Edmonton Oiler fans seem to all have the desire for the club to acquire a top-four RHD that can play an offensive role and run the powerplay. Oiler fans aren’t wrong when hoping for that, the club is lacking that exact player type, but fans must remember that this is a rare player to find.
Tyson Barrie, via Ryan Rishaug, has been connected to the club, as was Kevin Shattenkirk back at the draft. This past weekend, due to a piece from Yahoo! sports, buzz surrounding the Blues defender once again rose in Edmonton.
Via Zach Laing, here’s a passage regarding Edmonton’s possible interest in the player and what a deal may have looked like.
Ugh. #Oilershttps://t.co/Q7vBaBVFqcpic.twitter.com/hYWiMeRnrG
— zach laing (@zjlaing) July 17, 2016
A number of Oiler fans would have preferred Shattenkirk to Adam Larsson, who Edmonton ended up acquiring for Hall in late June. Me? I prefer Shattenkirk as a player, but only because of his ability with the puck and on the powerplay. Defensively, I believe that Larsson is a better hockey player.
That same number of Oiler fans are disappointed that the team didn’t pull the trigger to get a sexier name in Shattenkirk, and many are still clamoring for the Oilers to acquire this player.
Had Edmonton traded Hall to St. Louis for Shattenkirk, Chiarelli would have been chased out of town. Shattenkirk is a free agent after the 2016-17 season and has his sights on signing closer to home, back on the east coast. There is a belief that he already told the Oilers that he would not sign with the team past this season.
That is not a player that I’m giving up assets for, especially Taylor Hall. Unless the deal is slanted in Edmonton’s favor, I would not make a move for Shattenkirk. As good as he is and as good of a fit as he is, the Oilers are not in position to acquire a highly priced rental at this time.
What The Benn Deal Means:
The Dallas Stars avoided a Steven Stamkos-like saga with forward Jamie Benn by signing the pending UFA to an eight-year deal worth $76 million. That averages out to, no this isn’t a typo, $9.5 million per season. That’s a lot of money for one player, but Benn is worth it. This is a top five player in the NHL that we are talking about here, folks.
This contract will impact the Oilers next summer when it is time to talk contract with Connor McDavid. There’s no doubt that Edmonton is going to try and sign McDavid prior to his contract year. An eight-year deal is an absolute given, as is no-trade protection for the player. The only debate? Money.
Benn’s $9.5 million likely sets the bare minimum for McDavid on his next contract. I truly believe that McDavid is already on the level of Benn and that he will only get better as his career moves in. In two years? I think you can make a case that he will be the better player.
This contract should draw a line in the sand for Edmonton and their superstar next summer.
Possible PTO Candidates:
Bob Stauffer hinted on Oilers Now last week that the club may be done making major moves this off-season. Now, Stauffer also mentioned that the club may add a defender or two via a PTO as the summer winds down and we inch towards training camp. A PTO may not scratch the itch of fans, but it could be a useful tool for Edmonton.
James Wisniewski, to me, is the best defensive option left on the free agent market. That said, I don’t think he would accept a PTO, he’d need a guaranteed one-year deal with the club to sign on. I looked at some options last week of players who could be bargain bin deals and they fall into the category of possible PTO candidates as well.
I’d count Jakob Nakladal, Matt Bartkowski, Christian Ehrhoff, Marek Zidlicky, and Raphael Diaz as possible PTO options for Edmonton as we approach training camp.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
