On Wednesday, the Dallas Stars traded defencemen Alex
Goligoski to Arizona in exchange for a late draft pick. Goligoski, a pending
unrestricted free agent, was one of three significant UFA blueliners on the
Stars roster.

That list includes Jason Demers, who is far-and-away the
best right-shot defender in free agency this year and also an obvious target
for the Edmonton Oilers this summer. However, it appears the departure of
Goligoski does not necessarily mean that Demers will be back with the Stars.

Mike Heika is a first-rate NHL reporter, and the first person
who I go read when there’s news involving the Stars. His piece
on the trade is well worth reading and goes into some detail on what the
plan in Dallas is this summer, with general manager Jim Nill explaining why he
felt comfortable allowing Goligoski to depart.

The short version is that the Stars appear to be willing to hand
major roles over to the cohort of young defencemen currently on the roster and
in the system. Goligoski is only the first departure, with one or both of Demers
and Kris Russell potentially following him out the door.

I wonder a little bit if Nill looked at what Kris Letang did
for Pittsburgh in the playoffs and thinks that John Klingberg could fill a
similar role for the Stars. Letang averaged nearly 29 minutes per game in the
postseason, with Ben Lovejoy and Justin Schultz mopping up the rest of the
minutes on the right side.

Klingberg averaged 25 minutes per game in the playoffs for
Dallas. Nill specifically mentioned another right-shot defender, Stephen Johns,
in his comments to Heika. Johns is 24, and a mature college defender with two
pro seasons under his belt. He showed well in the playoffs and will certainly
have one of the right-side jobs with the Stars next year.

Demers would be a good fit in the remaining slot, but the
problem is that Demers is in a position to command dollars and term. It would
be understandable if the Stars were leery about getting into that kind of
commitment, knowing that they have Esa Lindell and Julius Honka and Mattias
Backman in the system, as well as young defenders Patrik Nemeth and Jamie
Oleksiak already on the roster.

Given how close Dallas was last season, it seems more likely that the Stars will add some kind of veteran rearguard this summer. There will be
free agents who require less term and perhaps also less money than Demers will command. The Stars
landed Johnny Oduya last season on a short-term deal to fill that sort of role and
could take a similar approach again. 

A player like Dan Hamhuis or (at more
money) Brian Campbell might be a better bridge to the young blueliners than Demers signed long-term would be. 

That brings us to the other obvious ramification of the
trade. Dallas knew it wasn’t going to sign Goligoski, so it got what it could
for a head-start on his negotiating rights. One imagines the club taking a
similar approach with Russell and Demers if it has in fact reached the same
decision with those players.

The Oilers went down this road with Nikita Nikitin and ended
up regretting it, but Demers is a better player. Edmonton is certainly capable
of making such a deal again—the club has two fifth-round selections this year and
one next year—though there’s a risk of giving the player’s camp leverage in
making that kind of deal, as well as a risk of losing the pick for nothing.

Conversely, there’s a risk that if the Oilers don’t make
that kind of deal, somebody else will, and the best right-shot defenceman in
free agency will be locked up in advance of July 1. 

 

There are few certainties in life – we can always count on the sun coming up in the morning, Edmonton winters being dreadful, and the Oilers missing the playoffs. As such, we present the annual OilersNation Draft Party! It’s time to honour the the anniversary of drafting our beloved Connor, celebrate the rewards of another failed season, and raise some money for charity.

Here’s what you need to know…

The party is happening at the Pint Downtown on Friday, June 24th. The goal is to raise as much money as possible for the Red Cross and their efforts to bring normalcy back to Fort McMurray, and have a little bit of fun while we’re at it. For $30 you get a Draft Party t-shirt, a $10 Pint GC, a $10 Oodle Noodle GC, a draft party collectors cup, and a chance for prizes and eternal glory.

All proceeds from tickets sold will be donated directly to the Red Cross so bring your friends, get involved, and help us support a community in need. Tickets are still available here.

One day, the Oilers will be a good hockey team and we’ll all be able to laugh about this. Until then, we party.