GDB 75.0: HOME ICE ADVANTAGE – ENDLESS NIGHT

8 years ago

The Edmonton Oilers had the walk but got trampled, and were are left to wonder if we are about to see the engine dismantled. I don’t think this summer in Edmonton is going to resemble the last 10. This time, a veteran general manager has a clear course of action, the assets to acquire the needed pieces, and a pressing need to turn north. There will be blood.

WHICH WAY YOU GOING, PETER?

One of the fun conversations we can have this spring involves who could be leaving Edmonton in exchange for a quality defenseman. Barring an all out theft by PC, the Oilers will have to give up something of real value. My no-trade list is:

Connor McDavid
Taylor Hall
Leon Draisaitl
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Oscar Klefbom

You may have more, or less, or five names that include a different set of players, and if Oscar Klefbom has one more injury-plagued season I would probably exclude him. Using my list, it allows us to cobble together a group of assets Peter Chiarelli might use to acquire one or two capable veterans on defense:

2016 first-round selection
Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot
Nail Yakupov
Andrej Sekera (modified NTC) (Source)
Mark Fayne
Darnell Nurse
Brandon Davidson
Griffin Reinhart
Cam Talbot

Some of those players (Talbot, Nurse, Sekera) are very unlikely trade pieces, Chiarelli arrived in a time of poor goalies and wobbly blue—unlikely he would turn over a lot of players in those positions. Let me ask you this: Who in this group (arbitrary though it may be) would you consider to be a strong candidate for trade? Who among them, on their own, could provide Edmonton with a quality top-pairing defender? Would it take more than one piece?

ALSO….

Is the player Chiarelli seeks even out there? When he took over as GM in Boston, the Ottawa Senators were unable to sign Zdeno Chara. That meant, for only money, the Bruins and Chiarelli could acquire their franchise defenseman. Among available free agents this summer, Jason Demers is an attractive option, but he is not an impact player. Who might be available in trade? Here is a list of 20 right-handed defensemen and my guess on their availability:

Erik Karlsson, OTT (No)
PK Subban, MON (No)
Drew Doughty, LAK (No)
Alex Pietrangelo, STL (Unlikely)
Shea Weber, NAS (No)
Dustin Byfuglien, WIN (No)
Brent Burns, SJS (No)
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL (Possibly)
John Carlson, WAS (No)
Anton Stralman, TBAY (No)
John Klingberg, DAL (No)
Brent Seabrook, CHI (Possibly)
Justin Faulk, CAR (No)
Kris Letang, PIT (Unlikely)
Johnny Boychuk, NYI (No)
Aaron Ekblad, FLA (No)
Tyler Myers, WIN (No)
Dougie Hamilton, CGY (Unlikely)
Travis Hamonic, NYI (Yes)
Sami Vatanen, ANA (Possibly)

I would also recommend reading Darcy McLeod’s outstanding work at Because Oilers, where he found some gems not listed here (Josh Manson, Jason Demers ranks well, others).

Source

There are no wrong answers here, but I think most Oilers fans are hopeful Peter Chiarelli adds a two-way type (Demers, Hamonic) and an offensive defender (Faulk, Vatanan).

Question: Using the two lists, can you find a path to a quality summer? Does adding Jason Demers via free agency and acquiring Sami Vatanen for one or more trade pieces above, work for you? I look forward to your comments.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Oilers lineup courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com

Avs lineup courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com

QUICK HITS

Figuring out where Edmonton will finish the season is a difficult chore. Although the Oilers could pile up some points between now and the end of their season, the GP number skews the standings you read online. It will be very difficult for the Oilers to finish above No. 28 this season, and No. 29 seems imminently doable.
Connor McDavid should get consideration for the Calder Trophy, but it is hard to believe he will get it. I will be cheering for him, and if he wins it McDavid will have finished ahead of a tremendous crop. It is hard to believe the Oilers have never had a rookie-of-the-year, but then again they should have won a couple along the way (Gretzky, Arnott, Nuge).
One thing we can watch closely as the season rolls along: The emergence of young defenders. Griffin Reinhart and Jordan Oesterle are getting a lot of attention for fine work, and the club had two rookies emerge during the year (Darnell Nurse, Brandon Davidson) during the year. Watershed for defensemen? If only one of these men were a righty!
How many starts will Laurent Brossoit get between now and the end of the year? I will guess two. He goes tonight.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING…

If you needed reminding, the Colorado Avalanche
have just ten games remaining in the regular season. They’re currently
in line for a playoff spot, but they have a brutal upcoming schedule and
the dastardly Minnesota Wild are breathing down their necks just one point behind in the standings.
Naturally, the team is just now suffering its most severe rash of
injuries of the season. Source
We learned on Friday morning Matt Duchene would miss between seven and ten days due to a knee injury, though the
official team prognosis is “Day-to-Day.” As terrible as that is, it got
immeasurably worse during the evening’s game when both Eric Gelinas left the game with an elbow injury (out indefinitely) and Nathan MacKinnon limped off to the locker room after colliding knees during a face-off.
The Avalanche have made no statement concerning his condition other
than he will be reevaluated in the coming days, though the team recalling Mikko Rantanen yesterday from the San Antonio Rampage may lend some insight to its
severity. Colorado’s 2015 1st Round draft pick has just three games of
service time remaining before a year of his Entry Level Contract is
utilized. Surpassing that threshold would be a notable financial
investment the team was hoping to avoid. Source

GAME DAY PREDICTION

GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Oilers come out flat, which seems to be their style at home. A sleepy Sunday evening gets ripped wide open when Colorado scores twice in less than three minutes, followed by a steady stream to the penalty box by the Oilers. Down 2-0 after one, the crowd is restless.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION:
Edmonton plays well in the second period, and tilts the ice the other way. Sensational goaltending at the Avs end denies the Oiler snipers time and again, and no goals are scored in the middle frame.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION:

Edmonton delivers an inconsistent third period, exchanging goals with Colorado and trailing 3-1 late. An empty net goal puts it all away, as an injury-riddled Avalanche team keeps their playoff hopes rolling.

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