- The Edmonton Oilers have announced that Evander Kane will not play in this afternoon’s game due to an upper-body injury. Per the announcement, his status is to be considered day-to-day. That’s not a great development for Edmonton, as Kane has already dealt with a major injury this season and is one of the team’s most important offensive difference-makers. Kane has scored 19 points in 24 games this season and scored 13 goals in 15 playoff games last season. As the Oilers hope to establish their position in the Western Conference’s playoff race, the health status of Kane will be something of major importance to monitor.
Oilers Rumors
Edmonton Oilers Recall Devin Shore
The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Devin Shore from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. This move returns Shore to Edmonton after he was reassigned to Bakersfield a few days ago.
Oilers forward Klim Kostin missed the team’s shootout loss to the New York Rangers due to an illness, so should he be unable to play in the team’s game tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche, one would assume that Shore has been brought back to the active roster to fill in Kostin’s vacated lineup spot.
According to PuckPedia, this recall of Shore is as an emergency roster exception, meaning he does not carry a cap hit until the team either has 20 healthy players and/or sufficient cap space to count him.
Shore, 28, hasn’t played in the NHL yet in 2023, and last saw the ice for the Condors on January 28th. Shore has played in five AHL games this season, and scored five points in that span. At the NHL level, the 404-game veteran has scored three points in 29 games so far this season.
At just 8:42 per night, Shore averages the least amount of ice time by any Oilers forward this year with at least 20 games played. He has gotten a few looks on the team’s penalty kill, but in general coach Jay Woodcroft has used Shore sparingly.
Last season was a similar story, with Shore skating in 49 games for the Oilers, averaging nine and half minutes per night with over a minute per night played on the penalty kill. While Shore has two seasons of 30-plus points on his resume, that secondary offensive element to his game has largely eroded as he’s settled into the depth role he now occupies.
Without Kostin in the lineup, the Oilers were forced to play with an opening in their fourth-line left-wing roster spot. While Shore has operated more as a center throughout his professional career, he should be able to fill that spot on the wing next to Derek Ryan and Jesse Puljujarvi if he does end up getting into the lineup.
Hurricanes, Oilers Have Discussed Jesse Puljujarvi Trade
Earlier this week, the Oilers opted to drop down to a minimum-sized roster in order to get cap-compliant to activate winger Kailer Yamamoto from LTIR. As luck would have it, the flu bug hit the team for yesterday’s game against the Rangers and the team wound up playing short a player as Klim Kostin was unable to suit up. That’s not a viable situation for a playoff contender to have to navigate through for another couple of months before the season comes to an end so there has been an expectation that they will open up some cap space.
Jesse Puljujarvi has been widely speculated as the eventual cap casualty but, for the time being, they haven’t found a trade that works for them. However, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that there is a belief that the Hurricanes have indicated that they are willing to move winger Ondrej Kase (currently on LTIR with a concussion) to Edmonton for Puljujarvi but only after the Finnish winger has cleared waivers. That would allow Carolina to shuffle him back and forth between the AHL if needed while seeing if a change of scenery could help get him going.
It has been quite a fall for the 24-year-old who was the fourth-overall pick in 2016 but hasn’t come close to living up to his draft billing. This season, Puljujarvi has been quite limited offensively, scoring just five goals along with seven assists in 53 games, hardly the type of production they were expecting after he posted 36 points in 65 contests just last season. It’s also hardly the type of return they were hoping for from someone carrying a $3MM cap hit.
Clearly, GM Ken Holland still believes he can salvage some sort of positive value for Puljujarvi as otherwise, he likely would have hit the waiver wire already. If he was to be claimed, they’d free up the full $3MM in cap room and if not, the proposed swap with Carolina would open up $1.5MM in regular cap room and $1.5MM (Kase’s cap hit) in their LTIR pool. While that wouldn’t be a great return by any stretch, it would certainly give them a bit more flexibility to work with as they either look to add a piece by the March 3rd trade deadline or to bring someone back up from AHL Bakersfield to avoid having to play short a player as they did last night. We’ll find out soon enough if Holland is able to find a better option for Puljujarvi than this one.
Kailer Yamamoto Activated From Injured Reserve
The Edmonton Oilers have bought themselves some time, though they are now in a tricky situation. Today’s activation of Kailer Yamamoto from long-term injured reserve comes with the reassignment of both Dylan Holloway and Vincent Desharnais, leaving the team with only 20 active skaters.
That’s enough to cover a lineup, though if the team suffers any minor injuries – ones that do not need long-term injured reserve – they will be forced to play short. Once they do play a game with fewer than 20 skaters, they will receive a cap-free recall for a player under $850K, but that still limits their options. Holloway, for instance, couldn’t be brought back under that exemption.
So, for the time being, the 21-year-old forward is stuck in the minors, despite having played in 51 games this season for Edmonton. They can play it off as an opportunity for Holloway to get big minutes and continue to develop, but there’s little reason to think this was the plan all along. The Oilers are stuck, until they make a trade to free up some cap space or bite the bullet and waive one of their more expensive forwards.
Yamamoto’s return is a bright spot, at least. The 24-year-old forward is coming off his first 20-goal campaign and has 12 points through 31 appearances this year. He gives the team a nice boost as we close in on the trade deadline, and hopefully, will be able to retake his position as a top-six option next to their superstar forwards.
Kailer Yamamoto Expected To Play Tomorrow
The Edmonton Oilers have something up their sleeves. For a week now, the hockey world has been wondering how they would clear enough cap space to activate Kailer Yamamoto. The overwhelming sentiment was that Jesse Puljujarvi would end up on waivers. Either he would be claimed by another team, removing his entire $3MM cap hit, or buried in the minor leagues, giving them the needed $1.125MM.
Today, Puljujarvi was missing from practice but did not appear on waivers. The wire was silent, meaning something else would have to happen if Yamamoto is going to play tomorrow. He looks healthy and even told reporters that he is “feeling really good right now.”
According to head coach Todd Woodcroft, who spoke with reporters, including Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, a roster move is coming, and Yamamoto will play tomorrow. He also called it a “maintenance day” for Puljujarvi, who played a little over 11 minutes last night.
That means a trade is in the pipe, or someone else is going on long-term injured reserve to make room. Either way, all eyes will be on Edmonton over the next 24 hours given how many big names they have been connected to over recent weeks.
The team has shown (sometimes limited) interest in Erik Karlsson, Jakob Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Patrick Kane, among others.
There is one other way that they could fit Yamamoto in, without making a trade or waiving someone. Edmonton could send two of their three waiver-exempt players to the minor leagues, and hold a 20-man roster. Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and Vincent Desharnais can all be loaned back to the AHL without clearing and could create enough cap space, according to PuckPedia.
Carrying a 20-man roster is extremely difficult for any length of time, given how one small injury can leave you shorthanded. Perhaps it is the only way to get around this problem at the moment, or maybe the Oilers have something else coming down the pipe.
Vincent Desharnais Out Of Lineup With Illness
- Edmonton Oilers depth defender Vincent Desharnais won’t play against the Detroit Red Wings tonight because of an undisclosed illness, says Oilers color commentator Bob Stauffer. Desharnais has been a late bloomer in the Oilers organization, defying the odds to play NHL games after joining the Bakersfield Condors on an AHL contract. The 26-year-old 6’6″ defender has four assists in 12 games this season, largely slotting in when the team has opted to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Devin Shore Returned To AHL
- Devin Shore has been sent back to the AHL once again, leaving the Edmonton Oilers with the opportunity to activate Kailer Yamamoto if they can clear just $1.125MM in cap space. That happens to be the exact amount that is buried when a player costing more than that is sent to the minor leagues. Jesse Puljujarvi remains the most likely player to be waived, though there are countless other ways the Oilers could clear the room, including the trade market.
Vladislav Gavrikov "Could Make Sense" For Edmonton Oilers
- LeBrun also gave an update on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who’s scratched tonight for asset protection. He named the Edmonton Oilers as a fit for Gavrikov, as while their interest in San Jose Sharks superstar Erik Karlsson is well-documented, the financial aspect of the trade is likely too tough to work out. A swap with Gavrikov and oft-maligned forward Jesse Puljujarvi would save Edmonton money, as Gavrikov’s $2.8MM cap hit comes in $200,000 under Puljujarvi’s $3MM hit. Johnston also added that there may be some “sticker shock” for teams calling on Gavrikov, as Columbus is holding firm to an ask of a first-round, third-round, and fourth-round draft pick.
Devin Shore Recalled From AHL
- Devin Shore is back up for the Edmonton Oilers, meaning Kailer Yamamoto won’t be coming off injured reserve just yet. Klim Kostin was back on the ice with the team today, and Leon Draisatil was only missing for maintenance and is expected to play tomorrow. For Yamamoto to return, the Oilers need to clear a significant amount of cap space; most expect that to be the waiving or trade of Jesse Puljujarvi, though nothing has materialized to this point.
Devin Shore Clears Waivers
As most sports fans prepared nacho dips and buffalo wings ahead of the Super Bowl, the Edmonton Oilers quietly placed Devin Shore on waivers to help clear additional cap space. The veteran forward has cleared and can now be sent to the minor leagues.
The demotion of Shore, 28, should come as no surprise. He hasn’t scored a single goal through 29 appearances and has just three points on the year, a far cry from the player that was once a 30-point contributor in Dallas. He is averaging fewer than nine minutes a night and has been held without a single shot on goal in half of his games.
By waiving him and sending him down, the team is getting closer to having enough cap room to activate Kailer Yamamoto. It will still require an additional transaction, though, which could end up being Jesse Puljujarvi hitting waivers as well tomorrow.
Because of their cap situation, every move from here on will be complicated for the Oilers. Adding anyone before the deadline will require money to go the other way, unless more players end up on long-term injured reserve.