Tag Archives: 2015 – 16 NHL season

Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, Lindsay Ryall, NHL

Could Shattenkirk’s Acquisition Stop the Oiler’s Defense Blues?

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It’s always the paradox when critiquing any aspect of the Edmonton Oilers.  If you criticize the goaltending, the question arises:  Is it really the goaltending or the sloppy D that gives up grade A chances?  Is the bottom six so un-productive?  Or would their numbers improve if they had a Defense that could get them the puck?  Looking for a solution in this tail chasing exercise always comes to the same conclusion:  The Oilers need to make a meaningful trade to get an efficient puckmover for their blueline.

The question is timing, and if there is enough of a sense of urgency to trade a valuable asset now, or continue to develop their current crop of young D.  However, with Justin Schultz’s potential a bit hazy, sooner, rather than later, should be the order of the day.  But who should be the target?  Looking for an established top four defender is not easy.  For proof of recent failed attempts, simply look to Oiler’s farm team or pressbox where a couple of failed free agents reside.

The problem is, teams don’t trade their top pairing defencemen, so you need to gamble on a player that’s on the rise, or target a team that has a surplus of D, that could lead them to cap trouble if they don’t make a decision.  Following that logic, the Oiler’s should consider the St. Louis Blues, and offensive D-man dynamo, Kevin Shattenkirk.

To identify why Shattenkirk might be available, you only have to look at the St. Louis Blues’ success in drafting, developing, and acquiring d-men.  Joel Edmundson is a 2nd round draft-pick from 2011 who will be an RFA this summer and is playing on the top pair with Alex Pieterangelo.  Pieterangelo was acquired via the draft in 2008, 4th overall, and anchors the top pairing.

In the 3 spot there is veteran Jay Bouwmeester partnered with towering 3rd round revelation, Colton Parayko, who has been having a solid season to this point and (with Shattenkirk injured) has slid into the four spot on the depth chart.  This puts the St. Louis Blues in the driver’s seat as far as their blueline personnel goes.  Shattenkirk will be a UFA in 2016 – 17, but they have options.  With the young D-corps they have, they don’t need to mortgage the farm to keep him, in reality, they can let him walk.  But why let a legitimate top four defender walk when they can gain an asset?

For Shattenkirk, this is a bad situation.  If he continues to lose ice time to Parayko his stats will suffer, and that won’t help his case leading up to free agency two seasons away.  Alternatively, If he played out his contract in Edmonton, he would be playing on the top pairing all the time, feeding the likes of Mcdavid and Hall, making a 60 point plus season a very real possibility.

Could Edmonton Make a Deal Work?

For Edmonton, Shattenkirk would be a very nice fit, and solve more than a couple of problems on the Oil blueline.  The book on Shattenkirk is decent defense, and exceptional offense.  He reads plays well, has a powerful point shot, sends out accurate passes to his forwards, and quarterbacks the powerplay as good as anyone in the league.  He has registered 40 points or more in three of his last four seasons including 44 points in 56 games last year.  If he had played the full season he would have set the standard for offense from the D that season. Currently, the Oilers don’t have a defenseman that can do all those things consistently and wish they did.

How Might a Potential Deal Look?

There is no rush for St. Louis to trade Shattenkirk, but as early as December  they will likely be identifying needs for the playoffs.  If Parayko continues to fit in well on the Blueline, and there  are no major injuries, they may be looking for a deal.  Do the Oilers have assets to help them?  Currently the Blues are being hard hit by the injury bug.  Paul Stastny, Jaden Schwartz, Steve Ott, and Patrik Berglund are all in the infirmary.  They could use some depth and support there.  The Blues are always looking for more value and draft better than most, so a high pick might be worthwhile too.  Since they are losing a D-man, a defensive prospect in return might be worthwhile.  So my initial offer would be:

2016 first round pick plus Anton Lander for Kevin Shattenkirk

This is where things get risky, more for the Oilers than for the Blues.  At their current pace, the Oilers will likely again be in a high percentage lottery position and with American born phenom Auston Matthews the potential prize, that would be a lot to lose.

However, from another perspective, the Oilers aren’t likely to finish that low in the draft selection.  Even in their current funk I would see them drafting somewhere in the 6 to 8 spot.  Drafting there should be enticing enough for the Blues.  And would the Oilers be willing to give up a first rounder for a proven commodity?  At this stage I would think so.

Including Anton Lander may be an overpay but would be of interest to the Blues as they could use reinforcements on a long playoff run, especially one so proficient in winning face-offs.  And in return, the Oilers receive an offensively gifted defenseman who wouldn’t look so over his head in a top pairing spot like Sekera or Schultz.

Speaking of Schultz, Shattenkirk’s arrival could allow the Oilers make a definite decision on that player.  Playing the two on separate pairings, it would make sense that by the trade deadline they could either trade Schultz for some kind of asset, or walk away from him at the end of the season.  Either way, a trade for Shattenkirk could go a long way to solidifying a still shaky D.

But could the Oilers pull this off without giving up any part of their core?  I would think so, simply because the Oilers forward corps doesn’t match well with what the Blues are looking for, and, while Shattenkirk is an upgrade, he’s not a true number one, and therefore wouldn’t warrant the return of our top four fourwards.  Whether Chiarelli can pull a deal like this off is another question, but its a question worth asking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqVN24mtpjU

Lindsay Ryall, NHL

Beer League Heroes 15 – 16 Season Primers: Winnipeg Jets

What started out four years ago as Canadian Hockey’s feel good story has rapidly evolved to a familiar Canadian hockey script. The first few years, the fans were just happy to have a team. After that though the bunsen burner started to rise, and 2014 -15 Jets were feeling the pressure of increased expectations.

Fortunately for the Jet’s they delivered as needed in 2014-15 with a playoff appearance. Initially progress was slow, but under Paul Maurice’s guidance the Jets gained a consistency that buoyed them into their first round appearance i the 2015 playoffs. And while the Jets didn’t get a “W” in a four game sweep by the Anaheim Ducks, it was a goal that was acheived, much to the delight of Jets fans everwhere.

But that was last year, what will this years version of the Winnipeg Jets deliver? Unfortunately, it might be wise for the members of Jets nation to temper their enthusiasm, especially considering the division the Jets play in, and what upgrades their GM has provided. A brief overview of the team:

Key Additions: Alexander Burmistrov

Key Departures: Michael Frolik, Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane, Jiri Tlusty, Lee Stempniak,

Roster Contenders: Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey, Connor Hellebuyck, Andrew Copp

 

Projected Lineup:

Andrew Ladd – Bryan Little – Blake Wheeler
Alexander Burmistrov – Mark Scheifele – Drew Stafford
Adam Lowry – Mathieu Perreault – Nikolai Ehlers
Jim Slater – Andrew Copp – Matt Halischuck

Defence

Dustin Byfuglien – Jacob Trouba
Tobias Enstron – Tyler Myers
Mark Stuart – Ben Chariot

Ondrej Pavelec
Michael Hutchinson

The Winnipeg Jets have been the second favorite hockey team for most Canadian hockey fans, and for good reason.There’s not an abundance of raw talent here, but more than a dollop of try, and we like that. Unfortunately for the Jets they will need more substance to go with effort and their GM has failed miserably in providing it.

Last year, the Jets at one point had useful forwards like Michael Frolik, Lee Stempniak, and Jiri Tlusty to solidify a youthful but developing roster. All those players are gone now  with only former player Alexander Burmistrov coming back in return. Not good.

Obviously Kevin Cheveldayoff is putting a lot of trust in his prospect pool. And lucky for him, he has the best prospect depth in the NHL. One thing Cheveldayoff did do was ensure he had among the best scouting staff in the NHL and Chevy will need at least one or two of those recent draft picks to step up.

Tops on the prospect list is future great Dane, Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers is the best forward prospect this side of Connor Mcdavid and is a year older. The Jets have no shortage of size so they can surround Ehlers with Gigantic forwards for protection. Based on his other-worldly production in the Q (1.98 ppg during the seasson, 2.21 ppg in the playoffs) Ehlers is an early candidate for the Calder.

Apart from that, Andrew Copp has shown well in camp and is believed to have a shot at the fourth line center spot, but that isn’t exactly game breaker territory. On the back-end Josh Morrissey could push for a spot, but the Jets aren’t desperate on defence, so there won’t be too many changes there.

Now in goal things could get more interesting as the Jets really don’t have a clear-cut #1 goalie. Last year it was done more by committee. Huctchinson carried the ball for most of the first half and when he began to falter, passed it back to Pavelec. My prediction is that one, or both, of Pavelec and Hutchinson could start to suck slough water, at which point the door of opportunity could open for Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is in my opinion the best goalie not in the NHL and could force his way into some games. That would be a good thing for the Winnipeg Jets organization, but if their goaltending falters for any stretch, that might hurt their chances for a consecutive appearance in the post-season.

So overall, the Jets have a decent top 9. Season highlights to watch for would be Scheifele continuing to take charge of the team, Burmistrov to make a strong return, and Ehlers to push for the Calder. But is it enough? Maybe, but they are in the league’s toughest division and don’t appear to have improved enough to keep pace. It’s hard count out a team coached by Paul Maurice but I would foresee the Jets finishing just outside of the playoff cut in the 93 -95 point range.

A developing subplot to the season will be looming UFA’s Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. Look for Chevy’s lethargic decision-making to cost the Jets one or possibly both of these players and finally take some real heat from management.