Former Wichita Thunder Goaltender Comes Up Big In Edmonton
The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the Edmonton Oilers and their fans in the final second of Game 3.
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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Big name Pittsburgh Penguin linked to Edmonton Oilers, but how can it happen?
There's no shortage of speculation about the future of Pittsburgh forward Bryan Rust, 33. Rust has three years left on a deal that pays $5.125 million per year. Rust has no trade protection clauses whatsoever, so he could go to any team, which has many a reporter, blogger and fan around the NHL hoping he'll end up in their city. Such speculation has spread to Edmonton, where the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson said the Oilers would like to acquire Rust, even if such a trade would be difficult to make. 'I said they would like Rust. I didn't say anything about what they would have to give up.' On the Hello Hockey show on Edmonton Sports Talk, host Tom Gazzola and NHL insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period also discussed Edmonton's future moves. Said Pagnotta of the Oilers: 'They are looking for another Top 6 guy. Now how the hell they pull it off with their (cap) dollars — like they're $300,000 within the cap. But you know all these teams including the Oilers are looking to make these types of additions.' Pagnotta then mentioned Pittsburgh as one team willing to move out players, including Rust and fellow scoring forward Rickard Rakell. 'They're willing to sell, but it's a high price. So, that's why there's not really much going on (right now).' On Oilers Now today, host Bob Stauffer didn't seem bullish on the notion that any big move was coming this summer for the Oilers, though he did say that maybe by October the Oilers might be able to move out a forward under contract. 'I don't think there's anything pending, though. Just know things can change. Situations are fluid.' My take 1. No surprise to hear that the Oilers are interested in Rust. Which team isn't? What would be surprising is for Rust to end up here. He's got no trade protection whatsoever, so he even if he wanted to force a trade to a contending team like Edmonton, he's got no leverage to push for such a move. 2. Why is it unlikely he'd come to Edmonton? All kinds of teams have the cap space needed to take on Rust's contract for the next three years. The Oilers do not. If Pittsburgh wants to be clear of Rust without having to cover any of his salary, they'll move him to a team with ample cap space. 3. Most experts who rank NHL prospects indicate that Edmonton has fewer top prospects than other teams. That means other teams who want Rust just as bad as the Oilers can offer more to get him, one more reason he's not likely to be coming to Edmonton. 4. As I see it, at the trade deadline the Oilers are going to have room to make on big trade. They'll give up their 2027 first round pick to do so and use whatever cap space they can muster by then. It's possible that Rust might be available then, but it's unlikely Edmonton would win the bidding war for him. 5. It's also the case that cap space will be tight in Edmonton in years to come. Rust is 33 next year, then 34 and 35 in the final two years of his deal. Unless Edmonton can find a way to move out a major contract, they won't likely be able to afford Rust under the cap in years to come. Rust is a decent to be a good player for a few more years (see chart below for scoring totals for NHL forwards aged 32 and over), but the key for Edmonton is to figure out a way to compete with younger, cheaper players. That means Edmonton betting on forwards like Ike Howard, Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin, and hoping that their own older veterans such as Zach Hyman, Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can keep coming up big in the playoffs. At the Cult of Hockey
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Does Edmonton Oilers prospect Connor Clattenburg have an NHL future?
In the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected winger Connor Clattenburg from the OHL's Flint Firebirds. Draft day scouting reports described a physical winger who hit everything that moved and had some offence. By the fifth round of any draft, teams are looking for players with one outstanding skill, with the understanding that the elite passers and first-shot scorers are long gone. Edmonton liked the rugged aspect of Clattenburg's resume. Advertisement Clattenburg doesn't fit the profile of a future NHL player. He didn't appear in my top-20 prospects published after the draft this summer. My list is mostly math-based, assuming that a forward on his way to the Oilers will have to score at least a little to make the grade. In late early winter 2024, the Oilers signed him. That's a good arrow for any fifth-round selection. Another piece of good news: Edmonton's prospect pool doesn't have many wingers who are 6-foot-5, 203 pounds with a reputation for rattling the boards with heavy hits. A deeper dive offers more intrigue. The OHL coaches poll published this spring had Clattenburg ranked as the top body checker in the league's Western Conference, and No. 3 in both the best defensive forward and hardest worker categories in the West as well. Body checking and hardest work are interesting, but the best defensive forward votes are the real news. That offers a sliver of hope for a possible NHL future. Bruce Curlock evaluates Oilers prospects using video evidence and tracking progress. Recently, he ranked Clattenburg as his No. 7 prospect, writing, 'his skating and size are projectable to a fourth line player who can play hard, physical hockey. I would be quite surprised if he doesn't get a cup of coffee or two in the NHL. What will make him stick for longer than a large double-double is the development of his puck skills.' Doubling down on the strong ranking was Bob Stauffer from Oilers Now, himself a strong talent evaluator. Stauffer matched Gurlock's opinion, ranking Clattenburg as his No. 7 prospect. Is Clattenburg the seventh best prospect in the Oilers system? Over many years, the Oilers have drafted physical wingers with the idea of using them in depth (fourth line) roles. Some have been wildly successful, others hung around the league for a time, while still others fell short of the NHL. Here's a brief and incomplete look at some depth wingers who brought a physical element, checking ability and shy offence to their final seasons of junior hockey. All numbers hockeydb Offence had little to do with Kelly Buchberger's NHL career. He was a tireless forechecker who was fearless physically. He became one of the most popular players in team history. Part of that success came due to the rules of the time, which allowed all manner of fights and intimidation. Buchberger killed penalties, blocked shots and earned a long and productive NHL career. His offence was never a strength, and the changing of the rules (instigator) makes him an extreme outlier when discussing modern players. It's not possible for a Buchberger to exist in 2025. Advertisement Mitch Moroz is a better style comparable for Clattenburg. Both men earned strong reputations as checking forwards, and both scored well enough in their final junior seasons to receive NHL contracts from the Oilers. Moroz had an exceptional junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, including 35 goals in his final season in the WHL. He didn't flourish in pro hockey. Part of the issue was offence, as he scored just 14 goals in 147 AHL games. The Oilers weren't a strong team at the time, and the club was inconsistent in developing players in the AHL. Clattenburg's offence in the OHL last season and team goal scoring in the league were similar to Moroz coming out of junior. That doesn't mean he'll fail in pro hockey, but the Bakersfield Condors coaching staff will need to play him in situations where his skills can be advanced. Bottom line on offence: Clattenburg will have three seasons of his entry-level deal to post some offence in the minors. The organization showed faith in him by reaching out with a contract. He won't have the rule advantage that allowed Buchberger to flourish, but will have a more mature development team in Bakersfield than Moroz a decade ago. Clattenburg's first AHL season will tell us much about his ability to play a responsible game. He should have a better team to play for than Moroz as an AHL rookie. The final Oklahoma City Barons team bled goals with Moroz on and off the ice. He did improve in Year 2. In 40 games with the 2015-16 Bakersfield Condors, Moroz went 18-14 goals (56 percent). He was unable to build on it, though, and his career faded. For Clattenburg, playing time will be the tell. Moroz didn't see much action as a rookie, and didn't see feature minutes on the Barons or Condors. The team chose to run veterans Rob Klinkhammer and Ryan Hamilton on the skill lines. Much of development comes from an organizational commitment. Clattenburg will need opportunities. Advertisement Curlock's comments about Clattenburg's offensive ability include a passage about advancing his play offensively during the past season. One of the dangers of placing too much importance on a player's final junior season is physical maturity. Clattenburg would have bossed players a couple of years younger all winter long. Moroz scored 35 goals at 19, after delivering just 13 the previous season. Clattenburg scored 25 goals in his final 76 OHL games over two seasons. The numbers are similar, and the league goal totals are also a match. Neither man dominated at 17 or 18. Clattenburg's two-way acumen is a huge positive, and his reputation as a punishing hitter will be welcome. As it always does, this will come down to how much offence will be delivered. When winger Gilles Tremblay arrived at Montreal Canadiens training camp in the fall of 1960, he told coach Toe Blake he could take care of the defensive aspects of the game, but wouldn't be able to help too much offensively. Blake told him to look after the puck in the Montreal zone, and he'd teach him where goals came from at the other end. It worked well for a decade. That's what Clatternburg will need. He won't see feature minutes. He'll have to score fourth-line goals consistently to make the NHL. We wait.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl cause stir by playing in beer league hockey game
Connor McDavid was back on the ice playing competitive hockey in recent days, but he wasn't at an NHL rink. The Edmonton Oilers superstar caused a stir in his hometown of Newmarket, Ontario in Canada when he and teammate Leon Draisaitl showed up as perhaps the most accomplished ringers to play in a beer league hockey game with non-professionals. Even more stunning: They then lost the game. Both players were wearing Oilers practice jerseys, according to videos on social media in the aftermath of their appearance, but TSN reported neither McDavid nor Draisaitl scored a goal in a 6-2 loss. Footage that surfaced included a semi-breakaway featuring McDavid getting stonewalled by a goalie. The experience was nonetheless a thrill for all those who happened to be there as the two players who led the NHL in points during this year's Stanley Cup playoffs took the ice for a summer league game. "Honestly, it's incredible to see them coming down the ice. It's nothing like you've ever seen," one of the refs in the game told BarDown, a hockey and sports culture website owned by TSN. The Oilers are coming off a second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Florida Panthers, but they are awaiting word from McDavid about a new contract. The 28-year-old center and former No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft is entering the final season of an 8-year, $100-million deal and is eligible to sign a new extension this offseason.
