Rumor: Rumors & to hell with Proposals as it's Free Agent Frenzy Eve: "Tomorrow's Dream"

[Ritchie Valens]

Well I'm signing with the Oilers tomorrow at daybreak
Kenny's offered me the biggest deal that I find
Yes I'm leaving the Leafs fans and teammates
Before this T.O. media takes away my mind
Send me love when I wear this Oilers jersey
Send me hopes when I make it past the first round
If Leafs fans really want an answer
It was Dubas who tried to screw me around
His offer troubled me for days
So it's time to run to the big 'E'
And let tomorrow's dreams
Become reality to me
The Leafs will realize I'm much better without them
They're not the one and only thing in my heart
I get to go back to playing with Ceci and Hymen
But this time I'm teammates with better superstars



Free Agent Frenzy tomorrow at 10 a.m.!!!
All signs pointing to Campbell signing with the Oilers and will be their new goalie.
Stauffer still pounding the Josh Anderson drum for some reason.
Tuesday should be ripe with not only Oilers rumors but other gossip from around the league.

Click to read more...

 

[iCanada]

Oh man, I can't believe the Leafs paid to dump Mrazek then got paid less to acquire Murray for more money.

What a disaster.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

Re-sign Kulak!

 

[Patch101]

I really don't understand the Murray thing, like at all.
but I could see them getting a Samsonov cheap and totally redeeming ( and saving ) themselves.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Before we sign Cambell--I say we kick the tires on the washington guy

 

[TheNumber4]

I wanted to go cheap on Goalie like Sakic did… Samsonov-Skinner tandem and let the best man win would be that. But on the other hand, it’s hard to throw a crapshoot in net in such an important year.

 

[48g90a138pts]

If you don't improve the defense it doesn't matter how good of a goalie you get. It will be groundhog day again.

 

[Oilhawks]

I really don't understand the Murray thing, like at all.
but I could see them getting a Samsonov cheap and totally redeeming ( and saving ) themselves.

Samsonov signing for $1M would be hilarious. They can’t afford to pay him much more unless they’re shipping out one of the GQ crew

 

[The Hound]

Really don't want Campbell but he's an upgrade...

 

[Fourier]

It would seem that Kane's camp understands the situation.

MSN

This in from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, news that the Edmonton Oilers have allowed unrestricted free agent Evander Kane the freedom to now negotiate with other NHL teams before the Wednesday July 13 free agency period: “From Evander Kane’s agent Dan Milstein: ‘We were granted permission to speak with other clubs. While we are still hopeful to have a deal in place with Edmonton, we are starting the interview process with other clubs.’ While keeping the Oil an option, Kane already on the market.”

 

[LaGu]

It would seem that Kane's camp understands the situation.

MSN

This is also a good point from that article, at least I hope so

Allowing Kane to do test the market early is also a goodwill gesture by the Oilers, something that might go some way to convincing the player that Edmonton is the right choice for him if he’s faced with two similar offers.

I think and hope Holland will be able to adjust upwards, preferably for term but also in $ if necessary.
Kane should be at the top of the list when it comes to priorities, together with GK, imo.

 

[Fourier]

This is also a good point from that article, at least I hope so


I think and hope Holland will be able to adjust upwards, preferably for term but also in $ if necessary.
Kane should be at the top of the list when it comes to priorities, together with GK, imo.

I still have hope. Unlike most here I'd be fine with a longer term. The next 4 years for this club are crucial. After that I expect the cap to rise very quickly making any contract signed this off season much more palatable. With the cap in the high 90's or even at $100M we will see 2nd/3rd line tweeners making $5M+ routinely.

 

[Paralyzer]

So I watched Campbell's Top 20 saves of last year, and I can see one thing in common for every save he did. He moves VERY fast to get to the other side of the net when he is out of position. Like I've never seen Smith move as fast as him, and he's not as tall as Smith and Koskinen, but that mobility could be what the Oilers need. I also saw that he had to have his defenceman bail him out on 5 of the saves. So as long as we shore up our defence with 1 or 2 more defensive-minded players, we should be more solid than last year in net.

 

[LemmyUlanov55]

So in case Kaner will cash in somewhere else (couldn't blame him for that), what do you guys think about Nino Niederreiter? Might he be a fit to ride McD's wing?
Andrew Copp just came to mind aswell, though I expect him to stick with the Rangers..

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

So in case Kaner will cash in somewhere else (couldn't blame him for that), what do you guys think about Nino Niederreiter? Might he be a fit to ride McD's wing?
Andrew Copp just came to mind aswell, though I expect him to stick with the Rangers..

There are 3 guys i'm willing to go above 3.5 and more than 3 years with right now. Kane, Giroux, Burakovsky. In that order.

If we can't get any of them, I'd honestly rather focus on defense, and bargain bin for forwards that buy Holloway and Bourgault more time before they have to be big contributors.

Side Note: Look at all the names not being qualified and how many surprises there are. Makes more sense why Pulju has so little interest out there...

 

[JordanGalhanth]

So in case Kaner will cash in somewhere else (couldn't blame him for that), what do you guys think about Nino Niederreiter? Might he be a fit to ride McD's wing?
Andrew Copp just came to mind aswell, though I expect him to stick with the Rangers..

Possibly at a discount, but nothing too high or long term.

I think most Canes fans here perceive Nino as a rich man's Pulju...all the tools are there, but not enough consistency to cement himself as a Top 6 forward. He's five years removed from his highest point total (57 points back in 2016-17 with Minnesota) and goal total (25 in the same year). He'll also be 30 in September.

 

[McCombo]

Leafs taking sort of a risk with Murray. He had somewhat a bounce back season after multiple atrocious years.

Though I would say any goalie (outside handful of elite ones) carries a risk how they will perform year in, year out. So they decided not to hang themselves for long term on to not elite one. If Murray s**** the bed he should be pretty easy to dump in the TDL or off-season with just 1yr remaining. And they got some picks, so the possible dump "won't cost that much".

Avalanche went even further and took the route I have been waiting to see elite team take. Bargain bin goalies and spend your money on skaters, because their performance is easier to predict. I have talked about that approach multiple times here. Not too surprisingly it was the Avs who did that after they just won the SC convincingly with below avarage goaltending in playoffs (Kuemper was really good in regular season, especially after shaky start).

Due to that fact I have mixed feelings about rumoured Campbell signing. I think he has potential to be top10 goalie (along with Kuemper the next nicest name being available), but on the other hand he has played only 135 NHL games. Committing ~5x5 would be big risk. Taking into considerations that Oilers had big problems regarding team defense last season and I haven't really hard any rumours that we are after players that would really help in that regard, so any goalie coming to Oilers probably will be facing difficult task. On the other hand the team in front can still out score many teams, but we have seen how goalies will get treated by fans of they allow 3+ goals per game most of the time.

 

[therocket9]

Oilers have a lots of cap space with Koskinen,Keith,Kassian,Kane all gone and Jesse probably getting traded...they can sign Campbell a D man like Chiarot and 2 forwards like Copp,Palat,Perron....Oilers clear favorites in the west with Colorado losing Kadri and having Georgiev.

 

[yukoner88]

Today is yesterday's tomorrow.

 

[LemmyUlanov55]

There are 3 guys i'm willing to go above 3.5 and more than 3 years with right now. Kane, Giroux, Burakovsky. In that order.

If we can't get any of them, I'd honestly rather focus on defense, and bargain bin for forwards that buy Holloway and Bourgault more time before they have to be big contributors.

Side Note: Look at all the names not being qualified and how many surprises there are. Makes more sense why Pulju has so little interest out there...

Yep, quite a few surprise RFA's. We'll see how things go, still hoping for Kane, though.

Possibly at a discount, but nothing too high or long term.

I think most Canes fans here perceive Nino as a rich man's Pulju...all the tools are there, but not enough consistency to cement himself as a Top 6 forward. He's five years removed from his highest point total (57 points back in 2016-17 with Minnesota) and goal total (25 in the same year). He'll also be 30 in September.

I've followed the Canes quite a bit over the last years, I'd say your assessment of Nino is pretty much spot on. Just a name I thought would maybe fit the bill since I doubt he'll get more than 3 years and probably not much more than $3.5/4.5M AAV. Could be a steal if things click with McD..

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

That Kulak extension after the Keith pressor would make for a solid day.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

I don't think it will matter with Kane likely being more highest bidder oriented, but I would of put a $5.25M x 4 yr offer on the table to make the decision a little harder for him.

With respect to the non-qualified RFA's

*Dylan Strome has the highest points per game of the group by a good margin, but I think his totals are inflated by a lot of o-zone starts with P. Kane and Debrincat and to me he really feels like the kind of guy who belongs on a crap team, just pad the stats and collect a good paycheck, put this guy in a tough top 6 minutes role against quality opponents and he is going to wilt. Pouring through Strome's numbers he does seem to excel when facing weak competition that he outclasses in skill, that is his niche, but you tend to not want to pay those players well in a soft minutes sheltered role.

*Rem Pitlick- I think this guy is having trouble finding a place to play is cause his offense seems very cheat based, kind of slow on the back check and is looking to get sprung for a break, feels a bit Ryan Jones-ish to me, I do think there is a place for this style, but I don't think we are desperate enough for offense to go down that path.

*Sonny Milano- I think this is the one I want the most of the unqualified today, first off his offense is very linemate dependent, his offensive production rate was far higher with Zegras than without, but the bright side is even at that lower scoring rate he kept his GF% in a good place. So part of the reason I like this acquisition is cause it was so clear Zegras was juicing his stats he should come in at a 4th line kind of price tag. Secondly in watching him his reaction speed to plays is actually quite impressive, he is reacting to some crazy seeing eye passes quite well and we just so happen to have 3 center who can make those kind of passes and on top of that McLeod plays with such a high pace he is causing defensive breaks that I could see someone like Milano capitalizing on. My intention would be to play him on the 4th line, but having a 4th liner who is well suited to moving up in the event of an injury is clearly a bonus.

*With respect to Kase, Heinen, and Donato- I'm not sure what to think of them, through out their respective careers I've seen each be awful, ok, and good and while some might of been good a little more often, I haven't seen enough to properly project where their careers are going. They are worthy of consideration, but I have no strong opinions on those 3.

*Dominik Kubalik- While I would of gladly jumped on him after his rookie season, I just don't think his game has evolved enough, all he really does well of note is shoot, I just don't think it's enough to justify a spot on our roster, if he wanted a 1 way contract where the cap hit is fully buriable I would do that, but realistically I don't have time for him.

*Lasty just the 2 unqualified local guys, Kubels numbers look good, but I think it's mostly a by product of being on a good team felt like a very average 4th liner to me, in the role he'd likely play I like Lazar a touch more. With respect to Steel, I'm just not convinced he is NHL caliber.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Today is yesterday's tomorrow.

I’ll one up ya.
The day your born , you are one day closer to your death

 

[Oilers in NS]

I know our organization has made some very questionable decisions over the years but the Oilers got nothing on MLSE. What a complete gong show in Toronto . Good thing they have the Raptors, Jays or TFC to fall back on . Might have to scratch the Jays

 

[Hemsky4pm2]

Niederreiter has had really disappointing playoff numbers. Still, the Oilers are in a different sort of zone with UFA - the challenge is finding the right "fit" to play with McDavid and/or Draisaitl. I think they will try to come out of this free agent / trading period adding two wingers and losing JP.

I think they'd like to add a tier 1 and a tier 2 W. They also probably want to keep terms at 5 years or less in order to provide room for the likes of Bourgault and Holloway to potentially move into the top 6 eventually.

So, who is a tier 1 and who is a tier 2 target? My best guesses, noting that not all of these players would actually come to Edmonton:

Tier 1 (4.5-7M): E. Kane, Giroux, Burakovsky, Malkin, Kadri, Perron

Tier 2 (2.5-4.5M) : D. Strome, Marchment, Niederreiter, C. Brown, Domi, Copp, Trochek, Mikheyev, Kessel

I think we will be landing two of the above guys tomorrow. Could be Kane and Strome. Could be Giroux and Mikheyev (pretty good). Could be Perron and Marchment (I'd personally like this mix). Could be Burakovsky and Brown.

It all comes down to what the market dictates. The Oilers have the $ available to make things happen and I think the draw of playing with McDavid and Draisaitl and possibly having a shot to win the Cup have finally arrived. I'm not blind to what this will cost. This is the 3-4 year window though. Right now.