On Tuesday, UFA’s Milan Lucic and Jason Demers paid a visit to Edmonton to meet with Oiler management, tour Rogers Place and get the official pitch from the club. Both players make sense for the hockey club and both would improve the roster, I don’t think anyone is arguing that.
Demers, while not a top-pairing option, is a legit top-four NHL defender who plays on the right side and who can move the puck. Sounds like a player that would be of interest and who would fit, right?
Lucic, meanwhile, is the premiere power forward in the NHL. He’s won a Stanley Cup, played a major role on multiple teams that have made deeps runs, and provides exactly what Edmonton is looking for. Looch (get used to this name) has that perfect combination of size and skill.
While there is excitement at the possibility of the Oilers snagging one or both of these players (some people think both Lucic and Demers are done), there is also a sense of panic among Oiler fans. With a good thing apparently ready to happen, Oiler fans are preparing for the other shoe, the bad shoe, to drop. That shoe? Many fear it to be Taylor Hall.
Why It Makes Sense:
When you connect the dots, it makes some sense that Taylor Hall would be the odd man out. The Edmonton Oilers desperately need a number one, right-shot defender. Those players are very, very rare, and thus they cost quite a bit in terms of assets. The Oilers could get that player for Taylor Hall. Maybe Hall is the acquisition cost for a PK Subban or an Erik Karlsson (Highly unlikely, but you get my point).
There is, believe it or not folks, a way to win a trade involving Taylor Hall. If you move him for one of those number one defenders, you win that trade. I’m serious, the Oilers are a better hockey team with a number one defender over Taylor Hall. Does that make him a bad player? Nope, not at all, in fact I think this is a compliment. Impact defenders are so hard to find and are often the difference between Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders.
There has been a lot of trade talk surrounding Hall this off-season. Some of it is absurd, like Hall for picks, prospects or lesser players. That said, if you can get an elite defender for him, it’s worth the price.
If you truly want to fill that massive hole, moving Taylor Hall may be the only way to get that done.
Why It Makes No Sense:
Taylor Hall is, for all intents and purposes, an elite hockey player. By eye and by numbers, Hall is one of the best left wingers in the NHL, and is a top twenty offensive producer period. Regardless of what people out east will tell you (TORONTO), Hall is an elite player and you can certainly build a line around him.
Edmonton, with Hall, has the rare chance to do something remarkable. The team can mimic the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins by having two lines with elite players on them. There is the Kane line and the Toews line in Chicago, and the Malkin line and the Crosby line in Pittsburgh. The Oilers could have the McDavid line and the Hall line. Seriously.
In addition to that, the Oilers are not likely to get fair value for Hall. Kevin Shattenkirk and Travis Hamonic are good defenders, but neither of them are worth the price of Hall. If you aren’t getting one of those elite defenders (which there are maybe 13 of in the NHL), then it isn’t worth trading Hall.
The odds that Edmonton is able to acquire Subban, Karlsson, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Victor Hedman or anyone in that class for Hall is slim-to-none. That’s not a knock on Hall, it’s just that those players simply aren’t available for trade, they mean too much to their teams.
Final Thoughts:
RELAX! The Oilers have not traded Taylor Hall and I don’t expect them to. Yes, I think the club signs Milan Lucic on Friday, but that does NOT mean that Hall goes next. The two moves are not connected folks. I get it that it makes sense, both could be making $6 million and both play left wing, but that doesn’t mean one or the other.
Remember, rumor has it that the Oilers tried moving Benoit Pouliot and his $4 million price tag at the trade deadline. We also know that Nail Yakupov and his $2.5 million cap hit is likely to be moved at some point during this off-season. If both move, Edmonton clears $6.5 million off the books. That’s a savings of $500,000 with Lucic coming in the door.
Cap wise, Edmonton can make a left-wing depth chart of Hall-Lucic-Maroon-Hendricks absolutely work. It’s not crazy to think about, really.
Bob Stauffer again hinting of a 22 minute right shot Dman that no one is talking about that could be acquired at a decent price #oilers
— Heather Marginet (@margih99) June 28, 2016
The only wild card here is the “mystery” player that Bob Stauffer keeps hinting at on his daily show, Oilers Now. Stauffer has been hinting that a defender no one is talking about might be the target for the Edmonton Oilers. In addition to that, the insider has mentioned that a “$6 million forward would be going the other way.”
That’s the real wild card, folks. The only way Taylor Hall goes is if Edmonton can get one of the elite defenders in the NHL, and I think they make that move with or without Lucic coming in that door.
Connecting the two moves? I understand it, but let’s not go crazy. Relax Oiler fans, you have a veteran GM in charge that won’t make a rash decision. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
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