- Oilers center Leon Draisaitl participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury late in the first round, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The injury didn’t slow the 26-year-old down (he had 17 points in five games against Calgary last round) but he hadn’t been taking part in practices in an effort to help the injury heal. The fact he returned to the ice today has to be considered a positive sign for Edmonton as they get set to open their series against Colorado on Tuesday.
Oilers Rumors
NHL Announces Conference Final Schedule Scenarios
After one-half of the conference finalists have been set, the NHL has released the potential schedule matrix for the 2022 Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
No matter what, the Eastern Conference Final will start June 1, whether it be in Raleigh or Manhattan. The Tampa Bay Lightning will be the visitor after sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the Second Round. The Lightning actually finished with the same point total as the New York Rangers (110), but surrender the tiebreaker, so it’s impossible for them to start the series at home. They would also start on the road against the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes. The Eastern Conference Final will be televised on ESPN in the United States.
For the Western Conference, the schedule depends on the result of tonight’s Game 6 between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. If Colorado is victorious tonight, the series will start on May 31st in Denver. If it goes to a Game 7, the Edmonton Oilers will travel to either Denver or St. Louis for Game 1 on June 2. In the United States, the Western Conference Final will be on TNT.
The last possible day for Conference Final action is June 15, with a potential Western Conference Final Game 7 between the Oilers and either the Avalanche or Blues.
Snapshots: PWHPA, Kane, Chiasson
The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has entered into a relationship with Billie Jean King Enterprises and The Mark Walter Group according to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, with the purpose of exploring the launch of a new professional league. The list of “foundational pieces” needed for a new league are as follows:
- A six-team league with 23-player rosters and three coaches
- A 32-game schedule played from January to April
- A four-team playoff with three best-of-five series to determine the league’s champion
- A minimum salary of $35,000 and a league-average salary of $55,000
The PWHPA recently met with the PHF–currently the only pro women’s league in North America–along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Ties were cut soon after and as Salvian reports, the PWHPA board unanimously voted to end discussions of collaboration between the two sides.
- Evander Kane did not travel with the rest of the Edmonton Oilers, as he was away for the birth of his son. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic tweets that there is not yet an update on whether Kane will be available for game five tomorrow. The 30-year-old winger has been outstanding for the Oilers in the playoffs, scoring 12 goals in 11 games to lead the entire league. He also leads in shots, as Edmonton’s top line continues to dominate play whenever on the ice.
- With rumors circling that Alex Chiasson may be on his way to Switzerland last season, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reached out to Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford. The executive explained that the team “will not make a decision on him until after free agency,” presumably meaning following the frenzy of early July. Chiasson, 31, ended with 13 goals and 22 points in 67 games after signing a one-year, $750K contract on the first day of the season.
Filip Berglund Signs In SHL
After failing to make it to the NHL, Filip Berglund is taking his talents back overseas. The pending restricted free agent forward has signed a new two-year contract with Orebro in the SHL, meaning the Edmonton Oilers won’t even be able to keep his exclusive rights.
Berglund, 25, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers back in 2020, but with the uncertainty of the AHL season in 2020-21, he remained in Sweden for the first year. This time around he joined the Bakersfield Condors, but the 6’3″ defenseman didn’t find a ton of success, registering just six points in 53 regular season games. With Bakersfield knocked out of the Calder Cup playoffs, he has obviously jumped at an opportunity to return home.
While a qualifying offer would keep him on the Oilers reserve list this summer, Berglund will turn 27 before this new contract in Sweden expires, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in 2024. Whether a return to North America is possible at that point likely depends on his production over the next two years, and whether or not any team was impressed enough with his AHL play to consider giving him another NHL contract.
The 2016 Oilers draft class continues to struggle, as the five picks they had in the first three rounds have combined for 102 career points–98 of which have been from Jesse Puljujarvi.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Seven Players
The Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday, and as a result, the Oilers became free to call up players without fear of their absences negatively impacting their affiliate team. Today, the Oilers announced that they have called up seven players from the Condors, a group that will form the team’s “Black Aces,” or players who practice, travel, and remain ready for their NHL teams but typically do not see game action. Those seven players are:
- Stuart Skinner
- Philip Broberg
- Markus Niemelainen
- Dmitri Samorukov
- Dylan Holloway
- Seth Griffith
- Brad Malone
Perhaps the most significant name there is the goaltender, Skinner. In the unfortunate and unlikely circumstance that the Oilers’ starting goaltender, Mike Smith, gets injured or is otherwise unable to play, it’s possible that coach Jay Woodcroft could prefer to start Skinner over backup Mikko Koskinen, given their respective performances in the regular season. Koskinen played in 45 games this regular season and had a .903 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against-average. Skinner, on the other hand, posted a .913 save percentage this year, albeit in only 13 games of work at the NHL level.
The Oilers are obviously hoping that they won’t have to make such a choice, but now with Skinner and some top prospects such as Broberg, Holloway, and Samorukov in the fold, they have some more options in case this version of the Battle of Alberta proves to be especially violent.
Injury Notes: Crosby, Jarry, Draisaitl
After dropping back-to-back games against the New York Rangers to let them back into the series, there seems to be some great news on the health front for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby is practicing with the team on Saturday morning after sustaining a reported concussion during Game 5 in New York and subsequently missing Game 6.
Crosby saved his best hockey this season for the playoffs, notching nine points in five games, tied for the team lead with Jake Guentzel. It’s never good to see one of the best players of all time go down with an injury, but concussions are even scarier, especially with Crosby. He’s battled back from multiple hits to the head throughout his career to still maintain his status as one of the best of the best. The captain’s return to the lineup would be an incredible boost as they head into tomorrow’s Game 7 on the road at Madison Square Garden.
- That’s not all the good news today from Penguins practice. The Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that ideal starting netminder Tristan Jarry is also practicing today, receiving the bulk of the work while fill-in Louis Domingue is primarily a spectator. Jarry, who had a .919 save percentage this season, hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury on April 15. Domingue has done as much as you’d expect a third-string netminder to do, guiding Pittsburgh to a 3-3 record with a .898 save percentage.
- Leon Draisaitl isn’t taking morning skate for the Edmonton Oilers, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. While not necessarily an indication that he’ll miss tonight’s Game 7 against the Los Angeles Kings, it is surely confirmation that he isn’t playing at 100% health. He’s been dealing with an ankle injury throughout the series and, despite still managing eight points in six games, has been exposed defensively at numerous points during the series.
Philip Broberg Returned To AHL
- With Darnell Nurse now back from suspension and the Edmonton Oilers still alive, Philip Broberg has been returned to the AHL. That’s certainly an important transaction for the Bakersfield Condors, who are looking to stave off elimination themselves in their Calder Cup playoff series against the Stockton Heat. They’ll try to do just that tonight and can now insert Broberg back into the lineup, while Nurse retakes his place on the Oilers bench after serving his one-game ban.
2022 Ted Lindsay Award Finalists Announced
This week, the NHL has started to release the finalists for all the major regular season awards. After the Hart Trophy came out yesterday, the Ted Lindsay Award, given to “the most outstanding player in the NHL” as voted on by members of the NHLPA, is up.
The finalists this year are Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
While the Lindsay very often mirrors the Hart, the notable difference is that the finalists are peer-selected. McDavid has already won the trophy three times, even taking it home in 2018 when he somehow finished fifth in Hart voting, despite leading the league in scoring. There’s no doubting his place among his fellow players, widely considered the best player in the world at the moment. After setting new career highs with 44 goals and 123 points, there’s certainly reason to believe they’ve put him on top of the mountain once again.
Matthews has more than a fighting chance though, after becoming just the third player in the salary cap era to score 60 goals in a single season. The Maple Leafs forward is the no-doubt best at putting the puck in the back of the net, and reached a new high with 106 points in just 73 games. Perhaps the front-runner for the Hart this season, it will be interesting to see if the players feel the same about the Toronto sniper.
Josi, meanwhile, is the only one of the three that didn’t end as a finalist for the Hart, as Igor Shesterkin took the third spot yesterday. It shows just how outstanding his season was and how much respect his peers have for the historic 96-point campaign he put together. That’s more than just a good year–it puts Josi among a list of the best offensive defensemen to ever play the game. Whether that was enough to draw the votes to pass the two big centers won’t be revealed until later on but it is still an impressive feat to get named a finalist in a year with so many incredible offensive performances.
2022 Hart Trophy Finalists Announced
It’s time for the big one. The NHL has announced the finalists for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the “player judged most valuable to his team.” Last year’s award went to Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, his second win after taking it home in 2017 as well.
This year’s finalists are McDavid, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.
There’s not much to be said about the Oilers captain that hasn’t already been mentioned a million times. One of the most dynamic offensive players to ever grace the NHL, he reached new highs in goals and points this year with 44 and 123. It was the fourth time he has led the league in points, and this will be the fourth time he is a Hart finalist. With 697 points in his career already, he sits fourth in points/game among those who have played at least 450. Only Wayne Gretzky (1.92), Mario Lemieux (1.88), and the late Mike Bossy (1.50) sit ahead of McDavid’s 1.43 mark, an incredible accomplishment in this era.
Matthews, meanwhile, is a finalist for the second time after being the runner-up last season. Now the two-time Rocket Richard winner, the Maple Leafs forward is the best goal scorer in the league and reached a mark very rarely seen in today’s game. His 60 goals were the most since Steven Stamkos hit the same mark in 2011-12, and he became only the third player in the salary cap era to reach the mark (Alex Ovechkin has the top spot with 65 in 2007-08). More than just his goals though, it was Matthews’ overall production that skyrocketed this season, with the big center hitting 106 points in just 73 games.
Shesterkin is a first-time finalist, but if he continues to play at the level he established this season this certainly won’t be the last time he’s up for major awards. The 26-year-old netminder posted a .935 save percentage in 53 appearances and is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best netminder. Moreover, the Rangers were routinely critiqued for their defensive zone breakdowns this season as a young team, breakdowns that Shesterkin regularly rescued them from with incredible saves. The Hart hasn’t been won by a goaltender since Carey Price in 2015, when he nearly swept the field, taking home the Jennings, Vezina, and Lindsay as well. Price’s save percentage that season was actually .933, just a few points below what Shesterkin did this year.
Oilers Sign Carter Savoie
After signing him to an AHL tryout deal last month to allow him to finish off the year with AHL Bakersfield, it was only a matter of time before the Oilers worked out an entry-level contract with prospect winger Carter Savoie. As CapFriendly reports (Twitter link), that has now happened as the team has agreed to a three-year deal that begins this season. The pact carries a $925K AAV and does not contain any signing bonuses.
The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Edmonton back in 2020 (100th overall) and it’s safe to say that he has outperformed that selection since then. Savoie was quite productive in his sophomore season with the University of Denver, finishing second on the Pioneers in scoring with 23 goals and 22 assists in just 39 games. After they won a national title, he decided to forego his remaining college eligibility and turned pro, getting into two games during the regular season but has yet to suit up in the playoffs.
Savoie has worked his way into being one of Edmonton’s more promising prospects over the last couple of years and while the Oilers will need some low-cost players to round out their roster next season, it’s unlikely that he will be able to make the jump right away on a full-time basis although the decision to start the deal this season makes him eligible to play in the playoffs now. Savoie has played in just a total of 65 games combined over the last two years so he’ll almost certainly need some time to adjust to the rigors of a full professional campaign. But if he continues to build on his performance this season, he’ll be worth waiting for.