The Nielson Ratings (Part 2) – An Offseason Review

5 years ago

With the exception of a new deal for Darnell Nurse, it is safe to assume that over the last couple of days Oilers President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli has put the final touches on his off-season. A PTO for Scottie Upshall and a one-year deal for Jakub Jerabek appear to have filled up the last couple of spots on the roster.

Part 1 of the Nielson Ratings was released on June 12^th and at that point, this long offseason was off to a pretty good start for the Oilers.

NIELSON RATINGS (PART 1)

Trading for Cooper Marody: B+
Jay Woodcroft to Bakersfield: B
Signing Mikko Koskinen: C+
Signing Joel Persson: B
Introducing new Coaching Staff: A

OVERALL NIELSON RATING AS OF JUNE 12th: B+

NIELSON RATINGS (PART 2)

Since the mid-point of June the Oilers have taken care of some house keeping, brought in some new faces and a had a right-shot offensive defenseman fall into their lap in Dallas.

June 19^th – Oilers Sign Benning To A Two-Year Contract Extension

This seemed like an easy deal to get done for both sides. Benning ends up with a near four million dollar commitment from the Oilers while the team gets a bottom pairing d-man, with upside, for less than a two million dollar cap hit.

NIELSON RATING: B

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June 21^st – Oilers Buy Out Gryba

“We just figured that he wouldn’t be in our lineup next year and it would clear up a contract,” is what Chiarelli had to say about the decision. In the end the Oilers got rid of a contract and saved about $300,000 in cap space. The bottom line is there was no room for Gryba in the NHL or the AHL.

NIELSON RATING: B-

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June 22^nd – Oilers Draft Evan Bouchard

Patience paid off for the Oilers when Evan Bouchard, among others, were still on the board when the 10^th overall pick arrived in Dallas.

The Oilers had been searching for a player like Evan Bouchard for a long, long time. Now they have him and they didn’t have to give up anything to get him. He may be ready, he may not, we won’t know until he takes the ice in the pre-season. It was suggested to me by a source I trust that the Oilers would have had to part with Jesse Puljujarvi and the 10^th overall pick to get Colton Parayko out of St. Louis. It wouldn’t have been the worst trade ever but if Bouchard and Puljujarvi reach their potential Oilers fans will be happy they held on to them.

NIELSON RATING: A

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July 1st – Oilers Sign Kevin Gravel

The Oilers went into July 1^st with a number of specific needs and a 7^th defenseman was one of them. They opted to go with a guy who is on the verge of proving himself as an NHL regular. Gravel has 4 pro seasons under his belt and comes with a very reasonable price tag of $700,000. He wasn’t the perfect player for this situation but I do like the manageable cap hit.

NIELSON RATING: B

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July 1st – Oilers Sign Tobias Rieder

I’m still not sure how Chiarelli managed to get Tobias Rieder on a one-year deal for less than what most of us were expecting. The only way the Oilers were going to be able to afford Rieder was if he came to town with a cap hit of $2,000,000, which he did. Not only did the Oilers get a versatile player for the upcoming season they now also have him under control next July. Chiarelli’s best move of the off-season.

NIELSON RATING: A+

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July 1st – Oilers Sign Kyle Brodziak

Brodziak should give the Oilers exactly what they are looking for on the 4^th line. He can kill penalties, win draws, provide leadership and most importantly he’s only going to cost them $1,150,000 for each of the next two seasons.

NIELSON RATING: A

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July 6th – Oilers Sign Ryan Strome to a Two-Year Extension

Apr 2, 2018; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Strome (18) carries the puck up ice during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Strome ended up getting exactly what most of thought he would command on a two-year contract. As a third line center at $3,100,000 per season all you really need from Strome is around 35 points to be satisfied. Another positive, he’ll still be an RFA when this new deal expires.

NIELSON RATING: B+

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July 18th – Oilers Sign Josh Currie

Currie is a 25-year old whose job will once again be to provide offense in the American Hockey League. He is coming off back-to-back 20 goal campaigns in Bakersfield. I do think there is an outside chance he actually see’s spot duty with the Oilers this season.

NIELSON RATING: B

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August 19^th – Oilers Sign Scottie Upshall To A PTO

Dec 27, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Scottie Upshall (9) skates the puck up the ice against Nashville Predators defenseman Yannick Weber (7)during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

Considering the fact the Oilers are still pinching their pennies a PTO for Scottie Upshall makes all the sense in the world. If he makes the team, which I suspect he will, he could join Brodziak in providing leadership and experience in the bottom six. In mostly a fourth line roll last year Upshall actually produced very well offensively. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a former Fort McMurray Oil Baron, I spent two years calling Barons games, he’s a legend up there.

NIELSON RATING: B+

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August 20^th – Oilers Sign Jakub Jerabek

Let me correct the headline above. Oilers sign Stanley Cup Champion Jakub Jerabek. The moment Andrej Sekera’s Achilles went pop Chiarelli was on the horn looking to replace him. Is Jarabek the answer? I like him more than Kevin Gravel and would have no problem seeing him in their third pairing for the majority of the season.

NIELSON RATING: B+

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ONE JOB LEFT TO DO

We continue to wait for a Darnell Nurse deal to get done but I wouldn’t freak out about things unless nothing is on paper come mid to late September.

OVERALL NIELSON RATING FOR THE 2018 OFFSEASON :

A-

Peter Chiarelli didn’t have much wiggle room but I do think he did a very good job with what he had to work with. The only move I really didn’t like was the Koskinen cap hit but he could still very well come in a prove he’s worth it. Chiarelli didn’t suck this off-season, that’s a good thing.