July 1st is usually a frenzy for Oiler fans. In the last few years, the club has been active adding NHL players to the roster via free agency. Last year it was Milan Lucic, the year before that it was Andrej Sekera and Mark Letestu. Go back through the years and you’ll see at least one big addition to the Oilers on July 1st in just about every year in the last decade.
That trend stopped today, as Edmonton failed to add a single player of NHL caliber player to the organization (more on that later). They were busy, however, adding seven new faces to the organization.
Goalie Eddie Pasquale, defenders Ryan Stanton and Keegan Lowe, and forwards Brian Ferlin, Grayson Downing, Ty Rattie and Mitch Callahan were all signed to two-way contracts. Callahan and Stanton each received two years on their deals, while the rest were all one-year contracts.
While not sexy moves, all seven signings by the club should help the Bakersfield Condors be a much stronger team in the AHL next season. Stanton, Rattie and Callahan are all players with some NHL experience who could fight for end of the roster spots next season. At the very least, they give Edmonton some respectable call-up options.
AHL Impact:
A lot of people will shrug these moves off, but this was a very good day for the Condors and by extension the Oilers. Bakersfield badly needed veteran help to both contribute on the ice and to help the young players on the roster.
Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Ryan Mantha, Nick Ellis, Joe Gambardella, and Patrick Russell, those are just some of the names still adjusting to pro hockey and developing as prospects. Having veterans who have won at the AHL level and made it to the show will only help those young players as they transition from juniors/college to the pros.
Personally, I also think it is important for the Oilers to have a winning environment down on the farm. It may not matter to fans of the big club, but having prospects grow up in a winning culture can do wonders. Organizations like Tampa Bay, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Washington have all had a large number of players emerge from a strong AHL team. It’s more important than many people realize.
All Quiet In Edmonton:
While the Condors got loaded up on Saturday, things were very quiet at the NHL level for the Oilers. That isn’t exactly a surprise however, as it was telegraphed all week that today could be a slow day for the big club. The ongoing contract negotiations with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl appear to have things at a standstill.
While it was not announced today, it appears that the McDavid contract is close, which would be a huge moment for this organization. The Draisaitl deal? Well, that doesn’t sound like it is going as smoothly at this time. Until those deals get done and Peter Chiarelli knows what the is situation cap wise, Edmonton isn’t going to do anything.
I think we’ll see McDavid’s deal announced at some point in the next week, but I’m not so sure about Draisaitl’s contract. If he really wants $10 million per season we could be in for a long and nasty summer between the sides. You hope that isn’t the case, but things don’t exactly look promising right now.
I would think a trade is worst case scenario, and would put the odds of an offer-sheet coming in at less than 1%. To me, this ends in either a trade or a five-year extension between the sides. Lean towards five-years and somewhere around $7.5 million per for the big German.
Final Thoughts:
One important thing to remember is that the summer is not over. The Oilers still have ample time to go out and add a player or two, and there are still some pretty solid players out on the market. For example, Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, Ales Hemsky, Jiri Hudler, Cody Franson, Mark Streit, Eric Gelinas and Andrei Markov are all still on the market.
While he didn’t add anything to the NHL roster today, it sounds like Peter Chiarelli still talked to a few free agents and teams about potential signings/trades a little further down the line this summer.
“Later on we’ll announce some depth signings. We’ve laid foundation for potential trades as well.” #Oilers GM Chiarelli on moves made today pic.twitter.com/oFrlFC8UX6
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 1, 2017
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“We established a little bit of foundation with some guys today. We’ve also established some foundation on some trades.” -Chiarelli #Oilers
— OilersNation.com (@OilersNation) July 1, 2017
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Judging by Chiarelli’s availability, the club still has their eyes on a few free agents and would like to somehow add to this roster. Personally, I don’t think Edmonton is done and I could easily see them dipping into the bargain bin later this summer to add a player at one of the wings.
As I mentioned above, however, everything is in a holding pattern until McDavid and Draisaitl are under contract. After that, I’m willing to bet that we see another free agent or two added to the NHL roster.
It doesn’t look complete just yet, but I’ll reserve judgement until I see what Chiarelli does AFTER getting his two stars locked in.
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