Monthly Archives: April 2016

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Trades

Is Oilers Now Host Bob Stauffer a Mad Genius?

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Bob Stauffer

So if you were listening to Oilers Now w/ Bob Stauffer recently you would’ve heard him discussing a trade scenario if the Oilers landed the 1st overall pick with Mark Spector. Mr.David Staples wrote about this subject as well here. It’s a much longer and detailed post than this one but it’s very good. I like Staples, he gets a lot of shit but I’ve got time for him. I’m more or less piggybacking on Mr.Staples’ post but I’ve got an opinion on Mr.Stauffer’s comments as well.

If you’d like to hear the Oilers Now segment I’m referring to, you can listen to it here.

Basically his scenario had the Edmonton Oilers winning the draft lottery and making a deal with the Arizona Coyotes. It went as such:

To Arizona: 1st overall selection in 2016 (Auston Matthews)
To Edmonton: Dylan Strome, the 7th overall, 18th overall, and 37th overall picks in 2016.

Staples didn’t like it so much saying the following,

It would be next to madness to trade any of the top three picks in this draft unless you’re bringing back a player like P.K. Subban or Erik Karlsson.

I especially don’t like this proposed Arizona trade because I watched Dylan Strome regularly last year in the playoffs and didn’t come out loving his game. Yes, he’s big, he’s got a great shot and he puck protects and passes well, but he’s not overly aggressive and his skating isn’t great. He kind of reminds me of the Griffin Reinhart of forwards and I wonder if Strome’s trade value won’t drop a bit each year. That said, I haven’t seen Strome this season, so maybe he’s a much better player than he was in the 2015 playoffs.

I can definitely see where he’s coming from with regards to the first comment above and we’ve covered what happens when you deal out of the top 5 previously here. It’s not a good idea.

BUT!

The Oilers are in a unique situation here where they’re really don’t need to add another game-breaker to the team. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the original core of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov, IF they decide to keep some of them, provide enough depth within the top 6 that they shouldn’t really be adding another teenager to it.

The Oilers should be looking to add depth to their roster at both the NHL level and AHL/CHL level.

**One caveat though. Patrik Laine looks to be the exact kind of forward the team is lacking in their top 6 though. A man with size, hands, and a lethal one-timer. He would be the guy I’d be after at this year’s draft. More so than Matthews.** 

Taking a Deeper Look at Bob’s Deal

Using the mock draft from mynhldraft.com to see where the Coyotes are sitting in the first round and then using the mock from draftsite.com to check out the possible players that might be sitting around the Coyotes selection in the 2nd round we are left with the following:

7th overall – Olli Juolevi (LD), London Knights (OHL)
18th overall – Max Jones (LW), London Knights (OHL)
37th overall – Will Bitten (C), Flint Firebirds (OHL)

And so we add those three possibilities to Dylan Strome (C) from the Erie Otters of the OHL and that is definitely accomplishing the goal of adding depth to this team’s prospect cupboard.

So this Strome kid that Staples didn’t really rate… He’s put up 240pts in his last 164 games played in the OHL if my math is correct. He’s a whiz on the face-offs, he’s 6’3″ and nearly 200lbs and the most important but often overlooked part… He’s Connor McDavid’s best friend. If there’s even the remotest chance that McDavid could bolt via FA someday, you’d want to give him a very good reason to stick around. And Just keep this in mind as well. McDavid-Draisaitl-Strome down the middle is the right amount of skill and size that Chiarelli craves and one that you’d probably bet on to thrive in the Western Conference.

Olli Juolevi isn’t being touted as a no.1 defenseman as of yet. He’s trending in a top 4 manner at this point. The great thing about the Finn is that he’s a madman on the PP. Put up some serious offensive numbers at the World Junior’s this past year and is anchoring the London Knights back-end. What I don’t like about him is that he’s a left-handed shooter. We’ve got a shit ton of those right now.

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Max Jones is a man-beast. A 6’3″ 200lb version of Raffi Torres but he can actually play. He’s got speed to burn, hands to dangle and a laser of a shot. This is not a guy you mess around with. I’ve wondered if he’s Tom Wilson 2.0 but he’s much better offensively yet still racking up the PIMs. What I’ve heard is that because of his size and physicality he can take advantage of that at the junior ranks but he’ll have to tone that down in the pros and therein lies the question marks regarding Jones.

Will Bitten, besides having a pretty cool name, is a tiny but hard-working centre. If you’re of the older vintage maybe Bitten is in the Ken Linesman category of forwards. He’s 5’9″ or so depending on what publication you’re reading and weighs in around 160lbs. The impression I get from Eliteprospects.com is that Bitten is a tireless worker at both ends of the ice and a very smart hockey player. His size bothers me a bit and I’m not sure if he’d be a Chiarelli-type player unless he were putting up 50 goals a year in the OHL like Alex Debrincat.

The Need for Impactful Veteran Defensemen

Let’s say a deal like this is made. This is where I would change things up. I think at 7th overall that the Oilers could get a veteran right-handed shooting defenseman for that pick. Could the Anaheim Ducks be persuaded into trading Sami Vatanen for the 7th overall?

How about the 18th overall? Would the Toronto Maple Leafs be interested in dealing two of their three 2nd round picks to jump up thus giving Edmonton four 2nd round picks? That would give Chiarelli some wiggling room to move around with.

The Oilers could use all four 2nd rounders on adding depth to their system. Players like highly rated goalie Carter Hart, perhaps the aforementioned and former linemate of Connor McDavid; Alex Debrincat would be there, the Oilers might have the opportunity to take a swing at defender Sean Day, or a local product like Sam Steel or Tyler Benson could be available as well.

The other thing they could do is use the picks to trade for another veteran. Perhaps using one of them as a sweetener in an Eberle for Hamonic deal? Maybe more with the Islanders because they’re devoid of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th round pick in the upcoming draft.

So in a sense the Oilers could come out of the draft with the following:

Auston Matthews, Jordan Eberle, and a 2nd round pick
for
Sami Vatanen, Travis Hamonic, Dylan Strome, Carter Hart, Alex Debrincat, and Sean Day.

Or they could keep the pick and take Laine or Matthews.

But if I’m just blue skying here, and I am, the Oilers could very well have a real opportunity to solve their organizational depth problems in one swoop at the draft this year.

Either way, Mr.Stauffer has provided us with something to chew on until the draft lottery.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Kosmic’s Top Ten 2016 NHL Draft Prospects: #2 Auston Matthews

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For those of you out there that got your Ben Harper on, and burned one down yesterday, I salute you! This post is going to have a very “green” feel to it.

Auston Matthews is going to be better than the best Northern Lights buds from B.C. He’s packing more punch than a triple chamber bong. He’ll produce more hits than Cheech and Chong combined. He’s going to tear up the “joint”…I think that you get the point lol! Maybe doing this article on 4/20 was a good idea. Because a lot of people are going to think that I am on drugs for placing this guy at #2 lolol! So before I get too lifted, it’s time for me to Puff Puff Pass along this article… Without further adieu…#2!

But before we get to #2 let me give you the opportunity to check out the rest of the top ten!

#10 – Alex Nylander
#9 – Pierre-Luc Dubois
#8 – Mikhail Sergachev
#7 – Matthew Tkachuk
#6 – Dante Fabbro
#5 – Jesse Puljujarvi
#4 – Olli Juolevi
#3 – Jakob Chychrun

Now onto #2…

A future Edmonton Oiler?

Auston Matthews – C
ZSC Lions (Swiss NLA)
6’2″ 197lbs
36GP 24G 22A 46PTS 6PIM 16+/-

No he didn’t?…Yeah I did…
I listed Auston Matthews at #2. Yes, the same Mr. Matthews that tops most lists and went to play against men in the Swiss National League. Mr. Trailblazer himself, Arizona Auston. I’m more than well aware of his dynamic offensive prowess, and decent enough size to go with it. Yes, I realize that he has top end speed and skating ability, and can go from 0 to 60 in 1.7 seconds. And no, I’m not too high to know that he’s a generational talent with an incredibly massive hockey IQ. Who is also very mature for his young age.

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His hockey intellect has him constantly creating plays on the ice, and when he’s on, Matthews is consistently driving the play. There’s no doubt that he is a complete offensive talent, that has elite sniper abilities. But let’s not take away from his two-way game either. Auston also displays some very quick thinking in his own end of the rink, and he will use his body and skating ability to challenge any opponent. As a defender, he isn’t afraid to engage with anyone. Which has him coming out on the winning side more often than not. Which is a huge bonus with such a deadly accurate sniper. Matthews has some of the quickest hands out there, which he needs to keep up with his quick thinking. Auston is intelligently creative with the puck on his stick, and can make an average linemate look like a veteran All-Star. Which is an attribute linked to some of the greatest players ever. Auston Matthews most definitely has the potential to turn into a #1 franchise center, and just might do it in short notice. So put that ‘ish in your pipe and smoke it…

NHL Comparable(s): Steven Stamkos, Jack Eichel, Anze Kopitar, Jonathon Toews, and Mike Modano.

Why would this player be on the Oilers Draft List? It may be 420, and I may be blazed to all hell…but I’m not dumb! It’s Auston freakin’ Matthews people! I think the real question here is, why the @#&* isn’t he number one on my draft list??!!? Riiiiiight…well you’ll have to wait and see who #1 is before I answer that lol! But don’t you think that drafting Matthews would add to our already existing so-called “problem”, of having “too many” centers…..Whoa! I must be high! 😉

Think about it though, we’d have McWizard, The Nuge, Dr. Drai, and Auston Matthews? Sh*t yo, I’d be happy with the first three, and trading the pick for a package that includes a top flight RHD. But that’s just me, and I’ve been burning some medicinal all day…

BLH’s Comments: Generally having too much of a good thing is a problem you want to have. I’m on the fence in this case though. We’ve been watching Oilers brass try and let the young players guide this team to greatness and exactly the opposite has happened. I think it would be better for the NHL and the Oilers if they didn’t take Auston Matthews if they had the opportunity. Trade the pick, accumulate assets, and move on. 

*Kosmic wrote this up yesterday but the following message still applies I imagine – BLH*

As always, stay trippy my friends!! Next up is number one! Happy 420 everyone! As much fun as I had writing this article, and as bad as I would love to share my favorite snacks or strain of herb with you. Instead I’d like to try and share some weed awareness to anyone who is unaware of the healing benefits, or denotes them altogether. As an advocate, avid user, and someone who was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), I know that most of my friends and family know where I stand. However, to anyone who may suffer from chronic pain, anxiety, epilepsy, CMT disease, muscular sclerosis, glaucoma, dopamine deficiencies, insomnia, etc…and still refuse to try a more holistic “unorthadox” approach, and instead rely on a pharmaceutical one. I can not stress how important it is that you research the healing effects of this natural plant more. Have an awesome day BLH Universe!

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Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, Micah Kowalchuk, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Plans B, C, and D

Well, it’s that time of year again that the Oilers begin searching for right-handed defensemen.  Now, we all know about the high-value targets like Hamonic, or the RFAs like Vatanen and Trouba, or the guys with one year left on their deal with high value like Shattenkirk or Burns.  However, even if the Oilers obtain someone who might be considered elite, there’s still a missing hole to address on the second pairing.  It might be that the Oilers manage to land two of this list, but if they don’t, the Oilers need a backup plan.

Assuming the best odds are landing a player like Hamonic, it means the Oilers need a second pairing defenseman with high powerplay skills who’s naturally a right side defenseman.  Now, for this spot, we’re not necessarily looking for a long-term player, but an older (and still effective) defenseman.  Likely, to get a good deal, they’ll have high dollars on their contract but short term.

The targets who fit this are:

Dennis Wideman, 33 years old, natural RHD, with one year left at $5.25mil
Cody Franson, 28 years old, natural RHD, with one year left at $3.325mil
Dan Girardi, 31 years old, natural RHD, with far too many years left at $5.7mil
Mark Streit, 38 years old, left handed defenseman who can play right side, one year left at $5.25mil
Matthew Carle, 31 years old, left handed defenseman who can play right side, two years left at $5.5mil
James Wisniewski, 32 years old, natural RHD with one year left at $5.5mil

First off, let’s eliminate the ones with too many years left.  That means you, Dan Girardi.

The rest have either one or two years left, and with the exception of Franson, are all in the $5.25-$5.5mil range, which the Oilers can afford under the cap.

Now, as a comparator, we’ll use the Oilers existing top right-hand defenseman, the much maligned Mark Fayne.  Let’s see how they stack up…

I won’t go into detailed analysis of each option, we’ll use a simple warrior chart (courtesy of ownthepuck.blogspot.ca) to narrow the list.

First, Dennis Wideman:

So, what do we see here?  Wideman is a very good point producer, especially relative to Fayne, but he’s a black hole defensively who doesn’t even have 3rd pairing defensive skills.  Ok, this isn’t a great solution, he goes in the no pile.

Next up, Cody Franson:

Well, although his offense (surprisingly since he was considered an offensive defenseman) isn’t all that good, his defensive numbers are all very good, and he still provides far more offense than Mark Fayne.  He’s on the 3rd pairing in Buffalo due to Bogosian’s place on the 2nd pair, and Ristolainen’s hard charge up to be the top pairing guy, but he’d be a defensive upgrade on Fayne and his assists at least are second pairing level. Sure, his overall goals and points per 60 isn’t really at a 2nd pairing level, but this is compensated by his top-two defensive play.This player would be an upgrade, and his contract price is agreeable.  We’ll put him in the yes pile.

Next, Mark Streit:

Ok, so he’s older, and he is valuable to Philly, but from the sounds of it they may need the cap space, and they need to upgrade their Top-6 scoring desperately.  As we can see, other than shot suppression, he’s a very good overall defenseman and would be an elite second pairing option, even at his age.   He also goes into the yes pile, he’d be a good mentor and he can still run a powerplay.

After that, Matthew Carle:

Well.. Decent offense..  Brutal defense..   Shows how good Victor Hedman is that he’s basically carrying Carle this playoffs on the top pairing.. This is a clear pass..

Lastly, we have James Wisniewski:

Well, he’s not much of a goal suppressor, but past that, his stats are either second pairing level (for goal generation and shot supression) or first pairing level.  This is a player who can be considered a very quality second-pairing option, and one who can slide into a top pairing and probably perform well with a solid partner.  He’d be a serious upgrade on the second pairing, and if worst came to worse, we could call him a top pairing option next to Klefbom for next season.

So, we have Cody Franson, Mark Streit, and James Wisniewski left.

Of those three, any of them would be upgrades on the second pairing, with Franson or Streit fitting in well here.  Wisniewski, however, might be an intriguing option for the top pairing if the other options fall through, and he’d definitely be worth going after for our second pairing.

Now, when it comes to Streit or Wisniewski, both teams would want scoring.  It’s a weakness for Philly and Carolina right now.  In the case of Streit, Philly could use a winger with size, and they need some cap savings.  Here, the option might be to dangle Benoit Pouliot.  Although he’s a frequent whipping boy for the Oilers, he’s aggressive, skilled, and at a $4mil cap hit would be a $1.5mil savings for the Flyers.  He’s familiar with the East, and he’s the type of player who might fit in well for their system.  Right now, he’s slotting in as the 3rd line LW for the Oilers, so he’s a good player to deal here.

Looking at Carolina, this is a team wanting scoring, and they’d ideally like a scoring center.  However, Nugent-Hopkins is an overpay here, but we do have a scoring forward and a replacement veteran right side defenseman that may pique their interest.  If we were to send them Mark Fayne, along with Nail Yakupov, their combined salaries are roughly equivalent to the Wiz himself.  Carolina would get some possible Top-6 scoring to add to their mix, as well as a replacement defenseman with low term and a low hit who has thrived in the East before.  This, again, may interest them, although it’s hard to say what they’d want for a player who essentially has never played a game for him.  When he was dealt from Columbus to Anaheim, he brought back an overpriced Top-9 forward, a forward prospect and a 2nd round pick.  When he was sent to Carolina, Anaheim took a backup goaltender in trade, since he turned out to be a bad fit in Anaheim he was “sold low”.  I’d guess that a Yakupov + Fayne for Wisniewski and someone who could step in for the Oilers at 3C would be a workable deal here for both teams.

Lastly, when it comes to Franson, Buffalo’s ok on forward, but they could use some potential on the left side of their defense.  We have some potential on our left side in Jordan Oesterle, Joey LaLeggia, Dillon Simpson, and the like who could probably convince Buffalo to make a deal here.

Now, I’ll admit, these aren’t the sexy names we’re looking for.  Having said that, what if the Oilers did all 3 deals?  We deal Benoit Pouliot, Mark Fayne, Nail Yakupov, and Jordan Oesterle, and we obtain the Wiz, Streit and Franson and some form of 3rd line center.

Our defense is now:

Klefbom-Wisniewski
Sekera-Streit
Davidson-Franson

And we let Nurse go down and dominate in the AHL for a season.

Total cost on the back-end..  Well, Franson and Fayne are a salary wash, so we’re adding about $11 million in salary there.  Subtract Gryba and Nikitin from that, we’re adding about $5 million to the back-end.

At forward, we’re subtracting about $6.5 million also, and functionally we lose our 3rd line LW and our 3rd line RW, although both could be considered Top-6 players for their new clubs, it’s a price the Oilers can afford to pay.

So, we end up with a bit of cap room, and the forward core doesn’t take much of a hit.  Optimally, we’d land that true “1st pairing” guy in a big deal, and then land Wisniewski, Franson or Streit (in that order) for the second pairing, and the 3rd can have a few options.

I’ll ask you sport fans.  Although that D doesn’t have the star we want, they’d likely be a damn sight better on the powerplay, penalty kill and 5 on 5, and we wouldn’t be giving up anything high dollar to get them.  Let me know your thoughts!

 

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects, Trades

Five Edmonton Oilers Most Likely to be Moved

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So after doing up my year-end report card for the Edmonton Oilers, which can be found here, it’s time to look at some of the pieces that will possibly be heading out of town before the 2016/17 NHL season starts. 

NAIL YAKUPOV

I don’t want to move him because we know he performs when he’s beside McDavid. The other thing we know is if he is moved, it’s not going to bring the Oilers back something impactful. He’s got one year left at $2.5M and IF the Edmonton Oilers want to move him, wouldn’t it be in their best interest to try to jack his stats up as high has they can to get the most value for him?

Let’s say he stays and puts up 20 goals and 20 assists before the trade deadline. Well that’s just the same as what Eberle is putting up and you know that Yakupov is effective on the forecheck, an excellent stick checker, and his one-timer if tamed is elite.

But the reality is he hasn’t performed and it’ll be sad to see him and his infectious smile play for another team.

Can the Oilers get a 3rd rounder for him? What about an effective bottom six winger like Ryan Garbutt, Antoine Roussel, or Tanner Pearson?

MARK FAYNE

I can’t really go to bat for this guy but the fact of the matter is he’s an NHL defenceman on a team that is in desperate need of NHL defencemen… Didn’t have a great start to the year but improved slightly and he’s a right shot… Even with all of that I don’t see a fit for him. In my opinion he was passed over by Brandon Davidson on the depth chart.

His contract is $3.625M for the next two seasons and I honestly don’t know who’d take that salary on at this point. He might get buried in the minors ala Nikitin which is fine by me because that team could use a mentor. It’s just not a good price point for a non-impact defender who is no.6 on the depth chart.

There were rumors earlier in the year of him going to Columbus in a deal for Scott Hartnell. I wonder if that deal or a deal similar to that gets consummated this summer.

Is Eberle on the way out of town?

JORDAN EBERLE

Ebs is the man in the trade rumor spotlight these days and if the Oilers are “lucky” enough to land a top three draft pick in this year’s draft lottery, then he could be moved for help on D. It’s not even contingent on that draft pick either. What if Peter Chiarelli can bring in Loui Eriksson via FA? Free agency will play a big factor this summer as Oilers management pushes hard to get this team to the playoffs in the first year of the Oilers being in Rogers Place.

The thing with Eberle isn’t so much about his non-existent two-way game. It’s his size (or lack thereof), skating, and lack of a one-timer that irks me. He only brings one thing to the table at this point and it’s not enough. Great goals aside, what else does he offer?

We’ve heard him going to the Islanders for Travis Hamonic but I think the Islanders would want more than Eberle. I don’t mind paying more depending on the price. Fringe prospects, fine. Anything past the 3rd round in terms of draft picks, ok.

The fact of the matter is, the team needs a right-handed blue liner in return for Jordan Eberle. A veteran if possible. Would you trade him for Ryan Ellis? Straight up for Sami Vatanen or Jared Spurgeon?

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS

Right off the bat, I hate the idea of moving Nuge. The more talented centres the Oilers have, the more versatile their top 6 is. But there’s one way I would move him and that’s for a centre of equal value that is right-handed. Nick Bjugstad comes to mind right away and Derek Stepan is another. At this point Mark Letestu plays big PP minutes because he’s right-handed and after watching Patrik Laine’s team and the way they deploy they’re forwards on the PP, it just makes sense to have two or more right-handers available.

Teams that might like to have the Nuge could be the aforementioned Islanders. If Frans Nielsen moves on they’ll have a hole at 2C. The Hurricanes need centers but the only guy I’d want out of Carolina is Justin Faulk and he’s not going anywhere. Columbus needs a no.1 center but there’s not a lot I like on that roster. Brandon Dubinsky maybe but he’s a winger. Detroit could be in line to add a pivot with Datsyuk leaving for Russia this off-season but who’d you want from the Red Wings?

Would you make a deal for Noah Hanifin that included Nuge?

TAYLOR HALL

Apart from Nugent-Hopkins on our list, Taylor Hall is the man who will get you the most for your buck. Now I’ve read the stats that he’s one of the best 5×5 wingers in the league but if he’s that good, why isn’t he scoring? Every player goes through slumps but why do his come after the team is effectively eliminated from the playoffs?…

This isn’t a shit-on-Hall piece but fancy stats aside or traditional stats for that matter, I am of the opinion the team might be better off improving the roster as a whole than relying on Hall’s production on the wing. The Edmonton Oilers NEED better defencemen, it’s that simple. Hall will bring you that without question.

Anyways, Lowetide had an interesting suggestion on his show last

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friday. What if Hall could bring you back a right-handed dman, right-handed center, and a back-up goalie? I love that idea. Another thing is, and I’m not sure if the stats can work this way but, could the team replace his (Hall’s) stats in the aggregate? Meaning could a three for one trade work if those three players equaled Taylor Hall’s output on the stat sheet?

For example, let’s say Minnesota were the trade partner. Could Hall for Charlie Coyle, Jared Spurgeon, and former Red Deer Rebel Darcy Kuemper work? Don’t think the Wild would do that because they’d have a glut of very expensive LWers on their hands. I suppose it’d depend on how long Parise is out for, right?

The Senators are looking to shake things up, would they be interested in a swap for Taylor Hall? Only problem with Ottawa is they have ZERO defenseman you’d want unless they’d be willing to move Karlsson. I do Iike Mika Zibanejad and Mark Stone though.

IN THE END

Everyone will say that the Oilers can’t move a Hall or a Nugent-Hopkins but I wouldn’t be so sure. These are foggy times and there’s a ton of pressure on Peter Chiarelli to shake this team up and get it into the playoffs. Another thing fans of this team have to understand is that the team might make a trade that looks like a loss at first. A Hall trade that doesn’t bring back a top pairing defenseman will look like a loss on paper but we don’t know how such a deal will set up the team to make future trades.

Don’t get caught up in the way a player shoots though, it’s nice and the stats guys will object but the way a player shoots isn’t necessarily the most imperative thing here, it’s having defensemen in the top four who are bonafide NHL dmen. If they shoot right, even better. So say the team picks up Cam Fowler or Hampus Lindholm from the Ducks instead of Sami Vatanen, be very happy with that. Those two players are stellar and a HUGE upgrade on what the team has now.

I really do believe if the Oilers have a real NHL defense with two top four right-handed shooters they’d be that much better but the onus is on getting four REAL NHL blue liners. If Hall, Nuge, and/or Eberle have to go to give us that, fine. I’m okay with that because I’m less concerned with having scoring superstars on the wing than a D corps. that makes the Oilers a competitive team in the NHL.

The Edmonton Oilers are, I believe at least, in a position where they should be looking for the right organizational fit with regards to their trade targets. They need to identify the weaknesses on the team and address them accordingly. The team has a glut of skilled wingers. Move them along for help on defense THEN fill the gaps left on the flanks with centres or cheaper (possibly older) wingers who can skate and play a solid two-way game. No more lazy back checkers.

What do you think about my list. Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to check out G Money’s latest on the importance of Todd McLellan’s “Place and Chase” game plan here.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

BLH’s Edmonton Oilers 2015/16 Report Card

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The Edmonton Oilers 2015/16 season was nothing short of a moldy diaper wrapped in a flaming bag of dog shit. I have come to the conclusion that this season’s injuries, scoring droughts, and bad scheduling is a product of winning the Connor McDavid draft lottery and a lovely little gift from the hockey gods. Now we’ve got one more draft lottery here and IF the Oilers win it they have to do the right thing and trade it away to appease the hockey gods or they’ll be cursed for another season. Really. As tempting as it would be to have McDavid, Matthews, and Nuge down the middle, it’s a recipe for disaster.

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Anyways, the report card for the year:

Taylor Hall (B) – Finally found a way to go through an entire season without getting injured. Point production down though. Could be traded this summer.

Leon Draisaitl (A-) – 51 points as a 20-year-old = tight! A good off-season and improved faceoffs will go a long way for next season.

Connor McDavid (A+) – A healthy season would’ve seen him in the Hart Trophy race surely. He came into a league that wasn’t ready for him and made fools out of quite a few established pros. Is already one of the team’s best two-way players so we won’t have to hear about that going forward.

Jordan Eberle (B) – Scored 25 goals in 69 games which is par for the course with Eberle. Too bad he’s found his way into the bad books with fans and TV pundits alike. If the draft lottery balls fall the way the Oilers would like, we’ll have seen the last of Eberle in an Oilers uniform.

Benoit Pouliot (C) – Pou did nothing apart from McDavid which is disappointing. Fancy stats liked him but they also loved Nikitin this year. So take that for what it is.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C) – Could’ve had 50-60 points this year if healthy and that’s damned good if this was a bad year for the centre. Long stretches of non-production hurt him though.

Teddy Purcell (C+) – TP was okay. Nothing special in my books. Is a much better fit on the 3rd line in Florida with Hudler and Grimaldi. Stole some of Yak’s icetime in my opinion.

Andrej Sekera (B) – Was thrown to the wolves right off the bat in true Oilers fashion and battled his way out. Liam Neeson would be proud.

Mark Letestu (C) – Letestu was played in a role above his ability for most of the season due to injuries but the Elk Point native is a solid and unspectacular centre on a team that needs quiet veterans. Too many times did he shit the bed on a clear-cut scoring chance this year.

Nail Yakupov (C+) – Turned it on in the last ten games of the year when he was properly placed in a regular top-6 role… Weird how that works?… He’s chaos personified.

Lauri Korpikoski (C-) – He’s a worker and if wins were calculated based on how hard you forechecked, the Oilers would have an 1st team All-Star in Korpikoski.

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Patrick Maroon (A+) – Big Rig blew everyone away as an Oiler. Size, grit, skill, and an honest opinion. More please! 14 points in 16 games on the wing of Connor could be misleading though.

Iiro Pakarinen (C+) – 13 points in 63 games and he was the guy taking Yak’s place in the top six some games?…

Matt Hendricks (B) – I love me some Hendricks. What a leader he is! Give me more of him in the bottom six. When people talk about players with heart on this team I immediately think if Matt Hendricks. Doesn’t put points up but he doesn’t need to.

Oscar Klefbom (A) – Before his injury he was in beast mode. Had he not been injured he might’ve put up nearly 40 points. #Revelation

Brandon Davidson (A-) – Speaking of revelations… Properly develop a defenceman in the minors and look what happens… He’ll be in the top four in 2016/17.

Darnell Nurse (C+) – Get’s a + because he did what very few Oilers have been willing to do apart from Luke Gazdic or Matt Hendricks. He gets a ‘C’ because he just wasn’t ready. 20 games in the Bake would do him well next year.

Justin Schultz (F) – … Best conman in the league since Alan Eagleson to get the Oilers to give him that much money and that much term. Now the Penguins have realized what a shit-show Jultz is.

Zack Kassian (C) – Started off well and his unpredictability is exactly what the Oilers bottom six requires. He’s a nuclear deterrent because he can go all Rinaldo on the opposition but he’s got hands and can score too.

Mark Fayne – (D) – Is an NHL defender on a team that has very few. Beginning of the year was a train wreck but after his trip to the AHL he improved slightly. Don’t think he’ll be in Edmonton for long.

Adam Clendenning (F) – Jultz 2.0. Did nothing to impress me.

Eric Gryba – (B) – Loved me the physical style he brought to the team. And that beard! Glory to the beard gods! That is a beauty! Was deployed correctly by McLellan and I hope he re-signs.

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Jordan Oesterle (B-) – Turned out to be a very efficient puck mover. He’s still a tad small for my liking and could use a bit more seasoning in the Bake but he could very well be a regular come 2017 if everything pans out.

Anton Lander (F) – Too bad for Anton. Seems he’s hit the same road Yak is on with the team. Three points in 61 games… Yikes!

Adam Pardy (C) – Pardy time performed the Gryba role relatively well. But I don’t reckon he’s better than Reinhart or David Musil at this point.

Jujhar Khaira (C+) – Thorny had 15 games with the Oilers this year and looked-a-gamer. Nice size, pretty good hands, brought great physicality, and did his job quite effectively. Look forward to seeing more of him. Perhaps the team drafts his brother this year.

Luke Gazdic (F) – Great guy, bad hockey player. Wonder if he get’s a role in Goon 3. Epic beard and flow though.

Rob Klinkhammer – (D) – The Colonel couldn’t find a way to stay up with the pro team which baffles me because he was playing a very physical, hard forechecking style before getting injured. Point production part of the reason?

Nikita Niktin – (F) – Fancies LOVED this guy… Have fun in Siberia Nikita.

Anders Nilsson – (C) – One has to wonder where the Oilers might’ve ended up if not for that hot streak earlier in the year… Chia was right to move on from him.

Griffin Reinhart – (B-) – Did not start the season well at all but that last portion of the year where he was paired with Oesterle, he played his role very nicely. Gave us a taste of what he’s capable of.

Anton Slepyshev (F) – Did nothing for the Oilers after the pre-season. Did slightly better in the AHL.

Cam Talbot (A-) If not for that tough start he’d have an A+. He came through though and that’s all that matters isn’t it. When the Oilers have solid goalkeeping they’re a good team. Now we wait.

Laurent Brossoit – (D) – That glove hand… Historically for him that glove hand is his Achilles heel. Hope he can get that sorted.

Andrew Ference – (F) – Isn’t an NHL dman anymore. Hasn’t been for a season or two.

Brad Hunt (D) – What happened to that shot we were seeing in Bakersfield? Disappeared in Edmonton.

Andrew Miller (F) – Who? I can’t even remember him playing but apparently he was in for 6 games…

Chiarelli I’d give a B because he did in fact address two things with the team. Goaltending and team toughness. Adding Maroon, Talbot, and Gryba were gold in my opinion. The Reinhart deal is dodgy because the team could’ve had Kyle Connor instead. We’ll see how that might bite us in the ass next season when Connor is playing for the Jets.

McLellan I’d give a B- because he didn’t have a full roster at any point this year but he did instil structure to the team. He wasn’t afraid to call the team out in the media either. But I wasn’t a fan of how he deployed Yakupov or the defense pairs at times in the year.

So there you have it. As a whole I’d give the team a C because they found a way to stay in the game more often than not this year but when they got beat, it was pretty bad. When they won, they were outstanding wins like the game in Calgary at the beginning of the year where all 1st overalls got a goal and McDavid got four points. Even there were some losses where the fans were jacked. Like the game versus Florida where Hendricks smoked Ekblad.

So we look ahead to the lottery draft and we speculate like crazy until June 24th…