Raphael Lavoie played his first game for the Vegas Golden Knights last night, spent it on a line with Brett Howden and Jonas Rondbjerg. The line went 16-4 Corsi events, 0-1 goals with an 80 percent expected goal share.
Fates can be decided on such contrarian outcomes, with the real truth flying by the men and women in power. It’s just one game, and Lavoie probably gets a few more chances. Will the tumblers click for him? Don’t know. I’ll cheer for him, though, just as I have every young player who passed this way.
The Athletic article today is about trading with the Bruins. It is here.
CHANGE OF SCENERY
Lavoie started slowly for Vegas, he couldn’t hit the ocean for the Henderson Golden Knights. In his most recent 11 games there, Lavoie went 7-4-11 and that included 38 shots. Any fool who followed his career knew that Lavoie’s hammer shot was going to be a key to finding the NHL as a regular. I have zero idea if he’ll get another game, but this is his chance, and he did post a HD chance last night. We’ll see.
Sometimes a player needs a change of scenery. Remember Marty Reasoner? He found the role planned for him (two-way center) by Craig MacTavish to be decidedly unattractive, but when he was waived through the league had a change of heart.
There are times (Marc Pouliot) when a player balks at a change of role, and that often means a fresh start with another team.
In Edmonton this season, Vasily Podkolzin is an example of a player who wore out his welcome in one city and flourished in another. Dylan Holloway was an effective player in Edmonton, but he is enjoying a new level of success with the St. Louis Blues.
The questions I always ask in these cases is this: Did the ice time and opportunity change, and can the player sustain current performance?
During his Van City career, Podkolzin averaged 11:28 per game at five-on-five, and 1.22 points-60 in the game state. He delivered a 51 percent goal share. This year? 54 percent goal share, 12:27 per game five-on-five and 1.83 points-60. Playing with Leon Draisaitl is the biggest difference and that’s a big damned deal. Podkolzin got lucky, but he’s also delivered.
Holloway averaged 9:46 at five-on-five, with a 1.17 points-60 and 49 percent goal share in his Oilers career. If anything, Holloway’s road to playing time in Edmonton was even more of a climb than Podkolzin would have faced in Vancouver. The Oilers don’t use young players very much. In St. Louis, with a full force gale of opportunity, Holloway is averaging 13:54 per game, 2.12 points-60 and a 61 percent goal share. Holloway got lucky, but he’s also delivered.
Is that kind of bump available for Lavoie? Probably not. Why? It’s the boots. It’s always the boots.
On the Lowdown today, Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey will pop in to talk about the Oilers. I’ll ask him about Evan Bouchard’s season, we will chat about Podkolzin (I’m going to ask if there’s a player from Edmonton’s past who reminds him of Podkolzin) and we’ll generally chat about the Oilers at the deadline. Declan Krueger’s Declanations will feature NBA chatter, and we’ll have lots of opportunity to read your texts. 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.
A wild shot by the Henderson player from the left point goes all around the boards and Savoie wins the battle with the other Henderson d-man at the right point and goes in on a 2 on 1 – a shot of the pads and Caggiula bangs in the rebounds.
3-1 Condors with 13 minutes to go.
1G/1A for Savoie
It’s over. The steak is over.
Savoie with the Condors first PP goal at home this season.
Griffith rips one from the circles and the rebound is buried by Savoie from the left circle.
Bob either suggesting that Saad is on the way or trying to will it into existence. Never can tell which.
Is Bob the guy who kept calling for Drew Stafford to become an Oiler for like 8 years in a row?
Brent Seabrook was the drum I remember him playing most.
Pretty sure that was Jim Matheson
I can easily see Saad moving onto the Oilers. If the Oilers have room for Kapanen they have room for Saad.
I have no idea if that will actually happen or if it’s a good idea. Haven’t payed any attention to Saad.
But he’s only 32, and NHL edge has his top speed in the 53rd percentile, and he’s in the 77th percentile for speed bursts over 20 mph. So he’s not terribly slow or old.
1 year removed from 26 goals, but he’s got below average shot speed and shooting percentage.
Jeff Jackson (on Kyper and Bourne):
1) early in the season most said we would need a top 4 D but that sentiment has changed as the D-group as a whole has played very well. Coffey and coaching staff has them playing with confidence. They are all interchangeable.
2) Yes, there is a hope that Klingberg can be a top 4 D – “why not”? Will take him some time but he was a heck of a player and it wasn’t that long ago – have some time to asses how he plays. Hoping he’s a player that can really contribute.
3) Probably adding some size lower in the lineup – something we are looking at.
4) Timing with Kane still up in the air. Knee set him back 2-3 weeks from his hip rehab. Works with the staff every day. On the ice yesterday. Its a slow process. We’re optimistic he can come back and contribute but don’t know from a timing perspective.
5) Yes, the Logan Thompson deal is potentially a comparable – its a marker, for lack of a better word.
6) Maybe not getting named to Four Nations is best for Skinner – he’s going to have a heavy workload and just had a baby, etc.
After they finish with Jackson, the two just gush over Leon.
In other hockey news…
Utah has announced the next step in its pursuit of a nickname Wednesday, and fans will now vote on three finalists:
This round of in-arena voting will take place during the club’s next four home games, starting Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The survey, which will be administered at iPad stations set up throughout the Delta Center, will also allow fans to vote on two logos.
The Wasatch is a mountain range in Utah, and 85% of the state’s population currently lives within a 15-mile radius.
The name wasn’t one of the initial six finalists but now replaces “Yeti.”
Maughan said “Wasatch” provides an opportunity to incorporate a mythical creature in the design – which is what made “Yeti” an attractive option to fans – while also being “Utah-centric.”
What do we know about the logos?We don’t yet have a clear idea of what the logos look like, but Maughan provided some hints.
On the survey, “Utah Hockey Club” and “Utah Wasatch” will share the same logo, while “Utah Mammoth” has a separate one. In the first case, the logo is known as the “Mountain Defender” and will feature a mythical creature, while the second will be of a mammoth.
Is Utah hockey club like a soccer thing? I don’t personally understand the draw to that name.
Yuck.
Plural names ending in ‘s’ work best – sports teams need to stop avoiding them.
I dunno, they work well in certain situations.
Lighting
Avalanche
Kraken
Heat
Magic
But these names for UTA are bland at best. I thought Yeti or Blizzard were better, but they weren’t approved by the league from what I read elsewhere.
Yetis and Blizzard were rejected by US patent and trademark office. Yetis seemed to be the runaway favourite for months, but now it seems they’re choosing from the leftovers…
I don’t like any of those as sports team names to be honest.
The Utah Caffeine-Free Coca-Colas. Hahaha.
I remember when the Toronto Rock became a thing…all downhill from there.
As with most things – MLB does it right.
I don’t know if I’d cite the league most declining in popularity as the one that ‘does it right’.
It’s about the sport – not who has the best TV show.
No cap – check.
Can still have a dynasty – check.
Big TV and internet money without messing with the game – check.
Historically relevant statistics – check.
All teams plural ‘s’ teams except the Red Sox and their profound need to always be overcompensating – check.
If you’re a “sports fan” (read: you’re looking for a tv show about sports), you probably like the NFL best.
If you’re team-based (as you should be), MLB is easily the best of the majors.
I’ll respectfully disagree, though I do enjoy watching MLB.
No cap is killing the league, it’s all about where players can make the most money and not team building (see Dodgers last 2 offseasons or the Yankees history) compared to teams who drafted and developed like the Athletics.
You can buy a dynasty- check
I’m not sure how the MLBs historical statistics are any more or less relevant than other sports. Baseball strategy and training has changed drastically over the decades like all sports.
I don’t care about nicknames
I’m not an NFL fan as it feels to “American” and a production instead of a sport, there I agree with you. (Though they know how to grow a sport).
But those are terrible names.
Why they would want to name their team after a Himalayan creature makes no sense. The North American mythical mountain creature is Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Unless they were wanting to name themselves after an insulated mug😂. Maybe that explains the trademark issue.
Pretty sure the trademark protection doesn’t extend to companies who conduct business in different industries. Such as Delta plumbing fixtures and Delta Airlines, among others.
Man, from someone who doesn’t really care, I gotta say those are horribly disappointing.
Personally, once I heard that Utah is actually known as the “Beehive State” and their state insect is the honeybee I felt something like the “Utah Buzz” or “Swarm” should have been a no brainer…I mean who does’t love bees? Also badass potential for logos/mascots! Picture a Nail Yakupov silhouette? Beautiful!
Also, arena Nickname could’ve be the Hive….so much opportunity lost IMHO.
Would have been the bees knees.
Oh well, c’est la abeille.
Could hire Eakins and run the swarm on defence.
Derek Ryan centres Griffith and Wright.
Coach mentioned earlier in the week they he’ll PK with Savoie and I love that.
No one else returns except Carrick who was on leave dealing with the death of an in-law parent.
We know Pederson is done for the year after shoulder surgery and Jarventie likely as well after knee surgery yesterday.
Both Wanner and Petrov are coming along from their head issues but neither will be back before the AHL all-star break.
Delia starts tonight.
@kevinweekes
With the return of D Doughty to @LAKings lineup, D Clarke who leads the team in PTS by D appears to be a healthy scratch tonight. Perhaps Kings setting up a move with is ice time diminishing
Clarke hit the ground running, er, the ice skating, back in October scoring 11 points in 11 games. In the 3 months since, he has posted 5 in 14, 5 in 11 and 3 in 11 so far in January, so a continuous decline in point output. With the right shot Doughty back and clearly capable of handling a power play and driving 5 on 5 play, maybe not a lot of room for the young defenseman with only 72 games on his resume when his main calling card has been waning.
Surely the number only tell half the story; he is after all a HH Hall of Famer
Clarke was projected to win the Norris as early as 2 years ago and he’s fallen so far behind those expectations. Maybe if the Kings feel lucky, they can throw him away for a 2nd round pick like they did for Durzi.
The always disingenuous HH in a post that likely gets deleted would have you believe Brandt Clarke is just 21. Maybe if he’d said “is 21” he could defend it but the adjective “just” is pathological BS: Clarke will be 22 in “just” 10 days.
@FriedgeHNIC
Hearing Brandon Saad and the St. Louis Blues are working on a mutually-agreed contract termination
@FriedgeHNIC
Saad will walk away from his remaining salary this season and the $3.63M (cash) next year.
He wants to play in the NHL; both player and team felt this gave him the best opportunity to do so. Next year’s salary and cap hit ($4.5M) was a big hurdle for other teams
That is a lot of money to walk away from
Does anyone know why there’s no cap penalty for the Blues in this case? I’m guessing it’s because both sides are in mutual agreement about the contract being ripped up?
I don’t get it. I thought buyouts were the only way to get out of contracts. Then we see bahaviour cited as reasons in sanjose and chicago. Then las vegas arranges for lehner to miss his physical, and now its just because teams want to. Lets cancel skinners contract. Dont even give a reason.
A buyout is a one-sided decision and the player still gets paid (normally 2/3 of what’s remaining, 1/3 for players under a certain age – 23 comes to mind).
A contract termination is a mutual agreement and the player gets no further compensation – its rare for a player to give up what’s left on their contract).
The Oilers can cancel Skinner’s contract, if Skinner agrees – seems unlikely.
It is rare, that’s for sure, but seems like it happens in STL a lot.
@FriedgeHNIC
Grubauer (SEA) on waivers
That would be a great pick up for Edmonton, if some other team doesn’t pick him up first.
On a second look, No thanks.
Bowman is walking rock hard around the office all day with the news of his favorite player being available for free.
Connor Brown’s time may be coming to an end.
Could he be terminating his contract for that exact reason. The man can still skate has decent hands and most importantly is a playoff type player. I hope Saad plan all along was freeing himself to come to the Oilers and win a couple more Cups for himself.
Ekholm and Kap are sick which is why they weren’t at practice.
Coach would not commit to playing Klingberg tomorrow – said he needs to catch up with the medical staff still. Also mentioned that, if its not this week, it will be next week – again.
I hope he plays tomorrow.
Medically, after the surgery being so long ago, and him skating for months, and practicing for what, 7-10 days with the team now, if he’s not ready for Thursday, would he be medically ready less than 48 hours later for Friday?
The longer his tryout is delayed, the less valuable the flier taken on him becomes.
I believe someone called this possibility yesterday…
Too much nordic spa time together.
Just gonna plant the seed with the Rantanen rumour that it sounds like 97 may be amenable to a Shohei Ohtani-esque deal.
He has over 100M in the bank and no championships. 15×8 half deferred to 7.5M?
Gary would step in and we’d never see a draft pick again.
If his contract was 15*8 and he deferred 50% annually to years 9-16, based on the rough deferred salary math in the CBA, his cap hit would be somewhere between $12.5-$13 million per season or an cap savings of $2.0 to $2.5 million.
The deferred salary mechanism within the CBA is primarily a tax planning tool for US athletes. They may benefit from a lower federal tax bracket in the future compared to taking it now and move to a state with lower or no state income tax. I believe no such tax advantage exists in Canada. McDavid would likely have to start paying taxes on salary deferred within a year of deferral and several years before he would receive the deferred payment.
So he would be worse off tax wise and cash flow wise, and since the cap hit actually reflects the value he is actually being paid, he would be in true economic terms be compensated less than Leon.
Unless he moved to a low tax location (somewhere in the States say), in which case the deferral allows him to save a lot.
Ultimately, deferral is a nice thing if you have the ability to plan around it, but not helpful for the majority of players.
My understanding of deferred salary in Canada is that taxes have to be paid within the year from when it is deferred not when the deferred salary is actually paid. If McDavid signs a deal with the Oilers for $15 million per season in 2026 with half deferred ($7.5 million) and paid each year starting in 2035. So in season one of the contract, he will pay Canadian taxes (fed & prov) on the $7.5 million paid to him for the 26/27 season as he receives it, and then have to pay taxes on the $7.5 million deferred until 2035 by mid year 2027, 7 years before he ever gets the cash. He will continue to be a resident in Alberta when most of his taxes for the full term and salary of the contract would be due but won’t even have the cash from the salary to pay it until much later.
The US side is much clearer and the tax benefit well understood. If someone has a different understanding of the Canadian treatment on deferred salary I would be glad to hear it.
I was saying in 15×8 he defers $60M to years 9-16. Perhaps I’m doing the math wrong and not understanding.
I do understand the tax advantage part. While that is one of the main mechanisms based on tax residency, by all accounts that loophole will likely be closed. California is on it because of Shohei.
That said, the real and spectacular difference for 97 i think is negligible. He will make his money and he really already has. He’s set for many lifetimes.
If he wants a legacy, he could do something drastic to maximize his odds. I think he’d be open to it if you dangle Mikko Rantanen coming for his troubles. Or maybe not, but you’d be a fool not to ask the question.
$60 million is 50% of $120 million = 8 x 15 million. That is like saying in year 1 take 50% of my $15 million and defer it out 9 years same again in year 2 and so on. So stead of him receiving $15 million every year for 8 years, he receives $7.5 million every year for 16 years. That will show up on the Cap hit at the $12.5 – $12.75 million per season for 8 years.
The Oilers and he would get the exact same cap hit benefit and economic result, saying that they were paying him $15 million year, half deferred each year out to years 9-16 or just get him to agree to a 8 x 12.5 to $12.75 million deal.
The tax savings need to be huge and a sure thing to defer, if I’m advising a player.
Let’s say inflation on things you actually use runs about 6%/a, which isn’t far off and could easily be a low estimate going forward. We’re clearly not done with inflation yet regardless. Let’s take it as an example. That means in 12 years, or only three quarters through the deferred contract, that spending power is halved and continuing to compound negatively for another four years.
AND, you’ve forgone all investing of that money to inflation protect it, so there’s lost gains too.
For American players to access a completely income tax-free jurisdiction like the Caymans, requires repudiation of citizenship which then entitles the IRS to tax at a penalty rate and include assets. It’s similar to crystallization of estate when one passes.
And the possible tax savings could be legislated away at any time.
I don’t see deferral being very popular. Always take the lump sum Lotto jackpot, never the twenty year payout.
Been following hockey a long time, all those new stats, Corsi, expected goals etc. I won’t pretend to understand it all, for me it’s always goals, assists, and a very good determining factor of plus/minus
Chris Johnston mentions that Drew Doughty, MacKenzie Weegar and Brandon Montour are on Team Canada’s radar, along with Tanev.
As long as no more Oilers play this foolish mid season exhibition series I’m happy. Let other teams & players risk their bodies for this silliness.
I’m looking forward to watching the event.
Nope, not even close to the emotional investment that I will have for the Olympics but definitely looking forward to it.
Not having Russia involved makes the tournament fruitless.
Russia will almost assuredly not be participating in the 2026 Olympics – which, hockey wise, is too bad.
I do not consider this tournament one to conclude hockey supremacy but am still looking forward to watching.
per DNB:
Oilers lines and pairings at practice:
RNH-McDavid-Brown
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Arvidsson
Skinner-Henrique-Hyman
Perry-Janmark-Philp
Nurse-Bouchard
Stecher-Emberson
Kulak-Klingberg
Skinner
Pickard
Absent: Ekholm, Kapanen, Regula
Presuming Stecher is a placeholder for Ek, does this signal an interesting experiment:
Nurse/Bouch
Ek/Emberson
Kulak/Klingberg
Ek/Emberson is a PK pairing and Emberson may be deserving of some more responsibility…..?
It’s possible they try out Klingberg with all three LDs on the team starting with Kulak and working his way up.
There are generally no wrong answers with this forward group and the coach rarely stays with the same lines for even an entire game, but it seems odd to me that Brown gets rewarded with top line minutes after a poor game from him last time out.
And is Janmark really going to play center over Philp on that fourth line?
That fourth line doesn’t make much sense. Something must be lost in translation. IMO
Janmark-Philp-Perry gets the thumbs up. The top nine must be going for the balanced scoring look.
Bob is saying it’s
Nurse/Stetcher
Klingberg/Bouchard
Kulak/Emberson
I think we can all agree that not forcing Lavoie on to the opening night roster was the right move for the Oilers, right?
Should have waived Ryan and kept Lavoie on the roster after reclaiming him imo.
So, we would have had Janmark playing center all season long?
Lots of other options with 4 natural Centers on the roster aside from Janmark
Could have kept Philp up
There are always options and I would suggest that the coach much prefers, and has preferred, the options his GM provided as opposed to having Lavoie on his roster taking up a spot.
Ryan ends up on waivers and in Bakersfield anyway which was inevitable and predictable. Missed a chance to give another player a chance to show what he could do. Could have maximized the value of the asset. Easy decision
They missed no chance – they have seen what the player can do and, this season, in another origination he has taken no steps forwards.
Its been well established that the player had zero value and there isn’t a player on this roster that he would play over (and at least one in the minors he wouldn’t play over).
Yep. Not even a tough decision if you knew he was gone on waivers.
Doughty back in lineup tonight.
When will they get Kopitar back?
Somewhat facetious, but after a hot start to the season, Kopitar had 29 points in his first 25 games, he has only 14 points in the 22 games since. It slowed even worse in January with Kopitar only managing 4 assists in his last 11games. The Kings are 5-5-1 in those 11 games and an even a worse 2-5-1 in their last 8. Seems as Kopitar goes, so go the Kings.
Maybe his 37 years of age is catching up to him having carried the Kings on his back all these seasons. Well, shared the burden with the returning 35 year old Drew Doughty who is back to save the day.
Its not like the 2nd over all pick, now 22 has jumped in to take the reins much with his 23 points this season and also only 4 his last 11 games too.
Trading for Marchand would be the ultimate all-in move, but man the acquisition cost would be steep and unless it results in Stanley this summer, it will probably be seen as a failure.
I honestly have no idea if I’d do it if i were Bowman, and not sure what the Oilers could offer, since there aren’t any plug-and-play young players on the roster the Oilers would likely make available, unless they wanted to offer 92.
Would 92 + a prospect (Savoie, O’Reilly, Akey, etc.) get it done? Who says no?
Boston
Crosby or Provorov would be the ultimate all in.
Imagine this: a healthy Kane, Perry still strong, and a Marchand. Pain-in-the-ass up and down the lines. It would make the Oilers a very difficult club to play against. Absolutely.
However, mortgaging the future for this is LT indulging in his private Bruins-Oilers fantasy team. Oilers, as you —LT— often point out, are already guilty of taking out that mortgage. Which means that a second mortgage puts them where your beloved Bruins are right now: aging out of contention.
I’m a firm No on this.
It would depend on assets out, but you’re correct that the Oilers have to be careful. I suspect the 2026 pick and a prospect would be the asset cost, probably to San Jose or similar.
Too rich? Death or glory.
Put them all on the same line and see if they can maintain a +4 penalty minute differential! That might be the most infuriating line in NHL history.
The future is not guaranteed! Remember when we used to talk about how many cups McDavid would win with the Oilers? That started 10 years ago. I’m doing whatever it takes to get #1. As LT said, death or glory.
Marchand is 36 years old, and the acquisition cost would too steep, as you said. If trading with Boston Trent Fredric or Mark Kastelic would make more sense IMO.
If it’s always the boots, why in the hell did Edmonton let McLeod, Holloway and Broberg get away?
Google “salary cap” and “mismanagement”
too much youth/speed. We all know old/slow wins championships!
Mcleod was captain fly by and swapped for a highly touted skilled prospect.
Holloway and Broberg were highly paid by a desperate GM and are already booking their Cancun vacations.
Foegele posted 0-0-0 with a high pay unless with Draisaitl and often pouted visually.
All were scratches by a head coach with a record of
119games 78wins 33losses 8otl 164pts 0.689win %
If it’s the boots keeping the player from the league, that lack of skill is just the final nail in the coffin.
Are you trying to tell us that these 3 players lack skill?
You keep going on and on about McLeods fly bys and yet I think most observers found him to be very responsible defensively. He may never score 20 goals in this league, but he can certainly play in a contending teams top 9. The Oilers could certainly use his puck handling and transporting skills right now. And his high end wheels.
Holloway certainly was an aggressive forechecker, and his puck skills were very evident last spring. He’s also a burner. What exactly did you not like about his game?
The Oilers are 3rd in the entire league standings, they are fine. Every team could use something that other players have or have traded away. They have value, that is why the Sabres traded for him.
The Oilers valued Henrique over McLeod, it’s not something I have an issue with. Henrique is a player with proven success over many years.
No one is saying that any of the players had 0 value. Cap space is part of why McLeod was traded and the player they received back has a much higher ceiling.
Holloways previous performance did not allow for the Oilers to pay him so much. He had not performed at this level and he probably wouldn’t if he was in Edmonton either, he wouldn’t have had the same opportunity as he does in St. Louis. He wouldn’t be on the PP, he wouldn’t be playing as much or as high in the line up.
I don’t buy the argument that Holloway wouldn’t get the same opportunities in Edmonton. His play would have forced the issue, much like it has done in St Louis.
People keep talking about Henrique and Skinner being proven players and that’s fair. But you also need to acknowledge the upside that Broberg and Holloway had. I mean you could literally see them both gaining confidence and ice time last spring. Even a casual fan should have noticed the leaps they were making.
By your reasoning they should never have replaced McLeod, a proven player, with a high end prospect like Savoie.
And how high end is Savoie? Is he tearing up the AHL? If he tops out as a middle 6 winger does he have more value than McLeod?
I think that story is yet to be written.
Never saw him pout even once.
What a jadded narrative.
Probably worth mentioning that McLeod, Holloway and Broberg’s teams aren’t going to make the playoffs let alone contend for the cup.
Also worth mentioning that the Oilers started the season 2-9-2 with Mcleod, Holloway and Broberg in the lineup so I don’t know why there is an assumption that they would have performed as well on the Oilers this year as they are on other teams. Maybe they would have performed similarly to how they did on the Oilers for the years they were here.
Sometimes players just perform better on other teams, even if the team they left is talented and the team they go to is also talented, like in Zach Hyman’s case.
I don’t think it’s worth mentioning at all.
Unless you think those players are the reason their teams will miss the playoffs.
I’ve seen a lot of discussion both on this site and online in general around the idea of players who play better on non-playoff teams.
I believe Jeff Skinner has been used as the posterboy for this idea. But some Oiler fans don’t like to think that Holloway and Mcleod could be examples of this as well.
I think all three are just that. Top line players for mediocre, palooka teams going nowhere but to the Lottery.
Looking forward to Klingberg lining up with Nurse at practice today. Fingers’ crossed.
Dreger says debut is likely Saturday.
Are they gonna trade Bouch? My gut is telling me it might happen (it’s a big gut with a lot to say). They better get it right if they do, gonna take more than Klinberg to replace him if that’s the plan.
Can’t imagine it’s even a real thought that has crossed management’s minds, no matter what Jordan Schmalz thinks.
He’s a top tier defenceman, who is unreplaceable. Trading him because he’s having a slight down year is a fire able offence.
If anything this is the offseason to sign him to an extension. The only way I’d consider moving Bouch is if he wasn’t the best player in the deal. There are some rumblings that if the Canucks go “nuclear rebuild” and trade both Miller/Petterson, Hughes might want out/be tradedas well.
Hughes for Bouchard+? would be the only type of move I could see them making involving Bouchard, and I think that’s a (very) unlikely move that we’ll see made.
Bouchard has to be extended/resigned or traded by the end of the offseason. He becomes an RFA on July 1.
I hope they don’t, but I’m sure they don’t want to leave themselves vulnerable to an offer sheet either.
What would be the compensation for Bouchard if let’s say numbnuts from St.Louis goes all in on him?
$9.16MM to $11.45MM Two firsts, a second and third-round picks
Over $11.45MM Four first-round picks
If a big physical D that can defend and pass with an elite mercurial puck moving offensive D destroys all comers, why not have two like that while you can afford it?
If JK rebounds he won’t be affordable next season, have to keep the the younger version to support the duo through the second half of their careers
The only wild card is Bouch thinks he worth more than 10
I hope you mean the only wild card is IF Bouch thinks he’s worth more than 10?
Yup
Over that there’s a decision to be made. Given the cap trajectory there’s wiggle room
They aren’t that dumb.
One of the best ‘trade and flourish’ examples I recall is John LeClair. The Legion of Doom was one of the greatest hockey lines in history IMO.
Any chance Klingberg draws in tomorrow?
Based on reports, there is a good chance.
Has he cleared his Visa issues yet? That was brought up by Rishaug the other day. It is always more complicated for European players who work on Visas than for Canadians or Americans (free trade agreement). Klingberg probably had a Canadian Visa to work in Toronto, but those Visa’s are usually employer specific and that contract lapsed.
He couldn’t apply for one till the day he inked the deal with the Oilers 12 days ago since a) he didn’t know for certain which country he would need a visa for and b) the employer has to sponsor the player to get the Visa. Also it was on a Friday afternoon. Not the best time to start a government process.
It is possibly further complicated than just a normal work visa for Canada, since he might need some US immigration clearance to play the road games in the US which would be different than the visa he would need to go play for a US based team.
My prediction is that Lavoie goes through waivers again this season. Would you claim him?
If the Oilers can get him back to Bakersfield, my answer is hell yes. They need help.
From the numbers it looks like there is a tweener in him at least. No harm in adding him back to Bako.
The Oilers would need to put him on waivers to try and send him to Bako.
Unless we have a legitimate path to the NHL I would not claim this young man
No.
1) long ways to go – he needs to play 9 more NHL games or be on the roster for apx 28 more days before he needs waivers again.
2) which player to send off the NHL roster to put him on? Sure, claim how to try and send him to Bako (i.e. putting him back on waivers).