Mike Babcock has made no bones about his desire for the Edmonton Oilers to become tougher to play against. He isn’t seeking just a mindset approach, either.
Babcock has campaigned internally for more size and brawn in his forward group, which GM Stan Bowman is now examining on the trade market.
One name that Babcock is believed to admire is New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe.
Would the cost for Rempe be a mid-round pick? He figures to be available – because both Peter Laviolette and now Mike Sullivan haven’t exactly figured out the best way to utilize him other than spot duty.
The 6-foot-9 Rempire State Building is four seasons into his NHL career and has cracked the lineup for a total of 87 career games, including just two this season. Rempe, 24, has averaged 6:46 in ice time over those two contests.
Rempe is a legit heavyweight in any era at 270 pounds and in today’s NHL, a more than willing combatant with 11 career bouts on his fight card.
It’s not necessarily that the Oilers need a fighter, but perhaps a deterrent so opponents are less inclined to take liberties with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Plus, so much of Edmonton’s bottom half of their forward corps is homogenous or similar. They could use a change of pace.
Rempe is a Calgary native who began his junior career with the Spruce Grove Saints just outside of Edmonton. He is also now eligible for waivers, which must be part of any calculation now as the Rangers navigate their 23-man roster.
Flyers seeking upgrades on defence
It’s not pretty in Philadelphia, where captain Sean Couturier was again critical of his team, using the word “soft” after a 5-2 loss to the Capitals on Wednesday night.
You won’t get any arguments from coach Rick Tocchet on that word.
“You don’t have to kill a guy,” Tocchet said. But you do need to get in the way.
To that end, the Flyers have been active on the defence market. President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones has been burning up the air miles with stops in Calgary and Chicago last week.
Most have tried to connect the dots between Owen Tippett and Frank Nazar, a centre for winger swap that might make sense on paper, but there isn’t any traction on that front.
Instead, the Flyers have keyed into their defence. Jones had eyes on Flames defenceman Zach Whitecloud and Philadelphia is just one of many teams with interest.
Whitecloud, 29, has this year and next remaining at a bargain basement price of $2.75 million. He plays a predictable game that wins the trust of coaching staffs and has some grit and physicality that makes him a coveted asset.
With a young blue line headlined by Simon Nemec and Zayne Parekh, Flames GM Craig Conroy mentioned on Frankly Hockey this week the importance of veteran presence, which is why Calgary is reticent to make a Whitecloud move in the near future. The interest is strong enough that Conroy may only be able to ward that off for so long.
The Flyers have also expressed interest in Detroit’s Simon Edvinsson, as he’d perfectly fit their age scheme, but to this point haven’t gotten firm engagement from the Wings.
Yes, the Flyers would love to solve for their void at centre ice. They took a big swing with Leo Carlsson. But fixing their defence might be the more available route to turning around their season.
“I just don’t think we’re defending hard enough, I really don’t,” Tocchet told reporters on Wednesday. “Last year we had a pretty good identity as a defending team – this year, not so much. I know we’ve got some veterans out and stuff. But I don’t think we value the defending part of the game. Is that a concern? Yeah, you want your team to defend hard because that gives you a chance every night.”
How Hellebuyck stayed at the ready
Once the Hughes brothers and other NHLers departed Michigan for training camp, there were some lonely days training for Connor Hellebuyck alongside free agents Robby Fabbri and Antonio Stranges.
Hellebuyck designed most of the skates with specifics he needed to stay sharp.
“It started to get a little repetitive just because I was there for so long,” Hellebuyck said. “The other guys would come up with things they’d want to work on and see in a game. But at the end of the day, it was ‘What detail do I need to work on and how can we make this work for everyone?’”
“Is this hard enough? OK, let’s add more.”
For Hellebuyck, the hardest part was skating in a facility that doesn’t have posts with moorings drilled into the ice.
“I could only do a couple until the post got knocked out of the ice,” Hellebuyck said. “That’s definitely an advantage to NHL ice with NHL nets.”
He was able to stay so sharp that when he arrived in New Jersey, Hellebuyck said he only needed to see two things: right-handed shooters and screens. He was in the lineup the day after his first full practice, just four days after the trade – despite missing all of camp and the first month of the season.
Slap shots
• First year Canucks coach Manny Malhotra apparently peeled the paint off the walls during the second intermission of Tuesday’s stunning comeback win. Vancouver erased two separate three-goal deficits in arguably their best period of the season in response.
• With the help of Devils equipment manager Chris “Frosty” Scopetto, who also worked with Hellebuyck on the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, did Hellebuyck win NHL Halloween by showing up to the team party as an ATM? Hellebucks for days.
• Would Hellebuyck have any influence on the Devils perhaps taking a stab at signing Fabbri? It’s possible he could replace some of the goals lost by Dawson Mercer.
• The Blackhawks are ready to make moves to shake things up after a slow start. They’re seeking a shoot-first, scoring winger with size. Perhaps someone who can mule the puck up the ice as another transporter on zone entries, that wouldn’t hurt. They’ve been too easy to play against.
