don’t get to call the shots. Might leave a bit on the ice now and then, but that’s not the same thing. Or, in an LT old timey way, whoever writes the cheques calls the shots
Now a good management group will talk to key players, other people, be open as much as possible, be respectful of their points of view, etc.
But outside of refinements, this is as good as it gets for players. Improvements in safety Bettman has said are in the hands of the NHLPA, they can have what they want if they want it
In a business sense they take no financial risk (none would have the capital pre-retirement and few even then), invest nothing, and get half of revenues (after years of battling for it), because they are the performers of the product
The product is NHL hockey. It’s entertainment. This is how the league and owners view it they’ve stated at CBA times. There isn’t really anywhere else to go from here in a major way, it’s 50/50. The crooked days up to the 90’s or 2000’s are long gone
Players also have a much shorter shelf life than a team does, even the 2 decade players, who are hen’s teeth. This really reduces their leverage, and also creates tensions of financial interests within the players group, based on career and contract status. To me that things are where they are, 50/50, deserves kudos, to both sides
I was thinking the same thing.
Kind of a double edged sword. You hope having that much influence keeps him engaged and willing to extend in Edmonton. On the other hand, it can lead to some questionable decisions.
You haven’t even mentioned the most mystifying decision that is being attributed to Mcdavids influence. Warren Foegele is a vital member of the team and cannot be traded? Because he’s a workout buddy?
If McDavid stays in Edmonton, it’s all worth it. If he doesn’t, …….?
I think Holland has maximized the roster for the upcoming season. Although that Brown bonus is going to really hurt! It’s certainly better than the roster that started last season. Is it as good as the one that ended the playoffs? I don’t think so. I would rather have Kostin, Yamamoto and Bujstad than Connor Brown. But that’s the cap world we live in.
The Oilers are going to need some internal growth from Broberg and Holloway. And a comeback season from Campbell. If that happens, they are a legit contender.
I would have signed Kostin and traded Yamamoto and Foegele. Time will tell.
McDavid was also tight with Tyson Barrie and they moved him as they geared up for a cup run. His “cards-buddy” on the plan is Devon Shore and he’s not being brought back (it seems).
I’m a believer that having a better player is worth more than a few lesser players (theoretically they are less impactful and more plentiful), and assuming the coach can deploy a roster well. None of the 3 were top 6 players, Brown is and to date plays elites well
Wasn’t it Pollack that said ‘whomever gets the best player wins the trade’? Still for a conservative guy Holland does like to roll the dice for sure. Big problems with the contract structure if Brown can’t play enough or in playoffs
Some counter examples in other sports: Messi, Lebron.
I’ll never understand why people are shocked or disappointed when Holland overpays on a contract. It’s what he does. Sure’s there’s some outlier value contracts (Kane, Kulak, Skinner) but the majority of the value deals on this club are ones Kenny inherited or acquired from other teams. When the Dutchman’s at the dinner table, he’s always throwing in an extravagant tip. Hey, it’s not his money!
This club has made a LOT of progress since Chiarelli but contract negotiation is not a strength of the Holland regime. Nor will it ever be I suspect.
Nuge, Ceci, McLeod, Kane, Kulak, Skinner, Ryan. Not a bad list. Janmark is probably about right.
Where people think he overpaid – Nurse, Hyman and now, I assume, Brown – the players had the hammer so Holland chose to overpay rather than come away empty handed.
There are arguments for either scenario but I think it is important to remember that time was not on his side given the tik tok on McDavid & Draisaitl due to previous management decisions so choosing the overpay to get the player is defensible.
Would you have allowed Nurse to walk and not signed Hyman?
Well the Kassian contract was dogshit and was a material factor in having to bridge Nurse leading to his inflated long term deal.
The Campbell contract was also heinous the moment it was signed.
BoP is bang on. Holland has turned the team into a contender but contract negotiations remains a concern.
Campbell was pretty much market value but I agree that I should have added him to the list. I scanned the roster and forgot to look at the goalies. I wasn’t a fan of the Campbell signing but I disagree that it was an overpay based upon the market. It wasn’t the choice I would have made but once that decision was made the price was pretty much in line. For the record I expect the feeling around here to be very different concerning him at this time next summer.
Kassian? Meh. Linking it to the Nurse contract is a narrative here. I’m not convinced it is anything else.
Kassian didn’t live up to that contract and the chances that he would were always slim but I have, and still would, argue that at that point in time it was important for the team to keep him. Sometimes you have to lose a battle in order to move forward.
Hyman, overpaid? Overextended, but he’s been a bargain thus far.
Derek Ryan just signed a value contract. Janmark’s was slightly less than market value, too, in my opinion. RNH and Hyman’s UFA deals were good signings by UFA standards and have benefited the Oilers immensely. Evander Kane’s deal was a good signing (and solid procurement). The Ryan McLeod deal from last season was a steal. Jesse Puljujarvi’s ‘return to the Oilers deal’ was generally considered a value deal at the time. Perhaps you aren’t giving Ken Holland enough credit…
How is Ryan’s deal value? He was given and extra year. He is a career 4th liner and 36 years old. I am fine with the contract but it certainly is not a value deal.
11 goals at 5 on 5 – all from the bottom 6 plus two shorthanded to tie for sixth on the team in goals with 13. Some depth help on the PK. Smart 2-way player that “makes the right play” and a 56% goals share, almost exclusively away from McDavid and Leon.
He made the $1.25MM a value contract.
He is in regression year but for $125K over league minimum – its a massive value contract based on recent performance.
McLeod’s deal was good last year but the constant bridge deals are going to lead to issues in the coming seasons.
The more I think about, the more I dislike the Brown contract.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s a strong signing at league minimum for this year’s cap and, I get it, this team is in “win now mode”.
At the same time, for me, “win now mode” is a window and that window is open past just this season and we are creating a dead cap hit of likely over $3MM for next season – end stop.
Lets be clear, Connor Brown did not take less to come to Edmonton – $3.25MM for 10 games played is cap deferral and not really a performance bonus contract. For Brown himself, that’s a one-year, $4MM contract. Yes, he probably could have got term elsewhere but not for $4MM per. Lots of UFAs took 1-2 year contracts and Brown did the same and got himself paid.
I would have thought the bonuses would have taken him closer to $3MM, not $4MM and, if they were going that high, a good $1MM plus should have been real bonuses, like 20 goals scored, for example. There could have been games played increments as opposed to, BOOM, here is $3.25MM.
That’s a massive cap hit for next year and lets not forget, it could take this player 20, 40, 60, shit, until 2024/25 until he’s the same player he was before ACL surgery – we see it all the time.
Foegele off the books next year pays for most of the Brown bonus and we don’t have either of those players. Holloway/Lavoie/Bourgault better be ready for 6F on merit come 2024/25 as the cap increase is partially going to this bonus, to replace Foegle and likely for another raise to Bouch.
Obviously, based on Holland’s verbal 97 had a massive influence in this decision, so it seems that it was Brown or bust.
It also appears the shared Agent and competition for his services really inflated the ask, not an ideal bargaining position for the GM.
This team was incredibly healthy (Kane, Ceci, Yamo & Janmark aside) last season, that is always part of the luck factor for high-level teams. Perhaps the stars will finally align and the team gets the most of the good literal and figurative bounces this season.
Tick tock
Could the Oilers do the same thing next year and keep deferring to the following year with a different player. Let’s use Foegele for example since his contract expires this following season. Holland or his Son could sign Warren to League minimum plus bonuses that will be reached easily. What stopping a G.M from doing this year after year?
That would actually make sense to do until you run out your cup window. Then pay the piper on a year you know you won’t make it. Seems like a thing Pitts or TBay would (should) have done.
TB got around it by giving Kuch an “injury” holiday
There are restrictions in the CBA about who can have bonuses included in their contract. Foegele does not qualify.
No – performance bonuses are only permitted in ELC contract and for 35+ contract but for this exception. There is an exception for one-year contract to players that have played 400 NHL games but missed 100 plus days on LTIR the prior season – hence Brown this season.
You mean to say all Brown needs to do is play ten games to get his $3.25M bonus money payable next season?
If that’s true he certainly won’t be challenged to achieve that.
The performance bonus is $3.25MM for 10 games played – end stop.
Brown gets paid the bonus this season (presuming it vests) and it gets added to the Oilers final cap calculation at year’s end – that is, it hits the cap in the year accrued/vested – to the extent a team doesn’t have cap room to fit in a vested performance bonus, or a portion thereof, it creates a cap charge for the following season. That’s why the Oilers have $850K of bonus charges for this coming season from Bouch from last season.
Now, the Oilers will likely not start the season in LTIR and do “plan” on accruing cap space through the year. Chances are they will spend/use most of their projected cap space at the deadline but there may be a bit of room to fit in some of the bonus.
The vast majority of it ($3MM plus) will almost certainly hit next year’s cap.
Well, the owner has deep pockets.
I’m concerned about the $3MM charge on the cap next season, not the cheque he has to write……
that was my point yesterday; the 2024 cap may be 5-6 million higher, but 50-60% of that amount is essentially committed.
Cap will likely raise by $4.175MM next season as, under the current agreement, it can only go up by 5% per season. They could re-negotiate that but, of course, as we saw this past off-season, the owners will require increased escrow to negotiate anything and the players won’t even go there.
Holland took a lot of criticism a couple years back at the trade deadline when he said “you can’t go for it every year” Clearly this year and last year he’s going for it. I see no issue moving things down the road today if you have a legitimate chance to win now which the Oilers do. I think most would take a Cap headache next year for Stanley this year. I guarantee every fan in Vegas would agree.
Sure, if this move can guarantee a cup then I won’t worry about the cap issues for next season. Of course, that isn’t the case and I plan on competing for the Stanley Cup for a number of years going foward.
I would note that, while the Knights have been ruthless with moving players out (and the Oilers just did the SAME thing with Yamamoto as the Knights did with MAF and Max P.), the Knights have zero dead cap space for this season – ZERO.
This locks in an additional (apx $3MM of dead cap space plus the Neal buyout.
Its a big blow to next year to acquire a middle six player (great on the PK mind you) that is coming off major knee surgery and a missed year.
The Knights have Robin Lehner with $10 million in dead cap OP…
Lehner is on IR; that’s not the same as dead cap. If Lehner’s cap hit would put Vegas over the cap, Vegas moves Lehner’s contract to LTIR and gets relief. The drawback can be it prevents accruing deadline cap space. There is no relief from true dead cap space. It always lowers the cap available for the 23 players or less on the active roster.
And the transactions creating dead cap are chosen by the team. Having players eligible to be on LTIR is not a management decision (except in the few rare instances where a team trades for a contract where the player will not play again, but this is generally done to get maximum LTIR relief, or sometimes to get to a cap floor).
That is not a bonus overage, a buyout, a retained salary, etc.
That’s a player that may play for them and, if he doesn’t, while LTIR isn’t the best, it does provide them was LTIR reserves and they will be able to spend more of that money.
Its not dead cap and far different than, well, the dead cap listed above.
Guarantee a Cup? I’m sure each GM would like that luxury. The Knights have sacrificed much more than the Oilers in the last couple years as talent goes. Far more. Just look at the players they’ve moved to get better. That said I think of the Sharks and Canucks who had very good teams for a long time and never won Stanley. I just agree with doing whatever it takes to win now when you’re in a position to.
The Knights have moved out players “ruthlessly” in order to add players. What the Oilers did with Yamo is the same as what they did with MAF and Max P. (although less scale).
The Knights have NOT created massive cap charges in future years in order to add – like the Oilers just did.
Its not equitable.
Of course there is no guarantee – hence why, for me, I want that window to stay open past this season – the chances of the cup this season aren’t high – they aren’t for any team as only 1 wins and there are lots of good teams.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to have Brown on the team for cheap this season. I just don’t think its a “great contract” overall, provides a legit BIG dead cap hit next season and for a mid-roster player coming off major knee surgery.
I just wish there was some staggered games played bonuses and, if there were really $3MM worth, that a real portion of them would have been production based.
The player is not giving up anything to play in Edmonton – 1 year, $4MM is top of market for him I’m sure. Any term would be under $4MM AAV for sure.
It’s always a risk to take away future cap, but in this case the bet is sound that the oilers should push hard this year and generally in todays NHL, it’s next to impossible for an NHL team to really have enough in the tank for two runs back to back to win the cup unless it’s an acutely shortened season in the first win like Tampa had. The team just has to give too much emotionally and physically, in my opinion to do it twice. So to go all in on this year and then not have all ammunition for the next is reasonable. Past history shows us since the cap, and later yet, since players have gotten more equalized in their skills and strength, it’s just too hard of a grind on a team. So going hard this year is a must as we are here in the window and then there likely will be a possible small regression next year if we make it to the end this year.
Next year when we have the extra bonus on the cap (amount will depend still if Conner Brown makes them all or not)
your right, we may have only one more year of Foegle, and I think he is consistent but has obviously peaked with his skill set which is replaceable . I think hopefully we will have Holloway ready to step in. And barring a crazy good year this year, he won’t cost a fortune yet.. then in three years we still have our whole expanded core and the Neil buyout off, bonuses hopefully lower, a huge cap increase from two years prior where it’s supposed to expand drastically and lots of money for Conner McDavid, Leo, and some new friends.. Oilers can make a second strong run three years from now .. I see it as a big run this year, a year of minor slump and then a major big year after that. I know everyone wants it year after year, but my daughter also wanted Peter Pan and the lost boys to come down from never never land to help with her minor chores and that never happened either ..
Ha! My favorite response when someone wants the moon is “Yeah, and I wanted a pony….” Your version is pretty darn good as well!
Haha thanks !
So you would have gone into the season without a legit 2RW? I ask because I believe that was the only other choice.
No – that’s now what I said.
I’m still waiting for all these bargain contracts that are supposed to coming Edmontons way for a chance to play with McDavid and win in a new Building. The landscape has improved from the dark days but even at its peak the Oilers and other Canadian teams struggle to compete with teams down south. Is it too much to ask that for once we get a good solid veteran on a 1 year, 1 mill contract. Like a Perry 4 years ago, or Phil Kessel or Bill Guerin in Pittsburg
Agreed – players “want to play in Edmonton” but for full comp.
JVR for $1MM?
That’s the type of deal we never see here.
If the Oilers had, say, a 20% chance to win Stanley in each of the next two years before signing Brown, they now have a ~25% chance this year and a ~15% chance next year. The Brown signing has changed the odds for the two years on an individual basis, but hasn’t done much to change the odds that the Oil will win Stanley in the next two Yeats combined.
Brown is here for one year. what did I miss
You missed the increase in dead cap space in ’24-25 from Brown’s bonus that will make the team less competitive that year.
Perhaps the play is as thus:
Brown vests his bonuses but underwhelms – trade by trade deadline, or trade rights BEFORE June 30 as a poison pill to another trade.No bonus problem next year.
Brown does not vest his bonus, no problem next year.
Brown vests his bonus and does well, but we cannot afford him. Trade his rights before June 30 for a little less return and no bonus problem. Perhaps to a team on the upswing who needs to get closer to the floor or has lots of cap room.
There are other options to swallowing the whole bonus should it vest and not be covered in this years cap. A lot more is possible if we find a partner who is willing.
Brown is precisely the kind of player we needed. We could use another of similar skillset. Capable scorer, strong without the puck. Methinks our ouscoring issues is less about the defencemen and more about the forwards playing better without the puck.
He should perform once he gets back into the swing, but also, it’s said that he’s he’s Big on heart and has high compete. Is a leader . Sounds like a great team and playoff addition..
Still think Sundqvist is the best bet at 4C. I believe he is a UFA. Size (6’3). Physical (he does hit). Right handed Only 29. He seems like he played mostly wing last few years so not sure on the centre option, but him and Ryan and rotate in faceoffs.Could be had for less then $1 mill.
Patience, like waiting for Ekholm. The right 4C will emerge over time. It is not something that has to be done over summer.
True. But I doubt they start the year without one more low cost centre . Then they will make moves to address it if needed.
No money for anything more then $1 mill. Why I think he is solid option to start year and yes a move towards deadline for a better one if necessary.
PTO’s and pre-season waiver wire. Why rush?
Unless there is a specific guy that stands out for your pro scouts I agree with this. There will be opportunities in August or September.
I left him off my list because he hasn’t been a full time C and IIRC his on ice numbers have been really poor. He checks other boxes though, so you never know.
I agree, I’ve been watching him very closely for the past 3 years, if anything he has seemed to take steps back. Unfortunately I think he would be a very poor bet.
I like Tatar as a top 6, low cost ($1,000,000 or less) RW option and Rodrigue ($1,000,000 or less) as a 3C/2RW option (more offensive upside than Brown). Both would be a dream.
RNH-97-Hyman
Kane-Drai-TT
War Foe-ER-28
Hollywood-Clouder-Janmark
Ryan
Lavoie
Rodrigue signed this morning with Florida $3M x 1.
Thank you JP!
I last checked an hour ago, not on Twitter. Can’t even access Twitter links anymore, boo.
According to CapFriendly he signed for 4 years, good for him, he was able to sign a decent and possibly last NHL contract.
CapFriendly has it as $3M x 4.
Oops! Not sure if that was my mistake or if there was an initial report of 1 year. Rodrigue finally getting a little term makes sense though!
If Pesce goes to San Jose in an Eric Karlsson deal, the Oilers should try real hard to do a Ceci plus plus for Pesce.(with 50% retention).
Or find a new home for Ceci and do a Pesce deal with San Jose. The Oilers don’t have the assets with which to do a Pesce deal with Carolina, but do have the assets to do a deal with San Jose.
Pesce is probably going to test the market next year regardless.
If you got Pesce at 50% for Ceci and a 1st, it allows for another move for a better player in season. And clears cap to resign Bouchard longer term right now or at least next summer. That would be a great add.
I think Pesce wants to ultimately land in Boston, which would be the closest he can get to New Hampshire, where his wife is. He has no say in it this season due to his contract, so could end up anywhere.
So if, and I don’t understand the Karlsson to Carolina thing if Burns is there (AND DeAngelo?? maybe the intent is for DeAngelo is to be flipped to SJ), Pesce is moved to San Jose. He might be a player within reach.
I think if that’s the case maybe Pesce (or his rights) could be flipped at the draft for Carlo (he would have a 10 team no-trade list at that time, but he is from Colorado Springs, so might be open to moving to Western Canada). Carlo would have 3 x $4.1 million left on his deal, is 2 yrs younger than Pesce and his game is still growing.
Heard yesterday from both Friedman & Bobby Mac that Pittsburgh is very interested in EK65, I am not convinced that any contender (are the Pens even a contender anymore?) can make it happen.
Similar to Burns in CAR, wouldn’t EK65 be redundant in PIT with Letang?
Yes, you would think so.
At a minimum, Petry would have to go and he has a 15 team NTC.
Moving Ceci, plus futures, for a RD that will be gone after this season, meaning that the Oilers are likely looking at a material D-acquisition next season, plus $3M of new dead cap hit – YIKES – this window might close shut in June.
Ceci is gone next year for cap reasons anyway. Foegele and Ceci will be the prime source of cap dollars.
Pesce means that one can continue to slow play Broberg. Broberg 3rd pair this year, then 2nd pair next year.
And maybe Pesce gets here, and turns out liking it here.
I’m not sold on Ceci going next year for cap reason and, on the off chance that Pesce wants to re-sign here, where is that $7MM plus coming from (prices will be expensive for contracts starting in 2024/25)?
I’m getting confused on if Broberg should be slow-played or if he should be right up as 1RD with Nurse…..?
Terrific Athletic article on Hoefenmayer, really cheering for the kid and he seems to have terrific potential as perhaps more than just AHL depth down the road.
Cool to see he was the OHL dman of the year his final jr season, and based on his early progress as a pro I can’t help but wonder if the Oil pro scouts took advantage of the Leafs new gm who may not yet be overly familiar with all of their depth prospects.
I don’t think Lane Pederson is plan A for the Oilers 4C (and Holland said as much).
So aside from new deals for McLeod and Bouchard the main order of business remaining is adding that 4C.
There’s not a ton left out there in free agency, but there are still options. Here are the players I see as plausible adds for 4C or extra forward:
(Note that the list is ordered by TOI/game even though that isn’t shown – listed is GP G-A-TP +/- PIM FO%)
J. Toews 35 LC 53 15-16-31 -31 43 63.1%
D. Grant 33 LC 46 5-13-18 -4 26 55.2%
E. Staal 38 LC 72 14-15-29 -5 26 46.2%
P. Suter 27 LC 79 14-10-24 -3 6 46.8%
JJ. Khaira 29 LC 51 6-8-14 -11 31 48.4%
T. Nosek 31 LC 66 7-11-18 9 48 59.3%
P. Stastny 37 LC 73 9-13-22 4 16 57.6%
PE. Bellemare 38 LC 73 4-9-13 -9 34 52.3%
C. Tierny 29 LC 36 3-7-19 -8 6 47.0%
D. Stepan 33 RC 73 5-6-11 8 8 54.0%
Toews or Staal for league minimum or close would be a dream.
I actually wonder if they’re waiting on Toews to make a decision. He would be the ideal option if he’s available IMO.
I’ve liked PE Bellemare since I first saw him play in the last World Cup. If he still has hands and boots, he’d be a nice one year addition.
Stastny and Toews are also nice players but they seem like more of a pipe dream, unless they’re convinced on the team’s potential. Deadline deals maybe?
Bellemare has quite the resume for a guy who’s never scored 10 goals. 2 year stints in Vegas, Colorado and TBay. He’s 38 now though so I don’t know what he’s got left. TBay also swapped him out for Glendenning this summer, for what that’s worth.
In terms of Toews and Stastny, honestly the ball is in their court in terms of where (and if in Toews case) they want to play. Toews has been linked to the Oilers so there may indeed be some mutual interest there.
Hey Eric. Take the Byram money for two years (do Kenny a favour and make it $3.6), and ride the damn gift horse.
Evan?
Er….It IS early Sunday morning after July 1st.
Likely moreso a deadline move but if Calgary would retain half on Lindholm or Backlund, then Foegle+ futures (more significant for Lindholm) would be a nice allin move.
Pretty sure lindholm is going to end up the golden Goose of deadline.
I definitely would be trying to hold onto my first until then.
Looks like tidy work for Holland so far. The bonus for Brown is big but if he was in a bidding situation, I’m happy we won and excited for the season.
Holland says he’s going for it, but when asked about a 4C he said he’d like to get Bouch and McLeod signed as priority. Seravalli mentioned 2 year contracts for both.
I think there might be a little more going on. It’s not a contract year for Drai but if we don’t want to risk loosing him for nothing, it’s a contract year for Drai. It would be helpful to have a strong run this season and then only have Drai’s contract to negotiate not Bouchard too. Of course then it’s McDavid and Bouchard after that but if we can extend Draisaitl first that will go a long way to keeping the band together.
I’ve been saying here for weeks. ! yr deal for Bouch, hopefully made whole on any discount with a signing bonus for next year’s long term deal. SPreads the AAV of the signing bonus across the length of the eventual long term deal. Have the long term deal already agreed upon and in the desk drawer for reveal later, when won’t cause problems with HO in Tranna.
I am quite happy with Holland’s work since the deadline. Oilers are really squeezed by the flat cap. Tough decisions to be made.
With Brown and RNH the top two lines can have a two-way type. Brown does not need to score a ton, he just needs to be reliable, especially on the back check.
Gameplan is the same as last season: play it out and fill the gaps at the deadline.
Pederson seems like a very low risk option to take some shifts at 4C. Especially on a team that frequently does not ice a 4C.
All this is to say, I am not worried about the upcoming season.