And Then….There Were Four For The Oilers Core

During the last six years, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about the core of the Edmonton Oilers. When this rebuild started, the core group was large and spanned a number of positions. Today, February 9th 2016, the core has shrunk considerably and only one name remains. The GM has changed (twice) and the veteran boss is not pleased with his club.

We can sit here and say the same thing will happen in the summer, but folks that just is not true. I’ve seen Peter Chiarelli work up close when he was here in Boston. If you think this team will look the same in September then you are lying to yourself. Copy this and store it away until camp, this Oilers team will look VERY different come September 2016.

2010: We Were Naive:

The core group is 2010 was quite large. At forward you had Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, and Linus Omark. Remember HOPE? On defense it was Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert and Jeff Petry while in net it was the young Devan Dubnyk.

Dubnyk struggled in 2013-14 and was shipped away in one of Craig MacTavish’s biggest mistakes. Ditto for Jeff Petry in 2014-15, another horrible transaction for the Oilers. Ryan Whitney’s ankles gave out in 2013 while Linus Omark was sent away for a song and Magnus Paajarvi for David Perron.

2016: We Are Angry, We Are Frustrated:

Six years later and the core has shrunk quite a bit. @akaRCN on twitter, one of my favorite follows, tweeted out the following on Monday morning:

Rishaug says there are 4 untouchables on tge #Oilers:
McDavid, Hall, Draisaitl, aaaand… Nurse.

— Bigg Tigg (@akaRCN) February 8, 2016

Ryan Rishaug, along with Bob Stauffer, is a man that should be listened to when he speaks. The list is now down to four, and only Taylor Hall remains from that hopeful fall of 2010.

Sense Is Strange:

Thing is, this list makes PERFECT sense. Connor McDavid is a franchise talent and could very well be the best player in the NHL in short order. The kid is special and it only takes a quick viewing to realize that. Only a fool would deal him, seriously.

Say what you will about Taylor Hall, but he’s an elite offensive forward and he plays a hard game that is lowkey physical. You don’t deal a player like this unless you are getting an equal value guy back. Draisaitl? He’s a big and skilled center that has a chance to dominate in this league, another rare player type.

Lastly is Darnell Nurse, the tough defender who has taken on the NHL and some tough minutes at age 20. He’s struggled as of late, but his potential is very obvious. This is a dominating top-pairing defender in development folks, I believe that truly.

Only problem I have with this list? No Oscar Klefbom. He’s Edmonton’s best defender, is on a tremendous contract and is still developing. He’s a guy that you keep and you build around, especially considering how weak the current group is.

So….What’s It Mean?:

The obvious missing names on this list? Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Oscar Klefbom. I highly doubt Klefbom gets moved so I’m not overly worried about his exclusion, but it’s a point worth bringing up, at least to me it is.

As for the other three, this makes sense. Edmonton desperately needs to add one, ideally two, top four defenders this summer. With Dustin Byfuglien off the market, it’s trade or bust for the Oilers. To successfully add to the group of Sekera/Klefbom/Nurse, Edmonton will have to make a trade.

Assets like Eberle, RNH, Yakupov and, yes, the 2016 first round pick, should be and will be in play to accomplish that goal. Folks, Peter Chiarelli’s rosters are balanced and that is fact. He likes skill mixed with toughness and he likes his team’s strong down the middle.

That means good centers and a strong defensive unit. That is EXACTLY what he built in Boston and it worked. Thing is, it took him a year to get it in place. It’s no fun watching this team lose, but Chiarelli does need at least this summer to get things in order.

What this means is that we can expect a shakeup. Chiarelli will spend this season evaluating the roster and make the appropriate changes come draft and free agency. If I was a betting man? Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle, both core members at one point, will be shown the door. Schultz no longer fits and Eberle should fetch Edmonton a top four defender.

Rishaug’s point, to me, just simply reinforces the fact that changes are coming. When a GM comes in and the core shrinks in a public leak, it’s usually a good sign that things are coming.

If anything, it’s going to be an interesting next five months in Edmonton, that’s for sure.

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