Oilers Sunday Night Links

Another week has gone by, meaning it is time for another edition of Sunday Night Links! This past week saw a few big moves around the NHL, but overall the Oilers were rather quiet leading up to the expansion draft freeze. The Oil revealed their list of protected players this morning (my thoughts here) and stand to be positioned quite well coming out of the process.

This coming week stands to be extremely exciting as we will see the regular season schedule and Adidas jerseys get unveiled Tuesday (allegedly, although the schedule may be Thursday), the NHL awards and expansion draft results on Wednesday and then the entry draft on Friday and Saturday. This could be a very, very busy week of moves around the NHL and I expect the Oilers to be involved.

Before we move onto next week, however, it is time to take a step back and look at the week gone by and what is being said around the Oilogosphere.

Bidding Wars: Rumor has it, there is a bidding war on the horizon for the services of defender Kris Russell in free agency. If that is in fact the case, Jeff Chapman of The CoppernBlue suggests it is best for the Oilers to take a step back and watch from the sidelines.

The Eberle Splits: Jordan Eberle has been the most polarizing topic among Oiler fans the last few weeks, with his ability and trade value at the middle of it all. Does Eberle only produce against poor teams, however? Shane Sander of The Hockey Writers examines that exact question.

Is The Grass Greener?: As we approach the NHL draft, Lowetide takes a look at Oilers director of player personnel Bob Green and his impact over the last two entry drafts. How has he done at the draft table? What can we expect from some of Green’s big picks? Find out what LT has to say regarding those questions.

So Long Hendo: Heart and soul froward Matt Hendricks is a pending free agent and, according to the man himself, is not likely to return to the Oilers for the 2017-18 season. Sammi Silber of Oil on Whyte has more on this development.

Dion, Jordan and JJ: Matt Henderson of Hockeybuzz dives into a few of the big topics of the week surrounding the Oilers, including Dion Phaneuf’s reported interest in joining the club, Jujhar Khaira’s new contract and the Jordan Eberle rumors.