Several times this season, my brain kicks in and says “if they win Stanley, remember this game” and last night was such a moment. I watched the game, went to bed, and dreamed many dreams. Fun dreams, contented dreams. As I was waking up, I thought I heard a mosquito near my ear (one of the least favourite things I can think of) and then I woke up enough to remember it’s January. I smiled. Then Ziggy licked my nose. Good way to wake up.
I don’t know really the last time the Oilers have been this good, but it was many moons, sleeps and mosquitos ago. Whatever may come, it feels as though this team has all of the pieces, the timing is top dead centre, and the sorrow from battles lost have created a monster forged by steel. Look out, the Oilers are heading for your town and it don’t look like they’re here to deliver the mail.
The Athletic article today is about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and his new role. It is here.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN JANUARY
- At home to: ANA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: SEA, BOS, PIT, CHI (Expected 2-1-1) (Actual 3-1-0)
- At home to: LAK (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: MIN, COL, VAN (Expected 1-1-1) (Actual 2-0-0)
- At home to: WAS, VAN, BUF, SEA, DET (Expected 3-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected results: 8-4-2, 18 points in 14 games
- January result: 7-1-0
- Oilers in 2024-25: 29-13-3, 61 points in 45 games
Edmonton is on a 111-point pace, that would be the highest point total by the Oilers since 1985-86 and would be the third-highest point total in team history. There are six games left in this month, I have the Oilers going 4-2-0. A month with 11 wins is pretty rare. This team just entered a hornet’s nest fatigued and left with all the treasure. I’m so impressed with these Edmonton Oilers. Wow.
THE NUMBERS
Stuart Skinner was poor early and strong late, good enough to help the team win. The doubts on him are deep among Oilers fans, and I wonder if Stan Bowman agrees. We’ve all chosen our lines in the sand around this player, we don’t even play red rover at recess anymore because no one’s coming over. What I will say is this: The quickest way for a new GM to impact the roster is changing out goalies. My guess is Bowman will stay the course, Skinner’s $2.6 million cap is extreme value for a starting goalie and there aren’t many affordable additions who represent a clear upgrade.
Viktor Arvidsson missed a few shifts in the back half of the third period and one wonders what is going on there. I wrote about Arvidsson and his new line today, Kris Knoblauch is always tweaking and making this roster more pliable. Arvidsson staying healthy would be helpful. He’s a player. I really hope he’s okay because I’m liking that line.
Zach Hyman (according to Natural Stat Trick) had 12 HDSC and that has to be close to his best. The man is a human high-danger chance machine, what an amazing player. The fact he is the third best player on his line is incredible. Darnell Nurse was a busy man and his defensive partner changed many times through the game. I’m loving his play in 2024-25. Nice to see Brett Kulak score and I thought he made some great plays.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard all had two points on the night, that late goal was exactly why one drafts skill morning, noon and night. Music!! What a team.
I think this game was a statement game. The heartbreak of Game 7 has been turned into something valuable. A mature approach that includes pushing back even if the scoreboard says it is time to quit. I’m worried about Arvidsson, that line could be very useful (mentioned in today’s article) in the playoffs.
Today on the Lowdown, we’ll chat Oilers in Denver and the HNIC late game tomorrow night. It all starts at noon, Sports 1440. Guests include Steve Lansky, Tyler Yaremchuk and Michael Walters who will tell us about Joe Carter’s visit to Edmonton in April and how you can attend. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly. We can be heard at sports1440.ca; iHeartRadio, Radioplayer Canada, it’s available post-show on apple and spotify, and we tweet it out on X.
Klingberg used to be a great player, offensively gifted but also held his own defensively. Great mobility, especially his lateral movement. On defense he relied on his mobility, defensive stick and quick puckmoving to be efficient and when he lost his mobility due to injuries his defensive ability just tanked. Still had enough puck skills to put up some points but just a nightmare defensively.
The bet here is obviously that surgery and time off has him back on track. Here’s to hoping. Nice guy from what I’ve heard.
Low risk – high reward. I take those whenever available.
We thought J. Skinner was low risk. We were wrong.
$3M always carries risk.
So does $1.8M when running tight against the cap with holes to fill.
Was watching that 1 minute clip of Bobby Orr’s 1st ever NHL game and Gordie Howe levels him.
Unlike many of today’s Johnny Depp’s, Orr doesn’t even look at Howe. Orr gets up like nothing happened.
The funniest thing is watching Howe right after the hit – daring Orr to try anything with him. Howe looked like a real bully, that none of the Bruins wanted to argue with.
It was Orr’s first game, so he was merely brilliant looking.
Howe was such a classy gentleman off the ice, and yet he is known for being, well, dirty on the ice. I honestly wonder what we would think of him today. It’s a good thing he played in a different time.
Great story. Howe was probably already pushing 40 at that time, and still struck a fearsome presence.
I was just reading an interesting bit of trivia about Howe that I never knew before:
Gordie Howe came in 2nd place for rookie of the year….
Who won it that year?
Howie Meeker
After watching Howie growing up and doing his thing for so many years I just, and maybe it’s only me, find it incredulous that he was the guy who beat out Howe.
I also recall Howie being a play by play announcer until he dropped an f bomb live when a Montreal player missed an open net once.
I may be wrong but I believe it was Howie who brought in the X’s-O’s of the game to in-between period analysis.
Meeker was 23 years old his rookie season and led all rookies with 45 points in 55 games, including 27 goals. He also tied the rookie record with 5 goals in 1 game. That was the best season of his career, but he did get his name on the Stanley Cup 4 times.
Meeker was delayed getting to the NHL because he enlisted as an engineer in World War 2 and got severe leg injuries from a grenade explosion in 1944. Prior to enlisting he was a junior scoring star. Hard to say if the grenade injuries impacted the length of his career. The man had a remarkable 97 year life and got into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster despite the F-Bomb. And of course his name is in the hall for both the Calder and still record holder of 5 goals in a game by a rookie.
Howe was only 18 his rookie season with only 7 goals and 22 points and was 4th in rookie scoring and apparently did not get any Calder votes. He didn’t make his appearance in the NHL top ten till 49/50 and never looked back.
Apparently there was a boxing trainer of champions who offered to make Howe the heavyweight champion of the world.
Two teams that I fear can usually beat the Oilers are Vegas and Carolina – since they were playing together it seemed a good idea to check them out.
Both good teams, but Carolina look like the USSR and so are closer to terror level tonight and they also won the game.
Eichel is a great player and always dangerous.
Oilers appear on a mission this year. How can I be a fool and bet on them?
Summarizing!
After going 18 games without finding the back of the net, Fischer has now scored in back-to-back games.
Nicholl, Lachance and Münzenberger each had an assist.
Day stopped 32 of 35 but lost 4-3 in a shootout. He was named 2nd star for his efforts.
O’Reilly, Berry, Copponi and Määttä did not garner soup.
Accounts that player escrow payments will be cancelled for the rest of the season (previously 6% off their cheques) due to revenues and financial stability of the league.
Any increase over $93MM for next year will require full NHLPA and owner agreement but it sure seems to be trending that way.
https://rg.org/news/hockey/exclusive-nhl-cancels-escrow-payments-shares-profits-with-players
I like the Klingberg signing.
GM’s who only make the moves that have no risk pretty much ensure their team will never be terrible and never be great – middle of the pack is not what I want for this team.
As for complaining about the price – it was an auction. Klingberg had options according to rumours.
With UFA’s it is always the same. You need to be in the ballpark of other offers even if the situation is better. Players will take a little less short term for various reasons but you can’t lowball players if there are other teams standing there with more money on the table.
Or maybe the price agreed to already includes a healthy discount to what is being offered from other teams based on the situation the Oilers have to offer and the limitations of the cap they have to play with (see Connor Brown 23/24).
Janmark is uploading party photos with Klingberg saying it was always the plan. Janny’s future as a pro scout all rides on this lol
Does the Klingberg signing put any perspective on the decision to let Broberg walk?
No in the least, in my opinon.
Alex Nedeljkovic with a goal and an assist in the Pens 5-2 victory over the Sabres this evening.
love the handle!
Would be too funny if that was one of his many alt accounts.
So the Oilers are in a dead heat for 1st with Vegas. I know we all predicted this a couple months ago. Damn what a run
For the time being Vegas holds the tie breaker with 26 regulation wins to 22 for the Oilers, but we’re still on the back straight in this race. Great to not be looking up at them after the slow start with so much time left. Hoping the multi-year trend of the Oilers being stronger in the second half continues.
Beat those deadbeats from Vancouver then 1st place is…
I’ll stick my neck out. Guaranteed Oilers win.
Is there any update on
Alec Regula
or
Roby Jarventie
The same as last time this was asked:
Regula is skating but not with the team.
Jarventie has not skated at all yet. A few weeks ago Chaulk was hopeful he would start skating in the next 2-3 weeks.
If it makes us feel any better, Bourgault is 32-5-7-12 in the AHL in his draft+4.
Carolina up 3-1 on Vegas with 10 minutes to go in regulation.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman
I see the logical joke re: his prior injury was a “50/50 to play the next day” – they over a month later….
The Oilers mislead or don’t divulge injuries more than any team
Hyperbole or do you have anything that supports this claim?
Hyperbole I know nothing
I defend the Oilers (or any other teams) right to say whatever the CBA or NHL rules allows them to get away with in regard to the injury status of any of their players. The fans like myself may like to hear what’s going on, but we have no rights in this regard. I doubt the Oilers concern themselves whether their handling of this has a PR impact with the fan base. If they are deliberately not being open, they believe they have a reason for that.
HIPAA anyone?
Go back to Sheldon Souray and see if he agrees with you.
They should have an NHL hockey court like The Hague and send Lowe+MacT in as the debut case for the new court.
I was referring to the relationship between the team and the fans in terms of what info fans are entitled to. What happened with Souray was a dispute between Souray and the team and probably wasn’t consistent with the CBA even at that time. The players and management have to work out between them on the appropriate communication to the public on injuries , but the fans have no say in that, nor should they. I do not condone teams lying to the public regarding a player’s injury to damage a players reputation.
This could make the trade deadline very interesting. Kling, if he can still play, is the trade deadline insurance on defense for free. Still want a big tough RW like Kostin (who would be essentially free) and maybe a big tough bottom 6 C.
4-2 for the rest of the month is a measured prediction.
WAS the only playoff team left for the month, and a formidable challenge, no doubt. BUF (attending) and DET have had strong L10 records. I think it is still fair to wonder if they can run the table, the opportunity is now there for the taking. Even if they stutter a bit, it will be a great month.
HH would surely want to inform us that remaining schedule strength is on the Oilers’ side – surprised it hasn’t been brought up recently…
You know how good Leon Draisaitl is? He made Kailer Yamamoto a viable NHLer.
Yes, the same Yamamoto now playing in the A following a tryout with Utah.
Of all Leon’s Hart Trophy credentials, that one is truly magnificent.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses……and they’ll score on Leon’s wing.”
Why are 5 foot 7 inch and other very small players drafted in the 1st round; when the odds of these very small players making any kind of an impact are statistically terrible?
Because we could have (and should have) had 5-foot-7 Alex DeBrincat in the previous draft.
Yamamoto’s NHLE was very high. I loved the pick, and so did most around here.
Watch them put Klingberg with his countryman Ekholm and Bouch with Nurse.
Nooooooooooo!
It’s all TBD. But….
Nurse-Bouchard
Ekholm-Klingberg
Kulak-Emberson
Has potential.
If Nurse can stay tidy that is ideal. Less toi for Ek, sort Kling out like he did Bouch. Now get me a functional cycle breaker and net front bulldozer for Kuku and were golden
So Emberson is discarded?
Blue Jays shut out again.
Better use some of that extra international money to poach a few prospects.
Dodgers = Lucy
Jays = Charlie Brown
Anyone the Jays want = The football
So True
Ohanti then Soto then today. Management should be fired for misleading or for being dysfunctional. How long do the fans drink there kool aid?
Soto is massively overpaid. (Any star the Mets sign if massively overpaid.) Jays should be glad they whiffed on him.
Ohtani was never leaving LA.
Oilers also missed on Hossa and Heatley and Vanek and Nylander. Other than Hossa, they should have been glad to miss.
Not liking the verbal and the JFresh stats on Klingberg. Unless he was injured as far back as 21-22, when his EV defence was 0%ile on the Stars while putting up 47 pts in 74 games and being a -28 on a team that was -8.
Good to not give up picks/prospects, but not being able to accrue cap space will hurt acquisition of a D that will really move the needle.
Ty Smith would have also been free last week when Canes put him on waivers, with a cap hit of 775K, and is the same player type. Not saying that was the right call, either, but would have been a lower risk move.
Haha. Does it align tho?
Devon Shore, 2 years
Josh Brown, 3 years
Klingberg, MAX TERM BABAY
IIRC he has been dealing with hip issues for years.
I believe they are using their normal course accrued and project cap space and they will still have the LTIR to dip in to at the deadline – apx $5MM
Ha, remember when our resident troll assured us that Ty Smith was massively superior to Evan Bouchard?
Seeing that he’s Janmarks very good bro, Klingberg better not let Mattias down!
They’re going to give him conditioning stint in California one would hope.
Janny seems very excited about this from his social media.
There are lots of Kling/Janny pictures together.
I wonder what number Klingberg will wear. 3 is retired, and 33 is taken.
6, perhaps?
It got vacated when Gleason got dealt.
23, likely
Note: Seth Griffith is now on an AHL contract and Marc Habscheid is long-retired 😆😆
One of the bigger shocks of this season:
Jeff Skinner not amplifying his value. I thought this would be an easy win-win for both parties.
Darn eh?
Not yet, but there’s still half a season/a postseason for him to play his way into the lineup and make an impact. If he provides some timely depth scoring in the postseason that helps them win a cup, then who cares that the first half of season looked like.
I thought it was a great addition at the time, equally surprised it’s been such a poor fit.
Former Canes wingers don’t have much luck in Edmonton sometimes, Eric Cole can confirm
Oh, for what it’s worth, I hope things shake out – but gdamn, Oil are scratching him lots lol.
Would be nice to pump him a bit, perhaps for a another piece at the deadline.
I was so excited when we got Cole, after watching him be a big part of the team that broke our hearts…
Same.
I recall the Oilers signed him with the intention of playing him in the opposite wing, never told the player about it, and apparently didn’t know which wing he played until after they signed him. Management making uninformed decisions and not putting players in positions to succeed.
That’s the Lowe-MacT era in a nutshell
Being the devils advocate suppose Klingberg signs with Toronto again and plays reasonably well for next to nothing. Then we all freak out that Stan didn’t sign him. Lets give him a chance and see what he does.
Dreger:
I don’t disagree at all
OP, did Klingberg have double hip surgery? Seem to recall that was the case. Thanks in advance.
That’s what Jim Matheson said. I read that too. That was the first I’d heard of it; I assumed it was just one. I suppose if that’s the case he will be well balanced on both sides. Bonus he won’t need to get the other done later.
As far as I know it was “hip resurfacing surgery” – what Patrick Kane had.
Not only is it the hip resurfacing surgery Kane had, it’s with the exact same specialist Kane saw. Kane is by far the most successful example of a player returning after this surgery. Klingberg reached out to Kane and asked him a bunch of questions and then saw the same specialist for the surgery.
I think it’s worth noting that Kane returned from his at age 35 too, while Klingberg is only 32. Although, no doubt Kane is a more supreme talent and elite players tend to play more successfully for longer in their careers.
In light of previous discussions about the cap, my understanding is that the accrued cap and LTIR portions – should Kane not come back before playoffs – cannot be used on the same transaction. In other words, the oilers might be thinking this was the best use of their spare cap room and then they will look to make a significant add with their LTIR reserves at the deadline.
There’s a certain logic to it. There’s still a half season to go, so maybe he can get back to third pairing shape by playoffs. I wouldn’t count on him being effective in the top 4 though
I agree with this, 100%.
I believe they are looking to fit Klingberg in to their projected deadline cap space – normal course cap space. They would need to fit in just under half of the $1.7MM AAV.
If they are able to do that, they will have pretty much the entire $5.1MM (less $53) of LTIR at the deadline.
I’m seeing a lot of references to J. Brown over this Stage 5 Klingberg signing.
I don’t think this impacts Brown’s role much at all. The dman they’re upgrading is Stecher.
It does not impact Brown’s role but Brown will almost assuredly get sent down. Much more likely Stetcher gets claimed. Also, Stetcher is cheaper to carry on the roster.
They may be thinking about upgrading both. Stecher is a better puck mover than Brown, but Brown is 6’5 & 225.and they value that. So, it’s one or the other. It’s complicated.
not concerned about Brown being claimed and if I were I still wouldn’t be concerned). Right now Stetcher’s the one you keep clear of waivers to preserve depth.
I would be surprised if they wanted to move Stecher off the roster over Brown and, even more, Stecher would be subject to waivers (and likely claimed at league min for this year and next) and Brown doesn’t need to be re-waived yet.
The only way one of 14/2/25/27/49 come out of the lineup is if they’re hurt/need a maintenance day. If Brown is vying for a spot in an NHL game, he’s up against Stetcher (and now Klingberg) for ice time on any given night as the 6D. That’s good for the team because it adds more competition and probably pushes Brown down the depth chart. All 3 are RH shot too, although Coffey is fine playing certain players on their off side.
I can’t see the oilers putting brown out there in a playoff game if Stetcher is the only alternatibe. And if Klingberg has something left in the tank and can emerge as better option than both of Stetcher/Brown, that’s also good for the Oilers. Who knows, maybe Coffey can unlock something, he’s gotten the best out of the Oilers D this season
Connor Carick has been GREAT for the Condors this season:
I think the players are all rooting for him. Ekholm & Klingberg might have some history also. This has potential for success, but at the same time it’s questionable.
This Klingberg signing just getting worse and worse. Why would you give him a signing bonus
I’m unsure of the downside, as noted below with the Oilers under the cap, ie. Down Goes Brown, Klingberg will have a cap hit of 824K according to Puckpedia.
While his upside is likely limited to solid depth at most, I truly fail to see much risk in this signing.
No, Klingberg will have a cap hit of $1.73MM, however, once the Oilers get back out of LTIR, they only need to account for the portion of the season that player will be on the roster (apx 45%).
This is just like acquiring a player that has a $1.73MM cap hit via trade.
You’re both right! Gregor was going over this today. It’s 824k while we’re not in LTIR and 1.73M while we are in LTIR. And the cap is calculated on a daily basis. So his impact on the cap varies depending on the Oilers cap situation.
I guess but its $824k in the same manner than acquiring a player in trade at this time would only be half their cap hit or that trading a player out would only be trading out half their cap hit – normal course pro-rating (accrual).
I think using that $824k number would be misleading to most trying to understand the cap implication of the move.
I’m not in love with the Klingberg signing but am OK with it as long as they can fit the pro-rated portion of the $1.73MM cap hit under their normal course cap for the rest of this season so they still have the entire $5.1MM of LTIR space available.
Even though I don’t love it, I don’t hate it and am intrigued by how the player does.
Lets not forget, he’s only a few years removed from being offered a $60MM deal (which he turned down) and signed a 1 X $7MM deal. Even his most recent contract was $4MM.
I know he isn’t a locked down defensive guy but the Oilers’ system seems to work with any d-man and he was somewhat recently a very respected d-man.
Some (many) think a mobile puck mover is the right type of partner for Nurse so lets see how this goes for the next month.
He was not good his last few years but, of course, he was battling his hip issues. He’s had a major surgery but others have come back from this surgery “fixed” – see Patrick Kane.
If he’s “fixed”, he’s reasonably likely a better player than he was in Toronto and Anaheim.
I think.
This^
Came here to point out the same. To me, he’s the Evander Kane experiment in 2025. The Price is a tiny bit steep but not a bad bet, by any means. He cost no assets but cap space.
FLA had OEL, this could end up looking like that.
They are going to have to get him to focus on the D. They don’t need him to run a PP or score 50 pts a season. He just needs to make smart plays and make good outlet passes? And handle mostly bottom 6 forwards
Bowman is trying to be creative we have basically no prospects after Holland traded anything of value. How long traditionally does it take to get up to speed after Klingberg type injuries? We are in a position now with our record to build for the playoffs. Let’s see if Philip has game if Savoie continues his good play bring him up and let’s see what we have. If Skinner isn’t in the plans let’s pump and dump him to a Eastern playoff team as long as teams see he still has the hands they will come calling (Rangers-Canes etc
Haven’t seen Klingberg play a lot recently – I remember a lot of chaos but some great offensive results. There’s very little downside and the opportunity cost of this move is basically nothing. If he’s horrible over the next 10 games they can waive him and he’s someone else’s problem, or he’s organizational depth that doesn’t count against the cap in the minors (I think?).
However, if he’s better than “upgrade on Josh Brown”, that’s valuable, and his skillset could be a good match for his the oilers play and it will be interesting to see how they use him. Coffey has been great working the D and has been able to get good offensive contributions out of them. If Klingberg is deployed effectively (maybe soft parade opposition with Edm’s bottom 6?), he might be able to meaningfully help the oilers depth units possess the puck more and hopefully score more.
Maybe he stinks but it’s a good guy to have fighting for the #6D spot on a team aiming for the cup and providing depth.
A worse Evan Bouchard? Swedish Marc-Andre Bergeron? Who knows but let’s wait and see, today’s a good day.
If he’s a swedish MAB let’s please keep him away from the goalies just to be safe …
Its $1MM salary plus signing bonus of $350K and the signing bonus vs. performance bonus is MUCH worse for this year’s cap (but won’t effect next year).
Signing bonus hits the cap straight up but it hits the cap higher if the player signs in season – its pro rated.
Kling gets $350K for just under half a season so, for cap purposes its pro-rated to just over double and is apx $730K on the cap for a total (annual) cap hit this season of $1.73MM. Of course the Oilers only need room to fit in just under half of that if they are in LTIR (that is “accrual”).
If they can fit it under their regular course cap space, they will still have almost $5MM at the deadline via Kane’s LTIR.
They’re $965,711 over the cap with Klingberg. Just send Josh Brown back to Bakersfield.
Or if Klingberg would agree to a conditioning stint in Bako. Which might not be a bad idea.
Important LTIR vs. regular course:
PuckPedia
@PuckPedia
Gee whiz. I wonder how they could drop their cap space by $3M?
The bonuses are obviously annoying but I don’t hate the Kling signing. Close to zero downside. If he still has game then the team can save assets at the deadline. If he is toast (very likely) they can bury his contract.
It’s just a signing bonus of $350,000, no performance bonuses.
That’s MUCH worse for this year.
It makes the cap hit $1.7MM as opposed to $1MM
Yep. Disregard the above. The bonus is brutal.
The Klingberg signing is interesting. It’s a peek into how Bowman sees hockey and the team
Apparently better puck movement is a key. I suppose they can also add better net front defensive play as well, seems to me that needs some help especially for Kulak when he’s not with Nurse. Brown is pretty good at that I thought, but the rest of his game isn’t SC contender level
I like that he is exploring all available cost effective options before throwing assets around at the deadline.
That said, I don’t think Kling is an NHLer anymore. Missed a season. Was on the decline before.
If you are suggesting the Oilers may replace Emberson I find this highly unlikely.
I think he’s suggesting they can add another defenseman of the shutdown variety, an upgrade on J Brown.
Good grief Cowboy Bill. SS expressly wrote “add better net front defensive play as well, seems to me that needs some help especially for Kulak when he’s not with Nurse.”
Does that sound like Brown? How often is Brown playing regularly with Kulak when Kulak isn’t with Nurse? Sure sounds like Emberson to me.
Looks like he can still be waived thankfully. Not a great contract IMO.
Puckpedia would disagree. Yikes!
Evander Kane, Corey Perry, John Klingberg.
Mid-season acquisitions that cost nothing but money, and not very much at that.
One of these things is not like the others.
We don’t know that yet
We do. Neither Perry or Kane were coming back from major surgery. They had contracts terminated for off-ice issues.
Connor Brown worked out well in the playoffs.
How is this related to the original post? Also, Brown was around for training camp and played an entire regular season.
Now watch Stan Bowman go get Simon Nemec from Jersey. I’m willing to include John Kilngberg in the deal. A real “hockey” trade.
I don’t mind the Klingberg signing.
It’s basically a free look at a player, who’s motivated to join a contender.
I’m sure he knows that nothing is guaranteed in terms of playing time and role. He has to show up and perform or this is likely his last stop in the NHL.
We used to have to pay 3rd round picks for these kind of playoff depth picks (see Mike Green). Now these guys come for free hoping to hitch their wagon to a contender. That alone is a welcome change.
NHL depth looks decent now:
Ekholm
Bouchard
Nurse
Kulak
Emberson
Klingberg
Stecher
Brown
If Klingberg doesn’t work out, then they can permanently move Kulak to 2RD and go get Mario Ferraro from the Sharks.
Unless Klingberg instantly returns to 2018 form, I doubt the plans for acquiring a 2RD at the deadline have changed.
I like the signing too. A lot of potential for him to beat out Stecher and Emberson as a 3rd pair upgrade, and no risk if he’s not.
100%. Klingberg is not the solution at 2RHD. Although I would love it if he become like Duncan Keith: hate at time acquisition but performed nicely.
Klinger appears to have a number of friends and fellow countrymen on the team, so that certainly helps. Could be an absolute steal. Could be a bust.
Either way, I’m intrigued!!
$1M pro rated (so like 500K) and 350K bonus. Should be infinitely bury-able. It’s free, give it a test drive, who knows.
What does pro rated mean?
Contract is $1M for a full season, but with around 55% of the season completed, the Oilers would only be on the hook for around 45% of that 1M. At least that’s my understanding. That said, I’m the last person who should be answering cap questions lol
I was wondering if it was a one-way or two-way contract. But it probably isn’t even relevant.
Actually per PuckPedia and Gregor it’s more complex and a higher cap hit:
@JasonGregor
Klingberg prorated $1m base and $350K signing bonus. The bonus is signing not performance so it counts this year. He’s essentially $1.74m in cap space due to mid season SB. Oilers Can see how he does for next six weeks and decide if they want more RD depth. *** addition*** It’s a contract with a cap hit of 1.74M. If they’re in LTIR it uses up the full $1.74m. If they’re under the cap then only $824K (actual cash he is taking home) will count against their cap.
The bonus hits the cap at over double. He’s getting a $350K signing bonus payment for just under half of the season so it gets pro-rated to what it would be for a full season for cap purposes, plus the $1MM base for an AAV this season of just over $1.7MM
Thanks for explaining why the bonus counts at double.
Deal for the Kling of Klings is $1M pro-rated + $350K in bonuses:
https://thescore.com/nhl/news/3192951
One hopes that with his hips, he doesn’t make like the Police and become the Kling of Pain.
As Shakira once said; the hips don’t lie.
Agreed. Don’t want it to end Tragically.
Huey hopes we’re not fitting a round peg into a square.
The Athletic has the Oilers up to #2 in their power rankings (behind only WSH) and I think they are full value for that ranking.
#1 on Moneypuck.
https://moneypuck.com/power.htm
Thank you.
Washington is running a red hot PDO, at 1.041 all situations. The only team hotter is Winnipeg at 1.042.
Edmonton is at 0.999.
The Caps 5v5 scoring isn’t impressive IIRC. Good team but
My hope is the Oilers finish high enough and the Caps and Jets get knocked out and they have home if they can progress
So similar to the Canucks last year?
I laughed pretty hard last night at Perry snd Kulak reaction after Kulak goal. They both looked bewildered.
Oilers making like Star Trek ‘coz they’re about to get their Kling on.
That must be a kling.
This seems more like the starship Titanic finding another berg to wreck on.
If this is a depth signing that teams throw a 3rd round pick at trade deadline for expiring depth d fine. But of this is for a 2 Rhd. Blahhh
You’re about to receive an email from gene.principe@sportsnet.ca asking for permission to use your joke.
We already had the captain, Pickard. Now we have a Klingon. McDavid can be Number One. For the analytical Data, I’m thinking Knoblauch. Who’s Counselor Troi always advising caution? That’s us, the blog!
Uggggh not Klinberg
https://x.com/jfreshhockey/status/1880335524537463132?s=46&t=VKZ79-9hN-xwMNTBjohq7w
the on ice equivalent of playing with your goalie pulled
The D version of Jeff Skinner. Because that’s working so well.
Now that I see the terms I’m not fussed. The can send Brown down and run Klingberg in the 6/7 spot until the deadline and it has virtually no effect on the cap situation. At that point they go out and get a real top-4 guy. No harm done.
Doesn’t the 350K bonus go on next year’s cap ?
Jason Gregor
@JasonGregor
Klingberg prorated $1m base and $350K signing bonus. The bonus is signing not performance so it counts this year.
He’s essentially $1.74m in cap space due to mid season SB. Oilers Can see how he does for next six weeks and decide if they want more RD depth.
*** addition***
It’s a contract with a cap hit of 1.74M. If they’re in LTIR it uses up the full $1.74m. If they’re under the cap then only $824K (actual cash he is taking home) will count against their cap.
Jfresh and his cards also had Duncan Keith rated as one of the worst defenseman in the NHL the season before the Oilers traded for him. Whatever you think of Holland’s use or lack of use of leverage in the trade and in terms of what they gave up, Keith was an excellent 2nd pair defenseman for the Oilers. The assessment of defenseman purely with public shot data from the NHL is even more inadequate than it is for assessing forward play.
Not saying Klingberg is repeating that experience, but a) Coffey and Knoblauch don’t have to play him if they assess his play and its not good and b) Klingberg reportedly was having hip issues throughout that whole time period.
high minute D on bad teams tend to have bad numbers. He hasn’t been on bad teams
He played for Anaheim for most of 22/23 the mid-year in jfesh data, and they were the worst team in the NHL. At the deadline he got traded to Minnesota and played pretty well for the Wild, but was injured to open the playoffs. However, in the 4 games he did play, he led the Wild D in points and GF% despite playing hurt.
I’d be curious to hear how you weight data from the models of the likes of JFresh and Dom. Not Yost, though; he’s a clown.
I respect the hustle, that they go out and build models and test and assess the results and continue to tweak the models to be current/relevant.
But the more I see them over time I just see a gimmick used to foist a narrative/brand.
Hopefully he can be an innings eater. Take some minutes off of Ekholm, etc.
A friend and vendor of mine who lives just outside of Denver sent me his trip report to the game. He hadn’t been able to see McDavid play live until last night.
He’s a big hockey fan and a great guy. Been talking hockey with him for over a decade.
I thought his report was great and thought I’d share it (with permission)
Well I must say, it was quite amazing to watch. Your team really has it going. Might be the best overall team I have ever watched. Championship window is wide open in EDM country. I recall how you said that watching McDavid live is something to see and be blown away by and that just might be a modest understatement! I almost cheered when he scored the tying goal – I came into the game hoping to see McDavid score, so now I have that under my belt and I don’t think I have ever been to a game with that much talent. Draisaitl is truly a beast as well – he was absolutely robbed of 2 goals. He also takes part in getting beneath the opponent’s skin! MACK’s shot at the hatty clanged off the post, so it was an exciting game, but, of course blowing a 3-goal lead is a somber situation for the losing team.
Avs have been playing this way for at least 3 weeks now – they’ve been getting points in spite of glaring lapses because Blackwood is able to keep the opponent held to no more than 2 goals. That doesn’t work with EDM – even on the second of a back-to-back set on the road. EDM’s first goal with under a minute left in the first filled the arena with the gloomiest forebodings! We do have some guys out there who belong in the minors – Keaton Middleton: He had this highly-worried look on his face the entire time. The speed of the game was way over his head. Mittelstadt: no shot attempts. Parker Kelly: I do like his energy and hustle, seems like he should get rewarded a bit more. I guess he has some NHL history – not really sure where he came from – I’d bet you would know.
Saw a lot of jerseys in the crowd – a Scott Mellanby of all things. Didn’t know he ever played for the Oilers!
In any case. It was truly great to see your team play live in its present form. Truly unforgettable. I have been blessed to see a very good many of the game’s greatest players, and last night was a huge add-on.
Oilers for the Cup this year!
Awesome.
Yes, Scott Mellanby wore #19 for the Oil briefly.
Mellanby was an Oiler for 2 years, acquired in the Jari Kurri trade, lost to Florida in the expansion draft of 1993.
Hw wore #19 both earlier & later in his career, but as an Oiler he wore the #27 that at other times adorned the very large frames of Dave Semenko, Georges Laraque, Dustin Penner & Milan Lucic.
Outstanding. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, Mellanby was the return for Kurris rights. I remember being pleasantly surprised with him and then pissed that they let him go.
If Klingberg is signed for $1MM or less (preferably $775K) with no performance bonuses, then I’m fine with it.
I have little doubt that he can positively impact the lineup better than Josh Brown so I’ll take him on the roster as a Josh Brown replacement.
If there are material bonuses that will vest without issue (i.e. 10 games played), I will NOT be pleased.
Josh Brown still has that size advantage that the Oilers value.
Klingberg in peak form is the perfect stylistic compliment for Darnell Nurse’s game.
So we’ll see what kind of form he’s in.
I’m hoping for an OEL-type resurgence.
Dreger reporting Klingberg to Oil
Still? Or are there some facts to back him up?
If this is true, I hope people are ready for a worse version of Bouchard. Frankly, I don’t think this is what the team needs. He’s fine as a 7 but, if the intent is to play him with Nurse, than lord help us all.
It would be nothing more than a show us what you got sort of thing. Good luck to him.
What are the cap implications if the oilers don”t like “what he’s got”?
They should be able to waive him and send him to Bakerfield once he clears. But details of his contract aren’t known yet.
So if you don’t know that cap implications how can you claims this is no risk to the Oilers if Klingberg has nothing left?
You have had this ‘no harm no foul’ approach to this since it was reported a few days ago without any knowledge of the cap implications.
Podkolzin has 15 points at 5 on 5 in the last 25 games. That is solid production and is 40th in the NHL, tied with Tavares and Brock Nelson and Wyatt Johnston and Filip Forsberg and Jake Guentzel and Artemi Panarin and few more of similar stature.
My hope is that he develops into a young Zach Hyman – decent production (15-20 G, 40-45 pts) while maintaining his defensive chops and physical play.
Prospectorous!
A dectet of NAmateurs would take the ice but for Clattenburg, who has been assessed a 3-game suspension. Having served 1 game already, he is eligible to return Friday next.
Flint (Day,
Clattenburg) @ 5 p.m.London (O’Reilly, Nicholl) @ 5 p.m.
Boston University (Lachance, Copponi) @ 5 p.m.
Vermont (Määttä, Münzenberger) @ 5 p.m.
Notre Dame (Fischer) @ 6 p.m.
Muskegon (Berry) @ 6 p.m.
All times are two times and are also Notikewin time.