AHL’s Barons will lose key talent to Oil if lockout ends
Eberle, Hall, Nugent-hopkins, Schultz would bolt for NHL
Oklahoma City Barons head coach Todd Nelson is making his list and checking it twice, with Christmas less than three weeks away and a possibility that the NHL lockout may soon end as well.
How many players on his American Hockey League team will depart for Edmonton for a short Oilers training camp if the work stoppage was suddenly over? Five players? More than that?
Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are a certainty to head back to the Oilers. So is Justin Schultz, the league’s top scorer on the back end for the Barons, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate.
Six NHL team owners and 18 players are currently talking in New York. They got the ball rolling on a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday.
Would the Oilers also bring back Teemu Hartikainen and Magnus Paajarvi or just one of those forwards? How about the abrasive Colten Teubert?
“I am keeping an eye on it (the lockout) for sure,” said Nelson.
The Barons have some extra bodies — Brandon Davidson (testicular cancer surgery), Tanner House (concussion), Antti Tyrvainen (broken wrist) and Ryan Martindale (knee sprain) — who could be inserted into their lineup in time if the lockout ended and there was a week or so of training camp. They also have wingers Toni Rajala and Phil Cornet playing with the Stockton Thunder in the ECHL.
But Nugent-Hopkins, Hall and Eberle comprise Nelson’s best line and Hartikainen and Paajarvi are on the second line with Anton Lander.
Schultz might be the best player in the entire AHL right now and Teubert is Nelson’s second-best defender.
So the Barons could lose five players to the Oilers — a conservative estimate — with Hartikainen’s stock possibly higher than Paajarvi’s right now because the Oilers need a banger with a scoring touch.
Nelson is already prepared to lose Nugent-Hopkins to the world junior championship in Ufa, Russia, even if the lockout, which is more than 80 days long, doesn’t end shortly. The Barons will play 14 games during the worlds, with centre Mark Arcobello likely moving to the No. 1 line if NugentHopkins plays for Canada.
“I told Ryan we’d support him if he wanted to play in Russia or if he doesn’t (and the lockout continues). He understands our position,” said Nelson.
Nugent-Hopkins, who’s dying to play in the worlds, is in Edmonton strengthening his left shoulder with an exercise program. He’s planning to give Hockey Canada an answer before the evaluation camp opens in Calgary on Monday.
He’s on a mini-point drought in Oklahoma City and is scoreless in three straight games.
“Funny thing is he’s been playing very well,” said Nelson. “You could see his frustration when he was in a shootout (last weekend against the Aeros in Houston) and he lost the puck,” said Nelson.
Hall, who knocked out Aeros defenceman Jonas Brodin for eight to 12 weeks with a broken clavicle after a thundering shoulder-to-shoulder hit a month ago, has left the club to get treatment — not in Edmonton — on the shoulder he had repaired last season. He will play against the Rampage in San Antonio Saturday night. So will Eberle, who was getting his No. 7 Regina Pats Western Hockey League jersey retired Wednesday night.
“Jordan actually said he was looking forward to seeing some snow. Taylor’s therapy was scheduled a long time ago when we saw the (week) break,” said Nelson.
Nelson could have put captain Josh Green between Hall and Eberle this weekend in San Antonio, but will opt for Arcobello at centre.
“Josh is back (rib cartilage, he was out for seven weeks), but I’ll probably throw Arcobello there. He’s a pretty creative guy and there was some chemistry with Arcobello and Taylor (in practice before Hall’s first game in November). We’re waiting on Tyler Pitlick (who’s out after taking a head shot) to see if he’s cleared. If so, he’ll play with Josh and Curtis Hamilton.”
Nelson will keep Hartikainen, Paajarvi and Lander together. He likes the line’s puck-possession time, but wants the linemates to shoot considerably more. Paajarvi has 44 shots — fourth most on the team— but just two goals, only one at even-strength. Lander has just 18 shots in 16 games and one goal. Hartikainen, a bull in the corners, has 41 shots and six goals.
Generally, Nelson wants more pop from the trio.
“That line has a lot of good zone time and that’s fantastic because you’re wearing the other team down. But you’re not generating anything,” said Nelson. “Hartikainen will have the puck stuck to him for a good 10 seconds in the corner, but once you beat a guy, take it to the net.”
And ...
Barons defenceman Brandon Davidson is practising and taking contact. “Physically, he’s fine but Brandon has to decide on a next course of action (after his surgery). He’s getting some opinions from doctors. For now, he’s just practising,” said Nelson, who liked the rookie’s play before the cancer diagnosis. “Turned his world upside down,” said Nelson.
Blue-liner Dan Ringwald went into the boards at a weird angle and broke a bone in his wrist. He had surgery and he can’t do anything for at least two months, then there’s rehabilitation.
Hartikainen showed his gumption in Houston fighting Aeros tough guy Drew Bagnall after Bagnall didn’t like a hard hip-check he delivered on a teammate. “Harty went after Bagnall, dropping his gloves first. Kudos to him,” said Nelson.
Oilers prospect Kristians Pelss, now with the Thunder, has been suspended for 21 games by the ECHL for hitting an opponent with a two-handed slash, resulting in an injury. Pelss, a former Edmonton Oil Kings winger, played three games in Oklahoma City this season, garnering two assists.