Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | With Klingberg in the Mix Who Are Our 7D After the Deadline?

[Soundwave]

We didn’t pay them because at the time they weren’t worth that money. Not paying Holloway was a mistake. I think he exceeded everyone’s expectations. Hindsight though.

Not paying Broberg was not a mistake. He stinks.

When we traded Ceci I thought for sure we were retaining one or the other, I was surprised they opted to pass on both.

Early on it looked like Broberg was a big miss on not matching, now it looks like Holloway was the bigger mistake.

 

[foshizzle]

I disagree that the team is just sold on Skinner and Pickard. I think they're willing "accept" that has the option, but I do honestly think they're looking at improving that position.

I get we all like to pretend they don't see these goals against from Stu and Pickles, but they really do, and they have concerns, much more than the previous regime, imo.

It’s been 2 playoff runs in a row where Stu and completely capitulated and needed heroic saving to prevent the oilers from being eliminated. Against the kings- Campbell came in and was basically in god mode. Against Vancouver- Pickard was solid and Bouchard went into god mode. They would be out of their minds if they think it won’t happen again. It was so bad last year Stu needed a mental break and had to work with Francilia

From a points per game perspective, he is 432nd in the NHL among forwards. Dead heat with Derek Ryan at 0.15 - and he's worse at faceoffs than Ryan.

If Nashville gets any positive return at all, they've made out like bandits.


I said from the get go that letting Broberg walk and keeping Holloway was the move. Sigh.

Holloway one stings. Paying Arvy 4M was confusing for me. Holloway was homegrown and just got a shit ton of experience on the world’s biggest stage for hockey…then you let him walk. Mindboggling

 

[foshizzle]

JJ had a good idea for the offseason, but once Debrusk decided not to come here it all went to shit.

We need to wait to judge Bowman's TDL. We seriously cannot believe that the plan is to add only a bottom 6 player. I'm sure Kane will be out until playoffs.

Im pretty confident Kane is done for this year. They also have the option of moving Klingberg out too if he doesn’t pan out. There are options here.

Pretty good chance that Kane won't be back until the Conference Finals or later. He hasn't even been able to train properly because of his surgery.

Like any training at all. No strength training or conditioning. He would most definitely fail his physical if he came back.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Pretty good chance that Kane won't be back until the Conference Finals or later. He hasn't even been able to train properly because of his surgery.

I agree there’s a long way between skating a couple circles in a tracksuit and being game ready. I think once the deadline passes we will get more clarity on his status but I think come playoff time he’ll be pushing to get back in so Ill say we see him sometime in the second round at the latest.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Saravalli slamming the brakes on Oiler trade deadline situation is a major eye opener. My own speculation is he's hearing directly from Kane and his agent about intention to come back before the regular season ends.

This situation has always been beyond team control. Why Bowman has always been cautious and noncommittal about Kane's situation. He can't intrude or risk collusion calls by the league and frankly a potential player grievance from the NHLPA if Kane felt he was being pressured. Kane is a player (person) who doesn't passively toe the company line or conforms to external pressures. He's driven by his deep belief in himself and ego that he can be a difference maker for this team. I have zero doubt his singular focus is on returning asap whether or not that align's with a perceived team benefit to wipe out this regular season to bulk up roster vulnerabilities.

The Oilers are dancing on the head of a pin while other key prospective opponents appear to have greater clarity and means to bulk up with the upcoming deadline arms race. A tricky situation that could have a major effect on chasing the Cup.

 

[belair]

Saravalli slamming the brakes on Oiler trade deadline situation is a major eye opener. My own speculation is he's hearing directly from Kane and his agent about intention to come back before the regular season ends.

This situation has always been beyond team control. Why Bowman has always been cautious and noncommittal about Kane's situation. He can't intrude or risk collusion calls by the league and frankly a potential player grievance from the NHLPA if Kane felt he was being pressured. Kane is a player (person) who doesn't passively toe the company line or conforms to external pressures. He's driven by his deep belief in himself and ego that he can be a difference maker for this team. I have zero doubt his singular focus is on returning asap whether or not that align's with a perceived team benefit to wipe out this regular season to bulk up roster vulnerabilities.

The Oilers are dancing on the head of a pin while other key prospective opponents appear to have greater clarity and means to bulk up with the upcoming deadline arms race. A tricky situation that could have a major effect on chasing the Cup.

I don't really buy it. I can't see Kane's camp rushing a regular season return. There's no personal benefit.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I don't really buy it. I can't see Kane's camp rushing a regular season return. There's no personal benefit.

There's no reason for an external insider, likely the most tapped in guy league wide, to suddenly start pulling the chute on Oiler deadline aspirations.

Kane is always going to bet on himself. A belief he can help this team as a unique player type he's always done. Score - check. Hit and play physical - check. Intimidate - check. Be a big moment player - check. It's not hard to imagine Kane believing he is the missing piece to this lineup (going back to last playoffs when he tried to keep in the lineup as his body was failing him). Guy's a warrior and getting back is his singular focus.

I've said nothing about rushing back. None of us have definitive injury reports and recovery milestones on the player. But he's a guy that went from a prospective fatal injury to being back on-ice and in the line-up well before the projected injury range for recovery.

 

[FlameChampion]

Saravalli slamming the brakes on Oiler trade deadline situation is a major eye opener. My own speculation is he's hearing directly from Kane and his agent about intention to come back before the regular season ends.

This situation has always been beyond team control. Why Bowman has always been cautious and noncommittal about Kane's situation. He can't intrude or risk collusion calls by the league and frankly a potential player grievance from the NHLPA if Kane felt he was being pressured. Kane is a player (person) who doesn't passively toe the company line or conforms to external pressures. He's driven by his deep belief in himself and ego that he can be a difference maker for this team. I have zero doubt his singular focus is on returning asap whether or not that align's with a perceived team benefit to wipe out this regular season to bulk up roster vulnerabilities.

The Oilers are dancing on the head of a pin while other key prospective opponents appear to have greater clarity and means to bulk up with the upcoming deadline arms race. A tricky situation that could have a major effect on chasing the Cup.

Its honestly hard to know because I am sure the organization is careful what they say because they don’t the league coming down on them. They could be telling Seravalli to report it so they don’t look guilty of using the LTIR for all we know.

I do worry about Kane though. If he thinks he’s ready to come back, I could see him not waiting regardless if its better for the team or not.

I will say that reporters and Dallas don’t seem to reluctant to indicate that Seguin is gone until playoffs or Vegas with Theodore. So it is pretty concerning that Kane just isn’t going to play ball.

March 7 isn’t that far away. We will know soon enough.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Its honestly hard to know because I am sure the organization is careful what they say because they don’t the league coming down on them. They could be telling Seravalli to report it so they don’t look guilty of using the LTIR for all we know.

I do worry about Kane though. If he thinks he’s ready to come back, I could see him not waiting regardless if its better for the team or not.

March 7 isn’t that far away. We will know soon enough.

I think Bowman is keeping deniability far away from all sources about Kane. No need to feed or try to solicit disinformation from an outsider.

Kane is still subject to medical approvals and doctors who have their professional credentials on the line. Which also includes league based ones to investigate further to assess situations. It's a sticky situation in which we haven't seen acted out by other Team LTIR dodgers, Vegas and Tampa Bay. This is not a conformist sheep like in those other organizations who seems to foster a different attitude about skirting the purpose of LTIR.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

of course it was an overpay at the time, but good GMs know that eventually be worth it....but accruing cap space only to turn around and not bring in a sizable piece for the playoff run is the better option instead (if that occurs)

And Broberg doesn't "stink", plays 20 min/night, a plus player, is 2nd on the team in EV goal differential for d-men...that's a valuable asset, certainly worth more than a 2nd rounder

Sure but I’m saying that’s why they didn’t sign them captain hindsight. Lol how do you think they would have matched Broberg anyways?

Broberg has been garbage ever since his ridiculous luck ended at the start of the season. Watch him play.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Sure but I’m saying that’s why they didn’t sign them captain hindsight. Lol how do you think they would have matched Broberg anyways?

Broberg has been garbage ever since his ridiculous luck ended at the start of the season. Watch him play.

I'm not captain hindsight...from the moment those offer sheets were signed, I said I would've matched their offers (more so Broberg than Holloway but I admit I was wrong about that)
at the very least after trading Ceci they could've matched one of them, send Ryan to the minors, not accrue as much cap space...something....to make it work

instead, all we heard was that "Oilers didn't match cause they Oilers wanna accrue cap space doing the season in order to acquire a big piece at the TDL"

 

[foshizzle]

Its honestly hard to know because I am sure the organization is careful what they say because they don’t the league coming down on them. They could be telling Seravalli to report it so they don’t look guilty of using the LTIR for all we know.

I do worry about Kane though. If he thinks he’s ready to come back, I could see him not waiting regardless if its better for the team or not.

I will say that reporters and Dallas don’t seem to reluctant to indicate that Seguin is gone until playoffs or Vegas with Theodore. So it is pretty concerning that Kane just isn’t going to play ball.

March 7 isn’t that far away. We will know soon enough.

I said it earlier- Kane has always been a me guy and doesn't always look out for what's best for for the team. Having said that- he wouldn't pass a physical. Guy hasn't seen the inside of a gym since last season

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

I'm not captain hindsight...from the moment those offer sheets were signed, I said I would've matched their offers (more so Broberg than Holloway but I admit I was wrong about that)
at the very least after trading Ceci they could've matched one of them, send Ryan to the minors, not accrue as much cap space...something....to make it work

instead, all we heard was that "Oilers didn't match cause they Oilers wanna accrue cap space doing the season in order to acquire a big piece at the TDL"

They couldn’t afford to match Broberg. It had nothing to do with accruing cap space.

Holloway sure.

 

[Canovin]

They couldn’t afford to match Broberg. It had nothing to do with accruing cap space.

Holloway sure.

McDavid was probably asked and he said no to match

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Saravalli slamming the brakes on Oiler trade deadline situation is a major eye opener. My own speculation is he's hearing directly from Kane and his agent about intention to come back before the regular season ends.

This situation has always been beyond team control. Why Bowman has always been cautious and noncommittal about Kane's situation. He can't intrude or risk collusion calls by the league and frankly a potential player grievance from the NHLPA if Kane felt he was being pressured. Kane is a player (person) who doesn't passively toe the company line or conforms to external pressures. He's driven by his deep belief in himself and ego that he can be a difference maker for this team. I have zero doubt his singular focus is on returning asap whether or not that align's with a perceived team benefit to wipe out this regular season to bulk up roster vulnerabilities.

The Oilers are dancing on the head of a pin while other key prospective opponents appear to have greater clarity and means to bulk up with the upcoming deadline arms race. A tricky situation that could have a major effect on chasing the Cup.

Kane is accused of a lot of things but IMO he is a smart guy. Unless he has felt mistreated from the team, he will make sure that his return benefits the team. I would be very surprised if he returns before the end of the season. His spot on this team is dependent on him being healthy and returning to the 30ish goal scorer and physical presence that he was before injuries really took a toll on him. I would go as far as to say that if he returns early and screws our cap situation that he will not be back next season. If he is saying anything other than "I'm taking this recovery slowly because I do not want any set-backs" I would be surprised tbh.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Paying a ton for McCann if Seattle is willing would be the move I'd make. We NEED another top 6 winger. He's young, he can skate, score, he has 2 years left and a great cap hit.

He's the exact player we need to add in the offseason. 1st, Savoie, Plus

He'd be a good get but I wouldn't include Savoie in the deal.

 

[Fourier]

The problem is Kane has to pretty much agree that he is out until the playoffs very soon or the Oilers can't really use that space. If he is not fully on board today they don't have a lot of time to get him there.

You can be 1000% sure that if this turned into a dispute where the player felt he was ready and the team claimed otherwise the league would throw the book at the Oilers. They are itching to make some team an example over misuse of LTIR but it definitely won't be Vegas. Kiss a 1st goodbye if this plays out wrong.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

It’s been 2 playoff runs in a row where Stu and completely capitulated and needed heroic saving to prevent the oilers from being eliminated. Against the kings- Campbell came in and was basically in god mode. Against Vancouver- Pickard was solid and Bouchard went into god mode. They would be out of their minds if they think it won’t happen again. It was so bad last year Stu needed a mental break and had to work with Francilia


Holloway one stings. Paying Arvy 4M was confusing for me. Holloway was homegrown and just got a shit ton of experience on the world’s biggest stage for hockey…then you let him walk. Mindboggling

Pfft..

Skinner went to game 7 of the finals.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Its honestly hard to know because I am sure the organization is careful what they say because they don’t the league coming down on them. They could be telling Seravalli to report it so they don’t look guilty of using the LTIR for all we know.

I do worry about Kane though. If he thinks he’s ready to come back, I could see him not waiting regardless if its better for the team or not.

I will say that reporters and Dallas don’t seem to reluctant to indicate that Seguin is gone until playoffs or Vegas with Theodore. So it is pretty concerning that Kane just isn’t going to play ball.

March 7 isn’t that far away. We will know soon enough.

That is my guess. You can't tell me there is no collusion. His surgeries seem too perfectly timed. Vegas did it with Stone and we aren't idiots either.

If I had a gun to my head I think Kane is out until playoffs and Seravalli is being told to say this.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

It feels like Jane won't even play to start the playoffs. Is he even skating at all? Dirtbag Kuch was skating for months before he came back

 

[McDNicks17]

Been a true fan since the inception. Know you are a mod but why assume where I'm coming from. These guys were signed as upgrades to the old players, not to be role players. Skinner may get 20 goals if he plays and gets hot. Arv and Rico what 10-12 goal pace? Not really good enough secondary scoring which was the objective in upgrading to Arv/Skinner/Rico and paying 10 million to do so.

That may be true a few months ago, but they’ve been more than fine lately.

Arvidsson is tied for third on the team(and 1 point behind McDavid for 2nd) in 5v5 points over the last 20 games.

Skinner is scoring at almost a 50 point pace over those 20 games. Leading the team in 5v5 points/60.

Henrique is scoring at a 26 point pace in the last 20 games and has been giving solid tough competition/zone start play.

Just a really weird time to be complaining about those three.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Kane is accused of a lot of things but IMO he is a smart guy. Unless he has felt mistreated from the team, he will make sure that his return benefits the team. I would be very surprised if he returns before the end of the season. His spot on this team is dependent on him being healthy and returning to the 30ish goal scorer and physical presence that he was before injuries really took a toll on him. I would go as far as to say that if he returns early and screws our cap situation that he will not be back next season. If he is saying anything other than "I'm taking this recovery slowly because I do not want any set-backs" I would be surprised tbh.

We all wait and see. None of us have access to his recovery or other dynamics. His singular focus is to do everything possible to get healthy and be in a position at some point to help this team. There's no certainty in either case that he will slip into his 30 goal power forward impact. But doesn't mean Kane won't deviate from this approach to get healthy and return to the team.

Oilers management cannot influence this situation in any capacity. Run afoul of the league and it's a costly penalty waiting to be lobbed on an LTIR team skirting the spirit and intent of the rule. Attempt to influence, cajole or threaten the player and its a clear NHLPA grievance with consequences. Bowman is wisely staying far removed from the situation deferring in public statements of Kane's effort to get medical opinions on the injury and recovery options and in deferring to the medical experts in all considerations.

All said Saravalli is a pretty solid on his reportage and one who substantiates his work (a pretty rare thing in hockey trade gossiping). Suddenly flipping his Oiler narrative to a prospective 'money in, money out' scenario perks up the ears. It's not a random local bushshitter throwing up wild speculative nothing burgers.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

There's no reason for an external insider, likely the most tapped in guy league wide, to suddenly start pulling the chute on Oiler deadline aspirations.

Kane is always going to bet on himself. A belief he can help this team as a unique player type he's always done. Score - check. Hit and play physical - check. Intimidate - check. Be a big moment player - check. It's not hard to imagine Kane believing he is the missing piece to this lineup (going back to last playoffs when he tried to keep in the lineup as his body was failing him). Guy's a warrior and getting back is his singular focus.

I've said nothing about rushing back. None of us have definitive injury reports and recovery milestones on the player. But he's a guy that went from a prospective fatal injury to being back on-ice and in the line-up well before the projected injury range for recovery.

No reason except to create clickbait for Edmontons rabid and emotional fan base.

Even if Kane is pushing hard to come back early, given his age, the extensive repairs he’s had and the extended time off, it’s assured the team doctors are going to be very thorough and careful about ensuring he is 100% ready to return to late season NHL hockey without risk of re-injuring himself.

While I agree with your assessment of Kane’s personality traits, I’d say as a guy who’s career is winding down and who hasn’t won that winning is likely pretty important for him, he likely won’t have an opportunity this good to win ever again so it stands to reason he’s committed to the cause even if it means milking his recovery a few weeks longer to give the team a sizeable competitive advantage.

But even if he wants to be difficult and not go along with the ltir plan the Oilers can be like that too. Just because the doctor clears him, doesn’t mean the team has to play him. They can easily say even though the medical staff might clear him they don’t feel he’s up to speed yet so while he gets there he’s going to be practicing with the team but watching games from the press box or hell, his nmc converts to a ntc at the end of this month so if they really wanted to they could send him down to Bako for the last month of the season to get his game legs back. I doubt it would come to that though as I don’t think Kane is at risk of getting cleared to play with a month or more left in the season and if they’re aiming for a return with 2-3 weeks left in the year he’d be fine with stretching that.

Another point I’d like to make is that Kane has had his fair share of run ins with the league so if he has the opportunity to thumb his nose at the league by coming back game 1 of the playoffs and being the vehicle for ltir shenanigans, while also doing a big solid for management, his teammates and the fans, I think he takes it.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

We all wait and see. None of us have access to his recovery or other dynamics. His singular focus is to do everything possible to get healthy and be in a position at some point to help this team. There's no certainty in either case that he will slip into his 30 goal power forward impact. But doesn't mean Kane won't deviate from this approach to get healthy and return to the team.

Oilers management cannot influence this situation in any capacity. Run afoul of the league and it's a costly penalty waiting to be lobbed on an LTIR team skirting the spirit and intent of the rule. Attempt to influence, cajole or threaten the player and its a clear NHLPA grievance with consequences. Bowman is wisely staying far removed from the situation deferring in public statements of Kane's effort to get medical opinions on the injury and recovery options and in deferring to the medical experts in all considerations.

All said Saravalli is a pretty solid on his reportage and one who substantiates his work (a pretty rare thing in hockey trade gossiping). Suddenly flipping his Oiler narrative to a prospective 'money in, money out' scenario perks up the ears. It's not a random local bushshitter throwing up wild speculative nothing burgers.

At the end of the day Kane has to realize how much teams like Tampa and Vegas have benefitted from Kucherov and Stone playing the LTIR game. I'm sure that his injuries and surgeries likely trumps theirs for the most part. If he returns before the playoffs that would come across as selfish IMO.