Yesterday on Oilers Now, the host Bob Stauffer, mused that he believed there’s still an opportunity for a player swap between the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Oilers have a few extra right-shot defenders and the Leafs are overflowing with skilled forwards. This is the quote,
I think that there could be a potential trade at some point between Edmonton and Toronto. Oilers have a lot of right-shot defense, Leafs are going to need some in the off-season and Edmonton’s got a little bit of size. Toronto doesn’t have a lot.
This was in response to a text sent to the show with a trade proposal between the Leafs and Oilers. Press play below on the player to hear it.
Are you with me in thinking that Bob’s talking about Adam Larsson? That’s been what he, amongst other mainstream media members in the Edmonton market, have been hinting at for months now, right? Stauffer talks about the Leafs needing this player in the off-season though and that makes sense to me because Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci will be off the books then.
Would the Iron Swede be missed in Edmonton? I think so, but we’re seeing Ethan Bear partnered up with Oscar Klefbom now and I would argue that the Oilers are checking out if Bear can handle that TOI and the quality of competition in that role. If he can, there’s Larsson’s replacement. Evan Bouchard will be in the lineup next season most likely (if not sooner), so that’s your 2nd pair right defender sorted and as for the 3rd pair, Matt Benning? If he can stay healthy would be a good option.
Would it be more prudent to add a right-shot veteran for one season though? Force Bouchard to make the Oilers play him on the 2nd pair and use Benning as a 7th defender?
I really wonder what happens to Darnell Nurse though. His warts have a spotlight the size of Jupiter on them right now. He’s struggling and with that “I’m angling for the Trouba contract” labeled cloud hanging over his head, I don’t see how the Oilers aren’t seeing what the market is for him. If the Larsson deal isn’t there, might there be a Nylander/Nurse trade simmering on the back burner just in case?
Conversely, the question has to be asked, how much toughness and sandpaper are the Oilers willing to lose if they trade Nurse and Larsson? I don’t believe you can have all slick puck movers on your backend if your plan is to have success in the post-season.
Now looking at the Maple Leafs, I don’t know how badly they’d like to move Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. They’re on some pretty solid contracts. William Nylander might be a player they’re willing to move but he’s on fire right now, so either they’d be asking for the moon or they’d just keep him. That doesn’t really work for the Oilers. But what about the likes of Jeremy Bracco (AHL’s fastest skater) or the fella that just had surgery on his arm… Ilya Mikheyev? Cheap, fast, skilled, and would add depth scoring to the team. I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of Bracco but I was impressed with Mikheyev when Edmonton and Toronto played not too long ago.
What do you think?
Below is something I posted in my game preview but nobody really reads them. I mean if you’re into fantasy hockey, I think the 3P2W (Three Players to Watch) portion would be valuable to you since nearly every player I’ve suggested to watch has scored in that game, but it is what it is. The following I feel is worth posting one more time. If you’ve read it already, there’s no need for you to continue unless you live wicked t-shirt designs that follow every post…
Holland’s Plan for the 2019/20 Oilers Roster
Losing has only been part of the reason for the increased fickleness in Edmonton. The lack of moves on the part of Ken Holland is another that is creating some tense feelings. I really don’t know what people want. Holland is over in the Czech Republic watching the Oilers prospects who are playing in addition to the 2020 draft eligibles. Is he supposed to be negotiating trades during this time too? Come on. He’ll be back by the end of the week and I think it would be fair to assume he’ll be back to the grindstone roster-wise.
Recently Elliotte Friedman noted in his 31 Thoughts blog and on multiple radio hits that he believes the Oilers are unwilling to move their draft picks and I’m here to say that is what I’m being told as well. Convenient message, I know. But it is what it is. What none of the other pundits have said that I’ve been given permission to disclose is that,
“The hope is to move money out in trades. Get rid of the contracts that are not providing much in terms of dollars per production for contracts that provide production.”
We’re probably thinking the same thing, “How in the Hell is Holland going to do that without including draft picks?” and well, it either means sending out prospects like Cooper Marody, Caleb Jones, or Joe Gambardella with those contracts OR it means someone who’s having a tough season but has a bit more name recognition could leaving to sweeten the pot. Could that be Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, or Adam Larsson? Who knows? But the plan is to dump bad deals and give the team as much cap space for next summer as possible.
Three scenarios come to mind,
- Go after a couple of substantial players like Taylor Hall AND Alex Pietrangelo (if he hits the market?
- Address the depth by trying to sign a group of less popular players but skaters who’d give more bang for the buck, if you will. Tyler Toffoli, Mike Hoffman, Cody Eakin, Tyson Barrie, and Sami Vatanen might be those who’d fall under this category.
- Might there be an appetite to make some deals for an RFA or two who might be looking for a contract that is too rich for their current club’s taste? Kevin Labanc, Anthony Cirelli, Radek Faksa are some players I could imagine might be looking for a substantial raise next year.
It’s hilarious. There are a lot of individuals on Oilers Twitter who like to make light of “The Plan”. Most of the time they’re making fun of the fact that they don’t believe there is one to begin with. My feeling is they’re the kind of folk who react to disclusion by making fun of those who don’t want them part of whatever they’re doing or saying. Basically, Ken Holland won’t tell us his plan, so we’ll say he doesn’t have one. It’s sad. Truly.
