Patrick Kane is going to Motown, and the Edmonton Oilers are evaluating the goalie market.
That is currently the most pressing question surrounding the struggling Oilers, who finished the first 20 games of the season with a 7-12-1 record and have already made one audacious move by firing coach Jay Woodcroft when the team was struggling at 3-9-1 after 13 games.
Even though the Oilers have won two straight games under head coach Kris Knoblauch, no one is willing to say Edmonton is prepared to clear the path to a postseason spot.
After sending Jack Campbell to the minor leagues, the Oilers have been searching for a goaltender. However, it’s thought that general manager Ken Holland and president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson want to wait to give up assets in order to see if Knoblauch can turn things around.
A league executive stated on Monday that they are merely crossing their fingers in the hopes of being able to rejoin the race. It almost seems as though they are trying to just get by and dance through this.
In the Oilers’ 8-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, goalie Stuart Skinner made 21 saves. This performance needs to continue as the team looks to climb back up the Western Conference standings. As of Tuesday night, Edmonton was six points out of the final wildcard position.
With the team’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, the 31-year-old Campbell hasn’t performed much better, going 1-4-0 with a 3.22 GAA and a.884 save percentage. The Oilers would need to acquire a high draft pick or a sizable portion of Campbell’s contract in order to make a move.
One of the obstacles, according to a league executive, is the Oilers’ attempts to tie Campbell’s contract to a trade. His contract has a $3.85 million US cap hit and expires during the 2026–2027 season. Prior to being sent down, Campbell had a 1-4-0 record and a 4.50 goals-against average.
Rumor has it that Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues was given a tire kick by the Oilers. The 30-year-old has a 6-5-1 record this season with a 2.89 GAA and assisted in leading the Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2018–19.
The Oilers are reportedly open to moving a lot of assets, barring their first-round pick from the upcoming draft.
The executive declared, “I don’t think anybody will be throwing them a life preserver to help them make the playoffs. That’s the pick everybody is going to want.”
Kane left for Detroit.
Broadway has given way to Motown for Patrick Kane.
In an attempt to put an end to speculation about his future, Kane decided to sign a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday after spending the previous season with the New York Rangers and undergoing hip surgery in the summer.
League executives were discussing how Florida General Manager Bill Zito was telling everyone he could that Kane was prepared to sign a contract with the Panthers. Though teams recognize the chance to acquire him for nothing, Kane had other options given his career totals of 451 goals and 1,237 points.
To make this happen, Kane and his Los Angeles-based agent Pat Brisson were constantly the targets of stern prodding from Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman. It’s a good landing spot because Detroit is in the running to make the playoffs and has had a strong start to the season through 20 games.
PERRY IN WAIVERS
On Tuesday, Corey Perry’s NHL career came to an unfortunate end.
The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t had Perry suit up since last week, and the team is moving on by ending his contract.
The Blackhawks said in a statement that following an internal investigation, they have concluded that Corey Perry has acted in a way that is unacceptable and against the terms of his contract as well as the team’s internal policies, which are meant to foster safe and professional work environments.
