January 18, 2020 /

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers GM49: Coyotes @ Oilers – 3P2W – It’s Time to Upgrade the Third Line

Great news! The Oilers are most likely going to announce a contract extension for Zack Kassian next month! I remember being told before Christmas that this new deal would be around four to five years in term and just over three million dollars. My feeling today is that it might be closer to four million than three. And to those of you who are saying that you’d only give him a shade over two million per year… Give your head a shake… Be a better supporter than that. It’s not easy playing consistently well with Connor McDavid. Just ask Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, or any of the other talented forwards that have tried since Connor joined the club. Kassian plays well with McDavid and 97 likes him there. He’s also a massive contributor inside the locker room and is adored in the city. The other thing is, he wants to stay in Edmonton which is a huge flip flop from last year.

Get good Kassians, keep good Kassians!

Moving on…

Have you taken the time to appreciate the lineup that John Chayka has built in Arizona? He’s got Derek Stepan and Phil Kessel on the Coyotes 3rd line… That’s how much depth they’ve got there. If they could find a way to get some goalies who could stay healthy, the Coyotes might be on to something

Speaking of team depth, the Oilers are getting closer and closer but it still needs a tweak and possibly a season or two for the talent on the farm to become NHL-ready. As nice as Arizona’s roster looks right now, Edmonton’s could look even better by 2022. But let’s focus on today.

I believe the current edition of their top-six is good to go. They’ve found a nice blend of skill and power that has been quite effective since the turn of the year. So I believe it’s time to address one of the lines in Edmonton’s bottom-six.

Nygard-Sheahan-Archibald
Gagner-Haas-Chiasson

Then we’ve got Gagner, Khaira, and Russell getting spot duty in there.

The Nygard/Sheahan/Archibald line might be set. I feel like the coaching staff likes the speed, tenacity, offensive threat, and defensive acumen of this group, so they’re probably safe but on a good team, they should be the 4th line.

Therefore, we’re left with the Gagner/Haas/Chiasson line. I think we’re all in agreement here in that this line needs better players. I’ve loved what Haas and Chiasson have brought, but Gagner, aside from spurts, hasn’t produced as I’d like him to have.

A couple of questions come to mind here,

  • Can Tyler Benson be that guy to spark the offense enough so that the Oilers don’t need to make a trade?
  • Should the Oilers make a trade regardless of Benson’s impending debut for the club?

Fact is, the Bakersfield Condors best player (and AHL all-star) is going to get a look-see this season and that is going to dictate who the Oilers target, but I have one more question.

  • Should the Oilers forget about upgrading the wings and focus picking up a third-line center with some scoring punch and maybe move a guy like Gaetan Haas to the left-wing? This option would allow Benson to marinate in Bakersfield some more too.

Most of us will have JG Pageau immediately come to mind, right? And that’s fine, but the cost to bring him in without any guarantee he’ll be in Edmonton beyond this season might be too dear.

You know who would be cheap though? Pittsburgh’s Alex Galchenyuk.

Pens GM Jim Rutherford is dying to get Galchenyuk’s name off of his roster that I’d be willing to bet he’d eat some salary to do it (hopefully 50%). Nail Yakupov’s BFF from back in the day can play both wing and center too… Buy low, sell high, yeah? What’s the risk? With all due respect to the players on the roster whose spots are in question, can he be any worse than what Edmonton has already? I would think the answer to that is no. But could he be any better though? I say possibly.

I know that James Neal to the bottom-six is an option as well, but I’d be remiss to remind you how that worked out for Calgary last season… James Neal shouldn’t even be touching the bottom two lines in my opinion. Young Benson could though…

The Next Ten Games (41-50)

  • vs. Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – The Oilers should be bitter as hell coming back from the Christmas break and looking for retribution. In terms of gf/ga on the year, the Flames are -12 and Edmonton could feast on that. The Oilers have taken two of the past three contests. (WIN) LOSS
  • vs. New York Rangers (17-15-4) – Edmonton will get its first look at 2019 2nd overall pick Kaapo Kakko and welcome back former Oiler, Ryan Strome. This should be a scheduled win for Edmonton as the Rangers aren’t anything special this year. The Oilers have won three on the trot vs. the Rags. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Buffalo Sabres (17-14-7) – Generally, over the years the Oilers have had pretty good luck in Buffalo, but this year Jack Eichel is a man possessed and last time Rasmus Dahlin was out of the lineup. If Dahlin is back in for this game, he’ll add a significant threat. I like Edmonton’s chances here though. (WIN)  OT LOSS
  • @ Boston Bruins (22-7-9) – The Bruins went into the Christmas break on a bit of a slump going 2-4-4 in their previous ten. This is going to be a challenge for the Oilers to win even when Boston is at their worst and there’s no better team to bust a slump against than Edmonton, right? (LOSS) WIN
  • @ Toronto Maple Leafs (20-14-4) – Toronto’s confidence was sky high before baby Jesus’ bday, but guess who comes to play each time he’s back home. That’s right, Connor McDavid. It will take a complete team effort for the Oilers to beat their nemesis, Freddy Andersen, though as he’s really had Edmonton’s number. (OT LOSS) WIN
  • @ Montreal Canadiens (18-13-6) – I really enjoyed Edmonton’s performance against the Habs in their earlier match. If the Oilers can replicate that, I don’t see why a win is out of the question. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – Round two! Ding. Ding. In Calgary, I think the Flames might be able to muster up a win here. (LOSS) LOSS
  • vs. Nashville Predators (18-12-6) – Is Pekka Rinne in net? If so, I’ll give this one to the Oilers. If it’s Saros, the Preds have a much better chance of success. They’ve been an interesting team to watch this year and are playing in a tough division. Their 42pts at the break had them in 3rd last in the Central… (WIN) WIN
  • vs. Arizona Coyotes (21-14-4) – Hallsy’s back and if the Oilers would like to go that extra mile, they could show him how much of a powerhouse they plan to be next season by wiping the floor with Arizona, but it’ll be a tough game. Arizona is a lot deeper than the Oilers and their netminding has been much better. This needs to be a game where Edmonton’s defense shines. (OT LOSS)
  • vs. Calgary Flames (19-15-5) – Coming off of a 10-day break, Mikko Koskinen and the Oilers will be well-rested. In theory, they should be as ready as they’re ever going to be to take on their inter-province rivals. (WIN)

(Standings as of December 26th, 2019)

Three Players to Watch for the Coyotes

  • #91 Taylor Hall – Historically, Hall has done “poorly” in his games against the Oilers. In seven games, he’s only amassed three points, is -1, and shoots at 4%. Is it something about returning to Edmonton that rattles him? Will he still feel that way in this game?
  • #8 Nick Schmaltz – This player is a tricky skiller. He has very good playmaking capabilities and he knows how to capitalize on an opportunity. He’s been on fire as of late too with eleven points in his last ten games.
  • #6 Jakob Chychrun – With six assists in his previous ten games, the son of former Philadelphia Flyer Jeff Chychrun, is playing well at the moment. His skating ability leads me to believe that he might be asked to cover Connor McDavid in this one.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #6 Adam Larsson – Three points in his last five games is pretty good for a shut-down defender. I think he’ll be tasked with shutting down Hall in this one. So I’ll be curious to see how he fares there.
  • #97 Connor McDavid – How will Connor’s last game before the break go? Will he give us something to talk about that’ll last the entire time? Seven points in his last five games and eleven points in his previous ten matches. He’ll surely add to that.
  • #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nuge is shooting at a 50% success rate in his last five. Is it safe to assume he might carry that one for just one more game? Please…

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CategoriesBeer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL Rumors Trades

TagsArizona Coyotes Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers trade rumors NHL Taylor Hall

Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!