So…..What’s Next?

It’s been a busy off-season so far in Edmonton, with the most recent move being the re-signing of forward Sam Gagner on Monday morning. The Oilers look like they have got a lot done, and look to have filled up most of the roster.

The top six, which includes Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, David Perron and Nail Yakupov, appears to be set moving forward. A pretty good unit, and arguably the best one Edmonton has had in a long, long time.

Goalie was a big controversy among fans heading into the summer, but the fact of the matter is Devan Dubnyk was a pretty decent goalie last year, and I expect will look better playing behind an improved roster this year. Jason Labarbera and Richard Bachman joined up too, and it appears Edmonton is set in-between the pipes.

Defense? The Oilers have a lot of options back there. Justin Schultz, Jeff Petry, Andrew Ference and Ladislav Smid lead the group, while Denis Grebeshkov, Anton Belov, Nick Schultz, Corey Potter, Philip Larsen, and Oscar Klefbom will all fight for roster spots. Is it an ideal group? I would lean towards no, but it is an improved group, and will have a lot of competition for playing time.

The bottom six? A work in progress to put it politely. Dead weight in Petrell, Hordichuk and Smithson were allowed to walk, while Horcoff was moved. The replacements? Solid 3C Boyd Gordon, unknown Jesse Joensuu, and a re-signing of Ryan Jones and his great hair. The unit still lacks a veteran 4C among other things, and in my mind, is not complete.

So what’s next? I believe a move to bolster the bottom six unit is next for Edmonton. The Oilers have a decent frame in place. They have that all important third line center in Gordon, who is more than capable of handling that role. Ryan Smyth should provide a decent option on the left side on line four, and Ryan Jones, provided he can return to pre-eye injury form, is another solid winger.

That’s half of a decent group. Mike Brown as the extra forward adds that muscle the Oilers need, and as an extra he won’t truly be relied on like Stortini, McIntyre and others before him were.

That all being said, the Oilers still have bottom six holes. They still need a fourth line center, a fourth line winger to play with Smyth, and a third line winger to go with Gordon and Jones (assuming Hemsky gets moved).

Jesse Joensuu is a fine risk on the fourth line. He’s got size, decent hands, and solid forechecking ability, and he has been a good player in other pro-leagues. The Oilers gave him a two-year deal, and I think they will try him out with Smyth as the wingers on line four. He’s got potential, so it’s an okay risk to take.

Anton Lander, Will Acton and possibly Andrew Miller and Marc Arcobello will fight for that fourth line job. I think Lander wins it, but that’s a different talk for another day this summer. Point is, Edmonton is going to try and fill that spot from within, like it or not (I don’t for the record….)

That leaves the third line, and this is where I think the next move comes. Ales Hemsky is a very talented hockey player, and one of my all-time favorites. That being said, he isn’t a third line player, and playing on a line with Jones and Gordon is a waste of cap space and a waste of Hemsky’s skill set.

MacT has clearly stated he wants more toughness, and a guy like Brandon Prust (Not saying it will be him, just making an example) would be a perfect fit for Edmonton. I think a move to bring in a guy like that, or Kyle Clifford, or Matt Martin in NY is what Craig MacTavish will do next.

It might not happen for a few weeks, heck it might not happen until training camp, but I fully expect it to happen at some point before the Jets come rolling into Rexall on October 1st.

The Oilers bottom six has a few decent pieces, and I think Craig MacTavish still understands it is a work in progress. Don’t be shocked if the next course of action is adding to that group and making it a little bit bigger and tougher.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the Oilers center situation. It’s an interesting one, and it could bring forth two new faces on opening night. More on that tomorrow.

Also, at some point in the next week, there will be a pretty big announcement coming to the Oilers Rig. We plan on making this one of the best Oilers sites around, and adding more than just this content will help get us there. More on this later in the week.

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