The Oilers and the Blues play tonight and neither will be employing the services of one Kevin J. Shattenkirk*. The Blues traded their most offensive defenseman in advance of losing him for nothing as a free agent. Shattenkirk was sent to the Capitals along with Phoenix Copley for a 1st (no doubt in the high 20’s), Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, and a conditional pick in 2019. That conditional pick is determined based on a series of increasingly convoluted conditions that I think ends with a game of Trivial Pursuit: Seinfeld Edition.
The Oilers were probably never in the conversation for Shattenkirk. In the end it sounded like the Caps and the Penguins had the most interest in him and you can understand why given that Washington is trying to go All-In right now. I obviously very much disagree with the idea that Edmonton “Isnt ready to win… and therefore shouldn’t have gotten involved in high-end rentals like Shattenkirk, but perhaps he was adamant that he would never sign in Edmonton.
We know that the Oilers had talks with St Louis going back at least a year about Shattenkirk but a deal could not be done (though one was apparently there in principle) because the player refused to sign an extension in Edmonton. That was closer to the Draft so a lot has changed for the Oilers.
Personally, I would have ignored the protest by the player for a few reasons. First and foremost, the Oilers can sell players on something nobody else in the NHL has: The chance to be Connor McDavid’s teammate for the foreseeable future. Nobody else can offer this. He’s the leading scorer in the NHL by 4 points. He will likely win the Hart trophy, and he’s only 20 years old. Second, the Oilers opened Rogers Place this year. It’s the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization project and has been afforded every luxury imaginable. It has the best and newest EVERYTHING for the players. Lastly, I would have banked on being proved significantly and making a solid run at the 3rd round or later in the playoffs. Winning feels good. Winning in a market like Edmonton is a Hockey player’s dream.
But the Oilers didn’t bit on Shattenkirk and the Blues were forced to get something for him before he left them with nothing. They played that game a year ago and lost Backes and Brouwer when they could have definitely pulled a couple pieces for them from contenders. I don’t blame the Blues for making the decision that they did. As for the return, that was much lower than I thought. At the price of a 1st, conditional pick, and 2 B prospects, I think other teams missed out on a great addition for very little cost.
Edmonton heads into tomorrow’s trade deadline without having made any move at all to bolster their club while several other western conference teams have already started theirs. Will the Oilers do anything to make themselves better before the playoffs? Will they move their own expiring contracts for pieces and replace them internally? Will they stay stuck in no-man’s land between “not there yet… and “good enough to win…?
We wait on a backup goaltender, a 3rd line center, a middle 6 winger, or a right shot defender who can add some dimensions to this team that aren’t currently there yet. Edmonton lacks stability behind Talbot. A single play could decimate the team’s chances in the playoffs as it stands right now. Brossoit is no Jussi Markanen. The hope was a 3C could have pushed Caggiula away and bolstered the 3rd, but with the lines as they are now, I wonder if a winger wouldn’t be better (and cheaper). Khaira has looked good on the 4th but the 3rd line is dying for some offense. And Edmonton could still use a player (like Cody Franson?) to round out the blueline and add a RHD with the ability to move the puck.
The most smoke we’ve seen around the Oilers today has been centered around Jaroslav Halak. If the Islanders can retain money, there could be a fit there. * I have no idea if J is his middle initial LINEUP
Caggiula and Benning sit tonight. I guess the coaching staff wants a bigger club. Maroon McDavid Draisaitl Lucic RNH Eberle Slepyshev Letestu Kassian Hendricks Khaira Pakarinen Klefbom Larsson Sekera Russell Nurse Gryba Talbot Brossoit OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME 1) Bigger Lineup. The Oilers are hoping to inspire some rough play by dressing Slepyshev and Gryba in the lineup. The Blues in the past were always pushing Edmonton around, but this isnt exactly the same team that man-handled the Oilers for years. The choice to have Russell and Gryba on defense ahead of Davidson and Benning has a few people rubbing their temples. At this point we know the coaching staff loves Russell. His usage reflects that. Tonight what looks like a serious gamble to me, has to pay off. Benning’s puck moving ability is far superior to what Russell or Gryba can provide. Nurses ability to skate offsets that. Slepyshev’s at the very least Caggiula’s offensive equal and it’s about time they were swapped. 2) Disrupted Blue. With the subtraction of Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues are down their 2nd leading scorer. He was 12 points ahead of their next closest defender Pietrangelo. He was playing close to 20 minutes a night, 3 of which was spent on the PP. He was 2nd on the Blues defense in CF% and FF% 5v5 as well. Despite not having a reputation as being solid in his own end, he made up for it by getting the puck where it needed to go. This has all been taken away from the Blues. If there’s a game where maybe players will be out of sorts, it’s this one. Any confusion that forecheckers can create – any frustration they can sew into the St Louis puck movers, is going to be most effective now. 3) Penalty Killing Us. The Oilers lost their last game because they had no answer for Nashville’s power play. It didn’t help that the Refs called 3 straight against Edmonton in the 1st period either, but the fact is the Oilers screwed it up. That’s 1 part Talbot, 4 parts skaters. The Oiler Penalty Kill has been sinking like a stone in efficiency and it’s only getting worse. One problem is that the defender who McLellan plays the most on the PK also happens to allow the most (by a mile) unblocked shot attempts on the PK. Kris Russell is bleeding chances and I wonder if anybody on the team even cares to look at the relationship between PK success and his play. He’s not in the game tonight, but Benning has the lowest FA/60 and GA/60 on the 4v5 penalty kill for the Oiler blueliners. Puck drops …ªat 6PM Mountain Time…¬ on Sportsnet West. Game On! Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy