Ken Holland has dipped into the bargain bin, inking former Arizona Coyote and Pittsburgh Penguin @Josh Archibald to a one-year contract.
Archibald was originally drafted by the Penguins in the sixth round of the 2011 draft but only played 14 games with the NHL club. He was sent to the Coyotes in the middle of the 2017-18 season where he’s played the brunt of his NHL career. With the Coyotes, Archibald has played 107 games, scoring 17 goals and putting up 33 points.
As Jason Gregor points out, adding Archibald is about adding a forward who can help kill penalties. Archibald spent last season as a key player on the league-best Coyotes’ penalty kill, averaging 1:36 minutes of shorthanded ice time per game. With Tobias Rieder not returning next season, the Oilers needed another winger who can kill penalties. I would venture a guess that Archibald could not only fill Rieder’s role on the penalty kill, but also chip in a little more offence than he did last year too.
Jokes aside, Archibald’s 12 goals would have been fifth on the team last year among forwards. If he can come in and provide that level of offence again, that would be a nice, cheap addition for the Oilers.