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Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Korchinski, Walsh

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After a slow start, things haven’t gotten any better for Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi this season. As his ice time continues to dwindle, currently being utilized in a fourth-line role, so does his trade value. The 2016 fourth-overall pick has just 10 points in 49 games this season after a 35-point campaign last year.

With Edmonton expected to go all-in at this year’s trade deadline, Puljujarvi will likely see his Oilers tenure end by March 3 to make room on the roster. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli outlined some potential destinations for the Finnish winger, also reporting that general manager Ken Holland sent a note to all 31 other NHL teams two weeks ago that Puljujarvi was available for trade.

That trade could come sooner rather than later, as the Oilers need to clear salary to activate Kailer Yamamoto from long-term injured reserve. They have at least another few days, as he’s not eligible to return until February 12. Seravalli lists the Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning as potential fits for Puljujarvi in a hockey trade but also says to keep the possibility of a pure cap-dump move to a salary cap floor-hugging team in mind.

  • In a mailbag piece released Wednesday, Scott Powers of The Athletic noted that 2022 first-round selection Kevin Korchinski could crack the Chicago Blackhawks’ NHL lineup out of training camp to start the 2023-24 season. Powers said the Blackhawks organization was impressed with his training camp before this season opened, and that “all signs” point to Korchinski being NHL-ready. Still 18, the left-shot defenseman has 40 points in 30 games with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this season.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that current United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is the current front-runner to replace Donald Fehr as the NHLPA’s Executive Director. Dreger says an NHLPA board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, which could yield a vote on whether to instate Walsh as the league’s top player representative. The former mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, has a strong labor union background and is certainly an interesting selection.

Devin Shore Recalled From Conditioning Stint

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  • Late Sunday, the Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they recalled forward Devin Shore from his conditioning stint with AHL Bakersfield. The 28-year-old last played with Edmonton nearly a month ago and has just three assists in 29 games so far this season.  After a slow start with the Condors, Shore picked up five points in his final three games with them so it will be interesting to see if the Oilers find a way to get him into the lineup.  The team also confirmed the release of emergency goaltender Matt Berlin.  Berlin briefly played late in Saturday’s victory over Chicago.

Oilers Reportedly Interested In Nick Bjugstad

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  • Veteran Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Bjugstad has had a bit of a career resurgence in the desert, as his 21 points in 49 games this season are the most he’s scored in several years. His strong performance comes at a cheap price, as he’s playing on just a $900k cap hit for the rest of the season. The combination of Bjugstad’s improved play, cheap price tag, and veteran experience has apparently attracted more competitive clubs seeking to reinforce their forward group. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on tonight’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, the Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams with interest in Bjugstad. The Oilers have recently been running seven defensemen in their lineup, so the addition of Bjugstad could slot him in nicely as their fourth-line center providing coach Jay Woodcroft with a more traditional lineup.

Latest On Derek Ryan

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  • The Edmonton Oilers are considering signing depth forward Derek Ryan to a contract extension, writes The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. (subscription link) The 36-year-old is playing on a $1.25MM cap hit this season, and Nugent-Bowman makes it clear that the Oilers will communicate to Ryan that any contract offer would come at a pay cut, “with the understanding that Ryan would be battling for no more than an 11th forward position and could be scratched more often on his new deal.” A veteran of nearly 500 NHL games, Ryan has scored eleven points in 45 games for the Oilers this season.

Devin Shore Sent On Conditioning Assignment

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The Edmonton Oilers have sent Devin Shore to the AHL on a conditioning loan, giving him the chance to get some game action. The veteran forward hasn’t played yet in 2023, last suiting up on New Year’s Eve and playing just over eight minutes.

Shore, 28, can stay for up to two weeks in the minor leagues on this loan, which doesn’t take him off the roster or remove his cap hit. To assign him for longer, the Oilers would have to expose him to waivers. Signed to a two-year contract in 2021 which carries an $850K cap hit, Shore hasn’t quite worked out for Edmonton as a bottom-six option.

Where he once was a 30-point man for the Dallas Stars, he now has just 23 in 116 total games for the Oilers. That includes just three assists this year, as Shore has failed to find the back of the net on any of his 17 shots. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for the team to expose him when they don’t need to but at some point, it seems like Shore is destined for waivers. When Kailer Yamamoto returns or they make a trade, cap space will be at a premium. His entire $850K deal can be buried in the minor leagues, should he clear, and the team isn’t receiving much value from him at the moment.

Puljujarvi Drawing Interest

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The Edmonton Oilers are getting Evander Kane back tonight, and while that is a good thing for most of the lineup, it’s not for everyone. There are rumblings that Jesse Puljujarvi could be a healthy scratch tonight, and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the team recently had discussions with other teams about the big Finn.

Puljujarvi, 24, continues to be a strong defensive presence for the Oilers but just can’t seem to score, with just four goals and ten points this season. The fourth-overall pick from 2016 has 50 total goals in his 304-game NHL career, and carries a $3MM cap hit this season on a one-year deal.

Evander Kane Activated From Long-Term Injured Reserve

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As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have activated Evander Kane, allowing him to return just over two months after his scary wrist injury. To make room, the team has moved Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Murray to long-term injured reserve. Today, the team announced that Yamamoto’s injury would keep him out weeks, while Murray – who has already been out for a while – is still dealing with a long-term absence.

Kane’s return comes at a key time for the Oilers, who are finally playing some consistent hockey and find themselves within striking distance of a divisional playoff spot. The club has won three in a row, including a statement win over the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

One of the biggest critiques of the Oilers this season has been a lack of emotion when things go wrong or players on the other team take liberties with Connor McDavid. While Kane isn’t an enforcer by any means, he does seem to light a fire under his teammates, and never shies away from physical battles. He also has done nothing but score since joining Edmonton, racking up 27 goals and 52 points in 57 regular season games.

It will be interesting to see how much ice time Kane receives in his return, but expect him to approach 20 minutes a night before long. With him in the lineup, the Oilers forward group looks much more imposing, even if it did come at the cost of Yamamoto.

With him and Murray on LTIR, the team actually has enough space to make another recall when necessary. That won’t be the case once he’s eligible to return, at which point some hard decisions will need to be made.

Evander Kane Could Return Tuesday

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While Oilers winger Evander Kane was believed to be well ahead of schedule, it was still expected that he’d be out a little while longer.  However, as team reporter Jamie Umbach relays, the veteran was a full participant in practice today and is hoping to be cleared to return to the lineup on Tuesday against Seattle.  Kane has missed the last 31 games after having his wrist sliced by a skate and would be a huge addition to their top six forward group.

However, the Oilers will have to make several roster moves in order to get cap-compliant to be able to activate Kane and his $5.125MM AAV from LTIR including the demotion of several players and the expected transfer of defenseman Ryan Murray to LTIR.  Postmedia’s David Staples examines the list of possible candidates to be waived in order to help free up that money and suggests that veteran center Derek Ryan might be the likeliest to hit the waiver wire, a move that would free up $1.125MM on the cap.

Edmonton Oilers Reassign Markus Niemelainen

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The Edmonton Oilers have sent Markus Niemelainen to the minor leagues, clearing a roster spot for the imminent return of Evander Kane. Speaking with reporters including Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic today, Kane – who was a full participant at practice – explained that he is meeting with doctors later today.

Of course, the Oilers will have to make some other moves to activate Kane from long-term injured reserve. The team currently does not have the cap space to fit him back in, and will need to be rather creative to open it.

One easy way would be moving Kailer Yamamoto to LTIR, though that would require him to miss nearly a month. Yamamoto is still being evaluated, according to head coach Jay Woodcroft, after missing the last couple of games.

They could also just waive a player like Devin Shore, who also wasn’t at practice today. Ryan Murray, who hasn’t played since November, could also be shifted to LTIR depending on what other moves they make.

Either way, it’s the end of Niemelainen for a while, after he was essentially passed on the depth chart by Vincent Desharnais. The last two times Niemelainen appeared, he received just five and six shifts respectively. The 24-year-old defenseman will try to polish his game further in the minor leagues and wait for his next opportunity.

Edmonton Oilers Reassign Calvin Pickard

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Jan 15: With Skinner now back with the team, the Oilers have returned Pickard to the Bakersfield Condors, per the team. As expected, he didn’t see any game action.

Jan 10: The Edmonton Oilers will be without Stuart Skinner for a couple of days, as Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that he is flying home to be with his expecting wife. In his place, the team has recalled Calvin Pickard from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. Given the team was already at the maximum of 23 players, they will likely move Skinner to non-roster status while he is away.

Pickard, 30, is the definition of a journeyman goaltender. Starting his career with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, he then played for the Colorado Avalanche, San Antonio Rampage, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Tucson Roadrunners, Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit Red Wings, and Vienna in the Austrian league before joining the Bakersfield Condors this season.

The veteran netminder has posted a .909 save percentage in 10 appearances for Bakersfield this season, and will likely just serve as backup while Skinner is away.

That means Jack Campbell will get the start, as he continues to try and get his season back on track. After signing a five-year, $25MM contract in the offseason, Campbell (who turned 31 yesterday) has an .877 save percentage in 19 appearances, allowing at least three goals in 13 of them. The Oilers, who are struggling to even stay above .500 these days, will face the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow before back-to-back games against the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights starting on Friday.

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