In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Edmonton where the Oilers are letting their new star defensive draft pick choose where he plays next season but calling another youngster’s bluff, the St. Louis Blues have some potential candidates going on the trade block this season and a player in Patrick Maroon who might be in tough to find work, again.
Oilers and Dealing With Young Talent
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com writes that Edmonton’s new young offensive defenseman and 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg, will be heading back to Sweden and won’t be attending the Edmonton Oilers training camp. He was given the choice as to where he’d like to play next season and chose Skelleftea.
Broberg said:
“It’s a great organization for developing. I know I’m not good enough to make the NHL team right now, that’s why I’m going to Skelleftea, to play against men every day, to practice against them, to play in probably the third-best league in the world.
The idea is that Broberg wants to develop as quickly as possible and make the Oilers next season. Edmonton has high hopes for him and there was some serious debate over where he would play. For the Oilers, it was about ensuring he was getting a ton of playing time. That was their priority.
Still with the Oilers, it appears Jesse Puljujarvi might have to follow through with his threats or report to the Oilers this season. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal says the threats of going over to Europe seem to have backfired and the Oilers may have let Puljujarvi know there’s not a viable trade in the bunch of discussions the team has had to date. The Oilers will not be moving him in a bad trade.
Staples feels despite his agent saying he would, Puljujarvi won’t go to Europe and will report to training camp in September. Staples writes:
“the player and his agent have come to the realization that backing Holland into a corner on draft day was a particularly bad strategy. It fell hard and flat on its face. The Oilers have been unimpressed with any offers for the kid.
source -‘It’s sounding more like Jesse Puljujarvi will be back so what does that mean for Edmonton Oilers?’ – David Staples – The Edmonton Journal – 07/29/2019
If Puljujarvi can come in and produce and James Neal can get back to form, the Oilers are one top-six foward away from having some pretty good depth at the forward position.
Related: Should Oilers Trade for Chris Kreider?
Blues Notes and News
Could the St. Louis Blues be looking at trading Jake Allen? Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thinks so if Jordan Binnington proves to be a legit starter and Ville Husso a dependable backup.
Those are a couple of big ifs and should either or both not be ready then Allen likely stays put.
Related: NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, More
Still with the Blues, Joel Edmundson knows there is a chance he’ll be traded considering the Blues only have $5.75 million in cap space and the organization still has he and Ivan Barbashev to try and sign. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic writes:
“I see everything on Twitter,” Edmundson said. “I know what everyone is gossiping about, but honestly, there’s nothing I can do about it now. I try not to think about it. It’s a business, it’s part of the job, and I stay positive through times like this. Whatever happens happens, but I definitely want to be back in St. Louis. I love it there.”
source -‘‘Last on the list’: NHL agents go inside restricted free agency negotiations’ Jeremy Rutherford – The Athletic – 07/24/2019
Related: NHL Rumors: Rangers, Predators, Wild, More
Also with the Blues, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: writes that he doesn’t see Patrick Maroon coming back unless it’s on a PTO. Timmermann writes:
With the salary cap and the younger players who should start playing, it’s time to see what those other forwards can do. As I’ve said before, Maroon is in a bind of being in hockey’s vanishing middle class. Either you make $4 million or you make league minimum. It’s tough for guys in between to find jobs.
source – ‘Quick Hits: Timmermann on the Blues’ Tom Timmermann – St. Louis Dispatch – 07/25/2019
