The Edmonton Oilers must upgrade their defensive unit this summer. The team needs two blue-liners with top-four experience badly, with one of them ideally being a top-pairing option. GM Peter Chiarelli mentioned last week that the team will be looking for younger players that can grow with the core.
Those comments from Chiarelli, combined with Edmonton’s needs, leave us with a very short list of options this summer. Now, if Brent Seabrook becomes available, then Edmonton jumps on it, but barring that kind of deal, Edmonton is looking for a certain player.
Could that player be in Chiarelli’s old stomping grounds? We know the Bruins are in cap hell, we’ve talked about it before, and we know they’ll have a tough time re-signing D Dougie Hamilton, a restricted free agent.
I’ve touched on Dougie before this off-season. I love this player, I think he’s the real deal. Hamilton is a young player, only 21 years old, but he’s arrived as a legit defender. In Boston, he’s comfortably seated as the number two defender, meaning he scratches Edmonton’s itch for a top-pairing option.
He’s not in over his head either. The eye test shows a young player who is extremely calm and who is a terrific defender. Hamilton always makes the high-percentage and simple play, yet stills finds a way to be dynamic. He’s got great puck-moving skills, and he can produce offense.
Simply put, Hamilton is in line to be the next great Bruin on the blue-line. He’s not the brute that Chara is, but he’s just as effective right now defensively, and he’s providing more offense than Big Z. I watched a lot of Bruin games this year, and Dougie always caught my eye. He was smooth and the B’s were always in control with him out there.
Hamilton plays extremely tough opposition while also getting tough zone start assignments too, which makes his performance that much more impressive. The advanced stats check out with Dougie too, he’s pushing the play in the right direction much more often than not, even with tough circumstances and young age.
The following chart shows Hamilton checking out as a top-pairing option in every category except for the ice-time category. That said, I’m here to tell you that Claude Julien used him quite a bit as the season wore on in Boston this year.
Final Assessment:
Dougie Hamilton is, at age 21, proven in the NHL as a top-four defender. He’s trending like a number one, and I’d wager he’s a legit top-pairing option before Christmas time. There’s no doubt, the Edmonton Oilers would be better with Dougie Hamilton on their team, much better.
Price Of Admission:
The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa reported on Sunday that it might take close to $7.2 million per season to get Boston to walk from Hamilton. That’s a ton of cash, and it would make him Edmonton’s highest paid player by over a million dollars. That’s a ton of cap space for a long, long time.
On top of that, because Hamilton is restricted, Edmonton would owe the Bruins their 2016 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks, while also owing the Bruins their 2017 1st rounder. Can you say ouch? The Oil would essentially destroy their 2016 draft, and cripple their 2017 one as well.
Closing Thoughts:
Dougie Hamilton, if acquired, would be Edmonton’s number one defender on opening night. He’d also likely be that player for ten more years. He’d give Edmonton a great chance to win during the McDavid era, and would solidify a terrible blue-line. That’s a big deal.
That said, the money would severely alter Edmonton’s cap situation, while the draft pick compensation would surely cripple the system. That’s a hefty price to pay for one piece of the puzzle, regardless of how big that piece is.
I like Dougie Hamilton a lot, I’vs said that, but I wouldn’t offer-sheet him if I were Peter Chiarelli. The financial and draft pick risk is just far too much. As good as Hamilton is, he’s not worth crippling the cap and prospect system for, no player is.
If Chiarelli wants him that badly, make a phone call and open the trading lines for his rights. Don’t offer-sheet him though, it’s not worth the risk.
Although, could you imagine the rivalry between Edmonton and Boston should that happen?
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