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Anton Slepyshev

Injury Updates: Gaunce, Bonino, Slepyshev, Poolman

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Canucks center Brendan Gaunce will miss at least the first month of the season as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, GM Jim Benning told TSN 1040 (audio link).  The 2012 first rounder recently signed a two-year, $1.5MM contract with one-way salaries in both years.  Last season, Gaunce played in 57 games with the Canucks, collecting five assists and was expected to battle for a fourth line spot with the team in training camp.

That could provide an opportunity for one of the veterans that Vancouver has brought in on tryouts to crack the opening roster.  So far, center Ryan White and winger Scottie Upshall have been announced as PTO players that will be attending camp with the Canucks.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The Predators will have to wait a bit longer to see offseason signing Nick Bonino suit up in a Nashville jersey. GM David Poile told reporters, including Adam Vingan of The Tennessean, that the center isn’t expected to play at all in the preseason as he continues to recover from a broken left tibia, one that he elected to not have surgery on.  The team is hopeful that he will be ready for the season opener on October 5th.
  • While Oilers winger Anton Slepyshev is set to miss at least part of training camp after sustaining an ankle injury in offseason training, GM Peter Chiarelli noted to Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that the injury is not particularly serious. Slepyshev split the regular season between the NHL and AHL but was a regular for the Oilers in the playoffs so this shouldn’t represent too much of a setback for him in his quest to land a roster spot.
  • After undergoing separate surgeries on both shoulders shortly after signing his entry-level contract, the Jets are hopeful that defensive prospect Tucker Poolman will be ready to participate in training camp, notes Postmedia’s Paul Friesen. Poolman is coming off his best season at the college level where he had 30 points (7-23-30) in 38 games and could have elected free agency in August to become part of the group of prospects that tested the market after the 15th.

Oilers Might Look For Rookies To Move Up

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The Edmonton Oilers may not have gotten as far as they had hoped after falling in Game 7 of the Conference semifinals, but unlike many other clubs, the Oilers have even more hope for the future after several key youngsters took another step forward during their playoff run. Three of their young pieces had key roles in their playoff run, including wingers Drake Caggiula and Anton Slepyshev and blueliner Matt Benning. The question is, as Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson, puts it, can these kids be counted on consistently?

Caggiula and Slepyshev each tallied three goals in the playoffs and Matheson suggests they might be ready to move into the Oilers’ “top-six” if they can play at that level consistently. In fact, the thought is that Edmonton may be ready to break up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to create two powerful lines rather than just the one. The idea would be to move Draisaitl to centering the second line and allowing Caggiula to join McDavid on the first line, while Slepyshev would take over as the second line’s right wing.

Caggiula is coming off his first NHL season after four years at the University of North Dakota. The 22-year-old played 60 games and finished with seven goals and 11 assists, but his three playoff goals in 13 games showed he might be ready to take the next step. Slepyshev, a former third-round pick in the 2013 draft, got into 41 games this year, finishing with four goals and six assists, but the 23-year-old also tallied three playoff goals and showed flashes of brilliance.

Benning’s play in the playoffs, which included his improved play after Andrej Sekera went down in Game 5 of the playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks, suggest he might be ready to become that top-four defenseman the Oilers are looking for. Benning, 22, also played in his first NHL season after three years at Northeastern University, and played in 60 games, finishing with three goals and 12 assists as a third-line defender. If Benning is ready, he could supplant Kris Russell on the second line, who is an unrestricted free agent, and the team could use that money towards other needs.

Oilers Waive Gustavsson, Demote Puljujärvi

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On the heels of a tough loss in Ottawa, the Edmonton Oilers have made a few widely expected roster moves.

Backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has been placed on waivers after another poor performance that cost the Oilers a win. Fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujärvi has been sent to Bakersfield of the AHL and winger Anton Slepyshev has been called up after a strong couple weeks with the Condors.

The Oilers coach, Todd McLellan clearly does not trust Gustavsson, as Cam Talbot is on pace to play 74 games, which would rank in the top-20 all-time for games-played by a goaltender in a single season. Gustavsson has a 1-3-1 record in seven appearances with a 0.878 SV % and a 3.10 GAA. His last two appearances have come exactly a month apart, with him allowing six goals on 31 shots in a tough 6-5 to the Flyers on December 8, and then allowing four goals on 17 shots in last night’s 5-3 loss in Ottawa.

It remains to be seen who will replace Gustavsson: the Oilers top goaltending prospect, Laurent Brossoit, has been struggling this year but has a great track record in the AHL. The Oilers could also make a claim on Curtis McElhinney, who was waived by the Blue Jackets earlier today. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggested Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth, among others, as possible replacements for Gustavsson. Halak recently cleared waivers, but Matheson suggests a deal could be made if the Islanders are willing to take back money (Mark Fayne, perhaps?). Neuvirth is a fringe starter who is a pending UFA, both positive qualities in a backup.

Meanwhile, Puljujärvi has struggled to break into the NHL, with one goal and eight points in 28 games, mostly in the bottom six. His only goal came in the season opener. It’s a curious decision by the Oilers, as Puljujärvi has been on the roster for 42 games, meaning the Oilers have burned a year of RFA eligibility to keep him on the roster in order to keep him in the NHL as a healthy scratch or playing less-than 10 minutes per night (the deadline is 40 games on the roster). He was scratched for the Oilers last two games, and played just three minutes in his last appearance. While, there’s something to be said for getting him acclimated to North America (Puljujärvi only speaks around 100 words of English), it’s not clear why Peter Chiarelli waited until just past the second important deadline to send him down. It’s akin to a team waiting until a rookie has played 10 games then sending him back to junior. The Oilers hope Puljujärvi will regain his offensive confidence by spending some time playing big minutes with the Condors.

The player replacing Puljujärvi has benefitted from a brief stint in the AHL. Slepyshev has been much improved this season; he scored one assist in 11 NHL games and 21 points in 49 AHL games in 2015-16. This season, he has two goals and four points in 15 NHL games and 10 points in nine games with the Condors. Look for him to get a chance in the Oilers top-nine to make a difference with Puljujärvi demoted and Tyler Pitlick done for the season.

Looking Back At A Complicated Draft-Day Trade

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On Saturday night, Oilers winger Anton Slepyshev notched two assists as the Oilers beat the Stars 5-2.

The Russian winger has looked very good so far this season. While he has just three points in nine games, he’s also been playing just 11 minutes per night. Slepyshev has cracked the NHL lineup out of training camp both years he’s been in North America. He was sent down after 11 games last season, and struggled a bit in the AHL. However, he appears to be one of those players who plays well against better competition and doesn’t bring his best against lower tiers of competition. Because coach Todd McLellan clearly likes his game, Slepyshev appears poised to be a future tough and versatile middle-six forward.

It’s fascinating to look back at the series of trades that lead to Slepyshev being drafted by Edmonton.

It was the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft. The Edmonton Oilers were set to pick 37th overall, and had their eye on prospect goalie Zachary Fucale. Unfortunately for new GM Craig MacTavish, the Montreal Canadiens selected Fucale one pick before.

Their player gone, the Oilers then made a series of trades to move down in the draft, and turned that one second round pick into a two third round picks and three fourth round picks.

They traded pick 37 to Los Angeles for picks 57, 88, and 96. MacTavish turned around and traded pick 57 to St. Louis for picks 83, 94, and 113.

With those five picks acquired from trading down, the Oilers ended up with Bogdan Yakimov, Slepyshev, Jackson Houck, Kyle Platzer, and Aidan Muir.

Slepyshev was in his second year of eligibility, but was ranked 17th in his draft year and 45th in his second go-round by Corey Pronman. Pronman described him this way:

He is an above-average skater, with agility and free movement, as his shiftiness makes him hard to check. He has a plus shot and he knows it, as his mentality is often shoot-first, even from distance. He can still make plays, and he does not have tunnel vision, but his playmaking skills are not his best element. His physical game has progressed, and he has added strength since last season. He can protect pucks moderately well. He will display physical effort, although it could be better at times. He also needs to work on his defensive game.

It’s likely the “Russian Factor” lead to Slepyshev being passed over, in addition to the fact he had only scored 24 points in 101 KHL games before being drafted. He broke out the next year, however. He scored 25 points in 58 games and signed an entry-level contract with the Oilers shortly after Peter Chiarelli took over. TSN analyst and former NHLer Ray Ferraro called Slepyshev “a player… He’s not a 3 years in the AHL project.”

Yakimov is a 6’5 center who showed promise but also some inconsistency. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract and currently on loan to the KHL. It seems unlikely he will return to North America; he returned to the KHL despite having a big chance to make the Oilers with their top three centers at the World Cup. Instead, rookie Drake Caggiula made the team and is playing out of position at center.

Platzer was drafted out of the London Knights, and was pigeon-holed as a checking center there. He was traded to Owen Sound for his last year-and-a-half of his OHL career, and exploded for 100 points in his 95 games with the Attack. He’s slowly gaining a foothold in the AHL and looks like he could turn out to be a solid bottom-six penalty killer and two-way forward.

As far as the other two players acquired: Houck never cracked the point-per-game level in junior, went unsigned by the Oilers, and is currently playing in the ECHL; Muir is playing Div. 1 college hockey. Neither man appears likely to make the NHL in any meaningful capacity.

The player Edmonton originally wanted, Fucale, has struggled mightily post-draft, and is looking more and more like a bust. Los Angeles selected Valentin Zykov at 37, and the Blues picked William Carrier at 57. The Blues traded Carrier at the 2014 trade deadline to Buffalo as part of a package for Ryan Miller, while Zykov was traded at the 2016 deadline with a 5th round pick for Kris Versteeg. Zykov has 23 points in 59 AHL games, and needs to have a bounce-back season this year to continue to be considered a legit NHL prospect. Carrier has 55 points over 126 AHL games and made his NHL debut this season.

MacTavish was widely panned for a variety of unsuccessful roster moves and poor asset management, but this trade, his first, can likely be considered a success.

Three-plus years after the trade, it’s interesting to look back at these kinds of trades and see how things work out. Most insiders agree that the NHL Draft is something of a crapshoot; just look at Pro Hockey Rumors’ re-draft of the 2005 NHL Draft where there are some tremendous players picked long after after some serious busts.

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

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