When Bob Underscore Stauffer tweets, Oiler fans retweet.
The Oilers’ radio analyst and the host of Oilers Now is known to be well-connected to the Oilers’ front office, so when he speaks, writes, or tweets, Oiler fans pay attention. A single Stauffer tweet has the power to send Oiler fans into either a state of jubilation or woe.
Lately Stauffer has been tweeting about the fourth overall pick and right shot defencemen.
The Fourth Overall Pick
Stauffer appears to have hitched a ride on the Matthew Tkachuk bandwagon. On May 26, he tweeted his top 5 players for the Oilers to draft with the fourth overall selection (assuming Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi are taken 1-2-3): (1) Tkachuk, (2) Pierre Luc-Dubois, (3) Mikhail Sergachev, (4) Logan Brown, and (5) Jakob Chychrun. Then three days later, Stauffer tweeted that Tkachuk’s strong performance in the Memorial Cup has bolstered his case to be the fourth overall pick.
With Peter Chiarelli in the house Matthew Tkachuk makes a helluva case to go #4 over-all. 2 goals including OT winner!
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 29, 2016
In a tweet on June 2, Stauffer stated that he believed Tkachuk and Dubois were separating themselves just behind the Big Three of Matthews, Laine, and Puljujarvi and stated that, in his opinion, the Oilers would need “a really good package” to trade down. Stauffer followed that up with another tweet, saying that an expansion draft would increase the value of the fourth overall pick since the player selected won’t need to be protected. Then on June 8, Stauffer once again tweeted that he’d be surprised if the Oilers traded down from the fourth overall draft pick. His reasoning this time: the Oilers will be able to select a “core” player in that spot.
Conclusion: Stauffer thinks the Oilers will keep the fourth overall pick and select Tkachuk.
Trades and Signings
We all know that the Oilers are looking for at least one right shot defenceman. Stauffer tweeted on June 9 that he thinks two right shot defenceman who aren’t in play for the Oilers are Justin Faulk and Kevin Shattenkirk. But Stauffer did mentioned in a tweet two other right shot defenceman whom he thinks could be targeted by the Oilers: Tyson Barrie and Sami Vatanen. I’ve written about Barrie’s availability recently. And Bob McKenzie has indicated that the Ducks might be willing to trade Vatanen.
On June 3, in response to James Duthie tweeting about the Lucic-to-the-Oilers rumour, Stauffer sent out the following tweet:
Milan Lucic represented by Gerry Johannson who also has Ducks RFA D Sami Vatanen https://t.co/CPu9GgvAAU
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 3, 2016
I think Stauffer intended for us to understand this tweet as meaning that Lucic’s agent is someone who would not be against his client signing with the Oilers. However, I could be wrong. Edit: I think Stauffer meant that Johannson, the agent of both Vatanen and Lucic, wants his clients paid, and that’s possible in Edmonton.
How will the Oilers acquire a top four right shot defenceman? Stauffer thinks one of the Steve Austins ($6 million men Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle) will be traded.
To clarify the speculation by @Bob_Stauffer on Inside Sports:
More than 50% chance one of Hall/RNH traded.
Less than 20% chance Eb traded.— Reid Wilkins (@ReidWilkins) June 4, 2016
Conclusion: Two right shot defencemen whom Stauffer thinks are reasonable targets for the Oilers are Barrie and Vatanen. And he expects one of Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, or Eberle will be traded to acquire a defenceman. Stauffer also thinks it’s possible that UFA left winger Lucic will sign with the Oilers.
Stauffer’s Reliability Last Year
Last year–two days before July 1–Stauffer wrote the following in an article on the Oilers’ website:
I do not expect to see Peter Chiarelli and the Oilers chasing big money “whales” on Wednesday, and I also think that this is not a particularly deep free agent crop. The Oilers added Talbot in goal and Reinhart and Erik Gryba on the backend to change the look of those two positions.
But contrary to Stauffer’s expectation, the Oilers signed Andrej Sekera to a 6-year, $33 million contract. So this is a word of caution to those who take everything Stauffer says as the gospel truth.
What Stauffer was very good at last offseason was predicting transactions right before they happened. When Pierre LeBrun tweeted on July 1 that the Oilers contacted the camps of Cody Franson, Mike Green, and Sekera, Stauffer tweeted thirteen minutes later that Sekera was the most likely of the three to sign with the Oilers. Of course, later that same day Sekera did indeed sign with the Oilers.
Of the 3 D mentioned by @Real_ESPNLeBrun Sekera might make the most sense. Could use a veteran left shot puck-mover on the back-end
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) July 1, 2015
Stauffer also tweeted on July 1 that the Oilers needed a right shot center to replace Boyd Gordon and stated, “I have time for Mark Letestu.” We know now that the Oilers did in fact sign Letestu.
During last year’s draft, Stauffer was all over the Griffin Reinhart trade, which can be seen from the tweets below:
Peter Chiarelli said he wouldn't move the #16 for a #1 goalie in waiting type. I would move it for an emerging D
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 26, 2015
Possibility the Oilers make a play for Griffin Reinhart here?
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 27, 2015
Oilers will have to give up more than a #16 overall for Reinhart
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 27, 2015
Conclusion: The closer we get to the draft and July 1, the more accurate Stauffer becomes. Duh!
What Do I Think?
I would like to see the Oilers add two right shot defencemen. In my opinion, Barrie would be a good one to add, but I’m not so sure about Vatanen. I think an ideal scenario would be for the Oilers to trade for Barrie and then add a less expensive option like Damon Severson.
I don’t like Stauffer’s odds of Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, or Eberle being traded. If I had to trade one, I’d trade Eberle. But I’d try like heck to trade assets like Nail Yakupov, Griffin Reinhart, and the number 32 pick instead. Maybe Stauffer has come up with those trade odds because more teams have been asking about Hall and Nugent-Hopkins than Eberle. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Eberle is less likely to be traded. Of course, I’m just guessing about all this.
Edit: I forgot to mention what I think about the fourth overall pick. To be honest, I’m not very knowledgeable about this year’s prospects. But people whose opinions I respect seem to favour Dubois over Tkachuk, so I think I’d lean Dubois.
Is it June 24th yet?
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