Trade Jordan Eberle
6 years ago
Trade Jordan Eberle.
If I’ve heard that once over the last two months, I’ve heard it 100 times. The complaints by those who’d like to see Eberle and the horse he rode in on shipped out of town have reached a crescendo in the wake of the Edmonton Oilers being eliminated in Game 7 at the Honda Center by the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday.
Not surprising in the least, really, considering Eberle’s offensive no-show in the second round against the Ducks and a post-season in which he produced just two assists in 13 games. That came on the heels of an uneven regular season in which Eberle produced a lukewarm 20-31-51 in 82 games. Eberle’s a one-trick pony who is getting paid $6 million to put the puck in the back of the net, so he isn’t turning that trick nearly well enough.
In terms of providing bang for the buck, it could be argued that Eberle produced even less value than Milan Lucic, who struggled at times but provides physicality and intimidation for the $8 million ($4M salary and $4M signing bonus) he was paid, or centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who drew the same salary Eberle did this season. RNH has been reduced to more of a 200-foot player with the emergence of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Still, he offers more dimensions, even if he’s being paid too much for the role he’s in now.
Eberle? If he’s not scoring, what does he bring to the table? Not much is the short answer, so I get the angst and frustration among the fan base. That said, if you’re hell-bent on trading Eberle, I have a couple of questions. First, what team wants that contract for two more years and what will they give up in return? Second, who are you going to replace Eberle with in the top six? Don’t say Anton Slepyshev. Down the road, maybe Jesse Puljujarvi. Maybe.
BY THE NUMBERS
There’s no question Eberle, who turns 27 on May 15, hasn’t come close to replicating the 34-42-76 he scored in 2011-12, his second season. It’s that campaign that, in large part, earned Eberle the big ticket he’s on right now. His goal production has dropped off since then and it’s not like he’s added other dimensions to his game to make up for it.
| Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
| 2010-11 | 20 | EDM | 69 | 18 | 25 | 43 | -12 | 22 | 158 | 11.4 | 1220 | 17:41 |
| 2011-12 | 21 | EDM | 78 | 34 | 42 | 76 | 4 | 10 | 180 | 18.9 | 1373 | 17:36 |
| 2012-13 | 22 | EDM | 48 | 16 | 21 | 37 | -4 | 16 | 133 | 12.0 | 912 | 19:00 |
| 2013-14 | 23 | EDM | 80 | 28 | 37 | 65 | -11 | 18 | 200 | 14.0 | 1564 | 19:33 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | EDM | 81 | 24 | 39 | 63 | -16 | 24 | 183 | 13.1 | 1542 | 19:03 |
| 2015-16 | 25 | EDM | 69 | 25 | 22 | 47 | -12 | 14 | 173 | 14.5 | 1232 | 17:51 |
| 2016-17 | 26 | EDM | 82 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 3 | 16 | 208 | 9.6 | 1375 | 16:46 |
| Career | 507 | 165 | 217 | 382 | -48 | 120 | 1235 | 13.4 | 9218 | 18:11 |
If you’re inclined, you can also look up Eberle here, courtesy of QuantHockey.com. Whether you go by the numbers or just by what you see, there’s no getting around the fact Eberle looked less-than-engaged during the post-season, especially against the Ducks. He looked out-of-sorts and, at times, out of place. Speaking of looking out of place, if you project what the Oilers might look like next season, where, exactly, does Eberle fit? Does he fit?
“Not enough.” That two-word quote from coach Todd McLellan, when he was asked what he thought Eberle had provided early in the series against Anaheim, has stuck with me. I’m guessing we’ll hear more on that front when the Oilers clean out their lockers at Rogers Place today. “When the coach says something like that, you want to perform,” responded Eberle at the time.
“I’m an offensive guy, and my own worst critic,” Eberle said. “You can be great defensively, do good board work and all that. But I’m a goal scorer. I’ve got to put the puck in the net. I haven’t scored a goal yet. It’s no secret.” Eberle might have wanted to perform, but his words rang hollow when the final buzzer went in Anaheim. Eberle didn’t manage to make himself a factor against the Ducks in any way, shape or form.
THE WAY I SEE IT
So, what’s the answer? If you’re in the camp that believes the Oilers should simply leave Eberle exposed in the expansion draft, which means risking losing him for nothing, then there’s nothing I can say to you. That would be the dimmest kind of asset management. I know we’ve seen that around here before a time or two with other regimes, but not on Pete Chiarelli’s watch. So, no.
So, the trade many of you are calling for? Sure. Assuming there’s a team that wants him, you’d be selling at Eberle’s all-time low. Is there a reasonable return out there? I don’t see it. I’ve heard the name Tyson Barrie. Not a chance you get Barrie for Eberle now. Maybe a team with some cap room like Arizona, Carolina or New Jersey — a reunion with Taylor Hall – takes a sniff. Again, even if Chiarelli can find a trading partner, the return now won’t be much.
Like I said, I get the frustration with Eberle’s performance this season and in the playoffs. It wasn’t good enough. And I’m not surprised that with passions still simmering over a playoff exit in which Eberle contributed bupkis, people want him gone. This is where Chiarelli has to step back – he will – and find out if there’s a trade out there that makes sense. Given that Chiarelli has been willing to listen to offers for Eberle for a lot longer than the last couple of months and he hasn’t managed to get anything done, there hasn’t been one.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that Eberle’s worst full season in the NHL saw him produce 18 goals — that was as a rookie. In the last four seasons, he’s scored 28, 24, 25 and 20 goals. That might not justify the big ticket he’s on, but that kind of production is nothing to sneeze at, either. Might Eberle bounce back, become more productive and again be a guy who can get you 25-30 goals? I think so. If Eberle starts next season here and gets off to a good start, maybe his value goes up marginally and you move him. If he doesn’t, how much less would you get for him next December than in June?
I’m on board with trading Eberle. Before that happens, though, just tell me what team wants him, who is coming back and who is going to take his place on right wing and score 20 goals, even in in a bad season? You might not want to consider those questions right now, but Chiarelli has to or he’s not doing his job.
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