This off-season, neither the Edmonton Oilers nor their supporters appear to have had any downtime.
And even with September now here, it still feels as if there is another shoe left to drop in terms of their roster.
9 Things
9. In the wake of the sudden death of Johnny Gaudreau, it was heartening to see all the Oilers fans join in somber observance of the tragedy. While rivalries are part of what makes hockey great, right-thinking fans of the game understand all that gets set aside when it comes right down to what really matters.
8. Former Calgary Gaudreau teammate and (of course) now Oiler Derek Ryan offered a thoughtful tribute. “His ability on the ice was amazing to behold, and I know that (sic) he’s inspired innumerable small, undersized hockey players to strive for greatness.” Ryan finished with “Johnny Hockey will never be forgotten.”
7. A contact of mine in Winnipeg who has knowledge of the conversations says that Adam Henrique turned down a 2-year, $3.5m contract from the Winnipeg Jets at free agency this summer. Instead, he opted for the Oilers on a 2-year, $3m deal to stay in Edmonton. While $500k may not seem like a lot in an $88m cap world, that is about two thirds that of a minimum salaried player.
6. Mikko Koskinen has retired. The former Oilers goaltender spent the last couple of years of his pro career in the Swiss “A” league. Now he has become a player agent in his native Finland. I never had a big problem with Koskinen’s initial contract in Edmonton. But the three-year extension that came along part-way through that initial run in Edmonton still befuddles me to this day.
5. Speaking of goalies, I continue to think that Stuart Skinner is underrated by many. From an All-Star berth in his NHL rookie year to Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final this past June, that is a whole lot of accomplishment in a relatively brief period of time. And durability is a big part of that. Skinner’s conditioning has improved his endurance and preserved his health. Do not look further than Vancouver (where both Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs are hurt) to see how injuries in goal can cloud a club’s forecast.
4. The Oilers have had exploratory conversations with free agent defencemen Tyson Barrie and Justin Schultz. Whether things proceeded past that point I do not know. But at the very least, Edmonton is considering its options on the right side. As I wrote last week, Barrie loved being an Oiler and would love to return. I understand Schultz is also open to the idea. On Schultz, that says a lot about the player as a person. He was given a pretty rough ride out of town on his first stop. In retrospect, Schultz was in a challenging situation here in terms of who he was paired with at the time and he paid the price for that.
3. I glanced at an article in the Oilers blogosphere this past week making the claim that “radio is dead,” making specific reference to Oilers content on that medium. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But facts also matter. This past week, the CRTC issued a report that finds terrestrial radio “remains profitable,” while conventional television, print and other forms of media often do not. When NUMERIS releases its radio rating from the club’s playoff run this past Spring and Summer, you will also see just how many people continue to flock to radio to get their Oilers “fix.” As Mark Twain once quipped, and as it has been said of my industry many times, “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
2. I am of the firm believe that conversations between the Oilers and Leon Draisaitl over a possible extension are proceeding well. It is hard to imagine anyone arguing with Draisaitl’s substantial production over the course of his existing 8-year deal, as my Cult of Hockey colleague Bruce McCurdy accounts here. Some reports have suggested that Draisaitl “will not do the Oilers any favors.” But I do not think that is accurate. Consider this: The maximum amount that Edmonton could pay Leon Draisaitl under an $88m salary cap would be 20%, or $17.6m. I will be surprised if Leon’s deal comes in over $14m. That would be a discount of almost $4m. That’s not chicken feed. As for term, I also think it is probable that both sides agree on an 8-year deal. That would take a soon-to-be 29-year-old Draisaitl to the age of thirty-seven when his new deal would expire. Its duration would contribute to keeping the dollar figure down.
1.Much chatter in Oil Country this past week about the club possibly making a trade prior to the regular season. You can put faith in the reporting of reputable people such as Frank Saravalli. I do think that Stan Bowman will be looking at all of his options to round out the Oilers lineup. Any good General Manager should and certainly Bowman’s resume would suggest that he will turn over every stone in order to make the club as strong as possible.
But no one is holding a gun to Bowman’s head. A handful of players already on the roster are deserving of the first shot at filling that empty slot on the right side. Troy Stetcher, who has recovered from surgery, and newcomers Josh Brown and Ty Emberson. All three of them are on value contracts, so critical in the cap era. No, they are not Sergei Zubov or Chris Chelios. But if they can deliver serviceable minutes between now and 2025, that is a huge win.
I believe that while a pre-season trade for a Top 4 Defenceman is certainly not out of the question, acquiring one of them soon after Christmas is far more likely and cap efficient. And besides, as teams start to fall off the pace, there is usually more inventory to choose from.
Again, that does not mean that Justin Schultz or Tyson Barrie may not be useful players to have in the stable. They are good pros.
But a real, substantial Top 4 splash makes more sense at the deadline.
