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Eric Gryba Signs PTO With Edmonton

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September 21: The Oilers officially confirmed the PTO via their Twitter account.

September 20: Eric Gryba’s time with the Edmonton Oilers isn’t up just yet.  The unrestricted free agent defenseman has agreed to attend their training camp on a PTO deal, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.

Gryba was acquired by the Oilers back in June of 2015 from the Senators.  He played in 53 games with Edmonton last season, recording a goal and five assists with 75 penalty minutes.  Gryba also logged 17:53 of ice time per night, his highest average since his rookie season.  For his career, he has played in 218 games with Edmonton and Ottawa, scoring five goals while adding 30 assists and 262 PIMS.

Last month, Gryba noted that he had tryout offers from three different teams but was still hoping to get an offer from the Oilers.  He earned $1.3MM in salary last season and presumably will have to take a pay cut if he earns a guaranteed deal after training camp.

Gryba may have a harder time landing a spot on their roster compared to last year.  The team acquired Adam Larsson from New Jersey back in June while youngsters such as Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse, and Griffin Reinhart are all expected to push for bigger roles this season.  What will work in Gryba’s favor is that he is a right shooting blueliner, something the Oilers are lacking beyond Larsson and veteran Mark Fayne.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Over 30 NHL veterans have already taken tryout deals and there are more expected in the days ahead.  Keep track of who is trying out where with our Invite Tracker.

Snapshots: Faksa, Canucks, Oilers, Orlov

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The Dallas Stars may not be big fans of the World Cup of Hockey at the moment.  Tyler Seguin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot in a pre-tournament game for Team Canada and now another center is banged up as Radek Faksa of the Czech Republic squad did not suit up for their game against Team Europe this afternoon due to an upper body issue.  GM Jim Nill clarified the injury, calling it concussion-like symptoms, Mark Stepneski of the Stars team site reports.

Faksa suffered the injury in their 6-0 loss to Team Canada on Saturday.  No timetable has been set for a possible return but he will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

The 22 year old projects to be a bigger contributor for the Stars this season after getting into 45 games with the team last year as well as 13 postseason contests.  Last week, we profiled him as one of the more compelling pending RFA cases heading into the year.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Canucks are hoping to break camp with eight defensemen on their roster, GM Jim Benning noted on TSN 1040 in Vancouver. The team has five blueliners on one-way deals plus two others in Andrey Pedan plus Alex Biega on two-way pacts but must clear waivers.  Nikita Tryamkin is waiver exempt but has a clause in his contract that allows him to return to Russia if he’s sent down.  2016 first round pick Olli Juolevi is expected to make a push for a roster spot as well, which should create an interesting battle to watch during the preseason.  Benning also confirmed that Ryan Miller is entering camp as their #1 goalie despite a strong performance from Jacob Markstrom last season.  Markstrom is currently at the World Cup with Team Sweden.
  • The Oilers announced five tryouts heading into their training camp. Notably among the invites are LW Ryan Hamilton, who last played with Edmonton in 2014-15 and RW Ryan Vesce, who has played in the KHL since 2010 but has 19 games of NHL experience with San Jose.
  • Speaking with Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, agent Mark Gandler noted that there is nothing new when it comes to discussions for Washington RFA defenseman Dmitry Orlov. He also wouldn’t rule out him signing in the KHL, saying that all options are open.  Gandler, who also represents Dallas RFA Valeri Nichushkin, declined to comment on the report that he is nearing a two year deal in Russia.

Snapshots: Russell, Sproul, Fleischmann, Team USA

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TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie appeared on TSN 1260 on Monday morning, and commented on Kris Russell as an option for Edmonton’s “hole on defense”. On the weekend, TSN 1260 host Dustin Nielson tweeted that the Oilers had reached out to Russell and that he expected the two sides to exchange numbers sometime this week.

McKenzie believes Russell would “probably” be a “decent fit” for the Oilers, especially if it’s on a short-term contract. He brought up the abundance of “third-pairing guys” the Oilers have, and wondered who would play with Andrej Sekera on the second pair.

McKenzie also suggested he could see why Russell would have interest in a short-term contract with Edmonton, with an opportunity to possibly play some top-four minutes before becoming a free agent next summer after team’s lose defensemen to Las Vegas in the expansion draft.

However, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal opined that he doesn’t see Russell as being better than any of the Oilers current top four of Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Sekera, or Brandon Davidson. While McKenzie labelled the latter as a “third-pairing” defender, Davidson did impress last season, working his way into the Oilers’ top four. Staples said he’s “not sure of Russell, but I’m sure those four can all play the game.”

McKenzie said Russell is still talking with as many as eight teams, including the Oilers’ provincial rivals the Calgary Flames. Russell spent three seasons in Calgary before being traded at last year’s trade deadline. McKenzie expects Russell to sign a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $4-5MM.

  • Meanwhile, Ansar Khan tweeted a photo of Red Wings RFA defenseman Ryan Sproul skating with teammates at Joe Louis Arena. Khan noted that he expects Sproul to sign a one-year deal this week. Sproul is coming off his entry-level contract, where he went pointless in one NHL game and put up 93 points in 213 AHL games.
  • Michael Russo, of the Minnesota Star Tribune, confirmed Elliotte Friedman’s speculation regarding UFA Tomas Fleischmann with Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Fleischmann will be attending camp in Minnesota on a PTO. He has previously played for Wild coach Bruce Boudreau when the pair were in Washington.
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli was among those questioning Team USA’s new lines, asking if coach John Tortorella was “trolling the media” with the line of Justin Abdelkader, Derek Stepan, and Patrick Kane. The States face a must-win game versus northern rivals Canada tomorrow night.

2016-17 Season Preview: Edmonton Oilers

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With the NHL season just weeks away, PHR is taking an in-depth look at each team. Today: the Edmonton Oilers.

Last Season: 31-43-8 (70 points), 7th place in the Pacific Division. Did not qualify for the playoffs.

Cap Space Remaining: $8.92MM  via CapFriendly.

Key Newcomers: Adam Larsson (RHD) – trade (New Jersey); Milan Lucic (LW) – free agency (Los Angeles); Jesse Puljujärvi (RW) – NHL Draft (4th overall)

Key Departures: Taylor Hall (LW) – trade (New Jersey); Lauri Korpikoski (LW) – buyout

Professional Tryouts: Kris Versteeg (RW)

Player to Watch: Connor McDavid – Who else? The most hotly anticipated prospect since Sidney Crosby didn’t disappoint on the ice, scoring 48 points in 45 games. Unfortunately for McDavid and the Oilers, a broken collarbone kept him out of the lineup from November to February, and when he returned the Oilers were too far out of the playoffs for him to make a real difference in the standings. His effect on his line-mates is remarkable; Patrick Maroon scored 14 points in 16 games with McDavid, surpassing his 56-game total with the Anaheim Ducks. McDavid has had a transcendent effect on the organization, and is widely expected to be one of the top scorers in the NHL this season.

Key Storylines: Will GM Peter Chiarelli’s bold summer pay off? Trading the third-best left winger in the NHL for Larsson represents a major overpayment, but it also gives the Oilers a long-term fix with a young top pairing of Oscar Klefbom and Larsson playing 24 minutes per night. Adding Larsson and a healthy Klefbom allows Andrej Sekera, Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse, and Mark Fayne to play more effective minutes. Chiarelli is also heavily rumored to be looking at adding an offensive-minded defenseman, like Cody Franson, to the mix.

Can McDavid play 70-plus games? McDavid’s health will be a major factor in how the Oilers do this season. He’s already one of the top players in the league, so he’ll be counted on to take the next step and lead the Oilers to the playoffs. Look for him to boost the offensive numbers of Lucic and Jordan Eberle on the top line, and allow Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and rookie Puljujärvi to see less of other team’s top pairings.

Oilers’ Depth Chart

World Cup Notes: Matthews, Team USA, Canada B

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Team North America hits the ice for the first time in Toronto today, as they prepare for their opening match against Finland. While many eyes are drawn to Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid or the reunion of Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon – the two starred together for the Halifax Mooseheads before being drafted – it was Auston Matthews that got much of the attention at this morning’s presser.

Matthews will be skating on the top line alongside McDavid and Mark Scheifele, despite never having played a professional game on North American soil. He’ll be in front of his new team’s fans, trying to make an impression on Leaf Nation before the season even begins. According to Craig Custance of ESPN, Head coach Todd McLellan spoke highly of Matthews when asked, saying he is hockey’s version of a 5-tool player (a term in baseball that means a player who can do everything well), and saying “he’s got better every day.”

As we wrote yesterday, Matthews is a big part of the Maple Leafs rebuild, and he’s showing why he was the first overall pick and most talked about prospect during the season. If he can keep up with the best in the world, at just 19 years old, he’ll be well positioned to have a long and successful career in the NHL.

  • Team USA head coach John Tortorella is still taking a lot of heat today over his decision to bench Kyle Palmieri and Dustin Byfuglien prior to last night’s loss to Team Europe, and as the team hit the ice for practice the lines had already been mixed up. According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, Palmieri was back among the first 12 forwards, skating with Max Pacioretty and Brandon Dubinsky on the fourth line. Stephen Whyno adds that Byfuglien – widely expected to be a big part of the top pairing – is back skating with the powerplay unit (though the second group).
  • James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail revealed an interesting couple of tidbits that had been just rumored so far regarding the structure of the World Cup. First, he reported that an original idea for the tournament was to have two Canadian teams, because of the strong depth the country has; he goes on to list P.K. Subban, Kris Letang, Mark Giordano, Taylor Hall and many others as examples of the talent “Canada B” would have. Second, he says that it’s widely believed that the tournament will return to an eight-country format in 2020, meaning that teams like Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany will all have chances. He doesn’t, however, mention if Team Europe or North America will return, though with good showings from both thus far, it would be surprising to see them removed.

Rookie Notes: Shmaltz, Puljujarvi, Erne

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Rookie tournaments around the league are underway, with various teams putting their youngesters up against each other to determine readiness and sometimes NHL futures. For Chicago, today is the second of back-to-back matchups, and one of the notable names isn’t participating in the game. Nick Schmaltz, the recently signed NCAA standout was a late scratch from today’s matchup, as Scott Powers of The Athletic reports. Schmaltz was a big part of the game last night against the Blues, and is expected to make his NHL debut at some point this season.

After two seasons at the University of North Dakota, Schmaltz (the Hawks’ first round pick from 2014) is set to make an impact for a Chicago team that has seen many home grown talents leave due to salary cap restraints over the past few years. If he can slide into a scoring role like he did with North Dakota – the 20-year old put up 46 points in his sophomore year in only 37 games – he’ll help to replace the offense that Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw will be taking with them.

  • After surprisingly dropping to fourth overall in this year’s entry draft, Jesse Puljujarvi is already making an impact for the Oilers at their rookie camp.  After a three point outburst last night against Vancouver, Puljujarvi is one of the hottest topics in the city of champions. He’ll sit out today though against Calgary, though it’s believed he’s not out with an injury. If the Finnish winger develops as most expect him to, Edmonton may have another franchise forward on their team to step into the shoes of the recently departed Taylor Hall.
  • As Bryan Burns of NHL.com writes, Adam Erne will be heading into his fourth rookie camp with the Lightning, after injuries have derailed the early part of the former second-round pick’s career. This time, the winger isn’t just trying to make an impact on the NHL club, but stay healthy enough to compete in a full professional season. An elite scoring threat at the junior level, Erne put up 29 points in 59 games last season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.

Snapshots: McDavid, Team North America, Team USA Preview

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Connor McDavid finally knows who his linemates are. The newly minted Team North America captain will center a line with Auston Matthews and Mark Scheifele on his left and right respectively. Team North America coach Todd McLellan, who is also McDavid’s bench boss with the Oilers, finally decided on his the lines after experimenting through the exhibition games. McLellan had this to say:

“We’re still looking for combinations that will give us the best chance to win. Connor, I think, has been getting better. I thought Auston’s been one of our top forwards. Those two complement each other, Auston with his size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and his ability to hold onto the puck, and Connor with his speed.”

A top line that features the future superstars of the NHL provides excitement as the World Cup of Hockey begins tomorrow. North America has been tabbed as a team that could possibly push Canada and Sweden for the title of champions as they feature depth, speed, and scoring prowess. A line of Matthews-McDavid-Scheifele only guarantees that.  TSN’s Ryan Kennedy continues by writing that the North American squad has gelled quickly and quotes Jack Eichel as saying that his teammates are “awesome” with similar interests. Defenseman Ryan Murray explains:

“Everyone has created some chemistry,” Murray said. “You see guys like Morgan Rielly and Aaron Ekblad, who have never played together before, and they look really good as a pair. That’s pretty rewarding to see.”

That chemistry has translated into success and placed Team North America as a much-watch team for many hockey fans. Kennedy writes that the 23 and under squad is looking forward to the challenge of the tournament as it learned some valuable lessons in just two exhibition games.

In other NHL news:

  • Puck Daddy’s Sean Leahy previews Team USA before tournament play begins and a quick take for the Red, White, and Blue is a team strongest in net but weakest up front. Leahy understands the addition of irritant Ryan Kesler but wonders why Justin Abdelkader and Brandon Dubinsky are on the roster in the first place. Though they bring a physical element, goal scoring isn’t expected to come from them. Leahy notes that the United States boasts Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski, Blake Wheeler and Max Pacioretty, the four Americans to be in the top 50 of goal scorers last season. Yet the obsession with being “tough to play against” may in fact be USA’s undoing. A complete team effort is necessary for the US to win, Leahy writes, but whether that happens is another matter.

Shawn Horcoff Retires; Set To Join Red Wings Organization

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Shawn Horcoff is calling it a career, at least on the ice. The 15-year NHL veteran is set to retire, but will continue to stick around the game of hockey as an employee of the Detroit Red Wings. As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 37-year-old forward will now take on a player development role within the Red Wings organization.

Although Horcoff never played for Detroit, he does call Michigan home and is a former captain and point-per-game player for Michigan State University. The transition from pro player to a coaching capacity will only involve a quick drive down the street. Known for his cerebral play-making, two-way ability, and hockey sense, Horcoff will be a valuable asset for the Red Wings, as they look to develop the next generation of talented forwards.

With over one thousand NHL games in hand, Horcoff retires with quite the successful career. Nowhere was his impact felt more than in Edmonton. A late-round pick by the Oilers in 1998, the swift center worked his way into the lineup in 2000-01 and scored 16 points in 49 games, making an unexpected contribution to Edmonton’s success and playoff contention. His numbers would increase year-by-year, as Horcoff became a vital part of the Oilers core. His best season came in 2005-06 when he put up 73 points in 79 games, including a whopping 51 assists, then added 19 more points as Edmonton shocked the hockey world with a run to the Stanley Cup final.

Horcoff continued to put up consistent points over the next few years in Edmonton, with three straight 50+ point seasons, but his numbers began to tail off after his age-30 season in 2008-09. After four more relatively disappointing seasons leading a more recognizable bottom-dwelling Oilers team, Horcoff was traded to the Dallas Stars before the 2013-14 season. After two more middling seasons in Dallas, Horcoff signed a one-year pact with Anaheim last season, but put up the worst numbers of his career.

Having played out a successful NHL run, Horcoff has likely chosen the correct route, taking up a new role in hockey rather than trying to extend a playing career that has been on the downturn for some time. With undeniable hockey intelligence and a vast set of skills, including a leadership ability that made him captain in Edmonton, Horcoff seems likely to be very successful in his development role with the Red Wings, and once again has a bright future in hockey.

Snapshots: Fleury, McDavid, Oilers Training Camp Battles

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If he had it his way, Marc-Andre Fleury would spend the rest of his career in Pittsburgh.

The first overall pick in 2003 has been with the Penguins his whole career, winning two Stanley Cups. However, there are two major roadblocks to Fleury’s wish: next summer’s expansion draft and teammate/ heir apparent Matt Murray.

The 31-year-old Fleury had an unbelievable season in 2015-16, winning 35 games and posting a 0.921 SV%. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion towards the end of the season, which allowed Murray to take over the starters role on his way to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup victory.

In an interview with Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Fleury said both he and Murray give the Penguins a chance to win games, and “bottom line, that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter who’s in the net.”

Fleury said he met with management after last season and knows where he stands.

When asked if he would request a trade to get more starts, Fleury was emphatic, “No. No. No. I’ve always said this is like my home. I wish I could play here my whole career.”

With next summer’s expansion draft looming, the Penguins will only be able to protect one goaltender. It seems unlikely they would chose Fleury at the expense of the 22-year-old Murray. Fleury has a no-move clause and will need to be protected by his team, unless he chooses to waive it. The Penguins may ask him to move before then, to avoid losing him for nothing, but Fleury isn’t thinking about that, telling Bombulie he plans on going with the flow, and that he’ll “see what happens”

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • Team North America coach Todd McLellan isn’t worried about Connor McDavid going pointless in the World Cup preliminaries. According to TSN’s Frank Seravelli, McLellan thinks McDavid needs to be more selfish, comparing it to McDavid’s first three games in the NHL, where he was “asking for permission” while he was feeling out the style of play.
  • Back in Edmonton, the Oilers expect college free agent Drake Caggiula to contend for a forward position to start the season, according to Bob McKenzie (via Chris Nichols). The smaller Caggiula models his game after Bruins star Brad Marchand: pesky, fast, and skilled.
  • The Edmonton Journal’s David Staples has a new article on Oilers camp invite Kris Versteeg. Staples praised Versteeg as “the kind [of player] the team needs and has sorely lacked”, calling him an “excellent bet”. Versteeg has played with Milan Lucic, trained with Brandon Davidson, and played for GM Peter Chiarelli. He cited McDavid, Rogers Place, and playing close to home as reasons for picking the Oilers over other teams who offered PTOs.

Compelling RFA Cases For 2017: Pacific Division, Part I

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Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov highlight a strong and deep group of restricted free agents that remain unsigned at the moment. While they will each ultimately cash in and receive substantial contracts for the 2016-17 campaign and likely beyond, their status as restricted free agents has certainly complicated the negotiation process.

Next summer, another quality group of players are set to hit restricted free agency unless they can agree to terms on a new deal prior to the 2017-18 league year. In a series of posts, Pro Hockey Rumors will profile the top pending 2017 RFAs and examine what kind of contract they could elicit assuming they put up a strong performance during their platform year. Today we start in the Pacific Division.

Anthony Duclair (Arizona) – “The Duke” is coming off a solid rookie season, scoring 20 goals and posting 44 points in 81 games for the Coyotes. Arizona acquired Duclair and a couple of draft picks from the New York Rangers at the 2015 deadline in the Keith Yandle deal. Duclair, considered a first-round talent in his draft year, tumbled into the third-round following an injury-shortened 2014-15 campaign in the QMJHL.

Another 20+ goal campaign could propel Duclair’s earning potential into the $4MM range annually. Mike Hoffman, who has scored 27 and 29 goals respectively the last two seasons, inked a four-year deal with an AAV of more than $5MM per season. On the heels of back-to-back 21-goal campaigns, Chris Kreider also landed a four-year pact, his worth $18.5MM in total. Kreider was coming off his second contract, Hoffman his ELC. Based on experience, Hoffman would be the better comparable but the goal-scoring numbers are likely to match up better with Kreider. Either way, if Duclair can match or exceed his 2015-16 production this season, a $4MM+ AAV on a new contract would be realistic.

Sam Bennett (Calgary) – Bennett, the fourth overall selection in the 2014 entry draft, posted an 18-18=36 scoring line as a rookie with the Flames in 2015-16, while playing the entire campaign as a 19-year-old. Along with the aforementioned Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, Bennett is part of a strong nucleus of young talent the Flames are counting on to lead the club into Stanley Cup contention.

Assuming an uptick in performance given Bennett now has a full year of NHL experience under his belt, it will be interesting to see how the Flames handle his restricted free agency. They’ve already locked up Monahan to a rich long-term extension and seem to want to do the same for Gaudreau. If they elect to go the same route with Bennett, he’ll likely need to do much better than 36 points to earn a contract in the same ballpark as Monahan’s.

Instead, perhaps a two-year bridge deal similar to the one Kevin Hayes received this summer makes more sense for the two sides. Hayes, who has tallied 81 points in 158 NHL games, inked a two-year pact worth $2.6MM per. That deal might be a fair comparable for Bennett assuming a 40 – 50-point output in 2016-17. A bridge deal also allows Bennett to further prove he can be a top-line player in the league.

Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) – There was thought that perhaps the Oilers rushed Draisaitl to the NHL and possibly hindered his long term development based on the German pivot’s dreadful rookie year. After being chosen third in the 2014 draft, Draisaitl debuted in the NHL, appearing in 37 games during the 2014-15 campaign and scoring just 9 points and finishing with a -17 plus-minus rating.

Thankfully for Edmonton, Draisaitl demonstrated his career trajectory is firmly pointed upwards after an impressive sophomore season in which he tallied 51 points in 72 contests and improved his plus-minus rating to a -2. If he should continue to show that level of improvement, Draisaitl could land in the same territory as Monahan and Nathan MacKinnon each did coming off their ELCs; namely in the range of $6MM annually. Monahan is coming off back-to-back 60-point campaigns while MacKinnon sandwiched a mediocre second season (38 points in 64 games) between a 63-point debut and a 2015-16 almost identical to Draisaitl’s in terms of production (52 points in 72 games). If Draisaitl can produce in the neighborhood of 60 – 65 points in his platform year, $6MM annually may well be within reach.

Tyler Toffoli (Los Angeles) – Toffoli has improved steadily over his three full NHL seasons, seeing his goal totals increase from 12 his rookie season to 23 in year two and finally to a team-leading 31 last season with the Kings. He also led the league in plus-minus rating with a +35.

Toffoli won’t turn 25 until late in the 2016-17 campaign suggesting he has several more prime years remaining. He is entering the final season of a two-year deal with an AAV of $3.25MM and should be in line for a lucrative long-term pact. Two recent extensions signed by RFA-eligible players that could set the bar for a Toffoli deal are the contracts inked within the last several months by Filip Forsberg (six years with an AAV of $6MM per) and Mike Hoffman (four years with an AAV of $5.1875MM). If Toffoli produces season scoring totals in 2016-17 similar to those of this past campaign, he should be able to command something between what Hoffman and Forsberg are earning on each of their respective deals.

 

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