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Connor McDavid Avoids Suspension

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According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the Department of Player Safety is not expected to issue any supplementary discipline to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid for his hit on Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe last night. McDavid was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the play.

McDavid, who is not exactly known for his physical play, has actually received supplementary discipline in the past. In 2019 he was suspended two games for his elbow on Nick Leddy and last season he was fined for a similar hit on Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

This time he won’t miss any games, which is an important outcome for the Oilers after the team has dropped two straight. They were beaten 5-1 by the Kings last night and lost 4-3 to the last place Seattle Kraken last Friday. While they’re still firmly in a playoff position, the team couldn’t afford to lose McDavid for any length of time.

Edmonton Oilers Activate Darnell Nurse

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A big boost for an Alberta team is coming, as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has been activated from injured reserve.

Nurse, undoubtedly Edmonton’s best defenseman, has been out since November 19 with a finger injury. While he’s been held goalless this season, he has 11 assists in 16 games while playing over 26 minutes a night.

It’s a huge deal for the Oilers’ defense, which is currently missing its entire left side of regulars. Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek remain sidelined with separate injuries. With Cody Ceci on protocol as well, it was an undermanned group going to battle for them.

The team’s goalies have been up to the task in their absence, as Mikko Koskinen’s .914 save percentage and Stuart Skinner’s .921 mark have both been good enough to keep them afloat.

Nurse brings reinforcements for a tough schedule ahead, as after their game against Los Angeles tonight, the Oilers play four straight against Carolina, Boston, Minnesota, and Toronto.

 

Injury Notes: Marner, Oilers, Kraken

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After colliding with teammate Jake Muzzin during practice, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is “uncertain” for the team’s Saturday game in Minnesota, according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Marner left practice early after the hit with medical personnel, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said it was precautionary in nature and that it’s “not looking like anything serious.” Hopefully, that holds true for the red-hot Leafs, who are 15-2-0 in their past 17 games. Marner has six points in his last five games and is fourth on the team with 21 points on the season after a really rough start.

Some other injury notes from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers are banged up, especially on left defense with all three regulars out of the lineup. They got some good news today though, as head coach Dave Tippett reports that Darnell Nurse, winger Devin Shore, and goalie Mike Smith all skated today. However, Duncan Keith wasn’t a part of that group and remains sidelined. The team’s handled this recent stretch of adversity well, winners of three straight and a 16-5-0 record overall. The Oilers certainly still want these names back in their lineup though, especially Nurse, who leads the team by a long shot in ice time with 26:06 played per game.
  • The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports that the Seattle Kraken’s Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz are both day-to-day, but Schwartz hasn’t skated while Eberle has. The team’s two leading scorers both missed their Wednesday game against the Detroit Red Wings with lower-body injuries. It’s been a tough opening ride for the Kraken, who sit seventh in the Pacific Division with an 8-13-2 record. While they’ve performed above-expected offensively, they’ve had structural and goaltending issues that few foresaw.

Oilers Cancel Practice, Add Ceci To COVID Protocol

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The Edmonton Oilers have canceled today’s practice for precautionary reasons after Cody Ceci was placed in the COVID protocol. The team is currently scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night. Interestingly, Duncan Keith has also been moved to injured reserve, despite making an appearance on the ice yesterday. The team has recalled Markus Niemelainen in the meantime.

Ceci, 27, has been a huge part of the Oilers team this season, averaging more than 20 minutes a night through the first 20 games. In fact, those numbers have increased dramatically since Keith and Darnell Nurse went out, with Ceci averaging over 23 minutes in his last five. Some may suggest that he’s done well in those minutes, given the team has won four of those five, but Ceci is one of the few players on the Oilers roster who has been outscored at even-strength.

In fact, he’s been on the ice for more goals against (18) than anyone else on Edmonton’s roster this season. While some of that has to do with Ceci’s heavy usage and defensive zone deployment, he’s still not putting up very impressive analytical numbers. Even so, Edmonton can’t afford to lose him for ten days, which is what he’ll miss at a minimum if he’s tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing any symptoms. Already the team was using a 20-year-old Philip Broberg in key minutes and now may see Niemelainen make his NHL debut.

The 23-year-old defenseman was a third-round pick of the Oilers back in 2016, but is in just his second season in North America. In 2020-21 he came over to the Bakersfield Condors and showed why he was a reliable option in Finland, using his 6’5″ frame to effectively end rushes. In 21 games he also added six points, nearly reaching his career-high from Liiga in far fewer games. This season he has three points in 14 games, but at least appears ready to add some defensive ability to the NHL squad, should they need it right away.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Edmonton Oilers Issue Injury Updates

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The Western Conference-leading Edmonton Oilers had a number of names back at practice on Monday, but head coach Dave Tippett was quick to qualify these appearances. As the Oilers look to stay hot and cement themselves as the team to beat out west, they want to be at full strength and are heading in the right direction. However, some players are further along than others in their recoveries.

Defensemen Darnell Nurse and Duncan Keith are the closest to returning to the lineup, per Tippett. Keith has been dealing with a nagging upper-body injury that was reaggravated early last week and has sidelined him since. Nurse landed on injured reserve two weeks ago with a broken finger, but appears ready to go. While Tippett stated that Nurse needs to be officially cleared by the team’s medical staff, which could keep him on the shelf through his three-week recovery timeline, Keith is more of a matter of how he is feeling and when he personally believes he is ready to return. Nurse is the Oilers’ leader in average time on ice while Keith is unsurprisingly the team leader in career time on ice, so Edmonton is eager to get both back on the blue line.

Also within a week or so of returning is forward Devin Shore. While not quite ready to return just yet from an undisclosed upper-body injury, Tippett did not rule out that he could return next week. Though Shore has played a limited role for the Oilers so far, the 27-year-old forward is a useful piece for a team constantly looking for depth up front.

They could receive more reinforcements up front at some point from rookie Dylan Holloway as well. However, of all the players back on the ice at practice, Holloway is the furthest from returning. Holloway initially suffered a fractured wrist back in March which required surgery in September, with Holloway receiving a three-month recovery timeline. Tippett expects the 2020 first-round pick to see his recovery through in full, making it unlikely that he plays at all in December. Still, the fact that he is back skating is encouraging for the Oilers, who would very much like to see the talented young forward in NHL action.

Finally, the most high-profile injury in Edmonton this season has belonged to expected starting goaltender Mike Smith. Smith landed on injured reserve in October and it was unclear how long the veteran netminder would remain on the shelf. The situation became more muddied earlier this month when he suffered a setback just as he was expected to return. Well, Smith has been on the ice four days in a row now according to Tippett, including taking live shots for the first time today. With Mikko Koskinen playing well, the Oilers won’t rush the 39-year-old Smith back into action, but it seems like he is poised to return sooner rather than later.

No Surgery Planned For Mike Smith

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  • Some concern was raised today when a report emerged about Mike Smith’s status, but both Jason Gregor and Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweet that as of now, surgery is not the plan for the Edmonton Oilers goaltender. Rishaug adds that the expectation is still that Smith will return at some point in December. Smith hasn’t played since October 19, but Stuart Skinner has more than made up for his absence with a .939 save percentage in five appearances.

Derek Ryan Listed As Day-To-Day

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  • Oilers center Derek Ryan is listed as day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran played just under nine minutes versus Winnipeg on Thursday and has just one goal in 15 games so far this season.  He’s not expected to be available tonight but he may be available to return at some point during their upcoming three-game road trip that starts on Tuesday.

Darnell Nurse Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers have made official what Jason Gregor of TSN reported earlier today, Darnell Nurse is headed to injured reserve. Head coach Dave Tippett explained that Nurse suffered a “cracked finger” in overtime and will be out 2-3 weeks. The team has also moved Slater Koekkoek to injured reserve, who will be out 3-4 weeks. To replace them, Philip Broberg and William Lagesson have been recalled from the AHL. In a cap move, Mike Smith is now on long-term injured reserve, getting more tests done and is still week-to-week.

While Koekkoek’s exit from last night’s game was obvious, as he played just over three minutes, Nurse logged more than 31 in the win against the Winnipeg Jets. The team’s obvious No. 1, that’s already the sixth time this season that Nurse has recorded at least 27 minutes of ice time. An all-situations horse for the team, he had 11 points in his first 16 games and was showing that last season’s breakout was not a flash in the pan.

The Oilers rewarded Nurse with a huge eight-year, $74MM contract extension after his outstanding 2020-21 season, which saw him finish seventh in Norris Trophy voting after scoring 16 goals and 36 points in 56 games. Losing him now, right as the team appears to be taking the next step, is an absolute crushing blow to the group. Edmonton has won seven of their last ten games and sit alone in first place in the Pacific Division with a 12-4 record overall.

Now, not only will the team have to find someone to take those minutes, but it can’t even be Koekkoek moving up. Instead, it looks like Broberg, one of the team’s top prospects, may get his first chance at the NHL level. Drafted eighth overall in 2019, the 20-year-old defenseman can skate like the wind and has the size to compete at the NHL level, but some have critiqued his decision-making in the past. Those decisions will be even more important as he moves to the NHL after just 13 games in the minor leagues. Broberg had 10 points in those games with Bakersfield, after spending the last two seasons in the SHL.

After tomorrow night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Oilers are set to hit the road for three matches next week. They aren’t in a particularly heavy part of the schedule though, with a three-day break after that road trip ends next Saturday, meaning they at least will be able to ease Broberg into the lineup with sufficient practice days. Still, it seems very unlikely that he or any other player on the roster will be able to have the impact that Nurse does, meaning they’ll have to find another way to lock down the defensive side of the puck over the next few weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Edmonton Oilers

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Edmonton Oilers

Current Cap Hit: $87,327,789 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Evan Bouchard (two years, $863K)

Potential Bonuses
Bouchard: $850K

Bouchard has seemingly been on the cusp for a while as Edmonton has slow-played his development and that patience looks to be well-rewarded as the 22-year-old is off to a nice start this season and has secured a spot in their top four.  An offensive blueliner, Bouchard will have a shot at putting up some good numbers over the next two seasons which could push his bridge contract into the $2MM territory; their cap situation will likely force them to go with a short-term deal, similar to their other youngsters.  Bouchard is also on pace to hit multiple ‘A’ bonuses (each worth a quarter of that bonus total above) and with them being well into LTIR, anything he reaches will come off the 2022-23 cap.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Josh Archibald ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Tyler Benson ($750K, RFA)
G Mikko Koskinen ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Perlini ($750K, RFA)
F Jesse Puljujarvi ($1.175MM, RFA)
D Kris Russell ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Colton Sceviour ($750K, UFA)
G Alex Stalock ($785K, UFA)
F Kyle Turris ($1.65MM, UFA)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($1.175MM, RFA)

Puljujarvi’s second stint with Edmonton has gone a lot better than the first as the 2016 fourth-overall pick has now been able to lock down a spot in their top six and is off to quite the start this season which is always notable in a contract year.  He’ll have arbitration eligibility and if he even comes close to the point per game mark (he’s currently at 1.2), his next deal could be in the $5MM or more range.  If he drops back a bit, tripling his current AAV could be the ceiling on a short-term pact.  Yamamoto was basically stuck signing a one-year deal for cap reasons, giving him the chance to outperform it and hit arbitration with a strong case.  That hasn’t happened just yet as he’s off to a quiet start.  Still, his performance in 2019-20, even in a shortened stint, could loom large with an arbitrator; doubling his current price tag on a one-year deal certainly isn’t out of the question.

Turris looked to be a decent value signing when he joined Edmonton but that didn’t exactly go as planned.  He struggled to stay in the lineup last season, ultimately clearing waivers.  As things stand, he’s a possible PTO candidate next summer.  Archibald’s health situation has put his future for next season in question while Perlini and Sceviour are holding down roster spots that will need to be kept at the minimum.  Benson is just getting his feet wet and has been viewed as one of their better prospects in the past but he’ll need to establish himself as a regular if he wants to get more than the minimum next season.

Russell is finally now at a price tag that’s a better fit for the role he has.  He’s clearly a depth defender at this point of his career and aside from shot blocks, doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of stats.  Another dip is certainly possible and as he’ll be on a 35+ contract next year, it’s likely he’ll be going year to year from here on out.

Koskinen’s contract has not aged well for the Oilers as his inconsistency has limited him to a backup role at a high price tag for someone in that role.  He’s off to a stronger start this season which should keep him on the NHL radar (and, for the time being at least, takes him out of the ‘Worst Value’ category) but unless he really ascends to the number one spot, he could check in closer to half of his current price tag.  Stalock’s not expected to play this season due to a heart condition so at this point, it seems unlikely he’ll have a contract for next year unless he recovers and is able to return.  Even at that, it’d almost certainly be a low-cost one-year pact.

Two Years Remaining

D Duncan Keith ($5.538MM, UFA)
D Oscar Klefbom ($4.167MM, UFA)
D Slater Koekkoek ($925K, UFA)
F Devin Shore ($850K, UFA)
G Mike Smith ($2.2MM, UFA)

Shore did well enough last season to earn a two-year commitment to play a similar depth role for Edmonton.  His spot is another one that they’ll need to keep cheap based on their salary structure and if he remains in and out of the lineup or on the fourth line, Shore won’t be able to command much more of a raise.

Keith was brought over from Chicago in the offseason in a move that raised some eyebrows in terms of whether or not that was the best use of their limited cap space.  He’s playing a more limited role which is more suited to where he is at this stage of his career and is doing okay early on.  Considering he’ll be turning 40 soon after reaching free agency in 2023, it’s fair to wonder if there will be another contract for him let alone how much lower it would be.  Koekkoek opted to stick around after testing free agency and as a low-minute depth defender, it’s hard to imagine his price tag going up much moving forward.  Klefbom is once again out for the season and on LTIR and at this point, it’s reasonable to suspect that will be the case again next year and if that happens, his career is basically over.

Smith was brought back last summer after their other attempts to upgrade between the pipes didn’t pan out.  It worked out quite well for Edmonton in the end as the 39-year-old basically had his best season in almost a decade, earning him a two-year deal which is an outcome few would have expected a year and a half ago.  Even if he’s just a backup over that span, that’s still below market value for a decent second-stringer so the Oilers should get good value from his deal.

Three Years Remaining

D Tyson Barrie ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Warren Foegele ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Zack Kassian ($3.2MM, UFA)

Kassian’s contract was risky from the moment it was signed and the flattened Upper Limit hasn’t helped.  When he’s at his best, he’s a capable top-six power forward and is well worth the money.  When things aren’t going as well, he’s on the fourth line at times and isn’t close to worth it.  The inconsistency makes it hard to move him and the dimension he brings has made the Oilers want to keep him.  That all said, it’s difficult to envision a bigger contract in three years.  Foegele came over in an offseason trade from Carolina and remains in the same type of role he had with the Hurricanes.  Based on the most recent UFA market, there should be some room for a raise on Foegele’s next deal but playing in the top six more consistently would certainly bolster his chances of getting an AAV in the $3MM range.

It’s quite something how Barrie’s value has changed in recent years.  In 2019, he was coming off a career year with Colorado and it looked like an inevitability that he was heading for a significant raise on his then-$5.5MM AAV.  But things didn’t go well following a trade to Toronto and his market dropped, resulting in the one-year deal he had last season.  Even though his production jumped back up (to even better per-game numbers than he had with the Avs), he opted to forego testing the open market again, instead inking this new deal which is still lower than his last one in Colorado.  His defensive limitations are well-known but if Barrie continues to put up the points, the Oilers will get a good return on this deal.

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Matvey Petrov Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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November 11: The terms of Petrov’s contract were released by CapFriendly today. The three-year, entry-level deal carries a cap hit of $843,333 per season. The year-by-year breakdown is as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $15,000 performance bonus, $75,000 minors salary
2022-23: $750,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $15,000 performance bonus, $75,000 minors salary
2023-24: $775,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $75,000 minors salary

November 10: The Edmonton Oilers have signed prospect Matvey Petrov to a three-year, entry-level contract according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. The 18-year-old forward is currently playing with the North Bay Battalion of the OHL, where he will remain for the rest of this season.

Petrov, the 180th overall pick in the 2021 draft, has lit up the OHL competition to this point, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in his first 14 games for North Bay. Those ten goals tie Petrov for fifth in the OHL, and he has recorded the eighth-most shots on goal as well. The 6’2″ forward was coming off an impressive MHL performance when he fell to the sixth round, scoring 42 points last season in the Russian junior league. His performance in the OHL so far is promising, though there’s certainly still a lot of work to do before he glimpses NHL action.

Still, signing his entry-level deal already is a solid first step for the young forward. The contract will slide for this year and could again next year, should he return to junior or is assigned overseas. In all likelihood, Petrov’s new deal will keep him under contract through the 2025-26 season, after which he would be scheduled for restricted free agency. His deal also won’t count toward Edmonton’s 50-contract limit, since he’s already assigned to junior.

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