Monday Mailbag – NHL Trade Deadline Recap

Happy Monday, Internet compadres, and welcome to a brand new Monday Mailbag. As I do each week, I’ve taken the questions you’ve sent me over the past seven days, fired them off to our writers, and copied and pasted their words of wisdom right here on the ol’ Internet machine for your education and enjoyment. Today, we’re looking back at the trade deadline, Kyle Turris, the Canucks’ schedule, and a whole lot more. If you’ve got one, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk and I’ll get to you as soon as we can.

Kulikov could be a major addition if he slots in as the 2^nd pair LD. He will play more minutes than most forwards they could have acquired most likely. Had he been able to add someone to play on second line LW would have been ideal, but it was smart not to trade their 1^st round pick.

Solid move landing Kulikov. Depth on the left side that gives coach Dave Tippett some options.

It wasn’t at all surprising. I’m a little disappointed he didn’t lean in and go for it this year considering the impending UFAs and how wide-open the division is, but, again, no surprise given their lack of draft capital and cap space. Anyway, Kulikov is a nice addition as he’s an upgrade over Kris Russell as a shutdown veteran. I think he could be good next to Ethan Bear and Cales Jones could play with Adam Larsson. That spreads out the defence nicely and creates three balanced pairs.

It was what we should have expected. Holland didn’t have a lot of assets that he wanted to spend and they didn’t have a lot of money to burn. That’s not a great combination around trade deadline time. The result was what we saw. A small trade for a depth defenseman. I’m surprised that we didn’t see a deal for a depth forward though.

You can read my thoughts on it here. Cliffnotes: should’ve traded for Hall, happy with the Kulikov acquisition despite the risk involved.

It was pretty much what I expected, to be honest. The Oilers didn’t have many draft picks or much cap space, so I would have been shocked if Holland did anything major.

He should play with a puck mover, so either Barrie or Bear. And Jones will come out.

He’s a second-pairing, left-side defenceman who can also play down one pairing if need be. Also kills penalties, so we’ll see him there as well. Caleb Jones is the best bet to come out.

I said in the last point I would like to see him as Bear’s defensive anchor but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tippett loaded up and paired him with Larsson to form a reliable shutdown pair.

I think he’ll pair up with either Ethan Bear or Adam Larsson. I personally like the idea of having him with Bear. Kulikov had good numbers with PK Subban in New Jersey, so he’s shown he’s comfortable playing with a puck-moving defenseman. That’s the best spot for him.

I see him on the Oilers second pairing. He’ll eat into Nurse’s minutes and give Kris Russell/Caleb Jones/William Lagesson some softer minutes.

I think he’ll be 2LD with Bear. As for who comes out, I can’t imagine Tippett pulls Russell so I guess that leaves Caleb Jones.

Cut bait how? Buyout would not be smart cap management. The Oilers can put him in minors next season and he would only count $575K against the cap. Maybe Holland convinces a team to take him a trade, but giving up a pick to do that wouldn’t be wise either because of how cheap it is to have him in minors. I suspect he comes back to camp and competes for a job. If he doesn’t make team he can go to AHL and be a good veteran leader for young guys there.

Not sure he can rebound. Hasn’t managed to string together a stretch of any length where he’s been very good. Depth guy right now who could be in the minors next season. I thought he’d be better than this. Hasn’t happened.

He doesn’t have a big contract so it isn’t the end of the world. It was a gamble and it didn’t work out. A buyout wouldn’t make sense because that means more dead space in the future. Just use him as a depth forward in 2021-22 or bury him in the AHL and save some cash.

I wouldn’t buy him out, I would just bury him in the minors and eat the $500k in dead cap space. I’m not overly confident that he can bounce back, but I’ve been wrong before. I just don’t see enough foot speed for him to be an NHL centreman.

I do think there’s a chance he can rebound. His numbers coming into this year still weren’t terrible. He’s an inexpensive vet, but has a lot of work to do to getting back into the lineup.

They’ll probably bury him in the minors next year to save some space on the cap. No buyout, just a deal that didn’t work out. I honestly thought he’d be better than what we got.

I think they do due to TV/Radio contracts and sponsors. Unless they suffer a rash of injuries I suspect they will play. Maybe the final two games against Calgary won’t be played as they are meaningless, but I think partnerships will have them play.

The league wants 56 games and the Canucks have a difficult schedule the rest of the way. Will be interesting to see how they respond after Sunday’s game against Toronto. Don’t have a crystal ball on how this plays out because of any lingering effects of COVID.

The league wants all of the games played in order to satisfy their broadcast and advertisement clients, so, yeah I would expect them to finish their season. Maybe some of the meaningless games against Calgary will get cancelled. I doubt it, though.

No. They should cancel their four games against the Senators to make more room on their schedule. It’s wildly unfair to expect the Canucks to play as many games as they’re supposed to in a few days. Embarrassing for the NHL.

I don’t think it’s reasonable for them to play any more games this year, to be honest. Cancel their year and use points percentage to determine the standings in the North. Why are we asking these players to risk so much?

The NHL really seems to think they’ll get this to work, huh? I honestly have no idea what to expect in terms of playing all 56 games but it certainly seems unlikely from a logical standpoint. From a money angle, however, I bet there will be plenty of pressure to keep them on the ice.

Only option I see would be Ryan McLeod or Tyler Benson, and odds are low at this point. McLeod’s size and speed might be enticing, but with many extra bodies on the Taxi –squad I see them trying those guys first.

I’d put Ryan McLeod as the likeliest call-up if there is one. He can play all three forward positions. Update: I’d call McLeod more than likely. He’s been recalled to the taxi squad.

Ryan McLeod has killed it this year and he offers the skillset that Tippett likes, which is great speed. His natural fit is as a centre, but that’s a big ask for a rookie. I would actually like to see him on Connor McDavid’s left driving the net. Maybe he’s a solution there with Nugent-Hopkins out.

I would like to see either Tyler Benson or Ryan McLeod get a look but I have a feeling that it isn’t going to happen. It just feels like Dave Tippett and Ken Holland would rather keep giving their veteran options more chances.

The Oilers need to keep the powder dry on these young guys. They’re hot right now and would have to go through a seven-day quarantine before getting practices in. Keep them in Bako and let them continue to flourish, then prepare for them to come in next season.

Based on what I could find before answering this question, Ryan McLeod seems like the most likely recall at this point but whether or not that happens is anyone’s guess.

During this time of pandemic, Oodle Noodle will be donating a portion of all takeout and curbside delivery sales will be donated to local charities on a weekly basis. To order pick up, call into the store directly or order at the till. If you’re staying in and practicing your social distancing, no-contact delivery is available at www.oodlenoodle.ca.