Zack Kassian is traded on draft day and more

– Word around the rumour mill is any day now Mike Smith will declare he’s going on LTIR for the remainder of next season. The Oilers were linked to Ville Husso but Detroit traded for him so he’s off the market. Georgiev has been traded to Colorado. Toronto has jettisoned Petr Mrazek’s contract to Chicago so even though there’s a lot of connection to the Oilers from Jack Campbell I’d say he’s probably staying put in TO. I wasn’t a big fan of Campbell anyway – I mean, Campbell is fine as a player, but he’s only got 135 NHL games on his resume. Would you feel good going into next season with an inexperienced tandem of Campbell and Skinner?  I wouldn’t.

– One under the radar possibility to replace Smith – Mackenzie Blackwood in Jersey. Blackwood is suffocating under the rebuilding Jersey squad and that’s reflected in his numbers the last couple of seasons. If he doesn’t exit stage left from Jersey soon he’ll run out of gas and be playing out his contract like boat anchor John Gibson is doing in Anaheim right now. Would Jesse Puljujarvi be enough to get Blackwood as the centerpiece? I’m thinking the Oilers send Jersey their fifth round pick in 2023 while Jersey sends us their fourth round pick in 2023 to complete the trade. I’d like Jersey to keep $300K of cap space for next season too if you can convince them. Two players who are crying out for a chance of scenery? It’s got a shot at working out for both teams, and his scouting report shows possibility of a bonafide starter in Blackwood. The Oilers are much better defensively than Jersey, who was one of the worst teams in the league for GA last season. That would wear on any goalie.

– Speaking of Puljujarvi, word around the water cooler is that Puljujarvi is still sulking because he was playing on the third line for large chunks of last season, especially after Woodcroft took over and justifiably took him out of the top six. If true, this truly is a lack of immaturity on JP’s part who still – after five seasons and 259 NHL games – hasn’t learned that ice time in the NHL is earned, not freely given.

– Congratulations to Brad Holland, who was promoted to Director of Pro Scouting to replace the retired Archie Henderson. He is Ken Holland’s son, but unlike the hires/promotions of Kevin Lowe and Craig Mactavish, Holland actually earned this promotion.

– The same article also lists that all the Oilers assistant coaches from last season will be retained save for Brian Wiseman, who was in demand around the league will be an assistant coach with the New York Islanders starting next season.

– The Oilers have made decisions on all their RFAs. They have extended QOs to four and have cut three loose. The names on both lists are not a surprise in the least.

– With their fifth round pick in the draft this year, the Oilers took a flyer on a goalie named Samuel Jonsson. His underlying stats are actually quite terrible, but the scouts see something in this player. We’ll see what happens in the coming years. Word is it sounds like they’re keeping him in Europe for at least one more season. Interesting pick – at least it wasn’t a high one if it bombs.