The Five Stages of Joel Persson
5 years ago
I was driving into work on a cloudy Wednesday morning when I first saw the tweet.
I finished ordering a sausage breakfast wrap from Timmies and then clicked on the Elite Prospects link to find out more about Joel Persson. Not while I was driving of course.
Persson is an offensive defenseman with a great shot from the point. With high-end puck skills and vision, he excels on the power play. Not a speedster, but he owns decent mobility and can walk the blueline very well. On the downside, he is smallish and not much of a force in his own end.
Yup, it’s official. He sounds just like someone the Oilers would bring over in their search for a right shot PP specialist.
I know exactly how most of you have reacted to the news today. I give you the five stages of Joel Persson.
EXCITEMENT
Peter Chiarelli could crap in a paper bag and write transaction on the outside of it and thousands of Oilers fans would be excited for at least a moment.
When you first heard the news that the Oilers may have locked up Joel Persson your mind starts running wild.
Is he the next Erik Karlsson?
At worst case scenario could he be Brian Rafalski?
Could this acquisition…wait for it…..lead to something bigger!!
Can I find him on NHL 18 and get him on the Oilers by lunch?
Do the folks at Pro-Am Sports have any signed photos of Persson?
Can you find a knock-off Persson jersey on some sketchy Chinese website?
How much is a Persson rookie card going to go for on E-Bay?
It’s all fun and games but it’s time to move on and start looking at things a little more realistically. I want to know more about this player so it’s time to hit up…..
YOUTUBE
How are you supposed to form an uneducated opinion on this player without watching 1-2 minutes of YouTube clips? Let me help you.
There aren’t a lot of Persson clips on YouTube but here is one of him getting knocked out cold. Ouch.
Failed to load video.
It’s probably time you start……
COMING DOWN FROM THE HIGH
Wait a second. Persson is 24 years old, only has one year of top-level Swedish hockey experience and has never played in North America. Your mind starts playing tricks on you again.
What’s wrong with this guy?
Is this Chiarelli’s big plan?
He doesn’t skate well enough to play in the NHL. Horrible move.
He is the same size now that Nielson was in Grade 8 so there’s no way he can handle the physical play of the NHL.
How will this ruin the development of Ethan Bear?
Oh good, a smaller Phillip Larsen?
At this point, you start to guess the cap hit. You text your buddy.
“I can live with 1.2 million per” – You
“Would be better if it was 850K” – Your buddy, who probably listens to the Nielson Show
“Knowing Chia it’s 2.5 x 5. FML” – You
Who cares about the cap hit, where will he fit in on the……
LINE COMBINATIONS
Whether you are a fan of the move or not it’s time to stop messing around. Where does he fit in the lineup!!!
Is there any way Persson and Klefbom could handle things well enough defensively?
Is Darnell Nurse ready to carry a defensive liability on his pair?
Is he the perfect compliment to play with Kris Russell?
Is Andrej Sekera the veteran presence that Persson needs to develop.
So many options. Let’s settle on this.
Klefbom – Larsson
Nurse – Russell
Sekera-Persson
Benning
Nurse – Russell
Sekera-Persson
Benning
But wait, there’s always the option that he sucks at camp and starts the year in Bakersfield. Maybe he’s the perfect guy to play down there with Yamamoto and Benson on the power-play.
It’s official. He probably doesn’t fit in so it’s time to…….
TRADE HIM
Well, clearly he’s not going to fit in here. Could they package him with someone else to land a bigger piece?
Persson plus the 10th overall pick for Ristolainen out of Buffalo?
Persson plus a second rounder for Justin Faulk?
Persson plus the 10th overall pick for the 6th overall pick.
Yes, that’s right, he hasn’t even officially signed yet but you are already running him out of town. Leave that up to my good friend Ryan Rishaug, who broke the news in the first place. I’ve gone cross-eyed.
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