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Anton Slepyshev

Evening Snapshots: Slepyshev, Holland

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As it was reported earlier, the Edmonton Journal’s Bruce McCurdy believes that Anton Slepyshev’s availability is a “fire sale” sign that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has displayed for the entire league. McCurdy opines that the Oilers “appear poised to part company with yet another talented young Russian for pennies on the dollar.” Arguments abound for and against such a decision, with the former being that the young forward struggled with injuries and didn’t put together enough “excellent” nights to justify his keep. The latter argument poses that the youngster received an ample chance to display what he could do. Given little to no opportunity on special teams and logging limited minutes, McCurdy writes that the Russian posted impressive numbers during those limited chances–fleshed out further by advanced metrics. To be fair, McCurdy points out that only 40% of the Oilers goals occurred when Slepyshev was on the ice while his “pedestrian” numbers of 1 goal, and 3 points do little to help his case. While it appears to be another young player that the Oilers will ship out, one can only wonder how much longer the front office and coaching staff have before they’re the next to be booted.

  • The Detroit News’ Bob Wojnowski guesses that the writing is on the wall for the Red Wings. All that’s left to decipher is who the architect will be for the inevitable rebuild: Ken Holland or someone else. Wojnowski writes that the Red Wings are no longer the elite team that will make a yearly playoff visit, but at least have some hope in the futures of Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha. Wojnowski quotes Holland as saying the Wings will either “stay pat or sell” at the deadline. Holland adds that he’s not in it for a rebuild (something he’s been consistently saying) and his job is to keep the team competitive. But he’s also not naive:

“I’ve been very fortunate to watch some great players on great teams, and I want to do that again. Sometimes your time runs out, but there is a plan, and we’re on our way back. Up until two years ago, we were making moves for the today, we weren’t bad enough to make moves for the future. At some point, you’re gonna pay the piper.”

Whether Detroit chooses to go forward with Holland or someone different remains to be seen. But even the executive who doesn’t want to go through a “painful” rebuild realizes that the days of buying, instead of selling, are over.

Edmonton Makes Anton Slepyshev Available In Trade

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The Edmonton Oilers are experiencing a disappointing season, and have been considering which direction they will take at the trade deadline. Today, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the team has informed the rest of the NHL about Anton Slepyshev’s availability. As Spector points out, Slepyshev recently became waiver eligible.

Slepyshev, 23, has registered just three points this season in 18 contests for the Oilers, also spending time in the press box as a healthy scratch. The third-round pick from 2013 made his NHL debut two seasons ago, but hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time job with the club or replicate the offensive success he found in his final year in the KHL. In that 2014-15 season, Slepyshev recorded 15 goals and 25 points in 58 games, but he has just 14 points during his NHL career.

Still, there is some upside there to be had for a club looking for a big winger to help their bottom-six. Whether he’ll ever be able to contribute much offensively is still very much still up for debate, but he has recorded positive possession statistics this year and could still develop into something over the next few years.

The problem—one that Edmonton surely realizes—is that Slepyshev is set to become a restricted free agent this summer and has arbitration rights. A qualifying offer of just under $875K might be even too much for a club worried about salary structure to hand out, meaning there’s a chance he could become an unrestricted free agent anyway.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/17

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A new week begins in the NHL and teams must make their final few roster moves before a freeze is put in effect tomorrow night. We’ll keep track of any last minute moves around the league right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day.

  • As expected, Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana have both been recalled today. Their assignment to Hershey yesterday was nothing more than a cap saving measure, and both players weren’t expected to miss any time. Vrana is skating with T.J. Oshie—back at Washington Capitals practice today after missing several games with a concussion—and Evgeny Kuznetsov, an impressive line for the young forward.
  • Ville Pokka is on his way back to the AHL without having played a game for the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, the 23-year old hasn’t been able to make an impact with the team since being acquired several years ago, and is still waiting to make his NHL debut. The Rockford IceHogs will welcome him back, but he’ll have to do more to crack the Blackhawks lineup down the road.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Tage Thompson from the AHL, while moving Samuel Blais to injured reserve. Thompson, 20, is a top prospect for the Blues who has already played four games for the club this season. Selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, Thompson turned pro out of the University of Connecticut last spring and so far has 16 points in 24 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.
  • With Brock Boeser out with a foot injury for the time being, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Reid Boucher to help up front. Because the extent of Boeser’s injury is unclear and he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve yet, the team sent down defensmean Ashton Sautner to make room for Boucher’s return.
  • Edmonton has activated Adam Larsson from injured reserve and sent Anton Slepyshev to the minor leagues to make room. Larsson will be welcomed back with open arms after the team has started to play better of late. While still several points out of playoff contention, the Oilers have started to turn around what was a dreadful start of the year. Getting Larsson back after missing nearly three weeks will be sure to help.
  • With Jacob Josefson returning to the lineup, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Hudson Fasching back to the minor leagues. Fasching has been held scoreless in five games for the Sabres this season, and has yet to make much of an impact on the organization since being acquired in 2014.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Ben Harpur from the minor leagues, bringing them to just 22 players on the active roster. The Senators had been operating with just 21 players on the active roster for some time, likely connected with the recent comments of owner Eugene Melnyk about cutting payroll. Harpur has played 12 games for the Senators this season, recording one point. It’s unclear if he’ll get into the lineup right away, or if he’s just up for insurance as the team takes on the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Edmonton Oilers

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered ANA, ARZ, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, SJS, STL, TOR, WSH, and VGK.

What are the Oilers most thankful for?

The fact that they have already locked up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to long-term deals and don’t have to worry about them wanting to leave after the team’s disappointing start to the season. Not much has gone right for Edmonton as many of their moves have not worked out well and the team sits in seventh place in the Pacific Division (when most people expected them to win it this year) with a 11-14-2 record. The team has had trouble on defense and even have had trouble putting the puck in the net as they have relied too heavily on wings that have not produced. Much of the blame falls to general manager Peter Chiarelli who has made several questionable moves, including trading winger Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome. Eberle has 10 goals and 19 points for the New Yorkk Islanders, while Strome has managed four goals and 11 points.

Who are the Oilers most thankful for?

McDavid. It doesn’t matter how much the team overall has struggled. That just hasn’t been the case for the team’s star player. McDavid has 11 goals and 32 points and been that one positive player to focus around. McDavid, who still makes just $925K, however, will get a nice pay raise next season when his eight year, $100MM extension kicks in, meaning McDavid will be with Edmonton for a long time. He should be in contention for the Hart Trophy again and if he can get a nice hot streak going, perhaps McDavid can beat his 100 points total that he had a year ago.

What would the Oilers be even more thankful for?

Some of their defensive depth to improve. Injuries on their defensive end have not helped with the Oilers struggles this year. The biggest injury was when the team lost Andrej Sekera in May after tearing his ACL. He should be back in a few weeks, although there have been no official updates. Sekera was a critical piece to the team’s defensive success last season. The team has also just lacked depth this year. The team has added former Oiler Brandon Davidson back to the team today after claiming him off waivers from Montreal and expect Adam Larsson to return soon from injury, but the hope is the return of Sekera should give the team the depth it really needs.

What should be on the Oilers’ Holiday Wish List?

Finding a trade partner that can get the team a not too pricey wing solution. The team has tried to put its faith into young wingers like Anton Slepyshev (one goal), Drake Caggiula (four goals), Jujhar Khaira (three goals), Jesse Puljujarvi (four goals), Kailer Yamamoto (one goal and returned to junior team), Iiro Pakarinen (no goals and just waived and sent down to the AHL), Zack Kassian (two goals) and Jussi Jokinen (no goals and traded to the Los Angeles Kings). Many might still have some potential, but none of them seem to be players who could be in the team’s top-six. The team is loaded with centers, but can’t seem to find anyone to consistently put the puck away. A move must be made at some point if they want to salvage their season.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Theodore, Brodzinksi, Miller

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What has gone wrong with the Edmonton Oilers? After a 7-11-2 start to the season, fans have to wonder what is going on with their team who many expected to be competing for the top spot in the Western Conference. Instead, the team who has two of the top young franchise players in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are floundering.

Allan Mitchell of The Athletic (subscription required) details what has gone wrong for the storied franchise this year, pointing to the team’s success in achieving their goal of locking up both McDavid (eight years, $100MM) and Draisaitl (eight years, $68MM), but to their lack of success to bringing in more talent to help this squad. The scribe points out that while Jordan Eberle was moved to the New York Islanders for spare parts to solve cap issues, that deal could have been delayed a year as their cap problems weren’t going to be an issue until the 2018-19 season.

He also suggests that Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli took numerous gambles with few of them coming up gold so far this year. He put a lot of faith in youngsters ranging from Ryan Strome, Jesse Puljujarvi, Anton Slepyshev, Kailer Yamamoto, Matt Benning and Drake Caggiula, all of which haven’t worked out as expected, although Caggiula’s two-goal performance Saturday could change things if he can continue that success. Possibly. Regardless, the Oilers have no choice but to continue putting out their youth, hoping some of them might figure things out and assist a struggling squad.

  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that Vegas Golden Knights’ defenseman Shea Theodore has needed more time than expected to adjust to the NHL game, despite playing a chunk of the season last year with the Anaheim Ducks. The scribe adds that after Theodore’s strong performance against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, he might be starting to turn the corner and become a key cog on Vegas’ defense.
  • Much of the Los Angeles Kings success has been in thanks to the team’s careful infusion of youth into their veteran lineup. The Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke writes that Jonny Brodzinski scored his first NHL goal Saturday and is the fifth player to pick up their first NHL goal, including Kurtis MacDermid, Michael Amadio, Oscar Fantenberg, and Alex Iafallo. Much of the credit, according to Zupke goes to Ontario Reign coach Mike Strothers, who has worked hard to develop players who could work with the Kings’ quick-movement style of play.
  • Anaheim Ducks backup goaltender Ryan Miller, who has looked good in four appearances since being activated a couple of weeks ago, might miss more time. While the veteran goalie was on the ice this morning taking shots, Miller (lower-body injury) was unable to practice, according to the Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens. Coach Randy Carlyle hopes he might be available next week, but with five games in the next seven days, the team may have to consider starting Reto Berra.

Edmonton Oilers Recall Jesse Puljujarvi

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The Edmonton Oilers have decided it’s time for Jesse Puljujarvi to get another shot. The team has recalled the top prospect from the AHL and placed Anton Slepyshev on injured reserve to make room. Puljujarvi was sent to the minor leagues to begin the year, where he has five points in ten games.

Selected fourth-overall in 2016, Puljujarvi was expected to make an impact quickly in Edmonton. Instead, he struggled to find ice time and was eventually sent down last season after scoring just a single goal. In all, he played in 28 games for the Oilers and registered eight points, though his results at Bakersfield were more promising. In 39 minor league contests last season, the big Finnish winger scored 28 points and generally grew into one of the better players on the team. With huge upside, he’ll now have a chance to prove that the Oilers didn’t make a mistake when they took him ahead of others that have already made an NHL impact.

Edmonton was able to sneak by New Jersey last night with a 3-2 overtime win, and have started to turn their ugly start around with three wins in their last four games. They’ve still had plenty of trouble scoring goals, and Puljujarvi will be tasked with giving them some secondary scoring from the wing. It’s likely that he’ll jump right into the fire alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic when the team takes on the New York Rangers tomorrow afternoon.

Edmonton Oilers’ Matt Benning Drawing Interest

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Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that while the Edmonton Oilers continue to look for an answer this season, “at least one team” is showing interest in defenseman Matt Benning in trade talks—though there is certainly no hurry to move him. Spector writes that the team likely would however be willing to give up Anton Slepyshev or Ryan Strome in potential deals.

Matt BenningEdmonton is off to a terrible start for a club that was expected to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, riding a 3-6-1 record into Wednesday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Connor McDavid clearly can’t carry the team all on his own, and they’ve received little offensive help beyond the top line. Slepyshev has been held scoreless thus far, while Strome has just three points on the season. That’s while Jordan Eberle starts to thrive in New York with nine points through 11 games.

The Oilers need help, and they need it soon if they’re going to turn around this ship. The team ranks dead last in the NHL in goals for, and both special teams rank in the bottom three. Spector does suggest that Chris Kelly will sign if Kailer Yamamoto is sent back to junior, which should help their penalty kill but do little for their offensive woes. The answer to those isn’t quite so simple.

Moving Benning would certainly bring back something of value, as the 23-year old defenseman has shown at least an ability to play a full-time role in the NHL. Though he doesn’t have a ton of offensive upside, some might see him as a solid answer to shore up a bottom pairing. Dealing him would mean opening one hole to fill another however, as the Oilers would need a replacement for his 16-odd minutes a night. Benning is a restricted free agent this summer though, and with money locked up in four defensemen already and a new deal looming for Darnell Nurse, he could be on the outside looking in anyway. The Oilers will obviously have to be very careful with their cap space once McDavid’s league-leading contract extension kicks in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Edmonton Oilers

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert 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 into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of 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: $65,647,000 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Matt Benning (One year remaining, $925K)
F Drake Caggiula (One year remaining, $925K)
F Connor McDavid (One year remaining, $925K)
F Jesse Puljujarvi (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Anton Slepyshev (One year remaining, $925K)
F Kailer Yamamoto (Three years remaining, $925K)
D Darnell Nurse (One year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

McDavid: $2.85MM
Puljujarvi: $2.5MM
Nurse: $850K
Slepyshev: $600K
Caggiula: $425K
Benning: $300K
Yamamoto: $230K

Total: $7.755MM

Believe it or not, McDavid is still on the list as the Art Ross Trophy winner, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, and Ted Lindsay Award winner is on the last year of his entry-level deal. McDavid will also be listed later in the story under four year and more as McDavid signed his eight year, $100MM extension this summer and will be locked up long term regardless. More on him later …

The Oilers have high expectations for both Benning and Nurse to take that next step. With injuries mounting, both should be vaulted into bigger roles than they were last year. The 23-year-old Benning played in 62 games last year and played solidly while filling in for injured players. The 22-year-old Nurse also had a solid showing in 44 games this year. Both may be asked to jump onto top-four pairings on defense throughout the year.

Slepyshev, who suffered an ankle injury in the offseason looks close to being ready. He had 10 points in 41 games a year ago, but also scored three goals in the playoffs for Edmonton last year and many feel the 23-year-old is ready to take that next step. Caggiula, a big college player from the University of North Dakota, had seven goals and 18 points in 60 games a year ago in his first year with Edmonton and is also thought to be a player ready to make a jump.

Both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi (Edmonton’s 2017 and 2016 first-round picks, respectively) went head-to-head and battled it out for a final roster spot this training camp with Yamamoto getting the edge and Puljujarvi getting sent to Bakersfield, but don’t be surprised if Puljujarvi is back up at some point during the season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Mark Fayne ($2.6MM, UFA – team saved $1.025MM in cap relief by sending him to AHL)
F Ryan Strome ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Mark Letestu ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Patrick Maroon ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Jussi Jokinen ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($750K, RFA)
F Iiro Pakarinen ($725K, RFA)

Connor McDavidPerhaps the most interesting player the team must focus on will be Maroon, who had a breakout year playing next to McDavid. The 29-year-old wing scored 27 goals and has proven to be one guy who seems to play well next to McDavid. He is a presence in front of the net and a physical force for the team.

Letestu, is another player the team will have to consider. Likely to be the team’s fourth-line center, Letestu put up 16 goals last year, although that was a career high and he’s already 32 years old. Jokinen, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, put up 11 goals last year in Florida, but at 34 years old is likely not a priority to the team.

As for restricted free agents, the team will take a long look at Strome, who the team acquired in the Jordan Eberle deal. The 24-year-old center has had an inconsistent career with the New York Islanders, but put up 13 goals and 30 points last year. The Oilers hope he can keep improving on those numbers. Brossoit will get his first chance to be Talbot’s backup. The 24-year-old looked promising in eight appearances last year.

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Puljujarvi’s Demotion Is Not A Bad Sign

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While many on Twitter are criticizing the Oilers for demoting Jesse Puljujarvi to Bakersfield as the team would rather him get first-line minutes in the AHL as opposed to third-line minutes with the team, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal agrees with the move.

The scribe writes that what the fourth-overall pick from 2016 needs is experience and playing time. He writes that 20 minutes of even strength and power play minutes is crucial to the young prospect’s development rather than getting 10 minutes a night or even some time sitting in the press box. What Puljujarvi needs is confidence, writes Staples, and dominating in the AHL for now will give that to him. At 18, he scored 12 goals and 28 points in 39 games for Bakersfield. Most prospects are still with their junior teams. Imagine what he should be able to accomplish one year later.

Staples adds that he is 19 year old and even if he needs more time to develop, that doesn’t mean anything towards his long-term value. He adds that he believes that Puljujarvi will develop into a much better player than Drake Caggiula and Anton Slepyshev (who was hurt), who both made the NHL roster over him. However, they didn’t beat out Puljujarvi. According to Staples, Kailer Yamamoto, the team’s 2017 first-round pick, took his spot.

With Puljujarvi, he can go down to Bakersfield and play as much as he wants until the team needs him. They can recall him whenever they want. However, with Yamamoto on the team, the team doesn’t have that luxury. If they had sent him down instead of Puljujarvi, they wouldn’t have the option of recalling him as he would return to his junior team and could not be recalled until their season is over. So, Edmonton is taking a long, nine-game look at the young, speedy wing. They can send him down at that point and bring back Puljujarvi if they want. Yamamoto had a good camp, but he wasn’t perfect and his size (5-foot-8, 153 pounds) might be too much for a 19-year-old to handle.

One other fact, both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi are 19 years old. Yamamoto is only five months younger, so the age difference is not significant. On top of that, Puljujarvi has only been in the U.S. for a little more than a year, so he has much more to transition to. However, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Puljujarvi got called up if he can show success again in the AHL.

 

Pacific Notes: Virtanen, Neal, Slepyshev, Sekera

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One preseason game remaining and Jake Virtanen remains with his team. The former sixth overall pick in 2014, has failed to crack the Canucks roster, but a solid training camp has many believing he has a good chance to become a regular in Vancouver this year, according to NBC Sports Cam Tucker.

After getting into 55 games two years ago with Vancouver in an underwhelming season, he managed to make just 10 appearances last year and even struggled with the AHL’s Utica Comets, scoring just 19 points in 65 games. However, his skills are obvious. Canucks GM Jim Benning has stated that his size and speed just need developing. At 6-foot-1 and 229 pounds and only 21 years old, Virtanen is trying to establish himself now, but is also trying not to think about whether he makes the roster this season. He has focused on his play instead and has already notched three preseason goals.

 

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