MORE THAN THIS
The Edmonton Oilers enter free agency tomorrow with a pile of needs, plenty of money and a limited pool of talent to spend money on. We looked at the defensemen this morning, today I’d like to discuss some possible options among the forward group.
POSSIBLE FORWARD ACQUISITIONS
This is sorted by Corsi For 5×5 % and the players could be used on several different lines and there’s a variety of positions. Among the top end (most expensive) players, I really like Michael Frolik as a player who could slide up and down the top nine. Among the lower paid group, I’m surprised Erik Condra is available and would love to see him as an Oiler. As you probably know, I’ve always been a Daniel Winnik guy, so his being on the list isn’t a surprise.
Most people who drop by this blog don’t think Edmonton needs any help among the forwards and I hear you. However, when we look at that roster (as we currently assume it’s made up) it looks to me there’s plenty of room for a quality veteran on the Lander line.
CHIARELLI’S LIST
Draft McDavidFind a quality goalie option- Acquire a legit top pairing blue (Sekera, Franson, Ehrhoff)
- Sign a two-way F (Frolik, Winnik, Condra)
Ignore MacT re: Marincin (Or trade Marincin for real value and not a damn pick)
Lots of verbal out there from MSM about standing pat, I don’t buy it. Chiarelli may not make a move tomorrow because the market may not make what he wants available at a reasonable price. He’s going to improve the defense, because he owes it to his coach and the fanbase will storm the palace gates if the organization allows management to waste a McDavid season like they wasted so many years of Hall, Nuge and Eberle. Full stop.
POSSIBLE OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
- GOAL: Cam Talbot (backup, Ben Scrivens)
- TOP PAIRING: Andrej Sekera—Mark Fayne
- SECOND PAIRING: Oscar Klefbom—Justin Schultz
- THIRD PAIRING: Griffin Reinhart—Eric Gryba
- EXTRA DEFENSE: Niki Nikitin, Andrew Ference (callups Darnell Nurse, Brandon Davidson, others)
- TOP LINE: Taylor Hall—Ryan Nugent-Hopkins—Jordan Eberle
- SECOND LINE: Benoit Pouliot—Connor McDavid—Teddy Purcell
- THIRD LINE: Michael Frolik—Anton Lander—Nail Yakupov
- FOURTH LINE: Matt Hendricks—Boyd Gordon—Rob Klinkhammer
- EXTRA FORWARDS: Luke Gazdic, Tyler Pitlick, (callups Leon Draisaitl, Iiro Pakarinen, Andrew Miller, others)
ORIENTATION CAMP
The Oilers have Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse as headliners at orientation camp, and the talent keeps going after that trio. Greg Chase, Kyle Platzer, Joey Laleggia and others will be there, as well as all of the new kids from the 2015 draft. There are some interesting names among the group that is undrafted and we’d be wise to pay attention to this group:
- Jordan Papirny, Brandon (WHL). Hot streaks in junior, and effective play against the Oil Kings, have Papirny here.
- Tyler Soy, Victoria (WHL). Undersized skill player, improved later in the season.
- Loik Leveille, Cape Breton (QMJHL). Thick, strong defender with solid offense. Good skater.
They could be here later in summer for rookie camp and signing is a possibility. Leveille appears quite motivated to get a contract and his skills have to be intriguing to the Oilers.
Back-to-back Roxy Music! There must be a reason?
I thought we might see some Yes this week after the tragic passing of Chris Squire.
The key comes tomorrow. 🙂
OK, now you’ve got me going with anticipation. Was going to be hard enough to sleep lol.
We know from Matheson that the Oil have tried acquiring Matthias in the past.
If they go after him again, does this lend credence to the camp beating the drum on the ongoing influence of the OBC?
He’s not a bad fit, but Winnik is a better choice IMO.
Chia said he would have his coaching staff filled out by the end of last week.
Paul MacLean was just hired by Anaheim.
Did I miss who the assistants are for McLellan?
Lineup looks ok, but how often is the captain a HS? By all accounts, he’s fine in that leadership role for the extra-curriculars, but Ference’s embarrassing pissing match with Hall (in front of the media, no less) perhaps shows not everyone is on board with him as captain. I wonder if there is any market to trade him.
http://www.tsn.ca/oilers-hire-assistants-woodcroft-johnson-1.318025
So is tomorrow “The Thrill of it All”?
3 words into Google gives you an answer in .82 secs.
Less typing than the above and a quicker response.
Shocking, isn’t it? 😛
I like Winnik for Yakupov
Santorelli for McDavid.
Dump Purcell
Hall-McDavid-Santorelli
Pouliot-RNH-Eberle
Winnik-Lander-Yakupov
Hendricks-Gordon-Klink
Sail on Boyd Gordon.
Korpikowski!
Must mean we are eyeing up a potential C/RW ???
Jiri Tlusty a fit?
Stop looking at the album cover!
Edit: I’m not sure LT’s mom would’ve allowed that one in the house, lol. I know mine wouldn’t.
Rondo,
Sorry, in my excitement I Ukranian’d his name.
Didn’t he sign?
If Top 12 stands pat, i like the Pouliot – Mcdavid – Purcell idea!
my only concern is that at this point if Yak is still 3rd line, that spells the end of his oiler career
It only takes 0.82 seconds if you are a slow typer!
“effective play against the Oil Kings, have Papirny here.”
This is the same factor that bumped Greg Chase onto the Oilers radar, no? Seems like it’s a pretty good roundabout way to play yourself onto a TC roster.
Ryan Rishaug @TSNRyanRishaug
Korpikoski for Gordon done
Bob Stauffer @Bob_Stauffer
As per @EdmontonOilers Gordon for Korpikoski….Oilers will now likely be looking for veteran right shot C tomorrow
Wow! More moves!
Have to assume EDM thinks they can get a cheaper replacement tomorrow…
Boyd Gordon out, Marc Arcobello in.
Music!
Unless I counted wrong that’s 24 on the team. Does someone get traded/waived and who?
Just off the same side there’s also “All I Want Is You” and “If it Takes All Night” for UFA Day.
That seems vaguely homoerotic though (NTTAWWT).
I like Remake/Remodel as a choice.
Right shot veteran centre? I hear Smithson is out there for a 4th rounder
is Korpikoski the next Pisani?
Korpikoski seems like a bad possession player, right? Negative corsiRel his entire career.
Funny how an Andrej Sekera (or a Dougie Hamilton… sigh… ) instantly makes things so much better by pushing down the D’s down a slot where they belong.
Update: THANK YOU OFFICER GORDON!
Lauri Korpikoski is the 2015 Fernando Pisani
I almost made a joke yesterday that we needed Korpikoski and Klinkhammer on the same line.
Sheesh. Must’ve been feeling the vibes.
Arcobello? Lol.
Santorelli or Richardson would be great UFA pickups.
Do I dare dream of a third checking line?
Korpikowski – Santorelli – Winnik
Resign Arco!
LadiesloveSmid,
lauri is a Finn – check
Can skate and cover his man and PK
2.5M for 2 more years
Has some history of scoring but then last 2 years on shit team he really dropped off.
Will be interesting to see if Lombardi exceeds the cap limit/date rules by leaning on the registered termination. He’s likely to have the whole deal or way more than 2/3 of it go back onto his cap. If so he apparently will be in full circumvention:
https://twitter.com/EricOnSportsLaw
To save $.5 mil?
That’s a weird one. More to come clearly.
spoiler,
thanks, was looking at the wrong date. Jetlag!
there goes some of the cap space they were gonna get next summer
Is Kaleta next for the Alliteration Line?
LadiesloveSmid,
Makes me wonder if we’re going to move out Purcell.
Any hope they ditch Klinkhammer, Gazdic and Hendricks too?
Would much rather see that fourth line used differently.
I’m not totally convinced Chiarelli will replace Gordon in kind.
McLellan just plain didn’t run that kind of grind line in San Jose. If you’re not going to have a line shouldering the ZS load like pack mules, you don’t really need to pay Boyd Gordon $3m.
They’re bound to add another C short term, as it would be nuts to pencil Leon in off the bat again, but Lander is more the two way type for the way the (ex-)San Jose staff likes to roll lines.
LMHF#1,
Pencil Lander in to center that line and as the bottom six kids in the AHL knock on the door, Hendricks and Klinkhammer can be moved. They’re both UFA’s next year.
haha, love it!
Kaleta, korpikowski klinkhammer
say that 6 times fast!
not a great time to take the KKK line on the road.
McLellan ran Mike Brown and John Scott with Andrew Desjardins on the 4th line a lot this season.
I believe in using the NHL 4th line to bring in the best AHL players you have and to hide specialists, whether that be powerplay or otherwise.
For instance – would have had Omark on a 4th line no questions asked. Means you can play your big dogs huge minutes 5-on-5.
Lol. Krusty’s Komedy Klassics?
Unless a Williams or Frolik are willing to sign 1-2 year deals I wouldn’t bother. The biggest mistakes are made July 1st and paying for that mistake by being forced eventually to ship out a Yak or Eberle compounds it. Might as well just trade one of them now for a better player who may not be quite as overpaid.
Bob Stauffer @Bob_Stauffer 31m31 minutes ago
Again as mentioned on @OilersNow earlier today. Could get in the game on UFA puck-moving D if Oil could move out another D with $$$
That’s gotta be Ference or Nikitin. Thing is, I don’t think Ference is gonna accept a trade anywhere, and who on earth would take Nikitin – even at half price?
Can’t wait for sub 45% faceoffs again…
What the fuck ?!
Korpikoski is 28 y/o W whose numbers are in decline year after year since 2010-11, which predated the decline of the Coyotes. Gordon is our Shawshank C, to borrow from LT.
This trade was not wise, and not at the right time – he is a player you flip at the deadline for draft picks to a contender, not one you trade to a bottom feeder in the off-season for a deadweight winger. This is an awful, awful trade that cannot be rationaized.
Seriously. There are better ways to shed money (what is the difference in annual salaries, any ways), the player coming back is utterly worthless, and you can never have enough centers or competition for C jobs. Wow….
Korpikoski!!
Thought it would be for Purcell, but happy the Finn is on his way North.
Plays both wings and certainly kills penalties…
He has some speed and he’s ‘heavy’.
Gordon earned every penny the Oilers ever gave him.
Best wishes Boyd.
i feel like Gordon would have been worth more at the trade deadline
I would. Nothing wrong with him, but not a fit. Not fast enough for Hall-McDavid, not a scorer, and not a real 2 way presence.
Santorelli’s been the king of 1 year show me deals for the last couple years. I’d give him a shot
Pffft. How often do we play Carolina anyway?
Unless you’re not going to use a mule tough ZS line and spread the tough work to two lines, i.e. the end of MacT’s three scoring lines.
Chiarelli has talked at length. about fixing defense and that doesn’t just mean defensemen.
Also, Chia knows that if we’re running with a checking third line, the current bottom six other than Lander aren’t long-term solutions, so why not jump start on next year if the horses are there fairly cheap.
Eric Fehr would be a nice add
I must admit, I too find it hard to rationalise this one. Why take on a two year contract for a decidedly average winger when clearing some space at the deadline would seem preferable? I guess we wait and see.
They traded him for
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLF7Lvjald4
If you are shedding salaries, why are Ference and Nikitin still here?
This.
Maybe, but Boyd Gordon was hardly the problem with defensively responsible play. On the contrary, you may recall that he was the one who was good at it.
I too find it hard to believe Gordon would not have brought back more value at the trade deadline…..
LIkely this is a “domino that needed to fall” situation.
Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more before tomorrow at noon.
Wondering if a legit top 4 defenceman is headed to Edmonton tonight.
So we just traded out of our outstanding centre depth for … another winger.
I guess if Fehr or Santorelli are coming in, this makes sense. Fehr is a big “heavy game” right shot centre.
Either that or Chia just pulled a MacT and used a Sharpie on the whiteboard to write Leon Draisaitl’s name into next years roster.
I know this is pure “new shiny toy syndrome”, but the McDavid-Nurse-Draisaitl “cluster” has got me even more jazzed than I was for the “cluster” that’s now 2-4 years older than them. Maybe I’m just easily jazzed.
I’m hoping there’s a deal in place for tomorrow, otherwise, terrible
Boyd Gordon is the Oilers 4th line center – his cap hit is $3 million – not sensible
Laurie Korpikoski may be the Oilers 2nd/3rd line RW by tomorrow if we deal Yak for a dman – his cap hit is $2.5 million
To be continued……