Back in April, I made a shopping list for Oilers’ GM Craig MacTavish to use as a guide this summer. The idea was that if he could complete all the items on the list, he would have built a team capable of fighting for a playoff spot next spring, and would have set a plan for the organization moving forward.
Today, we go in-depth with each item on the list and see how MacT fared as of July 10th, 2014, with admittedly much more time to go before training camp opens up in September.
1. A top-pairing, veteran defender, think Brian Campbell here:
The Oilers were not able to get a Brian Campbell like defender, or even a legit top-pairing guy, but they came away with a sure top-four defender and a decent bet. Mark Fayne is a solid defender who has a good history against top forwards and has successfully been a top-four guy before. Nikita Nikitin has played big minutes with success before as well, but is coming off two rather unimpressive seasons.
The Oilers still don’t have that number one defender, and it’s going to hurt, but they have upgraded the group. I really like the addition of Mark Fayne, and I think Nikita Nikitin is a good bet to have some success in Edmonton, although his contract is a bit much.
MacT didn’t have an NHL level defense last year, but this year he’s got at least six guys that can play at the NHL level and has added a guy with good history against tough competition. Not totally done here, but it’s better.
2. A veteran second line center to be the defensive mind for Yakupov and Perron:
The Oilers didn’t fill this hole, and unlike the top-pairing defender they didn’t bring in any lesser candidates with a chance to fill the spot. The team currently has Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the top-line, and Boyd Gordon somewhere in the bottom six. That leaves Leon Draisaitl, Mark Arcobello and Anton Lander to fight it out for the final two spots.
Leon likely will play on the third line, and Lander has yet to show anything offensively at the NHL level, so it’s likely going to be Arcobello that steps up here. While he showed well in 42 games last year, Edmonton would be better off with an addition who has proven he can handle this role.
This is still very much a hole, and it could be what holds Edmonton back in 2014-15.
3. Two third line wingers that can bring the tough, defensive play that is lacking:
The Oilers addressed this in a major way. They traded for Teddy Purcell and signed big man Benoit Pouliot from the Rangers. Both of them could end up on the third line, but the more likely scenario is Nail Yakupov sliding down to play with Pouliot and a center, likely Draisaitl.
Both of these players bring size to the lineup, have a solid history of possession stats, and can provide offense while not being defensive liabilities. The depth on the wings is the best it has been in years. This was a resounding success for the Oilers.
4. At least one, ideally two, new assistant coaches:
The Oilers parted ways with Steve Smith, who caught on in Carolina as an assistant. Kelly Buchberger was moved as well to another position inside of the organization and will no longer be on the staff. Both of these guys seem like good people, but neither of them appeared effective as a coach, it was time to move on.
The Oilers brought in Craig Ramsay, the best assistant on the market, and it will make a big difference moving forward. Ramsay should really be able to help the Oiler defenders out and should be a godsend to the power-play. He’s a great teacher of the game, and should mesh well with Eakins and Acton.
The Oilers still have a vacant spot on their staff, and would like to add an eye in the sky assistant. Dallas Eakins has admitted that the search is an ongoing process. To this point however, this can be checked off the list. The Oil are vastly improved here.
5. A fourth line center:
It appears the Oilers want to go with three scoring lines, and that means Boyd Gordon slides down to the fourth line. RNH will take the top-line, while Leon Draisaitl will likely take line three and either Mark Arcobello or an outside add takes the second line.
Boyd Gordon is a proven NHL’er and a great bottom-six center. He’s a guy with a good history as a defensive player and showed that last year by playing a death-march in terms of zone starts. He’s a very good fourth liner. We can call this done.
6. A veteran bottom pairing defender to play the Mark Fraser/Theo Peckham/Andy Sutton role:
The Oilers addressed this a few ways. The signing of Nikita Nikitin likely pushes Andrew Ference down to this spot in the lineup, and he’s a perfect guy to fill that role. He should be a decent fit playing beside either Nikita Nikitin, or likely Justin Schultz.
Keith Aulie was signed to be the seventh defender, and he can fill in as a physical player on the third pairing when injuries strike. Yes, it’s when and not if. The Oilers have some depth here, and should easily be able to fill this role and upgrade it over Mark Fraser. This is done.
7. Decisions on the young defenders and what is best for their development:
Clearly the additions of Mark Fayne, Nikita Nikitin and Keith Aulie mean Edmonton likely only wants one of their young defenders on the roster, and that player will likely be Martin Marincin, who looked very good in a lengthy stint in Edmonton from December on. Marincin is a big part of Edmonton’s future, and will likely only get better as time moves on.
The additions above push both Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse back at least a year. Klefbom looked good in a call-up following the deadline last year, but still could use some AHL time, and he’ll likely get that. Darnell Nurse will get another full season of playing a monster role in juniors and will likely get a chance to show his worth on the World Junior stage in December, which will only help him.
The Oilers are taking the smart road here and letting these young players develop. We can consider this done, and successfully.
The Final Verdict:
Out of the seven items, five have been fully completed and one has been improved on big time. If the Oilers can find a way to complete item number two on this list, there will be vast improvement in the 2014-15 season.
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