It’s game day and I’m sure the last thing you want to be reading is yet another article on the Edmonton Oilers. I don’t blame you but we’ve got to keep busy or we’ll have to get real jobs and start paying rent.
So you’re probably wondering what in the hell WYDIW stands for. Well I’ll tell you.
Would You Do It Wednesdays
Basically the idea behind it is that I’m going to scour the online communities for trade props. Some will come from forums and some will come from blogs. I doubt that I’ll be able to keep up every hump day but we’ll see how it goes. Humpers gotta hump.
The first one comes from a gentleman named Garth. He’s a Buffalo Sabres fan and he’s got a haut taek with regards to what Sabres GM Tim Murray wants.
Tim Murray is making no bones about it. He wants to trade up with Edmonton to get to the fourth overall pick in the draft so that he can get his hands on London Knights star and Memorial Cup hero Matt Tkachuk, the power forward.
What would the Oilers need in exchange for their 4th overall pick?
From Buffalo, they would need right shot D Mark Pysyk, Zemgus Girgensons, a prospect D and a second rounder.
Now I’ve taken a look at the Sabres prospect cupboard and they’re similar to what the Oilers have minus the glut of LHD. In fact, Buffalo could probably use some better dmen in their system as it is. But that’s not the first problem with this trade proposal.
The first problem is that the Oilers don’t need anymore bottom pairing dmen regardless of the way they shoot. Girgensons would solve some problems on the third line and I’ve always liked the way he plays but this is not the kind of offer that is worth trading out of the 1st round completely. Also, what kind of implications would this have on the list of protected players for the Oilers in the upcoming expansion draft?
The Counter Offer:
If Buffalo is in need of some LHD and doesn’t see Girgensons as a fit for their roster going forward, I’d offer the 4th and Oscar Klefbom for the rights to Zemgus Girgensons (RFA) and Rasmus Ristolainen (RFA) in a sign and trade deal.
We’ve actually come to the point to where we’re (Oilers fans) willing to trade one of Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, or Brandon Davidson if it gets us a right-handed defender. Klefbom is the team’s best defender all-round, much better than Ristolainen btw, but I think everyone is a bit weary of his injury history and this season is one that will make or break (pun unintended) his career going forward.
The big Swede is probably the only player that would move the needle for Buffalo right now IF the Oilers wanted to get Ristolainen.
I believe that the Oilers ARE in need of a shut-down third line centre and we all know that a RHD is very much in need. How much of a surplus to requirement is Girgensons? If that’s too much to ask, then I’ll keep the 4th and take Tkachuk. It’s really no skin off my back. But that’s what it’d take to trade right out of the 1st round for me.
Our second offer comes to us from Sweoilers over at HFboards.
Nashville trades Ryan Ellis and their 1st round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for 4th overall.
Then
Edmonton trades Nashville 1st round pick in exchange for Sami Vatanen.
The Predators 1st round pick this year sits at 17th overall.
Essentially what happens in this flurry of moves is the Oilers fix their defense by trading out of the 1st round completely and I would definitely be in favour of these moves. Are they realistic though?
Nashville would be able to add a top ranked power-forward like Matt Tkachuk, PL Dubois, or even maybe Jesse Puljujarvi if Columbus was daring enough but do the Preds have a defender coming up in their system that could replace Ellis? I mean he was pretty damn good in the playoffs this year partnering with Mattias Ekholm. So I’d like to venture out and say no (unless they took a Juolevi, Sergachev, or Chychrun and plugged him in right away) but, and I know this will sound rough, could the Oilers add Mark Fayne to balance things out on the short-term?
I love Ellis and I think he could be a top pairing defenceman in the NHL in the same vein as Brian Rafalski was in his time with the Red Wings and Devils. His slapshot from the point would be welcomed with a parade of its own if the Oilers acquired him and even though he’s not the biggest guy on the block, his beard is, I mean he’s not shy with regards to the physical aspect of the job.
If you head to that link above where the proposal was found there are some posters who don’t believe that the 17th overall pick would be enough for Sami Vatanen. I can’t agree with that. The Ducks are so stocked with good young NHL/NHL-ready dmen that another 1st rounder would only do the team more good, in theory.
*Just a side note. A lot of people are talking about how good Brandon Montour is but, and I’m genuinely asking, how much of a difference is there between him and Mark Barberio? I’m talking about two great offensive talents in the AHL. As far as Montour’s hockeydb goes, he’s got a history of putting up points but so does Barberio.*
Vatanen is a restricted free agent and in my opinion Anaheim doesn’t need to add anymore roster players. They lost to a really good Nashville team in the playoffs but that is how the west goes these days. The Ducks have a good mix of young and veteran players and they should probably continue to cultivate this environment more.
With the 17th overall pick they could add a centre like German Rubtsov or Luke Kunin, or another defender like Charlie McAvoy or Jake Bean. There’d be some power forwards in that area too. Julien Gauthier and Riley Tufte. Or what about a skilled goal scoring winger like Kieffer Bellows or Alex Debrincat?
I dig that offer from Sweoilers though.
Well I hope you enjoyed this WYDIW. If the response is good I’ll keep ’em coming. Let me know in the comments below whether you liked the trade proposals above or you think this is a stupid idea. Or better yet, send us your trade proposals and we’ll comment on them next week!
Take Care!
the counter offer to Buffalo does not address what they are looking for – the 4th overall pick. In order to get them to part with a RHD, it seems that is what they are after. 4th + ?? for Bogosian and the 7th seems like the basis for a deal.
A Bogosian / Klefbom duo would be a great 25 minute a night pairing. It would push everyone else down to a position more in line with their current skill level.
Another simple trade is Sekera for Bogosian. Very similar players and salaries. It give RHD / LHD balance to both clubs. The problem is they both have NMC.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
I do agree that a kbom/bogo pairing would be fierce IF they could stay healthy. Both of them have had injury riddled careers.
The first trade proposal is not bad, the second is not good. If the Oiler did your second proposal they would have the smallest d in the league along with on average a small forward group. In short they would become the Montreal Canadians minus thier star goalie and star d man.
The team has too many small players playing big minutes. Hence the constant injuries , I would rather trade for Stone (Arizona ) he is young and decent and also large.
Also bare in mind the team traded away a 1st two 2nd and 3rd last season. Eventually you are going to need someone in your system to make the jump to the big team and play big minutes. NYR have been a very good team for a number of years and now the players are getting old and they have 0 prospects in their system because they used their picks for older players.
Look at the top 20 d men pretty much all of those players were drafted.
If I’m the Oil, I’m not giving up that 4th pick unless I get a big young mobile d man. And if that’s not possible then trade one or even two of the core players to get the d man.
The team has the 4 th pick and lots of assets, they are in the driving seat.
I’ll agree with this Lee, the counter offer in the Buffalo deal is awful. Tkachuk > Girgensons and Klefbom >= Ristolainen right handed shot or not. The first deal is better but doesn’t solve any of Edmonton’s problems. That 4th overall pick has enough value that if you don’t get a legit top 4 RHD you made a bad deal that didn’t fix the problem.
If Buffalo want’s #4 I would suggest Bogosian and the #8 pick for #4 and a prospect. Buffalo won’t let Ristolainen go and Bogosian is 25 year old RHD that would be just fine in a 2nd pairing role and fits the Chiarelli mould with his size and decent puck moving ability.
Hey Michael!
I’ve talked about bogosian and the #8 for the #4 and another player. I like bogosian myself because he plays an old school Jason Smith-type of game but his injuries are worrisome and how long will he be an effective defenseman for in the Western Conference?
Matt Tkachuk and PL Dubois are that good that I’d need a mind-blowing offer to move the #4.
Agreed
You reckon Lee? Davidson and Nurse aren’t small guys. If they re-signed Gryba, he’s a big guy too. The Penguins defense isn’t that big and they’re playing for the Cup right now.
I do like Stone but it’s the year after a breakout season for him… Ideally you’d want to see him continue that trend before hopping on his bandwagon.
To be honest, if the Oilers can’t find that RHD, then they should absolutely go into the draft with the mindset of drafting as many high-end prospects as they can and if those players are RH’d, even better.
I’m talking about the team overall when it comes to size. Pittsburgh also has a much better team that the Oilers. Any team can carry a few small players as long as those small players produce. At the forward position how many small Oilers,produced last season compared to those who didn’t. The Oilers have invested heavily in very hi draft picks and as a group they have failed. Everyone says it’s because they don’t have a puck moving d man. What about the P.P , how can a team with this many super high picks have a below average P.P, to me that’s big time under performing, anyway you dress it up. Keep,the 4th pick and move one or two of the under performing forwards.
The team size is actually a lot bigger than you think. The reason they’re PP doesn’t work is not because their lack of size but their lack of a PP defenseman. Defensemen that can transition the puck. The team under Krueger and Nelson had great PP and when 97 was healthy, the PP was clicking like mad.
Not every high pick will develop at the same pace as well. Most high picks have seasoned veterans to help them along and that strategy has obviously been something the Oilers weren’t interested in.
Here is a ridiculous offer that has a 10% chance of happening. I’d like your thoughts.
Oilers: RNH + 4th OV + Yakupov + Fayne
Hurricanes: Faulk and Staal.
Solves Oilers get a 2/3 centre who can play both ends and win faceoffs and 1RHD.
Carolina gets out from a terrible contract and gets an offensive centre plus a very high pick.
I’ve always liked Jordan Staal since his days in Pittsburgh but that seems like a lot for the Oilers to give up, so maybe it’s the perfect deal. ha! The thing is though, Edmonton would then be saddled with Staal’s contract… Not good with 97, 29, and 25 having contract renewals coming up.
Nevertheless, Faulk and Staal would be great players for Edmonton to acquire.
Staal’s contract is a wash with RNH. They both make $6M. Faulk’s deal is washed out with Yakupov and Fayne. The kicker is the 4th OV.
Neither team would be better or worse cap hit wise but getting the term length of Staal’s deal is what makes this somewhat reasonable from Carolina’s perspective. They are in rebuild mode especially after today’s news that the owner is being sued by his own sons for $100M by spending their trust money on the team.
Yeah, I get that end of it. I guess I’m just a sucker for Yakupov and think there’s more to come from him yet.
As far as Carolina goes, I reckon they’re going to re-locate. Especially more so with the news of the lawsuit.
I can’t see the Sabres trading Ristolainen but if they were willing the Oilers should find a way to make the deal work.
It’s much more likely they move Bogosian. Then you would be looking at something like the #4 and Fayne and Musil for Bogosian and #8.
On deal #2 I am ok with the Ellis side of the deal, but if you get Ellis I doubt you want Vatanen, who plays the same role.
Take Nashville’s 17 and offer it to New Jersey for Severson. Severson doesn’t have Vatanen’s offense, but he is a MUCH better two way defender. He also will have a much more favourable cap hit.
Those are great points GCW!
I’m just weary of picking up Bogosian because he doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the game. A good puck mover mind you.
I think that Ellis is a much better player than Vatanen on every count. Same size but Ellis brings more tools to the job site.
I couldn’t offer a 1st rounder to NJ for Severson. That’s too much. I’d rather offer a package of prospects and picks. With Steve Santini coming in, I think the Devils are high on him, I reckon DS could be had for a fair price.
Look at Severson’s WOWY’s for this past season. He dragged John Moore to respectable corsi for half of his ice time. Without Severson, Moore dropped from over 47% to 40.1%. That’s below replacement level. He propped up Merrill the same way. Severson could easily play second pair for the Oilers or could prop up nurse on a lower pair. He also had second most pp time on ice for the Devils so should be able to help on the second pp unit. He does all that for the low low price of $606k or so. He is absolutely worth 17th overall. I don’t think you start there because Hynes hates Severson. I think you open with 32 or yak. But if it takes 17 to get a 21 year old proven two way defender, you do the deal and laugh all the way to the bank.
I agree Ellis is a much better player than Vatanen.
Fair enough. Yak for Severson has been the rumour going all along. I’d be much more comfortable doing #32 for Severson myself but I don’t reckon the fancy stats guys working for NJ would go for it.