Well what a week it has been for the Edmonton Oilers. It’s been an absolute nightmare for GM Ken Holland and the Oilers. After witnessing that game against the Vancouver Canucks, it’s safe to say Halloween hit Edmonton late and Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, etc went through their own version of Nightmare on Elm Street. So where do they go from here? Here are some notables and rumours.
Notable waiver wire players
The Calgary Flames have put left winger Dryden Hunt on waivers as they have recalled Connor Zary again from the AHL. The Flames top forward prospect has been nothing short of brilliant. He has produced three assists in three NHL games so far and he is looking right in place. Flames may have a steal with the dynamic winger.
Now, for the big one. It’s happened finally. The Oilers, after witnessing his poor play for one year and one month, have placed goalie Jack Campbell on waivers. Campbell was Ken Holland’s big free agent signing in July 2022. He signed with the Oilers for five years at $25M overall and the signing has been an utter failure since the first game of that season. Stuart Skinner has not been up to high standards either but, with Skinner being younger and Campbell having a huge cap hit, it’s obvious that Campbell would be the logical choice to waive.
It is expected that AHL goalie Calvin Pickard will be recalled tomorrow. But, it could also be top goalie prospect Olivier Rodrigue. Both had great seasons in the AHL last year and have started this year as the top goalies. However, there have been some whispers and rumours circulating the Oilers. Lets dig in to those.
- On TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre Lebrun and Darren Dreger reported that the Oilers are giving the reins to Skinner for now to see if he can perhaps find his game like last year. They have sent Campbell down to the AHL to see if he can find his game because it was very clear that the NHL was not working. Both also said that firing Coach Jay Woodcroft or any of the coaching staff is not going to happen before a trade is done to help the team. So, Dreger says if a trade is in the works, it may include someone from the core. The names that stick out to me are Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan McLeod
- Bob Stauffer, on Oilers, also talked about the goalie coach of the Bakersfield Condors, Sylvain Rodrigue. He spoke to Condors head coach Colin Chaulk about him and they discussed at length about how Rodrigue works on the bench and with the goaltenders. What interested me in particular is how Rodrigue is working his way up to be a goalie coach in the NHL. This may be a goalie coach that the Oilers hire in the near future to replace Dustin Schwartz who has not been getting the job done with the Oilers’ netminders
- Now, for the juiciest information of the day for the Oilers, Jordan Binnington. Tonight, on Inside Sports, Reid Wilkins stated that he has heard quiet rumblings of Oilers circling Binnington in a trade. When asked about how reliable this informaton is, Reid said that the he trusts the source that gave him this information and that they are reliable. He did also state that, since Binnington has a No Movement Clause, that maybe the chances are low. But, since no one really knows Binnington’s choice on if he would waive his NMC for a trade, we can’t rule this out
- This really should not come as a big shock because Holland and Doug Armstrong have had a longstanding friendship for a long time and Binnington to Edmonton has been discussed before. Edmonton tried to acquire Binnington in 2022 when they signed Campbell
- Bob Stauffer also subtly hinted at the Oilers being interested in Binnington on his show, Oilers Now, and since no one knows if Binnington would waive his NMC or not, there is certainly a definite opportunity for this to occur. It would have to be a big money move with either Jack Campbell or Stuart Skinner involved. So…. perhaps where is smoke, there is fire
Other NHL rumours
- In other news, Darren Dreger reports that the Vancouver Canucks are in the hunt for a right handed top four defencemen. They have players like Conor Garland and Anthony Beauvillier on the table
- The Flames have, apparently, opened themselves up for business with players like Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Nikita Zadorov on the table. Elliotte Friedman spoke on 32 Thoughts about maybe the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs behind interested in these players
That’s all for this week! Maybe things will heat up more!
