No way Giordano signs in Edmonton

I'm expecting Konovalov to play 50% of the games and be fully ready to take this team deep when Smith falters.

Because this team WILL go deep.

If he wants 1 last shot at a Cup he will.

Not Edmonton. Maybe Colorado or the Isles if he wants one last shot but Giordano will never sign with the Oilers

Hardly the point of the post.

I think Malkin is highly unlikely. He's either a Penguin for life, is going somewhere like Florida or Washington that already has an established Russian contingent (somewhere where the Olympic buddies are), or finishes his career in the KHL. That and I think McLeod and Ryan are still vying for that #3C spot next season. If either of them can't hack it then I think Bourgault is the incumbent, especially since he won't have rookies for wingers by that point.

I think Parayko wants $1M more but the fit is there and I'd hound him hard next offseason.

I'd much prefer we took that Malkin money - and no Giordano isn't playing for Edmonton - and invest in a better #2LD over the short term. I've established the position before and you're well aware of it, but I am suspect on Broberg's ceiling. Ceci's numbers and a lot of the verbiage surrounding his season in Pittsburg has me more optimistic than I was the day they signed him thus I'd be incredibly comfortable with Phil and Dima splitting the season as the #3LD with Cody being their babysitter. My proposition is thus:

Trade Barrie for Gardiner and a mid-round pick/prospect (preference to the latter). His gaffes against the Bruins and the memes be damned, Gardiner is effective when he's healthy. I think he's had the opportunity to do so this offseason and I believe his style of play would gel with Parayko's style incredibly well. By the time next offseason rolls around, Gards has one year left on his deal and he exists simply to be a buffer for either Broberg or Samorukov. If DeAngelo busts in Carolina, and I suspect he will and his teammates hate him by November, the resulting gap on the right side makes a Barrie or Parayko more attractive. Eating the last year of Gardiner, for better or worse, probably helps dissuade the Hurricanes from Parayko at the very least. If the forwards are going to run this deep then the name of the game is puck moving as opposed to old-school hard defensive-zone minutes. I think for a season Gardiner is a phenomenal fit in that role. Dumolin works too if the Penguins bottom out but I think that deal would require a third team.

I don't know how much Pavelski wants Edmonton to be where he finishes his career. My guess would be Minnesota or Chicago if both teams are still trending up by this time next season. Perhaps he stays in Dallas if they have a really good year. If the idea is to run four lines deep, then I think adding Palat, especially if he can't find term due to his age, on a one-year deal to jack his numbers is the perfect fit. A top line of Hyman - McDavid - Palat has everything we've wanted out of a top unit while keeping McDavid and Draisaitl separated.

I fully expect some straight-up goofy production from a fourth line of Holloway - Ryan - Lavoie to the point where the Oilers may be faced with trading one of Puljujarvi or Yamamoto in a package for a bonafide goaltender in order to make room for Lavoie beside McDavid. If what we've heard about him being a shot-generation king hold true, he and Holloway kick the barn doors off of the AHL, and Holloway's two-way verbiage is equally as true, I can't see the Oilers not running Holloway - McDavid - Lavoie the year after. Personally I'd move Kailer and run with the world's grittiest third line with both Foegele and Hyman as the wingers. Bourgault as #3C and push McLeod down?

Of course all of this really hinges on Holland wanting to trade Kassian (I firmly believe he doesn't), Keith retiring (hockey players are stupid so I doubt he does to preserve what health he has left), and Holland being willing to upgrade on Barrie in the form of Parayko. This summer has left me feeling like we can't have all three of those, maybe only two of them if we're lucky.

Nevermind the Gardiner part: probably equally advantageous, if not more, to just run Barrie - Parayko (Damn Holland and/or Tippett for thinking you can't have more than 3 RHD) and flip Barrie next year for A.Honka and a midrounder.

I genuinely dislike comments like this and I think they should be discouraged. You don't know what Malkin wants to do and neither does anyone else commenting here - more than likely Geno himself hasn't made up his mind what he's doing a year from now. In any case I don't see Bourgault jumping straight to the NHL from the QMJHL. He'll spend a year in Bakersfield first.


Gardiner hasn't been a top-4 defenseman since Muzzin joined the Leafs 3 years ago, that's not a solution. I'd have Samorukov in 2LD on merit but I think Parayko would be better partnered with (a) a more offensive player and (b) an elite skater.


Palat would work too - I just figured he wouldn't have any trouble finding a multi-year deal and is young enough to expect one.


See my 23-24 roster here. I opted to keep both Puljujarvi and Yamamoto and moved Ceci to make the cap space.


Oh, I don't think Holland will do these things at all. I can see the Parayko thing happening because Tippett is going to get fed up with the defense by the end of the season - he loves playing a defensive style and that's just not going to happen with the 21-22 crew!

It's an unwritten rule that most people tend to abide by: if a player has that kind of tenure in a city they either stay with their families or take the one-year deal with a bonafide contender. Given that the vast majority of the population abides by it I don't see why it should be discouraged so long as there's actual feedback in the post. You've given less incentive for why Malkin should leave friends and family than you have complaints regarding that flavour of feedback.

The Bourgault comment was in regards to the season after, apologies for the miscommunication. I think the 2022-23 season is when the Oilers try McLeod as a full-time #3C and let old man Ryan take half a step back.



See my follow-up post where I scratch the Gardiner idea and my recent AGM where I opt to run Barrie on his off-side for an extra year before looking to trade him.



He'll be 31 by season's end and the guy hasn't had a full summer off in like 5 years. Those are hard miles and I can see GM's being hesitant to offer more than single-year deals. Granted, I can see him getting 3 or 4 of those deals, but the cap situations a lot of teams find themselves in should lend towards more conservative deals on the older player. The league is slowly coming around to the idea of paying the stars and leaving what's left for the accessory pieces.



Not sure how much I like the idea of trading Ceci when the RHD UFA market that season is still intrinsically poor and the only other option is to play a rookie. Maybe Kesselring is bonafide by then? Maybe Ceci doesn't stink? If either Yamamoto or Puljujarvi are traded I do hope it's for a goaltender to tandem with Kony.



See I agree wholly with you but the universe has funny plans regarding them Oilers. My most pessimistic outcome is that Holland's objectively-flawed thought process gets rewarded for running this shoestring defence much like how the Oilers surged under the reanimation of Mike Smith's corpse last season. How dare the universe allow the fans to be right on Holland's horrible roster management and influence change in the upper management be it physical or paralogical.