Tag Archives: NHL Trade Deadline

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

Davidson on the Block According to Friedman

“The Oilers don’t want to lose [Davidson] for nothing. I think there’s some interest in him,” Friedman said Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. “And especially since they have to sign the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl and Russell in the next little while.

“I think there’s going to be some talk around Davidson’s name.” – Elliotte Friedman (source)

This shouldn’t be news to anybody but I’m not convinced that Davidson would be lost to Vegas in the expansion draft and with today’s recall of Griffin Reinhart, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually the former 4th overall pick that was selected instead of Davidson who’s been having a very difficult time since having Dustin Byfuglien take out his knee last March.

Look, we loved him last season because he was a great hockey story and he was playing out of this world for a team that desperately needed a defender like him at that time. He’s not that player this year so far. I’m guessing he gets the push to the 2nd pairing alongside Sekera for the game against Montreal and his performance will tell me what I need to know with regards to his future if that is indeed where he gets deployed. #SmallSampleSize

We know that Colorado and Arizona have been scouting the Oilers quite a bit recently and it’s possible that both teams have pieces that would interest Edmonton. Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal, Mark Stone, Jarome Iginla, Joe Colborne, etc. have been mentioned in rumor mills and media spots over the last month or so.

The Oilers are looking for a right-handed centre, a back-up goalie, and possibly a right-handed dman for the PP.

I hope he does VERY well so that he brings the team a bit more at the deadline but the fact is, if Chiarelli can find a buyer, Davidson will be plying his trade with another team come March 2nd, 2017.

MARK FAYNE 

Somebody who won’t be playing for another NHL team, nevermind his own, is Mark Fayne. He was overlooked when the swift-skating Jordan Oesterle and the possibly emerging Griffin Reinhart were recalled to Edmonton instead of him. Some folks are just flabbergasted by this and I am not one of them.

Mr.Leavins has it right and my argument is IF Mark Fayne was really THAT good, he’d be in the NHL but he’s not and no amount of numbers from the time he spent in New Jersey will untie the piano from his ass and make him an NHL-level dman in 2017. Just because he shoots right-handed doesn’t make him the right man for the job.

You might argue that Eric Gryba is no better a defenseman and you may be partially right from a mobility viewpoint but here are some stats from stats.hockeyanalysis.com. These are the 5×5 numbers from the 2015/16 season.

As you can see, there is very little difference in the numbers of the fancy variety to make an educated judgment. Mark Fayne make nearly $4M dollars annually (Thanks, previous regime!!) and Gryba brings home a paltry 950k per year. So that’s another strike against Fayne. There is one more thing that puts Gryba over the top and I believe it’s his ability to fit into Chiarelli’s team profile.

There is one more thing that puts Gryba over the top and I believe it’s his ability to fit into Chiarelli’s team profile.

It’s a funny thing when the Oilers starting adding all these “Glue Guys” to the dressing room what has happened. The team has actually started to come together. Respect amongst your teammates is so important when going into battle night in and night out. Russell, Gryba, Maroon, Kassian, Hendricks, Nurse, Larsson, and Lucic are all players that do that and I’m a happier Oilers fan that they’re on my team and not another. How are those players doing that were moved this summer anyhow? Stanley Cup Finals-bound, I’m sure.

TWITTER

I’ve had a pretty interesting weekend, to say the least on Twitter. Former Oilogosphere icon Dennis King decided that he’d come out of nowhere and have a go at me and was tossing out his usual smart-ass comments but didn’t like it when I threw them back at him resulting in him blocking me. Matt Henderson decided to go the same route after I called him out for being a hate monger.

For those that do know me or have followed me online for some time, you’d know that I’m not the type to go this far on a consistent basis, but I felt compelled in this instance due to Henderson’s mightier than thou attitude. He let the mob get to him and you can’t do that when you’re in a position such as his. I could’ve just let him stew in his own juices, which in hindsight might’ve been a better and more mature option but the “I hate bad players and the people who like them.” comment really irked me and I feel justified in letting Matt know how I felt in a public forum. Hate has no place within the Oilogosphere that I participate in let alone in the world.

Now I’m not showing these to you because I want you to feel sorry or because I want you to go and give Henderson and King a piece of your mind. But there is a tone that one can use whilst participating on the socials that will get you in a lot of shit and you’ll lose the respect of your peers if you decide to utilize it. Of course, this only matters if you actually value and respect those around you.

I implore you to ignore your ego when it comes to pushing on closed doors. There’s a reason those doors are closed and shackled with the locks of arrogance and ignorance. I don’t claim to be any better than the boys below but I do hope that by seeing this you might not go down the same route as myself or Henderson/King.

We all have our opinions and hills to die on but being an asshole online rarely gets you where you want to go in life or otherwise. If you ever feel like I’m being a dick with my posts or tweets, let me know!

What do you think about the Davidson availability and Mark Fayne debate? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Oilers Trade Deadline Rumblings

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Just listening to this morning’s Oilers Now! and Mark Spector and Bob Stauffer are talking about what the Oilers should do at the deadline. Stauffer did mention that Colorado is scouting the Oilers heavily and Mark Spector has said that he wouldn’t send Pouliot (and his contract), a 1st rounder, and a prospect for UFA Martin Hanzal. Both Stauffer and probably every Oilers fan (including myself) agree, that’s a massive overpayment.

How much would Hanzal cost the Oilers?

Elliotte Friedman said in his latest 3o thoughts:

1. We’ve been hearing about high prices for rentals. Word is Arizona’s initial ask from Montreal for Martin Hanzal was Michael McCarron and two draft picks — one a first-rounder, the other conditional. I look at it this way: You never know until you ask. But it also tells you why Hanzal is not a Canadien. We’ll see if both teams circle back.

What Stauffer did do was compare Hanzal to Antoine Vermette, this is an astute comparison I believe. Now, basic stats aside, if we just take a look at the two players and agree that they’re specialty is winning faceoffs and that that is a cog that the Oilers are currently missing, we’re good to go.

Vermette cost the Chicago Blackhawks a prospect and a 1st rounder back in 2015 and I’d be willing to bet there’s an NHL team out there that would pay a similar price for Hanzal’s services. I’d hope the Oilers aren’t one of them though because I don’t believe they are at that point in the team’s development to be mortgaging the future for short-term gains. I mean look at where the team has gone without a player like Hanzal.

I get that every team’s goal is to win but if the team is actually winning, why go out and mess with what’s already there? I mean, IF the Oilers really wanted to go out and pick Hanzal up, would the Coyotes be interested in Brandon Davidson and a package centred around him? We’ve heard Michael Stone’s name bandied about in connection with the Oilers in the past, would the Coyotes take Pouliot plus for Stone and Hanzal?

It makes no sense for Edmonton to move out a ton of assets for players who won’t (assumingly) be on the team next year unless they are impact players like Kevin Shattenkirk.

That being said, I have heard that the Oilers ARE in on Hanzal. So, take that for what you will.

Moving on to a quote from Stauffer:

“Danny Lapierre from COL, another team that’s really tight financially, they don’t spend a lot of money. I can’t recall in the last four years seeing COL scout the Oilers in back to back games in different cities. 

COL needs defense, that’s no question. They need a lot of things… I know they’ve got a little bit of an analytics push there as well” – Stauffer

First off, who’d want to be scouting the Oilers B2B in different cities in the past 4 years? Lol. But I do find it interesting that Stauffer tossed that little tidbit about analytics in there at the end.

Could the Avalanche have interest in Mark Fayne, Benoit Pouliot, or Brandon Davidson? Are there any players in COL that Edmonton would like to bring in? I mean apart from the obvious ones.

Slumping centre Joe Colborne’s name has been surfacing lately. Former Bruin Carl Soderberg as well. I’ve always liked John Mitchell. Could the Oilers use an energy winger like for Shark Matt Nieto?

The key players (assets) for the Oilers at the deadline are, in my opinion, Benoit Pouliot, Brandon Davidson, and Mark Fayne.

The Oilers are desperate to move Mark Fayne’s contract. He’s basically being paid big league dollars to rehab Griffin Reinhart’s fledgling career at the moment and doing a fine job might I add but that’s too much money to be playing in the AHL. The Oilers need that money off of the books so that they can give it to the handful of RFAs needing re-signing this summer. If Mark Fayne could skate like Kris Russell, I imagine he’d be in Edmonton instead of the Caroline Kid.

Brandon Davidson SHOULD be picked up by Las Vegas or at least that is the narrative we’re being fed by the online community and MSM. I don’t believe it. He’s injury prone and hasn’t been able to get back to the level he was at last season. I think Vegas will have plenty of chances to select a better player in the expansion draft.

Benoit Pouliot has really found his niche on the wing with Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle. He’s been playing like a man possessed recently and it’s made me forget about the first 40 games of the year where he was invisible apart from taking shitty penalties from time to time. We’ve been treated to his ferocious forecheck for a couple of weeks now and one really has to wonder if it’d be a good idea to move him out before the playoffs? Would you be comfortable with Pouliot’s risk/reward ratio in the playoffs? How would Nuge/Eberle play without that big winger going in and doing the dirty work for them? Not that they are adverse to getting in there themselves, but it looks like the line is better when Pouliot is doing it.

Could Anton Slepyshev replace Benoit Pouliot? He’s not one to take unnecessary penalties and I’d say he’s on par in the skills and size department. One major plus in Slepy’s column is that his contract is a million times better. Contracts going forward are important, right? Price points and balance is how this team will be set up for long-term success.

What will happen with Jesse Puljujarvi is one last point I’d like to make. How much progress will he have to make in Bakersfield in order for the Oilers to feel comfortable enough in moving an NHL player so that he can be brought up to play in said player’s stead? From what I’ve seen of his play in the AHL, he needs to spend the whole season there and possibly part of next before he’s brought up and given significant minutes.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Friedman, Seravalli, Soria, and Thomas on Shattenkirk and the Oilers

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Good Evening Oilers fans! The team is 7 pts out of 1st place… IN THE ENTIRE NHL!!! Good times. Good times.

I want to talk about Kevin Shattenkirk this morning because it’s not like everybody else isn’t, right? But difference being, I just woke up and I now get to review the radio hits and blogs to scour for quotes, to which I’ll provide to you below as well as a new t-shirt design!!! If you’re a Kris Russell fan, you should dig the new design!

Quotes on Kevin Shattenkirk

Alex Thomas on Lowetide 1/19/17 

“I think it depends on the asking price. I’m not sure if I’m willing to give up this year’s 1st round pick and then something else if I’m not going to be able to re-sign Kevin Shattenkirk. Now, I don’t think the Oilers will get a commitment from him no matter how hard they try before they trade for him but I do think it’s a possibility that Shattenkirk comes here. Let’s say the Oilers make the playoffs, let’s say they even win a round and then Shattenkirk falls in love and re-signs. All of a sudden it looks like a stroke of genius. 

But I think it depends. I’m biased, I want to see them get in, I want to see what they can do in the playoffs. I hope they dgo out and buy as much they can without truly truly hurting the future but Kevin Shattenkirk is a guy that doesn’t really come available often and he fits their needs perfectly. Almost too perfect in this spot. 

So I guess it depends what St.Louis wants here. I know they had a high asking price but I’ve seen a few people floating around the thought that St.Louis just wants the money so they can go out and get something else because they can afford to lose Shattenkirk as they need something more up front. Would they lower the price?

I think it all depends on the price for Shattenkirk.

You know I also really look at some other guys out there too. A guy like Martin Hanzal, how much is he going to cost? He’d be the perfect 3rd line centre. Or a lot of people rolled their eyes when he was brought up over the summer but Thomas Vanek has been really good on the right-wing for the Detroit Red Wings. What if he came in here as a goal-scoring right-winger? He’s going to hit 20 this year easily. Players like that, Radim Vrbata, are the guys I’m really looking at right now. 

Players like that, Radim Vrbata, are the guys I’m really looking at right now. But if Shattenkirk’s price comes down, I think the Oilers would be foolish not to look at him.”

Rob Soria on Lowetide 1/19/17

“If they (Oilers) go out and get a Shattenkirk, on his own, I don’t think it would make any sense. If they want to go for it, then, they gotta go at a couple of pieces. They need a 3rd line centre, a defenseman. If they go get two players like that, fine. Make a run but people have to understand, it’s going to come at a cost.

He’s a UFA but I think they are other playoff teams that would love to add Shattenkirk to their blueline.”

Frank Seravalli on Lowetide 1/17/19

“We obviously know that the Oilers have interest in Kevin Shattenkirk because they recieved permission from the blues and obviously they’d gotten to a desk in conversation that they were interested in inquiring enough to go down that road and talk about long-term extension and the response from the Shattenkirk camp at the time was that they weren’t interested in doing something like that.

Now, again, to stress, we’re a long way from March 1st and the deadline is still 6 weeks from yesterday. I’m not saying at all that a deal is imminent but from the conversations that I’ve had, the Shattenkirk camp, I believe, is interested and excited about the potential of Kevin Shattenkirk being a rental acquisition at the trade deadline. He’d be interested in going anywhere to try any sort of short term fit to figure out what he likes and wants for the future and certainley Edmonton would be included in that category to come and try it.

Cam Talbot was in the exact situation and has the same agent group as Kevin Shattenkirk. He (Talbot) didn’t want to come to Edmonton, in fact, his group told the Oilers, “Don’t trade for him because he’s not going to sign and extension there.” And he went and came to Edmonton and ended up loving it, started playing really well and went on that stretch last year in Dec. or Jan. and was excellent for the Oilers and it convinced him, even before seeing, really; the new building and Connor McDavid consistently playing in this team, fully turning it around in the standings. Cam Talbot absolutely loves it in Edmonton and I think that’s something that’s been the trend league-wide, is that players are realizing quite quickly that Edmonton is becoming a destination for NHL players.

There’s a certain shift that is going on in St.Louis. Obviously they have Tarasenko, but they have some other issues, Fabbri there as well. They have some other issues they need to tackle. As you (Lowetide) said, Doug Armstrong was burnt by the fact that Backes went to Boston and Troy Brouwer went to Calgary on July 1, they didn’t retain either of those players and got nothing for them in return. I think the sweet spot for the blues would be finding a player that they could bring in now that wouldn’t create such a hole in Shattenkirk’s return and also have something for the future.

One of the ideas that was floated yesterday that I heard, certainly NOT from an official source but pure speculation, what about the idea of something like a Brandon Davidson and a conditional pick because the Oilers are going to position themselves for the expansion draft and as it stands right now, they’d likely lose Davidson in the expansion draft anyway. He’s someone that can help the Blues now and also that conditional pick for the future and in return the Oilers would get Shattenkirk with the idea of betting on the fact that they can convince him with both a playoff run and a really home-heavy march schedule. I think they have something like 12 home games, the Oilers do, in the month of March. That they could convice him in that time that Edmonton is the place to be for the long-term and figure out the conditional pick and him signing on the back-end.”

Elliotte Friedman on Oilers Now! 1/19/17

“I think that they (Blues) realize that they’re not going in the right direction right now and they have, on the right side at least, they have Pietrangelo and they have Parayko, so they can get away with not having Shattenkirk. And if you look at some times this year, you get the impression that the coaching staff and Shattenkirk aren’t always on the same page in the terms of how he plays.

What I don’t know is, what’s the price? Like, if they’re still determining the asking for a big price, they’re not going to do it for a guy who, they’re not going to get it for a guy who has got a couple of months left before becomes UFA. And there is a belief out there, rightly or wrongly, that he wants to be a Ranger.

If they’re going to ask for a premium, I don’t think they’re going to be able to get much. But if they’re going to ask for something a bit more short term or the price isn’t as high because maybe they want to move him to get something else. I could see it happening and the other thing I could see happening Bob is, what if they did something with Tampa where they send Shattenkirk to Tampa and Bishop goes to St.Louis? I mean, that’s something that helps both teams. I don’t know, I’m just throwing it out there.

But what I do think that is going on here is that there’s a willingness to move him, I don’t know what the price is, and I think that Shattenkirk, who was wasn’t willing to go to Edmonton last summer to sign long-term, he might be willing to do it as a rental. I think there were all sorts of teams he wasn’t interested in before like Montreal, like Toronto, could potentially in as a rental depending on what the cost is. I can’t see Peter Chiarelli giving up anything that affects his long-term situation for a 3-month rental just to get into the playoffs. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

 

My Thoughts…

Okay, so what I’ve gathered from Friedman and Saravilli is that IF the Oilers want to go out and get Kevin Shattenkirk, it’ll be for the playoffs only. Now, I like Saravilli’s suggestion that the Oilers offer Brandon Davidson and depending on what round that conditional pick is in… The Oilers might not have to give up much if Shattenkirk does indeed take off for the east coast in the summer.

Surely the New York Rangers would have interest in Shattenkirk but could they fit him under their cap? I’m not so sure with them having Staal, McDonagh, and Girardi signed up for the foreseeable future. Nobody will be taking the injury-riddled Staal and can you see any teams having interest in Girardi right now with his foot speed and cap hit? They could trade their captain but that seems extremely unlikely.

Lowetide mentioned it on his show this morning, but perhaps now is not the time for a Rangers/Shattenkirk marriage. Could that possibly open things up for a short term deal between the Oilers and Shattenkirk though? Just wait out the Rangers and then by that time, be it one or two years, maybe New York has something the Oilers would like and then perhaps the Oilers have Matt Benning running the show on the PP or another young player. Who knows?

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

Scenarios Going Into the Trade Deadline

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The Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of making the playoffs and going into this year’s trade deadline they need to make a choice I believe.

  • Will they load up for a Stanley Cup finals run?
  • Will they stay the course and simply add pieces to secure that playoff bid.

I think every fan would love for Chiarelli to say ‘F*ck it!’ and go for the Cup but if you have forgotten, that’s sort of how we got here, no? Lowe and co. also took that same sentiment into the draft and thankfully because of those attitudes, we’re sitting pretty with Connor McDavid.

Personally, I believe the team should tinker with the roster not swing for the homerun at this year’s trade deadline.

My concerns with the team now are:

  • Backup goaltending
  • Scoring from the bottom six
  • The right-handed bomb from the point
  • A face-off specialist for the 3rd line
  • The lack of playoff experienced veterans

Who might the Oilers’ assets for trade be?

  • Benoit Pouliot – Let’s hope his strong play continues 🙂
  • Jordan Eberle – Can’t see him being dealt mid-season but you never know.
  • Brandon Davidson – The potential is there and rival GMs know this. Davy might bring back a key piece since he’s unlikely to be protected in the expansion draft.
  • Oscar Klefbom – If Chiarelli is really looking to expedite this rebuild, he could very well use the big Swede. I wouldn’t recommend it but it’s an option nevertheless.
  • The Oilers 1st round pick this year – Edmonton will do what it takes to improve and if a 1st rounder is part of that price, then so be it. The Oilers will be looking to recoup a 2nd rounder at some point anyhow.
  • Any one of David Musil, Jordan Oesterle, Griffin Reinhart, Joey Laleggia, Anton Slepyshev, Laurent Brossoit, or Dillon Simpson – It’s time to cash in on some of these prospects as it looks like their futures as Edmonton Oilers are in jeopardy. Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Zayat Paigin, William Lagesson, etc. are coming in and they’ll need spots.

Let’s address the concerns one-by-one.

SUPPORT FOR TALBOT

I have heard that the Oilers aren’t pleased with Laurent Brossoit’s development and are exploring all options heading into the final half of the year. I don’t blame the Oilers for wanting to find a goalie that they feel they can trust and there are quite a few out there I’d give the job to before Brossoit.

For me, this could be a very undervalued acquisition (remember Roloson in ’05?) and I wouldn’t be against the Oilers adding an expensive goalie here but the caveat being that the player they do pick up would need to have extensive playoff experience and a positive one would be nice but not a requisite.

  • Ryan Miller (36 years old, $6M – UFA) – Is Miller that bad a keeper? I mean he’s been playing for the Canucks and that defense is questionable. As a backup for Talbot, I’d feel very safe knowing if anything goes wrong, Ryan Miller is there to come in.

    His career playoff record is 56GP 28W 27L, .915SV%, 2.49 GAA.

  • Brian Elliott (31 years old, $2.5M – UFA) – I know he plays for the Flames but it’s not like he’s lighting up the league down there and he’s had extensive post-season experience during his time with the St.Louis Blues. I like this.

    Career playoff stats: 37GP 15W 19L, .911 SV%, 2.49 GAA

  • Michal Neuvirth (28 years old, $1.625M – UFA) – The Flyers have a couple of goalies that will be UFA this summer but I’m not sure I trust Mason not to shit the bed at any given moment. Neuvirth, on the other hand has been a trusty backup for some time now. He doesn’t have tons of playoff TOI though

    Career playoff stats: 13GP 6W 6L, .933 SV%, 1.93 GAA

There are a few others like Reto Berra, Jonathan Bernier (4-1-0, 933, 2.01GAA this season!), Ondrej Pavalec, and Anders Nilsson but I dig the fellas above. You?

AFTER EBS AND DRAISAITL, CAN WE TRUST THE KIDS?

So that right wing thing is still… A thing. I have a feeling that we’re going to witness a Jordan Eberle scoring explosion soon. The chances that he is getting are coming by the handful now and the timing couldn’t be better. That being said, Jesse and his Ripper (Full House references anyone?) are tearing up the AHL right now and I really want to believe that if the Oilers called him up after the trade deadline, that he’d do the same in the NHL but I don’t know that. Anton Slepyshev is still another question mark for me. I love how the Russian plays but when will it translate to consistent production on the stat sheet?

There is a perfectly good reason for Peter Chiarelli to go out and acquire a Radim Vrbata or a Jarome Iginla next month and that reason is the fear of Eberle/Draisaitl going cold again. The other thing is, in a playoff run or Stanley Cup run, you generally want to put your chances in the hands of the most capable players and usually, those players are a tad older or more high-end.

I’d love for the Oilers to go out and pick up the 2nd leading scorer in NHL history, Jaromir Jagr, because as a third line player that would allow the Oilers to move Zack Kassian to the 4th line where there’s not a lot that he can do to hurt the team.

Jagr isn’t a fast player by any means but he might be one of the smartest and Chiarelli had him for a run in Boston back in 2012/13. Of course, that fact and the Panthers making the playoffs could work against the Oilers trading for the legendary Czech.

Other names I’ve heard through the rumourvine: Brian Gionta and Alexandre Burrows. Not a lot of scoring there but would provide elements of their own in bottom 6 roles.

BOMBS AWAY!

There still seems to be interest from the Oilers in trading for a right-handed player that can add that cannon from the point or the left wall to their power play. I’m 50/50 on the idea I think. The PP is running pretty well (11th in the NHL at 20.4%) and picking up a defenseman or RW with a specific skill set is a daunting and risky task.

Dennis Wideman (CGY) has been in the rumours all year long. The Islanders’ young defender, Ryan Pulock, has emerged as a possible trade candidate but I’d like to see the Oilers going into the playoffs with an older crew, not a younger one.

This is possibly an area where Radim Vrbata and Jarome Iginla draw in again.

I’ll throw out some power play long shots (pun intended) for you though:

  • Colton Parayko/Kevin Shattenkirk (D) – St.Louis – Not the same Parayko we saw last year and the Blues are struggling a bit and apparently Bob McKenzie has said, in so many words, that Shattenkirk’s tune might have changed since last season and Edmonton could be back in the picture.
  • Sami Vatanen/Shea Theodore (D) – Anaheim – The highly-rated Theodore has seemingly fallen down the depth charts since Carlyle took over again. How will the expansion draft protection list affect the Ducks? And do they still want Benoit Pouliot?
  • Torey Krug/Zdeno Chara (D) – Boston – The Bruins are on shaky grounds, would they move either of these players to shore up the offense? Probably not if they’re close to a playoff spot eh? That being said, Chara’s salary drops to $4M next season…
  • Patrick Eaves (RW) – Dallas – What is happening to the Stars?
  • Ryan Strome (RW/C) – New York Islanders – More like, what is happening to the Isles?
  • Brandon Pirri (RW) – New York Rangers – This guy shoots, plain and simple. I can’t speak to his defensive game but if you want a shooter, you pick this guy up. Maybe the Rangers would have interest in Mark Fayne.

DRAWING FROM EXPERIENCE

Having a centre who can be counted on to win an important draw is of the utmost value in the drive to the playoffs and the Oilers have one guy in Mark Letestu they can count on (sort of). One. Maybe Leon Draisaitl could be another but we’re not 100% sure as to how he’ll perform when the team NEEDS that faceoff win.

Colorado’s John Mitchell should be available and he has a respectable win percentage on the draw at 55.55%. He’s got 1 goal and no assists this season, so one would think that his price would be of the minimal variety.

Bob Stauffer likes to pump Derek Ryan’s tires every chance he can get and the small pivot for the ‘Canes is having a pretty decent season (31gp 8g 10a) whilst winning 55.2% of his face-offs in 280 attempts. Now, Ryan isn’t exactly a full-time centre like Patrice Bergeron but he it looks like he can win a face-off now and then.

Hail Mary: Sean Couturier. If the Flyers fall out of the playoff race, do you think they’d be willing to move him? I think they’d be ridiculous to even consider doing it but one has to wonder if Travis Konecny would be a more financially astute player to take on 3rd line duties in Philly until his rookie contract is up?

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH OLD GUYS

This one is pretty simple. I’ve already named Radim Vrbata and Jarome Iginla earlier as grizzled veterans that would fill some serious holes and roles on this Oilers team but how about Shane Doan? Would he like to come home or would he be more inclined to shack up with his cousin in Montreal (Some guy named Price)?

The stats community is always singing PA Parenteau’s praises and it doesn’t look like the Devils will be making post-season plans this year. Is this a player that would help the Oilers down the stretch?

Another fella from the East, Mark Streit, has always been intriguing to me. He provides a nice puck moving option for the Oilers and he’s a UFA ($5.25M this year) at season’s end. He’s a leftie IIRC though and the Oilers have a shat ton of those.

I don’t know, I’m just thinking of the Oilers have an older roster going into the playoffs (hopefully), I’d feel more comfortable going up against a team like San Jose in the 1st round.

So what if the Oilers looked like this after the trade deadline?

The Home Run Model

Maroon-McDavid-Vrbata
Nuge-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Lucic-Caggiula-Parenteau
Slepyshev-Letestu-Kassian

Chara-Larsson
Sekera-Shattenkirk
Russell-Benning
**Nurse

Talbot
Miller

Basically sacrificing Klefbom, Davidson, Eberle, and Pouliot plus prospects and draft picks for some immediate help and taking on some extra salary as tax.

The Tinkering Model

Maroon-McDavid-Draisaitl
Pouliot-Nuge-Eberle
Lucic-Letestu-Vrbata
Kassian-Caggiula-Parenteau

Sekera-Larsson
Russell-Benning
Klefbom-Wideman
**Nurse

Talbot
Elliott

All of the players acquired here would surely be available for nothing more than marginal prospects and later round draft picks, no? Perhaps an offloading of Mark Fayne?

I’m just spitballing here folks. Probably a lot of wishful thinking, actually, definitely a lot of wishful thinking because it’s impossible to know who will and who won’t make the playoffs right now. The standings are pretty competitive this year and a 5 game losing streak could ruin any team’s chances at the post-season.

Thanks for sticking around this far! Enjoy your day! – BLH

**stats taken from NHL.com and Capfriendly.com**

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Beer League Hero, Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

BREAKING: Eberle Being Linked With Bruins, Flyers, and Senators

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Is Eberle on the way out of town?

According to @incarcaratedbob on Twitter (see tweet below), the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa Senators are heavily pursuing Oilers right-winger Jordan Eberle. Not a surprise really, he’s been in and out of the rumors for most of the season. Not sure the Oilers would like to trade him now given his performances on Connor McDavid’s wing and now with the injury to Benoit Pouliot but if the team could get a winger in return, who knows?

If I’m looking for roster players from each of those teams I’d like any combination of the following:

Wayne Simmonds/Radko Gudas/Shane Gostisbehere – Flyers
Mark Stone/Curtis Lazar – Senators
Matt Beleseky/Adam McQuaid – Bruins

One would think that they’d prefer to get that top three-dman right?

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