KHL Free Agents, Pressure On Management?

In about 6 weeks were going to have a pretty good idea what is going on with the Oilers. The draft will have come and gone along with the beginning days of free agency. But tonight I thought I would do something a little different. I wanted to hear from all the loyal readers we have at the Rig. So I asked for questions, that I could take a stab at answering for everyone. Before I get into that, I should make quick mention that @OilersKris and myself will be releasing our respective mock drafts for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday. I’m sure there will be a lot of debate which is always fun. I spend a large portion of my winters watching a lot of the early round guys play. I quite enjoy it, and this is my favourite time of year. Just wish our team was in the playoffs. But let’s get after the questions!

I have to admit, I was slightly caught off guard by this question. But it’s an excellent one. There’s probably 15 guys that could be looking at coming across the pond for employment. I’ll get into a few of the guys I know a little bit, or heard from someone else on potential interest in the NHL.

Vadim Shipachyov

Very talented Russian centermen. Played for SKA the last few years in the KHL and put up some pretty solid numbers. He’s 29 years old, was never drafted but has exceptional playmaking skills. Finished over a PPG in the KHL over the last 2 years and has had a very solid world championship in Russia. From what I’ve read/heard there’s a lot of teams trying to sign him. Low risk with potential for a high reward here.

Evgenii Dadonov

Undersized winger that has some talent. Left shot but likes to play on the right side. Former 3rd round pick of the Panthers. He’s 27 and also played with Shipachyov in SKA. Played in North America until 2011, then went back to the KHL. He may be looking for an opportunity to get a crack with another NHL club. He also has had a very solid world championship tournament in Russia.

Alex Radulov

Everyone knows the story with him. Rumour is there’s 5 or 6 teams interested in his services. He’s been over a PPG in the KHL 7 straight seasons, which isn’t exactly a league that’s known for putting up huge offence. He’s 29 years old. He’s über talented, some wonder about his off ice behaviour though.

Peter Mueller

He had a decent year in Sweden this year playing for the Malmo Red Hawks. Obviously concussions have taken a toll on his career. Just turned 28 though, maybe he has another run left in him. There’s been a few teams that have called him with some sort of interest.

Justin Pogge

Former 3rd round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs has had a couple very solid seasons in Sweden. He’s 30 years old, he may be looking for an NHL contract. Similar situation to Anders Nilsson last season.

Nikolai Prokhorkin

He’s an interesting option. Oilers had significant interest in him at the trade deadline. But they weren’t sure he would commit to the Oilers next year. According to Friedman the Kings are looking to let him go and become a free agent. Will the Oilers have interest? Had a decent season in Russia, he’s only 22. He’s a low risk option. Scored 19 goals in 55 games this year.

Vladimir Sobotka

The Oilers have had interest in him in the past. He left the blues do to money problems but apparently he could be coming back this year. No idea if he’s interested in going back to St. Louis or would consider other options. He’d be a very good 3rd line center option for the Oilers.

Another excellent question. Obviously this is a complex question. We’ll start with Todd McLellan.

Of the two he has the lesser of the pressure on his shoulders. I thought Todd did a fairly good job last year. The powerplay wasn’t good enough, part of that is because of no legitimate PP quarterback. I thought Klefbom did well when he had the chance. But he’s still young. But a large portion of the problem was on the powerplay formation. I thought it was complete garbage. But outside of that, I thought Todd did a solid job with what he had. For most of the year he was missing one of his centers and 1 of his top 4 defencemen. When you only have 2 top 4 guys and 1 is hurt all year it makes it tough. For the most part McLellan did what he could. The Oilers have had enough coaches over the years, it’s on the players now. Unless the Oilers start 1-22 to start the year, I can’t see McLellan having to worry about his job security.

As far as Chiarelli goes, he has more pressure on his shoulders. He didn’t have a bad offseason, but everyone knew he wouldn’t be able to fix everything in one year. He probably had a couple moves he’d like to do over. He also had a couple very solid moves. This is a big offseason for him. He needs this team to take a SIGNIFICANT step forward. With the new building, this team needs to be in a playoff fight in March. They need 2 defencemen this summer. Can Chiarelli find them? Everyone I’ve talked to says the same thing… “Edmonton will be the busiest team this summer” cut ties people, it could get interesting. Chiarelli won’t have much pressure on his job security until this time next year. If the Oilers are picking in the top 10 again the pressure will ramp up.