I got a clip from yesterday’s Oilers Now emailed to me this morning (thanks, Mark!) and I thought they were having a conversation worth talking about. Would the Oilers be better off with Maroon or Lucic?

Bob Stauffer brought up the point that the Oilers could be in a tough spot when it comes to picking who they want as their top line left wingers. Do they go with Lucic, who is already signed to a big contract with term, or do they go with Pat Maroon that needs a new deal this summer.

Is that a nice way of saying that Lucic’s contract is untradeable? Maybe? Probably? Does this imply that Pat Maroon won’t be re-signed? Anyway… Moving on.

Bob brings up a fair point here. Aside from his time as an Oiler, Pat Maroon has never really been considered a goal scorer. The Big Rig has put up some solid numbers in spurts but he’s never had the same, consistent production base as Lucic. The difference, of course, is that Maroon is outperforming Lucic right now and doing it at a much cheaper rate. Will that always be the case? is there even an option here?

The interesting point is that Bob is right on both counts in this last quote and it’s going to be a gamble for the Oilers to pick one route over the other. Are the Oilers better off sticking with the proven producer (albeit at a likely higher cap hit), or should they try to do what it takes (read: get fleeced on a trade) to move Milan and give Pat Maroon a contract that sees him riding shotgun with Connor McDavid? Is Maroon simply a byproduct of MacDavid, or is he driving play on his own?