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The Third Line Centre Adventure

August 22, 2019, 1:40 PM ET [22 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Over the course of a few hours, fans of the Edmonton Oilers received news that Brassard was likely signing with Edmonton...and then got the news that he had signed with the Islanders instead. This is the kind of things we get to discuss right now. Welcome to end of August Hockey Talk!

Brassard would have been a solid option on the third line for the Edmonton Oilers. The 31 year old had 46 points (21-25-46) split between Ottawa and Pittsburgh in 2017/2018 and then went 14-9-23 last year split between Pittsburgh, Florida and Colorado. A veteran who plays the game at a good pace, plays well at both ends of the ice and could score 12-18 goals on a third line. It is the exact thing that Edmonton needs, and without him, the question of who will be the pivot on that line remains.

The fact that Edmonton was clearly a player in acquiring Brassard shows that Holland is still intent on finding ways to improve the roster before opening night. Edmonton has roughly 2.4 million in cap space right now, and with a bit of shuffling, could have closer to 4 million dollars in space. The team bought out Sekera for (hopefully) a reason. Going through the season carrying that open cap space should be seen as a massive mistake.

Back to the question at hand, who will be the Oilers third line centre this coming season? Let's look at the current candidates.

Markus Granlund - If you were to look at most websites that are predicting line combinations you would likely see Granlund slotted in as the third line centre. Ideally Granlund is more suited to play the wing. Last season Granlund took 348 faceoffs, winning only 42.8% of them. Faceoffs should by no means be the only qualifier for a centre but Granlund himself as stated he believes his game works better on the wing.

Sam Gagner -
Once believed to be the Oilers first line centre of the future, Gagner now is likely a fourth line winger with some PP upside. 2017/2018 with the Canucks, Gagner took 461 faceoffs winning 47.7% of them. Gagner as a centre though, was a negative impact in CF% on almost every forward with the exception of Thomas Vanek. Gagner offers very little in terms of defensive capabilities and should be the definition of a "soft minutes player."

Jujhar Khaira - Has on occasion been counted on to play centre, mainly on the fourth line. Consistency is still the biggest question with Khaira and unless the injuries rack up, should not be considered a real candidate.

Ryan Strome - If only.

Gaetan Haas - A player with a successful European career, coming to North America will always be a wildcard. In the Swiss league last season, Haas went 15-23-38 through 50 games. Haas will need to adapt to the North American game and the 82 game NHL schedule but will be a player to watch through training camp.

Cooper Marody - Perhaps the most likely candidate for the position. Marody is 22 years old and just come off his first year of professional hockey with 64 points through 58 games. He is a right shot centre which is also appealing. Look to see Marody and Benson get ample time together throughout the pre-season.
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