Today there are a number of players hitting the waiver wire. Teams are making final cuts and tough decisions are being made. The Edmonton Oilers have placed Anton Lander on waivers after a very average showing in camp. He will make it through and I base that primarily on the fact that there are MUCH better players available today.

Edmonton has a major problem on the forward corps by my eye: rookies. They have Drake Caggiula and Jesse Puljujarvi playing on the 3rd line and that’s an issue. Both have offensive skills but you can only say that Drake has actually won a job out of camp. If there was a way to configure the Oiler lines so that they had a better ratio of right shooting wingers and kept rookies to a minimum, I think they would be much stronger in 2016-2017.

With the number of players hitting the waiver wire and Edmonton’s place in the waiver line, they have the opportunity to do exactly that. There are two right wingers and a backup goaltender hitting the wire that I think are better than what the Oilers have right now. I wont even bother touching on Scott Wedewood (backup goaltender) because I don’t think the team has any desire to improve at 2G. However, Edmonton can get better, immediately, for cheap. The only thing it will cost are roster spots. Now, they wont go after both of these wingers nor would I want them to. But, if Edmonton fails to put a claim on one of them then they are passing up the chance to be more competitive right now.

Teemu Pulkinnen – RW – Detroit - $812,500

Teemu Pulkinnen is a 24 year old Finnish right shooting winger. He’s just 5’11” and 183 pounds but he has performed extremely well at the AHL level and has been a possession driver with the Red Wings. His latest AHL stint had him record 34-27-61 in just 46 games. Now, that offense has not translated to the NHL, where he’s had only 20 points in 70 games. That said, his game in the NHL hasn’t been all about the points.

Pulkinnen had the highest shot attempts for and lowest against per 60 minutes on the Red Wings last season. That level of performance was also mirrored in the season before last as well. This is an incredibly valuable trait because it suggests even if he personally isnt scoring, his line will. And, as you might extrapolate, his Goals For Relative to teammates is more than DOUBLE that of the next best player on the Red Wings in the 2 seasons he’s played there.

It’s less conventional than taking a flyer on the next name, but there is something very interesting about this player.

PA Parenteau – RW – Islanders - $1,250,000

PA Parenteau is also hitting waivers today. He is 33 years old, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds (closer to Chiarelli’s preferred body type) and a veteran of 424 NHL games. He was signed by NYI in the offseason but played all of last season with the Maple Leafs. The Leafs opted to go younger, but Parenteau performed pretty well for them, going 77GP, 20-21-41 last season.

He’s certainly much more of a single season placeholder than Pulkinnen would be, but he provides offense you can count on. Last year he was the Leafs’ highest scoring player 5v5 in both raw totals and on a per 60 minute basis. He was also top 3 among forwards in shot attempt ratio (53.7% CF) and Goals For ratio (52.0%).

He performed extremely well a year ago and costs very little.

THOUGHTS

Either of these players make the Oilers better today than their current roster assembly. I mean that in the short term and the long term. Signing Kris Versteeg as a no-brainer for the team does more of the same. It allows Edmonton to ice a strong team down the middle with competent wingers on every line.

The ideal Oiler lineup might look something like this:

Lucic McDavid Eberle
Pouliot RNH Versteeg
Maroon Draisaitl Pulkinnen/Parenteau
Hendricks Letestu Kassian

There are NO rookies with the healthy lineup in place (I know Hendricks is injured). This is something the Oilers have not done for as far back as I can remember. Every line has a right winger who shoots right. The top 3 lines have three competent centers with offensive ability.

Just as importantly, the Oilers have Puljujarvi’s expensive ELC in the minors, potentially sliding a year and cheaper, more experienced players are blocking him from playing over his head. He can play 20 minutes a night, with Drake Caggiula as his center, in the AHL where he learns the North American game.

Edmonton can be better immediately. They have lots of Cap room on paper but McDavid will hit his bonus and Draisaitl wont be far behind him. That will eat a fair amount up. With Puljujarvi in the AHL it’s a more stable cap situation. As per General Fanager the Oilers are at 47 contracts right now. Versteeg plus one of these wingers makes it 49, so the club is still not yet at the maximum.

The question isnt whether to claim someone or not. The question is which one. Pulkinnen is more of a “gamble” but he might also end up as a part of the team’s future because he’s an RFA after this season. Parenteau is a safer pick but he is definitely not part of the future. Either one makes Edmonton stronger on and off the ice, now and in the future.

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

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