Earlier today I posted that the Oilers are in the mix for Calgary Flames struggling defenceman Dougie Hamilton. Well, I dug in a bit more with my source and the thought is that the Oilers are looking to send Calgary a package that would include Edmonton’s 2017 1st rounder, Benoit Pouliot, and Griffin Reinhart in return for the defenseman and Lance Bouma.
Now, to me, that all sounds pretty convenient right? Pouliot, when on his game, is a very valuable piece for the Oilers. A big body with great technical skill and strength but he can’t seem to shake off some bad mojo or something. With the penalties at the beginning of the year and that horrid own goal vs. PIT… Chia has traded him before, so I’m not surprised that he might be part of ANY deal the Oilers are putting together in their attempt to upgrade the D.
Griffin Reinhart, hurt at the moment with a back ailment, is someone I think that Chiarelli is looking to get away from as fast as possible. Those boots are simply not getting any faster and Griff is getting passed over at an alarming rate by Edmonton’s other, less prominent, prospects. Matt Benning and Dillon Simpson being two of the most recent ones but Jordan Oesterle is another that got some time ahead of Reinhart.
The Oilers 1st rounder will be in play every year as long as they are contending for a playoff spot. The team has found itself in a bit of a funk lately and, in my opinion, Chia is desperate to find that PP QB. Hamilton would be that guy, no?
**STATS**
(Man I hope I get these right, sometimes I fear that I’m reading these numbers all wrong…)
Dougie Hamilton, in his NHL career to date, has only played a shade over 560 minutes of PP time according to stats.hockeyanalysis.com over the past 5 seasons (2012-2016). He’s scored at a clip of 4.15 p/60 in that time frame at 5v4 and is ranked 30th AHEAD of PK Subban (31st), Duncan Keith (35th), and Roman Josi (54th). The highest current Oiler on that list is Oscar Klefbom at 58th with a 3.65 p/60 at 5v4.
Also, in that time frame, Hamilton is ranked 10th in the NHL for shots/60 with 14.90!!! Closest current Oiler, Oscar Klefbom at 53rd w/ 11.69 shots/60 with the 5v4 man advantage.
So if you’re that guy that says, “No f*cking way man! Hamilton is playing like shit this year. I’d rather have Justin Schultz than Dougie Hamilton and his inflated contract…”, don’t stop eating the yellow snow.
The Oilers could really use a guy like Doug Hamilton. Don’t forget, he’s coming off of back to back 40+ point seasons and he’s playing for the woeful Calgary Flames… They need his contract off the books as it’s bad for them but it’s decent for us IF that rumored return is true.
With all of that being said, do you, as an Oilers fan, think that a package of Benoit Pouliot, Griffin Reinhart, and a 1st round pick for Hamilton and Bouma is better that what other teams might be offering? I have a hard time believing so.
Bring me the Nakladal, right?…
The Rags
Expect the unexpected, right? That’s what I’ve been preaching so far this season and I’m going to go with it again. I say the Oilers are going to win this one tonight. I think they’re going to buckle down that defense and put a stranglehold on the Rangers offense much the way Conor McGregor did to Eddie Alvarez the last night.
*Just as an aside, the best part of that fight was at the end when everyone thought he was going to apologize for being a dick to all the fighters. I wonder if we’ll see him leave the UFC altogether and head to WWE?*
The Oilers only task is to not let in any goals in the first 5 minutes nor the last 2 minutes… And Lucic had better smash someone tonight, the fans want to be entertained 🙂
What do you think about the Hamilton rumour? Let me know in the comments below!
