Reviewing the previews: How I projected the Edmonton Oilers’ Ryan McLeod, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele
By Zach Laing
10 months agoWelcome to the reviews of the previews.
Last offseason, I took a look at 29 players who played for the Oilers in the 2021-22 season. I wrote about their season as a whole, and how I projected them for this past 2022-23 season. Let’s take a look back at a couple of those players today.
Ryan McLeod
What I wrote
McLeod, a RFA, is due for a new contract this offseason and a raise from the $925,000 cap hit and $867,500 salary. It’s not unreasonable for him to get anything in the $1.5-million to $2-million range, and that’s where I would expect his cap hit to fall on a shorter-term deal.It’s clear he has the ability to play at the NHL level, and has shown he can play up and down the lineup when needed. Pencil him in comfortably as the Oilers’ 3C next season.
What happened
The Oilers ended up waiting until the 11th hour to sign McLeod just days before training camp kicked off. He inked just a one-year, $789,000 deal due to the cap crunch the team was in.
McLeod ended up being a tremendous player for the Oilers this season and a great story in the bottom-six. He was an impact player in the playoffs and comfortably was the Oilers’ 3C this season.
Jesse Puljujarvi
What I wrote
No matter how you cut it, there’s lots of value in a guy like Puljujarvi to the Edmonton Oilers. Now more than ever the team is in need of cheaper complementary players, and Puljujarvi fits that bill perfectly. He can play up and down the Oilers’ lineup with nearly anyone and still provide positive results on the ice.An RFA this offseason, there’s been much speculation about a trade and I think it would be a huge mistake. There’s 32 teams in the league that need value players, especially ones who are elite in their own zone, and the jury is out on what his value truly would be in the trade market.The Oilers’ best move would be to sign him to a one-to-three-year deal anywhere from $2-$3-million.
What happened
The Oilers ended up signing him to a one-year, $3-million deal. Puljujarvi struggled mightily on the score sheet this year and his offensive game took a step back. His impacts weren’t as strong in the top-six alongside McDavid this year and he found himself traded to clear cap space. The player the Oilers acquired, Patrik Puistola, isn’t likely to be signed to a contract.
Kailer Yamamoto
What I wrote
An RFA, Yamamoto has been rumoured to be a player that could be on the trade block, but signs are pointing more and more to Puljujarvi being the one on the move.At this point in his career, Yamamoto’s game is still fairly raw. He hasn’t hit his peak in his NHL career and I’d fully expect him to continue to improve over the next few years.I’d expect a shorter term, bridge style deal between the Oilers and Yamamoto somewhere in the $3-million range.
What happened
Yamamoto’s game took a significant step back this season as he dealt with injuries. While I hit the nail on the head with his contract (two-years, $3.1-m AAV), he looks to be a cap casualty this offseason.
Warren Foegele
What I wrote
The future is murky for Foegele in Edmonton largely due to a cap crunch this team finds them under. While close to Connor McDavid, Warren Foegele is a guy who the Oilers might look to trade to provide some salary relief.I don’t know how much they’d be able to get for him in a deal, and truth be told, I think Foegele is better served in Edmonton playing a third-line role with Ryan McLeod next year. With that duo on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers controlled 59.6 percent of the shot attempts, 52.94 percent of the goals (9 for, 8 against) and 57.79 percent of the expected goal share.That’s a duo you want in your bottom-six, especially for a team like the Oilers who have struggled to find value in those positions.
What happened
The Oilers held onto Foegele and he had a very good year on the third line playing alongside McLeod. At 5×5 in the regular season, they played 311:19 TOI this year controlling 56.81 percent of the shot attempt share, 59.24 percent of the expected goal share, 59.64 percent of the scoring chances and had a staggering 64.96 percent share of the high danger scoring chances.
They scored an even 10-10 in GF-GA. The 1.93 GA/60 is a great number, but this duo needs someone on the offwing who can score. Dylan Holloway, maybe?
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
Recent articles from Zach Laing
