WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T DRAFT A GOALIE AT NO. 16

Goalies are voodoo and drafting them in the first round requires the balls of a pirate and an addled mind. Even teams that know what they’re doing rarely take goalies in the first round. A team like Edmonton? It would be a colossal waste of a perfectly good draft pick.

The Edmonton Oilers don’t do a good job drafting goalies. Since Andy Moog and Grant Fuhr were taken in the first three drafts in team history, it’s been a hard road. There is a highly ranked goalie this year and Edmonton has a pick in the range.

Answer: No. The Oilers should either trade that pick for a quality veteran blue or use it on a prospect who can be part of the McDavid cluster. Candidates include Jeremy Roy, Timo Meier and Evgeni Svechnikov. The Russian goalie has signed a KHL contract and that position develops slowly. Edmonton’s current need should not dictate this draft in any way. It’s a loser’s bet to take a goalie at 16 simply because goalie is an issue for the major league team today. Put simply, even if you take Samsonov, goalie will be an issue at the NHL level for years to come.

No. I don’t think the Oilers would entertain a straight up No. 16 for Talbot, but if the deal were expanded and possibly included JT Miller* it’s something worth talking about in my opinion. That said, I wouldn’t deal No. 16, but rather try to figure out a way to use a second-round selection to make it happen.

I’ll go you one better: I think it might make sense to offer No. 57 AND a pick next season (not the first rounder) instead of the pick at No. 16. Why? The Penguins pick this year has extreme value—top 10 overall in a normal draft year—and Talbot isn’t an established NHL goalie. Cory Schneider was dealt for a top 10 pick but he was more established and had a better contract.

Talbot’s acquisition is a sticky wicket. He’s signed to a one-year deal and is UFA next summer. Edmonton COULD be trading for a one year solution and they can’t negotiate a new deal until January 2016.

It’s not a good solution as a stand alone acquisition.

Peter Chiarelli needs to (and will) read the market. Edmonton’s priorities are goaltending and defense, but the goalie is actually less expensive. Why? Supply and demand. There are many possible goaltending solutions that would cost far less than No. 16 overall, and that valuable selection may be key to grabbing a top 4D.

I think Murray Pam’s tweet is interesting and may suggest a larger deal that could involve a defenseman or JT Miller—who is absolutely a player who would fit Chiarelli’s ‘strong on the puck’ mantra. This is an interesting rumor that possibly has legs. We won’t know for a few days but it’s worth paying attention to from an Oilers pov. 

*I’m also not suggesting No. 16 is enough for Talbot and Miller. It’s an idea not a trade proposal.