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Alex Chiasson Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed another player at the very last moment, inking Alex Chiasson to a one-year contract worth $650K at the NHL level. That deal matches the one given out to Jason Garrison, and will give the team another veteran option to start the year. The team also announced that Ethan Bear has been sent to the minor leagues (though his stint there was very short, given that Andrej Sekera has been placed on long-term injured reserve and Bear recalled), while Kris Russell will begin the year on injured reserve. Chiasson had been with Edmonton on a professional tryout, but has earned himself an NHL contract through an impressive preseason.

Chiasson, 28, won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals last season but ended up fighting for a contract after the team let him walk into unrestricted free agency. Catching on with the Oilers will allow him to avoid the minor leagues, a level he hasn’t played at since the 2012-13 season. Originally a second round pick of the Dallas Stars, Chiasson has bounced around the league as a bottom-six player who can provide a little offense and some size to any lineup. The Oilers struggled to get any offense from their forward group outside of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins last season, and will hope that Chiasson can return to the 35-point man he was in Dallas a few years ago.

Even if he doesn’t, there’s little risk for the Oilers with a signing like this. Chiasson will make the league minimum this season and would be taken entirely off the salary cap if sent to the minors. These two signings helped the Oilers take full advantage of the long-term injury rules, meaning they’ll have plenty of excess cap room now that Sekera has been re-designated. They’ll also provide valuable depth for a team that desperately needs a bounce back season in 2018-19.

Jason Garrison Signs One-Year Deal With Edmonton Oilers

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It doesn’t come as much of a surprise after his play in the preseason and the recent trade of Jakub Jerabek, but Jason Garrison has earned a contract for the 2018-19 season. The Edmonton Oilers will sign Garrison to a one-year, one-way deal worth $650K according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, a nice reward for his hard work on a professional tryout at camp this summer.

Garrison, 33, ended up on the Vegas Golden Knights roster in last season’s expansion draft but couldn’t crack the lineup for much of the season. Suiting up for just eight games, he instead spent the majority of the year in the minor leagues with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL where he recorded 28 points in 58 games. That broke a string of seven seasons which he had played entirely in the NHL, not a bad streak for an undrafted defenseman out of the college ranks.

Once a feared weapon on the powerplay because of his shot, Garrison can’t really be relied upon for a ton of offensive production anymore. In Edmonton he’ll be asked to play a depth role, likely starting the season in the press box should the team’s regular group be deemed healthy enough to play. His presence does also complicate things somewhat for young talents like Evan Bouchard and Ethan Bear, though both are right handed—something that the Oilers have lacked depth in over the last few seasons.

If the team does end up relying on Garisson as a full-time player, you can bet things have turned south in Edmonton. The defense was a huge spot of difficulty for the team in 2017-18, but should rebound somewhat if Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom can stay healthy and in the lineup. Though Andrej Sekera’s injury is painful, all this group has to do is defend well enough in their own end and get the puck quickly up to Connor McDavid and friends in order to compete in the Western Conference. Whether they’ll be able to do that is still yet to be determined.

Anaheim Ducks Claim Pontus Aberg

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The Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Pontus Aberg off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Aberg was a somewhat surprising inclusion yesterday, given that he was only acquired in February and had put up eight points in 16 games down the stretch with Edmonton. Some had hoped he could develop into a secondary scoring option for the Oilers this season, but with the additions of Tobias Rieder and Kyle Brodziak this summer, along with likely full-time graduations for some of the organization’s younger players, there wasn’t enough room for Aberg any longer.

That means the 25-year old forward will get his next chance in Anaheim, where the Ducks are desperately trying to find offense after Corey Perry’s recent injury and the decline of some of their other weapons. Selected 37th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2012, Aberg has shown elite scoring ability in the minor leagues and has flashed NHL potential at times including a solid performance in the 2017 postseason. It’s not clear exactly where he’ll fit into Anaheim’s lineup, but is a worthwhile addition at this point in the year.

Anaheim will assume the $650K cap hit of Aberg for this season, after which he will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. It’s a big year for him to prove he can cut it in the NHL, and should get at least some opportunity to do just that with the Ducks.

Edmonton Oilers Trade Jakub Jerabek To St. Louis Blues

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The St. Louis Blues have acquired depth defenseman Jakub Jerabek from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a conditional 2020 sixth round draft selection. Jerabek was recently cut from the Oilers roster but was awaiting an assignment, something he’ll now have to get from his new bosses in St. Louis instead. The draft pick will become a fifth round selection if Jerabek plays in at least 50 games for St. Louis this season. The Blues will be missing defenseman Robert Bortuzzo for the regular season opener after he received a suspension last week, but it’s unclear how the rest of the blue line will shake out after Jerabek’s addition.

Jerabek, 27, was only signed by the Oilers in August after failing to find a contract with the Washington Capitals at the end of last year. Traded to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions by the Montreal Canadiens at the deadline, Jerabek played in just two postseason games for Washington and never found a real fit on their blue line. Unlike fellow deadline acquisition Michal Kempny, the Capitals decided to let Jerabek leave in free agency. A new contract didn’t materialize until the Oilers were in trouble following an injury to Andrej Sekera, but after a poor showing he’ll try his luck in St. Louis instead.

The Blues are also dealing with injuries to Carl Gunnarsson and Joel Edmundson at the moment, meaning they might need some short-term help for the start of the season. It does seem unlikely that Jerabek plays the entire season for the Blues, but with a cap hit of just $1MM he could be completely buried in the minor leagues if he cleared waivers at some point.

A late-round pick doesn’t seem like a lot, but for the Oilers it represents basically a free asset. Jerabek wasn’t a good fit, but they won’t even need to retain any of his salary this season meaning their books are clean of what quickly looked like a bad signing. Instead they’ll hope that late round pick can help them down the road, or become trade bait of their own as they look for other ways to improve their blue line going forward.

Edmonton Oilers Release Jakub Jerabek

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The Edmonton Oilers have released veteran defenseman Jakub Jerabek today and the veteran is waiting to be re-assigned, according to the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson adds that Jerabek may opt to head overseas after a so-so camp, rather than report to Bakersfield.

Jerabek was signed on Aug. 21 to a one-year, $1MM deal to help fill the team’s void on defense after the team lost veteran blueliner Andrej Sekera, who underwent surgery. However, Jerabek lost out to the play of a number of defensemen, including Kevin Gravel as well as rookie Evan Bouchard and veteran Jason Garrison.

The 27-year-old split time in the NHL last year between the Montreal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, in which he played a total of 36 games, posting two goals and six assists. In the end, Jerabek was used as an emergency defenseman, as he only managed to appear in two playoff games for the Capitals, both in the team’s first series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18

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It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)

F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)

F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)

D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)

D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)

D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)

F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)

Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/18

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With the season-opening roster deadline fast approaching, many teams will be putting the final touches to their rosters this weekend so another busy day of cuts is expected.  We’ll keep tabs on the non-waiver roster cuts here and update this post throughout the day.

Boston Bruins (via CapFriendly)

G Zane McIntyre (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team Tweet)

D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

D Michal Cajkovsky (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Saku Maenalanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Nicolas Roy (to Charlotte, AHL)

Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)

F Denis Gurianov (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Jake Chelios (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Patrik Rybar (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per CapFriendly)

G Al Montoya (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Springfield, AHL)
D Julian Melchiori (to Springfield, AHL)

New York Rangers (per CapFriendly)

D Chris Bigras (to Hartford, AHL)
F Peter Holland (to Hartford, AHL)
G Marek Mazanec (to Hartford, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Hartford, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via CapFriendly)

F Brendan Gaunce (to Utica, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)

F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via TSN’s Brian Munz)

F Dennis Everberg (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Manitoba, AHL)
F J.C. Lipon (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Nicolas Kerdiles (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Manitoba, AHL)

Mikko Koskinen Has A No-Move Clause In His Contract

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  • Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen has a no-move clause, GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed to Jason Gregor of TSN 1260 (audio link). This comes as somewhat of a surprise considering he has just four games of NHL experience (all in 2010-11) but he was sought after by quite a few teams so it may have been required to get a deal done.  The 30-year-old won the backup job after Edmonton placed Al Montoya on waivers yesterday.

2018-19 Season Primer: Edmonton Oilers

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With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Edmonton Oilers.

Last Season: 36-40-6 record (78 points), sixth in the Pacific Division (missed the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $1.48MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Kyle Brodziak (free agent, St. Louis), D Jakub Jerabek (free agent, Washington), G Mikko Koskinen (free agent, St. Petersburg, KHL), F Tobias Rieder (free agent, Los Angeles)

Key Subtractions: D/F Yohann Auvitu (free agent, Sochi, KHL), G Laurent Brossoit (free agent, Winnipeg), F Mike Cammalleri (free agent, unsigned), D Eric Gryba (buyout, New Jersey), F Iiro Pakarinen (free agent, Magnitogorsk, KHL)

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Milan Lucic – To put it lightly, Lucic’s performance last season was well below expectations.  After a respectable 23-goal and 50-point campaign in his first year with the team, those dropped to 10 and 34, respectively.  That’s not the type of production they were expecting from someone that’s signed for $6MM for another half a decade.

This contract also played a significant role in limiting their ability to add to the lineup this offseason.  They didn’t want to pay to move the 30-year-old and considering the year he just had, they probably would have had to cough up a notable premium so giving him another chance certainly isn’t the worst idea in the world.

Early indications are that Lucic is in better shape and not as slow as he was last season which will come in handy given Edmonton’s up-tempo system.  They’re certainly hopeful that he will be able to rebound and considering how limited they were over the offseason, Edmonton is going to be counting on Lucic to be a lot more productive in 2018-19 to provide them with some important secondary scoring.  If he provides a repeat of last year though, questions about his future with the team are only going to intensify.

Key Storyline: Defense was an issue for the Oilers last season as they ranked 25th in goals allowed.  Largely due to their cap situation, GM Peter Chiarelli opted to keep their defense corps intact, hoping that full seasons from Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, and Andrej Sekera would make things better.  That strategy made sense but then Sekera tore his Achilles tendon in training in August, meaning that he’s once again out for the long haul.

With there being limited options left in free agency, Edmonton locked up Jerabek while giving Jason Garrison a tryout deal.  They also may consider starting off first-round pick Evan Bouchard in the NHL but none of these players will be able to log the type of minutes that Sekera can when healthy.

At some point, the Oilers are going to have to make a move.  With Sekera being eligible to start the year on LTIR, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them swing a trade early on.  If not, they’ll have to hope that they can outscore their in-zone struggles until either Sekera returns (which is in question) or when they can find a trade partner to shore up their defensive unit.  The belief is that missing the playoffs won’t be an option if Chiarelli wants to keep his job.  Accordingly, expect him to be aggressive trying to get help for their back end.

Overall Outlook: While Edmonton is returning basically the same roster as last year, there is cause for optimism.  Cam Talbot is expected to rebound from a down season while they should be able to get some more secondary scoring to help support Connor McDavid.  The postseason isn’t a guarantee given how tough the Pacific is shaping up to be but after being an afterthought last year, they’ll be right in the mix this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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