Can Devan Dubnyk meet Craig MacTavish’s expectations?
Jonathan Willis
May 24 2013 01:19PM
Last night, new Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish participated in a question and answer session with Oilers season ticket holders. The question of goaltending came up, and as he has since taking the job, MacTavish indicated significant concerns about incumbent Devan Dubnyk.
Building next year’s bottom five
Jonathan Willis
May 23 2013 09:53AM
While the Oilers have no shortage of problems in their top-nine forward group, things get really ugly afterward. How should the fourth line and the reserve forwards change next season?
Valeri Nichushkin just did the Edmonton Oilers a big favour
Jonathan Willis
May 22 2013 11:02AM
The x-factor at the top end of the draft this year was, without question, the status of Russian prospect Valeri Nichushkin. Playing in the KHL and under contract for time to come, there were significant red flags for any NHL team interested in picking a guy who most rate with the top four (Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Aleksander Barkov) in terms of talent.
Nichushkin made it easier for everybody today by telling a Russian newspaper he’s leaving the KHL for the NHL next year, and further that his team, Moscow Dynamo, was willing to release him from his contract. In so doing, he also made the draft much more interesting for the Edmonton Oilers.
If Ales Hemsky has low value, does it make sense to trade him?
Jonathan Willis
May 21 2013 12:07PM
Yesterday, we considered former NHL general manager Craig Button’s point of view on Ales Hemsky – that his trade value is so low that even at a steep discount the Oilers might not get a second round draft pick. While that’s a debatable viewpoint, the truth is that Hemsky is not likely to yield a grand return. With his trade value low, does it even make sense to trade him at this point?
Former NHL GM: “I don’t know if they can get [a second round pick] for Hemsky”
Jonathan Willis
May 20 2013 09:48AM
Craig Button, the one-time general manager of the Calgary Flames, does not believe Ales Hemsky has much in the way of trade value. Barely any trade value at all, in point of fact.
