Really?! And this is what you call a "homer". Hay Matt, you need to get off that high horse "I know everything and what I say is right" attitude of yours and face reality. I LIKE Eberle, but you know what? I like this deal more. Why?
Cap Space $20M
NHL Players under contract: 19, includes 11 forwards, 5 defensemen, 2 goaltenders
RFA contracts from 2016/17 NHL roster players: Draisatl, Kassian
UFA contracts from 2016/17 roster: Russell, Gryba, Pitlick, Desharnais, Hendricks

NEXT YEAR:
Cap limit unknown
Current roster RFAs at end of next season: Strome, Slepyshev, McDavid, Caggiula, Pakarainen, Nurse, Benning, Brossoit
Current roster UFAs at end of next season: Letestu, Maroon

And yet, with all of this, you are going to SLAM the Eberle deal? Why, because you don't see the OBVIOUS need to ensure we can pay our important and key pieces to proper contracts over the next 2 years (not that Eberle wasn't an important piece, because I believe he is and will do well on the Island). Hey, don't forget, Sekera is out until at least December, so who is going to fill HIS spot? Even if we sign Russell again, who is going to fill in for Andrei? If you suggest Benning, Nurse, Oesterle, Simpson, or even Betker, Jones, etc, then you don't follow this team closely enough.

Draisatl will command between $5.5 to $6.5M a year, and it will be worth every cent. McDavid, next year? Yeah, you're looking at a MAXIMUM payout for Connor.

So don't sit there, Mr. High and Mighty Righteous, and slam this deal. This was an AMAZING deal for Chiarelli and the Oilers, moving NECESSARY cap space, not just for the now but also for the future. And who knows? What if Eberle stumbles in New York, like Hall stumbled in New Jersey? What if we kept Eberle, and at the trade deadline could get nothing BUT a 3rd or 4th round pick for him?

This was a GOOD deal.
- edmguy75

Who got banned?

As many have said over and over again, it's up to Connor. He has the power to choose: does he want money or a better chance at Cups? He'll make absurd bank off endorsements and signing bonuses regardless of his cap hit but it'll come down to what he wants.
- MaximumBone

Chiarelli: Listen kid... You're going to (frank) everything up if you ask for 14 million... I've been talking to Daddy Katz, and there's a BS job waiting for you when you retire. It'll be good until you're 80, and instead of grossly overpaying you then, we'll grossly grossly overpay you.

This was not a great trade.

Cap savings are nice but the best possible result, and its a stretch, is that Strome realizes his potential with better line mates and replaces Eberle's production. Zero chance this actually i proves the team.

Is it true Russel is being resigned 4X4? Gawd I hope not.

Is PC looking to spend the cap savings on an improvement to this club?

Matt is very short sighted about many things. You would think he'd have some confidence in Chia by now after this amazing turnaround season the Oil just had. Some people don't think big picture.
- Oildrum

Chiarelli had a vision for this team and he's been executing it. Size and truculence to compete in the pacific.
But hes certainly sacrificed skill


End of the day- people have to stop putting this turnaround on chia like he's a genius or something.
Connor mcdavid is By far and away the biggest reason for the turnaround . Then talbot


Chia I said way down on that list Of reasons

Eberle stopped caring... assuming he ever did care. It really is that simple, you cannot have any passengers on the team of you want to compete at the top. Eberle is a total passenger player.

You were wrong about Hall.
Wrong about Russell, and
... very likely wrong about this deal too.

Put the stats stuff away and watch the game.

Chiarelli had a vision for this team and he's been executing it. Size and truculence to compete in the pacific.
But hes certainly sacrificed skill


End of the day- people have to stop putting this turnaround on chia like he's a genius or something.
Connor mcdavid is By far and away the biggest reason for the turnaround . Then talbot


Chia I said way down on that list Of reasons
- Ihateallofu

Careful...you dont want to get lumped in with Iggy and I.

Eberle stopped caring... assuming he ever did care. It really is that simple, you cannot have any passengers on the team of you want to compete at the top. Eberle is a total passenger player.

You were wrong about Hall.
Wrong about Russell, and
... very likely wrong about this deal too.

Put the stats stuff away and watch the game.
- JLO961

I dont if ebs stopped caring.....

This was not a great trade.

Cap savings are nice but the best possible result, and its a stretch, is that Strome realizes his potential with better line mates and replaces Eberle's production. Zero chance this actually i proves the team.

Is it true Russel is being resigned 4X4? Gawd I hope not.

Is PC looking to spend the cap savings on an improvement to this club?
- Larsson_fan

We just got worse offensively

Which seems crazy for an organization that has had such a small modicum of success over the past ugly decade. One decent season

Are we good enough to make up for it ? Hopefully . Sucks we've put ourselves in a position we hve to hope to just be as good . That's the type of thing teams that hve just won like Chicago are forced in to

We just got worse offensively

Which seems crazy for an organization that has had such a small modicum of success over the past ugly decade. One decent season

Are we good enough to make up for it ? Hopefully . Sucks we've put ourselves in a position we hve to hope to just be as good
- Ihateallofu[/img]

Yup....Im kinda pissed off about it....but The Chia apologists dont want to hear any criticisms...with him its all about the silver linings.

Similar mold, but not the same. From what I've gathered from highlights from the past 3 years and from my few memories of what I've watched of him, I've determined the following:

1.) seems to have a heavier wrister (scores from the outside more than Ebs)

2.) seems to have separation speed

3.) the goals that he scores around the net are more "cleaning up garbage"

4.) his PP slotting seems similar to Letestu's

5.) he's CAPABLE of one timers, but doesn't score on them much (highlights)

Assuming this holds true, then we might be looking at a better fit for McLellan than we had with Eberle. I haven't been able to grasp his effectiveness on the cycle or in board play without game tape.
- MaximumBone

BS baffles brains and your doing a good job of it. Eberle is going to light it up and Strome is going to struggle. Three years ago I was high on Strome but have watched him gradually decline since then. A good start is critical for Strome or he will not recover from this downward cycle.

BS baffles brains and your doing a good job of it. Eberle is going to light it up and Strome is going to struggle. Three years ago I was high on Strome but have watched him gradually decline since then. A good start is critical for Strome or he will not recover from this downward cycle.
- joegreif17

WHo the (frank) are you?

We just got worse offensively

Which seems crazy for an organization that has had such a small modicum of success over the past ugly decade. One decent season

Are we good enough to make up for it ? Hopefully . Sucks we've put ourselves in a position we hve to hope to just be as good . That's the type of thing teams that hve just won like Chicago are forced in to
- Ihateallofu

Didn't the team get worse offensively after trading away Hall though?

Figure that there is a difference of about 25 points to make up? I don't think we lose much if anyting from McD and LD. Nuge is due a better season, and reasonably that is the majority of the make up.

I agree that it is underwhelming again, but I reserve judgement like last time.

Didn't the team get worse offensively after trading away Hall though?

Figure that there is a difference of about 25 points to make up? I don't think we lose much if anyting from McD and LD. Nuge is due a better season, and reasonably that is the majority of the make up.

I agree that it is underwhelming again, but I reserve judgement like last time.
- McSavioursPupil

I will for the most part take a wait and see aproach....but FFS, where are the additions to make this team better going to come from?

This trade is fine.

Who got banned?
- McSavioursPupil

Guessing this guy was banned in the old purge

This was not a great trade.

Cap savings are nice but the best possible result, and its a stretch, is that Strome realizes his potential with better line mates and replaces Eberle's production. Zero chance this actually i proves the team.

Is it true Russel is being resigned 4X4? Gawd I hope not.

Is PC looking to spend the cap savings on an improvement to this club?
- Larsson_fan

I'm sure he'd love to improve the team, but the question for him is does he seek an upgrade at the risk of seeing Russell move on? Or does he take the guy he knows was at least effective enough and work to stay as close to status quo as possible while counting on the roster's internal development to drive the team's improvement?

I don't know that I can say for sure which is the correct way, but I know that signing Russell for 4 years at more than 3mil is the wrong move. As of now, we only know that Schlemko would've likely cost us a 4th (in-division trade) but he would've been a solid bandaid for Sekera. His remaining term would be a concern, though.

I will for the most part take a wait and see aproach....but FFS, where are the additions to make this team better going to come from?
- Larsson_fan

Internal development

I'm sure he'd love to improve the team, but the question for him is does he seek an upgrade at the risk of seeing Russell move on? Or does he take the guy he knows was at least effective enough and work to stay as close to status quo as possible while counting on the roster's internal development to drive the team's improvement?

I don't know that I can say for sure which is the correct way, but I know that signing Russell for 4 years at more than 3mil is the wrong move. As of now, we only know that Schlemko would've likely cost us a 4th (in-division trade) but he would've been a solid bandaid for Sekera. His remaining term would be a concern, though.
- MaximumBone

SOrry BUbba....if he is gonna ditch some salary for a cheaper option he should have let Russel go. Just my opinion. If he spends the savings on Russel I will be disappointed.

Internal development
- MaximumBone

Yeah there's couple bucko's who are still getting better

Internal development
- MaximumBone

When was the last time we had any of that, aside from 1st rounders?

Guessing this guy was banned in the old purge
- 21peter

It is a brand new account, so I don't see him as a lost soul due to the purge and JB already has him new account.

SOrry BUbba....if he is gonna ditch some salary for a cheaper option he should have let Russel go. Just my opinion. If he spends the savings on Russel I will be disappointed.
- Larsson_fan

I like Russel but yeah 4x4 is too much. 4yr/3M is the utmost I would like to see.

It is a brand new account, so I don't see him as a lost soul due to the purge and JB already has him new account.
- McSavioursPupil

For sure JB wouldn't be capable of writing like that

Would not at all be surprised to see strome get back to 50 pts next year in Edmonton, capuano really didn't like him and treated him like crap. I'm not wild about eberle but we'll see if he can click with Tavares. In this NHL though, cap space is worth a ton, I think both team should have a chance to come out of this deal happy.

The Oilers home crowd is alot like the fans in Toronto. When they turn on a player you might as well trade them because it won't be pretty. I think Eberle needed a change. I was never a Hall fan but I wish Ebs was heading to the Leafs.

He'll most likely be great just like most players who've been run out town by our respective fan bases.