Jesse Puljujarvi’s agent Markus Lehto added another chapter to the trade talk yesterday when he went on Vancouver radio to talk about his clients Olli Juolevi and Puljujarvi. Lehto discussed many things, but he stepped back from his earlier statement about Puljujarvi playing in Europe this coming season.
Alex Chiasson won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in June of 2018. He celebrated with his teammates and family and then July came and once again he was an unrestricted free agent. Despite winning a Cup, no one called. July turned to August and then the calendar turned to September and Chiasson was…
What Ken Holland would like to add and what he can add are very different. He hasn’t hid behind the fact he’d like to add another scoring winger, but he doesn’t have much cap space and until the contract demands of existing UFAs drop, he doesn’t have the room to add who he wants. Holland…
Yesterday in part one we focused on goaltending and team defence. Today let’s look at the offence and where this team can improve. Remember my assessment is focused on the Oilers simply being average (16th) in offence. This past year they finished 20th in goals with 229. If they score 14 more then they would…
The Edmonton Oilers finished 15th in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs by eleven points last year. They were 25th overall in league standings. They were 25th in goals against and 20th in goals for. Their powerplay was 9th at 21.2% and their penalty kill was 30th at 74.8%. They were 28th in shots…
Jim Playfair was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 20th overall, in 1982. He is one of only 14 players to average a point-per-game in their time with the Oilers. Playfair only played two NHL games with the Oilers, but he produced one goal and an assist. “I scored in the 13-4…
Ken Holland addressed the media and fans during a 20-minute press conference yesterday outlining the Oilers moves on day one of free agency. The Oilers weren’t a big participant in the free agent frenzy, which shouldn’t have surprised anyone. They simply didn’t have enough cap space to really get involved, but I see that as…
The Oilers have signed 37-year-old netminder Mike Smith to a one-year contract. TSN’s Frank Seravalli announced the signing last night. It is a one year deal with bonuses. Smith and Mikko Koskinen will battle for time between the pipes, but the starter’s job is Koskinen’s to lose. I assume, if he starts well he will…
The draft is the first step to building a consistent NHL organization, but how you develop, support and nurture those draft picks is arguably more important. The Oilers haven’t drafted or developed good enough for the past 14 years. The NHL standings prove that, but over the past four years the drafting has improved, and…
I don’t expect Ken Holland to be courting top-end free agents, he has basically said as much, but he will be bargain hunting. Yesterday was the deadline to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents, and 31 players who played at least one NHL game last season didn’t receive a QO. They are now free…
One of the most difficult jobs in the NHL is being an amateur scout. You are scouting 17 year-olds and projecting what they might become in the future. That is difficult enough, but when you add in how the amateur scouts have very little control over the drafted player’s development once they are in the…
Don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers to trade up or down from the #8 slot. We haven’t seen a team trade up or down in the top-ten since 2008. We are more likely to see a team trade the pick for an NHL player than see a team move up or down within the top ten….
