I’m sitting in the Pearson airport in Toronto waiting for my

connecting flight to Miami. As I ponder the idiocy of my decision to take the

red-eye flight out of Edmonton to get to Florida sooner I’m listening to

Toronto sports radio and reading the papers. Two months after the draft lottery people are still upset

Connor McDavid is going to Edmonton.

Some columnists and many fans believe that young McDavid’s

path to NHL success and stardom should have started in Leafsland. I found this article from yesterday’s paper in the waiting area. I’ll admit I chuckled when

I read it. Would it have been written if the Leafs won the lottery?

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Eventually Stinson and others will move on, but with less

than 60 hours until the draft there is much to discuss regarding the Oilers.

Here’s what I know…

The Rangers asked for the Oilers #16 pick in exchange for Cam Talbot. Peter

Chiarelli declined, but now the negotiations and bartering begin. The Oilers

would trade the #33 for Talbot, but the Buffalo Sabres are also interested and

they own the 21st and 31st picks. If they are smart they

won’t part with #21, but if they offer #31 will Glen Sather opt to take the

better pick and have Talbot in the Eastern conference, or is he willing to take

#33 and send Talbot out west?

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In 2013, the Vancouver Canucks wanted the Oilers to trade Martin

Marincin, the #7 pick and a 2nd rounder for Corey Schneider. Craig MacTavish

said no, and the Canucks settled for the #9 pick from New Jersey. Mike Gillis wanted

a larger return to trade him to a western foe, and I wonder if Sather is thinking

the same with Talbot.

If Talbot had two or three years left on his contract, I

believe Chiarelli might consider trading the #16 pick, but he won’t do it with

Talbot one year away from unrestricted free agency.

If the Oilers miss out on Talbot, would the Canucks trade

Eddie Lack to a divisional rival? The Canucks only have one pick (23rd

overall) in the first 113 picks and GM Jim Benning desperately wants to get a 2nd

and 3rd round selection.

Would he take the #57 and #79 for Lack? I’m sure he would prefer

a higher pick, but the Canucks, similar to the Ottawa Senators with Robin

Lehner, are not dealing from a position of strength. The other 28 teams know

they will have to waive a goalie before the start of the season, or carry three

on the roster, and unless a team is really desperate for a goalie, they can

afford to be patient and force the Canucks and Senators to

accept below market value.

Two years ago you couldn’t get Lehner out of Ottawa for anything. Bryan Murray loved him, but now Andrew Hammond has passed him on the Senators’ depth chart after playing only 24 NHL games. Hammond was an average AHL goalie in December, but now he has a three-year deal and vaulted over Lehner on their depth chart. If the Senators feel Hammond, who is very unproven, is a better bet than Lehner, there is no reason to overpay for him in a trade. Lehner is worth acquring, but I don’t see his value being more than a 3rd rounder due to his play and the Senators’ situation.

I spoke with a former teammate of Lehner. “When he is on he is great, but his mental game is the issue. He can be a bit of a head-case at times, but maybe that’s because he’s a goalie,” he laughed. Lehner turns 24 in July, and the majority of goalies don’t mature or completely develop until they are 25+, so I can see the appeal, but I’d take Talbot or Lack way before Lehner at this point.

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TRADE TALK…

According to Bryan Hayes from TSN 1050, the Leafs want to trade one, if not both, of Dion Phaneuf or

Phil Kessel. It is an interesting situation. The Leafs would prefer to trade

Kessel, but he doesn’t mind playing in Toronto, while Phaneuf would love to get

moved.

Who do you think has more market value right now?

Phaneuf is

a legit #2 D-man, and he is a #1 on at least ten NHL teams. Kessel is a top-five

scoring winger in the NHL. Logic says the D-man should garner the better

return, but Kessel is a dynamic finisher and I think he might have more value

for teams who can’t score.

The Kings are creatively trying to move Mike Richards and

his horrendous contract. They will have to retain a significant % of his salary

to make a trade happen. One NHL executive told me, “The concern most teams have

is whether or not he can skate well enough to contribute in today’s game. His

competitiveness isn’t a concern, but, frankly, he has looked slow the past two

seasons.”

NEW JERSEY…

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The Oilers will have a new third jersey this season. I’ve

been told that orange will be the dominant colour. I’ve also been told they won’t

be available for purchase until late September, or realistically, early

October. I haven’t seen the jersey, but it sounds like it might look similar (but not exactly the same as pic above) to

the orange jersey the OKC Barons had last year. I like bright colours and if orange is the dominant colour, I’m all for it.

QUICK HITS…

Eight teams own 47.5% (29 of 61) of the picks in the first two rounds of the 2015 draft. Those eight will be in the middle of much of the wheeling and dealing.

Those eight will be in the middle of much of the wheeling and dealing. The NHL schedule will be released tomorrow and Oilers fans should expect a few Saturday home games starting at 5 p.m. The NHL will want to expose Connor McDavid and the Oilers to fans out east.

I’d rather watch 3-on-3 in OT than more shootouts. Last season, 170 games went to a shootout. Players had 1,254 attempts and scored 380 goals (30.3%). With five minutes of 3-on-3, I predict we only see about 45 games reach a shootout this year, which would be the fewest since the shootout debuted in 2006, which was also the lowest shootout per game ratio we’ve seen, 11.79% (145 of 1230). Last season in the AHL they played three minutes of four-on-four, or first whistle after three minutes played, and then four minutes of three-on-three in OT. Of the 204 games that went to a fourth period, only 25% went to a shootout.

I had the pleasure of getting a vote for the NHL awards. The PHWA votes on the Hart, Calder, Lady Byng, Norris and Selke. Here are my votes:

Hart: Alex Ovechkin.

Norris: Drew Doughty.

Calder: Aaron Ekblad.

Lady Byng: Jiri Hudler

Selke: Patrice Bergeron

I will now try and nap in the airport. The red-eye flight is looking worse by the minute.

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