- As mentioned in the team’s Trade Deadline Primer, the Oilers’ goaltending situation should be their key priority when approaching the trade deadline. The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman examined that situation in more detail. (subscription required) The Oilers are in dire need of improvement in the crease, and the team could look to add outside help at the deadline. Nugent-Bowman floats four names as potential trade targets: Semyon Varlamov, Ville Husso, Braden Holtby, and James Reimer. He notes that Oilers’ GM Ken Holland “won’t send away top assets for rentals,” but also highlights the importance of the Oilers improving their play in net. Varlamov, Husso, Holtby, and Reimer would all be definite improvements over Koskinen and Smith, but the responsibility is on Holland to strike a deal if that improvement is to be secured.
Oilers Rumors
Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers
As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.
There is a lot of pressure on the Edmonton Oilers this season. The team boasts two of the NHL’s premier offensive talents, but has been unable to find any sort of consistent play, and as a result is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They sit a point behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild-card spot (with two extra games played) and two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers got off to a blazing start, but then went on a brutal stretch of games that ended up costing coach Dave Tippett his job. The season is now in the hands of interim coach Jay Woodcroft, and as the deadline nears the heat is on GM Ken Holland to fix the issues with his roster in order to provide Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the best chance to truly threaten for a Stanley Cup for the first time in their careers.
Record
30-22-4, 4th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.96MM today, $1.96MM in full-season space, 43/50 contracts used, 1/3 retention slots used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd*, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2023: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
* Per the terms of the offseason Duncan Keith trade, if the Oilers make the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and Keith is inside the Oilers’ top-four highest time-on-ice for defenseman during those first three rounds of their playoff run, the Chicago Blackhawks will receive Edmonton’s 2022 2nd instead of the 2022 3rd they are currently owed.
Trade Chips
Much of the conversation surrounding the Oilers this season concerns their goaltending, and it’s not difficult to see why. Their tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen has been challenging, to say the least. Smith, 39, has an .891 save percentage so far this season. Koskinen, 33, has been slightly better, with a mark of .904 in 31 starts. Koskinen is more important for the deadline, though, because of his cap hit. He is on an expiring contract that has a $4.5MM cap hit, a number that the Oilers would likely be eager to ship out in order to facilitate adding additional players to a roster without much wiggle room under the cap. The issue with trading Koskinen, though, is that he has trade protection on his contract. Koskinen is allowed to submit a no-trade list of 15 teams, per CapFriendly, and that reality combined with his play this season could make him a difficult asset to move despite how beneficial it could be for the Oilers.
Pivoting from goaltending, if the Oilers do wish to make upgrades to their team at the deadline they could potentially need to part ways with players on their NHL roster to make a deal work. One of those players who could be moved is winger Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto, 23, is the 22nd overall pick from the 2017 draft who has flashed great offensive talent at the NHL level but has yet to put together his game on a more consistent basis. After a brilliant 27-game stretch with the Oilers in 2019-2020 where he had 26 points, Yamamoto struggled to re-capture that offensive spark. He has only 20 points in 55 games this season and had 21 points in 52 games last season, marks that are clearly lower than what a five-foot-eight, skilled offensive player would be expected to produce at the NHL level. But despite those struggles with consistency, Yamamoto remains a somewhat tantalizing offensive talent who has scored at a high level earlier in his career. Given his age and status as a former top prospect, Yamamoto could be a player other teams target to receive in return for the player they send to the Oilers.
If the Oilers need to create some cap space in order to faciliate bigger additions at the deadline, but moving Koskinen’s contract proves to be impossible given his no-trade protection or $4.5MM cap hit, a player who could be shipped out instead (for more modest savings) is center Kyle Turris. Turris is a longtime NHL veteran who was the 3rd overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft and starred with the Ottawa Senators from 2011-12 season to the 2017-18 campaign, when he was included in the blockbuster Matt Duchene trade. Since that point, Turris has struggled to maintain his form as an NHL scoring center. He was bought out of a massive extension with the Nashville Predators, and signed a two-year contract with the Oilers in the 2020 offseason with the idea that he could be a strong third-line-center for the club. Since signing, Turris has continued his struggles and has only nine total points in his 50 games in Edmonton over two seasons. With a cap hit of $1.65MM, he would provide some relatively minor (but still potentially crucial) savings for the Oilers if he is shipped away at the deadline.
Others to Watch For: F Tyler Benson, D Tyson Barrie, D Dmitri Samorukov
Team Needs
1) Quality Goaltending
The Oilers are desperate to make noise in the playoffs this season, something that has not really happened in the McDavid-Draisaitl era. In order to make noise in the playoffs, teams typically need exceptional goaltending. What the Oilers have received from their Koskinen-Smith tandem this season has been far from exceptional, as mentioned before. If Holland is serious about wanting his team to earnestly compete for a Stanley Cup, they simply must have a different goalie starting playoff games for them this spring. Barring some unforeseen miracle, a long playoff run will probably not be possible with Koskinen or Smith minding the crease.
2) Defensive Reinforcements
Evan Bouchard has impressed this season, but if the Oilers are to be Stanley Cup contenders they will need to add some help to their defense. Darnell Nurse is a star, and Keith has had a great career, but as currently constructed their defense is a flawed unit that rarely does its goaltending many favors. We all know that playoff hockey is a different beast than the regular season grind, and perhaps adding some muscle and experience to reinforce a defense populated with offensively-oriented players like Barrie and Bouchard could make for a more well-rounded unit.
3) Additional Scoring Depth
Looking at the situation from a strictly on-ice perspective, Evander Kane has been an important addition for an Oilers team with some issues getting reliable scoring outside of their two offensive dynamos. Adding more experienced offensive scorers to this roster could help them down the stretch as they are currently a bit too reliant on their dynamic power play to create goals. Adding some additional scoring depth should not be the first priority for Holland’s deadline, goaltending is far more crucial, but the team’s issues scoring sustainably at five-on-five is something to definitely keep an eye on.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
AHL Shuffle: 03/05/22
It is a busy Saturday across the NHL with 10 games on the docket over the course of 12+ hours. The St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders kick things off at 11:30am CT, followed by at least one game starting nearly every hour from 2:00pm CT until the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche square off in one of the most highly-anticipated match-ups of the season thus far at 9:00pm CT. If all of these teams aren’t too busy preparing and the other dozen not playing aren’t too busy themselves watching all the action, perhaps we will see some roster movement today.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have demoted defenseman Jake Christiansen, a player who has been up and down regularly this season. The team announced that Christiansen has been reassigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he has played in 39 games this year. While he has only suited up for four with the Blue Jackets, Christiansen has spent considerable time on the NHL roster.
- Kevin Hayes is back with the Philadelphia Flyers. The veteran center has been out since mid-January after undergoing surgery and his recovery exceeded the expected three-to-four week projection. However, he has finally been activated from the injured reserve. Philadelphia may not have many playoff hopes left this season, but will be glad to have a locker room leader back. The timing is poor for Wade Allison, who has also been activated from the IR but with Hayes taking the open NHL roster spot, Allison will head to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Allison suffered a knee injury in his season debut back in January and has been out ever since, but certainly hoped to return to the Flyers lineup after playing in 14 games as a rookie last season.
- The New York Islanders recalled two players in time for their game against the St. Louis Blues earlier today, a 2-1 win for New York. Forward Otto Koivula was recalled from Bridgeport and played in the game for the Islanders, who were without forwards Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee. This was just Kiovula’s fourth game of the season, last playing December 2nd for the Islanders. Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon was also recalled from Bridgeport, but was immediately sent back down after the game. Wotherspoon has yet to make his NHL debut, but has been a solid contributor for Bridgeport the past few seasons.
- The Carolina Hurricanes recalled goaltender Alex Lyon from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on an emergency basis. The 29-year-old Lyon has only played in two games this year for Carolina, but has had an impressive 23 games in the AHL, carrying a 2.14 goals against average and .911 save percentage. Lyon’s emergency recall suggests that one of Antti Raanta or Frederik Andersen are unable to go for Carolina tomorrow night.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Edmonton Oilers recalled defenseman Philip Broberg from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Broberg was immediately inserted into the Oilers lineup as they square off against the Montreal Canadiens at home. The 20-year-old Broberg has just one point in 17 games this season for Edmonton, but has excelled in the AHL, tallying 19 points in 27 games.
Oilers Place Ryan Nugent-Hopkins On IR, Activate Kyle Turris
The Edmonton Oilers have performed a roster swap of sorts, moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to injured reserve in order to activate veteran forward Kyle Turris, as per the team.
Nugent-Hopkins has already been on the shelf for about a week with an upper-body injury suffered on February 26th against the Florida Panthers, causing him to leave the game after just three shifts. It’s his second injury-related absence this season after a lower-body injury kept him out for most of January.
Turris, who has just a goal and three assists in 22 games this season, has played just one game since January 5th. He subsequently entered COVID protocol, played one game, and then suffered an undisclosed injury that’s sidelined him for around a month.
With Nugent-Hopkins still out of the mix for a little while yet, the team will need to rely more on wingers such as Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele to up their production. Yamamoto has especially lagged in the points department this season, notching just 11 goals and nine assists in 53 games despite getting consistent top-six usage.
As the Oilers have been icing 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the past while, though, it’s a natural fit for Turris to potentially get his feet back under him with some game action.
Josh Archibald Could Be Traded By Deadline
Because of how difficult that makes it for him to play with the Oilers or go on a conditioning loan to the Bakersfield Condors due to cross-border travel, Spector expects Archibald to be traded to a U.S.-based team at some point and suggests his time as an Oiler is effectively over. The 29-year-old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent in the second season of a two-year contract that carries a $1.5MM cap hit. He scored seven goals and 13 points in 52 games last season.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Seth Griffith
After issuing several contracts to minor league talent yesterday, the Edmonton Oilers have locked up another big part of their Bakersfield Condors roster. Seth Griffith has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension, that will keep him in the organization through the 2023-24 season. As reported by PuckPedia late last night, the financial terms are as follows:
2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $450,000 AHL salary
2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary, $450,000 AHL salary
Griffith, 29, has been a top minor league contributor for years, and is having a career year this season for Bakersfield. In 40 games he has scored 20 goals and 52 points, good enough for fourth (tied) in league scoring. He still hasn’t made an impact at the NHL level–playing in just a single game this season–but Griffith is a huge part of the success that the Condors have experienced and will now represent a potential minor league All-Star addition for two more years.
While this won’t help the Oilers directly, there has been a big push to make sure that the minor league affiliates are successful enough to help prospects develop in a winning environment. The Condors were the best team in the AHL’s shortened 2020-21 season and are having another strong campaign, going 22-13-9 so far, good enough for third place in the Pacific Division by points percentage.
Griffith joins Dmitri Samorukov, James Hamblin, and Vincent Desharnais as players who have signed recent contracts with the team, while Alex Stalock was also sent out of town last night. It’s been a busy stretch for Oilers GM Ken Holland and AGM Keith Gretzky, who also serves as the GM of the Condors.
San Jose Sharks Acquire Alex Stalock
Another goaltender was dealt for future considerations last night, as Alex Stalock is now on his way to the San Jose Sharks from the Edmonton Oilers. The veteran netminder was originally not expected to play at all this season after being diagnosed with myocarditis but has now appeared in five games for the Bakersfield Condors.
Stalock, 34, actually has a long history with the Sharks. Drafted 112th overall by the team in 2005, he suited up 62 times for San Jose over parts of five seasons. That included an incredible rookie run in 2013-14 when he posted a .932 save percentage in 24 appearances, even getting into three postseason games when Antti Niemi struggled in the playoffs. It’s been years since he was part of the Sharks organization though, leaving them in 2016 when he was part of the deal that brought James Reimer over from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After a few seasons in Minnesota, Stalock was actually claimed off waivers by the Oilers in the 2020-21 season, but never appeared for the club at the NHL level. His future is relatively unclear at this point, though it has been good to see him back on the ice after many ruled him out completely. In five appearances with the Condors, he has a 3-1 record and a .862 save percentage.
For the Oilers, there were already enough goaltenders in the system to fill out the minor league spots, with Stuart Skinner obviously needing the most playing time whenever he’s in the AHL. In San Jose meanwhile, the Sharks are dealing with an emergency recall of Zachary Sawchenko while Adin Hill deals with injury, meaning Stalock may actually get a look in the NHL if healthy enough to do so.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Dmitri Samorukov, Sign Two Others
The Edmonton Oilers announced Wednesday afternoon that they’ve signed defenseman Dmitri Samorukov to a one-year contract extension. The organization also signed forward James Hamblin and defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who were both on AHL deals with their affiliate in Bakersfield, to two-year contracts beginning next season. Per CapFriendly, Hamblin’s two-way deal carries a $807,500 cap hit and Desharnais’ carries a $762,500 cap hit. Samorukov’s is a one-way deal paying him $775,000.
Samorukov’s extension and Desharnais’ contract are both standard player contracts, while Hamblin’s is an entry-level deal.
Samorukov, a third-round pick of the team in 2017, is on the right track again after some injury troubles. He made his NHL debut earlier this season and the defensive defenseman has 11 points in 36 AHL games this season, already breaking his career-high of 10 set in 2019-20. He could get a faster track to the NHL under new Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, considering the two know each other well by this point.
The Woodcroft connection also likely has a lot to do with Desharnais and Hamblin getting their deals. Desharnais has taken the long way to his first NHL deal, signing with the Condors in 2019 after finishing his college career at Providence. Since then, he’s graduated from a stint in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder, and now has 18 points in 42 games with Bakersfield this year. He was actually a seventh-round pick of the Oilers in 2016, but his signing rights expired years ago.
Hamblin, just 22, signed with Bakersfield after three years as captain of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. He has a solid 12 goals and 20 points in 39 AHL games this season.
Brendan Perlini, Petteri Lindbohm Clear Waivers
Mar 1: Johnston reports that both have cleared waivers. Either one can now be assigned to the minor leagues, though Lindbohm’s placement on waivers was simply to enter the NHL after playing overseas this season.
Feb 28: Two players have hit waivers today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Brendan Perlini of the Edmonton Oilers and Petteri Lindbohm of the Florida Panthers have both been waived and are available to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Lindbohm has signed through the end of this season, and PuckPedia reports that it is a one-year, one-way, $750K contract for the European free agent.
This is the second time that Perlini has hit waivers this season, after he cleared in December. The 12th-overall pick from 2014 has been his frustratingly inconsistent self again this season, showing flashes of brilliance too often followed by long stretches of invisibility. The 6’3″ forward has all the raw tools to be an impact power forward at the NHL level, but still has just four goals and five points in 23 games for the Oilers this season.
It’s not that the team needs Perlini to step into a top-six role, but it’s very clear that the Jay Woodcroft-led coaching staff doesn’t trust him to play regular minutes in any lineup spot. In the nine games since he took over behind the bench, Perlini has played just twice and has seen the ice for a total (not average) of 11 minutes and one second. In yesterday’s loss to Carolina, he was given just nine shifts even in a game when they had just 11 forwards dressed and logged the lowest ice time of any forward on the Oilers.
With a $750K cap hit on a one-year deal, perhaps someone else will take a chance and try to coax out the player that scored 17 goals and 30 points in 2017-18, or even the one who had 12 goals in 46 games down the stretch for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19. But more likely Perlini is headed back to the minor leagues, where he has played two games for the Bakersfield Condors this season.
In Lindbohm’s case, it’s a very different story. The 28-year-old defenseman must have signed a contract with the Panthers after his KHL season came to an end with Jokerit pulling out of the postseason this weekend. The former St. Louis Blues player hasn’t seen NHL action since 2016-17, and has spent the last four seasons playing overseas.
A big, mobile defenseman, Lindbohm just won gold at the Olympics with Finland and has been a strong contributor at both the Swiss and KHL levels over the last few years. He has just 40 games of NHL experience, but would provide Florida with another depth option as they trek toward the playoffs.
Brad Malone Recalled; Kris Russell Moved To LTIR
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL, after playing yesterday with just 11 forwards. To accomplish it, Kris Russell was moved to long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Malone, signed to an NHL contract partway through the year, has yet to make his season debut for the Oilers.