I figured that I’d better get this out before more trades get made and the 1st rounders start getting bandied about. I did a mock up of all nine of the Oilers picks here if you’re interested.
So here is my mock draft of the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. It’s a quick one because the profiles have been written and re-written over and over again. If you’re curious about a player’s profile I suggest you head over to The Hockey Writers or Steve Kournianos’ website. Lowetide also does a very nice job cleaning up all the noise in his posts on the draft.
Tor – Auston Matthews (C) Zurich Lions – 6’2″ 216lbs
Wpg – Patrik Laine (LW) Tappara – 6’4″ 201lbs
Clb – Matthew Tkachuk (LW) London Knights – 6’2″ 188lbs
You have no idea how hard these mock drafts get as the picks go on.
For the most part I took a look at each team’s prospect cupboards over at Hockey’s Future and took into account what they needed. It’s not brain surgery. If a team has the option of choosing for need, then fill a hole. If they can afford to take the best player available, voila! Take said BPA.
Feel free to comment on my picks in the comments below!
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This isn’t a mock of the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. It’s a mock up of who I’d pick in all seven rounds for the Edmonton Oilers. Much the same as what Lowetide does leading up to the draft on his site.
So what I did the other night was go through some of the sites I trust when it comes to the draft and the sites that had an extensive draft rankings list for reference. Those include:
Lowetide
The Draft Analyst
Draftsite
The Hockey Writers
I haven’t purchased my draft guides as of yet so that’s why you’re not seeing such
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resources such as McKeen’s, Hockey Prospect, ISS, or Red Line. It’s just me going through the lists from the top 250 or seven round mocks from the respected websites above. God bless the men that do these up to because it is a shit ton of work to do.
My method to the madness was going through these lists with and picking out the players they selected for the Oilers in their mock or the players that fell on the Oilers draft pick. You can see them below.
The actual draft pick numbers are still iffy. At draftsite.com they’ve got the Oilers at different draft spots than say Lowetide’s or Steve Kournianos’ and I think that is due to the Stanley Cup Final not being finished yet but Bill Plazcek is making an educated guess as to where those draft picks will end up. The picks in question are the ones the Oilers got from Pittsburgh and Florida in the 3rd round.
You can click on the names above each list and be taken to the site to which they originated. There you can read the write-ups on each player. Lowetide’s and The Draft Analyst’s are the best, Draft Site is a bit of crap shoot as not every player has a report done up for them and The Hockey Writers’ is just a list.
Now it took me a good three or four hours of scouring over the names and lists to finally decide what nine players I’d draft if I were the Oilers. The parameters I used where:
The Oilers are in dire need of righties in nearly every position.
Defense
Wing
Centre
The team needs offensive players coming up through the system to replace the Hall’s and the Eberle’s down the line.
The team’s goaltending depth is in shambles.
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Hockey’s Future says the Oilers have size and strength coming through the pipeline and multi-faceted wingers but it lacks depth at centre, a true powerplay QB, and an “elite” goaltender.
In my opinion the team did well to address character and players who play an “honest” hockey game when they drafted Ethan Bear, Mitch Moroz, David Musil, and Jujhar Khaira. But as I said above, the team really doesn’t have any true offensive wizards coming up. No Oliver Bjorkstrands or William Nylanders, Brandon Montours or Ville Pokkas, and it needs them coming through.
So here is my list of players I’d like to see the Edmonton Oilers draft at the end of the month in Buffalo.
Hayden Fleury and Matthew Tkachuk exchange pleasantries during the first period. Fleury took a two minute roughing call on the play. Rob Wallator/CHL Images
#4 – Matthew Tkachuk (LW), London (OHL), 6’1″ 195lbs, 57gp 30g 77a 107pts (NHLe: 49.25) Tkachuk here is a no-brainer for me. The NHL is turning into a thinking man’s game and from all accounts Tkachuk is the smartest guy in the draft. During the combine he interviewed well and from the clips I seen of him, he’s very confident. Bob Stauffer did mention on Oilers Now this week that Tkachuk’s teammates said he was the glue that kept the team together. A man who can mix with the skillers and the grinders.
One thing that sealed the deal for me is something I heard from a scout when comparing Tkachuk and Pierre Luc Dubois. He said, and I’m paraphrasing here a bit, that Dubois can go looking for trouble whereas Tkachuk lets the trouble come to him. Perfect. With the way that the Oilers’ powerplay is going to be wrecking the NHL in the future, having players like Tkachuk and Caggiula on the team goating the opposition into penalties sounds A-OK to me.
With McDavid, Draisaitl, Hall, Nuge, Yak and Eberle currently on the roster, there’s no room for more drivers on this bus. I know that some of them will be moved this summer but the way that Tkachuk complimented Mitch Marner this past season bodes very well if he were to lineup alongside Connor McDavid in the future.
Lastly, he’s clutch.
#32 – Nathan Bastian (C/RW), Mississuaga (OHL), 6’4″ 208lbs, 64gp 19g 40a 59pts (NHLe: 24.19) A right-handed beast of a forward who’s got a reputation for doing everything well but nothing elite. Bastian was the muscle on a ridiculously talented draft eligible line in Mississauga alongside Mike McLeod and Alex Nylander.
The reason I like Nathan Bastian for the Oilers here, and I struggled deciding between him and Cliff Pu, is because he’s a right-handed 5-tool man who can play wing or centre and from all accounts Bastian can play the game any way you want to. In short, the versatility and ability to play with high-end forwards is appealing.
“He’s 6’4, 210lbs and can play any forward position, providing a lot of versatility to a lineup. He’s also a great two-way player and a physical asset who is especially effective at using his body to gain possession in the offensive end.
Offensively, his biggest asset is his vision and playmaking ability, something that’s not common for a power forward.
If you’re patient, you might have a 6’4 two-way center who can really control the possession game and be a physical nightmare to matchup against.” – Brock Otten (OHL Prospects)
#62 – Frederic Allard (RD), Chicoutimi (QMJHL), 6’1″ 179lbs, 64gp 14g 59pts (NHLe: 19.65) Peter Chiarelli is not known to go for players from the QMJHL on a regular basis but if Allard is available at 62, I think it’s a slam dunk he get this guy.
Federic Allard is a right-handed two-way defender who has shown a knack for putting up some points. It’s the “Q” albeit but nevertheless good prospects put up offense in junior. His size isn’t a concern although he could put on some weight. The assets that really convinced me of Allard came in the quotes from this report:
“Frédéric Allard is the General of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on and off the ice.
On the ice, Frédéric was the guy calling and running the plays, particularly on the power play. Off the ice, he was the go to guy for the younger guys, particularly the young defense crew, for advice and support. He has an infectious likeability that makes others want to follow his lead.”
A power play quarterback with a right-handed shot; one who has produced the same level of offense or better as the top three ranked defensemen in the 2016 draft –Mikhail Sergachev, Olli Juolevi and Jeff Chychrun
The leadership and work ethic of those who are successful and that a good team depends on. He has the ability to develop the chemistry that winning teams have.
The will and ability to get better. Just ask Brent Burns what that can do to a fellow’s game over time.
The will to battle (think medium-sized dog that goes for the bone with the tenaciousness to get it) and the calmness and poise under pressure. – Eldon MacDonald (The Hockey Writers)
#83 – David Quenneville (RD), Medicine Hat (WHL), 5’8″ 183lbs, 64gp 14g 41a 55pts (NHLe: 19.02) Quenneville is an undersized right-handed offensive defenseman who gained some of the spotlight during the U-18s from major draft prospects like Jakob Chychrun, Logan Stanley, and Dante Fabbro according to Steve Kournianos.
My research has brought me to the conclusion that David Quenneville is a Ryan Ellis/Tyler Spurgeon hybrid. His shot tends to get to the net more often than not, he’s a great puck-mover, and he’s not afraid to play physical.
“Quenneville has put up big scoring numbers and is one of the more skilled offensive defensemen in this year’s draft. He’s a very agile skater who can escape pressure well and activate into the attack. His puck moving is exceptional. He thinks the game quickly, has the hands to evade pressure, and doesn’t shy away from getting up into the attack. He doesn’t have a cannon from the point, but he always finds a way to get it on net and create issues for the opposition. Despite his size, I’ve seen Quenneville throw an occasional big hit, and he doesn’t shy away from puck battles. Defensively, he’s not a huge hole due to his IQ, but his size limits what he can do there.” – Corey Pronman (source)
I like David Quenneville because he’s yet another piece the Oilers are lacking and I’m not sure if Joey LaLeggia is going to pan out as he’s a lot closer to 25 years old that I’d prefer and he’s yet to get any traction in the NHL.
The best profile on the Edmonton-born defenseman comes from Chris Dilks here. I recommend you check it out.
Rob Walltor / CHL Images
#90 – Tyler Parsons (G), London (OHL), 6’1″ 184lbs, 49gp 2.33GAA .920 SV% The Oilers depth at the netminding position could be described as “shallow” and that’d be a compliment. Laurent Brossoit is “that” close to becoming a full-time backup but behind him are newly signed college free agent Nick Ellis, Finnish project Eetu Laurikainen, with Zach Nagelvoort and Miro Svoboda requiring the spirit of Terry Sawchuk to possess them in order to have a chance at becoming Edmonton Oilers.
I love the way Parsons played during the Memorial Cup. Big time performances when the stakes were at their highest. The reports tell me stylistically he’s similar to Jonathan Quick in that he’s got reflexes like a cat and I dig that in a big way.
Will he be available at #90? Do you believe in miracles?
“He’s a true competitor who never gives up on a play. He tracks the puck exceptionally well and as such, his reaction time and ability to make that “highlight reel” save is fantastic.” – Brock Otten (OHL Prospects)
#122 – Hudson Elynuik (C/LW) – Spokane (WHL), 6’5″ 201lbs, 56gp 19g 25a 44pts (NHLe: 17.39) I’ll be honest, the further down in the draft lists I went, the harder it got and as I look back at my list, I’m noticing a lot of sons of former NHLers.
With Elynuik I noticed his size and point production. It was a breakout year for him and by the looks of his stat sheet, he might be a tad fragile. He’s a pivot that can also float to the wing if need be. Chiarelli is building a team that will not be trifled with, a team that will win the possession battle through pure strength. Hudson Elynuik is part of that solution.
“Hudson Elynuik is considerably taller than his father, and at 6-foot-5-inches he is an extremely intriguing NHL Draft prospect. He has an excellent shot. His wrist shot is heavy and accurate, and features a very good release. Elynuik gets himself open in the offensive zone in order to take a pass from a teammate and set up for that shot. He also has a powerful one-timer. Elynuik also has the soft hands to finish plays in tight to the net, and is more than willing to battle for position to do so. He bangs in rebounds, gets tip-ins, and generally causes havoc down low. Elynuik is not a huge hitter, but he uses his size to win battles on the boards, to establish his position in front of the net; and to protect the puck in the cycle game and create plays for teammates. Elynuik plays a very straight forward game. His assists come from keeping possession and keeping the play going on the cycle. He is not the most creative playmaker, but does have the passing skills to make the safe and simple plays.” – Ben Kerr (Last Word On Sports)
#148 – Filip Berglund (RD) – Skelleftea AIK J20 (SWE J20), 6’3″ 209lbs, 43gp 19g 22a 41pts (NHLe: 15.63) It was hard enough to find info on Elynuik, I had to contact a writer in Sweden to talk about Berglund and he didn’t even know about the overage draft-eligible Swede. What he did say though is that Skelleftea is a player producing factory (Adam Larsson, Melker Karlsson, Oscar Lindberg) and that Berglund should get some serious minutes with the pro team this year.
Filip Berglund’s size, shooting hand, and production in Sweden’s junior league impress me the most. Apparently he had some issues with injuries early on in his career but is over them now.
If the Oilers drafted Allard, Quenneville, and Berglund; they’d need not worry about right-handed dmen for some time. Of course there’s no guarantee any of them would work out but it would offer a layer of comfort the team doesn’t have at the moment.
#152 – Ty Amonte (RW) – Thayer Academy HS (USA – HS MA), 5’11” 185lbs, 30gp 17g 53a 70pts (NHLe: 15.3) Ty Amonte is the son of retired NHL All-Star and Olympian Tony Amonte. The right-winger won the John Carlton Memorial Award for being the top male high school player in Eastern Massachusetts joining past winners Charlie Coyle, Brian Boyle, Cory Schneider, and Ted Donato.
The skinny on Ty is he’s a hard worker, possesses a good shot but is more of a playmaker. His skating needs work but he’s not afraid to play a physical game.
The way I see him is that he’s a late pick that has his eyes set on a NCAA career before anything, which is fine by me because as it stands Amonte is a project at best and could use the extra development. Not only that but I put a tad bit more pedigree in bloodlines.
Amonte is committed to Boston University for the 2017/18 season and according to this report, next season he’ll be suiting up for the Penticton Vees. Here are some highlights.
#182 – Rodrigo Abols (C/LW) – Portland (WHL), 6’5″ 188lbs, 62gp 20g 29a 49pts (NHLe: 17.49) The overage Latvian was supposed to be drafted last year but got passed over and then the Canucks tried to sign him ala the “Tkachev” route and were shut down. Don’t know if he’d last this long with Vancouver’s hard-on for him but if he did, I’d have zero issues with the Oilers picking him up.
“Rodrigo Abols is a big guy who does not shy away from pinning a few guys to the board. It is not as if Abols is a lanky guy who does not have the weight to hit with, either. At 185 pounds, he is a legitimate NHL body.
Secondly, he has great speed and hands that have been displayed at the international level. His fluid skating is deceptive at times and his hands are quick when they need to be. His hard shot also compliments his skill set very well.” – David Joun (source)
Conclusion
So at the beginning I said the team needed:
righties: check!
offensive players: check! (barely)
goaltending: check!
After the first round the selections should be about addressing team needs. This team needs as many right-handed shooters as it can get its hands on. Most notably on the back-end but with the forwards are lacking as well. If the name of the game is balance, then this is the way to go about it. Right-handers have more perceived value due to lack of supply. If I recall correctly, it’s about a 60/40 split in terms of lefties to righties and until that number evens out I reckon it’d be good on the Oilers, or any NHL team for that matter, to invest heavily in them.
I put a lot of emphasis on size with my picks now that I look back at it and I believe that would fall in line with what Chiarelli is trying to do with this team. If they can develop the Lucic’s or the world, he won’t have to sign them or he can trade them to the GM’s who still stuck in 1991. I don’t have any problems with the skillers, in fact I love watching them but I just feel that the Oilers are about to become a team everyone hates to play against, whether that be due to the likes of Hall, McDavid, and Draisaitl beating them on the scoresheet or due to Maroon, Nurse, and Kassian attempting to murder them on a nightly basis.
The transformation is coming. Embrace it.
I have no idea where any of these players will land and I’m probably way off base with where I’ve got players going apart from say Tkachuk. Maybe. I’ve just been making semi-educated guesses and the whole blogging thing is all for fun anyhow. Fan speculation at its finest. So don’t believe a word I say. Go out, do the legwork, and create your own opinion on the players.
Milan Lucic is sort of the physical embodiment of what Peter Chiarelli stated from the get-go needed to happen in Edmonton. He wanted to get bigger, more competitive players… I do think if he goes to free agency the Oilers are going to have a solid opportunity to bring him in, but they’re going to have to move somebody out in the process because they’ve got to address that back-end as well. – Bob Stauffer (June 3rd Edition of Inside Sports w/Reid Wilkins)
Well Stauffer is making waves again. If you believe what he’s saying above and that Lucic has been in Chiarelli’s sights from the beginning, we’re in for one of the biggest team culture changes since Gretzky was sold. Out with the skill and in with the ill… Tempered. Hockey player.
Now if you read into that quote above a bit, there are two players and only two players on the left-wing that fit the description of somebody that has to be moved to address the back-end.
Taylor Hall ($6M until 2020) and Benoit Pouliot ($4M until 2018).
I’m of the impression that Pouliot was nearly traded to Anaheim along with Yakupov for a mystery return. We’re left assuming it was Vatanen and Maroon. Maroon finally made it over and it seems that he’s taken a liking to Pouliot’s old spot on the roster next to Connor McDavid.
During the season I got the distinct feeling that Oilers head coach Todd McLellan became frustrated with Taylor Hall on more than one occasion and the rumours are running rampant that Hall is joining the list as one of the players most likely to be leaving Edmonton this summer.
To clarify the speculation by @Bob_Stauffer on Inside Sports: More than 50% chance one of Hall/RNH traded. Less than 20% chance Eb traded.
TSN’s Frank Seravalli spoke about Hall, Nuge, Ebs, Yakupov, and the Oilers’ 1st rounder in the upcoming NHL draft on Friday’s edition of The Lowdown with Lowetide.
Here’s the thing. IF the Oilers are intending on signing Milan Lucic to a 6x6M deal (for example), that is going to change the complection of the roster completely. The Oilers have almost always been a run and gun, throw defense to the wind sort of team. And it’s gotten them a whole lot of nothing in the last 10 years and now with McDavid running the show and the team failing to rebuild around Taylor Hall, will we see him moved to upgrade the defense? Will the Oilers finally get that brooding power forward that the fans have been clambering for since Bill Guerin and Jason Arnott were in Edmonton?
I want to throw a hypothetical at you.
Say that Lucic to the Oilers is a done deal. Now the team chooses to move Hall because theoretically he’s going to bring you back the most value. The Oilers could choose to go after PK Subban before his NMC kicks in. But do you think they could get Subban for Hall straight up? I don’t. I think they’d have to add simply because wingers don’t have the value that defensemen do. Subban is a Norris Trophy winner and they’ve already got Pacioretty running the cart on the Habs 1st line LW.
The Habs love trading their captains mind you.
So, we move on from PK. Erik Karlsson isn’t going anywhere, so you can scratch that idea off the board. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, no… Drew Doughty, no… Victor Hedman, no… Basically any elite level NHL defenseman is a target to far to reach because there are ZERO teams looking to move their no.1 dmen. Name two if you can. The only one I can think of is Montreal and they’re insane. But we’ve been hearing a lot about four other dmen.
Hampus Lindholm (ANH) – RFA. Can’t see the Ducks adding Hall’s salary nor losing their best young blueliner to a division rival and for the same reason, I can’t see Edmonton wanting to play Hall six times a year.
Jacob Trouba (WPG) – RFA. It’s possible that maybe something could be struck with the Jets but Trouba has fallen off a bit lately and hasn’t recovered. Also, he’s looking for 1st pairing money ($6M/yr) and that isn’t happening.
Tyson Barrie (COL) – RFA. He’s at the top of the trade rumour charts at the moment but with Landeskog, Duchene, MacKinnon, etc. Do the Avs want to add another expensive young forward? Surely they’re going to want to add a defender.
Justin Faulk (CAR) – ($4.83M AAV ’til 2019) Here is a team that is in dire need of an impact forward and according to some pundits in the YEG, the ‘Canes are ready to put their faith in the likes of Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin, Noah Hanifin, Ron Hainsey, Michal Jordan and James Wisniewski…
So for argument’s sake, at the draft, let’s say the Carolina Hurricanes are willing to offer the Oilers a multitude of deals such as:
A) Justin Faulk and their two first-round picks in 2016 (#13 and 21)
B) Justin Faulk, Sebastian Aho (W/C), and a 2nd round pick in 2016 (#43)
C) Noah Hanifin
We know that the Oilers prospect cupboard isn’t teeming with burgeoning NHLers right now apart from MAYBE Drake Caggiula, Jujhar Khaira, and Jordan Oesterle but that could change. I’m aware that trading Hall for anything less than Alex Ovechkin will probably result in a drop in some offensive and possession stats and I’m okay with that because I believe the team would grow as a group a bit more if there was one less chef in the kitchen. No stats to prove that of course and I suppose you can’t change what you can’t track but if trades were made with calculators at the forefront, wouldn’t they be easier to make?
Anyways, say they choose option A. The Oilers would have the #4, #13, and #21 theoretically. They could come away from the draft with a completely re-stocked prospect cupboard. Not only that but Chiarelli would totally redeem himself of last season’s draft trade debacle.
#4 – Matt Tkachuk/Jesse Puljujarvi/PL Dubois/Jakob Chychrun
#13 – Charlie McAvoy/Mike McLeod/Julien Gauthier/Clayton Keller
#21 – Max Jones/Tyler Benson/Alex Debrincat/German Rubtsov
Not only that but then the Oilers hold the #32 pick as well where they could pick Carter Hart, Boris Katchouck, Lucas Johansen, or Cliff pu.
But it doesn’t stop there because they’ve got three 3rd round picks to boot! The likes of Sean Day, David Quenville, Evan Fitzpatrick, James Greenway, etc. could be Oilers.
They could also choose to move those draft picks for roster players. But the more bullets Chiarelli has in the chamber, the better the Oilers’ chances are of finding a hockey player that will play 100 games for them in the future.
But take this overhaul a step further and say they sign 27-year-old Jason Demers to a respectable 5yr deal worth $4.75M per annum. That’s more than doubling what he makes now. So then you plug Demers into that hole on the 2nd pairing above and voila! A respectable Edmonton Oilers roster that is capable of challenging for a playoff spot and arguably more importantly, the roster is built in such a way that it allows it’s prospects the necessary time to develop properly.
Let me know if I’ve missed anything but the fictional Oilers roster would look like this after all is said and done:
A couple of drawbacks (depending on how you see it) include having a hair over 950k in cap room, no way to sign a backup keeper for Talbot, no RH’d one-timer off of the wall on the PP, and a shat ton of LH shooters…
I think the team could save some money by LTIR-ing Ference and/or trading Reinhart.
Peter Chiarelli is bound to make the Oilers roster one that teams fear playing against and at the moment, they are not that… At all… If Hall or Nuge, Ebs or Yak have to go, then so be it. I welcome a change to the make-up of this team because for ten years they men running the show have been trying the same thing over and over and it simply isn’t working. You NEVER build a team from the wings inwards… And I’d prefer the wingers be dealt before the centers personally but that’s a conversation for another day.
Draft day, please hurry.
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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!
A lesser man would tell you he told you so with regards to Hall not making Team Canada but I’ll do no such thing. I got the news in a hungover stupor on vacation that Hall was out for the Canadians and Nugent-Hopkins was in for the U24 North Americans. Interesting….
No Taylor Hall for Team Canada this time around, maybe he’ll pull an Yzerman and be ready in his late 20’s.
My Thoughts on Hall and Team Canada
The following is going to come off as pretty anti-Hall but they’re just observations. I’ll admit Hall hasn’t been my favourite player since he’s come into the league and I’ve let my opinions be known on plenty of occasions. That being said, I am starting to see his game change for the better. So he may very well work his way into my good books and onto at least one Team Canada before it’s all said and done.
Taylor Hall wasn’t “snubbed” as some media and fans like to put it. He didn’t have a good NHL season and he doesn’t fit the mold of the players that Mike Babcock and his GMs prefer. Simple as that. Moral of the story: It’s better to slump at the beginning of the year than the end of it.
What kind of players does Babcock prefer? Well Subban, Letang, and Perry were all left off as well. Flash and dash can stay home.
Some say Hall is being punished by playing on a bad team. If that’s the case, why is Matt Duchene making the team? The Avalanche haven’t been a pillar of success recently.
He’s had a good couple of World Championships. Really?
The last two WC’s have been played on a larger ice surface thus allowing Hall way more room to use his best assets, his skating and playmaking. So he gets to carry the puck longer and he gets more time to set things up. Of course it looks like he’s playing well.
This year all of his points but one were accrued against the likes of France, Slovakia, Germany, and Bulgaria…
He only scored 1 point in his final four games which were played against Sweden, Finland (x2), and the USA…
A lot of folk on the Twitter machine say that Team Canada is making a mistake not naming Hall to the team but if you haven’t noticed, the men tasked with creating the roster have a bloody good track record when it comes to winning international events, no?
So it’s no surprise to me that the team went with Thornton and Marchand (Both whom I said would be better options than Hall back in March), Duchene (Who looked much better than Hall in the Gold Medal Final at the WC vs. Finland), and Giroux (This selection I’m a little perplexed by due to the surgery he’s just undergone that will keep him out for up to 12 weeks).
To me it looks like Hockey Canada was going with the hot hands. Marchand was a scoring and shooting beast this year and Joe Thornton had an outstanding season at the age of 36. I can’t speak for Duchene and Giroux though.
But I am surprised that Corey Perry didn’t make it. Maybe his dirty ways have caught up to him a bit.
Ryan O’Reilly not being named was also a little shocking.
Team Canada named 11 centers? There’s a positional shift coming I believe. The days of the “Natural” (fill in the position here) are slowly dying off. In the future players will have to be able to play all positions minus the netminder.
You can see it when we talk about Tkachuk vs. Dubois.
Some people will pump Dubois’ tires because he can play centre AND wing. It’s not such a bad thing. It’ll force players to be better skaters, better thinkers of the game and better 200ft players.
We also see it with defensemen. What happened to the strictly offensive defender or the dman that was specifically a shut-down player.
Now it’s “two-way” blueliners that can skate, move the puck, and think the game at a higher level. Physicality is fine but not required as much as it was in the past.
Team North America
Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Auston Matthews were the final forwards named to the U24’s.
Scheifele I have zero problems with. He was a defensive stud for Canada at the WC’s. Played a very smart game with Ryan O’Reilly, and Mark Stone.
Jonathan Drouin’s selection must infuriate a lot of people given he only played during the playoffs. But even so, he was one of the best players in the playoffs and completely filled the hole left by Stamkos’ absence.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ experience and two-way game get him on this team but I reckon it was barely. He’s still rehabbing a hand injury, so here’s to hoping he’s got that sorted out by the beginning of the tourney.
Auston Matthews… This is going to be fun. Who else sees him playing with Gaudreau and Eichel?
Matt Murray will be the no.1 goalie going into this. He got his NHL team further than John Gibson got the Ducks. That position went from the team’s no.1 question to no question at all.
The entire team is going to be a lot of fun and I think that if one were to be a betting person, they’d bet on a Team Canada/Team North America Final. I haven’t checked but is that even possible?
The Draft
Matthew Tkachuk scores the 2016 Memorial Cup game winning goal in OT😱👏🏻 https://t.co/AizhqjlaTe
— All Things Hockey (@weareallhockey) May 30, 2016
Matty Tkachuk was hurt the entire Memorial Cup but still found a way to scored the overtime game-winning goal to win the tournament for London… Gotta love the balls on this guy. Would’ve loved to watch the game… Lucky Zach Laing…
I’m torn on what the Oilers should do with that pick. I’m a draft geek at heart and using it on Tkachuk would not bother me one bit. Trading it outright would piss me off and trading down with it would leave me unsettled given the high probability the pick and/or player acquired could fail.
Recently on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, Jim Matheson said, and I’m paraphrasing so don’t quote me, that unless PK Subban was part of a deal; he couldn’t see the Oilers dealing down. Now that doesn’t mean the 4th overall for PK Subban, just a trade involving those pieces.
If I’m not mistaken, the Oilers trading down at the draft has not been a story book filled with wonderment and happy endings as it is. I say take Tkachuk and laugh all the way home about it.
Here are my top 5 options for the Oilers at no.4 overall
Matthew Tkachuk (LW) – grit, smarts, and size.
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C/LW) – powerhouse that plays multiple positions.
Mikhail Sergachev (RD) – apparently has the highest ceiling and is a lefty but plays right side.
Alexander Nylander (LW/RW) – creative mastermind that can play either wing.
Olli Juolevi (LD) – cool and calm, very good puck mover.
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