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Edmonton Oilers Hire Glen Gulutzan, Trent Yawney, Manny Viveiros

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Friday: The Oilers have made the hirings official, and Viveiros is indeed the third assistant coach. Edmonton likely had to wait until his Swift Current Broncos were eliminated from the Memorial Cup, which happened with their Wednesday defeat at the hands of the Regina Pats. Viveiros led Swift Current to a WHL championship this year, after a 48-17-7 season, and will now get his first opportunity to coach in the NHL.

Thursday: The Edmonton Oilers have been on the lookout for new assistant coaches for Todd McLellan, and have apparently settled on some familiar names. John Shannon of Sportsnet and Jason Gregor of TSN are both reporting that Glen Gulutzan and Trent Yawney are expected to be announced in the near future as new assistant coaches, while Manny Viveiros could be the third name.

Gulutzan of course was most recently the head coach of the Calgary Flames, but was fired after just two seasons on the job. Despite his 83-68-14 record while there, the Flames failed to reach the playoffs the season and needed a change. He’ll join Edmonton and attempt to bring the same sort of high possession results he enjoyed in Calgary, though he’ll be working under McLellan.

Yawney had worked with the Anaheim Ducks organization for the last several years, but failed to receive a contract renewal after the team was eliminated early. The former NHL defenseman has worked all over the Western Conference, spending time in Anaheim, San Jose and Chicago over the years. He’ll likely be tasked with improving the production from the blue line for the Oilers, who struggled to find much consistency last season from a talented group. It will be interesting to see if that group stays together through the summer, as there are continual rumors that Edmonton might be interested in acquiring another big-name option.

Lauri Korpikoski Signs Long-Term Contract In Finland

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Veteran NHL forward Lauri Korpikoski signed in Switzerland with the ZSC Lions of the NLA last summer in an effort to rejuvenate his career. However, things did not go as planned as injuries limited Korpikoski to eight points in just 19 games. He did manage to play in 16 of 18 playoff games for the team, contributing six points, en route to a league title, but overall the season was a disappointment for the two-way forward. As a result, Korpikoski will not be returning to the NHL nor re-signing with the Lions, but instead he will head home to Finland. Korpikoski has signed with TPS of the Liiga, the organization he began his hockey career with all the way back in juniors, the team announced.

Perhaps the most surprising part of this move is that the 31-year-old has reportedly inked a six-year deal with TPS. The team revealed that the contract allows Korpikoski to play abroad during the term of the deal, but the length implies that Korpikoski may be resigned to the fact that his days as an elite player are over. While TPS itself is a historic club that finished second in the regular season last year, the Liiga is at best the fifth-best pro league in the world. A veteran of more than 600 NHL games and former first-round pick, its just as easy to believe that Korpikoski could still make a living for himself in the NHL or elsewhere.

Korpikoski was drafted 19th overall by the New York Rangers in 2004, but didn’t debut with the team until 2008-09. He was then dealt to the Phoenix Coyotes after just one year in New York and flourished into a legitimate two-way top-nine forward. Korpikoski recorded 145 points in 401 games over six seasons with the Coyotes and twice received votes for the Selke Trophy during that time. In his final two seasons in Arizona and the subsequent two years spent with the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Columbus Blue Jackets, Korpikoski was a consistent albeit unspectacular performer, with four straight years of 20-odd points in around 70 games while playing a more physical, checking style. However, this wasn’t enough to draw sufficient interest from NHL teams last summer and Korpikoski hoped a year away in Switzerland could bring back his 40-point play from his early years with the ’Yotes. This didn’t happen with ZSC, but with TPS there is still a chance that he could rediscover his elite two-way game. If not, he has the security to simply stay home and help develop future Finnish stars over the course of his six-year deal.

Todd Nelson Eyeing NHL Assistant Jobs

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The head coach of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, the 2017 Calder Cup champions, has his eye on greener pastures. According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, Todd Nelson is a hot name on the coaching market right now among teams in need of an NHL assistant. Nelson is reportedly considering offers from many teams. Custance describes Nelson as an AHL coach who has proven himself ready to be an NHL head coach, but is facing the dilemma of deciding how best to position himself for that move.

Nelson, 49, has a long history with the Griffins and will not be quick to choose an NHL assistant position if the fit is not perfect. The former defenseman spent much of his playing career in the minor leagues, wrapping up his career in Grand Rapids in 2002. He immediately jumped into coaching as an assistant with the Griffins the next year. While he left the team after just one year, Nelson found his way back to Grand Rapids in 2015 as the head coach and took home a title last year. In his decade away from the team, Nelson spent time as an assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers, was the long-time head coach of the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, and even briefly served as the interim head coach of their then-parent club, the Edmonton Oilers. While Nelson’s Oilers won just 17 of 51 games under his guidance, it was an invaluable experience and strays greatly from Nelson’s other head coaching outcomes, in which he has a career .611 points percentage in the AHL.

It’s possible that Nelson could land in the same scenario as Oklahoma City if he stays in his current position, possibly taking over for Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings, who have struggled of late, during or after the next season. However, this time he would likely be given a longer tryout as head coach for Detroit given his improved coaching pedigree. Nelson could also get a jump on that process by simply becoming one of Blashill’s assistants, the same path that Jack Adams candidate Bruce Cassidy took, moving from head coach of the Providence Bruins to an assistant in Boston before taking over. Yet, Custance hears that Nelson is still considering a move. “By no means am I unhappy in Grand Rapids,” Nelson told Custance, but added “I just want to see what the next step might present… My goal is to be a head coach in the National Hockey League. Maybe it means going with a different organization where I’m more visible.” Teams reportedly chasing Nelson include the Dallas Stars, and new head coach Jim Montgomery, and at least one other Western Conference team, per Custance. Only time will tell what choice Nelson makes, but he is certainly a name to keep an eye on in the coming years as a top head coach candidate in the NHL.

Snapshots: Heiskanen, Bachman, Belov

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It has been quite a year for Miro Heiskanen, the third overall pick last year by the Dallas Stars. The young defenseman put up 23 points in 30 games in the Finnish Liiga, played well at the World Juniors and the Olympics, and most recently has starred in the World Championships. As reported by the Associated Press, the only logical next step is the NHL. “I want to play there as soon as possible, that’s my goal”, Heiskanen said about joining the league’s best in the NHL next season. Heiskanen knows that he could still get stronger and smarter, but his skill is very clearly pro-ready. Heiskanen is likely to step in and immediately play a key two-way role on the Dallas blue line. Expect the announcement sooner rather than later that arguably the best defensive prospect in hockey will be a full-time Star next season.

  • Former Stars goalie Richard Bachman has struggled to ever be more in the NHL than he was as Dallas’ primary backup in 2011-12. He has spent almost all of the past five years toiling in the AHL for the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Heading into free agency, it seems Bachman has decided to move on from the NHL. Swedish news site Hockey Sverige reports that Bachman is expected to sign with Timra of the SHL. Instead of sitting behind Swedes – Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson – in the NHL, the 30-year-old Bachman is expected to be given the starter’s job initially with Timra as he begins a new chapter in his career.
  • Former NHL defenseman Anton Belov won’t be making the jump across the Atlantic this summer. The Russian rearguard has re-signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, the team he has played with since leaving the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14, for three more years per a team release. This extension likely rules out a future return to the NHL for the 31-year-old, though he will remain a visible name on the international stage as a top defender for a perennial KHL contender and as a frequent member of Russian national teams.

Oilers Expected To Let Markus Niemelainen's Rights Expire; Ryan Mantha's Blood Clot May Be Career-Ending

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The Oilers are not expected to sign 2016 third-round pick Markus Niemelainen, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson.  The 19-year-old was the 66th overall selection out of Saginaw of the OHL that year but he had a tough post-draft season and wound up being loaned to HPK of the SM-liiga for 2017-18 where he posted three points in 42 games.

Meanwhile, Matheson notes that the blood clot that Edmonton defensive prospect Ryan Mantha sustained earlier this season could be a career-ender.  Mantha was originally a fourth-round pick of the Rangers back in 2014 but did not sign with them and wound up joining the Oilers in March of 2017.  He last suited up for their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield in early February and tallied ten points in 41 contests.

Western Notes: Pettersson, Fabbri, Blues, Skinner

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The Vancouver Canucks top prospect Elias Pettersson received a gold medal today at the IIHF World Championships. While the 19-year-old center did not  play after fracturing his thumb last week in a game against finals opponent Switzerland, there is also no word on whether he intends to sign his entry-level deal with the Canucks either, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said he believes that Pettersson has yet to make up his mind about whether he wants to sign with Vancouver or stay another year in the SHL and play another year for Vaxjo. There is no timetable when the 2017 fifth-overall pick will make his decision.

  • In a mailbag edition, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the best option for both the St. Louis Blues and restricted free agent Robby Fabbri is a one-year deal. Fabbri who hasn’t played a game since Feb. 4, 2017, is recovering from a torn ACL injury and had to undergo surgery a second time in training camp this year when he reinjured the same knee. Gordon writes with his value at an all-time low, as many players have trouble coming back from double surgery to the same knee, so both teams would want a one-year deal, including Fabbri who would want to prove to everyone he’s healthy if he wants to cash in on a lucrative contract.
  • Sticking with the Blues, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that the St. Louis Blues continue to shop some of worst contracts in hopes of clearing some cap space, including Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and goaltender Jake Allen, although it’s unlikely they would be able to move any of those contracts. The 29-year-old Berglund has a $3.85MM AAV deal for another four years. Sobotka has two more years at $3.5MM AAV, while Allen has three more years at $4.35MM.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) evaluates the play of Edmonton Oilers goaltending prospect Stuart Skinner, who has been a solid prospect, but had a really good stretch after he was traded to the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. The 2017 third-rounder posted a .932 postseason save percentage in 26 games, leading Swift Current to the WHL title. Is he the goalie of the future for the Oilers? Mitchell compares the prospect to other top goaltending prospects, but still admits its too early to know how good he could be. Regardless, the Oilers have something to look forward to in the future.

 

Edmonton Oilers Extend ECHL Affiliation

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The Wichita Thunder have announced that they’ve extended their affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors for the 2018-19 season. Wichita is part of the ECHL, where more and more teams are building a legitimate tier of player development. The Thunder are coming off their first playoff appearance since joining the ECHL in 2014.

As sports science and analytics become more ingrained in organizations around the league, teams find themselves with a need for player development past just the AHL. Franchises like Toronto and Pittsburgh have built a tiered model that allows players who may have previously been considered too raw to be introduced to professional hockey a chance to work on their weaknesses in a lower risk situation. Players like Tom Kuhnhackl, Josh Archibald and Mike Condon have all spent time with the Wheeling Nailers (Pittsburgh) while Garret Sparks, Christopher Gibson and Darcy Kuemper have all spent time with the Orlando Solar Bears (Toronto, Minnesota).

That model is spreading, and the Oilers could try to take advantage of it with their Wichita affiliation. Goaltending prospect Dylan Wells was able to get into a game after his junior season ended, and he could start his professional career there next season. That position in particular is one that can be used heavily, as there are only so many starts to go around at the AHL level.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Joel Persson, Will Assign To SHL For 2018-19

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In one of the more intriguing transactions in recent memory, the Edmonton Oilers have signed European free agent Joel Persson but announced that he will be loaned to Vaxjo of the SHL for the 2018-19 season. The contract is an entry-level deal for just one year, meaning the Oilers are essentially buying his exclusive rights for the 2019-20 season and beyond. Persson will become a restricted free agent after his one-year contract expires, at which point he can negotiate a new deal that isn’t limited by the entry-level system.

A move like this to circumvent the entry-level system isn’t normal, and could actually be grounds for looking closely at the rules in the next collective bargaining agreement. We’ve seen transaction trickery be squashed quickly in years past, and this fits into that category. From the Oilers perspective though, it is a savvy move to get a player that may not necessarily want to come to North America right away. GM Peter Chiarelli released a statement on his new prospect:

We are excited to have Joel join our organization. He has progressed rapidly in the last year and has shown a very good offensive side to his game which is compatible with some of our needs. The plan is for Joel to remain with his club team next year. We have the right of recall but want to see him develop his game thoroughly in what will be his second year in the Swedish Elite League

Persson, 24, is fresh off an SHL Championship with Vaxjo after exploding for 34 points as a rookie. That was good enough for second in the entire league among defensemen, only behind the recently signed Lawrence Pilut (Buffalo Sabres). If Persson can continue to show that he’s an elite puck-mover at the professional level in Sweden, Edmonton could sign him to a multi-year contract next summer to help the right side of their defense. That group was notoriously weak this season, and needs to add more skill and quickness to play the type of game that best suits Connor McDavid’s play.

With Persson staying in Sweden for this season though, the Oilers still have work to do on their defense. Just yesterday we released our Offseason Keys for the team, which noted that it will be difficult to land a big fish on the free agent market without moving out some salary. Either way, the team needs to do something to support their young superstar and vault themselves back into the playoff picture.

Offseason Keys: Edmonton Oilers

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While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Edmonton Oilers.

Following a season that saw them make it to the second round of playoffs, expectations were high in Edmonton.  They had locked up two key contributors in centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the summer and they were viewed as a team on the rise.  Unfortunately, things didn’t go anywhere near as planned as the Oilers found themselves out of the playoff race pretty quickly which means changes should be on the horizon this summer.  Here are some keys to their offseason.

Free Up Cap Room

The Oilers have nearly $65MM tied up in 16 players already for next season, per CapFriendly with some notable restricted free agents to re-sign, including defenseman Darnell Nurse and center Ryan Strome.  Even with the expected increase in the salary cap, that doesn’t leave GM Peter Chiarelli with a lot of wiggle room.

At this point last offseason, many expected that center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the likely casualty.  However, he was shifted to McDavid’s wing at the end of the season (and continues there at the Worlds with Team Canada) so the odds of him moving appear to be considerably less now.  Defensemen Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera are coming off of down seasons but moving one of them with their value lowered isn’t the best asset management.  Kris Russell is a bit cheaper but opinions on him around the league are widely mixed given how prolonged his free agency was two years ago so there may not be a big market for him either.

If they can’t find a suitable trade, the other option to try to clear out money is a buyout.  Winger Milan Lucic has struggled since joining the Oilers and carries a pricey $6MM cap hit.  However, since he has five years left on his contract, a buyout would mean they’d be paying him not to play for them for a decade.  That’s a lot of long-term pain for shorter-term gain as well.

Regardless of whether it’s through a trade, a buyout, or a combination of the two, Chiarelli will need to get creative to free up enough money to address some of their needs over the summer while trying to get back to the postseason.

Decision In Goal

Edmonton has a big call to make between the pipes.  No, it’s not the one that saw 6’7 netminder Mikko Koskinen join the team on a one-year, $2.5MM contract earlier this month.  While they hope he will upgrade the backup position, the decision to be pondered lies with their starter.

Two years ago, Cam Talbot was one of the better goalies in the league and narrowly missed out on being a Vezina Trophy finalist.  Finally, it seemed as if he was going to be the solution to their long-standing goalie concerns.  That swung back the other way in 2017-18.  His goals-against average (3.02) and save percentage (.903) were both below the league average while he led the league in total goals allowed (188).  Those aren’t the numbers of someone who is a long-term solution in goal.

Talbot heads into this summer with one year left on his contract (with a $4.17MM cap hit) which means he’s eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st.  Does the team still view him as their goalie of the future?  If so, the time may be right to see if a new deal can be agreed upon.  If not, do they instead look to deal him and then either sign a free agent or acquire one in return?  (Koskinen is a big wild card to begin with so it’s hard to envision them handing him the number one job right away.)  They can always decide to defer the choice and let next season play out but without a top goaltending prospect that’s close to being NHL ready in their system, going that route may be a risky proposition in itself.

Add Defensive Help

This has been a long-standing concern for Edmonton and while Chiarelli has attempted to improve it over the years with the additions of Adam Larsson, Sekera and Russell, more upgrades are required.

In particular, a true top pairing player would go a long way towards solidifying things.  Their current group is a collection of defenders that are better served in supporting roles than logging the most minutes.  Getting deeper has helped the cause but if they want to get back into contention, finding someone that can push those players into roles they’re better suited for would go a long way.

However, adding that type of defender is much easier said than done, especially considering their salary cap situation.  Washington’s John Carlson can log the heavy minutes and is following up a career year with a strong postseason but he is pretty much out of their price range.  Accordingly, Chiarelli will likely have to turn to the trade market once again where he will hope to make a better move than the one he made to land Larsson two summers ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Joel Persson Linked To Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers may have found another skilled defenseman to add to the blue line, as Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweets that the team has “locked up” Joel Persson. Persson played this season for Vaxjo of the SHL, where he recorded 34 points in 51 games during his first year at the highest level in Sweden. He was a big part of getting that club to a SHL Championship, while also leading all defensemen in Champions League scoring.

Persson, 24, was quite a surprise for Vaxjo this season and continued to improve on a near-daily basis. The young defenseman will immediately inject some more puck-moving skill into the Edmonton system, though it’s not clear if he’ll make the NHL team out of camp. Even more importantly perhaps for the Oilers is that the 5’11” defender is right-handed, giving them another option behind Adam Larsson and Matt Benning. Though others including Kris Russell have played the right side, there was a distinct lack of depth throughout the organization.

At Persson’s age, a one-year entry-level contract would be necessary which would send him to restricted free agency in 2019. That’s very little risk for a player who has taken such huge strides this season, and could continue to get even better in a short period of time.

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