On Nov.28th, famed Oilogosphere icon Allan Mitchell aka Lowetide made this prediction on his morning show,
This next couple of weeks is going to be very important for the Edmonton Oilers for lots of different reasons.
Number one, they’re very close to being in a playoff spot but now what you wanna do is you wanna get there because if on December 26th you wake up and you’re in 3rd place in the Pacific and you’ve got a two point lead over the 4th place team, it’s not an assurance you’re going to make the playoffs but you’re in it; and at that point or sooner, I expect the Edmonton Oilers are going to make a trade.
BOOM SHACKA LACKA! (OG NBA Jam fans will remember that)
Now, I haven’t heard any rumblings from those that I hear from but Lowetide has started out well here and the scenario he paints makes a lot of sense. I wonder, however, what might happen if they’re more than two points ahead of the 4th place team or even in second place in the Pacific if they’d still go ahead and make a trade.
Let’s continue with more of LT’s prediction now because this is where things start to get good.
… and it’s going to be for a scoring right-winger. It’s likely going to be for a player who can play with RNH and move up and also be a part of the PP. I said on my blog today Bill Guerin, well he’s not out there. 25-year-old Bill Guerin, if he does exist, he’s not coming via trade in the middle of the season.
Bill Guerin was a beauty back in the day and it’s a shame he didn’t spend more time as an Oiler.
So LT reckons the Oilers will go after a scoring right-winger eh? I’d love to know what teams are looking to rid themselves of that kind of player this season and no doubt, this is the kind of player that might make some nice scratch.
Earlier in the year, you might’ve guessed that the Rangers would be auctioning off their best players to the highest bidder but they’ve been solid so far. Same with the Ducks but they’re fighting for the Pacific Division lead right now and probably aren’t looking to shake that roster up so much.
Lowetide didn’t stop. He had more to say on the topic,
The Edmonton Oilers need a piece there. I guarantee Ken Hitchcock has already identified it. We’re going to find out how much pull Hitchcock has because as a coach he sees what he has, he sees what he doesn’t have and now he knows what he needs and I bet you he’s already asking for it.
It’s my understanding that Hitch has a lot of pull. I mean just look at how quickly Jesse Puljujarvi was brought up and how fast Chris Wideman was brought in. Plainly put, Chiarelli is at the coach’s beck and call.
He didn’t come here to finish in 10th place in the conference. He didn’t come here to finish just outside the playoffs. He came to make the playoffs and you need that piece.
Right-handed shot. Powerplay guy. Rugged enough and fast enough to play the Hitchcock system. That player’s on the way.
I believe this as well. 66-year-old Ken Hitchcock is living a dream right now and there’s no way in Sam’s green Hell than he’ll let it turn into a nightmare. There’s so much on the line for him it’s not even funny.
I wrote a post over at The Hockey Writers pontificating on where or not the Oilers and Blues would get together on a deal involving Vladimir Tarasenko. It was not long after Elliotte Friedman had made mention of how the Blues have not always been happy with Tarasenko’s play since he signed the big deal.
Time for Oilers to Mortgage Some of the Future? https://t.co/HaLZCKV3Ph #THW #LetsGoOilers #NHL pic.twitter.com/sTgj1socv3
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) November 28, 2018
I would be flabbergasted if Peter Chiarelli found a way to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko. He’d be a near perfect fit for what the Oilers are looking for but at what cost, right?
Mitchell had his thoughts on what the price might be to acquire this missing piece,
The first round pick is going.
Puljujarvi doesn’t have the kind of value that people think he does nor does Kailer Yamamoto and you’re not trading Evan Bouchard. So it’s the 1st round pick.
If the Oilers could get away with sacrificing the 1st round pick in the 2019 draft lottery protected and bring in that volume shooting righty, that would be some magic.
This is all fine and dandy that we’re talking about the Oilers going out and picking up a right winger for Nuge’s line but there’s just one thing. Where would that leave Jesse Puljujarvi?
You could move RNH to left-wing and Leon to center on the 2nd line and leave Pulju there and that would be a pretty damned good line, right? Then the new guy could go up to McDavid’s line but then you’d be left with Alex Chiasson playing the off-wing with Connor or on the 4th line.
The other option would be to move Jesse to the Spooner line but if you’re going to do that, you might as well trade him or send him back to Bakersfield. I imagine the newly acquired Valentin Zykov will feature on that line at some point too.
Two other players that might get left out in the cold here are Jujhar Khaira and Drake Caggiula. Caggiula had Drew Doughty in his pocket the other night and I think he’s a player that the Oilers should try to hold on to. As for Khaira, I love how he uses his strength to protect the puck and he’s been showing flashes of brilliance but on the other hand, he’s been wildly inconsistent this year.
My guess would be that Jesse and the 1st rounder would go out in exchange for the player that Lowetide is describing and from the picture LT is painting, he could be talking about the following players,
- Brendan Gallagher (MTL) – A right-shot local boy who shoots like there’s no tomorrow, plays massive TOI on the PP, is rugged, and can finish. What’s not to like?
- Josh Anderson (CBJ) – Big frame. Will fight anybody. Can skate, shoot, hit, pass, etc. Might be the closest thing to Bill Guerin in 2018 that the Oilers can get their hands on. He’s also on a cheap deal but would Columbus part with him?
- Travis Konecny (PHI) – I have Konecny on here because I feel like Philly is going to blow things up. I like this player because he’s quick and the Oilers don’t have a lot of quick players per se. He also draws a lot of penalties.
What I did was look for volume shooters who play RW, are a right-shot and spend a bit of time on the PP. An unforeseen bonus that popped up was that none of those players have clauses that would prevent their current teams from moving them.
I don’t know if I’d pay Puljujarvi AND a lottery protected first round pick for anybody aside from Brendan Gallagher on that list though.
What do you think about Lowetide’s prediction? Let us know in the comments below and enjoy the Oilers/Golden Knights game tonight!
