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Tyson Barrie

Edmonton Oilers Notes: Staios, Bouchard, Yamamoto

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Frank Seravalli had a lengthy discussion on the Daily Faceoff Rundown podcast about the future of the Edmonton Oilers. In the discussion Seravalli said he doesn’t expect huge changes on the ice, but he does believe that there will be changes to the management structure as they attempt to be “protective and proactive with Steve Staios.” Seravalli went on to say that the former Oilers defenseman is regarded in Oilers circles as being their general manager of the future and the club may want to shift their hierarchy to give Staios a bigger voice before another team scoops him up.

What that could look like remains to be seen, but Seravalli went on to say that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Oilers promoted current general manager Ken Holland to President of Hockey Ops which would allow Staios to shift over to Holland’s old job and preserve the teams already thin management group. Whatever management group is in place will have much work to be done this summer. The Oilers window for contention is beginning to close as superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl inch closer to unrestricted free agency. Draisaitl has just two years left on his current deal and McDavid has three. If the Oilers don’t get over the hump soon, they could find it difficult to retain the franchise cornerstones.

In other Oilers notes:

  • Seravalli also spoke about the next contract for Evan Bouchard saying that he fully expects the Oilers to try and get the defenseman on a bridge contract due to their current salary cap predicament. The 23-year-old is coming off a good season in which he put up eight goals and 40 points in 81 regular season games, however in the playoffs the Oakville native exploded for 17 points in 12 games, including 15 points while quarterbacking the Oilers white hot powerplay. Seravalli wondered if a bridge contract would even be possible given how important Bouchard has been to the team since the mid-season Tyson Barrie trade. The advantage for the Oilers will be that Bouchard has no rights to arbitration at this time.
  • Seravalli and Jason Gregor spoke about the Oilers need to upgrade the right wing spot this summer. This was echoed by Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic who believes that top six winger Kailer Yamamoto’s poor play in the playoffs might have turned him into a trade candidate. Yamamoto is due $3.1MM next season and struggled in the playoffs putting up just a single goal and four points in 12 games despite getting a lot of top six minutes. The Spokane native wasn’t much better in the regular season putting up 25 points in 58 games, a steep drop from his career high of 41 points in 81 games in 2021-22.

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Mattias Ekholm

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5:37 pm: The Oilers have made the trade official, also acquiring a 2024 sixth-round pick along with Ekholm.

4:28 pm: The Edmonton Oilers have made their deadline splash, set to acquire veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. A few moments later, Friedman reported on the return, announcing that the Predators will acquire Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick in 2023, and a fourth-round pick in 2024. Later on, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that the Predators will also retain 4% ($250K) of Ekholm’s remaining contract.

Frequently the focus of trade rumors for the last several seasons, Ekholm will try to become the missing piece of the Oilers’ defense. After spending the last 12 years as a main piece on the Predators, Ekholm will look to transfer his two-way play to the Oilers’ back end. Since the 2015-16 season, Ekholm has always averaged over 20 minutes a game, spending time on both the power-play and penalty kill. He has the ability to block shots and create a lot of them himself, he should be the significant defense piece the Oilers have been searching for all season long.

In a surprise to many, Barrie is one of the main pieces headed back to Nashville. Benefiting by being on the same powerplay as Connor McDavid, Barrie’s playmaking abilities on the backend had a resurgence after his one year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After signing a 1-year contract with the Oilers before the 2020-21 season, his play impressed enough to earn him a 3-year, $13.5MM contract extension. In the second year of that deal, Barrie will look to transfer his passing ability to a new-look team in Nashville. Although Barrie is most known for his offensive abilities, his possession numbers are quite good as well, earning a CF% of 54.9 throughout his career.

A now-former first-round selection of Edmonton in the 2022 NHL Draft, Schaefer will become a nice prospect the Predators will add to their system. After scoring 58 points in 66 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Oilers used the 32nd overall pick to select him. Continuing to grow in the Western Hockey League, Schaefer has scored 47 points in 44 games so far this season. As the Predators have also acquired Edmonton’s first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, they are guaranteed two young first-round talents if they hold on to the pick. As current GM David Poile transitions the reigns over to Predators legend Barry Trotz, Poile has left now left Trotz with 11 picks in the first three rounds of the next two NHL drafts.

In a corresponding move, the Predators announced that forward Mark Jankowski has been recalled to replace Ekholm on the active roster.

Injury Notes: Barrie, Laughton, Fischer

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The Edmonton Oilers announced that they have officially activated defenseman Tyson Barrie off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Barrie had been placed on IR on March 7th, retroactive to March 5th, missing the past three games. Adding Barrie back into the lineup will give the Oilers more of an offensive punch on their back end and deepen their defensive core once again.

For Barrie, this trip to the IR was his third absence from the Oilers roster in 2022, having previously spent time on IR in late January and early February, as well as time in COVID protocol in January. Barrie has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence to his career since joining Edmonton before the 2020-21 season and signing a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Oilers this past July. The Oilers will certainly count on Barrie to remain healthy down the stretch, as the team will need all it can get to secure a playoff spot in the incredibly tight Western Conference.

  • Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now reports that Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Scott Laughton is expected to remain out of the lineup indefinitely after suffering a concussion in the Flyers loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Losing Laughton is another tough blow to the Flyers, who have struggled with injuries the entire season. Particularly, as the team has struggled in the standings, Laughton has remained a steady force for the team, having a career year with 28 points in 54 games, and has also been a core piece in the locker room. No timetable has been given on Laughton’s return, however concussion related injuries can vary and considering the Flyers’ struggles, there is no reason to rush the forward back.
  • Arizona Coyotes’ head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters, including PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, that forward Christian Fischer is day-to-day and is unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins (Tweet). Tourigny also added that if Fischer does in fact sit, Hudson Fasching will play. Fischer has 10 points in 49 games this season for Arizona.

Tyson Barrie Placed On Injured Reserve; Stuart Skinner Recalled

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The Edmonton Oilers have officially recalled Stuart Skinner from the AHL, as Mike Smith continues to deal with an illness. To make room, Tyson Barrie has been placed on injured reserve.

Barrie, 30, was injured in a game earlier this month against the Chicago Blackhawks and was recently listed as “day-to-day” by head coach Jay Woodcroft. Given that his placement on IR is retroactive to March 5 and he has to miss at least seven days, he’ll miss at least the next few games while he recovers.

Skinner meanwhile is set to serve as the backup tonight behind Mikko Koskinen, though many believe he should be getting a chance to play for the Oilers given their goaltending issues. The 23-year-old goaltender has a .913 save percentage in 13 appearances this season, including a 20-save shutout in his most recent game–almost a month ago against the San Jose Sharks.

Since then, he’s been playing in the minor leagues where he continues to find success. In his most recent game with the Bakersfield Condors, Skinner stopped 26 of 27 shots to earn an overtime victory against the Stockton Heat. Overall, he has a .919 save percentage in the AHL this season.

Tyson Barrie Activated From Injured Reserve

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More often than not when a player goes on injured reserve, it creates an opportunity for a younger or less experienced option to make an impact. That’s exactly the case for the Edmonton Oilers, who finally saw some success after Tyson Barrie went on the shelf partway through last month. With Barrie out, Evan Bouchard took up a much bigger role on the team and the Oilers ended up winning four out of their last five games. Bouchard averaged a whopping 24:55 in those and recorded three goals and five points, including two powerplay tallies while seeing time with the top unit.

With Barrie back, activated off injured reserve today, it will be interesting to watch how he’s deployed and whether the Edmonton coaching staff has permanently elevated Bouchard. The team takes on the Washington Capitals in one final game before the All-Star break and could potentially pass the San Jose Sharks for fifth in the Pacific Division

Barrie, 30, was brought back in the offseason on a three-year, $13.5MM contract after leading all NHL defensemen in scoring last year. He hasn’t come anywhere near that 48-point performance this time around, however, making his new $4.5MM cap hit look a little unreasonable. In 35 games he has 17 points, which include just seven even-strength assists. His powerplay time has remained strong, but head coach Dave Tippett hasn’t been able to trust him otherwise; Barrie averages just 16:38 at even-strength, fifth among regular Edmonton defensemen.

If there is any risk at all of him losing the top powerplay spot, it seems as though Barrie’s usefulness on a cap-strapped team is also waning. How he’s used tonight and after the All-Star break will be an interesting sign of what’s to come, even just a few months into his new deal. The Oilers already have more than $71MM committed to next season because of Darnell Nurse’s extension, and will likely have to cut salary from somewhere if they want to bring in any new talent.

To make room on the roster for Barrie’s activation, the team has sent the recently-waived Slater Koekkoek to the AHL.

Edmonton Oilers Place Tyson Barrie On IR, Activate Zach Hyman From Protocol

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The Edmonton Oilers announced a flurry of roster moves Thursday night. Left wing Zach Hyman has come off COVID protocol, defenseman Tyson Barrie lands on injured reserve, defenseman William Lagesson comes to the active roster to replace him, and goalie Olivier Rodrigue comes up from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to the team’s taxi squad.

Hyman hasn’t played much in the last month or so due to injuries and COVID protocol, so his return to the lineup is much-anticipated. Through 32 games, the first-year Oiler has 11 goals and 20 assists for 21 points on the year. He’s one of four Oilers with ten goals, joining Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Jesse Puljujarvi.

Barrie exits the lineup just as the team’s defense had returned to full health. While not the world-beating production he had last year, Barrie still has 17 points in 35 games, playing mostly in a shielded role more suited to his defensive weaknesses.

The Oilers will likely have Lagesson enter the lineup, but he’s been used sparingly this year. In just 10 games, the Swedish defenseman has two assists and is averaging a meager 11:31 per game.

Rodrigue, the team’s 62nd overall selection in 2018, has a .886 save percentage in 13 games with Bakersfield this year.

Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Holloway, McDavid

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced that Kailer Yamamoto was pulled from practice this morning because of a positive result on a rapid COVID-19 test. He is currently in the protocol, but will await further results to confirm his status. Should he test negative moving forward, he would not need to face the mandatory five-day isolation period.

Yamamoto, 23, has been relatively underwhelming this season even if he is one of the team’s most reliable forwards. With just seven goals and 12 points in 34 games, the young forward isn’t producing anywhere near the 2019-20 rate that made him so exciting to watch. With a contract negotiation and potential arbitration right around the corner, a strong second half would certainly go a long way for his financial future.

  • Speaking of exciting young Edmonton forwards, it’s been a challenging year for prospect Dylan Holloway. After fracturing his wrist while playing for the University of Wisconsin, he underwent surgery in March 2021. Several months later and he was under the knife a second time after consulting with specialists, meaning he’s been away from the game for quite some time. Today, Holloway joined the team at practice and was a “full participant.” Selected 14th overall in 2020, Holloway blew up at Wisconsin last season, scoring 35 points in 23 games while also taking home the silver medal with Canada at the World Juniors. Now 20, he’s in the first year of his entry-level contract and could be activated whenever healthy enough to contribute.
  • Head coach Dave Tippett confirmed that Connor McDavid, Tyson Barrie, and Derek Ryan are eligible to exit the COVID protocol on Sunday, should they be able to provide negative test results. That would make them available to the team for Monday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, though nothing is certain at this point.

Connor McDavid, Two Other Oilers Enter COVID Protocol

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Though there was some hope that Connor McDavid’s positive COVID-19 test would not be confirmed today, Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett announced that the superstar center has now entered the protocol and will be unavailable for the team tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even worse, Tippett announced that Derek Ryan and Tyson Barrie have also entered the protocol. Zack Kassian has been activated, while. Ilya Konovalov has been moved to the taxi squad.

Losing McDavid at any point of the season is bad news, but especially so for the reeling Oilers right now. The team has lost four in a row, eight of their last ten, and are in danger of slipping even further down the Pacific Division standings. At 18-13-2 on the year, they are in fourth place but just a few points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and surging Vancouver Canucks.

With losing often comes controversy, and the question of a coaching change has been brought up by the media in recent days. That was the focus on social media again this morning after Mikko Koskinen’s response to being criticized by Tippett. The coach was asked directly about the situation between him and his goaltender, explaining to reporters including Ryan Rishaug of TSN that his comments were taken out of context. Mike Smith will start in goal tonight for the undermanned Oilers.

Not only is McDavid missing though, but also Ryan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, meaning the team will be very short on capable centers this evening. Leon Draisaitl will be asked to carry an even heavier load, while Ryan McLeod likely becomes the team’s default second-line option. Nugent-Hopkins was moved to injured reserve today.

Luckily, the team only has tonight and one more game currently scheduled before January 18, meaning McDavid and the others shouldn’t miss much actual action.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oilers Nearing New Contract With Tyson Barrie

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After Adam Larsson opted not to stay with Edmonton and instead signed with Seattle as their expansion pick, the Oilers quickly turned their focus towards retaining Tyson Barrie.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are nearing an agreement on a new three-year contract.  TSN’s Ryan Rishaug adds (Twitter link) that the deal is expected to carry an AAV of $4.5MM.

The 30-year-old entered the free agent market a year ago coming off a disappointing season with Toronto and wasn’t able to get the money or term he was seeking.  Instead, he opted to take a one-year pillow contract in the hopes of rebuilding his value.  Barrie picked the Oilers as the team for that contract, a logical decision with the potential to pile up the assists setting up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.  It was a wise choice.

Barrie led all NHL defensemen in scoring this season with 48 points in 56 games, helping earn him the fifth slot in our Top 50 UFA list.  It was the fifth time in the past seven years that he had at least that many points, making him one of the best and most consistent threats from the back end in the offensive zone in the league.  However, his defensive struggles have been well-documented as he basically gives back some of the goals he helps produce in the form of poor mistakes that land in the back of the net.

Nevertheless, having a prominent offensive weapon is never a bad thing to have and with the term being limited to three years, there shouldn’t be a considerable drop in effectiveness over the life of the contract.  Edmonton’s power play should continue to be lethal for the foreseeable future as a result of this contract.

Meanwhile, assuming this deal gets finalized along with the long-expected signing of Zach Hyman, the bulk of the heavy lifting will be done for GM Ken Holland as those two contracts will take up most of the rest of their projected $13.7MM in cap space, per CapFriendly.  However, with Oscar Klefbom’s playing future remaining in doubt, he looks like a candidate for LTIR once again which would give Edmonton a bit more flexibility to try to add another piece in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tyson Barrie Changes Agencies

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After having a relatively soft market in free agency back in October, Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie has decided to make an agent change as CAA Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they’re now representing the veteran.  Long-time NHL analyst John Shannon clarifies (via Twitter) that Pat Brisson and Bayne Pettinger will represent him.  Barrie had previously been represented by Newport Sports Management.

The 29-year-old entered last season as someone that was expected to be one of the more sought after blueliners in free agency.  However, he didn’t have a great season offensively with Toronto compared to his previous two with Colorado as he managed five goals and 34 assists in 70 games after putting up 57 and 59 points in the previous two seasons.

As a result, his chances for a long-term, big-money contract were basically eradicated, especially with the financial crunch of the pandemic factored in.  Instead, he opted to take a bit less money than other teams were offering to join the Oilers as a one-year replacement for the injured Oscar Klefbom, signing for $3.75MM.

Considering the potency of Edmonton’s power play and Barrie’s track record of success in that situation going back to his time with Colorado, the fit certainly appears to be a good one and the hope is that a boost in production will bolster his chances for a long-term pact next offseason.  That deal now will be handled by Brisson and Pettinger when the time comes.

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