New-Look Oilers – Part Five

Last night we looked at the Oilers’ additions on defense, and today we conclude the look at each area with an in-depth look at the additions and subtractions up front. That being said, this is an area that still needs some work. The Oilers are still without a number two center, and my evaluation could change depending on what happens. Elliotte Friedman of CBC suspects the team will be looking for one.

That said, even without adding a second line center, the Oilers have done some interesting things, both adding and subtracting some decently big names from the group of attackers.

The Subtractions:

The Oilers made one trade regarding a forward, and that was moving center Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay. Gagner was moved an hour later to Arizona in what was a wild Sunday night for the former top-ten pick. In trading Gagner, the Oilers lost a fine offensive player who produced at a top-six rate almost every year. He topped out in 40’s for points in Edmonton, and never learned defense.

Gagner’s defensive coverage was a major problem for the Oil this past year, and his inability to be a two-way player ended up hurting the team more than his offense could help. The Oilers badly needed a different kind of player in the second line spot.

Depth guy Ryan Jones was allowed to walk as a fee agent, which comes as no surprise. He wasn’t very good in 2013, and wasn’t very good this season either. Jones seems like he’s hit a wall since an eye injury he suffered during the lockout. It’s too bad, because he was a pretty decent role-player for a little while. Regardless, this current group will not miss him.

Ryan Smyth was a solid bottom-six guy for the Oilers this past season, but decided to retire following the year. He’ll be missed by fans everywhere, and will leave a bit of a hole at the bottom of the roster.

The Additions:

While losing Jones and Smyth made Edmonton even thinner on the wings, the Oilers beefed up their group of wingers with some solid moves. The team snagged Teddy Purcell in the Gagner trade, a bigger forward with some real solid offensive ability. Purcell’s point totals in Tampa Bay were good, and he is a very solid advanced stats player.

He’s not overly physical, and reminds people of a younger Dustin Penner, but there is nothing wrong with that. Purcell seems like a solid second line forward that can produce 40-50 points a year and bring responsible two-way play to the table. That’s a key hole fixed.

The Oilers also added Benoit Pouliot on a five-year deal, and while the money and term are a little much, this is another solid player added to the group. Pouliot is a solid possession player who is good defensively and can put up points offensively. He’s good for about 30-40 points a season and can hold down a key spot on a good team’s third line. That’s a highly useful player right there.

Centers Mark Arcobello and Anton Lander were re-signed, and will likely fight for full time employment. As currently constructed, Arcobello is the favorite for the second line center job, and he was actually an improvement over the Gagner we saw last season. Arco held the fort nicely during the early season injury to Sam.

Tyler Pitlick and Steve Pinizzotto were both re-signed as well, and will likely fight it out for the fourth line right wing spot. Pitlick is young, has a decent two-way game and some skill, while Pinizzotto is tough and brings some real energy and grit to the table.

Leon Draisaitl was drafted with the third overall pick this past June, and presents a long-term option at the center spot. Leon has a really nice combination of size, skill and effective two-way play, and he’s a beast when it comes to protecting the puck. He’s the future behind Nuge at center, but there are legit concerns that he is not ready for NHL duty this fall. He should not be rushed.

Overview:

The Oilers lost a solid offensive player, but a highly flawed defensive player, in Sam Gagner and a depth winger in Ryan Jones. That’s not exactly a major pair of losses for a club. The additions were solid, and give Edmonton one of the best winger groups in the league.

Both Teddy Purcell and Benoit Pouliot add some much needed size to Edmonton’s lineup, but also add solid possession play, good defensive play, and some offensive ability. That gives Edmonton three lines of wingers they can count on for solid play, especially if Yakupov has a bounce back season.

Edmonton still has some holes however. The team badly needs a second line center to slot in behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. They struck out on both Olli Jokinen and Mike Ribeiro, and while they are still looking, they haven’t filled this hole yet. Mark Arcobello isn’t an awful bet, but the team would be better off adding a veteran player here.

The fourth line right wing spot is open too, although it appears that is down to internal options Tyler Pitlick and Steve Pinizzotto.

All in all, Edmonton’s forward group is improved thanks to the additions of Pouliot and Purcell on the wings, but is still a work in progress due to it’s center depth. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is great on line one, and Boyd Gordon is perfect on line four, but it is what is in between that is pretty scary. Edmonton badly needs to address this before thinking of a playoff berth in 2015.

Improvement has been made here however, as size that has offensive skill and the ability to play a good possession game was added. It’s about time.