|
Mapping Out The Oilers Off-Season Needs |
|
|
|
|
|
I can't take my own advice.
I was going to take a few days off from writing and reset before tackling any of the Oilers off-season needs but the ideas continued circling in my brain loudly and I needed to exercise them from my mind onto the screen.
Last year I wrote a blog with the exact same title, mapping out what I believed were the Oilers most important needs to address, prior to the start of the 21/22 season. Here were the needs I felt needed to be addressed. Underneath I have added how they were or were not addressed.
1) x2 Top Six Left Wingers:
At the end of the 20/21 season it was clear that Edmonton needed more proven scoring in their top six. The reason I had listed two top six wingers was because RNH was UFA at the time and they needed to bring back either him or another player to fill his void.
HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was re-signed and Zach Hyman was brought in as a UFA as well. In January, Evander Kane was also brought into the fold.
2) #1 Goalie:
After the 20/21 season ended I stated that while Mike Smith had a solid season, his injury issues and age were a concern and Holland needed to find another solution for the starter.
HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED: It wasn't and for the third straight season Holland rolled the dice with Smith-Koskinen. The results were a roller-coaster as Smith was injured for much of the regular season, Koskinen played great at times and awful at others. Smith ended up as the starter in the playoffs and had a great series against LA, a good enough series against the Flames, and a downright bad series against the Avalanche.
3) Right Shot Centre
Edmonton had plenty of left shot centres but needed someone who could take draws on the opposite circle with more consistency.
HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED: Derek Ryan was brought in to be a centre and while he ended up playing more wing, he still took over 500 draws. At the same time, while not a right shot, Ryan McLeod established himself as a legitimate top 9 option in the middle.
4) Second Pairing Left Defenseman
Knowing Klefbom was still unavailable, Edmonton needed to find a veteran left shot defenseman who could help cut down some of Darnell Nurse's minute.
HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED: Caleb Jones and what we now know to be a third round pick were moved out to bring in Duncan Keith and his entire 5.5 million dollar cap hit. The results ended up being fine if unspectacular though the cap hit for next season makes additional moves highly difficult.
5) Bottom Six Scoring
The bottom six did next to nothing for the Oilers in the playoffs against the Jets and there was a need to upgrade this group with legitimate NHL players instead of European imports who might turn into something.
HOW IT WAS ADDRESSED: Gone were the likes of Khaira, Chiasson, Neal, and Benson and in their place were McLeod, Ryan, and Foegele.
BONUS: Top 4 Right Shot Defenseman
When I wrote this last season, it was prior to the development of Adam Larsson agreeing to sign with the Seattle Kraken. Holland signed Tyson Barrie after trading Ethan Bear and brought in Cody Ceci who ended up being a great replacement for Larsson and helped to be a shutdown option on the top pairing.
---
That is how Ken Holland addressed the needs for the Edmonton Oilers last summer. Some of his choices excelled while others were complete misses. Once more there are holes to be filled but with far more limited cap space to do it. Here, in my order of importance are the areas we will be discussing all summer.
Before Anything Else: Sign Jay Woodcroft
Duh.
1) A True Starting Goaltender
Right now it seems likely that Stuart Skinner will be an NHLer next season but he is still a big unknown and the team will need a far more established netminder to come in and be the starter and that cannot be Mike Smith. UFA options such as Kuemper and Campbell are available while trade options such as John Gibson do exist but would cost the team real assets. Edmonton will not be able to make it further than they did this season without a legitimate presence between the pipes.
2) Find a Way to Sign All the RFA's
There is a simple formula to long term success in the NHL. Step one: Draft good players. Step two: Keep good players. Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Ryan McLeod are all good young players who have made positive impacts on this roster while still have plenty of room to grow and improve. All three of these players should be back with the team next season and it would be even better to find a way to sign at least a couple of them to long term deals as opposed to stop-gap solutions in bridge deals.
3) Signing Kane or Kane's Replacement:
Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, Kailer Yamamoto, and Jesse Puljujarvi make up a solid top six group. Kane gave the Oilers a player who fit in perfectly with Connor McDavid, was physical, and most importantly scored a bunch of goals. Kane was a mid 20's goal scorer who reached the 30 goal plateau once in his career but with McDavid feeding him the puck he looked like a 40 goal scorer. Edmonton needs to either extend Kane or bring in a volume shooter who is already an established 20 goal player and try and repeat that process.
4) Sign Brett Kulak
As of now it seems unlikely that the team can count on Duncan Keith retiring, which would eliminate his cap hit against the Oilers. One of the better trades Holland has made in his time with the Oilers was acquiring Brett Kulak. The 28 year old came in and played a steady game and handled his own end regardless of his ice time or the opposition he faced. Kulak could easily fit in as a top four defender, dropping Keith to the third pairing and also eating some of Darnell Nurse's minutes. Kulak is a UFA but the fit in Edmonton seemed perfect. They need to bring him back.
5) Trade/Replace Tyson Barrie
One of the ways Edmonton can sign their RFA's is by moving redundant salary out. Tyson Barrie did not have the same offensive numbers as he put up in 20/21 but still pup up 41 points in 73 games, quarterbacking one of the best powerplays in the NHL. Much of what Barrie brings can be replaced by Evan Bouchard who is on the last year of his ELC deal. In a perfect world, Holland needs to find a Devon Toews of his own but more realistically, a mobile transitional defenseman who can play on a second or third pairing. Carson Soucy in Seattle is a name you're going to hear me say a bunch.
6) Rework the Fourth Line
Edmonton has enough pieces to make three very good lines and we saw all of them produce well, even in the playoffs but the fourth line was a non-factor at all times. Whether it is giving less established players like Marody, Malone, or others a chance or bringing in cheap veteran replacements, this line needs to have an identity and not just be the remnants.
---
As was the case last season, not all of these areas are going to be addressed fully, in large part due to a limited amount of cap space. It's easy to say the Oilers should sign Forsberg, Kuemper, and Letang but obviously that isn't the kind of money this team has to throw around right now. The core group have shown their GM that they have the ability to go far with an imperfect roster. Holland needs to reward them by not making excuses, and getting the job done.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»