Back in the olden days, the Edmonton Oilers could find a great hockey player at midnight in a snow storm. The victim was often the Toronto Maple Leafs, and often the player was named Smith (Geoff, Jason) and there’d be hell to pay in the Globe & Mail when the fleecing came true.
Peter Chiarelli found some players, notably Matt Benning and Drake Caggiula. Ken Holland found a few too, I’ll mention Calvin Pickard as a player who exceeded initial expectations.
Stan Bowman had real success in this area while general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers organization needs Bowman to uncover significant talents on value deals.
David Tomasek is 29, Atro Leppänen is 26, Alex Regula is 24, Quinn Hutson is 23, Josh Samanski is 23, Damien Carfagna is 22. Samuel Jonsson is 21, and the only Oilers draft pick I’ll mention here. We don’t know if any of these names will make an impact for the Oilers, and it’s unlikely any of them will emerge as a Jason Smith, but at the very tip of the story (we’ll know in training camp) the individual bona fides look more impressive than recent bets. Hey, maybe one of these cats will be Jan Hejda this time next year.
The Bruce McCurdy celebration of Life goes today, all information is here. I hope to see you! Have a great day, love your people.
New for The Athletic: Five Edmonton Oilers trade targets ahead of 2025 NHL Draft
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6440738/2025/06/22/edmonton-oilers-trade-targets-2025-nhl-draft/
Agree with Demko and have been mentioning him for a week or so.
Not sure the Nucks would trade him to Edmonton but he is clearly on the market (or should be).
The risk is clear – he could just be injured most of the time but that risk is only one more season and only $5MM and the back-up plan is that we have the same starting tender that we’ve had the last few years in Stuart Skinner – a goalie we know can play 55-58 games and have this team firmly in the playoffs (and can play most of the playoff games on a run to the SCF).
The upside is, well, top 5-10 starting goaltender.
Me too – he’ll be motivated in a contract season. I’ve seen Demko play the Oilers a bunch of times in Vancouver. He’s a clearly better goalie than Skinner, injury concerns and all.
Problem is you still need a 3rd goalie that you can play
I think that’s what Pickard is supposed to be
In the situation, Pickard is likely gone as I don’t imagine he slips through waivers at $1MM – he’s accomplished alot in the NHL since he last slid through.
But then Pickard is playing in the AHL instead of younger goalies.
Pickard would likely be picked up on waivers.
He’s accomplished alot in the NHL since he was last exposed – and from $1MM on the cap.
Yes, that. And also $5M being tied up in a goalie that can’t regularly play but not so injured he’s on LTIR. That’s a risky move. Too risky I think.
The Oilers will very likely be a cap team and, if Demko has another major injury (or re-aggravates a prior major injury) that likely opens up in-season cap space (of course, if Demko is out for the season).
I think the risk is actually quite low given the one year term and Skinner there to take over if injury hits – we know what this team can do with Skinner as the main – it can get them a long ways.
I’m surprised you think that risk is quite low. What makes you think that knee will be more reliable in 2025\26 than it was this past season? And if it isn’t, there is absolutely no guarantee that if it’s LTIR worthy.
The risk of paying 5M for an asset that can’t barely be used instead of using that 5M elsewhere is real.
I think the risk is low because:
1) is he’s healthy he’s very good and, if he’s not, history shows his injuries to be LTIR worthy. This is a one-year bet as well.
2) if he falters, the fall-back is a player that has started 55-60 games with success on this team – he can be 1A to the playoffs and even in a playoff run.
Could be another risk in that Demko was working/trying different techniques to prevent the knee issue. I can imagine that could also take time. Knowing how good he can be, I probably would still take a shot with him if price wasn’t to high
I think the risk of him not being available when you need him and having only Skinner is just too high
We have 2 Cups (Demko) with above average goaltending. No way is Bowman coming back with a netminder that needs a reset every fortnight. Hopefully it doesn’t cost us to much of a sweetner to rid ourselves of a average goaltender at best.
As per Demko (or any other player for that matter), the best ability is availability.You don’t win from the tub.
Is Carter Hart an improvement over Skinner or Pickard? Would he be a target for the Oilers, assuming he free to play again?
Sort of weird that the official announcement of the Frederic contract hasn’t come out yet, it sounded like it was a sure thing/imminent when news first leaked out (although that might have just been a premature leak).
I wonder (worry? hope?) if the delay is due to some medical concerns/issues passing a physical.
It would be ironic if the Oilers medical staff saved the Oilers general manager from an ill-advised signing …
Been reading your blog since 2005ish Lowetide and this is my first post. First off, thanks a bunch Lowetide for this blog – born and raised Edmontonian but I’ve lived overseas since 1999 and this blog has helped me stay connected to the Oilers and the city over the years and your insights into hockey, music, life etc are appreciated. I’ve been an Oiler fan since 1976 and the Rusty Patenaude, Smokey Mcleod days. The NHL is starting to lose me – the one-sided reffing, treatment of the Oilers franchise by the league, the pandering to sunbelt teams with small fanbases where hockey is more of a fringe sport. The Oilers revolutionized the game in the 80s and are a big reason for the subsequent expansion into non-traditional markets and a big salary league. Why does the NHL treat the Oilers like a chump franchise? Why such blatant game changing missed calls in the Finals? I’m starting to feel like its not worth watching anymore because the Oilers don’t really have a chance. I stuck with this team through ups and downs but now it feels pointless. Also, I think Katz hired the wrong people, beginning with Nicolson and too many mistakes have been made over the years by Chia, Dutch and Jackson. I’m not sure Bowman can overcome these mistakes. Maybe I’m still bummed by how the 2025 season ended but it feels like the Oilers have an impossible task to win the Cup that they must win with 97 and 29 – some of it there own fault but some beyond their control – its quite disheartening.
I know our season just ended and it still hurts. We also don’t have much cap space to wheel and deal with…but free agency is in about a week. Any wishlists out there?
I’d like Bowman to change the identity of the bottom-6 almost completely. Here’s my wishes:
1) Bennett – yep…by far best player available and best value (I’d pay him more than Marner). He’s the ideal player for any roster in the current NHL.
2) Pius Suter – has skill, grit and could be cheap. I always notice him on the ice when we play the nucks and a good bottom-6 player.
3) Andrei Kuzmenko – he was a catalyst for turning the LA PP around this year. We could use that change on our PP and maybe he finds chemistry with McDrai at 5×5.
4) The Rat – only if it’s 1mil x 2. It won’t happen but he’s an upgraded version of Perry…but smaller.
5) Reilly Smith – RH, big body that can score in the bottom-6. He performs in the playoffs and may also be cheap this year.
6) Jamie Benn – again, only on a 2 year deal at 2mil maximum. They have to take salary cuts to come play here and I doubt Benn does that.
It may look like I’m trying to get even older/slower this year…but really I just want greasier guys that play with an edge. But are also capable of scoring more than a collective 10 goals per year.
Not many young guys in FA that fit that bill this year…so who should we target to upgrade this team?
5) Reilly Smith is a LH shot.
I suspect any meaningful adds are more likely to come from trade than from free agency. But, as our host likes to say, your mileage can differ.
I know alot alot of people want bouchard on the team but he has a hard time playing his position as defenceman man. I would trade him and get a goalie. Hes an offense deman that had high value and Edmonton needs a goalie with a rfa R hand defenceman man going back. Bouchard these last 2 post seasons is not worth 10 million at all. Its disgusting.
Any player that wont produce 20 goals or 50 points shouldnt be paid more then 4 mill or near there. Only the NHL pays mid range money for .220 batting averages without being golden glove or defensive players
idk why Frederic getting near 4 mill is possible
Hockey management often fixates rather than evaluates.
The prime example being one Griffin Reinhart.
The Oilers current group appears borderline obsessed with Frederic being the solution. This is not good.
CapWages lists the following as estimated contract value for upcoming free agents.
Frederic: 2 x $3.448MM
Brown: 3 x $2.92MM
Perry: 1 x $965k
Kapanen: 1 x $936k
Klingberg: 1 x $2MM
Bouchard: 8 x $10.887MM
Slow, grey Sunday morning in Nanaimo. If it were Manitoba it would be moody.
Mushed Peas Team Rejuvenation Cream (just picture that green, healing salve):
Trade Ekholm Now for a younger top 4 RHD. Won’t be as good as Ek but someone good enough to cover the second pair right side and balance things out. Someone w a little term. No picks coming back b/c value too even. Might save cap to help chase a goalie.
Trade Kane walk Jinner. There’s Bouch’s raise and maybe Kane gets you bullets. See if you can talk Rico and Arvi into moving. lf Yes you’ve got breathing room, maybe more rounds for the draft.
Get Starter to bump Stu, or make Stu part of the trade and keep Pickles.
As per LT and others:
Ty and Philp under contract as depth, Savoie bursting through, all those possible incoming bodies and pickups and hopefuls, including Berezin.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Let simmer through 2025/26. Check results at Trade Deadline.
I wonder what team would be so interested in Ekholm that they are trading away a younger top RD? If that deal is out there the Oilers have to consider it.
Would have to be a contender (Ek rental), and would have to be young RD who hasn’t quite ‘popped.’ Must be something out there that’s a little better than Stech Ty Brown RHD by committee.
Maybe Ek’s packaged w a low round pick.
OR: Rebuilding team like Sharks trades youth for high value deadline vet. Health pending, no reason Ek couldn’t command a high pick at the deadline from team looking to push through or patch their blueline. Happens all the time.
I too think they should explore trading Ekholm … Bouchard does’t need Ekholm to anchor his own pairing. I wonder if Buffalo would consider Byram for Ekholm?
.
The approach of signing depth players to long term deals is a massive mistake. There’s no good reason to do it in the cap environment.
There could be – I mean, if there is confidence in the level of play over 3-4 years (or more), there is cost certainty and the contracts growing in to value contracts.
Of course, there is risk of it not playing out like anticipated on signing day.
Most thought that Holloway was ready to be a legit middle 6/top 6 forward coming out of the playoffs last year, right?
Holloway had 7 points in 25 playoff games.
Podz just had 10 points in 25 playoff games (and he helped on the PK, which Holloway didn’t last year – and he was more physical than Holloway was last year).
For those points, Podz played the most with Janmark and Arvidsson – 82 minutes with Drai.
For those points, Holloway’s most common linemates were Kane and Drai – 131 with Drai.
If Holloway was poised then, my goodness, Podz is poised, right?
Yep – he needs to shoot more though.
As much as I’d love to see Podz become a 70 point winger, I just can’t see it happening.
Nor can I but his playoff this season was more substantial than Holloway’s last season, materially, and with weaker linemates.
I doubt Podz will ever post a season statistically like Holloway just did. He doesnt have the hands
You conveniently omitted how many regular season games Holloway was allowed to play before the playoffs.
You conveniently omitted Holloway’s performance this season.
Always spinning a yarn to support your narratives. Holloway missed 21 games last season directly due to to a gruesome injury incurred on Nov 1, 27 games when you add in the 6 extra when he was sent to Bakersfield for a 2 week conditioning assignment following the injury and was back full time with the Oilers on January 20th until the trade deadline, missing one game due to illness. He then spent a month in Bakersfield after the Oilers picked up Henrique and Carrick up at the deadline before he was brought back up for the last 5 games of the regular season and every game of the post season. Part of his demotion was to get him a little more ice time to get back his touch and part was because he was waiver exempt and wouldn’t get claimed. That demotion cost him only 16 games out of the NHL season, the only games all year where he was out of the line up because other players were chosen ahead of him.
Neither have any relevance to the point on the post.
Some target that are young on or could be on a value contract.
Alexander Holtz
Carter Hart
Michael McLeod
Dillon Dube
Maxim Beryokin
Noah Philp
Lukas Reich
Brett Leason
Is that court case over, and are they now innocent? And are they UFs?
The court has not issued a decision and criminal trials do not establish “innocence”.
I can’t imagine for a single second that Stan Bowman even thinking about signing Carter Hart.
Why – Stan Bowman’s job is to make the Oilers deeper and better. Those players are distressed assets that are in their prime years and could be extreme value deals.
If he’s not considering it, then he’s not doing everything needed to win a Cup.
I think the reason is obvious and known to you.
Yeah it is – and I think it’s a total travesty that these guys have been singled out for doing stuff that junior players have been doing since forever, never mind other pro and college sports where it is much more rampant.
I saw much worse being done when I played junior. I don’t condone it, but I’m not bothered by it either, and I don’t think these kids deserve to be cancelled.
This comment probably belongs in another blog, and this topic could very easily become pretty heated.
I remember people feeling similar things when we got Evander Kane and Corey Perry. I was completely supportive of those moves as well.
People say they want the organization to do everything possible to win in the McDavid/Draisaitl window but then get squeamish whenever a player with a checkered past gets considered.
All they’d be doing is buying low. No different than Perry or Kane or McTavish.
And yes, I fully expect those players to be acquitted.
Who better to consider this than Bowman who has gone through his own moment of reflection in regards to these behaviours and has become an advocate for teaching players a better way?
Other fanbases will troll us on the internet … who cares? A year from now, people will have moved on from this to the next thing that has them outraged, and the teams that weathered through the slings and arrows of the virtue signalling keyboard warriors will have these players in their organizations under team control for free.
Without getting into any of the above considerations or debate, the NHL completed its own investigation and is holding onto that until the trial has concluded. Once the judicial verdict is released, even if acquitted, there could still be further action taken by the league. My point is, Hart may not be available even if a team wants to sign him.
This article is from Feb/24 but I don’t think much else has been released by the league because they don’t want to interfere with the legal proceedings.
5 charged with sexual assault in Canada WJC case | NHL.com
Sure – and I can see the league penalizing the Oilers for signing any one of those guys … just because.
Just because something has been done forever doesn’t mean that it should continue to be done, does it?
What you saw happen in junior doesn’t mean one iota with respect to what happened in this case. You weren’t there, you don’t know what happened – you don’t know if it crossed a line from, maybe immoral but not criminal to criminal.
Even if it didn’t cross the line in to criminal and they are acquitted (or it did cross the line and they are acquitted anyways), they are almost certainty not going to be eligible to sign NHL contracts in the next couple of weeks.
Even if they were, is Hart the right tending target. Sure, he’ll be cheap but how good has he been – the last four years:
27G – 0.877
45G – .905
55G – 0.907
36G – 0.906
Only one season with a true 1A workload and Stuart Skinner had almost identical save% in a few more games and has a 50G/0.914 on his resume.
Team matters but Hart has not been great since his first two seasons.
In any event, living in reality, I don’t see Stan Bowman, re-instated from a sexual assault scandal (although the reports show what he did was not akin to “covering up sexual assault), signing Carter Hart.
We know the org will sign Berezkin if they are able to.
The accounts of his KHL signing are, to my knowledge, still unofficial but, of course, we haven’t seen anything on an Oilers signing even though we know its something that Bowman wants to do (he talked about it with Stauff a few months back).
On the note of past Bowman draft picks, I wonder if Jokiharju might be someone Bowman looks at as a UFA. His skillset has similarities to Stecher’s (smaller, good skater, good passer, no shot threat) but he’s younger and not quite as small. Might be a better partner for Nurse. He’s not ideal as a 2RD, but he’s played the role to varying levels of effectiveness throughout his career. Further, my version of the D pairings would have the 2nd and 3rd pairings playing similar mins anyway.
He was a favourite of mine during his draft year and, coming off a down year, maybe he’d take at a cheaper deal to try playing with a good team for a change!
Is Walman not penciled in a 2RD?
2LD
Where is Nurse playing?
Another team – preferably one of our main competitors, so he can make one of those teams worse.
How much salary would you be willing to retain in a trade that say, just sends Nurse away for a seventh round pick.
They pretty much refused to play him at RD in the playoffs – really wanted to play Kulak on RD over him even with Walman having much better results with Nurse (during regular season).
wasn’t that because Ek was so injured and he and Klingberg were so successful? If Walman isn’t 2RD, which is what they acquired him for, then one of the 4D will be moved.
I think we can mostly agree that we don’t want Kulak at 2RD going in to next season but, at the same time, he was Nurse’s most common partner this playoffs and his second most common in the regular season (Stecher first).
The coaching staff clearly thought/thinks more of the pairing than the fanbase.
Not sure they acquired Walman to play RD – I think they acquired him because he is a very good 2-way hockey player with the versatility.
They pretty much refused to move him over to the right side over Kulak in the playoffs – I don’t know why but those are the facts, right?
Thinking of Bruce’s family and friends and all who are part of his celebration of life today.
Based on the rumors so far, it looks like we have 4.25M in cap for upgrades.
https://puckgm.puckpedia.com/rosters/693723
Just enough for the Hofer-sheet. Let’s go!
Excellent.
Work like this is why you got promoted to East Coast bureau chief.
good enough for mcdavid to re sign? lol
thats a good enough lineup to get to the second season with plenty of cap space for a top 6 winger
Just noticed, almost out entire LD are UFA at the end of next season. Ekholm, Walman, and Kulak. Whatever your thoughts on Nurse at least we will have one LD under contract at the end of the season.
My thoughts on Nurse is that he was the most overpaid underperforming Dman in the finals.
There are 20+ D men in the league who can perform the same 3rd pairing defensive duties for half the cost.
This all day long.
The closest player in the system that could possibly emerge as a bonified regular on a value deal is Emberson, possibly Savoie.
Philp? It’ll be his second year back playing and he got a cup of coffee last season.
Tall Anton Lander shows flashes of play making ability, he can pass & finds the odd shot.
We have yet to see him find the scoring range at the NHL level.
Do you believe he has a higher ceiling than an AHL/NHL tweener?
Im going to suggest O’Reilly. Start 4th line. Kind of like Lundell was brought along. If my memory serves me right.
Impossible for me to imagine O’Reily in the NHL next year – he’s not even age eligible for the AHL – tough to see a teenager on the roster.
I think Sam will be best served leading the London Knights as their key offensive driver (Barkley and Cowan and Dickonson all turning pro) and key all situations guy and leader.
Lundell was also higher pedigreed and had 3 seasons playign against men in Finland not to mention 20 to start his first season (O’Reily won’t turn 20 until its almost over (end of March))
Savoie should be a legit value contract for the next two season – based on AHL viewings this player is likely a top 6 complimentary NHL winger with a floor of a very good 2-way energy, PK, player.
These salaries speculated for Freddy and Brown are a bit much.
I keep reminding myself that the cap will be rising significantly over the next few years, so maybe $3 to $4 mil will be standard for 3rd line players?
Trying to stay optimistic. Overpaying is an Oilers specialty.
For good ones it’s already there. I looked at it the other day when a comment about guys that score can be had for cheap every year, turns out only when a guy has an outlier season like Gaudette, but he’s UFA so that will change
Pretty much only ELCs fringe players and older fellas will be 1M or less. Only Florida’s 4th line was. Bowman has to be bang on or move on quick finding players that help enough at low salaries as the team is going to be very top heavy
Build down the middle (we’ve been weak at 3C for years at least regarding playoffs), and then the HC has to make sure the team all play the system, that it’s the right system, so these low cap guys can help, just come in and know exactly what to do
For me it’s a reason why Maurice gets anyone doing enough, and the Oilers don’t get that enough. At this point they can go on runs playing well but it can disappear and a lot of the players also disappear or play poorly
If Two Mutts is right and Bouchard is looking for $10MM on an 8 year term, that is wonderful – I’ve been expecting the $10.75MM if no $11MM for full term – take that value deal and run!
Sign the man now – if that’s the number, then I imagine all that’s left to negotiate on is contract/bonus structure and NMC.
11 mil is reportedly what Dobson is asking for. If bouch is asking for 10 mil I wonder why he’s not signed already
It has only been 6 days since their season ended. Unquestionably the real negotiations only just got underway. Even if both sides are happy with an AAV in the $10 million range (and we don’t know if that is true), there are other significant elements that require negotiating.
The length is probably set at 8 years, but as Diablo noted, they still need to negotiate things like how much is paid each season, how much is bonus vs base salary and the terms of the trade protection clauses* (does he get full NMC for the entire contract or is there some time period where it switches to modified no trade (like Nurse’s deal instead of Draisaitl’s). These are very meaningful components of the contract for both parties.
Add in, Bouchard may be curious what McDavid is going to do before committing himself to this team for 8 years. Both might want to see how Bowman handles the draft and the first few days of free agency before finalizing themselves.
*feel free to criticize the Oilers for giving trade protection clauses, but everyone knows Bouchard’s next contract will have it, whether it is with the Oilers or any other team.
Correct me if I’m mistaken here, but RFA years cannot include trade protection, can they?
Correct – Bouch’s contract cannot have trade protection for the first two seasons.
You are correct. His contract cannot include trade protection for his remaining RFA years. I believe that means the next 2 seasons, so any clauses would kick in beginning year 3 to the end of the deal.
I’m excited about Regula.
If he is healthy and able to hockey train this summer (as opposed to rehab), from what I’ve heard, read and seen (admittedly haven’t seen much), there is an NHL player there.
I presume he’ll slide through waivers with the masses in October and may be a real in-season option.
Here is hoping.
Agree on all fronts except just concerned that the Bruins may simply choose to take back their guy on waivers.
I sure hope he pans out, including for the inevitable Gene/Tarkus puns that would arise. “He is a Regula whiz back there on D,” and so on.
Low-hanging fruit.
Gene can have that all to himself.
Heavy peach indeed. Come to think of it, has anyone ever seen Gene and Tarkus in a room at the same time?
They might but they’d need to keep him on their roster…….
Yes good point.
In doing a little research on Regula it was interesting to find that back in 2019, Regula was traded one for one from the Red Wings’ organization to the Blackhawks for Brendan Perlini (he of the 5 goals in 5 preseason games fame).
Just reinforces what a small community professional hockey is in North America. Six degrees of separation is way too broad a criteria to make connections between players.
You mean, acquired for peanuts, only to watch him get walked by the org, and go on to a solid and reasonably productive career elsewhere?
Yep, still bitter.
I think we can agree the Oilers wouldn’t walk a Hejda in this part of the window of opportunity.
There certainly are signs the organization is handling prospects — and trades — much better, and that gives me hope.
Not sure how Bowman plans to improve the forwards and goaltending if he insists on overpaying middle/bottom six forwards like Brown and Frederic
2 Mutts Hockey Podcast
@2MuttsHockeyPod
Connor Brown & the @EdmontonOilers
are in talks about an 4 year deal that could come in around $1.9M or $2.3M on an AAV.
These talks are very early, the back & fourth has begun but we believe this is a starting point. Brown is more interested in term over $.
Truth be told: 13G/30 points followed by 5G/9P in 20 playoff games plus good PK (he’s proven to be able to really good in a good system on the PK) – is value for $2MM – more than value. I think all those points came before the silly move up to the top line and, really, in 3 rounds where he was excellent – that concussion really hurt Brown and this team in the SCF.
I don’t love the deal but he’s earned that contract in the market.
I was hoping for 2 years around that money.
I think Brown is a huge guy for this dressing room – he’s a shits and giggles guy and they don’t have much of that.
sounds positive
2 Mutts Hockey Podcast
@2MuttsHockeyPod
·
2h
It sounds like Evan Bouchard has told the @EdmontonOilers
his ask is 8 years with an AAV of $10M
#LetsGoOiler
know that an arbitrator will give Bouchard $10M this summer so they would like to get a deal done ASAP as Bouchard only wants to play in Edmonton.
Sign the man
I like that Bob has a place to shamelessly leak intel.
Sounds incredibly reasonable
Too good to be true but I can still hope.
$10MM for 8 years would be an absolute steal.
Hupka mentioned this to me yesterday:
Bowman drafted Lukas Reichel 17th overall in 2020. He turned 23 in May.
He has never gained much traction in CHI and he’s not Davidson’s pick.
Looks shy offensively and might not be a fit, but he could probably be acquired on the cheap.
He’s entering the last year of a 1.2MM contract and is RFA after.
In terms of the fancies I value he had a decent year in 22/23, poor in 23/24 and meh to ok in 24/25.
I have no idea about what he’s good at and not good at or if he fits what Bowman is looking for.
I’d imagine Bowman is looking for quick puck hounds with hands.
Reichel’s Draft +2 and +3 seasons in the AHL were very strong (108 p in 111 gp).
Its not hard to see why a young offensive talent would falter playing for the Chicago Blackhawks the past two szns.
Great target.
A personal favourite of mine in his draft year! He hasn’t panned out at the highest level yet, but during his draft year he was known not for high-end offensive skills but being a high-motor, effective forechecker that’s disproportionately effective at winning board battles against men in the DEL and thinking the game at a high level. I don’t remember which scouting group said it but I remember a quote along the lines of “he just always ends up being where the puck is at the right time to keep the play alive”.
He doesn’t appear to have put on much weight/strength since his draft year so this could be what’s holding him back in the NHL. Reports from Hawks fans seem to suggest he’s sticking to the perimeter more which would align with his draft year skillset. I’d love for the Oilers to add him and give him a fresh start with a GM that believes in him!
That sounds like he’s a reasonable target.
Thanks for that.
The player type sounds good, but 170lbs doesn’t to me. I think the Panthers have shown the right model, their players are all typical NHL size except for a few, and two of those players are unique in Forsling and Marchand. I don’t mind undersized but not without something that makes them special, and plus skating in not optional for me for smaller fellas
Another positive, he would be a German speaking addition for Leon to pal-up with.
I always wonder how much that angle gets overplayed when the players are already fluent in English.
Makes sense to pair them up with a countryman when there’s a new player on the team who isn’t yet fluent, but after a season or two I have questions about a player’s drive to succeed at the top if they can’t get at least conversational.
I know its a pipe dream but moving nurse with 2 mil retention would really fix a lot of problems
But only if youre not spending it on the Frederic’ overpayments
Who’s his replacement?
Or does that mean we’re keeping the other LHD already here? I’ve got nothing against a trio of Ekholm/Walman/Kulak other than age.
Once Nurse is traded we’ll need a minute munching defeneseman who can skate.
You don’t need a minute munching LHD. Ekholm Walkman Kulak are a very good leftorium. Use the money savings to fix the 2 RD hole.
I’ve got time for a left side with that look + a bonafide top-4 RHD who can skate and move the puck. In the near term.
Unill we need to replace any of Ekholm, Walman, and Kulak, then we’re back to looking for Nurse. They’re all UFA after the upcoming season.
The problem with Nurse is that he stops skating when the game speed intensifies to a level that he can’t process. That results in icings and rimming the puck blindly around the boards. It doesn’t matter how good the tools are if the toolbox isn’t there.
I agree that Nurse would be getting the short straw of this group, if the opportunity presents itself and presents a massive opportunity for cap savings. If it was even possible, my focus as GM would lean towards a deal with NYI for Pageau. Of course the GM does not hold the cards here and Long Island is probably on Darnell’s “Bottom 10 List.”
Kane, Skinner and Arvidsson are the most likely trade candidates, it is shaping up to be another compelling Draft as I am convinced that Bowman will be working to trade players for picks (and prospects/youth).
Is Ek going to be ready for the season.
100% speculation on my end but I’d be surprised if he’s not heading for surgery soon.
I’m anticipating him out for 4-6 – again pure speculation.
Tough to say from here, but Ekholm being out for any length of time could have an outsized impact. Especially if Nurse was traded for a top-4 RHD (although that would help add balance in other ways).
You’d have to work with something along the lines of:
Kulak – Bouchard
Walman – Top-4 RHD
$1MM bottom-6 LHD – Klingberg/Emberson/Stecher
You aren’t going to find much better than Nurse for $7.25MM.
Other teams do OP. Forsling for 5.75. It takes a willingness to move on, and open up the cap space, even if it means some hard feelings. Without that, there is no chance to add something better and improve the team’s ability to beat a team like Florida in the Finals.
If Jones was it’s possible, although he has better puck skills than Nurse
Probably not that hard to convince Seth Jones to leave the Blackhawks to go to a Stanley Cup contender (and defending champs no less). No GM yet in the salary cap era has been able to convince a player with an NMC with term remaining (ie, not in the last season of their contract) to leave a Stanley Cup contender to go elsewhere.