Daily Nuggets: Stanley Cup or Bust for Draisaitl

The Edmonton Oilers have the unique accomplishment of being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion for the last two seasons—the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. In a move to prevent that from happening for a third straight season; the Oilers hired Jeff Jackson as their CEO of hockey operations on Thursday. Jackson has been one of hockey’s most successful agents and was the only agent Connor McDavid ever had. Hiring Jackson will help to keep McDavid an Oiler for life. Leon Draisaitl had a simple quote after being eliminated by the Golden Knights, “It’s Stanley Cup or bust.” Will Jackson’s expertise help make that happen?

He is a goon. He is a goon that can put up points. On Friday he became a scoring goon that will make a lot more money. The Washington Capitals extended Tom Wilson through 2031 for a deal that carries a $6.5 million AAV. The extension starts with the 2024-25 season. Wilson will be 30 years old when his new contract starts. This is a contract that may come back to bite the Capitals a few years down the road.

It has been a minute since Erik Karlsson’s name came up. Elliotte Friedman suggested that there may be some movement over the weekend. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a buyout window that closes Monday. Mikael Granlund and Jeff Petry are potential buyout candidates. If one of them gets bought out, a Karlsson deal could be moments away.

President of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins Kyle Dubas hired himself as the general manager of the team on Friday. Can he handle the double duty of running nearly every aspect of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins? Time will tell.