A few nights ago I was on the Oilers Live Podcast with Sean from theoilknight.ca and we talked about a plethora of things including:
the Oilers to date and why they are where they are and who’s to blame.
Their developmental system (or lack thereof)
Erik Karlsson and where he might end up
Pat Maroon and the recent rumors on his destination including one city nobody has thought of yet.
All the latest Oilers trade speculation.
You should head over to Mike’s website and also subscribe to his podcast as every week he’s got either a handful of Oilers die hard fans being interviewed or bloggers/journalists who cover other NHL teams. His latest before the one I was on was with former Edmonton Oiler Jason Strudwick and it was a beauty!
BRANDON DAVIDSON TRADED AGAIN!
So far Brandon Davidson has been an excellent source of “income” for Peter Chiarelli. Last year at the trade deadline Davidson was dealt for David Desharnais, who in turn provided the team with some excellent veteran leadership and a critical OT goal in the playoffs vs. San Jose and Now Chiarelli has acquired a 2019 3rd round pick for the defenseman from the New York Islanders.
I think it’s an awesome trade. Anytime you can turn a waiver wire acquisition into a 3rd round draft pick, you’re doing something right.
Would I have preferred to keep him? Hell yes! I really have enjoyed Davidson’s effort and impact on the team since being selected off of the waiver wire but I do understand that he’s a dman with value, he’ll never be anything more than a bottom pairing defender in the NHL, and that by dealing him Chiarelli opened up another roster spot on the 50-man list.
How do you think everyone else reacted to the deal?
You, sir, are an idiot. You wouldn't know value if it sat on your face. With every move you make you show yourself to be a charlatan. Stop destroying our hockey team.
— "Fire Chiarelli" T-Shirts HERE! (@ChiarelliMustGo) February 25, 2018
Those are the AGAINSTs. The way I see it, unless Davidson would’ve brought back a 1st rounder or a top pairing right-handed powerplay specialist, the trade was going to be a fail in their eyes anyhow.
Here are some FORs:
I like Brandon Davidson but he is easily replaceable. Why wouldn't people want to continue to stockpile picks is beyond me
I really like Davidson, but that's a solid return for a good third-pairing D, especially since EDM has two other good third-pairing D on the roster in Auvitu and Benning. https://t.co/6lFwu2TKGx
1/ Re: Davidson. I see a couple of sides to this story. On the one hand, the trade is a bit mystifying as Davidson is a solid young player on a good contract, wants to play in his hometown, and is an RFA (so he's NOT the type of player you want to sell at the deadline).
Davidson cost the Oilers nothing to acquire a couple of months ago, so good work turning that into a third round pick. Does seem a little odd to move him though.
Lordy that is a lot of tweets. So, I think, as usual, the fanbase is divided on the deal.
Look, the Isles get a nice depth dman and the Oilers get another asset to which they could use, and Chiarelli said he would prefer to do this, to try and obtain a near-NHL ready prospect at the draft. Another thing he could do is use it to try and move up in the draft this year.
One more positive, the Oilers are 1-0 in the post-Davidson era 🙂
LATEST ON THE TRADE FRONT
I suspect now that Rick Nash is a Boston Bruin that Pat Maroon will be going to Tampa Bay. I mean I guess the Bruins could pick Maroon up to if they wanted to really go for it.
Who might the Lightning give up for the Big Rig? Who knows to be honest but here are a few names to let percolate in your head bone:
Vladimir Namestnikov
Anthony Cirelli
Matthew Peca
If I recall correctly, Winnipeg is in on Letestu and Maroon and you can add Mike Cammalleri to that list. Putting up 10 pts in the last 10 games tends to put you on the radar of other teams this time of year and if Davidson can bring a 3rd rounder, Plekanec can get the Habs some solid prospects, and Nash can bring in 4 pieces for the Rags, surely Maroon, Letestu, and Cammalleri will net the Oilers 1, if not two, acceptable young players who will have a chance to show what their worth down the stretch.
I’m hoping that Chiarelli clears some roster room up at this deadline too.
Winnipeg is in “win-now” mode more than ever right now. The iron is hot and they NEED to strike. But you know what? St.Louis is awfully quiet right now… The pundits are tossing Jake Allen’s name out there… Do the Oilers and Blues get together on a deal? It’d have to be a money in, money out type of deal though. St.Louis is right up against the cap at the moment.
You know what’s going to happen right? All three of those guys will head to teams that we never even thought of.. lol.
I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine at hockey last night and he suggested Josh Ho-Sang in return for that draft pick Davidson got the Oilers…
What do you think?
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The Oilers have an offer on the table for Patrick Maroon from the Boston Bruins. It is Austin Czarnik and a 2nd round pick. No word on if that pic was for the upcoming draft or the next.
Interesting eh?
I was hoping for a player of a bit more significance but let’s look at this Czarnik kid and maybe our opinions will turn faster than an analytics blogger who once described Peter Chiarelli as a very smart man and now refers to his supports as the Flat Earthers of hockey. Love you too G!
So just from looking at his numbers alone, we can see that there’s offense in them hills. Something that’s really working for him is that size doesn’t seem to be much of an issue anymore. Not that that has been an issue for him in the past but the little guy is making a return!
I also like that he’s right-handed and after the Oilers trade Mark Letestu, they’ll need another righty on the team.
Now, I’m not sure if he’ll be a centre at the NHL level. I think he’s more suited for the wing to be honest but then again Desharnais isn’t that big and Letestu isn’t either.
At the minor league level he is 5th in the AHL for pts/game with a 1.1 in all situations (25th 5×5 w/ .59 pts/game) but most of his points are garnered on the PP. As for his PP pts/game he sits at 3rd in the AHL with .44. These numbers are for players who’ve played more than 30 games and I got them at this fantastic website called prospect-stats.com
So how about some scouting reports on Czarnik?
In Czarnik’s 56 games, he’s been a terrific “possession” player, for lack of a better work. He holds a 53.8 CF%, and a 53.2 xGF%. – Stanley Cup of Chowder (source)
This ties into the new possession team that Chiarelli has been building since he was hired. So I dig that.
If Czarnik continues to improve at the AHL level he may not be far from getting a long look with the Bruins. Small and crafty his game follows the mould of Gaudreau or Kane while not being quite so polished. Injuries will be a risk for such an undersized centre, however, smaller forwards are having success in today’s NHL. – Dobber’s Prospects (source)
I’m not sure he’ll get to Kane and Gaudreau status but I would expect a player with the offensive acumen that Czarnik has to be better than say Drake Caggiula. Maybe they’re different players though.
The bottom line is that some guys can skate fast if that is their primary focus. For Czarnik, being that fast is easy enough that he can start thinking two or three steps ahead of everyone else. – SBN College Hockey (source)
Hockey IQ I’ve decided is going to be the attribute that will be of the utmost importance going forward in hockey. The physical tools can be developed and fine tuned but hockey IQ will be paramount in the future.
Lastly, Czarnik is an RFA at season’s end and he’s only making a shade under 700k this year. The fact that he’s played 3/4 of a season in the NHL will not help him make more than that 700k in my opinion and IF this deal does go down, I reckon Czarnik’s new contract will fall under the category of “Value Contracts” for whatever team he’s playing for.
I don’t think he’s banged up as much as the team is leading us to believe. It’s trade deadline on Monday and Maroon is heading out. He’s being rested for that reason. Now if his effort is in question and they’re sitting him for that, I take issue there. This season there have been plenty other players who should’ve sat for less-than-satisfactory performances.
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First off I want to say that I’m very proud of the Women’s Canadian Hockey team. That was such a good hockey game and they worked their asses off. That move the American shooter made to win it was outstanding though. Seriously…
A silver medal is nothing to scoff at no matter how much Lias Andersson tries to convince you it is. And those ladies join another elite hockey team to lose a very important hockey game at the Olympics in Asia via the shootout…
99 on the bench after losing to the Czechs in ’98 at Nagano, Japan.
On yesterday’s Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer asked John Shannon a very interesting question,
Do you think that it’s an automatic that there are two non-compliance options options (going to be in the new CBA), like there have been in past CBAs?
John Shannon’s reply was, “Guaranteed!”
I’m a little confused at this point as to which kind of compliance buyouts Stauffer and Shannon are talking about. I reckon Stauffer is talking about compliance buy outs NOT non-compliance ones though.
But just to relieve any confusion, let’s go over their definitions:
Non-Compliance Buyout – Consider this the “regular” buyout like the one Chiarelli used on Pouliot last summer. NHL teams can choose to buy out and terminate any player’s standard player contract. It isn’t quite as easy as just cutting a player though, because any bought-out player is still due a portion of the money owed to him; either one-third or two-thirds of his remaining salary (depending on the terms of the original deal) to be paid out over twice the remaining years of the terminated contract.
Compliance Buyout – This is the “Get Out of Jail Free” buyout. Basically, teams can buy out any contract on their roster and it won’t count against their cap but it has to be a contract signed.
Now with those compliance (or amnesty) buyouts, in the past, there’s been a 2-week window right after the Stanley Cup final’s conclusion where the teams could do their business if you will. Also, the last time compliance buyouts were eligible to be utilized, only players who’d signed contracts on or before Sept.12 of 2012 were given the O.K. to be bought out and this was for the 2013 and 2014 seasons…
2021/22 is when the current CBA expires and conversely, the new Seattle franchise is expected to join the league the season previous. I don’t think that it would be in the league’s best interest to expand, have the new team play a year and then have a lockout. Both the NHL (Sept.1) or the NHLPA (Sept.19) can opt out next summer (2019/20) but that’s unlikely according to Shannon.
I know when I write on these kinds of things I feel like I’ve glossed something over, so please feel free to let me know if I’ve gotten something wrong in my interpretation either in the comments below or on Twitter (@beerleagueheroe). Thx!
HOW MIGHT THIS AFFECT THE OILERS?
If I’m right in interpreting the verbiage from past compliance buyout windows, it might allow them to buy out Milan Lucic IF he’s still with the club. I was thinking possibly Sekera and/or Russell but their contracts will have expired by the time a window opens and there’s no guarantee they’d be on the club at that point either. I’m thinking one of them will be in Seattle and the other playing in a different city.
Milan Lucic is signed for $6M/yr until 2022/23
But there’s the fact that Lucic’s deal is so laden with signing bonuses, would it even be worth it to the team to buy out the last year of his deal?
So I guess the only players who might be considered in the compliance buyout category at this point in time are Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid… Unlikely targets but you never know… Maybe the Oilers go on to sign John Carlson to a mega-deal this summer and he shits the bed for them… Or maybe they trade for Erik Karlsson and he slows right the F down in those later years and becomes a liability. I guess at that point, a compliance buyout might be an option for the Oilers.
The other thing Edmonton could do is acquire heavy contracts in exchange for tasty draft picks or prospects and then buy them out in the windows. Similar to what the Vegas or Arizona have done in the past.
I mean other teams could simply do that themselves but what if there’s a team that is desperate to get a contract off of the books, in theory, my notion above would be applicable, no? I guess the follow up to that would be, how much cap room will the Oilers have by then and if they have enough cap room to make such a move, why is that?
What do you think? Have I got it all wrong here?
LATEST ON THE OILERS TRADE FRONT
In all seriousness….and it has been fun hanging….I was just texted the Oilers would consider taking on Bobby Ryan and Karlsson….Looking into it..
No, I don’t believe that the Oilers and Sens are talking Karlsson and Bobby Ryan because Eklund tweeted that out. But I do believe it’s worth a discussion IF the Sens would take Lucic back.
I love Lucic, I really do, and I want him to succeed but it’s really hard to watch him this year. He tries to engage in the games but nobody will fight him, nobody will even hit him. So the things that got him fired up in the past aren’t available anymore and he’s struggling to get out of this slump. He’s squeezing his stick way to tightly, he’s doing fly bys at the net when he should be stopping.
He looks tired.
I’d feel bad for him if he got dealt this early into his deal but it would be what it would be if it happened. I’d accept it and move on. I’d much rather him see success as part of the Oilers than another team obviously.
I don’t want to get into the details of a proper proposal but I do want to offer an idea to you…
What if the Oilers went ahead and traded for Karlsson and then traded him at the deadline next year? What kind of haul do you think the Oilers could get IF Doughty and OEL were on the market too? Not only that but what if the Oilers also won the lottery and drafted Dahlin?
Bob Stauffer also said yesterday that the Maple Leafs have watched the Oilers five of the last 7 games… They’re not looking at Maroon and I can only assume they’re not looking at Cammalleri…. Is there a Josh Leivo/Mark Letestu deal in the works with Toronto?
Toronto has a few names that jump out to me like RH’d Connor Carrick (RFA), plus their UFAs Bozak, Komarov, and Van Riemsdyk. Not to mention a whole whack of guys on their AHL team like Andreas Johnsson, Jeremy Bracco, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, Calvin Pickard and Garrett Sparks.
I think the thing with Toronto is that they’ll want more bodies moving out than coming in but the potential for a huge deal is there.
Speaking of Letestu, Jim Matheson wrote recently that in addition to Toronto, Columbus and Pittsburgh are interested in his services.
if the Penguins can’t bring back Matt Cullen from Minnesota, Letestu is their second choice.
One would think that Letestu would be the first choice due to age but Cullen would definitely know the Pens system a lot better.
Matheson also says that the Oilers are looking for a first rounder in exchange for Maroon but I’m thinking they’ll have to settle for a 2nd or 3rd and a prospect. Jakub Zboril’s name has come up from Boston and so has Zach Senyshyn’s but earlier this week Joe Haggerty said he couldn’t see Senyshyn getting moved.
Stauffer talked a bit about Anders Bjork yesterday and the report on Bjork is that he can move out there. A very fast player who has 12pts in 30 games this season for the Bruins and 4pts in 9 games for their AHL affiliate.
Bjork has the speed, offensive smarts and playmaking ability to potentially be a strong player in the NHL. If all goes well, he could be a second-liner. – Dobber’s Prospects
I would say that Bjork is really the epitome of modern day NHL player. He can play both ways, relies heavily on his speed, and has “creative” hands. – Chowder and Champions
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According to Darren Dreger and Josh Yohe, the Winnipeg Jets are showing interest in upcoming Oilers UFAs Pat Maroon and Mark Letestu.
Pierre LeBrun believes that the Oilers are looking for a 1st round pick in return for Maroon but would be happier with an NHL-ready or near NHL-ready prospect to help turn the team around a bit quicker next season.
The highest return on Letestu that I’ve heard is a 3rd round pick which I think is fair for a 32-yr old UFA. And Edmonton will likely be without their 4th rounder from this year’s draft due to Al Montoya most likely suiting up for more than 7 games.
So which prospects do the Jets have that would interest the Oilers?
Right off the bat, let’s get the players who the Jets would be insane to deal away.
Kyle Connor
Jack Roslovic
There’s no point in even wasting any time speculating about these two. They’re currently in the Jets top 6 according to rosterresource.com and producing. Winnipeg would be nuts to sell on any of these guys for a couple of soon-to-be UFAs
But the Jets do have three players in their minor league system that I believe could interest Edmonton.
Mason Appleton – 6’2″ 201lbs – Right Shot – C – 21 years old
Appleton is leading the Manitoba Moose with 16 goals and 30 assists in 51 games. Some were surprised that he turned pro a year early after being named Captain of his NCAA team in his junior year. Here’s a scouting report from Dobber’s Prospects:
Plays with a fast pace and has great vision on the ice to find his teammates with a crisp pass. A bit of a late bloomer, but will get his first taste of pro hockey this year and could make an impact soon enough at the NHL level.
I think the fact that he can move, he shoots right, he’s producing in his rookie year in the AHL, and that he’s a centre are all things that would peak Chiarelli’s interest. Winnipeg seems set at centre for the foreseeable future as well with Scheifele, Little, Adam Lowry, and Andrew Copp down the middle.
Sami Niku – 6’1″ 175lbs – Left Shot – LD – 21 years old
Niku is 4th in team scoring for the Manitoba Moose. He has accrued 10 goals and 27 assists in 51 games played down in the minors. This also being his first year in the AHL and North America. He’s drawing comparisons to current Jets blueliner Tobias Enstrom and Sami Vatanen.
The small Finn could fall into the same vein as a Sami Vatanen if he’s able to survive the rigors of the NHL. A high-risk, high-reward long-term fantasy selection. – Dobber’s Prospects
I’m all for the Oilers adding more offensive-minded defensemen to their system. I do not think there are enough. Sure there’s Bear and Jones but I feel the more the merrier down in the AHL because you can teach defense to a young player, offensive, I’d argue, is a helluva lot tougher to teach if you don’t have it.
Brendan Lemieux – 6’1″ 209lbs – Left Shot – 21 years old
I’m not sure if Brendan is as irritating as his old man (Claude) but he has certainly progressed well. In his first season with the Moose last year he played 61 games and scored 12 goals and 7 assists as well as 130 PIMs (maybe he is as irritating as Claude…). This year in 31 games he has 28 pts (12g 16a).
Brendan competes in a similar skilled yet gritty mold often getting under the skin of opponents. Not afraid to drop the mitts or lay out a larger player, Lemieux plays a no fear and borderline reckless game. His offensive skills are underrated as he has shown an ability to finish off plays with a soft touch. Lemieux is an impact forward that rivals despise playing against and the fact that he can play several roles up and down the lineup is certainly appealing.
This might be my favorite potential target for the Oilers. They need this sort of player I believe as they don’t have an aggrevator on the squad at the moment. Zack Kassian has relinquished that role in an attempt to play a more sound hockey game. In 9 NHL games this season he’s amassed 21 PIMs and 1 assist.
What do you think? Would these players fit the description of players that would help the Oilers next season?
Let us know in the comments below!
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In this audio clip above Bob McKenzie wonders aloud what Peter Chiarelli might do at the deadline and this summer so that this year doesn’t repeat itself next year and I think that’s a really valid question.
My opinion on that is, he should stick with the majority of the players he has and simply add better veterans. Maybe a PK specialist. I’d hope he avoids the big trade, not because his history tells us he might overpay, but because the players rumoured to be heading out are players this team has developed and need right now. Unless of course, my proposed RNH+Klefbom for OEL goes through.
Just before I get into this, I want to put out there that I can’t get on board with what a majority of the Oilers blogs and influencers are doing this season. The negativity and the constant need or lust to slag the team that some of the writers who cover the team is a tragedy to me. A real shame that these people use their enormous platforms to spew negativity out there instead of using it to bring positivity and encouragement to the Oilers. I suppose it’s much easier to beat a guy when he’s down than to pick up him though.
They’ll call it “being real” or “being realistic” but to me, doing that is just a quicker way to mediocrity and honestly a real insight into who a person really is.
You can call me a homer or someone who “drinks the kool-aid” and that’s fine by me. My self-worth is not tied to the success of the team, a reader’s opinion of my blog, nor the desire to be right. My opinion is just that. I don’t pretend to think that I’m smarter than the people running the team because I don’t know what I don’t know and that’s something I urge lots of fans to realize when you’re out there “fanning”. The numbers might tell you one thing, but you don’t know what you don’t know.
One more time: You don’t know what you don’t know.
Be humble and enjoy having the best 2 centres under the age of 24 in the entire NHL for the next 8 years.
I’ve never loved an Oiler as a kid growing up. Never really had a hero from the Oilers. But I loved the team and I still do love the team. For better or worse and through the good times and the bad. It’s about the crest on the front because players will come and go but that logo will always be there for me.
WHY I SUPPORT CHIARELLI AND HIS STAFF!
I’m pretty sure I’m on an island by myself and a few select others in my support for the current GM and this is something I’m fine with. I’ve never been one to go along with what the cool kids are doing and I’ve always liked the underdogs. Luckily for me, the Oilers have been just that for some time now.
You see, I can’t justify firing Chiarelli when all of the bets he made last summer blew up in his face this season. The way I feel about him is he’s had a tough year, just like the rest of the Oilers are having and that includes the coaching staff as well. The analytics guys will tell you not to give up on a player after a bad year and most likely that player will go back to his normal production rate the following season. Who’s to say that bounce back won’t happen in 2018/19 with the Oilers?
I had a guy on Twitter say that one bad year could set a team back a decade! Get out of here with that bullshit!
If you’re grading Chiarelli on his moves, let’s look at the NHL ones and make a judgement after that!
Martin Marincin traded to Toronto Maple Leafs for 107th pick in 2015 and minor league Brad Ross (WIN)
Eric Gryba acquired for minor leaguer Travis Ewanyk and 107th pick in the 2015 entry draft (WIN)
Cam Talbot and the 209th pick in the 2015 draft acquired for the 57, 79th and 184th picks (WIN)
Griffin Reinhart for the 16th and 33rd picks in the 2015 draft (FAIL)
Lauri Korpikoski for Boyd Gordon(FAIL)
Mark Letestu signed as an unrestricted free agent, three years, $1.8 million per (WIN)
Andrej Sekera signed as an unrestricted free agent for six years, $5.5 million per (WIN)
Anders Nilsson acquired for former fifth round pick Liam Coughlin, then traded for a fifth round pick and Niklas Lundstrom (WIN)
Oscar Klefbom signed to a seven year, $4.17 million per deal (WIN)
Zack Kassian acquired for Ben Scrivens (WIN)
Justin Schultz traded for a 2016 third round pick (FAIL)
Teddy Purcell traded for a 2016 third round pick (WIN)
Patrick Maroon acquired for Martin Gernat and a 2016th fourth round pick (WIN)
Adam Larsson acquired for Taylor Hall (UNDECIDED)
Jonas Gustavsson signed for one year (FAIL)
Milan Lucic signed for seven years, $6 million per with a No-Movement Clause (WIN)
Matt Benning signed as college free agent to entry level deal (WIN)
Drake Caggiula signed as college free agent to entry level deal (WIN)
Kris Russell signed to a one year, $3.1 million deal (WIN)
Nail Yakupov traded for Zach Pochiro, 2017 third round pick (UNDECIDED)
Brandon Davidson traded for David Desharnais (WIN)
Extended the following players:
Connor McDavid – 8yrs, $100M (WIN)
Leon Draisaitl – 8yrs, $68M (WIN)
Kris Russell – 4yrs, $16M (FAIL)
Zack Kassian – 3yrs, $5.85M (WIN)
Jujhar Khaira – 2yrs, $1.35M (WIN)
Eric Gryba – 2yrs, $1.8M (FAIL)
Jordan Eberle traded for Ryan Strome (FAIL)
Signed Jussi Jokinen to a one year, $1.1M deal (FAIL)
Signed Yohann Auvitu to a one year, $700k deal (WIN)
Traded Jussi Jokinen for Mike Cammalleri (WIN)
Claimed Brandon Davidson off of waivers (WIN)
Acquired Al Montoya for a 5th round draft pick (conditional) (WIN)
I think that puts us up to date. If I’ve missed one of his NHL moves please let me know.
If you took all of those moves (I think there are just over 30 of them) into consideration, how many are wins/losses/undecided? I’ve got the wins with a much greater number than the fails and undecided.
When a GM takes a team over he wants to build it in a way that he’s had success with in the past. It’s my belief that Chiarelli has no time for egos and it’s possible that some of those players that he has shipped out in the past might’ve rubbed him the wrong way. You can’t blame a guy for having the courage of his convictions. You might also say that he wants to have the biggest ego in the room too…
When Mike Keenan got hired on with a new NHL team as GM, he’d often trade one of its most popular players away. Denis Savard was his first trade when hired in Chicago. He dealt Luongo to Vancouver during his time in Florida. While he was GM in St.Louis he traded Phil Housley and Brendan Shanahan…
Chiarelli signing all of those AHL vets puzzled me though. Was it because he thought they’d bring more success to the team? That they’d help insulate the young defensemen that were coming into the team? It didn’t work anyhow.
You’ll notice that I’ve got the Larsson/Hall trade as undecided but the way I feel about that deal is that Adam Larsson brings the team something they haven’t had for quite a while in a sturdy stay-at-home dman who is actually quite smart and skilled. To add to that, there was no way Peter Chiarelli was getting the dman he wanted without trading Hall. The Oilers were over a barrel at the time and every GM in the league knew it.
I’ve also got the Yakupov trade as undecided because I don’t really know if he would’ve improved his on-ice play and off-ice attitude towards the team had he stayed. He’s on his 3rd team now and if one of the best coaches of all-time in Ken Hitchcock couldn’t find a way to mould him into a regular top-6 forward, then it’s probably not going to happen and he was better off playing elsewhere anyhow.
I did say Jultz was a fail though and that’s an interesting one to me because had he stayed another season in Edmonton, the fans might’ve tried to lynch the guy. I just wonder if he’d have been okay with just one more year.
So some deals I absolutely feel that Chiarelli missed the boat on which is fine but I can’t subscribe to the theory that because he “downgraded”, as they put it, on the wings by dealing Hall and Eberle, that’s the reason the Oilers are underperforming. Because 5×5 scoring ISN’T a problem for this team. Keeping the puck out of the net is and last I checked, Hall and Eberle are doing a fantastic job of doing just that in New Jersey and Brooklyn this month.
You can look down on Lucic’s deal and Russell’s deal for sure. I concur, both are too long but I’m on board with their price point. And there are the NTCs that everyone points to but everyone forgets that these are simply bypassed with a request from the GM. Rick Nash was traded with one. Roberto Luongo was traded with one. Dion Phaneuf as well. Players like Tobias Enstrom and MA Fleury waived their NTCs for the expansion draft…
So let’s not pretend that these clauses are iron clad and those players are impossible to move. It’s ridiculous. Lucic is more than likely going to be an Edmonton Oiler for most of his deal but I can see Russell and/or Sekera being moved without issue.
So if you can’t use his transaction record as a crutch to criticize Chiarelli, what’s left? He’s got a history of building winning teams. He’s got two Stanley Cup appearances under his belt. He seems quite good at drafting and the Boston Bruins of today are using a lot of players that were added/developed during his tenure as Bruins GM.
That special portion of the Oilers fanbase needs to realize that the cupboards were bare before Peter Chiarelli was hired on. There were few viable options coming through their developmental system and that’s partly because they were drafting so high in the 1st round, throwing those 18-year-olds into the fire the next season, and picking coke machines in the 2nd/3rd rounds that never panned out.
Now Chiarelli is getting value players in the mid-latter rounds of the draft and starting next season we’re going to start seeing those players populate the Oilers’ AHL squad in Bakersfield.
**Just an aside for one moment. Jason Gregor reckons the Oilers will fire their AHL coach because he’s not doing what’s expected of him. That leads me to wonder if Bob Stauffer’s favourite WHL coach, Manny Viveiros, might be the leading candidate for that job?**
The problem I see here is that for years the Oilers fanbase was crying for a Milan Lucic type and they Oilers wasted a lot of draft picks trying to find one. Once they got him the switch flipped because their beloved Taylor Hall was sacrificed to bring him in. To add to that, everyone expected Looch to be banging and fighting every single game and were disappointed when they learned that’s not the case with him. How do you think he’s managed to play so many games for so many years? Plus nobody will fight the guy anymore. I think Derek Engelland is the only guy that might drop ’em with Lucic now.
So we have a lot of fans whose feelings are bruised because Hall is gone and Eberle is gone and they’re not on board with the long-term vision that Chiarelli has because their favourite players were dealt for less-than-expected returns. Yet, what the team does have, well that doesn’t matter because Hallsy and Ebs are outtie 5000 and loving life elsewhere and they should be! They’re in the prime of their careers playing in the Metropolitan Division! But the Oilers are stuck with a roster that was built to compete in the playoffs, which it did.
The word that best sums up the year for the Oilers is: Outlier.
Can you honestly tell me that it’s Peter Chiarelli’s fault that the Oilers’ PK would be 1st on the road and worst at home? I’d love to hear that explanation if that’s the way you feel.
Is it Chiarelli’s fault that Benning and Caggiula have been more off than on this season. Do we point the finger at the GM when the goalie can’t stop a the first shot of the game for a 5th of the season? Should the GM be held accountable when his coach won’t play the players he signed, like Auvitu or Jokinen earlier in the year?How do we blame PC for the scoring droughts of Strome, Lucic, Puljujarvi, and Cammalleri? How is the GM at fault for the underwhelming number of PP chances the Oilers have gotten this year? Should we berate Chiarelli because Draisaitl got concussed at the beginning of the season?
If so, can we also praise the GM for the season Darnell Nurse is having. Can we give him props for the year that RNH was having before being injured? Should we be shaking the hand of the GM whose team he built beat the best teams in the NHL this year? Is the emergence of Jujhar Khaira something we should put solely at the feet of Peter Chiarelli? What about Leon and Connor being two of the best 5×5 players in the league?
They say that this team isn’t built to compete with the quicker teams in the NHL but I call bullshit on that. NJ, Tampa, Vegas, and the Islanders are all quick teams that Edmonton beat this year.
Should they get faster? It wouldn’t hurt but don’t go 100% back to small/skilled.
So to sum it up, I support Chiarelli because I believe in his plan. I understand why he made the trades he did. I see proactivity during his time so far which is much better than what I saw during the DoD. I see a guy who’s had a tough year but feel that it’d only fair to give him one more year to see if this season was the outlier or if 2016/17 was. I really do feel, because I’ve seen what this team can do when it’s on its game, that this team is closer to last year’s level than this year’s. A lot of bad luck has hit the team this year but if the team gets off to a bad start next year, I have no problem with the Oilers moving on to someone new. It’s the nature of the beast. But I won’t call for his head like the mob did with Lowe.
TRADE RUMORS!
Hearing from another NHL source again today that #NHLBruins and #Oilers have discussed D Torey Krug but B's not interested in moving him now. Also two NHL sources now have told me D Oscar Klefbom has been discussed in these discussions and w/other NHL clubs.
I think this would be a mistake. Krug makes $5,5M per year and last year Klefbom outscored him. Also, if the Oilers can’t buy a PP with the best player on the planet, Krug isn’t going to be of much use given that 40%-50% of his point totals come from the man advantage.
Murphy did talk about the Bruins using Brandon Carlo in a package to acquire Ryan McDonagh though and I do wonder if the Oilers would be willing to make a deal for the Rangers captain? That’s probably the kind of trade where I’d be okay with using Klefbom as trade fodder.
