Every team that wins a Stanley Cup has value contracts littered throughout its roster. In fact, I would argue that it is downright impossible to win in today’s NHL without having value contracts on your roster. You need guys like Patrick Maroon who vastly outperform their yearly salary.
The Oilers have some candidates for value contracts this seasons in Maroon, Mark Letestu, Matt Benning and Drake Caggiula. It’s a good start, but the Oilers could certainly use a few more of those on their books, especially with major deals for Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid set to kick in over the next 13 months.
Jordan Weal, a former offensive star in the WHL, may just be one of those value guys if Edmonton gets him signed this off-season.
Why Is He Out There?:
The 25 year-old Weal is an interesting player who has produced offense at every level expect for the NHL. The reason? Weal really hasn’t gotten a chance to stick around and play consistently at the NHL level. He only played in 23 games for the Flyers this season and only got into 14 NHL games in 2015-16 split between the Flyers and Kings.
Philadelphia has other players it clearly values over Weal and will likely let him walk this summer. The Flyers had a season and a half to see what they had with Weal and clearly didn’t trust him enough to play him. I think the writing is on the wall in Philadelphia and believe the Flyers would rather give a roster spot to a different young player than Weal.
What Does He Do Well?:
Weal’s best attributes are his offensive ones. He’s a quick skater, which is key for a player of his size (5’10”, 179 pounds) and is very versatile. While he usually plays center, Weal has the ability to play all three forward positions and can help out on the powerplay if need be. He’s a right-shot, which is a good fit in Edmonton.
In terms of offense, Weal is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. He has displayed a lethal ability to set up teammates at the AHL level, and has also proven at that level that he can put the puck in the net. Weal posted boxcars of 15-32-47 in 43 games in the AHL this past season. In 2014-15, he posted boxcars of 20-49-69 in 73 AHL contests.
NHL wise, Weal hasn’t been able to consistently produce but a lot of that has to do with linemates. He averaged just 14:18 TOI per game with the Flyers this past season, suggesting he was never really used in an offensive role. Even then, Weal posted 8-4-12 in 23 games.
Weal posted a 55.9% Corsi for 5-on-5 % this past season and started 61.1% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
He’s a strong playmaker and has a good enough shot to find the back of the net 10-15 tines over the course of a full NHL season. Even if the Flyers didn’t see it, there is value in that.
Where Will He Play/Where Should He Play?:
Weal is almost certainly incapable of coming in and playing on Edmonton’s third line as the center, as he likely should be a depth forward who can move up the lineup on the wing if necessary. His lack of size and strength is the big reason why his NHL future likely isn’t going to be as a center.
In Edmonton, Weal most likely would serve as a fourth line winger to start. I think he could play much higher in the lineup, but Todd McLellan likely starts with Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi on right wing in his top-six. Weal would have the ability to move up if Puljujarvi falters or Draisaitl is moved back to center.
What Will He Cost?:
Weal is coming off of a one-year contract that paid him $650,000 and didn’t do anything at the NHL level that would constitute a big raise. I’d imagine that one-year deal at around $800,000 would easily secure his services for the upcoming campaign.
Closing Argument:
As I mentioned in the opening of this article, the Oilers will need value contracts if they want to take that next step and truly compete for the Stanley Cup. While most of those value contracts will come from within, some are going to have to come from astute free agent signings and trades.
Jordan Weal, after a tough last two seasons, could be one of those astute signings. He’s proven that he can be a difference maker in the AHL, and at the NHL level he showed glimpses of promise during a 23 game stint in Philadelphia a season ago.
As a cheap depth option, the Oilers would be very smart to bring a player like Weal on board. You never know, someone like that could surprise you and stick around for a little while.
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