One of the worst deals of the Craig MacTavish era was the trade that saw Shawn Horcoff head to Dallas in exchange for a 2016 seventh round draft pick and Philip Larsen.
That 7th round pick ended up being traded for a different 7th rounder, one in the 2015 entry draft, while Larsen would spend one year in Edmonton before bolting to the KHL. His rights were dealt to Vancouver back at the deadline and he’ll be in Canucks camp in September.
Why do I bring that deal up? Simple, Shawn Horcoff, the player Edmonton traded away, is a free agent currently and could be had on the cheap.
Horcoff Since The Trade:
In his three years outside of Edmonton, Horcoff has played for two teams. He suited up for the Stars during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, then played in Anaheim last season for the Ducks.
His boxcars in those seasons don’t scream impact player, but Horcoff was useful in all three years. He registered 7-13-20 (77 games, 13-14) and 11-18-29 (76 games, 14-15) in Dallas before posting 6-9-15 (59 games, 15-16) in Anaheim. That’s comfortably in depth scoring range, and is actually an upgrade on Edmonton’s bottom of the roster options.
It’s worth noting that Horcoff served a 20 game suspension last season for violating the NHL’s performance enhancing drug policy. That issue, however, seems to be in the rear-view mirror for Horc.
Why He Makes Sense:
The Oilers are going to go with Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl down the middle in their top-nine this season, at least off the hop it would appear. Mark Letestu, who saw more time than he should have last season, has the trust of his coach and is a solid fourth line center in the NHL.
As it stands, the Oilers have one roster spot available to a center remaining. Anton Lander, who served as the fifth center a year ago, is the obvious candidate if things stay pat, but he comes with question marks. Lander had one of the worst offensive seasons in the NHL last year, and he’s struggled to hold onto a full time job since turning pro in 2011.
I’d rather Lander sit in the pressbox and handle spot duty than, say, Jujhar Khaira or Drake Caggiula, but that’s only because those two need the ice time in Bakersfield for developmental purposes. I have questions as to if Lander is truly an NHL talent at this point.
There are no questions with Horcoff, he’s a proven NHL’er and can still play at this level. In a depth role, Horcoff would bring exceptional value as a two-way forward with a little offensive pop. His leadership abilities, which landed him the captaincy in Edmonton at one point, would also be welcomed.
Final Thoughts:
At this point, Shawn Horcoff is probably looking for one last season in the NHL. If I were Peter Chiarelli, I’d consider letting him play that final year in the city he started and played his best hockey in. Horcoff fits a need in Edmonton, depth center, and he can still play the game.
This is a player that might even accept a PTO to camp, but even if he doesn’t, he won’t cost you much on a one-year pact. There really aren’t any cap implications to adding Horcoff, and the team has plenty of room on the 50-man roster.
If Antoine Vermette can land a multi-year deal, which he did to replace Horcoff in Anaheim yesterday, then there is no reason why Horcoff can’t land a one-year contract somewhere. (Following graph via Sunil Agnihotri)
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