On Friday I wrote about GM Peter Chiarelli trading one or more of the big named players to improve this Oilers team going into the 2016-2017 season. I gave reasons why I’d keep players like Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov. I also gave some reasons on why I’d consider trading each of the mentioned players. There is clearly a lot of work to do in order to get this team into a playoff position, and like most of you I’m sick of the losing and ready for Chiarelli to do what ever it takes to expedite the process.
Today I’ll make my list of players a little longer, including some of the good young defencemen. There are a few forwards that I didn’t mention that could be trade bait going into the offseason, I’ll start with them.
Benoit Pouliot
Why I’d Keep Him
Pou has been a good player for the Oilers in his time here so far. When he wants to he plays big on the puck, can make plays and has a decent nose for the net. He also brings a size to the top six that it’s clear Peter Chiarelli covets. When the team can possible have both Benoit Pouliot (6’3 200lbs) and Pat Maroon (6’3 230lbs) playing on the wing in your top six that is never a bad thing, especially in the rough and tumble western conference.
Why I’d Trade Him
I hate using the words “Injury Prone” but they might apply well here. Pouliot hasn’t ever played a full season in the NHL, his season high for GP is 80 when he was with the Rangers in 2013-2014. The last two seasons with the Oilers he’s played 58 and 55 games respectively. The other reason I’d consider letting him go was mentioned above – “When he wants to”. Although there are few players in the NHL that play consistently for a full, or in Poo’s case, partial season, Pouliot, while he’s been good, needs to be more consistent.
Matt Hendricks
Why I’d Keep Him
He’s a heart and soul type guy; by all accounts he’s a vocal leader in the room. He can play anywhere in the bottom six and its rare to have a guy that is almost as good at center as he is on the wing. Those are important characteristics to have, and a fragile team like the Oilers is going to need that going forward.
Why I’d Trade Him
Fact of the matter is he’s been a leader in the dressing room of a team that just can’t win. That doesn’t mean he isn’t important, but if he’s included in a package for a player that makes this team better then so be it. He’s got a year left on his deal and there are plenty of teams that would see value in him.
Now on to the defence;
Mark Fayne
Why I’d Keep Him
Todd McLellan trusts him. Fayne plays against the opposition’s top forwards all of the time and that’s something. He’s a right handed shot, and even if the Oilers improve the RHD position having Fayne on the 3rd pair right side wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Why I’d Trade Him
Well first off, the Oilers are going to have Davidson back and healthy to start next season. With the depth at LHD someone is going to have to move to the right side if they’re going to stick in the line up and it appears Davidson is the most suited for that role. Not to mention the Fayne makes 3.625 million a season, having that contract on your third pairing isn’t exactly optimal. If the Oilers can trade him though it won’t bring a big return and they’ll likely have to retain some money in the deal.
Jonathan Willis wrote a great article about it that you can read here.
Darnell Nurse
Why I’d Keep Him
He’s a young prospect with loads of potential, slated to be a perennial top four amongst the D-Core for years to come. He’s also one of the few players that displays a willingness to stick up for his teammates and as witnessed by his first NHL fight versus Milan Lucic, he’s not going to shy away from anyone. I watched Darnell at his best when he was busy winning best defenceman at the 2015 World Junior hockey tournament; if he can get to a form like that in the next few years of a development then he’ll be fighting for first pairing minutes. When Nurse learns when to be aggressive and when not to he’s going to be a hell of a player in this league.
Why I’d Trade Him
There’s a possibility that he never turns into that player. He’s struggled this year and that’s fine, but on the chance he’s not going to develop into the player everyone hopes he’ll be then his value is at it’s highest now. Personally I think he’ll pan out, but if you can trade him for a player that can step in to a top one-through-four role among the d-corps then it’s something the general manager is going to have to think long a hard about.
Oscar Klefbom
Why I’d Keep Him
Klefbom was the Oilers best defenceman this year before he went down with injury, he moves the puck better then anyone on the ice. He was adequately playing first pairing minutes and saw time on both the PP and the PK. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Oilers fell hard in the standings when they lost him from the line up. If the Oilers do manage to get that number one pairing right shot defenceman then Klef should be a perfect fit for whom ever that is.
Why I’d Trade Him
Oscar is beginning to earn the title of injury prone, though I’m not a big fan of that term. Any how, Jason Gregor wrote about it in one of his game day blogs at OilersNation and you can read it here. Jason writes;
So in his SEL career he played in 57.3% of his team’s games (66 of 115). In the AHL and NHL he has dressed for 74% of the games (166 of 224).
The beginning of his post draft career numbers aren’t pretty, but they’ve steadily improved as his career has aged. This year he’s suffered a foot injury from blocking a shot, then took a skate to the hand and broke a finger. Subsequently he developed a staph infection in his foot. If it wasn’t for the infection then maybe he’d only have missed a few games with the broken finger.
If, however, the early years of his career are a sign of things to come then maybe it is time to trade while value is high. But if that happens I’m pretty sure we’ll be watching him from afar having a great career.
Brandon Davidson
Why I’d Keep Him
A defenceman playing ahead of where he was expected, this doesn’t happen often but when you find a diamond in the rough you keep it. He’s show this year that he can play both sides of the ice, and has done a good job killing penalties. This is a perfect example of how you develop a d-man. Sure he’s had a few obstacles in his path but he’s overcome those and turned into someone who looks to play a lot of games in the NHL. If his development curve continues we’re looking at a top four guy within a few years.
Why I’d Trade Him
I wouldn’t be looking to trade this player, but again if the right deal came along then Chiarelli has to take it into consideration. It’s the idea of selling a player at his maximum value and there is a chance that is right now. As mentioned the Oilers left side of the defence has a ton of potential, the team may have to decide which they’re going to keep in the plans and which they want to use as trade bait.
Trade Them All
Now I’m not actually advocating to trade all of these players, however I’m quite fed up of this annual crap show of a hockey team. Peter Chiarelli has the trade bait it will take to make some major changes to this roster and hopefully produce a winner.
The time is now. I like the idea of a bigger, tougher Oilers squad. There’s a new identity the GM is trying to build. Now he just has to go out there and make it happen.
Thanks for reading.
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