OILERS COVET CONNOLLY BUT CAPS MAY INTERVENE
Trade could spark Washington’s interest in UFA winger on Edmonton’s short list
With the cap-squeezed Washington Capitals trading winger Andre Burakovsky — a kid who was going to play on their third line this season — and his US$3.25 million salary to Colorado, you have to wonder whether they’ll now revisit unrestricted free agent Brett Connolly, who’s on the Edmonton Oilers’ short list.
The Caps now have $9.2 million in cap space to play with and have to sign restricted free agent Jakub Vrana, but they definitely need somebody to play with third-liners Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin.
They’re also looking to upgrade their fourth line, so Oilers UFA and former Caps winger Alex Chiasson probably comes into they’re thinking now, too.
The Oilers like Connolly’s portability. He did some nice work for a time with Evgeny Kuznetsov in Washington, but former Oilers winger/Capitals TV voice Al May cautions about the chances of seeing Connolly as a fixture on the first line.
“I don’t think there’s enough there to be on a first line, in the mentality of how he plays. It can be a short-term fix, but it never really worked with him on a first line in D.C., either with Kuznetsov or (Nick) Backstrom, who is the easier one to play with,” said May.
What Oilers really see in Connolly is a possible second line right winger to play with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, although hockey insider Ray Ferraro, in general terms on free agent signings, cautions strongly against teams who feel they can fit a UFA player into a higher role on their club.
If the Oilers can sign Connolly for three years and $3.25 million, fine.
Any longer term or more money than that seems a reach.
The Oilers have made a contract offer to Chiasson to keep their 22-goal scorer, but he’ll likely check out other teams starting July 1.
Chiasson may feel he can get Derek Ryan money in Calgary (three years at $3 million per season).
The Oilers might want to go as high as $2.5 million, but with only $8.33 million in cap room, they’re strapped.
It’s always better to keep your own UFAs because you know them better, but Oilers general manager Ken Holland is coming in from Detroit, so his eyes weren’t on Chiasson last year. He’s counting on other people (Ken Hitchcock, Glen Gulutzan) to fill in the blanks.
Here’s one NHL executive on Chiasson: “He’s not a driver of a line, but he keeps plays alive. He’s not a great skater, but he’s an efficient player.”
If the Oilers want Boston’s hard-hitting UFA winger Noel Acciari, it could cost them double his current salary of $792,000, which wouldn’t be out of line for a gamer who played with a broken sternum in the playoffs.
The Bruins made a pitch to keep him before July 1 because they loved his chemistry with Sean Kuraly and Joakim Nordstrom, with Chris Wagner also in the mix. Acciari rejected an offer in the $1 million range to see what’s out there.
The Jets aren’t interested in Jesse Puljujarvi, even with the Patrik Laine connection, because they have farmhand Mason Appleton and top prospect Kristian Vesalainen likely on the team this season.
They have also signed Finnish winger Joona Luoto, 21, to a three-year deal, and Russian forward Andrei Chibisov for one season.
This ’n’ that: Lost in the July 1 UFA carousel of goaltenders Oilers backup Anthony Stolarz, who has had injury problems and didn’t get a real shot here after the Cam Talbot trade. He could be an NHL No. 2, certainly a No. 3 in another organization (say, Tampa Bay) … Oilers should know if Philip Broberg will play with Skelleftea in Sweden or junior in Hamilton this winter when head of player personnel Scott Howson sees him at the world junior showcase tournament that runs from July 27-Aug. 3 in Plymouth, Mich. Broberg roomed with Evan Bouchard this week and was pumping him for information on the OHL … Oilers’ veteran farmhand D Ryan Stanton should be signed to exactly the same deal that Taylor Fedun got in Dallas: two years at $700,000 in the NHL and a guaranteed $375,000 this year and $400,000 next if playing in Bakersfield. Fedun is 31, while Stanton turns 30 next month. Fedun has played 100 NHL games, Stanton 120 ... New Oilers head coach Dave Tippett did the due diligence on the possible future home of expansion Seattle’s AHL farm team while working for them, visiting Palm Springs to see about a new 10,000-seat rink. They were looking at Boise, Idaho, too, where there’s an ECHL team.