Ahhhh, the morning after. Usually, this day is reserved for NHL teams to make their ‘walk of shame’ with their new terrible contracts like a college kid the morning after some terrible decisions. For the Oilers, this day has seen them crossing the street with Cam Barker and holding hands with Kurtis Foster in the past. Bad, I know.
Fear not, as yesterday the Oilers actually came out a better team than they were prior to the frenzy. The Oilers addressed two needs, adding a right-shot center in Mark Letestu and legit top-four D in Andrej Sekera. I broke the signings down here, but the cliff-notes version is six-years at $5.5 per for Sekera and three-years at $1.8 per for Letestu.
The Oilers have essentially completed their roster in terms of forwards, which is great news. Looking at it now, Edmonton actually has twelve NHL forwards it can roll out. That’s something we haven’t seen in these parts in years, it’s a big deal.
Defensively, Edmonton now has a logjam. Nine defenders are legit options to play in the NHL this fall, with only seven spots open. I’m not a math major, but I think this means that the Oilers will need to move someone out. To me, that signals that this summer is not done in terms of moves.
The Oilers will try to move out a veteran with some money on his deal, and I suspect that guy will be Nikita Nikitin. Bob Stauffer hinted at as much on Oilers Now yesterday on 630 CHED. He also sent out this tweet shortly after Sekera signed.
@Bob_Stauffer: Fully expect the Oilers to get creative to off-load a vet D with$$$
What Lies Ahead:
As I just mentioned, the Oilers are likely to move a defender. Nikita Nikitin is the most likely option, because he’s arguably the worst defender on the team and he’s an unrestricted free agent after the season. Edmonton can move this player and not have to worry about how they replace him. I know it sounds harsh, but facts are, Nikitin was not good last season.
More likely than not, the Oilers would have to eat close to 50% of his salary to make a deal work. Stauffer mentioned the LA Kings as a potential spot on his show yesterday. I think Arizona, who is still under the cap floor, could be a possible destination for Nikitin.
The Oilers also need to re-sign RFA Justin Schultz. Personally, I’d look to move Schultz, but I assume a one-year deal at around $3.7 per season is the end result here. Schultz simply didn’t earn anything more than his qualifying offer this past season, and honestly we can debate whether he earned that. This is a massive season for the young defender.
The team also needs to decide what it will do with it’s back-up goaltender. Peter Chiarelli reviled to the media on Wednesday that he actually tried to re-sign G Richard Bachman, while rumors swirled early in the day that he was in on G Michel Neuvirth. In the end, both players ended up signing elsewhere, and Ben Scrivens is still an Oiler. Something to ponder as we move forward.
Lastly, I doubt the Oilers sign another UFA defender, but I’d love to see the team take a shot at Cody Franson. He slipped through the first wave yesterday, but he’s a legit top-four defender who moves the puck well. He’s a power-play quarterback and has a great shot. He’s everything the team was hoping Justin Schultz would be.
If the chance to sign this player is there, then Edmonton should jump on it and move Schultz for futures right away. Franson would legitimately help this team and give them four (wait for it…) top-four defenders. Again, I doubt it happens, but I’d love to see it.
The List:
Quick look at our list from April….
1.) Acquire a real, proven NHL starting goaltender. No more risks, get it right. (Oilers took a risk with Cam Talbot, but he’s a good bet. This was checked off before the rush.)
2.) Acquire a real top-pairing defensive option. This will be tough, but guys like Jay Bouwmeester or Brent Seabrook could shake free. (Andrej Sekera probably isn’t a top-pairing guy on a Cup winning team, but he is on Edmonton. He’s also a legit top-four NHL D, and is capable of playing the number two role. GREAT signing.)
3.) Get a proven, veteran, NHL head coach. I’m talking McLellan, Babcock, etc. (All set here, the Oilers identified and hired Todd McLellan, a fine choice.)
4.) Acquire another real NHL defender, someone in the 3/4/5 mold. (This item somewhat is checked off. Edmonton added two bottom-pairing options in Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba. Reinhart could be top-four by April if things break right. That said, adding a number three or four like Franson would complete the blue-line. )
5.) Add a top-nine forward via free agency, ideally a center, but a winger works too. (Lauri Korpikoski was added to the third-line to fill the ‘Pisani’ role. Team also added Mark Letestu for line four. Item is checked off.)
6.) Draft Connor McDavid. (Welcome aboard, kid.)
Five of the six items completely checked off, with one of them partially checked off. If Chiarelli can get Franson, then friends, we are in business.
Long summer ahead where moves will happen. Until then, we wait.
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