At noon eastern on Tuesday free agency will officially be open, and the Edmonton Oilers are expected to be right in the middle of the activity around the league. The Oilers will no doubt be active in the free agent market, and also will likely be active in the trade market as they are one of the few teams with a lot of cap space around the NHL.
Let’s start off with what we are hearing as we prep for the big push, which is only a few hours away. What can we expect the Oilers to be looking for, who is on the team’s radar, and what should they be looking for? Let’s take a look…
Stauffer’s List:
If there is one thing Oiler fans should know, it’s that Bob Stauffer is highly connected, and when he speaks Oiler fans should listen. Following the trade of Sam Gagner on Sunday night Stauffer tweeted out the following regarding what the Oilers are still looking for on the market:
@Bob_Stauffer: Still see the
#Oilers looking for another top 9 C and a LW as well as another D. Nikitin’s ability to play RD gives Oilers options
No real surprises here. The Oilers still need a top nine winger to compliment Taylor Hall and David Perron on the left side, and they need a center to replace Sam Gagner and give Leon Draisaitl a cushion, creating competition. It also goes without saying that the defense simply is not good enough as constructed.
The Names:
The center position is going to be key for Edmonton, and it’s clear this is going to be the big area of concern when free agency opens. According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, the Oilers are hot on the trail of top UFA Paul Stastny, while TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Monday night that the Oilers were kicking tires on Jets UFA Olli Jokinen, a veteran center. Mikhail Grabovski’s name has been thrown out too.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug has mentioned that the Oilers have shown interest in Devils defender Mark Fayne, and apparently made a very strong case to the shut-down defender. Rishaug also mentioned that the Oilers are looking at big bruiser Deryk Engelland. Names like forwards Marcel Goc, Nikolai Kulemin and David Moss have been rumored as targets as well in the last week and a half.
Personally, I really like the idea of Stastny joining Edmonton, but I don’t see him going to a bottom team unless it’s on a major overpay. Olli Jokinen is not an appealing option, but Mikhail Grabovski is an appealing option.
On defense, Mark Fayne makes a lot of sense, and while he isn’t a top pairing option he certainly is a top-four guy that would help. Deryk Engelland is a number seven defender and shouldn’t even be considered if Edmonton is serious about being a puck possession team.
Trade Rumblings:
Things are all quiet on this front following the Sam Gagner for Teddy Purcell swap that came down on Sunday night, but things could heat up again soon, and RFA defender Jeff Petry could be a target. HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted out Monday afternoon that he heard Petry’s name tossed around in trade talks recently.
TSN 1260’s Dustin Nielson, who broke the Gagner trade, also mentioned Petry’s name being out there, but said the team was NOT aggressively shopping the puck-mover.
Friedman broke Gagner being shopped back in January, and Nielson has been breaking Oiler news quiet frequently the last few days, so these are good sources. All I’ll say is this, if the Oilers move Petry it better be for a big improvement. Some fans bash this guy without reason, but this is Edmonton’s best defender. They can’t make the same mistake they made with Tom Gilbert.
Our List:
Our friends Lowetide and David Staples have both published shopping lists over the last few days for the Oilers, and back on April 26th I posted my shopping list. As we approach free agency, let’s look back and see what is done and what still needs completing:
- A top-pairing, veteran defender, think Brian Campbell here – Still Not Done Yet
- A veteran second line center to be the defensive mind for Yakupov and Perron – Still Not Done Yet
- Two third line wingers that can bring the tough, defensive play that is lacking – Teddy Purcell could be one
- At least one, ideally two, new assistant coaches – Both assistants are gone, Ramsay is in. This is complete
- A fourth line center – Boyd Gordon likely slides down here, but we aren’t sure yet
- A veteran bottom pairing defender to play the Mark Fraser/Theo Peckham/Andy Sutton role – Nikita Nikitin is it
- Decisions on the young defenders and what is best for their development – In a Holding Pattern here
There is still a lot to be done here for Edmonton to even sniff playoff contention, and a solid July 1st could go a very long way in turning this thing north. Beware however, for a repeat of July 1st, 2011 will be nothing short of a catastrophe. Tread lightly MacT, and try your best to do the right thing.
Oil Country holds it’s breath, the future lies in the balance. Stay with The Oilers Rig all day for the latest as it happens. Follow me on twitter @Alex_Thomas14 and stay tuned to the site as we’ll be updating it following each and every Oilers move.
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