Travis Hamonic is the latest name that has surfaced in the Edmonton Oilers rumor mill. A report released today from theScore.com today tells us that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli was inquiring about Hamonic’s availability before his trade request was made public.
So we go from Dougie Hamilton from the summer to Travis Hamonic this week. Would it be fair to assume that the Oilers brain trust is on the hunt for a right-handed defenseman who is in his early-to-mid 20’s and is of the two-way persuasion. What other names could we toss in that hat and are they possibilities for the Oilers? Let’s armchair GM the sh*t out of this!
Seth Jones – Not unless Nuge or Draisaitl is going the other way.
Adam Larsson – He’s turning the corner now and it’d be a big step backwards for NJ to deal him now.
Erik Gudbranson – He’s not having a great season in FLA to date but I’m not sure his lack of an offensive game suits the Oilers. His toughness surely does.
Jacob Trouba – He’d be a perfect candidate and is also struggling so far this year but he projects to be a top 3 dman in the league and all signs are pointing to WPG being unwilling to re-sign Dustin Byfuglien, so
they’ll need Trouba going forward and generally teams who give up on promising dmen like Trouba tend to regret it.
Ryan Ellis – I like Ellis but I’m not sure if he’s the guy for Edmonton’s top 3. Solid SOLID no.4 who can slot into the no.3 role though. Very valuable on the PP to boot.
Sami Vatanen – The Finn falls into the same category as Ellis. Maybe it’s due to size which honestly shouldn’t be a consideration when we see players like Duncan Keith doing what he does every year. But he’s a RFA this summer.
Justin Faulk – Carolina’s no.1 dman? Forget about it.
Tyson Barrie – He’s reportedly on the block and he’ll be an RFA this summer but is he better than Justin Schultz?
Jared Spurgeon – Upcoming RFA and best passer in the NHL who’s stuck behind Brodin, Suter, and soon to be Dumba. Also, has Justin Schultz 2.0 Mike Rielly busting a nut in the AHL to get recalled and basically provides the same style of play. I like Spurgeon but does size rear its ugly head again?
John Carlson – Can’t see this happening unless the Oilers are willing to move major pieces.
Rasmus Ristolainen – Buffalo is a fickle beast but it would have to be a substantial offer for them to move the giant Finn.
Jason Demers – Now here is a likely option. He’s got history with McLellan and he’s going to be a UFA this summer.
So out of all these players I like the Demers option. He’s making $3.4m per year right now so I reckon he’d be looking for well over $4m per year for 4-6 years. This might scare one off but we have to consider the notion of Chiarelli letting Schultz walk this summer and that the defenseman out of Dallas is only 27 years old. Jason Demers isn’t a top 2 dman but he’s very much in the two-way game and he’s got the size to compete with the players in the Western Conference.
During Demers time with the Sharks he put up some fine numbers in the passing department too and as we’ve exclaimed on more than one occasion, part of the Oilers problem is that they can’t move the puck out of their zone efficiently and it’s resulting in scoring chances against. Check out Demers’ passing chart.
With that said, Edmonton should still be looking for a top pairing dman like Hamonic and Hamilton and dangling players like Eberle, Yakupov, Schultz and the 1st rounder next year could bring them just the player.
What players would you target and what kind of offer would you make to get them? Let me know in the comments below!
Check out Ryan Robinson’s new Vlog about Leon the Professional below! Take Care!
I like the Demers idea. I have been saying for quite a while that Eberle should be trade bait. Schultz absolute. Nail is too damn fickle. He shows very well with the right player on his line but that doesnt work when those right players are injured or out of commish. I would hang on to him and see if he becomes a solid numbers guy when 97 returns. If not then see ya buddy.
And who are you going to replace Eberle with ?? He ranked is one of the best left wingers in the League so who replaces him ?? We have lots of talented defensemen developing I think we just have to be patient this coaching staff will get them there by the end of the season.
Hey! Thanks for commenting Rick!
I think you mean he’s one of the best right wingers in the game. While he’s a great scoring winger he’s a complimentary player with a large contract. Do you think he’d be able to carry the Oilers like Hall is? I don’t. So the money the Oilers are paying him would be better spent on fixing the defense. Not only that but Yakupov’s contract is much easier on the cap, the only problem being the Russian’s inability to put points up on his own.
An area of the team that has never ever been considered a strength apart from the 2006 run to the Finals.
We should know by now that a team loaded with offensive stars isn’t enough to carry it to the playoffs.
Cant Agree with you BLH Todd is trig to build a team like Chicago Or New York and to do that you need at least 2 scoring lines and if possible 3 lines a free Lean is probably staying with Hall the have great chemistry building but as a second Option you have Hopkins and Eberle who have always had chemistry and then we have the blessing of McDavid when he comes back with Yakapov that will give you the option of turning over three great lines in what ever order that Todd M sees fit depending on who we are playing . .I this the Defence we have is going to be just fine and if the forwards keep getting better with coming back and supporting the defence like they did against Chicago 9 yes there is steelwork to do win this area but they are getting better ) then you have a pretty dynamic team .Could we use to a right handed defence yes .Is Shultz the answer if he gets to play down the line up a little now that Nurse and Klefbom are maturing ? Maybe !
That’s fair Rick. I definitely admire your optimism! Thanks again for reading!
i agree with beer league Eberle will get you something and we aleady have a replacement his name is dr drai .Drai is far to good for 3rd line center. by the way i think chia will offer sheet Seth jones if he hasnt signed next summer