Trade Options: Right Wing

We continue our series on trade options for the Oilers. We’ve discussed Thomas Vanek and looked at Brian Boyle. Today I will focus on one team with two right wing options. 

We are 12 days away from the March 1st trade deadline and we are getting a clearer picture of who will be sellers. Arizona and Colorado have been out of the race for months, and it looks and sounds like Dallas and Vancouver will join them.

In the East Ken Holland is on record stating the Red Wings won’t be a buyer, and he has a few options to sell. Carolina, New Jersey and Tampa Bay haven’t been able to climb the standings for months, so I’d guess they are selling as well.

I’d expect Philly to move one of their goalies at the deadline, and Buffalo should be a seller as well although a recent hot streak has them right behind the Islanders and Maple Leafs for the second wildcard.

Today, I’ll focus on Dallas, who had a scout in Edmonton this week.

The Stars have had a disappointing season. Their goaltending has been brutal. They have the worst SV% in the NHL. The Stars allow 30.3 shots per game, tied for 16th with Nashville, yet they are 29th in GAA at 3.20. They have a young blueline, which doesn’t help, and overall they’ve taken a massive step back from their 109 points last season.

Jim Nill is ready to wheel and deal.

Sharp is 35 years of age. He shoots right, but can play both left and right wing.

He won three Stanley Cups with Chicago. 

He’s played 142 playoff games and has scored 47-40-87 in the postseason. His goal-per-game average in the playoffs, 0.33, is just slightly better than is 0.32 GPG in the regular season.

He’s tallied 0.61 points-per-game in the postseason and 0.69 in the regular season. Sharp has been a very productive producer in the postseason and doesn’t drop off when the games get tougher and more disciplined.

He has experience and the hockey sense to play with skilled centres. He is versatile, and reliable enough he could play tough minutes with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, for instance, and still produce offensively.

The issue is his age, and he’s been banged up this season. He’s only played 33 games and has tallied seven goals and 13 points.

His most common EV linemates have been Devin Shore (225 min) and Radek Faksa (179) followed by Jason Spezza (91) and Lauri Korpikoski (81). He hasn’t had regular linemates and that combined with his injuries could be why he’s having his least productive season since 2004.

He does have 11 points in his last 21 games, and he’s produced much better since returning from injury. He is a UFA at the end of the season and has a $5.9 million cap hit.

The Oilers project to have about $19 million in cap space on trade deadline day, but that doesn’t include bonus overages. Connor McDavid will max out his bonuses of $2.850 million. Even if he was injured he’ll still finish among the top-ten in points-per-game so he’s guaranteed his bonus.

Leon Draisaitl could also max out at $2.475 million. He needs to finish top-ten in goals, assists, points or points-per-game to cash in his “B” Bonus of $1.625 million. He is currently tied for 15th in points, four back of 10th place Vladimir Tarasenko. He’ll need a great finish to end up top-ten, but it’s another part of the salary cap equation that Peter Chiarelli is aware of.

Eaves is 32 years old. He shoots right and is having a career year. Eaves has 21 goals and 36 points. It is his first 20 goal-season since he scored 20 as a rookie in Ottawa in 2005/2006.

He leads the Stars in PP goals with eleven. He has played 732 minutes at EV, just over half with Jamie Benn (403) and just under half with Tyler Seguin (330). They have been his two most consistent linemates.

However, Eaves has scored at a higher rate without them than he has with. He hasn’t just produced because he’s playing with them at EV. He has, however, produced very well with them on the PP.

He has 7-10-17 at EV this year. He’s scored seven point with Benn and Seguin. It shows he has the hockey sense to play with skilled forwards, and if the Oilers acquire him might not be overwhelmed thinking the game the same as Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid.

Eaves has 150 shots, which would rank him third on the Oilers behind McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. His SH% is 14, but he was 12.8% last year and 15.4% in 2015 with the Stars. So it’s not like he is scoring due to an insanely high SH%.

He has been very consistent all season. After starting the season with no goals in four games he’s only had one stretch of six games without a goal and another four-game stretch. He hasn’t scored in bunches, instead he’s been productive throughout the year.

He is a UFA at the end of the season and is only a $1 million cap hit. 

Sharp has the better resume and bigger name. Eaves has been more productive this season, is cheaper and younger.

People value experience and Sharp has much more, although Eaves has played 76 playoff games. He’s been in the postseason seven times, and he’s won a round every year except one. 

Sharp’s name has cache. And he’s produced much better since returning from injury on January 4th. However, his cap hit is six times more than Eaves. 

Some GMs would have trepidation wondering if Eaves can continue to produce like he has. Would he get first unit PP time in Edmonton? I don’t see them removing Mark Letestu for Eaves. But Eaves could slide on the second unit in place of Drake Caggiula and give the Oilers two right shots to go with Nugent-Hopkins, Patrick Maroon and Andrej Sekera.

Sharp has a NMC, so he will have some say in where he goes. That could impact the deal.

Despite being older, more expensive and less productive this season, I still think Sharp will garner more interest from GMs, and the return might be more than Eaves.

Eaves has much more experience than Anton Slepyshev and Drake Caggiula, players he would likely replace in the lineup, so the Oilers would add more production and more experience.

If I had to choose, I’d go with Eaves. I recognize he doesn’t have the experience or track record, but I think you can get him for less, and his cap hit could still allow Chiarelli to add more pieces if necessary.

Who would you prefer? Why?