Slepyshev available, Oilers tell league
Once promising Russian forward has fallen out of favour with management
GLENDALE, AZ. With Edmonton Oilers forward Anton Slepyshev filling the position of ‘healthy scratch’ more than ‘right-winger’ over the last six weeks, general manager Peter Chiarelli has made it clear to his NHL lodge brothers that all calls will be accepted if they want to trade for the 23-year-old forward.
Chiarelli emailed the other 30 general managers that Slepyshev is available for trade, just to gauge any interest before maybe putting him on waivers after just becoming eligible for that designation.
With Slepyshev sitting for 13 of the last 18 games dating back to the end of November, he’s tumbled out of favour after asserting himself last season and finding himself in the top nine in the playoffs. When the Russian forward sat watching defenceman Yohann Auvitu ahead of him as a fourth-line forward in Chicago a few days ago, that was an exclamation point on how far Slepyshev has fallen.
Slepyshev has been in Bakersfield before and isn’t keen on spending more time in the minors. He can always go back and play in the KHL, maybe even for his old Ufa team. Perhaps the Oilers would just release him if there’s no trade or waiver claim. He’s got ability and has been useful but he’s only got five goals and 14 points in 70 NHL games. The problem is, the coaching staff has lost trust in him. His confidence seems shot with just one goal and three points in his 18 games this season.
Drake Caggiula, as good as he was last year, could probably be in the AHL right now to play on the first line in Bakersfield and get 20 minutes a game too, rather than on the fourth line with the Oilers.
But he would have to clear waivers and the Oilers aren’t going that route.
FOUR-LEAF
Four ex-Oilers are on Canada’s Olympic squad: Goalie Ben Scrivens, playing in Ufa in the KHL; Gilbert Brule in China for Kunlun Red Star; Rob Klinkhammer for Dynamo Minsk in Belarus; and Derek Roy in Linkoping in Sweden.
Roy, of course, got plenty out of Nail Yakupov when he was his centre. We’ve always had a soft spot for Brule, too. He had confidence issues and intestinal problems with the Oilers, but he was a good kid. One fan recalled on Thursday that summer day in 2011 when Brule and his girlfriend picked up a hitchhiking Bono because of a driving rain in Vancouver, when the U2 frontman was there for a concert.
Brule & Co. are getting the chance of a lifetime.
“The Olympics is a bucket list opportunity for these guys,” said Oilers alumni president Brian Benning, father of Matt Benning, who was on Canada’s national team in 1985 before turning pro. “I still remember playing in the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, and the Izvestia in Moscow. In ’93, after playing in the world championships in Munich, I rented a car with my wife and we drove to Davos to see it once again.”
LEERY LOOK
The Oilers were likely sniffing around the availability of winger Anthony Duclair, like a lot of teams, because he’s only 22 but there’s a red flag when you’ve been traded twice.
Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka has been offering up Duclair for two years, and finally was able to deal him to the Chicago Blackhawks for Richard Panik.
Duclair, a healthy scratch the last time the Oilers played the Coyotes in Edmonton in late November, wanted out. He has ability but many scouts wonder about his hockey IQ. There may have been some off-ice issues, too.
“Obviously he’s a talented player. His speed and skill is evident,” said Chayka. “Sometimes players figure out in other situations what they don’t figure out in their current situation.”
Translation: He wasn’t as good as the other kids on the Coyotes’ block.
“This was by far the best deal we came across in a long period of time.” said Chayka.
If so, there was awfully lukewarm interest because Panik has 53 goals in 300 NHL games. The Coyotes were willing to take Panik at $2.8 million this year and next, while Duclair makes $1.2 mil for this season.
EIGHT? GREAT
There’s been a total of eight skate-blade-off-the-ice offside infractions’ in the NHL this season, so Oilers winger Jujhar Khaira isn’t alone when it comes to the picky rule that cost Edmonton the tying Mark Letestu goal in Nashville.
“I’m always aware to drag my foot when I’m at the blue-line,” said Khaira, whose skate blade was a few inches off the ice on the rush.
The rule will again go before the NHL GMs for possible reworking at their meetings in March.
Chiarelli has been for the rule in the past, so we’ll see if he changes his mind and listen to his captain, Connor McDavid, who figures it takes goals out of the game when the skate blade infraction has nothing to do with the score.