Last summer, many Oiler fans thought that Peter Chiarelli was going to do all of his shopping via free agency when both Milan Lucic and Jason Demers visited the club. Lucic ended up signing with the team, but as we know Demers did not sign with the Oilers and instead Chiarelli traded Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson.
Did Edmonton offer Demers a deal and he rejected it? Did Edmonton simply prefer Larsson to Demers and decided they could only add one over the course of the off-season? We’ll likely never know the answer to that, but Demers appears available yet again this summer and Edmonton, yet again, has a need for a right-shot defender.
Is there a match between Edmonton and Florida to bring Demers to the Oilers a year later?
Why Is He Out There?:
Florida is in a bit of a bind when it comes to the expansion draft later this month. The club obviously will protect Aaron Ekblad and must protect Keith Yandle because of his NMC. That leaves one spot to protect either Demers, Alex Petrovic or Mark Pysyk. The Panthers could also protect four defenders, but even then they would be losing one of these three for nothing.
Florida is likely exploring the possibility of trading one of Demers, Petrovic or Pysyk prior to the expansion draft in order to get at least some sort of value here. That’s where the Oilers come in.
The Panthers are also looking for goal scoring, and if they want to acquire a forward they’ll likely need to trade from that surplus of defenders. Demers could be the odd man out because of expansion.
What Does He Do Well?:
Jason Demers is an advanced stats darling who usually shines in terms of possession. That, folks, is a very good thing. The reason why Demers is so good possession-wise? He moves the puck with aplomb, having the ability to both make and take a pass while also being able to transports the puck up ice and join the rush.
Demers possesses a strong shot, although he isn’t necessarily known for it. He isn’t one of those elite powerplay quarterbacks, but he can be a threat from the point. Combined with Oscar Klefbom, the Oilers would certainly have enough cover at the point on the powerplay if Demers came to town.
At 6’1” and 200 pounds, Demers has a decent frame and he is not afraid to use it. This past season he posted boxcars of 9-19-28 and averaged 19:36 TOI per game.
Where Will He Play/Where Should He Play?:
Jason Demers is a top-four defender at the NHL level who likely should slide in on the second-pairing of a contending team. In Edmonton, that is exactly where he would play behind Adam Larsson. When healthy, Andrej Sekera would be Demers’ main partner on that pairing. Until then, however, Darnell Nurse and pending UFA Kris Russell are options to partner with Demers.
There would be no issues with his slotting on the depth-chart should the Oilers acquire Demers.
What Will He Cost?:
Demers is entering the second year of a contract that runs through the summer of 2021 (four more seasons) at a cap hit of $4.5 million per year. It’s a big ticket but not impossible for the Oilers to fit in, especially if they move a larger contract to acquire him.
Florida is looking for goals, so naturally Jordan Eberle’s name will get tossed around here. I think he’d have value for the Panthers and I believe they would be interested. An Eberle for Demers trade has been floated around by Bob Stauffer in recent weeks as well.
As per @Bob_Stauffer‘s conversation w/@FriedgeHNIC on Oilers Now… Would you consider trading Jordan Eberle for Jason Demers? #Oilers
— Brenden Ullrich (@BrendenUllrich) May 18, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Closing Argument:
To me, Jason Demers is an extremely realistic target for the Edmonton Oilers this summer and may represent their best chance to truly upgrade the defensive group. He’s not overpaid, we know the team has had at least mild interest in him recently, and he’s a perfect fit as a top-four, right-shot defender.
This isn’t a one year rental either, this would be a longer-term solution on the blue line in the same way that Adam Larsson was a season ago. If Peter Chiarelli can get his hands on Demers, then he should pursue it as hard as possible. Adding this player would both upgrade and solidify Edmonton’s defensive group, thus helping them take that next step.
This is a name to really watch over the next few weeks if you ask me.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
