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Edmonton Oilers Sign Adam Cracknell

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The Edmonton Oilers have added some depth to the forward group, signing Adam Cracknell to a one-year two-way contract. The deal will be for 2020-21 and brings Cracknell back to North America after his stint in the KHL.

Now 35, Cracknell is the epitome of a hockey journeyman. Since being drafted in the ninth round of the 2004 draft by the Calgary Flames, he’s suited up for the: Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, Las Vegas Wranglers, Quad City Flames, Peoria Rivermen, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Wolves, Columbus Blue Jackets, Springfield Falcons, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Hartford Wolf Pack, Laval Rocket, Toronto Marlies, San Diego Gulls, Anaheim Ducks, and Kunlun Red Star. 210 of those appearances came at the NHL level, including a season in which he scored 10 goals for the Stars.

It’s unlikely that he’ll see much action for the Oilers next season, but he did record 24 points in the KHL last season and could be an injury replacement should they run into any trouble next season. More likely he’ll be playing for the Bakersfield Condors where his experience and leadership will come in handy. Though the contract details were not released, you can bet that Cracknell will earn the league minimum at the NHL level.

Edmonton Oilers Loan Gaetan Haas, Evan Bouchard

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to send their young players all over the world, loaning them out to European leagues to get them back on the ice while we wait for the start of the 2020-21 season in North America. Today, they announced that Gaetan Haas and Evan Bouchard will be heading overseas to play for the next few months. Both players are expected to return for training camp.

Haas, 28, will return to SC Bern in the Swiss NLA for the time being, the same club he played two seasons for before coming to Edmonton. A star in the Swiss league, he recorded 38 points in 50 games during the 2018-19 season and won the league championship. In his first taste of North American hockey, Haas didn’t have quite the same offensive impact but still represented a solid depth forward for the Oilers. In 58 games he recorded ten points and in April re-signed for the 2020-21 season. He’ll earn $915K on a one-way deal, whenever the next NHL season gets underway.

Bouchard of course doesn’t come with quite as much NHL experience, given he was only drafted in 2018. The tenth-overall pick played seven games with the Oilers that first season, but has spent the rest of his professional hockey in the minor leagues with the Bakersfield Condors. Bouchard did continue his excellent play in the AHL this season, recording 36 points in 54 games, but it’s not exactly clear when he’ll take that next step and become a full-time member of the Oilers defense. Still just 20, there is plenty of time for Bouchard to develop, which is exactly why it was so imperative that he find a place to play for the next few months. Bouchard will head to Sweden and suit up for Sodertalje SK of the second league.

Oilers Have Inquired About Matt Murray

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The Oilers are among the teams that have kicked the tires on Penguins goalie Matt Murray, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson.  They have a vacancy to fill between the pipes with Mike Smith slated to become an unrestricted free agent.  However, with the limited cap space they have and several RFAs in need of new deals including winger Andreas Athanasiou and defensemen Matt Benning and Ethan Bear, they probably won’t be able to afford the salary that Murray, an RFA himself, will likely command in the coming months.  Instead, they will probably have to shop at the cheaper end of the goalie market to find Mikko Koskinen’s partner for next season.

Oilers Loan Ryan McLeod To EV Zug In Switzerland

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The Oilers have found a place to play for one of their more intriguing prospects to stay in playing shape.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned center Ryan McLeod to EV Zug of the NLA in Switzerland for the start of their upcoming season.

McLeod was ranked by some publications as a potential first-round pick in 2018 but he wound up sliding to the second round where he was scooped up by Edmonton at 40th overall.  He wrapped up his junior career the following season and saw some AHL playoff action with Bakersfield in 2019 which gave him a bit of momentum heading into his first full professional season in 2019-20.

The results weren’t quite as strong as McLeod or the Oilers would have hoped, however.  He managed just five goals along with 18 assists in 56 games with the Condors before the pandemic hit, a level of production that was a little low for one of their better prospects coming out of the junior ranks.  He was, however, part of their postseason roster.  Now, McLeod will have an opportunity to see game action in the near future which should help give him a leg up whenever the 2020-21 AHL season gets underway.

Patrick Russell Re-Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers will bring back Patrick Russell for another season, signing the pending free agent Patrick Russell to a one-year contract. The team has not released financial specifics, but Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that Russell will earn just $750K next season (Elliotte Friedman has it at $700K).

Now 27, Russell is an example of hard work and determination. The undrafted forward out of Denmark played a season in the USHL, two in the NCAA and three in the AHL before really getting a chance at the NHL level, where he spent 45 games this season in Edmonton. A strong goal-scorer at every level, that ability disappeared on Russell when he joined the Oilers. In 45 games he recorded just five assists, failing to score a single time.

Still, bringing him back on an inexpensive deal made sense for the Oilers as they look to retool for next season. Russell can play a depth role for the team, moving in and out of the lineup whenever necessary. Though it’s hard to imagine him providing a ton of offense in the NHL, he has improved tremendously in the second year at every level and could potentially take another step forward with some more experience, even in his late-twenties.

Pacific Notes: Fleury, Myers, Smith

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The Vegas Golden Knights goaltending controversy could get more interesting in the coming hours. After netting his team a 3-0 shutout last night against Vancouver, Robin Lehner would seem like a solid candidate to start again tonight for Game 4 of their series. However, Lehner is 1-7-1 in his career on second nights when he plays both ends of a back-to-back series. That could allow the opportunity for veteran Marc-Andre Fleury to get the start tonight.

In fact, NHL.com’s John Shannon reports that there is an internal belief that Fleury will get the nod against Vancouver in Game 4. However, Vegas coach Pete DeBoer refused to confirm that belief:

“I’m not going to confirm any lineup decisions we’ve made,” said DeBoer (via Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen). “You’ll see tonight. We’ve got a plan, and we’re going to continue on the path that we know is the right one for our group.”

However, considering that DeBoer and Vegas management has continued to claim that it is a 1 and 1a situation, a Lehner start would likely negate that stand. Fleury, on the other hand, has appeared in just two appearances so far in the playoffs. If he does start tonight, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger notes it will be his first appearance in 14 days, his second game in 23 days and his third game in 174 days.

An official word isn’t likely until just before gametime.

  • Speaking about unknowns, TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers was skating today, although there is no word on whether the blueliner is available for Game 4 tonight against the Golden Knights. Myers, out with a shoulder injury since Aug. 14, wasn’t expected to be ready until later this week, according to The Province’s Patrick Johnston, who added that the two-day break after this game could benefit him. However, Dhaliwal suggests there is a possibility that he could be ready tonight depending on how he responds to treatment. Again, he will be a game-time decision.
  • In an interview with The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman (subscription required), Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland admitted the Oilers will keep with a tandem goaltending situation. However, he also added that while he was pleased with the team’s goaltending for much of the season, he still needs time to assess whether they will make any changes, especially since veteran Mike Smith is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins adds that Smith is likely to be re-signed by the Oilers if Holland can find a way to upgrade Mikko Koskinen and his $4.5MM contract. If the team can unload Koskinen, that could improve Smith’s chances of staying in Edmonton. Otherwise, the team would likely look to let Smith walk and hope to find an upgrade in net after that.

Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers Nearing A Resolution

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Could the longest-running standoff in the NHL be reaching a conclusion? Last month, Jesse Puljujarvi spoke about his desire to return to North America and that his representation had been speaking with the Edmonton Oilers, the team who Puljujarvi refused to sign with last off-season and who he once stated he would never play for again. It was an encouraging note on what has been a frustrating situation for all involved. Yet, just a week later Puljujarvi re-signed with Karpat in the Finnish Liga and once again it seemed a reunion between the Oilers and their 2016 No. 4 overall pick may never happen.

Not so fast, says Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. Spector heard whispers that the sides were still talking and decided to do some digging. After speaking with both Edmonton and Puljujarvi’s agent, Spector believes that Puljujarvi will be back with the Oilers for the 2020-21 season. He believes the contract with Karpat, which has an NHL out clause, was to safeguard against a delayed start or worse for the NHL season, but that the two sides should come together for a new contract prior to the start of training camp, allowing Puljujarvi to simply use his deal with Karpat to get a head start on the season by playing in the Liiga.

Why the change? Spector believes that in addition to Puljujarvi’s desire to return to the NHL, he is also an ideal option for the cap-strapped Oilers to bolster their forward corps. Puljujarvi’s NHL production has not impressed thus far in his young career, but his numbers in Europe both before and after his first stint with the Oilers imply otherwise. With size and speed to go with his offensive upside, perhaps Puljujarvi can make a greater impact this time around and at a bargain rate. Spector expects that Edmonton will try to re-sign their former top prospect at a salary close to $1MM, which would likely mean just a one-year deal, but could make him an incredible value if he plays up to his potential.

Offseason Keys: Edmonton Oilers

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As teams are eliminated from the Qualifying Round, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return, we shift our focus to the ones that have been ousted.  Next up is a look at Edmonton.

With the top two scorers in the NHL on their roster, the Oilers were a popular pick to do some damage in the playoffs.  Instead, they were ousted by Chicago (the 12th seed) rather handily in the Qualifying Round.  The needs in Edmonton have been the same for a while which means GM Ken Holland’s to-do list may look a little familiar.  However, with minimal cap space to work with, finding a way to address everything could be somewhat of a challenge.

Add Proven Scoring Wingers

Draisaitl (110 points) and McDavid (97 points) led the way offensively this season while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was third with 61.  They all have one thing in common – they’re all natural centers.  While it’s great to have that type of depth down the middle, an extreme lack of production from the wing often forced the Oilers to shift Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins to the wing in an effort to jumpstart their offense.  To put into perspective how little scoring from the wing they had, Zack Kassian had the most points of any natural winger with 34 which is basically third line production.

There are internal options but they all have flaws.  Kailer Yamamoto showed some chemistry with Draisaitl in the second half of the season but was shut down easily against the Blackhawks.  James Neal had 19 goals but struggled at times to the point where his role had to be limited at times.  Andreas Athanasiou (more on him later) was hit or miss after being acquired while Alex Chiasson unsurprisingly wasn’t able to duplicate his 22-goal campaign from a year ago.  All of these players have a spot on an NHL roster but none of them are impact scorers and only Yamamoto has a shot at getting there.

Of course, Edmonton has another early draft pick in their system in Jesse Puljujarvi.  While he’s already signed for next season in Finland, that deal has an NHL out clause and as Mark Spector of Sportsnet noted earlier this week, talks between his camp and Holland continue to the point where Spector believes that Puljujarvi will indeed sign with the Oilers for next season.  There could be some upside there or he could be more of a tertiary option as he was in his first stint with them.  They need to add someone more proven than him.

Cheap options and marginal upside plays are quite important in a salary cap environment and they will be even more important now with the Upper Limit flattening out.  However, even with $70MM committed already, Holland needs to bring in at least one legitimate consistent offensive threat on the wing; the centers can’t do it all on their own.

Decide Athanasiou’s Future

Just before the trade deadline, Holland made a move to try to bring in scoring help on the wing when he picked up Athanasiou from Detroit in exchange for a pair of second-round picks.  A year removed from a 30-goal season, the move made some sense, even though he was in the midst of a down season.  Played with McDavid or Draisaitl would surely get him going.  Or so they thought.

Instead of playing and producing more, the opposite happened.  He had just a goal and an assist in nine regular season games before the pandemic while he played just over 12 minutes a game.  In the playoffs, he was held off the scoresheet entirely while logging even less ice time at 10:58 per game.  Stylistically speaking, Athanasiou’s speed makes him an ideal fit for an Edmonton team that’s trying to play at a high tempo but the early results weren’t encouraging.

Part of the season that Edmonton surrendered two high draft picks to get him was the fact that he still has two more years of team control; he isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2022.  While his $3MM cap hit was a bit high for his production this season, the expected increase in the Upper Limit made him an affordable option.  But then the pandemic threw a wrench into all of that.  Now, a $3MM qualifying offer may be too pricey for them to afford.  Yes, it’s possible that he signs for less than that amount but he’d need some incentive to do so and that’s tricky to offer at this time.  It would be a tough outcome if they wind up non-tendering someone that they dealt two good draft picks for just months ago but it is a real option here.  That decision will need to be made fairly quickly as they’ll need to know whether they need to save $3MM from their other planned spending before they can start trying to address some of their other needs.

Find A Second Goalie

Last summer, Edmonton brought in Mike Smith to give them another option behind Mikko Koskinen.  The intrigue with Smith was that he could log more than a typical backup should the unproven Koskinen struggle.

From that standpoint, Smith’s addition was a success.  He actually wound up making more starts than Koskinen (37-33) and it was telling that he got the nod to start against Chicago.  However, the end results weren’t as strong.  Smith had a 2.95 GAA which was 20 points higher than Koskinen while his .902 SV% was 15 points lower.  Edmonton fans certainly don’t want a reminder of Smith’s numbers against Chicago where he was yanked after coughing up five goals in less than half a period.  All of a sudden, it’s fair to question whether the 38-year-old pending unrestricted free agent should be part of the picture again next season or whether they should go in another direction.

Internally, Stuart Skinner and Olivier Rodrigue have some upside but neither is ready for NHL duty just yet so if they do go in another direction, the new goalie will have to come from outside the organization.

The big question is going to be what type of second goalie are they seeking?  Are they looking for a starter that would push Koskinen into a lesser role?  Do they want a platoon mate, similar to what Smith was for them this season?  Or do they think Koskinen is ready for the number one job where they can go for a cheaper backup?

Presumably, the second one is the likeliest target given Koskinen’s inconsistency; having another goalie that can shoulder the starting workload for bits and pieces of the season would be wise.  Fortunately, there are several of those available in free agency although the best ones will cost more than the $2MM plus games played bonuses that Smith received this season which could limit what they spend to fill other areas.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Joakim Nygard Loaned To Farjestad BK

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to loan players out all over the world as they wait for the 2020-21 NHL season to begin. This time it’s Joakim Nygard, who has been loaned to Farjestad BK in the SHL. While the announcement doesn’t indicate he’ll be back for training camp, you can assume that the 27-year old will come back to North America for his second crack at making the Edmonton roster.

This season, Nygard looked like might be a useful piece for the Oilers to retain given his speed and forechecking ability. The undrafted winger had nine points in 33 games playing almost exclusively in the bottom-six, but ended up breaking his hand in January which finished his season. The Oilers obviously felt as though he should get another chance though, as they signed him to a one-year contract extension just a few days later.

Now returning to Edmonton with just an $875K cap hit, Nygard could be a useful piece for the roster as they try to continue building a speedier group around Connor McDavid. Getting back into game action is crucial for the Swedish winger, given he hasn’t played meaningful hockey in six months.

Patience May Be Needed In Next Year's Backup Search

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  • While figuring out what to do with their goaltending will be an important item on Oilers GM Ken Holland’s to-do list this offseason, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector cautions that the team should be patient on filling their pending vacancy alongside Mikko Koskinen. Veteran Mike Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent and could return but with minimal significant upgrades available on the UFA market, looking at the trade route may be the best way to go.  With so many teams looking to free up cap space though, goalie options via trade may take some time to materialize.

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