Interesting take from TSN’s Bob McKenzie last night during the Insider Trading segment of TSN’s intermission report during the Av’s/Leafs game . Bobby Mac took a few minutes to talk Oilers, and brought up a few interesting points, including mentioning how the Oilers were looking for a significant difference making move behind the blue-line.
“There’s no panic button being pushed in Edmonton by general manager Craig MacTavish, but I would also suggest that after three games and 15 goals against, MacTavish is more open to business than most GMs would be after the first week of the season,”
This was how McKenzie opened the segment, talking about how the Oilers are in fact open for business, but also making sure to state that the team isn’t panicking just yet. It’s no shock the Oilers are looking still to make moves. Craig MacTavish talked about making bold moves this summer, but never came away with anything anyone would ever call “bold”.
That’s not ripping MacT, I think he did just fine this off-season, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he was still looking to make a move for his hockey club.
It’s also very important that the Oilers, unlike us fans, are not panicking. The worst thing for this team would be to panic and make a trade that hurts them moving forward. The team they have now is coming together, and I believe will be fine.
McKenzie further went on about his Oilers rumor here:
“He hasn’t had that opportunity to make that bold move, but I think he’s still lying out there in the weeds trying to find something that would be considered bold and that would make a dramatic difference to the way this team plays behind the blue line.”
I find it very interesting that Bob specifically refers to the Oilers playing behind the blue-line, which means one of two things. The Oilers are looking for defensive help, or Edmonton is going after goalie help. McKenzie said the Oilers aren’t giving up on Dubnyk after two games, and I truly believe he is referring to a defensive move.
The Oilers have a plethora of solid depth defenders, but no true number one guy. Jeff Petry has been awesome this season, and is no doubt a top-four, but the team needs someone who can play that number one role.
Petry, Smid, Ference and Jultz can handle the top four, but none can handle that number one spot. Part of me wonders if Edmonton would look to add that legit number one defender through trade with a hefty package.
Remember, the Oilers are loaded with defensive prospects and have one or two to spare. A package of Ladislav Smid, a prospect and a pick could get Edmonton quite a return from a team looking to go in a different direction. That could land Edmonton the top pairing defender it so badly needs.
I pick Smid not because I don’t like him (I actually love his game), but because it makes the most sense. The Oilers have two great young right handed men in Justin Schultz and Jeff Petry, and wouldn’t move captain Andrew Ference. Smid seems like the logical choice to upgrade on and use to bring in that defender that plays all three areas at a high level.
The guys I would target? I know you will all roll your eyes, but Dion Phaneuf is still my top choice that I feel is somewhat logical and a realistic target. He’s a western Canadian boy, still young, and can play 25-30 minutes a night at a high level and play all three areas very, very well.
Other targets could include Tyler Myers in Buffalo, but he doesn’t really fit that top pairing guy explanation right now. Fedor Tyutin in Columbus is another potential target, as is, yes, Brayden Coburn in Philly. That being said, the only guy that truly fits that number one role is Dion.
All that being said, I’ll be very surprised if the Oilers make a bold move for a top defender right now. It’s a great idea, and will eventually need to be done, but I can’t see that time being now. I do think the Oilers will make a move as we go on this season, but I don’t think now is the time.
As I mentioned on Tuesday’s radio show how I could see the Oilers making decent moves on the fly like they did in 2006, adding pieces along the way to push the team into the playoffs. I just don’t see that time being now.
That said, it’s very interesting to see Bob McKenzie say these things. Is there something up in Edmonton? We’ll have to wait and see.
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