The night before crazy season, June 30th. Every single year, this night is quiet, the calm before the storm if you will. The Edmonton Oilers have already been busy this off-season, and will likely be involved in the madness tomorrow. I doubt the Oilers will be the biggest players, but they’ll be there.
The Work Already Done:
Edmonton already acquired their goaltender when they traded for Cam Talbot this past Saturday. Edmonton also drafted phenom Connor McDavid, and added a solid NHL depth defender in Eric Gryba. Peter Chiarelli also got a little bold and traded for the massive Griffin Reinhart, who may be a top-four defender in Edmonton in the near future.
Two defenders and a goalie added via trade, and a star added via the draft. Pretty solid start to the summer for Edmonton, I must admit. Still, it’s not enough to push this team forward. Like I said, a solid start, but there is work to be done.
Shop Til you Drop!:
My grandmother, who still watches all of these game shows, used to always watch “Shop ’til You Drop” when she watched me back in the day. Whenever we get to free agency, I always laugh and think of the GM’s from around the league partaking in their own version of this show.
For Peter Chiarelli, he has a specific list that he is shopping for. We came up with it back in April. Let’s re-visit it again, shall we?
1.) Acquire a real, proven NHL starting goaltender. No more risks, get it right. (Oilers took a risk with Cam Talbot, but he’s a good bet. This is checked off before the rush.)
2.) Acquire a real top-pairing defensive option. This will be tough, but guys like Jay Bouwmeester or Brent Seabrook could shake free. (This is still not done. Edmonton does not have a top-pairing defender. Kevin Shattenkirk is a potential answer here, Matty thinks he’s available.)
3.) Get a proven, veteran, NHL head coach. I’m talking McLellan, Babcock, etc. (All set here, the Oilers identified and hired Todd McLellan, a fine choice.)
4.) Acquire another real NHL defender, someone in the 3/4/5 mold. (This item is checked off. Edmonton added two bottom-pairing options in Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba. Reinhart could be top-four by April if things break right.)
5.) Add a top-nine forward via free agency, ideally a center, but a winger works too. (Not yet done. Carl Soderberg is gone to Colorado. Ideal fits? Curtis Glencross or Joel Ward.)
6.) Draft Connor McDavid. (Welcome aboard, kid.)
What Lies Ahead:
As we can see, the Edmonton Oilers have a lot of work to do still. This roster is better than it was in April, but it is still not good enough to compete for a playoff spot out west. Peter Chiarelli still needs to improve his back-end, and he would do well to add a responsible top-nine forward.
I think we can let the dream of trading for Brent Seabrook or Brent Burns die. They seemed like good options, but clearly their teams are hanging onto them right now. It’s time to look to the free agent pool for some lesser, but still solid, names and fits.
My favorite? Andrej Sekera, who is a very responsible player and a good puck-moving rearguard. I’m also a fan of Cody Franson, and to a lesser extent both Mike Green and Christian Ehrhoff. Another guy, but on a shorter deal? Paul Martin.
We also can’t forget about Jared Spurgeon, who was speculated as a trade target back in May.
My bet? The Oilers come away with a top-four defender, an NHL forward and possibly another goaltender. I don’t think Scrivens is safe as the back-up right now, I really don’t. I could see a trade or two to move out a contract (Nikitin, Scrivens) going down.
Now, now my friends we wait.
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