Oilers Deadline Path Clear

The Edmonton Oilers will be sellers on February 29th, we know that for sure. The club is out of the playoff race and is looking to clear contracts, money and collect assets to make a run at improving the group in time for the 2016-17 NHL season. While this season has been painful, there is little doubt that Peter Chiarelli, Bob Nicholson and Todd McLellan have their sights set on a stronger year to open up the new arena.

That said, before the Oilers can chase help on defense and up front, they’ll need to handle business at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline. The path, at this point, is very clear. The Oilers will sell and they have two assets that they can easily move. If they want to get creative, a third asset could head out the door as well.

Teddy Purcell:

Edmonton’s most appealing deadline trading chip will almost certainly be heading out the door in two weeks time. Purcell is a pending UFA and has a knack for playing with skill. Whether it was with Steven Stamkos, Vinny Lecavalier, Taylor Hall or Leon Draisaitl, he posted solid numbers when with highly skilled linemates. He’s not going to drive a line, but he’s a perfect complimentary player. He’ll certainly hit 40 points this season which is top six production.

We’ve heard Purcell’s name connected with the Chicago Blackhawks and that makes a lot of sense. Can Edmonton get a second round pick for the forward? I think it’s possible, although don’t rule out Chiarelli snagging a prospect instead of a pick. Other teams possibly interested? I’d speculate Pittsburgh as another possible spot, but only Chicago has really surfaced through reports.

Justin Schultz:

Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger, Bruce Garrioch. Those are just three names that have linked Edmonton’s Justin Schultz to the trade market. Schultz is not a Peter Chiarelli type player and it has become apparent that he isn’t a Todd McLellan type player either. He struggles to move the puck, is a liability defensively, and struggles against the forecheck. He isn’t a top four defender now, has never been, and the jury is still out on if he ever will be.

Schultz needs a second opinion, he needs to go to a veteran team that can build him up and play him in an appropriate spot. Edmonton needs to move on from Schultz and insert a real top four defender that can move the puck and who won’t be a liability. The addition will be a summer move, but the subtraction appears to be a move that will take place in the immediate future.

We’ve heard the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning linked to Schultz and both of those spots make sense. The Red Wings always seem to take these players and turn them around, so I won’t rule them out either.

Return? Realistically I can see Edmonton getting a third or fourth round pick, but then again it is deadline time and teams ALWAYS overpay for defenders this time of year. That said, I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t get moved, seriously.

Eric Gryba:

This one is a little more fluid because Edmonton could decide to sign him to a contract. Gryba has filled his role, he’s a tough stay-at-home defender who plays on the third pairing. Edmonton could well decide to re-sign Gryba and I’d be okay with that. If he enters 2016-17 as the sixth or seventh defender, then he’ll fit in just fine.

That said, Gryba is a veteran defender and those have value at the deadline. If a team calls and offers a 3rd round pick, which is possible, then I think you have to take that deal and run with it. Gryba is a solid depth player, but Edmonton has a glut of bottom pairing defenders and Gryba isn’t good enough to lose sleep over trading.

I like the player, but there could be value here. My bet? Edmonton re-signs him to a one year extension.

Now, everything I wrote on Gryba was done before the game against the Ducks, and obviously we know he got hurt in that tilt. I elected to keep my writing on him in here for the record, but he’s out long term and won’t be back before the deadline. Odds he’s dealt are now zero.

Mark Fayne:

The odds the Oilers move Mark Fayne? Slim to none, in fact I’d say it’s pretty close to zero percent, Fayne has two more years left at a cap hit of $3.625 M per year. That’s a hefty price for a defender who, in reality, is best served as a number five defender. That said, Fayne is a solid stay-at-home defender and I prefer him to both Schultz and Gryba. If I were Peter Chiarelli, I would hang onto him heading into next season. The guy can play and he works well with Andrej Sekera.

The return would likely just be a draft pick and Edmonton would be forced to retain salary in the deal. It wouldn’t exactly be a helpful move and it’s one I just can’t see the Oilers making right now. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if some conversations do happen.

Final Thoughts:

The Oilers are going to be busy come trade deadline day it would appear. The club will sell off some assets, add future assets and clear some contracts out. That will pave the way for the changes that I expect to happen over the summer. Peter Chiarelli is going to improve this team this off-season, but first he needs to make way.

Getting something of value for Purcell, Schultz, and maybe Gryba will set Edmonton up to have more bullets to fire this summer. It should be interesting to see how Peter Chiarelli operates his first deadline as Oilers manager and his first as a seller since 2006-07.