On Monday’s The Oil Stream episode, Tom Gazzola told Dustin Neilson that David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period confirmed the Edmonton Oilers are speaking to the Philadelphia Flyers regarding a potential trade. This apparently dates back to November when the Oilers were one of the worst teams in the league. But the player the Oilers are inquiring about is not Travis Konecny. The players they’ve been looking into are Sean Walker and Scott Laughton.
Walker, a 29-year-old right-handed defenseman, has 21 points through 59 games this season. He has also recorded 79 hits and 89 blocked shots. He spent the five previous seasons playing for the Los Angeles Kings. Laughton, a 29-year-old center, has 30 points through 59 games, along with 108 hits and 39 blocked shots.
Some Oilers analysts on Twitter have questioned Walker’s size, just being a 5’11” 191 lbs. frame. But for someone with a body that’s not as big, he certainly plays bigger than his size with the number of hits I just mentioned. One elephant in the room throughout Oil Country has been the defensive pair of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci. Nurse sometimes plays defense like he’s trying too much to compensate for his big contract, while Ceci plays like he’s trying too little. To be fair, Ceci is given too much ice time for the player that he is, and it’s just not a good enough fit for Edmonton’s blueline. Walker might be the best and cheapest Ceci replacement available at this time. I don’t side with the Anti-Nurse crowd, but he needs a more consistent partner to help settle him the same way Mattias Ekholm helped settle Evan Bouchard.
Laughton would help the middle 6/bottom 6 in both toughness and offensive production. He also still has two years left on his current contract, so he wouldn’t be a rental; whereas Walker will be a UFA at season’s end. A lot of Oilers fans want to get Konecny, but he was just named an assistant captain a couple of weeks ago. I get a sense the Flyers would rather try re-signing him. I know Laughton was given an A too, but you have to gain cap space for your top player somehow.
Would you want Sean Walker and/or Scott Laughton? Would you not? Let me know.
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Welcome back. It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more. The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they need to be 25 or under, have played under 15 games in the past season or have not spent significant time in the NHL as a whole over a three-year period. Today, we’re breaking down the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto’s pipeline looks a lot different from what it was a year ago. Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin were shipped out at the NHL Trade Deadline, and Topi Niemelä left Toronto to continue his career in Sweden. In their place, a host of other prospects saw some serious improvement in their game – and the team got bulkier at the 2025 NHL Draft. It’s still not a strong pipeline, but it’s legitimately deeper. The team has options at every position, and while most aren’t going to be impact players, they need as much depth as they can get. Toronto’s focus is on winning right now, but having some legit help either down the road at Coca-Cola Coliseum or marinating in Europe could go a long way. Our friends at The Leafs Nation have been looking at the top prospects throughout the month, so go make sure to check them out for more detailed breakdowns. Biggest Strength Toronto has drafted BIG in the past few years and it might pay off. Ben Danford, for example, loves to get in the way of shots and isn’t afraid of any physical bout. Noah Chadwick and Cade Webber mean business on the back end, too. Recent draft picks Tinus-Luc Koblar, Harry Nansi, Sam McCue and William Belle all love to throw the body and could be potential fourth-line options. Even Dennis Hildeby – a 6-foot-7 goaltender – towers over the competition. Toronto has wanted to get stronger in recent years. Mission accomplished. Biggest Weakness Outside of Cowan, who has top-six potential, the Leafs don’t have a ton of high-end forward depth to work with. They’ve drafted players who can handle a certain style, mostly in a bottom-six role. But beyond that, the Leafs don’t have a ton of offensive weapons. That’s not necessarily an issue, and it’s the norm for teams expecting to go deep in the playoffs. But that does limit their trade options, though. Fast Facts: NHL GM: Brad Treliving Dir. of Amateur Scouting: Mark Leach Dir. of Player Development: Danielle Goyette AHL Affiliate: Toronto Marlies ECHL Affiliate: Cincinnati Cyclones TOP 10 PROSPECTS 1. Easton Cowan, C, 20 (Toronto Marlies, AHL) Acquired: Drafted 28th overall, first round in 2023 Cowan has proven himself to be a big-game performer quite often in his young career. Sure, his World Junior showing was a bit ugly. But with 96 points in 60 OHL playoff games over the past four years – in which he led the playoffs in scoring in consecutive years – it’s clear he can rise to the occasion when needed. The skilled, hard-working forward is a great passer, loves to rush the puck up the ice and has some good speed, too. He’s set to play his first year of pro hockey, and while I think he could play in the NHL this year, some time with the Marlies wouldn’t hurt. 2. Ben Danford, RHD, 19 (Oshawa Generals, OHL) Acquired: Drafted 31st overall, first round in 2024 Danford has plenty of big-game experience already, having played in two straight OHL championship series. Neither proved fruitful, but he still looked good regardless. Danford is a guy his teammates like to rely on because he’s rarely caught making a mistake distributing the puck. I saw Danford play both sides on the blueline last year, but I think he’s got something going on the left side – it fits his shot better. Danford said he hopes to be like Chris Tanev, which I think is a solid comparison. He probably tops out as a No. 4 defenseman in Toronto, but I think he’ll be quite reliable. 3. Dennis Hildeby, G, 23 (Toronto Marlies, AHL) Acquired: Drafted 122nd overall, fourth round in 2022 Hildeby was called up early on in 2024-25 to fill in for Anthony Stolarz, but the results were… ugly, to say the least. He went 3-3-0 with a .878 save percentage, and his advanced numbers weren’t great, either. He was much better in the AHL, but still struggled a bit more than the Maple Leafs organization would have probably liked to see. I still think there’s a chance for him to be an NHL backup, but if the Leafs end up extending Stolarz, it might leave Hildeby nowhere to go. I like his mobility and his size, but I want to see him solidify himself as the best goaltending prospect in the system. 4. Artur Akhtyamov, G, 23 (Toronto Marlies, AHL) Acquired: Drafted 106th overall, fourth round in 2020 Akhtyamov lit the AHL on fire early on, going 4-0 to start the season while Dennis Hildeby was up with the big club. In fact, Akhtyamov didn’t lose a game in regulation until Dec. 15. But his play started to quiet down after that, and he was often outplayed by Hildeby and NHL veteran Matt Murray. Akhtyamov should have less obstacles in his way in his second year in North America, but he still needs to outplay Hildeby to prove himself as a long-term option for Toronto. There’s some legit skill here, but we need to see consistency. 5. Noah Chadwick, LHD, 20 (Toronto Marlies, AHL) Acquired: Drafted 185th overall, sixth round in 2023 Chadwick went from a flier of a pick at No. 185 overall in 2023 to a legit NHL prospect. The 6-foot-4 defender is coming off two excellent seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, including a 53-point campaign as captain this past year. Now 20, Chadwick is ready to take his talents to Coca-Cola Coliseum, where I could see him filling a hole left behind by Topi Niemelä. At first, it felt like he was only notable because of his size. Now, Chadwick is a much more rounded threat, and I think we could see him play NHL games within the next two years. 6. Tyler Hopkins, C, 18 (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL) Acquired: Drafted 86th overall, third round in 2025 This felt like a great pick for Toronto. The Leafs traded away Minten, so Hopkins could be a decent – albeit lesser – replacement. In Kingston, he’s a smart, two-way center whom you can rely on in the D-zone. Hopkins will only really be a support player in the NHL but his two-way game makes him very useful. I want to see him evolve more as a dynamic playmaker, but I like where his game is right now. It’ll be a few years before I think he’s close to NHL-ready, but I could see him topping out as a third-line center. 7. Miroslav Holinka, C, 19 (Toronto Marlies, AHL) Acquired: Drafted 151st overall, fifth round in 2024 Holinka started the season as a big-time producer with the Edmonton Oil Kings and finished with just under a point per game in his first year in North America. The Czech forward is a reliable two-way threat who does a lot in his own zone. Scouts like how he supports his defenders and that he’s willing to block shots and get in the way of scoring chances. Holinka’s first step looks better than it did before the draft — he’s still not quick, but he’s quicker. His game still needs a bit more urgency to be more effective, though. It’s like Holinka needs to feel threatened that he’ll lose ice time if he doesn’t make the right move quicker. I’m interested to see what type of role they give him with the Marlies. 8. Tinus-Luc Koblar, C, 18 (Leksands, Sweden U-20) Acquired: Drafted 64th overall, second round in 2025 As a 6-foot-3 center, there’s a lot to like about his physical attributes. He’s not a crushing presence, but he’s competitive and strong enough to win out most individual battles. Mix in good skating and good hockey IQ and I think there’s definitely some late-bloomer potential if he can unlock another level in his offensive game. I liked Hopkins a lot more heading into the draft, but it’ll be interesting to see if TLK ends up becoming a reliable depth forward. 9. Victor Johansson, LHD, 19 (Leksands, Sweden U-20) Acquired: Drafted 64th overall, third round in 2020 Johansson has grown quite a bit the past few years – and now he’s a legit prospect. The 6-foot-1 defender is coming off an excellent showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase, where he was Sweden’s best defender. Seriously, watching him two years ago compared to what we see now – it’s like he’s a totally different player. Johansson was solid in his own zone before, but never really took risks with the puck. He’s doing that a lot more now and getting power-play time, allowing himself to be freer and open with the puck on his stick. He was productive in the Swedish U-20 league this year and I’m excited to see what he does in his third year with Leksands’ U-20 squad. 10. Topi Niemelä, RHD, 23 (Malmö Redhawks, SHL) Acquired: Drafted 64th overall, third round in 2020 Once viewed as one of Toronto’s top prospects, Niemelä’s development stagnated after his first year with the Marlies. Everything about his 2024-25 season was underwhelming, and with no path back to the NHL, he elected to head back to Europe to play key minutes with the Malmö Redhawks. If all goes well, this could be similar to the Victor Soderstrom situation for the Boston Bruins. Soderstrom was once a highly touted prospect, but he just couldn’t make it work with the Arizona Coyotes. He signed in Sweden, played very well and now has an opportunity to make the Bruins out of training camp. The Leafs still hold Niemla’s rights, and if they feel he can be a consistent producer and limit his mistakes, they might give him another chance in a year or two. The rest: Ryan Tverberg, RW (23), Jacob Quillan, C (23), Luke Haymes, C (22), Borya Valis, RW (21), Braeden Kressler, C (22), William Belle, RW (18), Harry Nansi, C (17), Matthew Hlacar, LW (19), Sam McCue, LW (19), Alexander Plesovskikh, LW (19), Hudson Malinoski, C (21), Nicholas Moldenhauer, RW (21), Joe Miller, C (22), Wyatt Schingoethe, C (23), Nathan Mayes, LHD (19), Matt Lahey, LHD (19), Rylan Fellinger, RHD (18), William Villeneuve, RHD (23), Blake Smith, LHD (20), Slava Peksa, G (22), Timofei Obvintsev, G (20) 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Anaheim Ducks’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Boston Bruins’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Buffalo Sabres’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Calgary Flames’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Carolina Hurricanes’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Chicago Blackhawks’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Colorado Avalanche’s Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Dallas Stars’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Detroit Red Wings’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Edmonton Oilers’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Florida Panthers’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Los Angeles Kings’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Minnesota Wild’s Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Montreal Canadiens’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Nashville Predators’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: New Jersey Devils’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: New York Rangers’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Ottawa Senators’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Philadelphia Flyers’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: San Jose Sharks’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Seattle Kraken’s Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: St. Louis Blues’ Top 10 2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Tampa Bay Lightning’s Top 10
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is supposed to remain in charge of the team for years even after the sale. Given what just happened with the Boston Celtics, it might only be months. When the Grousbeck family sold the Celtics for $6.1B in March, ESPN reported that Wyc Grousbeck would stay on as the Celtics CEO and governor through the 2027-28 season. Now, new owner Bill Chisholm will take over once the sale is final. That should concern current Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss, whose family sold a majority interest in the Los Angeles Lakers to investor Mark Walter. Buss is supposed to stay on as team governor for "at least a number of years," according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, but new NBA owners haven't been keen on waiting to take control of teams recently. Mark Cuban thought he would continue running the Dallas Mavericks when he sold a controlling interest to the Adelson family in November 2023. Before the end of that season, when Dallas advanced to the NBA Finals, new team governor Patrick Dumont, the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, was firmly in charge. General manager Nico Harrison reported directly to Dumont, which is how Luka Doncic ended up traded to the Lakers despite Cuban's objections. It might be different with the Lakers. Walter has owned a minority share in the Lakers since 2021, so he's had a working relationship with Buss. Her role as team governor may be a condition of the sale itself. With the team preparing for a long-term future with Doncic, Walter and his fellow owners might opt for continuity in the team governor role. But in general, people do not spend billions of dollars on a professional sports team so that someone else can be in charge. Buss is in charge of the Lakers now. Recent history says she won't be for long.
Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris still has yet to return to action after a July 4 fireworks accident, and it sounds like he does not necessarily have a job guaranteed to him when he does. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman admitted Tuesday that the team is planning a steady rotation at running back whether or not Harris is available to play in Week 1. First-round draft pick Omarion Hampton, however, is the player who has part of the rotation locked down, not Harris. The Chargers likely intended to use Harris as a part-time back no matter what. However, he certainly cannot have helped himself with his eye injury. The issue was described as superficial after it happened and Harris was expected to be ready for the season, but he is still on the non-football injury list and has yet to participate in a full practice. Harris, 27, is entering his first season with the Chargers after signing with them in March. He can earn up to $9.25 million on his one-year deal, but that will require him to remain part of the rotation with Hampton.
After an impressive second half against the Seattle Seahawks in their first preseason game, the Las Vegas Raiders noticed a change that needed to be made. We've been saying it for a while now -- maybe two or three weeks, since training camp has started, really. This roster in training camp will not be the same exact roster that started the season in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. There will be changes made throughout the roster between now and then, because the new regime wants to find the best 53 players possible to help their team be the best it can be. 2025 is an important season, one that will see some pretty major improvements compared to the previous iteration of the Raiders. If this team is somehow worse than the last two versions of this team that we have seen, then they may need to just blow the whole thing up, trade and cut everyone, and start over, because there has to be some type of curse somewhere. Luckily, everything is pointing towards this team being a pretty decent team in 2025, if not a good team. So, as we have said -- they're going to make some roster moves. And they've made another one after the first preseason game. Raiders sign WR Marquez Callaway The Las Vegas Raiders had a few good showings from some of their depth wide receivers who are all fighting to make the initial 53-man roster. Alex Bachman, who was Aidan O'Connell's primary target before Bachman left the game with an injury last Thursday, played very well. After him, Shedrick Jackson, better known as Bo Jackson's nephew, as mentioned a million times by the broadcast on Thursday, had an amazing game. But the Raiders still feel like they can get better there in that position room. So, they signed a guy with some experience. On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders signed WR Marquez Callaway and let go of wide receiver Kawaan Bake. Marquez Callaway is a 27-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2020, with his best season in 2021, leading the Saints with 698 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The 6'2", 204-pound player has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has experience as a punt and kickoff returner, and has appeared in only five games over the past two seasons. The Raiders will likely let Callaway get some run in this next preseason game to see if he would be worth keeping on the roster.
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