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!
