Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Oilers Rumors

Yohann Auvitu Won’t Return To Oilers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Defenseman Yohann Auvitu’s time with the Oilers has come to an end.  In an interview with Finland’s MTV (link in Finnish), he states that while he has not yet decided where he’ll play next season, he plans to leave the NHL and head back overseas.  He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July so they will not retain his rights.

The 28-year-old had a limited role with Edmonton in 2017-18.  He spent a lot of time as a healthy scratch and even saw a bit of action on the wing.  In the end, he played in 33 games with the Oilers, posting three goals and six assists while logging 13:33 of ice time per night.

Auvitu only came to the NHL in time for the 2016-17 season as he signed his entry-level deal as a 27-year-old with the Devils that year following a strong showing with HIFK in the SM-liiga and at the World Championships with France.  He split that year between New Jersey and their farm team before signing with Edmonton.

While he decides on his playing future, Auvitu is back with a familiar time for the time being as he is suiting up for France for the ninth time at the World Championships which got underway earlier today.

Snapshots: Koskinen, Francouz, Kruger, Martinook

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The excitement of the Edmonton Oilers’ signing of KHL goaltender Mikko Koskinen wore off quickly. As The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis points out, Koskinen’s $2.5MM cap hit on his one-year deal now looks like a major over-payment compared to a more recent deal for an import goalie. When the Colorado Avalanche signed Pavel Francouz yesterday, they got a better goalie for considerably less. Francouz’s deal with the Avs is also for one year, but for just $690K. Yet, Francouz was the best keeper in the KHL this year with a .946 save percentage and 1.80 GAA in 35 appearances for Traktor Chelyabinsk. With no disrespect to Koskinen, who was very good as well, the new Oiler had a .937 save percentage and split time with young Igor Shestyorkin, playing in just 29 games, yet will make more than triple what Francouz does next season. In fairness, Koskinen did have superior GAA this year (1.57) and has a small amount of NHL experience, but that does not totally make up for the $1.81MM difference between the two contracts. To add another layer, Francouz is also a younger and more athletic goalie than Koskinen and likely has a brighter long-term future in the NHL. Admittedly, the Oilers signed Koskinen first, so this could me more of a case of Colorado GM Joe Sakic getting his man for below-market value, but it seems more likely that it goes along with the trend of Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli setting his sights on a player and not considering fair value or alternative options. Past results of these decisions have not worked out well for the Oilers, but we will have to wait for next season to see how the Koskinen signing pans out.

  • In digging deeper into another recent transaction, today’s Marcus Kruger–Jordan Martinook trade has some scratching their heads. Given the team is currently operating without a GM, it is truly impressive that the Carolina Hurricanes seemingly came out on top in this deal in all aspects. Not only was Kruger available to the Arizona Coyotes for free earlier this year, but they gave up Martinook to get Kruger, who is much like a younger, better version of Kruger. The two forwards are both known for their two-way ability, but Martinook has 64 points in 239 games over the last three seasons compared to Kruger’s 44 points in 247 games over the past four years combined. At nearly 28 years old, Kruger’s career high in points is 28 with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013-14 and he has never recorded double-digit goals, while the 25-year-old Martinook reached his career best of 25 points just last year, including 11 goals. Martinook has just as many 20+ point seasons as Kruger in only three full NHL seasons exclusively playing for the lowly Coyotes, while Kruger has spent almost his entire career with the dynastic Blackhawks. Defensively, Kruger does have the advantage of being a natural center who does well at the dot most years and is a positive possession player, but Martinook is far more physical and great along the boards, not to mention he has been the Coyotes’ best takeaways man since entering the league. Unlike past deals where the Coyotes took on a bad contract from another team in exchange for draft capital or prospects, Martinook will actually make less in salary than Kruger next season and even with the Hurricanes’ retention of a tenth of Kruger’s deal, the money essentially cancels out. So why make this deal? Arizona GM John Chayka must have a good reason, but on its face the only benefit to the Coyotes is a jump of 20-odd draft slots this June from the top of the fourth round to the middle of the third round.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Mikko Koskinen To One-Year Deal

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Though there was plenty of speculation that goaltender Mikko Koskinen had agreed to a two-year $5MM deal, the Edmonton Oilers today announced something different. The team revealed that Koskinen has signed on for just one year, meaning he’ll hit unrestricted free agency once again in the summer of 2019. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that it will be a $2MM salary with $500K signing bonus, meaning the goaltender will carry a $2.5MM cap hit.

Koskinen, originally a draft pick (31st overall) of the New York Islanders, has been playing in the KHL for the past five seasons. This year the 29-year old put up some of the best numbers in his professional career, posting a .931 save percentage and 1.69 GAA in 31 games for SKA St. Petersburg. The monstrous goaltender went 24-4-1 in those games with five shutouts, and will now try his luck in the NHL. He also competed in the Olympics for Finland, posting a .932 in five games.

Interestingly, the Oilers also have Cam Talbot and Al Montoya heading into the final years of their current contracts, leaving some uncertainty about where the goaltending position is headed for Edmonton. Laurent Brossoit will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, and none of the other young goaltenders in the organization look ready to take on a starting role.

That would suggest that this season could be a proving ground for Koskinen, if he’s given the chance to battle Talbot for starts. The Oilers have relied on the 30-year old Talbot heavily over the last few years, giving him the most starts in the league each of the last two seasons. Though he was outstanding in 2016-17 and placed fourth in Vezina trophy voting, his play fell off dramatically this season as he posted the worst numbers of his career.

Talbot obviously has the talent to rebound and become an above average goaltender again, but the Oilers can’t take the chance that he struggles once again. They needed to find another goaltender who could take some of the load off his shoulders, and they believe Koskinen is it.

This deal may actually excite New York Rangers fans the most, as it now opens up the full-time starting job on St. Petersburg to young phenom Igor Shestyorkin. The 22-year old goaltender registered a .933 save percentage in 28 starts this season, but with Koskinen out of the picture should get even more work. They’ll try to bring him over to North America eventually, perhaps to be the successor to Henrik Lundqvist in a few years.

For Edmonton though, this is a worthwhile gamble on a goaltender who has long been considered one of the best playing outside of the NHL. If he can find his game, perhaps they’ll sign him to a longer deal next summer, or use him as trade bait come February. If not, a one-year deal provides little risk for the franchise as it looks to build a perennial contender behind Connor McDavid.

Draft Lottery Can Change Many Franchises’ Futures

at CDT | by 4 Comments

A lottery it really is this year.

While the NHL draft lottery always garners quite a bit of attention, some years are just a bit different if the top pick is a game-changer, whether you’re talking about Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews or this year’s No. 1 option. With prospect Rasmus Dahlin listed as the consensus top pick this year, and described by many as having no weaknesses, he is considered to be one of the top defensive prospects to enter the league in possible decades. The 18-year-old defenseman out of Sweden should immediately change the state of any franchise that wins tonight.

With the lottery just hours away, how will each club look if they were to get lucky and win it?

Buffalo Sabres (18.5%) — The Sabres franchise would get a huge boost with the addition of Dahlin plus some badly needed luck that they seem to never have. Already boasting one of the worst defenses in the league and sudden talk that the team shouldn’t consider Rasmus Ristolainen a No. 1 defenseman, the team and general manager Jason Botterrill’s job would get much easier if they can win the lottery.

Ottawa Senators (13.5%) — Winning the lottery should make their tough decision easier as they traded away their top pick in the Matt Duchene trade, which is, fortunately for them, top-three protected. Winning the lottery is a no-brainer as they would take Dahlin who could either join star defenseman Erik Karlsson or allow the team to trade the veteran, knowing they already have his replacement. However, the real issue is they end up in the top three, do they keep the pick or send it to Colorado to avoid giving Colorado an unprotected first-rounder in 2019.

Arizona Coyotes (11.5%) — Despite having the third-worst record in the league this year, the Coyotes seem to be heading in the right direction as they went 19-12-4 in their final 35 games of the season as many of the team’s young players had started to figure things out. What better way to improve on that then to add Dahlin, who could convince fellow countryman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to stay on with the team for many years to come.

Montreal Canadiens (9.5%) — With the injury struggles of aging defenseman Shea Weber and little else defensive help nearby, the team could use the infusion of a franchise-changing defenseman joining the team. With Weber and goaltender Carey Price on huge contracts, a cheap franchise player could move the team in the right direction.

Detroit Red Wings (8.5%) — What better way to finally start the rebuild, then by adding a young, talented defender to join the team. With few defensive prospects on the horizon, the team’s suspect defense could get a huge boost with Dahlin. With the return of Mike Green unknown, and a group of aging veterans, the team needs someone to take over as the face of the franchise.

Vancouver Canucks (7.5%) — The Canucks rebuild is looking better and better with players like Adam Gaudette, Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Dahlen and defenseman Olli Juolevi about to arrive. Throw in Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and a number of other prospects on the way, Dahlin would only quicken this team’s rise of young players. On top of that, the team is loaded with defensive-minded blueliners and could use an offensive power-play quarterback.

Chicago Blackhawks (6.5%) — While a lottery victory by the Blackhawks might infuriate the rest of the league, the Blackhawks do need to bolster their defensive depth and Dahlin could easily vault a struggling team back into the playoffs as he could take a lot of pressure off veterans Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

New York Rangers (6%) — Just started a rebuild and they walk away with a generational talent? While many people believe the Rangers intend to have a quick rebuild and compete for a playoff spot within the next year or two, having Dahlin on the roster would only jettison the team to that goal quicker and putting him alongside Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk along with veteran Kevin Shattenkirk would help stabilize their blueline.

New York Islanders (6% total with 3.5% from their pick and Calgary’s 2.5%) — Perhaps winning the lottery would be enough to convince John Tavares to stay. Regardless, adding Dahlin to their defensive woes would only stabilize a team that has the offense to reach the playoffs. He could be a cornerstone the franchise hasn’t had there since Denis Potvin. Add in the fact that the Islanders also have the Calgary Flames’ pick, the team has a better chance to winning the lottery than quite a few teams.

Edmonton Oilers (5%) — Angry fans might protest Edmonton walking away as another lottery winner, but adding Dahlin to, again, a failing defense would allow a team that already has McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should bounce back to where they left off one year ago. Dahlin would provide the team with the No. 1 defenseman that they currently lack

Carolina Hurricanes (3%) — As the percentage begin to really drop, Carolina would only get richer as the team is already loaded in quality young defensemen and would allow the team to move other defenseman like Justin Faulk and acquire more scoring, which the team badly needs.

Dallas Stars (2%) — The addition of Dahlin along with last year’s third overall pick in Finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen would make for a deadly combo and that’s not including John Klingberg.

Philadelphia Flyers (1.5% from St. Louis Blues) — Adding Dahlin could put Philadelphia at the same level with Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay.

Florida Panthers (1%) — The hottest team that didn’t make the playoffs would get a much needed boost if they could hit that 1/100 chance.

 

 

Poll: Who Was The NHL’s Most “Outstanding” Player In 2017-18?

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The release of the Hart Trophy finalists each year is always guaranteed to result in discontent. Three fan bases – and the majority of unbiased observers – are happy with the decision, while those who support the players that narrowly missed out on a nomination feel the need to criticize the process and establish why their favorite player should have been picked. This phenomenon can be attributed to just the sheer number of elite players worthy of recognition in the NHL, but more than anything it is due to the continued confusion over what the award actually represents.

The Hart Trophy is awarded to the “player judged most valuable to his team”, or in even simpler terms, it is the NHL’s MVP award. In 2017-18, it is hard to argue that any player was more “valuable” to his team than one of Nathan MacKinnon, Taylor Hall, and Anze Kopitar. Without those three, the Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, would not only have missed the playoffs, but may have been among some of the worst teams in the league. Yet, the Connor McDavid supporters like to point out that he not only led the league in scoring with 108 points, but was far-and-away the best player on the Edmonton Oilers. This is undeniably true, but the Oilers also finished with just 78 points, a whole 17 points back of MacKinnon’s Avs for a playoff spot and closer to the worst record in hockey than the postseason. Was McDavid valuable to the team? Yes, but at the end of the day, his contributions really only cost his team in NHL Draft Lottery odds.

Yet, even experienced journalists like the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples continue to misinterpret the award. He specifically refers to McDavid as the league’s “overlooked most outstanding player” and breaks down the league’s scoring leaders without regard for the context, or value, of that scoring to each team. Staples’ sentiment is shared by many teams and the criteria he uses in his article to determine his Hart finalists is valid, except for the fact that it is not a “most outstanding player award”; that’s the Ted Lindsay Award, and yes McDavid is a finalist for that.

So here is a forum for all the frustrated fans who want to argue about who the best player in the NHL is. It’s hard to make a case that the PHWA got the Hart nominees for this season wrong, but there are many cases to be made for who the best player in the NHL was this season. Have at it.

Who Is The NHL's Most "Outstanding" Player?
Taylor Hall 21.39% (114 votes)
Nathan MacKinnon 18.57% (99 votes)
Connor McDavid 18.39% (98 votes)
Anze Kopitar 12.57% (67 votes)
Claude Giroux 5.63% (30 votes)
Sidney Crosby 5.63% (30 votes)
Nikita Kucherov 4.88% (26 votes)
Evgeni Malkin 2.25% (12 votes)
Blake Wheeler 2.06% (11 votes)
Patrice Bergeron 2.06% (11 votes)
Brad Marchand 1.88% (10 votes)
Alexander Ovechkin 1.69% (9 votes)
Other - leave comment 1.31% (7 votes)
John Tavares 0.94% (5 votes)
Ryan Getzlaf 0.56% (3 votes)
Steven Stamkos 0.19% (1 votes)
Total Votes: 533

Edmonton To Make Several Coaching Changes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

1:40pm: The Oilers have confirmed the assignment for Woodcroft, and announced that Johnson and Ian Herbers would both not return to the team. McLellan will indeed remain head coach for the 2018-19 season. No word on who the new assistants will be so far.

8:30am: The Edmonton Oilers are expected to announce several changes to their coaching staff today, starting with the reassignment of Jay Woodcroft from NHL assistant to AHL head coach. Fellow assistant Jim Johnson will also not be back according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. The overwhelming belief is that recently fired Glen Gulutzan (Calgary Flames) and Trent Yawney (Anaheim Ducks) will be added to the NHL staff. If that happens, it likely means Todd McLellan would be staying on as head coach, though no one has confirmed his job yet.

It’s not clear exactly how everything will shake out in Edmonton, but there was clearly a need for some change after an incredibly disappointing season. The club was expected to be Stanley Cup contenders with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way, but despite outstanding offensive performances from both players they found themselves near the bottom of the standings.

Gulutzan was replaced in Calgary after just two seasons, but is still well respected around the league. Working his way up from the ECHL, he’ll have to take a step backwards and wait for another head coaching opportunity to present itself. Yawney has a long history as a coach in the NHL, dating back to 1999-00 when he was an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks. His contract wasn’t renewed by the Ducks, but it isn’t surprising to see him land on his feet quickly.

Evening Notes: Maple Leafs, Ducks, Holland

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs were so close, and yet so far away. Clawing their way back from a 3-1 series deficit, the Leafs surrendered the seventh game to a Boston team who came out flying the final period. In the latest iteration of his 31 thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman writes that the Maple Leafs need to clarify their front office structure after a gut-wrenching game seven loss. Writes Friedman, who says that the Leafs young front office talent is ready to move up:

(Kyle) Dubas and (Mark) Hunter are OHL rivals from London and Sault Ste. Marie. What does promotion for one mean for the other? And, what does it mean for Lamoriello? Would he want to stay in an advisory role? Or could another organization come calling?

Honestly, I don’t have a great feel for it. There are some executives who believe Shanahan will change things, others who believe he will keep status quo into 2018–19. We’re guessing, but we’re soon to get our answer.

Friedman adds that the Leafs will have decisions to make with a number of key players, as Auston Matthews’ contract negotiations will “dominate conversation.”

  • Friedman writes that Ducks GM Bob Murray said there is still a lot of “emotion” after Anaheim bowed out of the playoffs quickly against the Sharks. Friedman reports that he was in Ontario watching some of the Ducks prospects, and admitted that the game is being played at a much faster pace–and a version that he would like to see played and would have been played more if not for an injury plagued 2017-18.
  • Freidman reports that Red Wings general manager Ken Holland will be one of several GMs to be present at the draft lottery on Saturday. Holland spoke with MLive’s Ansar Khan during AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins’ 6-3 loss and told Khan that there will be no express line and that young prospects have to be an “NHL player” in order to make the roster. This type of thinking is a slight move from Holland’s “overly ripe” mentality for years, which was skewered by fans and some analysts for letting talent wait too long before coming to the NHL, hurting the organization in the long run. Holland said as much to the Detroit Red Wings’ Art Regner in his Red and White Authority podcast, indicating that the Red Wings have a number of chances to stockpile young talent and give the younger players a chance.

International Notes: Koskinen, Yakovlev, Lyubushkin, Yelesin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In the always enlightening 31 Thoughts column by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, he touches on several international players that are on the radar for NHL teams. Starting with goaltender Mikko Koskinen, who he reports recently agreed to a deal with Edmonton, Friedman has also heard—but can’t confirm one way or the other—the $2.5MM/year rumor that has been floating around.

Though nothing has been announced by the team, a deal of that magnitude for the 29-year old goaltender would likely mean the team has plans for him at the NHL level, perhaps as part of a tandem with Cam Talbot next season.

  • The Vancouver Canucks could sign Par Lindholm according to Friedman, or at least have the best shot at this point. The 26-year old Swedish center competed at the Olympics this year and was one of the SHL’s most dangerous offensive weapons. With 47 points in 49 games he ranked fourth in league scoring.
  • Friedman reports that Yegor Yakovlev is expected to sign with the New Jersey Devils, after another good season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. The 26-year old defenseman played at the Olympics as well, and is heading to the World Championships for Russia.
  • Ilya Lyubushkin (24) and Alexander Yelesin (22), two young Russian defensemen are also expected to sign, though Friedman only sources overseas reports that say the former is headed to Arizona. We’ll have to wait to see where exactly they end up.
  • Bogdan Kiselevich is also still on NHL radar, with Friedman reporting that “several teams continue to chase” him. Kiselevich, 28, has been playing in the KHL for years and was even selected in the CHL import draft way back in 2008. He was an alternate captain for CSKA Moscow this season, but becomes a free agent in a few days.

Koskinen's Contract Likely To Be Pricey For A Backup

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the Oilers believed to be the frontrunners to sign goaltender Mikko Koskinen, Postmedia’s Jim Matheson speculates that the deal could be one of the richer ones for a backup, suggesting that it could be in the range of $2MM per season.  While on the surface, that may seem pricey for someone with next to no track record in the NHL (just four underwhelming appearances with the Islanders in 2010-11), it’s still somewhat understandable as he has been one of the top KHL netminders in recent years and would undoubtedly command a sizable contract if he were to remain there.  However, if the final deal winds up being around that cap hit, that will further whittle away at Edmonton’s somewhat limited cap room heading into 2018-19.

Oilers Winger Iiro Pakarinen Signs In KHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Oilers winger Iiro Pakarinen is heading back overseas.  A report from Sasha Huttunen and Markku Saarinen of Iltalehti in Finland states that Pakarinen has signed with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL for next season, ending a four-year stint in North America.  The term of the contract is not yet known.

The 26-year-old played in 40 games with Edmonton this past season, posting two goals and an assist while logging just over 10 minutes per night in ice time.  He was more productive at the minor league level after clearing waivers back in December, recording 13 points (9-4-13) in 18 games with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

While he wound up back with the big club down the stretch, the writing was on the wall that Pakarinen was likely to be a player on the fringes in training camp.  As a result, he’s chosen to go where he’ll have a bigger role which could help his chances of landing another NHL look down the road.  While Edmonton can retain his rights for one more year by qualifying him in June (his required offer is a little over $760K), he will become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2019.

As Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal notes, Pakarinen was one of the more effective penalty killers for the Oilers and with Mark Letestu, who led all Edmonton forwards in shorthanded ice time per game, dealt to Columbus near the trade deadline, GM Peter Chiarelli will likely be on the lookout for some checking help up front in the months to come.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top