As we hit the late portion of May, we are about one month away from the start of NHL silly season, and as I wrote the other night, arguably the most important months of the Oilers rebuild. In order for the Oilers to make their long awaited turn north, the team will need to add between five and seven NHL players, mainly on defense.
Today, we start a series that will go through a number of free agents and trade targets on defense and up front, starting with Sabres defender Christian Ehrhoff, who could very well be available for trade come June 27th in Philly.
Why Is He Out There?:
The Sabres are entering a rebuild, and have a ton of very good defensive prospects. Young Tyler Myers has a good amount of NHL experience, while the team has a number of great prospects bubbling under, like 2013 first round picks Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, along with Mark Pysyk, Jake McCabe and Chad Ruhwedel. Pretty soon, there won’t be room for the veteran, who is locked up long-term.
What Does He Do Well?:
He’s a puck mover, and he’s a top-pairing defender plain and simple. Ehrhoff moves the puck in the right direction, can get the puck to the forwards, and has good offensive instincts. He’s got decent size, and while he isn’t overly physical, he’s pretty good position wise. He’s got a pretty darn good shot, and can QB a power-play unit, something the Oilers badly need.
He’s not a stud, but he’s a guy that can play 20-25 minutes a night and help your team, while moving the puck into the offensive zone. When Dallas Eakins talked about players that can transition the puck from defense to offense and help move the puck, he was talking about a guy like this.
He’d be Edmonton’s best offensive defender since Sheldon Souray was sent to the AHL by Steve Tambellini, and would certainly be a help for a possession game.
He’s not an all-around guy like Chris Pronger was, or even like Sheldon Souray was, but he is a good defender who plays big minutes and moves the puck extremely well. All teams need guys like that, and Edmonton simply doesn’t have one.
Advanced stats wise, he struggled this season, but that should not be a surprise. Buffalo was simply awful this past season, and his Corsi for percentage of 46% should be taken with a grain of salt. He was 50.1% during the 2013 shortened season on a team that had a top-ten pick, so you can make the case the big drop off in quality was the reason.
Where Will He Play, and Where Should He Play?:
If traded for, Ehrhoff will play on the Oilers top-pairing, which is where he should be playing. Look, this is not an elite level defender, but this is a very good defender that can handle over twenty minutes a night and really help your team. Combine his puck-moving ability and offensive instincts with this Oilers offense? It’ll be like the Vancouver edition of Ehrhoff all over again.
He’s not going to be good enough for some fans, because he isn’t Chris Pronger, but he’s a great fit, especially for this roster and for a team that claims it wants to be a possession group. Ehrhoff is a proven top-pairing option in the NHL, and would fill that role in Edmonton no doubt.
What Will He Cost?:
Defense is going to be a highly sought after asset on the market this summer. A number of teams will be looking for impact defenders, so you better believe the asking price will be rather large. Ehrhoff is one of those impact defenders, so it’s not going to be Sam Gagner and a third for the German.
The Oilers would likely need to give up a number of assets, and a package deal could be made. The New York Islanders won’t be surrendering their first round pick to the Sabres until 2015, so Buffalo will probably want another first this year. They’ll likely be asking for a roster player, a prospect and a pick.
From Edmonton, could Sam Gagner, the third overall pick, and say Marty Gernat get you Christian Ehrhoff and a roster forward? It’s totally possible, and something I’d highly consider if I were Craig MacTavish.
Closing Argument:
Ehrhoff is not an elite defender, and alone will not be enough to push this team north. However, Christian Ehrhoff could be a major part of moving the Oilers forward. The Oilers need a top-pairing defender to move north, and Ehrhoff is exactly that. He’s a guy that moves the puck very well, and a guy that can play over 20 minutes a night and handle it without a problem.
He’s not the top option, but Craig MacTavish could successfully cross off a major item on his shopping list if he were able to bring Ehrhoff to Edmonton. He’s a perfect fit for this roster, and would give the Oilers that top-pairing defender. He’s a very good target.
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