The rumors are going to be coming in hard and heavy for the next couple of weeks until the trade deadline passes and Pat Maroon’s name will be the name de jour until he’s gone.
You know it’s funny, on Twitter I read someone said that if a team like Tampa Bay is looking into Oscar Klefbom, that should be a sign that the Oilers should be keeping him. Does that apply to Pat Maroon too? If a good team is looking at one of your players, regardless of who it is, is that a sign you should be keeping him? Would it be different if Klefbom was on an expiring contract?
Anyways, over the weekend, Elliotte Friedman said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Tampa was in on Maroon and Joe Haggerty has named Boston as a team interested in adding Maroon.
Per sources, there's Bruins interest in Edmonton Oilers power forward/trade rental/Bruins killer Patrick Maroon with the deadline a couple of weeks away https://t.co/eryXsBPn1d
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) February 11, 2018
Doesn’t surprise me that playoff-bound teams are looking to add size to their roster because that’s what good teams do.
But who should the Oilers target from Tampa and Boston in return for their Big Rig. I’ve got a few names in mind but it’ll all depend on how desperate Don Sweeney and Steve Yzerman are to get the power forward out of Edmonton. Personally, I don’t think they need to do a helluva lot to their rosters as they stand right now but Maroon has shown in the past that in a new environment, he performs well.
I imagine that TB and BOS won’t want to part with what I want them to in a deal for Pat Maroon. But here are the players that I’d like to see Chiarelli acquire in a deal for the Oilers big LWer.
Tampa Bay
- Anthony Cirelli (C) – Leads Tampa’s AHL squad in scoring. Highly competitive+versatile.
- Boris Katchouk (LW) – Pro shot sniper playing for OHL best Sault St. Marie.
- Taylor Raddysh (RW) – Team Canada’s power forward scoring machine at the WJHCs.
- Alex Lipanov (C) – Played pivot on Andrei Svechnikov’s line in Barrie Now in Sudbury. Very skilled.
- Brett Howden (C) – Good 2-way centre with an eye for the net. Plays in Moose Jaw.
I don’t lean towards any of those forwards more than another. I like all 5. If we’re going for skill alone, probably Lipanov. If you want scoring wingers then you go with Katchouk and Raddysh. The solid 2-way centres would be Cirelli and Howden. All five of these guys are 6-feet or over if size means something to you.
These kinds of players would really do wonders for the Oilers AHL team and I think at this point and with this kind of deal, it wouldn’t hurt to keep adding to that cupboard. That said, the Oilers can grab all the talented forwards in the world but if they can’t develop them it means nothing. And one thing I do question is the coaching staff in Bakersfield and their methods in developing the forwards down there.
Boston
- Danton Heinen (LW) – Probably not happening but he’d be my no.1 target.
- Zach Senyshyn (RW) – Major scorer at JR level and is taking some time to learn the pro game in his rookie AHL season. Has speed and a shot though.
- Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (C) – Projecting to be a shut-down centre in the NHL.
- Alexander Khoklachev – (RW) – Was over a point-per-game player at the AHL level, is nearly the same in the KHL this season. He’s a player who produces where he goes.
With Boston, you know that Chiarelli and Gretzky are going to have the reports on each of these players.
Khoklachev is an interesting name here. I feel like he might’ve had a bit of the Linus Omark syndrome in Boston. Very talented player but has trouble seeing eye-to-eye with coaches. Some might say that he didn’t take advantage of his opportunities, I say that 9 pro games isn’t much time to take said advantage of.
Senyshyn is another name I’ve heard Bob Stauffer toss out there in the past. He’s bigger, around 6’3″ but he’s having a tough time finding his wheelhouse at the AHL level. There’s a lot of potential in him but you have to worry if he’s another Micheal Dal Colle.
In the end, even if the Oilers do trade Maroon and all they get back is a 3rd rounder, I think that’s fine too. We’d obviously want a good young JR/AHL prospect in return but there’s a certain level of reality that we have to face too.
On the other hand, Peter Chiarelli is quite good at making the small deal…
Thoughts?
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