TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins Gino Reda to discuss the Oilers officially hiring Mike Babcock and also touches on potential moves for Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and RFA Jason Robertson.
GINO REDA: Well, after weeks of speculation and then an NHL investigation, it’s now official: Mike Babcock is the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.
DARREN DREGER: Yeah, the Oilers making it official. It feels like we’ve been talking about this, as you described, for several weeks.
There was a process that the NHL and the Players’ Association, had to go through. But right from the onset of the speculation, what was evident was that the leaders of the Oilers - players now we’re talking about, not just management and ownership - we’re talking about Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and primarily Zach Hyman, were very interested in bringing Babcock back into the National Hockey League.
The critics will say, ‘Okay, aside from some of the stuff that has been attached to Babcock through the allegations with the Columbus Blue Jackets that have been cleared from 2023, the man hasn’t won since winning Olympic gold in 2010, again in 2014, and previously a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008’. What version of Babcock are the Oilers going to get here? We need to find that out and we’ll need time to do that.
Interesting that D.J. Smith rejoins Babcock behind the bench in Edmonton, as well. A footnote to the hiring of Smith as an associate coach, we’re hearing that it is a very lucrative deal for Smith, which may make him the highest-paid assistant in the National Hockey League.
REDA: Okay, it’s one thing for the Oilers to bring in Babcock. They needed a new coach, they got that. They also need some more bodies in their lineup.
Now, it’s not just the Oilers, but there are a lot of teams out there looking for bodies, so let’s talk about some of the people that could become available.
Jason Robertson has great offence in Dallas. The Stars love that. But he needs a new contract because he’s a restricted free agent and is probably in line for a big raise. Dregs, can the Stars afford him or how do you see this playing out?
DREGER: We’re going to find out how it plays out, I think, in the next handful of days here. Both sides are more or less up against the clock.
A reminder that Robertson is a restricted free agent. The expectation is that the Stars will make perhaps their best, maybe their final offer to the Robertson camp. If that’s not good enough, well, then they consider what their trade options are.
There would be, and there is, considerable interest in Robertson. Just check him out on ‘Jason Robertson DB’, and you can see how consistent a performer Robertson has been in that Dallas lineup.
So what about trade? Then do you allow the agent, in this case, Andy Scott, to negotiate with the new club? If you’re willing to go down that road, what does an extension look like with that team? So that might be option ‘B’.
Then it gets a little bit more greasy, to be honest, Gino. [Option] ‘C’ would be, what about the threat of an offer sheet? There are a number of teams, the majority of teams around the National Hockey League, who have the four first-round draft picks as compensation. That is a real threat and I think the Stars are feeling the possibility that it could get to that threat.
And then ‘D’ on this list of options would be arbitration. That would be a one-year term. It would be a considerable number. And then Robertson walks for free.
There’s a lot of things that could happen with Robertson, but the priority for the Stars is to keep him in Dallas and get him extended.
REDA: Yeah, but he earned the pay raise, he’s averaged about 40 goals a season over the last five years. That makes it really intriguing.
Alright, let’s talk goaltending. As you put it out over the last little while, the Jets are getting calls on Connor Hellebuyck.
Are you getting any sense of what could happen with the three-time Vezina Award winner?
DREGER: Not quite yet. And you’re right, the statistics and the trophy case is full as far as Hellebuyck is concerned.
But I think the problem that the Winnipeg Jets and maybe the Hellebuyck camp are facing right now is that when you look around the league, of course, there’s considerable interest in what Hellebuyck might bring. You’re talking about a guy who’s not that far removed from helping Team USA win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
But look at it from Winnipeg’s perspective here, Gino. You can’t simply trade away a valued asset like Hellebuyck, who’s under contract until 2031, and not get back what you need. We know the Jets are in the market for a No. 2 centre. They’d like to add a depth centre as well, maybe bolster their blue line. If they trade Hellebuyck, what are they doing in goal? So it’d be great to get a goaltender back as part of a package, as well.
The interest is there, but it’s not good enough for Kevin Cheveldayoff to pull the trigger. It has to improve. If it doesn’t improve, why would Winnipeg trade Hellebuyck? There’s still plenty of time for this to get sorted through at this stage of the offseason, but the possibility of Winnipeg holding on to the 33-year-old goaltender has to be considered as well.
REDA: Fair enough. The Habs just put together a great playoff run, and that brings up questions about where they go from here.
Patrik Laine sat out almost the entire season because of injury. Is he healthy now, and what do you see next for him?
DREGER: He is healthy, and that’s good news for Laine. What’s interesting is that, look, there are lots of teams that are expressing some interest, but the reason behind it, Gino, is because how creative they can be and what a contract might look like for Laine.
Because he missed over 100 days on IR this past season, that allows the next team to incorporate performance bonuses into his deal. So you might get Laine, if you’re creative enough, at a lower AAV with those performance bonuses attached. If there’s a scoring bonus that’s attached and Laine stays healthy and is able to achieve that bonus, then he gets paid.
There’s teams that are knocking doors and expressing some interest on Laine just because he’s one of those compelling figures who when he is healthy, when he is motivated, can absolutely put the puck in the net as a power-play specialist above all else. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lands a new home.
REDA: Speaking of compelling figures, Brendan Gallagher, everybody loves this guy. No one works harder than he does, but he only dressed for three playoff games in the Montreal Canadiens’ run. He clearly understands he’s not in their future plans.
What’s the level of interest surrounding this guy who’s now 34 years old?
DREGER: Well, you’re right, he’s a legacy guy. That’s how he’s viewed by the Canadiens.
They want to and intend on doing right by Gallagher. We all saw his end of the season address with the media how emotional he was at the idea of he knew the reality is he’s leaving the Canadiens. He’s leaving the city of Montreal.
Sources tell me, Gino, that Kent Hughes and Ryan Johnson, the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, continue to have trade discussions and negotiations on the possibility of moving Gallagher into his hometown of Vancouver. So they’re continuing to work away at that.
If they can’t get a deal that makes sense done, then I do think that the Canadiens simply will trigger the buyout option sooner rather than later. Then that allows Gallagher and his representative, Jerry Johansson, to explore what the market is as a buyout free agent.
So there are options, but it seems like option ‘A’ is still a trade between the Canadians and Canucks where Gallagher would land up in Vancouver.
REDA: Dregs, there’s a lot going on right now. Okay, you’re going to continue working the phones. We’ll shut it down temporarily.
That’s it for the early edition of Insider Trading. We’ve got the full version of Insider Trading coming up later today on SportsCentre.
