Ekblad? Don’t Get Your Hopes Up

So the Oilers pretty much shored up their goaltending. Ya, that’s right. Shortest trade deadline blog ever right there. That’s all the Oilers did. They created a solid, if not inexperienced, but very good tandem in net. Shortest blog ever.

I could write about what’s going to happen the rest of the year. But that’s kind of moot. If it takes a screaming match between periods to just get to players to, ya know, play hockey. I’m pretty sure they’ve already mailed it in. How sad is that. Professional athletes that need to be encouraged to try hard. Ya…….Next shortest blog ever.

I’m going to go along the same direction as Dave. I’m going to skip the next few months of watching the team I love, being dishonored by the players wearing that magical jersey. A couple wins because teams take them lightly, and a lot more ass kicking’s because they aren’t good. Let’s face it, they aren’t an NHL calibre team. The defense would fail in the AHL and the forwards have too much skill and not enough heart.

I’m going to skip the draft as well, for now anyways. I know every Oiler’s fan and their dog have a hard on Aaron Ekblad. I mean, why wouldn’t you. He’s big, skates like the wind and is a very good hockey player. And he play’s defense, a position we haven’t seen a good player in a long time. He is even said to have more upside than Seth Jones. How crazy is that? Not nearly as crazy as you Oiler’s fans. I have my naïve moments. But I not naïve enough to think that he will be on the board still. Buffalo was a horrible team before they traded away Miller, Ott, Moulson and Halak. Their starter now is midget Swedish player. Their best forward is a player that was just brought in and probably pissed he was traded from a contender to a Mickey Mouse team. They aren’t losing last place.

I don’t care how much the Oilers suck, they can’t suck that much. We are also within three points of Florida and Calgary. Plus we are only five points back of a Vanekless and Tavaresless Islanders team. Maybe not Florida, but Calgary and New York are very likely to be caught. So we would still be in the top four teams picking.

Buffalo is not passing on Ekblad. He would be the only pick that would make sense to them on a bunch of levels. His size being the first one. On a team full of players that make the Oilers look like giants, another small skilled forward like Reinhart. While I am not saying he is not an excellent player, he is not what the Sabres are looking for. They already have Ennis, Hodgson, Leino, Flynn, D’Agostini and now even Conacher. Stafford has size, but doesn’t use it, Sorry Matty. Scott is a thug and Foligno is still developing. The only honest to god guy with actual size that uses it is Stewart. So size is something this team sorely needs.

I’m not taking away from Sam Reinhart’s ability. The kid has mad hands and crazy skill. He’s lighting up the juniors right now at an astounding rate. But so is Ekblad. Neither is the clear cut top pick. If anything Ekblad has come out on top most of the time, until the last month or so that Reinhart has been on fire. And even now, they are neck and neck. That just goes to show how great a player that Ekblad is. To keep up with a forward is astounding, to be compared to Drew Doughty’s can’t miss ability is absolutely uncanny. Even though teams have show to shy away from defenders first overall, that won’t happen this year.

Another reason he will be a Sabre next year is because by selecting Ekblad, they will evolve the rebuild further than it should be. He is a big right handed defender who, while not the same type of player, if being said in the same sentence as Drew Doughty. Who else does Buffalo have that fits the big right handed description. That’s right, Tyler Myers. With guys like Rasmus Ristolainen, Mark Pysyk and Nikita Zadorov all knocking on the door next year. Add Aaron Ekblad to the mix and a guy like Myers is expendable to skip a few steps in a rebuild.

Just look at it from an Oiler’s perspective. Tyler Myers brings a few elements that we need. He brings size which is missing on the back end. He brings a howitzer of a shot, which our power play hasn’t had all year and sucked. He’s very mobile for a big guy and when on his game would easily turn into our number one guy. While both our teams are bottom dwellers, a team life Buffalo would be bargaining from a position of strength. They know we’ve needed a good d man for years and they don’t have to move him. A player of his calibre, even with the consistency issues would cause a bidding war.

As much as we think are plays, even though on a crap team, are worth a lot more than they are. It would take a key piece and then some to get him. For example. A player like Gagner or Petry wouldn’t land you a Myers. You would have to offer up a player like Yakupov or Eberle. And even then, at least in Yakupov’s case, and other asset wouldn’t be out of question. Just because Buffalo, even though a bottom dweller, would be bargaining from a position of strength.

So depending on how “Bold” MacT is feeling that day, or how desperate. Buffalo could score a good young player (Yakupov) and a decent pick (2nd) or even another, lesser player (Gagner) for him. So lets say a bidding war starts, which it would. The Oiler’s win the Myers sweepstakes. Myers and a crap contract like Leino to make the deal, since they have all the power. For, let’s say, Yakupov and Marincin. Both good young players, one to restock the shelf the other to bolster the offense. Or if they feel they can roll three young defenders and want another forward. Exchange Marincin with Gagner. So they get Gagner and Yakupov. A lot to give right? Way too much of an overpayment right. Wrong. At the same time another team is offering just as much.

Like the Flyers like to land big fish. So they have a deal in place sending Couturier and Read. So it’s Gagner and Yakupov or nothing. What do you do? I’m thinking by now Oilers fans are getting mad and saying I’m insane and don’t know what I’m talking about. But what I am trying to get at is, when trying to acquire a NEED you have to overpay. Even Myers for Yakupov straight up even, from an Oilers fan perspective is a win for Buffalo, but when they hold all the cards, you have to give up to make things happen. So a team will.

So from a rebuild perspective it makes a lot of sense for the Sabres to take Ekblad. From every conceivable angle the Buffalo Sabres have to take Aaron Ekblad with the first overall pick. Unless Sam Reinhart starts to put up four points per game AND Ekblad completely defecates the bed, it’s the only way.

But back to the point Oilers fans, stop getting your hopes up. It would take a miserable “want to cut yourself” string of hockey from our Oilers and nothing short of a miracle from the Sabres from the Ekblad scenario to take place. It’s not going to happen. So stop sacrificing goats. Stop making him an Oiler on NHL14. Stop talking about “When” we draft him. Stop saying it’s time to tank. Just stop. Because honestly, if we do end up with first overall pick by some act of god. The Oilers will do the “Oiler” thing anyways and take Sam Reinhart. Haven’t you noticed how in love the mind trust are with small skilled forwards? They are just what this team needs, right?

Thank you so much for reading! I love to hear from people, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or follow me on twitter @shawn_kelemen to let me know what you think.