I fully expected to hear Chiarelli say "Larson has Norris potential"

Great write up Matt... it boggles my mind that people who claim to be "press" rush to defend lopsided and terrible deals like this. Way to speak the truth.



Oilers fans, I truly feel terrible for you... this sucks.
- jtommyt

This was just horrendous

That's the cost to fill the hardest position in the NHL. A top 2 Dman, 24 making 4.1 mil for the next 5 years. Easier to replace Hall than find a Larsson.
- striker777

Larsson sucks in the corners. Hall is a gem with apathetic streaks when the team as a whole starts struggling. Still a top 5 LW.

Matt Henderson: Chiarelli Cracks Under Pressure
- Matt_Henderson

That trade made no sense. Surely Chiarelli could have tried trading Yak + and obtained Larson. Even something like Eberle for Larson would have been in Jersey's favour.

Hell, they would have been better off trading Hall for Hamonic straight up.

I don't think it's as bad as some are making it out to be. I'd assume he's not done yet, plus, they just finished second last in the league yet again but you don't want change....I don't get it!

The cost to acquire a young defenseman is obviously really really high. Ryan Johansen had 63 points 33 goals as a 22 yr old, 71 points 26 goals as a 23 yr old CENTER, do you think he should've returned more than Seth Jones?
- LeftCoaster

There's some truth to this

I think larsson might be being underestimated pretty badly.

But aside from other moves or whstever, it shouldn't really change thst at face value, the oilers lost this trade short term.
However, I will say that I doubt nuge/ebs got it done as I'm sure they shopped first. so the alternative was to stand pat

After 6 years of bottom feeding, I dunno if that's wise

I don't think it's as bad as some are making it out to be. I'd assume he's not done yet, plus, they just finished second last in the league yet again but you don't want change....I don't get it!

The cost to acquire a young defenseman is obviously really really high. Ryan Johansen had 63 points 33 goals as a 22 yr old, 71 points 26 goals as a 23 yr old CENTER, do you think he should've returned more than Seth Jones?
- LeftCoaster

Johansen is a full tier below Hall... if Chia had traded Eberle for Larsson no one would be complaining. That would have been the equivalent.

Great write up Matt... it boggles my mind that people who claim to be "press" rush to defend lopsided and terrible deals like this. Way to speak the truth.



Oilers fans, I truly feel terrible for you... this sucks.
- jtommyt

So those people who are paid to follow hockey full time, and focus on the sport for a living, know less than the people who simply follow the sport as a hobby, and devote about 15% of their focus to the sport???

How funny would it be if lucic signed with calgary or van now

Funny thing is 90% of all that I can find in the sports world totally agree that this was a bad bad move

Trade is .65 to the loonie. Still, adding Lucic and Demers says Boston West. Hall, for all his talent, was soft.

If you add Hedman next yr, and Talbot pans out, this is a win

I do not disagree that the oilers lost this trade Matt as they abvioisly gave up the far superior player. With that said your complete over the top negativity over the past few months on this site and others has has come to an all time tipping point. The other bloggers out there give rational opinions and insightful information that you are simply lacking. Either change your mindset when writing a blog or possibly your job aspirations in the future.
- Oilman97

Sounds like what you want is a total homer i.e. Garth. I like Matt just wish he blogged more often. I agree with his opinion on the trade but I feel like a troll saying so.

Larsson sucks in the corners. Hall is a gem with apathetic streaks when the team as a whole starts struggling. Still a top 5 LW.
- fry

D man dont come into their own till later. But you don't trade a bonfiDE superstar for potential

Trade is .65 to the loonie. Still, adding Lucic and Demers says Boston West. Hall, for all his talent, was soft.

If you add Hedman next yr, and Talbot pans out, this is a win
- FLflames34

How would trading Hall for a better player prevent those other things though...and Lucic is a 50 point tops player about to sign a boat anchor of a contract

So those people who are paid to follow hockey full time, and focus on the sport for a living, know less than the people who simply follow the sport as a hobby, and devote about 15% of their focus to the sport???
- leonkennedy

In this instance? To pull off this trade? Absolutely.

That trade made no sense. Surely Chiarelli could have tried trading Yak + and obtained Larson. Even something like Eberle for Larson would have been in Jersey's favour.

Hell, they would have been better off trading Hall for Hamonic straight up.
- lemieux_66

This is where The conversations gets skewed

I don't know if there's just a fundamental misunderstanding here, but yaks and larsson have nowhere near the same value. There is no scenario where a deal gets done with those two

And furthermore, how can we assume nuge or ebs gets it done? I suppose it's possible chiarelli like nuge more cause he's a center, but I find it pretty hard to believe hall was shopped "first"

Johansen is a full tier below Hall... if Chia had traded Eberle for Larsson no one would be complaining. That would have been the equivalent.
- jtommyt

I don't disagree NJ got the best player, but I've gotta believe Chiarelli tried to get the best return he could.

D man dont come into their own till later. But you don't trade a bonfiDE superstar for potential
- Yeti1181

He obviously thought they were not tough enough up front. Lucic is older, will decline quicker, has less offensive prowess. He also changes the lineup and this makes floaters like Yak realize no one is untouchable. I think Yak has a fantastic year.

There is a reason Larsson was drafted 4th overall. He's still a season & a 1/2 from being fully developed to NHL standards. 6'3", 205 lbs a future #1 Dman #2 now, who can go up against the best players in the league. The only way you can acquire these guys is to get them before them fully become that player & the cost is extreme. Again no harder position to fill in the NHL. You pay the price demanded or you wait for years, almost a decade in the case of the Oilers to acquire this type of asset.

Yes it's a huge price to pay but Edmonton is a far better team with Larsson than Hall as crazy as that sounds. You win from the net out.

Go back & look at all #1 & or 2 Dman traded in the last 20 years. Almost everyone that even moved & they are few there were extenuating circumstances. Teams don't move these assets except when they are essentially confronted with no choive. I say you should be happy as if I were NJ & not so desperate for scoring & some excitemnt I wouldn't move Larsson for Hall. What the hell is NJ going to do at D now. NJ just got worse in the win loss column. they now have Greene & severnson; a sophmore, Nothing else at D.

The reason Edm has been bad for so long is driven entirely by 1 of the worst defenses in the entire NHL. Larsson is a solid young #2 on decnet long term contract.

I don't disagree NJ got the best player, but I've gotta believe Chiarelli tried to get the best return he could.
- LeftCoaster

Then you don't make that move for that guy at this point.

Subban and Weber were both traded on the same day... there has to be a way to get either one of those guys if you're going balls out and trading Hall...

You absolutely can't settle for less than a bona-fide Allstar if you're trading one of the top 5 LW in the game.

Hey all you genious Oiler fans that think this was a good deal, why is everyone else from every other team in shock? (or at least 90%+)

Brutal, idiotic trade.

Read some parts here and there, but when you compared Larsson to Petry did you happen to notice their designated roles? Larsson top pairing shutdown dman, Petry top 4 shutdown dman.

Scoring is not what EDM needs, they need a guy like Larsson whether you like it or not. Larsson is a less physical Hamonic, but he can be when needed. I'm not saying Larsson has equal value, but you apparently weren't gonna get what you thought and draft picks is the last thing EDM needs.

How would trading Hall for a better player prevent those other things though...and Lucic is a 50 point tops player about to sign a boat anchor of a contract
- flashfire

Do you really only see lucic's value in points ?

The hall stuff has some validity, but thr definitive lucic as s bad signing is bs.
There's many scenarios where it's a total win.
There certainly comparables that show he could be effective for another 5 years

How would trading Hall for a better player prevent those other things though...and Lucic is a 50 point tops player about to sign a boat anchor of a contract
- flashfire

Lucic is definitely one of those players whose contract will sting sooner rather than later. I think he's one of the more overrated players in the league.

Sad to see Taylor Hall go, but his unprofessional comments about being slighted says a lot about his leadership. The Oilers coaching and management staff obviously felt Taylor Hall was what it took to change the culture. His passionate times could be love-able but at other times could be a hinderance. When moving Taylor Hall, there is no way they would have left him in the western conference, especially when needing a friendly cap hit and a right-handed "d" also. With everyone knowing this, it was a costly hole to fill. At the end the day Taylor Hall is in New Jersey and two second round picks wasn't going to make it easier for the fans.

How would trading Hall for a better player prevent those other things though...and Lucic is a 50 point tops player about to sign a boat anchor of a contract
- flashfire

Chia always valued grit and size mixed with talent over an abundance of skill. Not defending the trade, but I see the mold beginning to take form. Do you recall the leading scorer on their cup run, without looking it up? Nor do I.

Hall was excellent. A special talent. He was also an oft-injured baby.