6. Unconventional Acquisition
We are shortly going to enter the season where we start to hear about undrafted free agents (College, Europe, CHL) gaining NHL interest.
Since MacTavish rejoined the Oilers as Senior VP of Hockey Operations, the Oilers have placed a strong emphasis on amateur free agent scouting. This was highlighted by MacTavish, upon being made GM, in creating such a position for Bob Green.
These kinds of moves occasionally bear immediate fruit (see: Dekeyser), but mostly are about bolstering organizational depth through non-traditional (traditional being: draft, trade or NHL free agent signing) means. In the cap era, building depth through the NHL, the AHL, the ECHL and elsewhere is vital. You never know when something useful might pop up and these moves cost so little to pursue.
The Oilers should also keep a keen eye on the waiver wire and (after the passing of Chipchurra and Paajarvi) perhaps be more willing to find value where others can’t. As in the case with Matt Fraser, the goal here is to find players that might fit a few criteria: they are young, cheap, still have potential to play an NHL role and are potentially undervalued and/or underused in their current situation. The goal isn’t to plug holes now, but to take advantage of some (relatively) free window shopping for the future.
7. Test Drive Prospects
This season we’ve already seen the Oilers offer up precious roster spots to prospects (Draisaitl, Nurse, Klefbom, Marincin, Hunt, Lander, Pitlick, Pakarinen, Yakimov and Davidson have all registered at least an NHL game). These, and others (I’ll nominate Curtis Hamilton, Andrew Miller, Jordan Oesterle, Dillon Simpson, Martin Gernat, David Musil and Laurent Brossoit), would appear possibilities for a cup of coffee, under the circumstances.
The balance of the season affords the opportunity for th
e Oilers to get an NHL look at the depth of their roster, re-assess their projections on players, make organizational decisions on players (contracts are expiring for many of these folks; some may be tradable), and to, hopefully, find some NHL solutions within the organization.
It is imperative, however, that the Oilers test drive their prospects under the guidance of whatever development philosophy they tailor for the organization as a whole and each player individually.
Any prospect evaluation process that operates by whimsy is doomed to fail. Get your plans and expectations in order first, then go live with your players.
8. Figure out Yakupov/Schultz
The former 2012 first overall pick has struggled mightily at the NHL level. And, while he appears to be improving his underlying numbers and suffering from a two-year PDO funk, it is clear the player is floundering.
The asset, while at all-world low market value, is too great to let twist in the wind. Yakupov has shown exceptional offensive talent and the Oilers need to unlock his goal scoring potential. While Yakupov bears no small responsibility for his failings, the Oilers ultimately have to live with his successes/failures. Indeed, last April, MacTavish had this to say about Yakupov: “There’s lots of upside in Nail and it’s up to us and our organization to get that from him.”
What can they do?
Well, they could put him in the top six with a viable, offensive-minded, NHL center. This season, Yakupov has been saddled with an AHL journeyman (Mark Arcobello) and an overwhelmed junior player (Leon Draisaitl) as centers. Playing Yakupov with newly acquired center Derek Roy would help a lot. At the very least, it would give the Oilers a much clearer picture of whether Yakupov has a top six future with the team.
They could also boost his power play time and find a way to structure the man advantage to Yakupov’s strengths (he’s a shooter).
I don’t think anyone will fuss if Teddy Purcell loses out as a result of elevating Yakupov’s presence at evens and on the power play.
This Summer/Fall the Oilers didn’t make an effort to sign Yakupov, long-term or otherwise, as they had done previously with the other first overalls (Hall and Nugent-Hopkins). Add to that, the Oilers have a prickly relationship with Yakupov’s agent Igor Larionov. With Yakupov’s entry level contract expiring this season, it is essential for the Oilers to figure out what Yakupov is and can do for them before entering negotiations.
Schultz has a completely different problem. Unlike Yakupov (mired in tales of ownership draft interference), Schultz’ Oilers’ origin story is sweetness and light. Schultz chose the Oilers and the Oilers won’t soon forget it.
Despite middling offensive results and poor defensive play, Schultz has been largely gifted immense ice time and responsibility. While the Oilers refused to go long-term with Schultz this past off-season (a good move), they remain blinded to his faults.
What can they do?
They can put Schultz in a realistic position: 3rd pairing even strength minutes, significant power play time.
They can continue to work with him on his shortcomings and commit to his development.
They can recognize his failings and set their negotiating terms on any new contract accordingly.
They can explore trading him.
9. Clear Cap Space/50 Man Roster
The Roy-Arcobello trade in favor of simply picking Roy up off waivers shows that the Oilers are particularly sensitive to cap space/50 man roster issues. The issue here is maintaining flexibility through the balance of the season and into the off-season. The trick here is to find a balance whereby maintaining flexibility doesn’t become an end in itself.
While test driving prospects, it is important for the Oilers to come to some conclusion on whether a player can help them in the future. Let’s consider the case of Anton Lander. He’s without a contract for next season. He’s six year past his draft day. He scored well at the AHL level, but has yet to find the range at the NHL. Prior to the trade deadline, the Oilers should come to some decision on players in Lander’s situation. If they determine he’s not part of the future, they should put him in a position to succeed and try to trade him (the old ‘pump and dump’). There’s no use, at this point, hanging on to players and prospects in whom the Oilers see no future. Clear the roster space.
10. Buyout and/or Trade Nikita Nikitin and/or Andrew Ference;
The Oilers have far too much money tied up in depth NHL defensemen with little or no remaining upside: Nikitin and Ference. From both a roster deployment and a cap management POV, these players (especially in combination) are a drag on the team.
It is critical for the Oilers get rid of at least one of these players.
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