The Anaheim Ducks are the powerhouse team of the Pacific Division, and have dominated the Edmonton Oilers for what seems like an eternity now. Edmonton is looking to get more competitive players this off-season, and one imagines the Oilers will look to get a little bigger too, just like those Ducks.
Could Edmonton target Anaheim’s top free agent forward, Matt Beleskey, come July 1st? Very likely. The idea should surprise no one; this is a big, physical player who can score goals and who is still pretty young. He’s not the sexy name to most, but it sure looks like he’ll be a top-option for teams in a few weeks.
Why Is He Out There:
The Ducks are a budget team, and they like to plan ahead. While Anaheim has only a handful of players to sign this summer, next year will be a massive year financially for the Ducks. They’ll need to re-sign a number of key young pieces, and will likely lose one or two because of the cap and internal budget.
Beleskey could be one of those guys. The team fielded calls on him at the deadline, and likely won’t want to pay the term and money he’ll get on the market. Sure, the Ducks are interested and they’ll probably try to sign him again, but if Beleskey’s price doesn’t come down, he’s going to market.
What Does He Do Well:
Matt Beleskey is an interesting study. He’s always been a decent hockey player, but this year he completely took off. He’s decently sized, clocking in at 6 feet even and 206 pounds. On top of that, he plays a power-forward’s kind of game, he’s physical and he is hard to play against. He’s tough on the puck and he wins more than his fair share of battles.
This is a player who is not afraid to go to the dirty areas, and who is willing to do what it takes to have success. He’ll go to the net, and he’ll generate the ugly chances as opposed to the pretty ones that the top-six young guns usually create. That’s fine, because you need a mix on a professional hockey team.
Offensively Beleskey is an interesting player, because his career range is somewhere around 15 goals per season (When projected over a full 82). That’s pretty good, but it’s not worth a massive contract. This season, he scored 22 goals and added 10 assists for 32 points. For those counting at home, that was a career high for him.
Beleskey has decent offensive instincts, but that isn’t his strong suit. He’s more of a physical role player who helps on the PK and wins battles in the hard areas. He’s a grinder folks, I don’t think there is a better way to summarize it.
He lucked out by having a career year in his contract season, that’s going to up his value. I see him a lot like David Clarkson. Both are good NHL players, solid role players, but neither will be worth their contract. Tread carefully.
Where Will He Play / Where Should He Play:
Beleskey would play on the third line behind Taylor Hall and Benoit Pouliot, which is exactly where he should play. His offense does not warrant a top-six spot, while his style of play more adequately lines up with the role players. This is a decent third line player at the NHL level.
What Will He Cost:
Too much, to put it simply. Beleskey is going to get a multi-year deal, probably four years, and will likely get around $4 million per season. Some team is going to get desperate for a power-forward and will overpay for this guy after a career year. It might be New Jersey, might be Boston, might be Edmonton, could be anyone.
Again, this is a good hockey player, but that price tag is just insane.
Closing Arguments:
If Matt Beleskey was going to cost $1.5 million per season, I’d be all over him this summer. Problem is, he’s going to earn over double that because of his production this past season.
He’s a solid third line player. He’s physical, he wins battles, has a little offensive side to him, and does all the little things. Plus, he’s only 26 years old, meaning he can grow with the core group in Edmonton. Honestly, I think he is a great fit with this roster moving forward.
Problem is, the contract he gets will be this year’s David Clarkson/Brooks Orpik deal. It’s going to be way too much money for far too long. Not slamming the player, but we all know guys like this get overpaid.
I hope Peter Chiarelli stays clear, because this could be a massive mistake if he tries to out outbid teams for a player that is more common than most realize.
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