Oilers Waiting On Ken Holland To Make Decision On GM Opening
Sunday, 9:14 a.m.: TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Holland is expected to give his answer today and all indications suggest that he is interested in the job.
Sunday, 8:11 a.m.: Late last night, Friedman signed off, reporting that Holland’s decision on whether to take Edmonton’s five-year, $25MM offer will come in either Sunday or Monday. If Holland does accept the position, Dave Tippett would become the lead candidate for the team’s head coaching job.
Saturday, 8:37 p.m.: Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported (via Sportsnet’s Mark Spector) on Hockey Night in Canada that the Edmonton Oilers have offered Holland a five-year contract at $5MM per year to be the Oilers General Manager.
Saturday, 3:33 p.m.: No decision is expected to be made until next week, but the Edmonton Oilers could be close to choosing their future general manager. In fact, with the franchise having recently narrowed their search to three candidates in Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Ken Holland, interim general manager Keith Gretzky and former Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager Mark Hunter as their top candidates, The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that it already looks like Holland has the inside track on the job.
Holland is expected to return from a trip overseas Saturday night, suggesting that negotiations might heat up soon. While just a few days ago the GM race was considered to be a “two-horse race” between Gretzky and Hunter, Sportsnet’s Marc Spector revealed one day later that the Oilers were going “all-in” on Holland. The question was whether Holland was interested in waiting for a potential general manager job opening in Seattle or would be willing to take over in Edmonton.
Holland is completing his 36th season in Detroit and his 22nd as general manager, but with Steve Yzerman taking over those duties, Holland could be looking for another GM position already. He certainly has a impressive resume, including three Stanley Cup Championships, four Presidents’ Trophies, and has seen his team reach 100-season points 13 times. Unfortunately, his recent resume hasn’t been as exemplary as he has continued to try to keep his franchise-winning teams in contention with questionable free-agent signings and only recently committed to rebuilding their salary-capped franchise. In fact, the Red Wings have finished with a worse record than the struggling Oilers franchise for several years now. Now 63 years old, many people wonder what Holland has done in the NHL lately and whether running a franchise has past him by.
The Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones writes that CEO Bob Nicholson is likely banking on the team hiring Holland, as the scribe believes that Nicholson isn’t enamored with the two other candidates. After two interviews already with Hunter, the fact that they haven’t hired him suggests that Nicholson isn’t comfortable hiring him, while Jones also adds that he doesn’t think Nicholson believes that Gretzky is an “A-list” hire. The belief is that if Holland takes the job, he would have full control of the franchise and that he would never have even begun talking to Nicholson if he wasn’t interested in being a general manager again.
Mitchell adds that if Holland does take over, he will likely bring in his own people into the front office. And while, he believes that there will be a place for Gretzky no matter what, Holland has stated that your need four or five key people in place to run a franchise. One interesting option if Holland does take over is who might become the team’s next head coach, suggesting that Holland has close connections to current Dallas Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson. Changes could also come quickly depending on Holland’s assessment of the Oilers’ core. That core of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse could be altered, considering he wasn’t the man to bring them in.
Pacific Notes: Sharks, Kovalchuk, Nugent-Hopkins
Leading into last month’s trade deadline, there was plenty of speculation that the Sharks may be looking to do something with one of their goaltenders. While San Jose has been among the top scoring teams in the league all season, they’ve struggled at keeping the puck out of their own net and sit last in the league in save percentage. Despite that, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including Paul Gackle of the Mercury News, that they had no interest in moving one of their two goalies. Backup Aaron Dell has struggled considerably this season but has two good seasons in that role under his belt, not to mention another year on his contract at $1.9MM which could have limited his potential market somewhat anyway.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Ilya Kovalchuk’s somewhat strange month continues. The winger did not accompany the Kings on their three-game road trip, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Instead, he’s staying back in Los Angeles to work with their skill and development staff. Kovalchuk voiced his frustration over being a healthy scratch last week but it appears that will be continuing for at least the next three games.
- Acquiring quality puck-moving defensemen has been an issue over the years for the Oilers which means that they may have to turn to one of their top trade chips this offseason to try to get one. With that in mind, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal suggests that moving center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a young, higher-end defender would stand as a sensible move for a team that has had and given up on Jeff Petry, Justin Schultz, and Erik Gustafsson in recent years. Edmonton is going to be tight to the salary cap this summer so moving Nugent-Hopkins’ $6MM AAV for a younger (and presumably cheaper) blueliner would give their new GM a little bit more financial flexibility this offseason as well.
Edmonton Oilers’ Ty Rattie To Miss A Couple Of Weeks
Sunday: The Oilers announced they have placed Rattie on injured reserve. The team has recalled Cooper Marody from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL to replace him on the roster. The Oilers acquired Marody’s rights from Philadelphia in March and were able to sign him away from the University of Michigan. The 21-year-old already has two goals and six points in the Condors first five games.
Saturday: The Edmonton Oilers announced that Ty Rattie, who was forced to leave Thursday’s game against Boston with an apparent injury, will be without the promising winger for a couple of weeks with a muscle injury in his midsection.
The 25-year-old winger made a name for himself in the preseason when he led the league in goals with seven. That string of performances won him a spot on the team’s first line next to Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but Rattie has not been able to continue his goal-scoring streak into the regular season. He has a goal and an assist in five games. The injury is a big blow to a player who has been working hard to earn a full-time role in the Edmonton lineup. He has played 54 games in the NHL, but spread out over six seasons.
The Oilers intend to promote 2017 first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto to the top line while Rattie is out. The fast-skating 20-year-old has a goal in five games, but if he can find some chemistry with McDavid as many people have predicted could happen, that could end Rattie’s time on the first line, one of the best lineup opportunities in the NHL.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Scottie Upshall To PTO
September 13th: Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that Upshall failed his physical with the Oilers today. Upshall has been dealing with a knee injury and did not report to training camp at full strength. While this does not cancel out his PTO, it certainly hurts his chances of landing a contract, despite Edmonton’s need for veteran leadership and penalty killing ability. It is uncertain when Upshall will be ready to fully participate, with Spector speculating it could be “a few weeks”. In the meantime, Upshall will be unable to show that he is still in NHL shape and will likely lose his roster spot to a younger player or potentially another veteran brought in to replace him.
August 19th: It’s officially PTO season. After the Florida Panthers made Mark Letestu the first notable name signed to a professional tryout agreement this off-season with an agreement last week, the Edmonton Oilers have now joined in on the action. The team announced this afternoon that they come to terms with veteran forward Scottie Upshall on a PTO. The Oilers are not overflowing with forward depth, making the Alberta native’s odds of landing a contract relatively good.
This move comes as little surprise in regards to Upshall. The 34-year-old has been down this road before; he played on not one but two PTO’s last fall, first joining the Vancouver Canucks before eventually returning to the St. Louis Blues and earning a contract. He again stands a good chance of winning a spot, this time with Edmonton. Gone are the days when Upshall could produce 30+ points every year, but he still does everything else well. A smart, hard-working forward, Upshall can still give a team modest offense – he scored 19 points in 63 games last year – but it is his two-way play that keeps him valuable. Upshall was one of the Blues’ primary penalty killers last season and still plays with energy, grit, and toughness.
Ironically, Upshall’s frequent running mate in St. Louis, both five-on-five and shorthanded, was Kyle Brodziak, who signed with Edmonton earlier this summer. It seems likely that the Oilers considered that when inviting Upshall to camp. St. Louis was not a league leader in killing penalties or fourth line production last season, but the chemistry between Upshall and Brodziak would nevertheless be a major boost for Edmonton. In moving on from Letestu, the Oilers lost their leading penalty killer from last season. They would also likely enjoy not having to deploy Ryan Nugent-Hopkins while man-down as frequently as they did in 2017-18. Upshall could fit in nicely alongside Brodziak both on the bottom line and the PK, so long as he looks like he can still keep up in his sixteenth year in the league. This could end up being a shrewd PTO pickup by GM Peter Chiarelli and company.
Blues Notes: Allen, Edmundson, Trade Targets, Fabbri
While fans would like to see the St. Louis Blues move on from starting goaltender Jake Allen, that’s not likely to happen, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon in a reader chat. The main reason Allen isn’t going anywhere is that there are no better goaltenders available in free agency and via trade this offseason. The team’s best bet is to make sure they lock up backup Carter Hutton and use that combination for one more season.
Allen’s play has declined after a strong start. In fact, his numbers have steadily declined over the last four years, putting up a 2.28 GAA in 2014-15, followed with a 2.35 GAA in 2015-16, a 2.42 GAA in 2016-17 and a 2.75 GAA this season. Gordon also points out that the answer to the team’s goalie issues is more likely to arrive in 2019-20 when Ville Husso arrives as he is most likely going to stay in the AHL for one more season developing his skills and serving as a third-string goaltender for the Blues. Husso had a 2.42 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 38 games with the San Antonio Rampage.
- Gordon also says that general manager Doug Armstrong said that defenseman Joel Edmundson shouldn’t expect a big payday this offseason. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this year, but the team is unlikely to give Edmudson a long-term offer at this point and might have to fight for a quality contract through arbitration this year. Edmundson, who made $1.05MM this season should get a raise, but the team has already handed out sizeable deals to Alex Pietrangelo (two years remaining at $6.5MM) and Colton Parayko (four years left at $5.5MM) and still must pay veteran Jay Bouwmeester one more year at $5.4MM. One year from now, however, the team could lock Edmundson up. He keeps improving, putting up a career high seven goals this year.
- Gordon writes that Armstrong has said he wants to add a top-six forward, preferably a center to the team this offseason. With the free-agent market heavy in wingers, the Blues might have to consider a trade, suggesting the team should attempt to pry Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from Edmonton or Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo. While the Oilers have stated they will not move Nugent-Hopkins, O’Reilly might be a different story in Buffalo.
- While Gordon writes that there is no news on prospect Robby Fabbri, who missed the season after tearing his ACL twice in the same knee, there is plenty of concern. Because of his injuries, there is plenty of concern of whether he will ever turn out to be the prospect they hoped he would be.
Pacific Notes: Thornton, Edmonton Defense, Nugent-Hopkins
After a double-overtime thriller in which the Vegas Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings, the San Jose Sharks will attempt to take a 2-0 lead of their own tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks, who picked up a 3-0 victory Thursday on the road, got a surprise during pre-game warmups when injured veteran center Joe Thornton participated in the pre-game skate before Thursday’s game. According to Paul Gackle of the Mercury News, Thornton is close to returning to the team, but isn’t yet ready.
Thornton, who went down in January with a torn MCL injury, has been rehabbing for the past 11 weeks, but has said that unlike last year when he returned from a knee injury after just two weeks for the playoff run, he intends to make sure he isn’t a distraction to the team before returning. However, the more wins that the Sharks can pick up in the meantime can buy time until Thornton believes he is fully healthy and ready to return to the lineup.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal writes that the Edmonton Oilers are desperate to repair their defense and wants to trade for a top-line defenseman. While he suggests the team could offer up its lottery pick in a deal to get Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson or work out some type of deal to get Colorado’s Tyson Barrie, neither is realistic. The team’s best chance at solving their defensive issues is right-handed shot Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes. The 26-year-old is falling down the Hurricanes’ depth charts with the emergence of younger defensemen like Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. Faulk would also fix their logjam of left-handed defenseman as several defenseman such as Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell are left-handed, but playing on the right side. The problem is that Carolina wants a forward back. So who are they going to send?
- Matheson, in the same article, adds that the Oilers have no intention of trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who might be their best trade chip. The center was rumored to be a trade candidate with his high salary ($6MM AAV) over the next three years. However, the team believes he might be the perfect linemate for Connor McDavid as a wing, which would move youngster Ryan Strome to the third-line center position. Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a season where he tied his career-high in goals with 24 (and he missed 20 games this season).
Mark Letestu’s Trade Value Dropping
Veteran center Mark Letestu has been a hot name on the rumor mill this season. The 32-year-old is an impending free agent coming off a career-high 35 points last season. While not a statistical machine, Letestu has been the definition of reliable in his nine-year NHL career. He can play on the power play and penalty kill, excels at the face-off dot, and is hardly ever found taking a bad penalty. With the Edmonton Oilers struggling this season, it seemed that one silver lining could be the return they could get for the dependable Letestu.
That dream may have slipped away already though, as 2017-18 continues to be just as disappointing for Letestu as it has for the Oilers. Through 48 games, Letestu’s 16 points puts him well off his pace from last season and much of those offensive struggles have come lately. Letestu has not recorded a point in 14 games and his last assist came back on December 12th, as his production has dried up completely. Tack on Letestu’s -15 rating, the worst on the team, and the once-reliable forward has been both an offensive non-factor and defensive liability this season. As a result, his ice time has suffered. Letestu has skated in under 10 minutes in six games this season, including back-to-back eight-minute games last week; he had one such game last season.
Now, coach Todd McLellan has taken the next step. Even with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sidelined with injury, the Oilers’ bench boss has decided he has had enough of Letestu’s lackluster play, making him a healthy scratch for tonight’s big game against their Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames. Even taking into account the poor play of the entire Oilers team this year, it still does not excuse the drop-off in all around play by Letestu this season. Now, not only has he been objectively bad, but even his team has lost confidence in his ability. Perhaps this benching will jump start Letestu’s season and he can rebuild his trade value over the next month, ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. Otherwise, GM Peter Chiarelli may essentially give away the expiring center, as he won’t come close to the once-promising return he may have gotten earlier in the year.
Pacific Notes: Calgary Winger Search, Jones, Oilers
Although Flames winger Micheal Ferland has emerged as a top-six winger this season, Calgary could still be on the lookout for winger help between now and the trade deadline. In an appearance on Sportsnet 960, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested (audio link) that Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman is a player that they’re at least keeping tabs on, calling them a team on the periphery. Hoffman would certainly add another offensive threat on the wing but he also has two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit just below $5.2MM. With Calgary needing to re-sign or bring in replacements for several key players in that timeframe (including goalie Mike Smith, center Mikael Backlund, winger Matthew Tkachuk as well as Ferland himself), there’s no guarantee that they’ll want to take on someone signed for a couple more years at this time even if Hoffman would fit in well with what they need.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Paul Gackle of the Mercury News notes that Sharks goaltender Martin Jones was seen walking with a noticeable limp on his left leg following Thursday’s loss to Colorado, suggesting that Jones may be playing through an injury. He speculates that the injury could be related to one Jones suffered in late November that caused him to miss a game. At the very least, San Jose can take comfort in the fact that they still have Aaron Dell who can take on a bit more of the workload if need be for the time being but if that’s the case, that will make it even less likely that they’ll look to move Dell, arguably their best trade chip.
- The injury to Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins likely won’t play much of an impact in Edmonton’s trade deadline preparations, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector suggests. While there’s a strong assumption that Nugent-Hopkins will eventually have to be traded with Connor McDavid’s new $12.5MM AAV contract kicking in next season, it’s unlikely that they would have been looking to move him until the summer anyway and the news he’ll miss five-to-six weeks all but cements that.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Out Five To Six Weeks
It wasn’t expected to be a long-term issue, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will now be out for five to six weeks according to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (and Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, who tweeted about three seconds later), who passes along news from Todd McLellan. Nugent-Hopkins has cracked ribs, and will need more than a month to recover.
If news of Kevin Shattenkirk‘s knee surgery may push a potential playoff-bound New York Rangers team away from buying at the deadline, you can bet Nugent-Hopkins’ news solidifies the Edmonton Oilers’ position as a seller. Though the Oilers are currently enjoying a two-game win streak including toppling the mighty Vegas Golden Knights, the team remains ten points out of a playoff spot with several teams in between.
Even with the struggles of the team, Nugent-Hopkins is having one of the best individual seasons of his career. With 31 points through 46 games, the 24-year old was on pace to put up another 50+ point season and crack 20 goals for the second time of his career. He’s been easily better in the faceoff circle than ever before in his career, and has often looked like one of the best players on the ice for the Oilers.
The team does have expiring assets like Patrick Maroon, Mark Letestu and Mike Cammalleri, but has also been rumored in the past to be considering a move of Nugent-Hopkins himself. It seems unlikely that would come to pass before the deadline now that he’s injured, though it would have been surprising anyway. Instead, those expiring assets or others could be on the move out of Edmonton as the team tries to figure out how to fix what went wrong this season. With one of the best players in the world about to earn his league-leading salary, fixing the fringes of the roster won’t be easy.
Edmonton Oilers Place Nugent-Hopkins On IR, Recall Pakarinen
The Edmonton Oilers have placed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve, recalling Iiro Pakarinen to fill his roster spot. Nugent-Hopkins was injured in Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, but was expected to return following the Oilers bye week. Edmonton won’t be back in action until Saturday evening, but have at least brought Pakarinen up to practice with the team in case Nugent-Hopkins is unable to play.
Pakarinen, 26, has played 18 games for the Oilers this season but has been held to just a single point. The Finnish forward was re-signed to a one-year $750K contract last spring, and was expected to take a regular role in Edmonton’s bottom six. That hasn’t exactly materialized, as he’s spent just as much time in the minor leagues as the NHL, scoring 13 points in 18 games for the Bakersfield Condors.
The Oilers will start the unofficial second half of their season against the Vancouver Canucks this weekend, and find themselves still 10 points out of a wildcard spot with several teams ahead of them. Sitting 13th in the Western Conference, their season hasn’t gone anything like what was expected of them after Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot led them to a seventh game of the second round a year ago.
With their third-leading scorer in Nugent-Hopkins now banged up, and just 16 games left before the February 26th trade deadline, the Oilers will have to make a quick decision on whether to sell off several of their assets or try and climb their way out of the gutter with a strong second half. It’s not out of the question that they could make up some ground in the Pacific Division, but pending unrestricted free agents like Patrick Maroon, Mark Letestu and Mike Cammalleri might all be more useful to the franchise going forward as trade bait.