As the Edmonton Oilers took a few days off between games, coming back to action on Tuesday as they face the Buffalo Sabres at home, there has been plenty of happenings around the NHL to keep us occupied.
It is a busy time of year with American Thanksgiving backing up into the Holiday season and then with the Olympics in the mix this year, the next eight weeks or so are shaping up to be hectic. Then, after the NHL returns the trade deadline comes soon after and then of course, the Stanley Cup Playoffs shortly thereafter.
Oilers have “significant interest” in rumoured goalie target
Despite starting netminder Stuart Skinner beginning to turn his season around, the Oilers goaltending search continues to dominate headlines.
This leads us into our first bit of news that was revealed on Saturday. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman spoke on his 'Saturday Headlines' segment during the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast on Saturday. He confirmed a rumour that has been growing surrounding the Edmonton Oilers and their interest in Pittsburgh Penguins goalie, Tristan Jarry.
"I do think there's legitimate Edmonton interest in Jarry, but I think it's extremely complicated, and might not be possible," Friedman going on to clarify "Mainly because Pittsburgh has indicated it will not retain any salary."
Jarry, 30, is under contract until next season, carrying a $5.375 million annual average value (AAV). This complicates things as the Oilers have the lowest amount of cap space in the entire league currently, with roughly $150,000 in room from the $95.5 million NHL salary cap ceiling (puckpedia.com).
This has been a major hangup for people who speak on the Oilers goaltending targets, that the team will have to find a way to shed salary first. It is an interesting issue that could force the Oilers to stand pat for the forseeable future and reevaluate their position in the offseason with the contracts of Skinner and Calvin Pickard expiring July 1st.
Olympic ice is smaller than NHL ice
The standard NHL ice measures 200-feet by 85-feet while the ice that will be used at the Milan 2026 Olympic games is said to be 196.85-feet by 85.3-feet. Still, the NHL remains 'cautiously optimistic' about the 2026 Olympic games according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
All of the big players are currently pouring cold water on this with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) specifically saying “While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games,”
It does help to have some historical context and in all honesty, the difference in size between a standard NHL rink and the Milan rink, is minimal. It is an issue that likely will not even be noticeable on TV to most viewers and likely does not represent a major tactical advantage from one Federation to another.
NHL trade market heating up
As we near the Christmas roster freeze around the NHL and as the league standings start to see more separation, the NHL trade market appears to be starting to heat up.
Rumours and speculation are dominating and in recent days, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes' future is a major topic in trade rumours. Plenty of teams are expected to be suitors with the New Jersey Devils high on the list as they currently have the other two Hughes’ brothers and with confirmation that the two sides have spoken, things are getting spicy.
However there have been other teams who have appeared to be circling around. The Philadelphia Flyers in recent days have popped up, especially as it was revealed they would be interested in flipping Hughes. The Detroit Red Wings are another team given where they are at in their rebuild and how they hope to make tangible improvements.
The Oilers may be a team to watch over the coming weeks and months as they will surely look to make some upgrades to their roster in preparation for their playoff run. Teams are starting to establish their trade blocks, especially given the recent public reporting about the Canucks making their 'veterans' available on the market.