i say let the NHL writers have their lists. We know where McDavid stands and slotting him low in any ranking just gives us betting fans a leg up on the Vegas odds. Any list like this is going to be subjective. I find it interesting that the Oil and Flames even have players in the top 20. Most American media likes to skip the 4 Western Canadian teams altogether. If it was Eklund, 15 of the players would be Flyers. Everyone has a bias but this was at least list where some logic was used. Not sold on Bergerons high rank. The things that make him a top 15 player are the same things that should have put a center like Crosby as #1.

Richards out for harambe you dumb mother(frank)ers.

i say let the NHL writers have their lists. We know where McDavid stands and slotting him low in any ranking just gives us betting fans a leg up on the Vegas odds. Any list like this is going to be subjective. I find it interesting that the Oil and Flames even have players in the top 20. Most American media likes to skip the 4 Western Canadian teams altogether. If it was Eklund, 15 of the players would be Flyers. Everyone has a bias but this was at least list where some logic was used. Not sold on Bergerons high rank. The things that make him a top 15 player are the same things that should have put a center like Crosby as #1.
- Hall Fan

So you are saying Giroux> Draisaitl? (frank) that noise. Leo has the Harambe mind set.

I'm thinking the best play is to talk to Detroit about a Dman. Their roster has Kronwall, DeKeyser, Ericsson, Green, Smith, and Marchenko and they have Ouellet, Sproul, and maybe Russo pushing for a spot. The former two need to go through waivers so either they move one of their 6 NHLers or one of them goes through waivers (though they could keep 8 on their roster). No one's taking on Ericsson's contract and Smith is their only real snarl on the backend.

Alternatively, they could grab Quincey. Detroit has run mostly LHD for a while so I wouldn't be surprised if he's played some right side.
- MaximumBone

Well, well, well. I wanna say I told you so...

Only way we see Marchenko going to us is if it involves Yak. They need firepower, especially with Datsyuk gone and Zetterberg declining.

Plus, Detroit has been a great place for Russians and I would actually be happy for Yak. A line of Evgeny Svechnikov - Larkin - Yak would be an amazing line to watch.

i say let the NHL writers have their lists. We know where McDavid stands and slotting him low in any ranking just gives us betting fans a leg up on the Vegas odds. Any list like this is going to be subjective. I find it interesting that the Oil and Flames even have players in the top 20. Most American media likes to skip the 4 Western Canadian teams altogether. If it was Eklund, 15 of the players would be Flyers. Everyone has a bias but this was at least list where some logic was used. Not sold on Bergerons high rank. The things that make him a top 15 player are the same things that should have put a center like Crosby as #1.
- Hall Fan

Except Bergeron posts what are maybe the best shot suppression, shot generation, and team-relative possession numbers in the entire league supporting the point that he has an elite two-way game (if not the best) to go along with a consistent 55-70 points per season.

Crosby, on the other hand, struggles at shot suppression when compared to the elites in that regard. McDavid as a rookie actually bested Crosby in that capacity by quite a margin this past season. Of course, that's not to say he's a poor two-way player or that he shouldn't still be ranked as one of the top forwards in the league. His offensive possession and shot generation numbers are as fantastic as Bergeron's defensive numbers.

Well, well, well. I wanna say I told you so...

Only way we see Marchenko going to us is if it involves Yak. They need firepower, especially with Datsyuk gone and Zetterberg declining.

Plus, Detroit has been a great place for Russians and I would actually be happy for Yak. A line of Evgeny Svechnikov - Larkin - Yak would be an amazing line to watch.
- EdmHockeyMan

That's not the point at all. The acquisition of Marchenko is unlikely at best as he represents excellent value at the contract he signed. Considering their tenuous cap situation, his contract makes him more valuable to them than most of their other Dmen.

The reason you'd be pursuing the other two is that there's added pressure to the talks by making your interest evident. They know that they'd get picked up if they were sent through waivers so it's either keep 'em on the team or move 'em for some form of return while you can (likely a waiver-less ELC). Their "out" in this case is the possibility of waiving a guy like Ericsson, but that presents its own set of obstacles and might not look good on the organization.

That's not the point at all. The acquisition of Marchenko is unlikely at best as he represents excellent value at the contract he signed. Considering their tenuous cap situation, his contract makes him more valuable to them than most of their other Dmen.

The reason you'd be pursuing the other two is that there's added pressure to the talks by making your interest evident. They know that they'd get picked up if they were sent through waivers so it's either keep 'em on the team or move 'em for some form of return while you can (likely a waiver-less ELC). Their "out" in this case is the possibility of waiving a guy like Ericsson, but that presents its own set of obstacles and might not look good on the organization.
- MaximumBone

Only Defender I would want Edmonton to try to snag is Marchenko. The rest of the defenders (except for Dekeyser, who is probably the only defender Detroit would not want to move AT ALL) have no interest from me at all, especially since most of them have high cap hits for multiple years.

Chia's BEST bet is to snag Marchenko while they can. His contract value is amazing and I wouldn't be surprised if Edmonton overpayed, say for example, creating a package containing Davidson and Yak for Marchenko and other assets. So there is that.

Actually, when you think of it, a davidson/Marchenko swap would be reasonable imo. Both players have great contracts and both are defenders. Detroit has good prospect depth in the Right side while we only have Bear who is up and coming. It's merely switching handedness and if Detroit doesn't mind it, then that's good enoguh for me.

Only Defender I would want Edmonton to try to snag is Marchenko. The rest of the defenders (except for Dekeyser, who is probably the only defender Detroit would not want to move AT ALL) have no interest from me at all, especially since most of them have high cap hits for multiple years.

Chia's BEST bet is to snag Marchenko while they can. His contract value is amazing and I wouldn't be surprised if Edmonton overpayed, say for example, creating a package containing Davidson and Yak for Marchenko and other assets. So there is that.

Actually, when you think of it, a davidson/Marchenko swap would be reasonable imo. Both players have great contracts and both are defenders. Detroit has good prospect depth in the Right side while we only have Bear who is up and coming. It's merely switching handedness and if Detroit doesn't mind it, then that's good enoguh for me.
- EdmHockeyMan

They'd have no interest in taking on the cap that Yak brings as the whole point of this discussion is surrounding their cap concerns. We're not exactly in a place where we should take on any cap dumps either.

Why would we downgrade? That's the last thing we need, even if it's for the sake of balancing handedness. He's worse in most ways that are quantifiable, equally "unproven", pretty much the same age, and isn't exactly a "high potential" player himself.

Sproul is by no means a guarantee, but he'd likely cost less due to waive-eligibility and he brings more of what we need (heavy shot, solid offensive numbers). Hard to say what they'd want in exchange, but I'd start by offering a 2nd (recoup the value).

Lots of fart noises in here tonight.

Lots of fart noises in here tonight.
- Mr.Bobby

I give all credit to the honourable Adam Larsson; praise be unto him and his wind-swept hair! Let us drink out of a shoe in honour of him!

They'd have no interest in taking on the cap that Yak brings as the whole point of this discussion is surrounding their cap concerns. We're not exactly in a place where we should take on any cap dumps either.

Why would we downgrade? That's the last thing we need, even if it's for the sake of balancing handedness. He's worse in most ways that are quantifiable, equally "unproven", pretty much the same age, and isn't exactly a "high potential" player himself.

Sproul is by no means a guarantee, but he'd likely cost less due to waive-eligibility and he brings more of what we need (heavy shot, solid offensive numbers). Hard to say what they'd want in exchange, but I'd start by offering a 2nd (recoup the value).
- MaximumBone

That would be a good starting point.

For those that are curious. Vegas betting is set by a few different groups with offshore betting sites having employees work along side Government regulated organizations. So you can often find very similar predictions from several seemingly random sites. As an example. In BC; the lottery company has an employee that lives in Vegas that helps predict sports odds across the board and then their numbers are sent to a small group (most decisions by one guy) to tweak for promos and location (Local teams get traditionally more bets).

The odds are at this point are +2500 for the Oil. Only Vancouver, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus and Arizona (the last three tied at +3300) with worse odds. Pre-Season favorites appear to be the Pens on most sites (Chicago close behind) at +400.

Nice payout and again I put my token bet on Edmonton to win the division (Not a hope now that they clearly aren't grabbing a top defender). The rest of my money is on the Habs. They are +1600 which is double the payout of most teams that actually have a shot. Habs with Price could do it. Anyone else taking a long shot? If they let me bet a team that is going to drop I would take the Rangers. Too many in their Division/Conference got better and they look worse on paper than they were last season. Florida might be a top 4 conference team.

Richards out for harambe you dumb mother(frank)ers.
- Mr.Bobby

i say let the NHL writers have their lists. We know where McDavid stands and slotting him low in any ranking just gives us betting fans a leg up on the Vegas odds. Any list like this is going to be subjective. I find it interesting that the Oil and Flames even have players in the top 20. Most American media likes to skip the 4 Western Canadian teams altogether. If it was Eklund, 15 of the players would be Flyers. Everyone has a bias but this was at least list where some logic was used. Not sold on Bergerons high rank. The things that make him a top 15 player are the same things that should have put a center like Crosby as #1.
- Hall Fan

Not agreeing or understanding why Bergeron is that high on any list is just Furthur evidence of your deep misunderstanding of the game

An absolutely elite and terrific player.
In fact, it's not overrating him him that's generally been a problem, but way underrating. He deserves to be mentioned alongside the truest superstars in the game

Sorry in advance for this, but I just spent more hours than I want to admit delving into the numbers behind Nurse's rookie season and need to put my thoughts somewhere because I'm an attention-whore.

Nurse is the most interesting case of eye test Vs analytics that I've ever been stuck in. On one hand he's a strong puck carrier with excellent speed and has an evident grasp of transitioning the puck through skating. To go along with his snarl and flashes of dominance in the O-zone (few and far between last year), he really endears me.

On the other hand, his frequent mistakes and near bottom-of-the-NHL shot and goal metrics (like embarrassingly bad) are a legitimately scary sign. Players of comparable potential, hype, and draft position who stepped into the league in or before their draft+2 year were able to post far better numbers in those capacities. Dmen ranging from established elites like Pietrangelo and Vlasic (what we prayed for) to up-n-coming talents like Trouba and Severson (what we expected) to disappointments like Bogosian (what we fear) all managed to post better numbers than Nurse despite comparable usage.

I get that comparables are far from an exact science, but they usually carry a fair idea of future possibilities and the more I look at it, the worse it looks for Nurse. I'm not saying we should give up on the guy, but I think it's time to temper expectations. If the team plays him slow and eases him back into his development rhythm, we're more likely looking at a second pairing bruiser like Gudas, Coburn, or Polak than an elite top pairing defender as many seem inclined to project.

Sorry in advance for this, but I just spent more hours than I want to admit delving into the numbers behind Nurse's rookie season and need to put my thoughts somewhere because I'm an attention-whore.

Nurse is the most interesting case of eye test Vs analytics that I've ever been stuck in. On one hand he's a strong puck carrier with excellent speed and has an evident grasp of transitioning the puck through skating. To go along with his snarl and flashes of dominance in the O-zone (few and far between last year), he really endears me.

On the other hand, his frequent mistakes and near bottom-of-the-NHL shot and goal metrics (like embarrassingly bad) are a legitimately scary sign. Players of comparable potential, hype, and draft position who stepped into the league in or before their draft+2 year were able to post far better numbers in those capacities. Dmen ranging from established elites like Pietrangelo and Vlasic (what we prayed for) to up-n-coming talents like Trouba and Severson (what we expected) to disappointments like Bogosian (what we fear) all managed to post better numbers than Nurse despite comparable usage.

I get that comparables are far from an exact science, but they usually carry a fair idea of future possibilities and the more I look at it, the worse it looks for Nurse. I'm not saying we should give up on the guy, but I think it's time to temper expectations. If the team plays him slow and eases him back into his development rhythm, we're more likely looking at a second pairing bruiser like Gudas, Coburn, or Polak than an elite top pairing defender as many seem inclined to project.
- MaximumBone

Or we just flip him (likely in a package) while his stock is still high for another legit top 4 righty.
I like Nurse as a player, don't get me wrong. But the lefty to righty ratio of D men in the Oilers system is so (frank)ing lopsided that it wouldn't burn my ass if he was moved for current needs.

Or we just flip him (likely in a package) while his stock is still high for another legit top 4 righty.
I like Nurse as a player, don't get me wrong. But the lefty to righty ratio of D men in the Oilers system is so (frank)ing lopsided that it wouldn't burn my ass if he was moved for current needs.
- Wildschwein

I would do it for Lindholm or Trouba. Kinda wish we had done it straight up for Hamonic. I love Nurse but that move would turn us into a contender this year.

I would do it for Lindholm or Trouba. Kinda wish we had done it straight up for Hamonic. I love Nurse but that move would turn us into a contender this year.
- Xaos22

Wasn't the ask more than Nurse?

Wasn't the ask more than Nurse?
- Wildschwein

Nurse was always the secondary piece in all rumoured trades if I remember correctly.

Prime Fwd or 4th overall (at the time) + Nurse. Havent come across any real rumours of Nurse being the center piece

Nurse was always the secondary piece in all rumoured trades if I remember correctly.

Prime Fwd or 4th overall (at the time) + Nurse. Havent come across any real rumours of Nurse being the center piece
- DDM-Coga

Nurse straight up or with a pick I'd do but not with a prime forward added.
Nurse + Yak for Hamonic + Clutterbuck would be pretty sweet

Nurse straight up or with a pick I'd do but not with a prime forward added.
Nurse + Yak for Hamonic + Clutterbuck would be pretty sweet
- Xaos22

sadly that wouldnt even move the needle for them.
Just like Hall for Larsson, no team i sgoing to do the oilers favours trading Dmen at market value.

Just like when the Oilers and Avs were talking barrie, the ask was either Hall or Drai, not package deals

sadly that wouldnt even move the needle for them.
Just like Hall for Larsson, no team i sgoing to do the oilers favours trading Dmen at market value.

Just like when the Oilers and Avs were talking barrie, the ask was either Hall or Drai, not package deals
- DDM-Coga

Well (frank) em then. At this point our D isn't terrible anymore. We're not bent over a barrel like we were. I'd say sign Gryba and be done with it. We risk losing another piece to expansion if we make that move this offseason anyway. I think we'll compete and win games and if we're anywhere close to a playoff position we become buyers and maybe add a piece at the deadline.

The guy has played 1 yr. in the NHL. Ridiculous to even be discussing it.
- wrister

he's been ridiculously good before he was even allowed to play in the NHL.

All you people saying trade Nurse... I got something to say to that!!! Black Players' Lives Matter!!!!

All you people saying trade Nurse... I got something to say to that!!! Black Players' Lives Matter!!!!
- laughs2907

I think he is more russet in color myself.