Weekly Rumours – Is there a forward for the Oilers to acquire?
4 years ago
Halloween is a scary time. For Ken Holland and the @Edmonton Oilers, nothing could be scarier than the lack of scoring that they’ve been getting from their depth forwards. That leads me to wonder if Holland will make a move at some point to spark his team’s bottom six.
While I agree that the Oilers need a spark and desperately need goals from players not named Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, I’m not sure if fans should be expecting a significant trade anytime soon.
I was hoping they could have made a move for @Brendan Perlini, who had requested a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks, but I don’t blame Ken Holland for offering up someone like Dmitri Samurokov (I use him because his numbers are similar to Alec Regula’s and he was also a 3rd round pick. No other reason) or any significant prospect.
This week, we saw that @Tyler Toffoli was a healthy scratch for the LA Kings game against the Vancouver Canucks. The 27-year-old Toffoli has three goals in 12 games to start the season but clearly is in Todd McLellan’s dog house. He’s coming off a down year that saw him produce just 13 goals in 82 games (shot just 5.8%) but two years ago he did score 24 goals (shot 9.6%).
Considering the fact the Kings are in a rebuild right now, if a team wanted to make a move for the pending UFA, they would probably have to offer up future assets. I think he would be an interesting fit on an Oilers team that needs scoring but the fact he makes $4.6 million this season leads me to believe it’s an unrealistic target for the Oilers.
Josh Ho-Sang is still on the market and while I like his natural offensive skill, I don’t think he would be a sure-fire solution in the Oilers top-nine. Still, he wouldn’t cost a lot to acquire. The TSN Insiders continue to hint that Carolina is looking at Ho-Sang.
Meanwhile, the Oilers still hold Jesse Puljujarvi’s rights and recently, our very own Jason Gregor floated out the idea of Puljujarvi returning to North America yesterday:
Gregor is bang on, but we recently had Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston report that Puljujarvi would be perfectly okay with staying in Europe all season. It’s unfortunate because the Oilers could use him right now, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. There just hasn’t been enough smoke around the topic to think that either side is seriously considering it.
One team that the Oilers could potentially target if they do decide to make a trade: the @Toronto Maple Leafs. They are heading towards some serious salary-cap problems once @John Tavares and @Zach Hyman are healthy again and they might need to move out a contract. If they are in a position where they feel the need to move out a forward, Ken Holland should be calling Kyle Dubas.
Bob McKenzie said that when they’re back, three players will have to be sent to the minors. For most teams, I would say that’s nearly impossible but considering that the Leafs AHL affiliate also plays in Toronto, they might be able to go the entire season with just 21 or 22 players on their roster.
Frank Seravalli also dropped his Trade Bait Board on TSN.ca and there are some interesting names on there. First, Jesse Puljujarvi is #3 on the list. He mentions that the upcoming Karjala Cup is a big moment for Puljujarvi. As for wingers on his list, he names Chris Krieder, Nic Petan, Andreas Athanasiou, Jack Roslovic, and Taylor Hall.
In my opinion, Athanasiou and Roslovic would be perfect fits in Edmonton. Skilled, young, have proven they can score in the NHL, and they have cap hits that the Oilers could stomach. They’ll cost a lot but they might be worth it.
Outside of Edmonton, there are some interesting storylines to keep an eye one:
- @Brent Seabrook has been healthy scratched twice in a row and Seabrook didn’t hold back when asked about, saying that he thinks he can be a player for “somebody”. That sparked speculation that he could soon be dealt out of Chicago but I don’t see that happening. After this season, he still has four more years with a $6.875m cap hit. Unless there’s another terrible contract coming back to Chicago, I think Seabrook and the Hawks will have to work through this.
- @Bobby Ryan was also sent to the press box for a game but I don’t think we’ll see him traded anytime soon. Like Seabrook, it’s no secret that he has a terrible contract (2 more years at $7.25m) and it’s nearly impossible to trade. That’s a move that if it ever happens, it will come in the summertime.
- The @San Jose Sharks have stumbled out of the gate but word is that they aren’t looking to shake up their roster. One name that was thrown around a bit was @Marc-Eduard Vlasic. TVA Sports connected Vlasic to the Canadiens but again, and I know I sound like a broken record here, his contract doesn’t seem like one that can be moved during the season. The 32-year-old has six more years with a $7 million cap hit. Considering his contract and his history with the Sharks, I don’t think GM Doug Wilson will move him any time soon.
- More underperforming players with bad contracts? You know it! TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie recently said that Kings goaltender @Jonathan Quick’s future is “up in the air”, however, his contract really limits Rob Blake’s ability to make a move. He has four more years at $5.8 million left on his current deal.
Moral of the story: signing ageing veterans to long-term deals should be avoided at all costs. However, I doubt that we’re going to see that trend ending anytime soon (for example: Roman Josi’s new deal).
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