In the summer of 2007, the Edmonton Oilers were in an interesting spot. The team made the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, but soon after traded Chris Pronger. The team would also see Jaroslav Spacek, Michael Peca, Sergei Samsonsov and Radek Dvorak leave via free agency that summer.
During the 2006-07 season, Edmonton traded mainstays Ryan Smyth and Marc-Andre Bergeron, then dealt Jason Smith on July 1st, 2007. The team, clearly, was transforming from a veteran, blue-collar team to a younger, more skilled group. The one thing Edmonton was lacking? A legit goal scorer.
Then GM Kevin Lowe sent a massive offer sheet to Buffalo Sabres F Thomas Vanek (seven years and $50 million, to be exact) that was eventually matched by Buffalo. Edmonton missed out on their target that summer, and when Vanek hit the market again in 2014, the Oilers were not involved in the bidding.
Late last week, however, Vanek once again became available on the free agent market. With one-year remaining on his contract in Minnesota, the Wild bought out the forward, sending him to free agency.
With Vanek now on the free agent market, is there a fit between the veteran and the team that sent him that massive offer nine summers ago?
The Scouting Report:
During my Off-season Targets series, I used The Hockey News’ scouting reports for each player. They do an awesome job of outlining the strengths, weaknesses and potential of each player in the NHL. Here is their report on Vanek.
| Assets: | Is a natural goal-scorer with plenty of size who can do a lot of damage in front of the net. A superior shot tipper, he owns the hands of a true sniper, and is usually in the right place at the right time. Can really shoot the biscuit. Passes well, too. Can line up on either side of center, too. |
| Flaws: | Isn’t a great skater, so he tends to struggle when his positioning leaves him. Could stand to play a more abrasive game, which could provide him with more space on the ice, but that’s simply not his style (and never will be). Takes a few too many shifts off at this point in his career. |
| Career Potential: | Veteran scoring winger in decline. |
Vanek’s defensive game took an absolute beating from Wild fans that last two seasons, but Hockey Wilderness thinks that the criticism of the player was, in their own words, asinine.
In terms of strengths, Vanek is still a pretty good offensive player. His totals suggest a down year (18-23-41 in 74 games) but he still produced like a middle-six forward. Vanek is also still a valuable weapon on the powerplay for a team.
Why Sign Him?:
At 32 years old, signing Vanek certainly comes with risk. Is he still a high-end offensive player? Probably not at his age, but if he can come in and post around 40 points he’ll be more than fine. As I mentioned above, he’s a weapon on the powerplay and the Oilers sorely lack those. Remember, Edmonton’s powerplay, for all of the talent, struggled mightily last season.
On top of that, Edmonton’s depth chart on the wing is a little weak. Vanek is a natural left winger, but he is a right-shot. It wouldn’t be ideal, but you could potentially switch him over to right wing if need be for a stretch. On top of that, should Edmonton miss out on Milan Lucic and move Benoit Pouliot, they would still have depth at the position.
Lastly, Vanek could come on a value deal. His stock has never been lower and the player may be willing to take a one-year deal to rebuild his reputation. I’d be willing to pay Vanek $3 million for a season to help him repair his reputation. There might not be a better group of forwards available to him, either.
Final Thought:
I think Peter Chiarelli’s top target in free agency is going to be Milan Lucic. Chiarelli LOVED Lucic while he was in Boston, and I can see him bringing the power forward in to help move things forward in Edmonton. Chiarelli wants a team that is harder to play against, Lucic helps accomplish that.
In the event that Lucic decides to sign elsewhere, which is extremely possible, Vanek would not be a bad second option. He’s no longer a sexy name and he isn’t as good as Lucic, but he can still play at the NHL level and be a factor.
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