Rumor: R&P Thread | Oilers Sign G Samuel Jonsson (3-Years ELC), RW Quinn Hutson (2-Years, $875k AAV), LD Atro Leppanen (1-Year, $975k)

Yup. King’s Stanley Cup the last few years was cheap-shotting Oilers players to prevent them from winning the real one
They can't even cheapshot "the right way". They leverage the fact that they're a Sunbelt team and turtle away from any response Matt Tkachuk style, and the refs call a retaliation penalty on the Oilers afterwards. If you're gonna act like a rat, at least back it up and fight, it's not even like the Kings are a samll team. But instead you have clowns like Mikey Anderson and Philip Danault.
 



Pronman's #2 Free Agent


Corey Pronman said:
Leppanen is having a monster season in Liiga. The defenseman is over a point per game and could score 20 goals. He is 26 years old so there is reason to be skeptical about how much his offense is going to be real in North America, but his sharp development is interesting. He’s a good skater with decent hockey sense and a big point shot. His defending and compete aren’t massive selling points, though.
 
Who's Leppanen?
Led the Finnish Liiga in scoring for a D:

Atro Leppänen

Hmm.. wonder what's with adding all these higher octane offensive guys. Are they anticipating problems with signing Bouchard or something? Only so many spots to go around and they already have the likes of Bouchard?, Walman, and Ekholm when healthy.

An interesting story on this guy, was playing essentially beer league a few years ago and was encouraged by friends to try for a higher league. Called a coach in the 2nd highest league there, earned a contract and now hit the highest points recorded by a defender there. And now signed here apparently.

Certainly an interesting option and off-season ahead re: Bouchard.
 
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Led the Finnish Liiga in scoring for a D:

Atro Leppänen

Hmm.. wonder what's with adding all these higher octane offensive guys. Are they anticipating problems with signing Bouchard or something? Only so many spots to go around and they already have the likes of Bouchard?, Walman, and Ekholm when healthy.

An interesting story on this guy, was playing essentially beer league a few years ago and was encouraged by friends to try for a higher league. Called a coach in the 2nd highest league there, earned a contract and now hit the highest points recorded by a defender there. And now signed here apparently.

Certainly an interesting option and off-season ahead re: Bouchard.
Sounds like the Finnish version of Joel Persson, extremely late bloomer who shot up the league ranks at home in short order. Zero risk in signing a guy like this though, at a minimum he should be a help in getting more offense coming down in Bakersfield.
 
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Leppanen’s a good bullet to put in the chamber as well. One thing I can’t shit on JJ and Bowman for is adding the personnel in hockey ops/scouting/development to make all the moves not just possible but give us a better chance at landing these guys. Having boots on the ground matters.
 
Ottawa is a shining example of how a team can go from wandering the desert to finally making the dance and being a legit threat, by acquiring a good goalie. I think Buffalo should do the same thing instead of shuffling other deck chairs all the time. As for us, it will be same old.......
Buffalo literally had the good goalie Ottawa currently has. It goes far deeper than that.
 

More Free Stuff!! :thumbu:

Bowman volume shopping to build up organizational depth. Emphatic preference for puck mover types Klingberg, Carfanga, Leppanen. This player is the ultimate wildcard, non-traditional development path. Once upon a time the Oil iced a 5' 9" Finnish d-man named Risto Siltanen (who likely played a harder, more robust game in a different era). Small skill can play in the modern era.

Not sure these moves pan out. However full credit to restock a terribly shallow organizational using 'only' money to test drive some skill type players.
 
More Free Stuff!! :thumbu:

Bowman volume shopping to build up organizational depth. Emphatic preference for puck mover types Klingberg, Carfanga, Leppanen. This player is the ultimate wildcard, non-traditional development path. Once upon a time the Oil iced a 5' 9" Finnish d-man named Risto Siltanen (who likely played a harder, more robust game in a different era). Small skill can play in the modern era.

Not sure these moves pan out. However full credit to restock a terribly shallow organizational using 'only' money to test drive some skill type players.
Worth of note that both Siltanen and Leppänen are from small town of Mänttä. Around 6000 inhabitants there, now part of bigger municipality.
 
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Led the Finnish Liiga in scoring for a D:

Atro Leppänen

Hmm.. wonder what's with adding all these higher octane offensive guys. Are they anticipating problems with signing Bouchard or something? Only so many spots to go around and they already have the likes of Bouchard?, Walman, and Ekholm when healthy.

An interesting story on this guy, was playing essentially beer league a few years ago and was encouraged by friends to try for a higher league. Called a coach in the 2nd highest league there, earned a contract and now hit the highest points recorded by a defender there. And now signed here apparently.

Certainly an interesting option and off-season ahead re: Bouchard.

Haha probably because we have Skinner in net and know we need to out score our problems again next year :sarcasm:

Hello 7-6 games!!
 
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Worth of note that both Siltanen and Leppänen are from small town of Mänttä. Around 6000 inhabitants there, now part of bigger municipality.
Haha, thanks for sharing that connection. I think they are probably wildly different players despite both being smaller d-men. Fun to hear their hometown connection.
 
Led the Finnish Liiga in scoring for a D:

Atro Leppänen

Hmm.. wonder what's with adding all these higher octane offensive guys. Are they anticipating problems with signing Bouchard or something? Only so many spots to go around and they already have the likes of Bouchard?, Walman, and Ekholm when healthy.

An interesting story on this guy, was playing essentially beer league a few years ago and was encouraged by friends to try for a higher league. Called a coach in the 2nd highest league there, earned a contract and now hit the highest points recorded by a defender there. And now signed here apparently.

Certainly an interesting option and off-season ahead re: Bouchard.
Bowman noted that the farm this season lacked 'puck skill'. I'd wager that Bakersfield has a tad more depth next season.
 
Leppänen is an interesting player. A real late bloomer but what he did this season was truly astonishing. He didn't just break the record, he abolished it with ten points setting it to 63.
Before this season the scoring record for defenders in FEL was 53 points. That was shared by Pekka Rautakallio and Brian Rafalski. And both did since become solid NHL players.

There are other similarities also:
Rafalski was 25 when he played 53 point season in Finland, Rautakallio was 25 when he scored 53 points. Leppänen was 25 when the season started and turned 26 in december.

He could end up being just an AHL-player and returning Europe after one season, but there is a possibility and upside of him becoming contributor also in NHL level.
 
It could be an amazing top 4 d but Walman isn’t/hasn’t been as good as people thought and Ekholms play this year had taken a hit and now with the injury and his age it could be rough.
I did forget Walman was signed another year.
I agree. Walman is a good number 5 and an ok top 4, but people were def overrating him because he was shiny and new.

He turns the puck over too much...
 
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