Why the Edmonton Oilers will Kick or keep Kasperi Kapanen
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Show me the money.
With Leon Draisaitl's new contract about to kick in and a deal needing to be done for RFA Evan Bouchard, the Edmonton Oilers need to grind hard to fill out their roster for 2025-26.
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Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canucks select Cootes with 15th pick at NHL draft; Flames snag Reschny at No. 18
LOS ANGELES – Braeden Cootes spent a year living in Vancouver. The Canucks' opening-round pick at the 2025 NHL draft is hoping it's eventually home for a long time. The first Canadian club to make a selection Friday night chose the centre from the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds at No. 15. 'Honestly, kind of blacked out for a second,' Cootes said. 'It was crazy. It was an unbelievable moment I'll always remember.' The 18-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., put up 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points across 60 games as Seattle's captain in 2024-25. Cootes lived in Vancouver for a year earlier in his teens and is familiar with the city. 'Went to quite a few Canucks games,' said the five-foot-11, 183-pound forward. 'This is unbelievable.' Vancouver finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, six points below the playoff cutline. 'I love it out west,' Cootes said. 'Couldn't be happier.' The Canucks have already been active this off-season, acquiring Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, while fellow winger Brock Boeser is set to become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday. The Montreal Canadiens owned the 16th and 17th picks, but dealt both to the New York Islanders along with forward Emil Heineman for defenceman Noah Dobson in a blockbuster swap. The Calgary Flames were the next Canadian club on the draft board, selecting centre Cole Reschny with the 18th overall pick. The Senators chose defenceman Logan Hensler with No. 23 pick after trading down from No. 21 in a deal with the Nashville Predators that also secured the 67th overall pick for Ottawa. The Winnipeg Jets took Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne at No. 28 before the Flames rounded out the first day of the draft by nabbing centre Cullen Potter at No. 32. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers previously traded their first-round picks. Rounds two through seven go Saturday. The 18-year-old Reschny registered 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in 62 games with the WHL's Victoria Royals in 2024-25. 'Special just getting this opportunity to be drafted by such a great organization,' said the product of Macklin, Sask. 'But it's also a dream come true. It's something I've worked towards my whole life and my young hockey career. 'I can't wait to get started with the Flames.' Reschny added that growing up in a community of 1,200 people helped mould him on and off the ice. 'It's a blue-collar town,' he said of Macklin, which is close to the border with Alberta. 'We're lucky. We've got a nice rink there. We've got nice ball diamonds and a nice nine-hole golf course. I helped my grandparents on the farm for a lot of years, my dad on the farm. 'It just shaped me into the hard-working and competitive guy I am today.' Reschny didn't have a great start to his draft-eligible season, but came on strong in the second half of the schedule and the playoffs. 'I'm very confident,' he said. 'I just tried to stay level-headed all throughout the year. I knew it was a big year for me. Getting this opportunity to go through this process was special. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'It was just sticking to it and having the right mindset of getting better day in and day out. That was the mindset I had, and it worked out for me.' The six-foot-two, 192-pound Hensler had two goals and 10 assists in 32 games at the University of Wisconsin in 2024-25. The product of Woodbury, Minn., was part of the United States team that won gold at the 2025 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa back in January. 'It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play in the NHL,' Hensler said. 'All good emotions … I'm super excited.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Edmonton Journal
12 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Dobson deal could be template for Oilers D Evan Bouchard extension
Article content That $9.5-million AAV deal that Noah Dobson signed in Montreal after his New York Islanders' trade might be a template for Evan Bouchard's Edmonton Oilers ' contract negotiation. Not sure Bouchard wants to sign here for eight years as Dobson did with the Habs — the feeling is he might want shorter, say, four years, to see where the salary cap goes — but these are similar, offensive-minded defencemen. Same right-shot, same age, 25, same draft year in 2018. Bouchard went 10th, Dobson 12th.
National Post
12 hours ago
- National Post
Dobson deal could be template for Oilers D Evan Bouchard extension
That $9.5-million AAV deal that Noah Dobson signed in Montreal after his New York Islanders' trade might be a template for Evan Bouchard's Edmonton Oilers ' contract negotiation. Article content Not sure Bouchard wants to sign here for eight years as Dobson did with the Habs — the feeling is he might want shorter, say, four years, to see where the salary cap goes — but these are similar, offensive-minded defencemen. Same right-shot, same age, 25, same draft year in 2018. Bouchard went 10th, Dobson 12th. Article content Article content Article content Virtually the same stats in league play. Article content Bouchard has played 347 Oiler games with 238 points. Article content Dobson has played 388 New York Islander games with 230 points, with nowhere near the calibre of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl to pass to. Article content Now, of course, Bouchard is a much better playoff performer, with 72 points the past three seasons, which probably means he should be in the $10 million range. Article content But, we'll see. Article content We get it that the Islanders are into a rebuild but not sure why they would feel the need to so quickly move their best defenceman, Dobson, albeit coming off an off-year with 39 points, for the underwhelming return of third-line winger Emil Heineman and the 16th and 17th overall picks in the draft Friday — draft picks likely three years away from being ready for the NHL. Article content As we all know, new Isles' GM Mathieu Darche, looking to make a splash, is trying to move way up in the first round, dangling both picks to get Long Island native centre James Hagens. He's heavily desired by their owner Jon Ledecky. Article content Article content Bottom line in all of this: Article content Who trades 25-year-old right-shot defencemen with almost 400 NHL games? Article content Clearly Darche feels the first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer can replace Dobson, and he probably can, but immediately? The Isles have a very average back end today and they didn't get a veteran defenceman back in the trade for Dobson or even farmhand Logan Mailloux, Habs' top prospect defenceman. Article content Dobson could play right side with Sherwood Park's Kaiden Guhle in Montreal's top pair, and now the Habs have two power-play threats from the back end with Dobson and rookie-of-the-year Lane Hutson. Article content Trent Frederic made it clear at his post-playoff Oilers availability that, while he's played left and right wing in Boston and here after his trade, he really wants to give centre a shot, and the Oilers probably think the same, as long-range third-line centre off their eight-year contract. Maybe Frederic can be their Adam Lowry lite, a don't-mess-with-me centre like the Winnipeg Jets' captain, who can score 15 to 20 goals and also work in a shutdown role and in a penalty-killing rotation.
