Claimed off Waivers: Oilers claim Nathan Walker

[6ix]

Oilers cup favourites again

 

[dechire]

A funny coincidence is that the same rule that prevented the Oilers from signing Tkachev to a contract had been used a couple years prior to keep Walker from being signed. Afaik they're the only two players recently that were unable to be signed due to that rule.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

no one said Walker is the savior here.

W are talking about swapping a 12/13 fwd for another /13 fwd that cant at least skates better. If he can get to a loose puck and atleast handle the puck better than Paks..then I don't see an issue.

Don't you know? Edmonton should do nothing unless it is to trade for the bestest ever. Minor deals are not allowed.

 

[hockeykicker]

The reason he wasant playing in DC

One major issue was him not penalty killing

 

[LMFAO]

Maybe Chiarelli misread that and saw Nathan SKYwalker, and figured the force was strong in that one......

Maybe the worst joke i have seen on this board since I joined 10 years ago :/

 

[Dr John Carlson]

One major issue was him not penalty killing

The gag here is that posters who watch Hershey games say he did regularly kill penalties with the Bears.

 

[StephenPeat]

Caps beat reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan saying on Twitter Oilers weren't the only team to put in a claim.

Alright Caps fans, what have we got here? All the scouting reports I've read say he's fast, gritty, likes to crash and bang, and is a great team guy.

Young Matt Hendricks?

Yeah this comes pretty close but he projects more skill than Hendricks ever did, though Hendo had his moments and would fight anybody. Walker also seems willing to get dirty. I see him as the guy who scored by skill in the AHL but will have to score "manufactured" goals to be successful in the NHL. The Caps obviously favored Graovac and Connolly over him and I'm guessing the main factor was his size and financial constraints forced their hands.

I see him as the most recent Cody Eakin in that Caps fans liked him and you want to cheer for him and he seems to have a lot of promise. Then he goes to another team, in retrospect Caps fans decry the circumstances of his leaving, he does well for a while then his new team signs him to a contract they end up regretting and ultimately he becomes the career third line guy he always was. But of course that's a lot of projection.

For now I think he's better than Pakarinen and may fit Chiarelli and Mclellan's philosophy better. Oiler fans MIGHT be pleasantly surprised by his motor and give-a-f*** but WONT be disappointed with him.

 

[StephenPeat]

The gag here is that posters who watch Hershey games say he did regularly kill penalties with the Bears.

I just think Walker was the type of guy who just hadn't done enough to be too worthwhile to lose on waivers, obvi.

 

[S E P H]

Walker is underrated and has some solid playmaking talent. Just wasn't able to showcase his game on a club as deep as the Capitals are. I think this is a decent move for Oilers, he should help with the secondary scoring woes that plague them.

 

[Jacob]

Maybe Chiarelli misread that and saw Nathan SKYwalker, and figured the force was strong in that one......

I seriously doubt this.

 

[Charlie Conway]

Sucks to be that guy right now

Quite the contrary. He'll get a chance to play right away, and he won't have to take any AHL buses.

 

[hockeykicker]

Apparently some caps fans think Walker = forsberg

 

[beowulf]

Me too, it is rare that I have no idea who a player is. When I looked him up, I realized he was the Aussie kid that scored in his NHL debut. It's the only time I noticed him play but he seemed to be quick and like to throw the body around.

Ya same when I looked him I remembered the piece TSN or Sportnet did on him being the first Aussie player and his parents coming to see him etc.

 

[Hivemind]

Claiming Walker isn't going to change the Oilers' fates, but that doesn't mean it was a bad claim. Poor asset management from Washington here all around. Walker has to prove he can sustain over a larger sample, but his early returns were encouraging enough that he should have stayed in the line-up more. Speedy energy forward that's willing to drive the dirty parts of the ice with a decent hockey IQ. Undersized, so he's never going to dominate along the boards or in the crease, but he was good at keeping the puck on the correct half of the ice.

 

[Skobel24]

Caps beat reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan saying on Twitter Oilers weren't the only team to put in a claim.

Alright Caps fans, what have we got here? All the scouting reports I've read say he's fast, gritty, likes to crash and bang, and is a great team guy.

Young Matt Hendricks?

Smart claim. Worst case, he's a healthy scratch that can provide speed/energy when they need it. Could be entertaining to see him on a line with Kassian.

 

[seafoam]

First Australian NHLer

 

[Charlie Conway]

Smart claim. Worst case, he's a healthy scratch that can provide speed/energy when they need it. Could be entertaining to see him on a line with Kassian.

Been cheering for the guy ever since his first pre-season.



He didn't even hesitate to jump in vs. Shaw in the 2016 pre-season after Shaw boarded a teammate.

 

[izzy]

Me too, it is rare that I have no idea who a player is. When I looked him up, I realized he was the Aussie kid that scored in his NHL debut. It's the only time I noticed him play but he seemed to be quick and like to throw the body around.

he played in the ahl for hershey for a year and THEN washington drafted him with a 3rd rounder

it was interesting

 

[McFlash97]

Good one Chia...it was a tough decision, he couldn't find anyone that could snipe it into his own net. Nathan Walker it is.

 

[ManofSteel55]

EDM lacks speed. Walker is fast. I'd say it's a good claim.

Let's us move Pakarinen down to the farm as well. I love his hustle, but he has no offense to his game and he was supposed to be a PK guy and our PK is bloody awful.

 

[ElPrimeTime]

Plan the parade!!!

 

[Walshy7]

Who da **** is Nathan Walker

first Australian NHL player! he is our gretzky man

 

[mcpw]

Oilers trade Jussi Jokinen for Mike Cammalleri, claim Nathan Walker off waivers.

Reminds me of the time the Oilers traded Mark Arcobello for Derek Roy, claimed Matt Fraser off waivers.

 

[voxel]

Oilers trade Jussi Jokinen for Mike Cammalleri, claim Nathan Walker off waivers.

Reminds me of the time the Oilers traded Mark Arcobello for Derek Roy, claimed Matt Fraser off waivers.

Derek Roy was excellent for the Oilers. The only time Yak looked like a top-6er was with Roy.

Matt Fraser. Ugh.

 

[Devil Dancer]

he played in the ahl for hershey for a year and THEN washington drafted him with a 3rd rounder

it was interesting

And the Caps traded up to pick him.

Wonderful asset management.