Hot Links: Thursday, July 22

Morning, folks.

Well, it’s official. The Seattle Kraken have an NHL roster. In case anyone missed out on the yesterday’s excitement:

A mixed bag and it appears the side deals portion of the expansion draft will come in a little lighter than many expected given some of the absolutely weird picks (Kurtis MacDermid, Gavin Bayreuther to name a few), but one thing’s for sure — there are some good players going to Seattle — a couple former Oilers in Adam Larsson and Jordan Eberle among them — and the Kraken have hectares of cap space with which to operate in the coming few days. This will merely be a starting point. Pay attention to this (cap) space.

In Oilers news, it would appear that the Zach Hyman trade-and-sign is all but finished. Word on the street is the deal will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 years with an AAV a ballhair under $6MM. Nothing is official yet, mind, but it might as well be. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector has already told everyone that they can’t complain if they want the Oilers to be all in. He says this while acknowledging, in the very same headline, that there will likely come some pain from such a long-term commitment for a player of Hyman’s age.

The Oilers are apparently linked to Dougie Hamilton, which was a pleasant surprise to wake up to given how often Tyson Barrie and 5x$5MM has been coming up this week. Bringing Barrie back would be an absolute disaster at that clip, so here’s hoping they’re aiming well higher and zeroing in on the best RHD available right now. Hamilton’s even bigger ticket should keep them from dealing the very valuable Ethan Bear for at least a season.

Though, anything can happen. Nobody connected to the organization is talking about Bear with the respect or reverence he deserves and it’s beginning to feel like a foregone conclusion that he will be moved at some point. That specific deal will be extremely challenging for me to get over, especially given the likelihood of Edmonton losing it, but I’ll wait before really going off about it.

Lots of moving parts between now and the official start to Free Agency, so keep your eyes peeled. We’ll bring you news as we get it.

PODCAST SZN RETURNS

Preston & Shona break down the abysmal Duncan Keith trade for the Edmonton Oilers. They also look at who the Seattle Kraken could take in this week’s expansion draft.

Copper & Blue Podcast: Expansion & Keith Trade (Copper and Blue)

Seattle Poaches Adam Larsson From Oilers (Copper and Blue)

2021 NHL Draft Preview: Brennan Othmann (Copper and Blue)

Oilers Lose Adam Larsson To Seattle Kraken (Copper and Blue)

Hot Links: Wednesday, July 21 (Copper and Blue)

The Oilers Reportedly Have A Seven- And An Eight-Year Deal Worked Out With Zach Hyman (ON)

WWYDW(TE): So, How Much Would You Offer Tyson Barrie? (ON)

Oilers Likely To Sign UFA F Zach Hyman (TOR)

Five Fifth Round Sleepers For The Edmonton Oilers (ON)

TYCHKOWSKI: Losing Larsson For Nothing A Tough Blow For Oilers (ES)

A Look At Adam Larsson’s New Contract With The Seattle Kraken (ON)

Zach Hyman In Edmonton, Oilers Talking Possible Sign-And-Trade Deal With Leafs, NHL Insiders Report (EJ)

Oilers’ Potential Long-Term Deal With Zach Hyman Not Pretty, But Necessary (SN)

Fuck off, Mark.

The Oilers Are Reportedly Exploring A Sign-And-Trade With The Leafs For Zach Hyman (ON)

What I’m Hearing About The Oilers Offseason 3.0: Is Zach Hyman Coming To Edmonton? Top Oilers Draft Targets? (TA)

The Oilers Must Act Fast To Address Their Hole On Defence After Adam Larsson Signs With The Kraken (TA)