Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The Oilers are not making the playoffs. We’ve known that for a month, but there’s no coming back from the hole they dug. It has never happened and it very likely never will. Edmonton would need to dramatically change their skaters, systems, and goaltending to have enough of an impact to even flirt with the post-season.

Getting 0 points while spotting the 3 California teams 2 points each means that as of today, the Oil are 16 points out of a playoff spot and 15 points away from the Ducks and Kings. The Oilers are officially closer to the Coyotes than they are the final Wild Card spot. So, that’s not great.

Here’s one thing that probably wont help: Trading Leon Draisaitl.

Over this weekend Nick Kypreos suggested that maybe the Oilers need to move Leon Draisaitl and I just want to make sure that I’m on record here saying that would be hilariously stupid.

Now, it is conceivable that the Oilers could trade Draisaitl and receive a King’s ransom for the big, versatile forward. However, the team’s current General Manager is Peter Chiarelli which means the likelihood of winning a significant trade with a star forward is somewhere lower than my chance of winning gold in Ladies Slopestyle at these Olympics.

The Edmonton Oilers traded Hall in 2016 to fix the defense and all they did was add a stay at home RHD.

The Edmonton Oilers traded Eberle in 2017 to fix the “balance” of the lines and all they did was downgrade in talent.

If the Oilers follow that up with trading Draisaitl in 2018 to fix _____ then what are we expecting to happen?

Edmonton has already robbed themselves of enough talent while watching Chiarelli chase his losses. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, getting rid of talented players is not and never has been the answer. Maybe. I’m just going out on a limb here, but maybe the problem is identifying the wrong supporting players to surround the high end talent with.

The Vegas Golden Knights built a solid team and possible Cup contender with table scraps. The only star they got was Marchessault and that’s only because Tallon is probably worse at his job than Chiarelli. They didn’t have to lose him. But the REST of that team is made up of secondary talent in the NHL who were just given a chance to play. Edmonton found a couple of those guys in Maroon and Talbot. I’ll grant you that Talbot is having a terrible year, but he was ready to be more than a backup and Maroon was ready to be more than a 4th liner.

If the Oilers could have found a way to avoid massive contracts to boat anchors like Lucic and Russell, they could have easily afforded to keep the star players they already had and focused their attention on a cheap but productive supporting cast.

Instead, the Oilers focused on swapping high end talent for supporting players. When you turn the 16th & 33rd pick of the 2015 Draft (Barzal), Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle into Reinhart, Larsson, and Strome then you really cannot be trusted to trade Leon Draisaitl next. It’s really that simple.

Edmonton needs to find more impact players, not get rid of the ones they have, even if they are paid too much. And, yes, Leon Draisiatl is paid probably $2M more than he ought to be. He is only a part-time center for the team, but he is still productive.

Draisaitl 2016-2017: 0.94 Points per Game. (0.33 Power Play Points per Game)
Draisaitl 2017-2018: 0.96 Points per Game. (0.12 Power Play Points per Game)

So Leon Draisaitl is having a little bit of a disappointing year for a couple reasons. One, he’s being paid to drive his own line and so far he’s been McDavid’s winger more than he has been the 2C of the team. That’s problematic but not unexpected given that’s the exact role he played a year ago. Second, he’s having an incredibly unproductive year on the PP.

HOWEVER, he has gone from an already very good 2.04 P/60 5v5 to a great 2.63 P/60 5v5 this season. If he was producing even at average levels on the PP then he would be well over a point per game. If the Oilers make this player available, they will surely not win the trade. He’s 14th in the NHL for 5v5 production in what FEELS like a down year.

So trade Draisaitl? If they do then I think they’re digging a bigger hole and chasing Chiarelli’s losses even further. Outside of a signed Erik Karlsson, I don’t think there’s a player or package that other teams will have to offer that can make a deal work for Edmonton.

LINEUP

Maroon McDavid Strome
Lucic Draisaitl Cammalleri
Slepyshev Khaira Puljujarvi
Pakarinen Letestu Kassian

Nurse Davidson
Klefbom Russell
Auvitu Benning

Talbot

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Ek…Bad? When defensemen get drafted really high I always tend to cringe. It’s hard to know what you’re getting, especially with some of these Man-Children who dominated their peers in Jr. Ekblad was such a man-child who played through his Jr career as a physical standout. He’s an imposing player, and I think a good one, however he’s playing almost 24 minutes a night and has the worst outcomes on the Panthers blueline in terms of shot attempts and unblocked shot attempts. Has Florida given Ekblad too much too fast? He’s only 22 years old. The Oilers might not be any good, but even they can find a way to take advantage of defensemen playing above their heads.

2) Oscar and Kris. The duo of Klefbom and Russell is more than a little scary, for me. Klefbom can move the puck well but he was at his best with a defensively conscious partner. Russell might have this weird reputation for being good defensively, but I think Klefbom needs someone strong in the corners and who can clear the front of the net. Russell is a jellyfish in those areas. Conversely, Russell is best when he’s got the puck in the offensive zone. He’s a solid skater, but if the puck gets to the OZ and the play is going to Klefbom then the team isn’t taking advantage of what he can do well. So I’m a skeptic.

3) Ryan Tries. The Oilers are trying Ryan Strome on the top line again. It’s been a long time since they even tried having him there but Strome is looking more confident with the puck than ever. He’s a weird player and it’s taken a very long time to start even being noticeable, but if he can keep up with McDavid it would be great. A strong finish from him might see him earn the $3M qualifying offer that he is due in the summer. It might even see someone else want to take a test-run with him.

Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On!

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

Join the Discussion: » 599 Comments » Post New Comment

» Farewell

» The Most Dangerous Game

» Calling Kovalchuk

» Oilers Sign Koskinen

» Oilers Drafting 10th...If At All