Random Thoughts
As summer drags on and we all await hockey season, it’s getting more and more difficult to find worthwhile things to write about in Oilerville. I would honestly tip my hat (if I wore one) to the folks at Cult of Hockey and Oilers Nation for managing to continually churn out Oilers related content when nothing is really going on.
I tend to be the kind of person that loves summer and hates winter; mostly due to the weather. It’s a strange dichotomy to live in when I enjoy the warm temperatures but love hockey so much that I can’t wait for October. So rather than focus on any one subject in detail, I thought I’d throw together some random thoughts on a bunch of things that have already been written about anyways (because what else is there to write about at the moment?).
On Tyson Barrie:
Tyson Barrie had his arbitration hearing this morning, and according to Elliotte Friedman, we should know what he was awarded within 48 hours (if the two sides don’t reach an agreement before then):
COL and Tyson Barrie did go through an arbitration hearing. Ruling within 48 hours, but two sides could — in theory — still reach a deal
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 29, 2016
I remain skeptical that Barrie will be traded for now, and I suspect the Avs will deal with the ruling of the arbitrator. According to Friedman, Barrie supposedly wants a 1 year deal worth 6 million, so there still might be smoke here. However, If Joe Sakic was willing to trade Barrie, he probably could have done so for more value at the draft, or fleeced Peter Chiarelli already.
I’m sure speculation will ramp up again after Barrie’s new contract is announced. I might have to come back to this after I hear what he’s awarded, but I don’t think my opinion will change much. Barrie will likely remain with the Avalanche for at least one more season, and even if the Avs do decide to move him, what would it cost the Oilers? If Adam Larsson is any indication; too much.
On Yakupov:
Yakupov is yet another player that seems to have divided Oilers fans. On the one hand, you have people who think he should have to “earn” top 6 minutes (despite the fact other Oilers 1st overall picks didn’t have to do the same), and on the other hand you have people like me. I think Yakupov has been given a bum deal thus far. He’s been stuck on the 3rd and 4th lines for most of the time ever since Craig Mactavish (in his infinite wisdom) decided to fire Ralph Krueger. While I’ll admit that Yakupov isn’t without his own flaws, I still think there is a player there. Given his perceived worth around the league after allegedly requesting a trade out of Edmonton, and his public spat with the coach of team Russia at this year’s IIHF World Championship Tournament, Yakupov’s value in a trade has never been lower.
Some have even suggested he’s worth nothing more than a mid range 3rd round pick, which is completely insane for a player of his age (22) and potential. This is one of the reasons why I think Yakupov has a good chance to stick around with the Oilers. While the team potentially risks losing him for nothing next summer, If Yakupov can get his game going this season, the Oilers can either look at extending him or at least get more than a 3rd rounder for him at the trade deadline.
From a developmental perspective, I also think it would make more sense to give Yakupov some added minutes in the top 6 while allowing Jesse Puljujarvi time to ease into things on the 3rd line (assuming Jesse makes the team out of camp). However knowing my track record, just because I suggested Yakupov will remain an Oiler, he will probably be traded 5 minutes before this blog is due to be published for a sack of beans.
On Matt Dumba:
It was yesterday that Matt Dumba signed a 2 year bridge deal with the Minnesota Wild worth 5.1 million. Admittedly, I breathed a sigh of relief when I read about this deal, as it meant I didn’t have to hear anymore ridiculous rumors about the Oilers trading Ryan Nugent Hopkins for Dumba straight up. That would have been an awful, awful trade. In fact, I would have considered it completely preposterous if it wasn’t for the return Chiarelli managed to get for Taylor Hall. Yeah. I went there. Deal with it.
On the Captaincy:
By now everyone and their dog is probably aware that head coach Todd McLellan announced that there would be a decision on the Oilers captaincy situation before the season starts. Most people seem to think McDavid will be the guy, and I can see both pro’s and con’s to that. On the bright side, McDavid is without question the future of the Edmonton Oilers, and he will wear the C eventually anyways, so many think he might as well be named captain now (which would make him the youngest captain in NHL history).
I see the logic in that, but I also see the logic in waiting for a few years instead of piling on added pressure to a kid who is already carrying the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. Now don’t get me wrong, if there is one 19-year-old NHL player out there that can handle that sort of pressure with grace and professionalism, it’s without a doubt Connor McDavid. That being said, I could see 3 other guys getting the nod as well: Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle, and Matt Hendricks. In the end, I’m not convinced the letter on the jersey matters all that much anyways, and any of the aforementioned players would be fine by me. Any way you slice it, we still have “The One”:
On Rogers Place:
In case you missed it, www.rogersplace.com released a new update on the arena which you can view here. It includes a new tour of the interior of the facility, and it’s worth a watch. Even I was salivating at all the cool things I’ll never have enough money to experience:
On the team in general:
I’ve been convinced for a while now that the roster as it is currently is the roster we will be heading into the season with. We still might see some minor tweaks for the bottom 6, and possibly some surprise invites to camp, but this is more or less the team the Oilers enter training camp with, and in my opinion there won’t be a Tyson Barrie coming to save the day.
Is this a playoff team? As it stands now, I don’t believe so. I think we’ll see significant change in the standings (which isn’t saying much given where Edmonton has been the last 7 years), but I have my doubts that adding Adam Larsson and getting rid of Nikitin is enough to fix the defence and make this a playoff squad. I hope I’m wrong. On the brightside, it looks like a much tougher team to play against (at least on paper), and that can only help the Oilers in the long run.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or @ me on twitter.
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