For most of this spring and summer, I thought the best match for the Oilers was Disneyland. The
match between Edmonton and the Anaheim Ducks was obvious before Milan Lucic arrived, and I think it still makes sense after Hall for Larsson. Is Cam Fowler a future Oiler?

CAM FOWLER 15-16

  • 5×5 points per 60: 0.48 (No. 3 among Ana blue)
  • 5×4 points per 60: 4.38 (No. 4 among Ana blue)
  • Corsi for 5×5 %: 48.8 (No. 7—and last—among Ana blue)
  • Qual Comp: 3rd pairing
  • Qual Team: 3rd pairing
  • Corsi for 5×5 % REL: -9.4 (No. 7—and last—among Ana blue)
  • Shots on goal/percentage: 113 shots/4.4 percent
  • Boxcars: 69, 5-23-28 .406
Information via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, behindthenet.ca and hockey-reference.
Fowler is the obvious man out based on the numbers above—the Ducks have an emerging group of defenders and he did not hit 50 percent Corsi for 5×5 with Kevin Bieksa or Simon Despres, his two main partners. He got plenty of power-play time—almost 200 minutes—and delivered 14 points. A comparable we are familiar with? Andrej Sekera, last season.

WILL THE OILERS DO ANYTHING?

  • Chiarelli to Bob Stauffer: “Notwithstanding the
    cries of protest for a power play specialist    , I’d be very satisfied
    with where we sit today. We’re getting Oscar Klefbom back. He’s a
    helluva defenceman. It’s going to take him some time to get him up and
    running. He missed a lot of games last year. We’ve brought in Adam
    Larsson, a high pedigree player, although not as well known to this
    community as in other hockey circles. He’s a right shot, that’s
    important in the righty/lefty scheme of things. He can play an offensive
    role. No, he’s not an offensive specialist. He can play on a power
    play. No, he’s not a power play specialist. So all things being equal,
    if we were to start today with our ‘D’ I’d be quite happy. I’d be very
    happy. Yes, I’d like to try to get someone that can compliment a power
    play and push the puck up to the forwards. That’s no secret. We will
    continue to look at. There’s still a couple that are out there. They are
    hard to find.    ” Source
Is Fowler enough of an offensive player (remember, similar to Andrej Sekera) to sacrifice a useful forward? I say that because a look at the Ducks depth chart suggests a real need for a winger.
  • Jason Gregor in late March: Right around the
    trade deadline a source told me Yakupov and his camp had asked for a
    trade, but I could never get a solid confirmation so I didn’t write it. My
    source mentioned at the time the Ducks were close (not guaranteed but
    close) on a deal with Yakupov and Benoit Pouliot prior to the trade
    deadline    , but the injury to Pouliot put an end to those discussions    . Source

BENOIT POULIOT 15-16

  • 5×5 points per 60: 2.05 (4th among regular forwards)
  • 5×4 points per 60: 3.75 (6th among regular forwards)
  • Corsi for % 5×5: 51.0
  • Qual Comp: 6th toughest among regular forwards (2nd line opp)
  • Qual Team: 5th best teammates among regular forwards (2nd line linemates)
  • Corsi Rel: 7.9
  • Shots on goal/percentage: 109/12.8%
  • Boxcars: 55GP, 14-22-36
  • (All numbers via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com and BehindtheNet.ca)
We are here. Would you move Benoit Pouliot for Cam Fowler? I would not.