Re-Sign, Sell, or Let Walk
By baggedmilk
7 years ago
With the trade deadline fast approaching, I thought now would be a good time to start talking about which players you’d like to see the Oilers hang onto in the summer. In this article, we’re going to look at the who’s contracts are up, who could be in for a raise, and whether or not you would keep, sell, or let these guys walk.
With the bye week continuing to drag along I thought it might be interesting to give all of you the keys to Peter Chiarelli’s office and make the call on whether or not you would bring back the pending free agents that will need new contracts this summer. Sure, a lot can change between now and then but we need something to talk about now and it’s been literally hours since we’ve argued about the Oilers and contract ideas.
THE UFAs
While there aren’t too many UFAs on this year’s to-do list there are some controversial players depending on where you stand in regards to the fancy stats. Let’s check out the list:
Forwards:
Matt Hendricks (35 years old) – 26GP – 2G, 2A = 4 points
Defence:
Kris Russell (29 years old) – 47GP – 0G, 5A = 5 points
Eric Gryba (28 years old) – 26GP – 1G, 2A = 3 points
Goalie:
Jonas Gustavsson (32 years old) – 7GP – 3.10 GAA, .878 save%
Your UFA list isn’t overly extensive but there are still some decisions to be made.
- I would bring back Eric Gryba as a depth defenceman for next season
- I would let Kris Russell walk in the summer, same with Hendricks
- I’d blast Gustavsson off into the sun.
How does your list compare?
THE RFAS
The RFA list is where things are going to start to get interesting. There are a lot of guys on this list that are due for raises, and some that you’ve probably forgotten about entirely. Let’s check the list:
Forwards:
Leon Draisaitl – (21 years old) – 55GP – 22G, 27A = 47 points
Zack Kassian – (26 years old) – 52GP – 4G, 11A = 15 points
Tyler Pitlick – (25 years old) – 31GP – 8G, 3A = 11 points
Anton Lander – (25 years old) – 21GP – 1G, 3A = 4 points
Jujhar Khaira – (22 years old) – 3GP – 1G, 0A = 1 point
Taylor Beck – (25 years old) – 3GP – 0G, 0A
Iiro Pakarinen – (25 years old) – DNP
Defence:
Dillon Simpson – (23 years old) – 3GP – 0G, 0A
Jordan Oesterle – (24 years old) – 1GP – 0G, 0A
- For the forwards, we know that Draisaitl will be extended but the question will be for how long and for how much.
- I bring back Zack Kassian all day and I think he might be able to be had on a cheap deal.
- Pitlick gets re-signed based on what he did at the start of the year. Bad luck for the kid, but I don’t know how many chances he’ll have left.
- I’ve always liked Lander but I can see him being cut because of his inability to produce offense at the NHL level. If he’d be willing to sign a two-way deal you’d keep him all day.
- Jujhar is a beauty and you know he’s coming back.
- Taylor Beck hasn’t done anything in his three games but he hasn’t played many minutes either. Depth forward, bring him back if the money fits.
- I can see Iiro being let loose because I don’t know where he’d have a spot on the depth chart even with the right side being as weak as it is.
Minor Leaguers
| Defence | Forwards | Goalies |
| Griffin Reinhart | Henrik Samuelsson | Eetu Laurikainen |
| David Musil | Jere Sallinen | |
| Joey LaLeggia | ||
| Zach Pochiro |
The guys listed here haven’t played a game with the Oilers yet this year and are not currently listed on their roster as injured, like Iiro Pakarinen.
WHAT SAY YOU, NATION?
Now that you’ve seen the list I’m asking you to make the call. For fun, why don’t you throw down a dollar figure along with a number of years that you think an extension could be, or don’t. Either way. It’s the bye week so do whatever it is that you want to do – you have my support.
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