Oilers have some interest in Brassard … Puljujarvi should take a fresh start with Tippett and Holland
Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal: Don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers to bring in a bunch of players on PTOs this season.
The Oilers have some interest in free agent center Derick Brassard as a potential No. 3 but Brassard’s camp is looking for more than $4 million a season and the Oilers aren’t interested in going that high.
Though he keeps saying he wants to be traded, thinks it’s possible that Jesse Puljujarvi is at the Oilers training camp next month.
- Dustin Nielson: “I see quite a few folks dragging Jesse Puljujarvi through the mud, and I get it, I really do. With that being said McLellan was not a great communicator, to the point that one of the guys traded this past year was happy to be moved due to a lack of communication from McLellan.”
- Dustin Nielson: “If he couldn’t communicate with his players from North America how do you honestly think it went with a teenager from Finland. Jesse had his chance for a fresh start now with Holland and Tippett and he should take it, at this point he’s simply getting bad advice.”
Dubas on RFAs and Marner
TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on the group of restricted free agents – including Mitch Marner – that remain unsigned.
“It’s just really the status quo at this point,” Dubas told TSN. “And I think the reality is, it’s the status quo with all these types of players throughout the league. There doesn’t seem to be anything really transpiring, and as it gets into August, it’s kind of into a bit of a slog where there doesn’t seem to be any real progress, you don’t even hear of any progress in any of the other situations.”
The Maple Leafs training camp opens on September 13th and they are hopeful to have Marner signed by then.
“Hopefully as the calendar begins to turn, we can begin to get it towards a spot where he’s ready to go for training camp,” he said. “I mean, we were sure hopeful to have it done in the spring, unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, and so we’ll just keep working at it, working with (agent) Darren Ferris and working with Mitch.
“I’m confident. I’m optimistic, so I’ll stay that way until the end.”