Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | If Babcock is Our New Coach Will Players Want to Come Here?

[oobga]

I would drop the bag for Nikishin

Think Canes can pull a fast one on teams selling high on him. Guy had like 80% offensive zone starts/on the fly starts in playoffs to be able to keep his head above water.

 

[McTonyBrar]

do we need Risto?

 

[K1984]

do we need Risto?

If we got him back in some form of Nurse deal it would make a lot of sense.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

If we got him back in some form of Nurse deal it would make a lot of sense.

Not a ton, but some, it would have to something like Nurse and Emberson for Risto for it to even work.

If they did do that, I would seriously give Leppanen a chance to play on LHD with him on the 3rd pair.

 

[North]

do we need Risto?

We do not. I would take this report with a grain of salt.

Philly may want us to take him but we don’t have space for him.

 

[North]

If we got him back in some form of Nurse deal it would make a lot of sense.

We are set at RD: Bouchard, Murphy, Emberson

 

[McTonyBrar]

If we got him back in some form of Nurse deal it would make a lot of sense.

But isn't our right side set? I like Risto but

Bouchard
Murphy
Emberson

 

[Soundwave]

Emberson isn't so great that I would hold out a Nurse trade for him. If Nurse for Risto is what's available, you probably take it and move on.

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

We need an LHD more than Risto, even Seeler would be a passable #5 until the deadline. This is why I prefer PIT to PHI, more of those kinds of players (plus lots of interesting forward options).

 

[Soundwave]

Risto is way better than doing something like taking Graves from Pittsburgh for Nurse. LD are easier to find anyway, especially a no.6 LD.

 

[oXo Cube]

Ristolainen would be a pricey third rightie, but it's not like it completely doesn't work. Nurse for Risto straight up leaves the team with ~11M to sign 5 players. Could feasibly still add a top 6 winger in the 5-6M range and make that work.

But I assume that we're still in the stage where all the suitors are asking the Oilers to retain salary and they do not want to do that.

 

[Arpeggio]

I wouldn't be totally against Ristolainen. I don't think the team needs another RD but his cap hit isn't horrendous assuming they're not retaining on Nurse. Probably gives you a decent chance to run three good pairings.

I would probably prefer a forward but it wouldn't be the worst outcome.

 

[foshizzle]

We need an LHD more than Risto, even Seeler would be a passable #5 until the deadline. This is why I prefer PIT to PHI, more of those kinds of players (plus lots of interesting forward options).

I'd take Ryan Shea. Can play heavy mins.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

The likeable part of about Risto is he has been playing well, he'd have an easier role and there's no future commitment, so it's better for the cap going forward and makes him easy to flip out for other assets.

Not perfect, there are other returns I would like more, but if that's how it went, that would be fine.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Ristolainen would be a pricey third rightie, but it's not like it completely doesn't work. Nurse for Risto straight up leaves the team with ~11M to sign 5 players. Could feasibly still add a top 6 winger in the 5-6M range and make that work.

But I assume that we're still in the stage where all the suitors are asking the Oilers to retain salary and they do not want to do that.

Or just won't without something more significant.

 

[oXo Cube]

I wouldn't be totally against Ristolainen. I don't think the team needs another RD but his cap hit isn't horrendous assuming they're not retaining on Nurse. Probably gives you a decent chance to run three good pairings.

I would probably prefer a forward but it wouldn't be the worst outcome.

It could make some sense just as a way to have a clean break from the weight of the contract this time next year.

But essentially using next year as a 'conserve your bullets and try to build something for 2028' approach would be a really bold strategy.

 

[Soundwave]

It could make some sense just as a way to have a clean break from the weight of the contract this time next year.

But essentially using next year as a 'conserve your bullets and try to build something for 2028' approach would be a really bold strategy.

I mean you could likely move Risto this season if you don't like him, there you go, $9 million in cap space.

 

[BobbytheBrain]

Basically Risto will give you nothing more than Nurse as far as quality of defense but atleast he hits and would be cheaper

 

[McDoused]

do we need Risto?

With Murphy at 4.1, we could actually afford to move Murphy down.

Only problem is that probably means Emberson is gone or the 7D.

What about:

Ekholm-Bouchard
Walman-Risotainen
Stastney-Murphy
Emberson

 

[McDNicks17]

Basically Risto will give you nothing more than Nurse as far as quality of defense but atleast he hits and would be cheaper

Is Risto going to give you more than Emberson to be worth costing four times the price though?

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Is Risto going to give you more than Emberson to be worth costing four times the price though?

No question lol.

 

[Soundwave]

Is Risto going to give you more than Emberson to be worth costing four times the price though?

If the answer to that is no, just trade Risto then. There you go, now you have $9 million of Nurse cleared. Honestly this scenario is probably too good to be true, if the Oilers have been offered this, they should take it asap.

 

[K1984]

But isn't our right side set? I like Risto but

Bouchard
Murphy
Emberson

It is, but I think it gives us some more flexibility in the position. The best I can ever remember our blue line playing top to bottom in my life is the first three rounds of the playoffs in '25 when we had three pairs all capable of playing ~20 mins. I think something like this would help get back to that outcome:

Ekholm - Bouchard
Walman - Murphy
XX - Risto
Emberson

My idea obviously depends on who we can find for the XX spot, but I like this in theory. The third pair has always been branded as the hard nose pair, but having one that can move the puck really well gives an opportunity to put them with better forwards and actually being able to contribute in the minutes.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

With Murphy at 4.1, we could actually afford to move Murphy down.

Only problem is that probably means Emberson is gone or the 7D.

What about:

Ekholm-Bouchard
Walman-Risotainen
Stastney-Murphy
Emberson

I think Emberson is part of the package back with Nurse

So it looks like

Ekholm-Boucahrd
Walman- Murphy/Risto
Leppanen(or someone they add)-Risto/Murphy
Stastney (though I would trade him)


Getting Risto, then finding a way to pry Zellweger loose from Anaheim, that would be awesome.

 

[McDNicks17]

No question lol.

That was a rhetorical question haha. The answer is no. There's no difference in overpaying your #2/3LD by $4M and overpaying your #3RD by $4M.

You're just moving it around and not improving the team.