Off-Season Targets – Paul Stastny

With the offseason quickly approaching Alex has started the “Off-Season Target” Series in which he’s been looking at potential additions to the Edmonton Oilers via trade and free agency. Alex has covered off a few of the potential defensemen that can be added to improve the corps on the back end.

But we can’t let Alex have all the fun now can we, so with that I’ll contribute my first article of the series and have a look at one of the players that I most want to see join the Oil this summer.

Paul Stastny

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=281q8xVSS24]

Stastny would be the perfect second line center for the Oilers, in fact he’d make a damned good 1C too if need be. The 6’0, 210lb center is coming of a fine season in the last year of his deal with the Colorado Avalanche and to steal a term from Alex “He’s gonna get PAID”.

Stastny was the 5^th leading scorer on a stacked Avs team, finishing behind Matt Duchene, Gabe Landeskog, Ryan O’Reilly and rookie phenom Nathan Mackinnon. Stastny was slated as the number 2 center behind Matt Duchene until the latter was injured during the Olympics and was bumped up to first line duties.

He handled all that was thrown at him by first year coach Patrick Roy, consistently playing against the other teams best players, while managing to keep possession of the puck the majority of the time and contribute to the score sheet at the same time.

Stastny is a veteran of 7 NHL seasons, and it would be great if his 8^th was between David Perron and Nail Yakupov. The knock for a long time is that our forward core is too small and too soft, can’t maintain control of the puck and is spending too much time in their own zone.

Well imagine Perron (a possession machine) playing with Stastny. The two would be able to control play, win battles and create offense, not to mention get the puck to a pure shooting talent in Nail Yakupov. Having two players on a line that can do that instead of just Perron left to battle back when his center and winger are coughing up the puck….MAGIC.

That’s the kind of second line center I’d like on my team. Not a liability, not soft, wins battles. Does it seem like I’m repeating myself? Well it’s because I’m that sold on how much of a difference Stastny would make to the Oilers top 6 group of forwards.

What will it take?

Money, it’s going to take lots and lots of money, oh and term. The UFA center is already making 6.4 million per season, and like most free agents, if the Oilers plan on landing this big fish they’re going to have to be using the right bait. In the Oilers case that’s going to mean a big overpay and probably a year or two more then most teams might be willing to give.

Think 6.8 to 7 million per for 5-7 years. OUCH!!!! Right? No not really, think about it the Oilers would have their top 2 centers locked up long term, the cap should keep going up, and well Paul freaking Stastny. If you are a frequent reader of my infrequent blogs you’ll know I swear by building from the defense out then down the middle. Most of you would probably agree with that statement.

So what happens if the Oilers draft a center you ask? Who cares, send them back to junior. Let them develop, and when they are ready for NHL ice time, protect them, play them on the 3^rd or 4^th line. When and if the said draftee is ready to take a role as a 1 or 2 C then you have the option to trade Stastny, who will be in his early to mid 30’s, away to another team.

One last note on this topic, for those of you that think no player for the Oilers will ever get more than Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, give your head a shake. The cap will keep rising and if the Oilers want to get, and then continue to be competitive, they are going to have to shell out bigger contracts then the ones that are already on the books.

It’s time to start being competitive now and adding Stastny down the middle is a small step for Craig MacTavish and a giant leap for the Oilers organization.

Thanks for reading

 

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