I am pleased to let you all know I have upgraded from freelancer and am officially here as your source for all things Oilers related. First off I would like to thank Eric and Eklund for this opportunity. Despite the woes of last season I believe this is a great time to be an Oilers fan and better times are on the way.
So what can you guys expect from me? The simple and honest answer is a little bit of everything. From game day blogs and post game analysis, to trade proposals and players to target, and everything in between. My job here is to provide you, the viewers, with as much content as possible and to expose you to a variety of topics. First and foremost hockey should be fun and HockeyBuzz can be a place where fans of all teams can gather and discuss and debate. Disagreements can be just as fun and I fully expect many of you to disagree with what I bring forward.
Having said that the Oilers should 100% make an offer sheet for Mark Stone.
Mark Stone has been a highlight on a Senators team that has struggled greatly of late. Here are some important numbers over his past four seasons.
2014/2015: 80GP 26-38-64 0.8PPG 2015/2016: 80GP 23-38-61 0.81PPG 2016/2017: 71GP 22-32-54 0.76PPG 2017/2018: 58GP 20-42-64 1.07PPG
One of the most surprising things regarding Stone’s numbers is that he has managed these point totals without being a high volume shooter, in fact Stone was only 8th on his team in total shots. He has been able to produce what he has with an abnormally high shoot percentage. Normally this should give pause but he has averaged a 15.85 S% over his past four seasons. It is a pace fans should feel comfortable about him replicating.
To make his numbers look even more favourable he has produced most of his points at 5x5. Over the past four seasons Mark Stone has been the Senators most productive scorer at 5x5; more productive than Erik Karlsson.
In terms of possession everything points up with Stone. Looking at CF% and players who played at least 20 games, only Stone (52.0) Karlsson (51.4) and Brassard (51.0) were positive. Last season the Senators were a weak team and these players were the bright spots.
Now that I’ve sold you all on Stone the question is simple; why would Ottawa give up such a valuable player.
Enter Offer Sheet.
The offer sheet is a dusty tool that remains in the bag for every GM. It is an unused tool because GM’s fear the retribution that could occur in regards to signing their own players. It was rumoured when Boston was trying to sign Dougie Hamilton that Chiarelli was preparing to offer sheet the player. It would explain why the deal went down with Calgary as it did and shows that Peter may not be unwilling to use the offer sheet.
The offer sheet was designed to take advantage of vulnerable teams and Ottawa may be the most vulnerable team in the league right now. The front office of the Senators is in a state of disarray with legal issues, public dissent, and growing concerns over the signing of franchise defenseman Erik Karlsson. Eugene Melnyk has always been concerned with spending well below the cap. In addition to all of this the Senators have to sign Codi Ceci this summer and keep in mind the 7 players set to be UFA next season including Matt Duchene.
Here is how compensation works. The picks in question are draft picks from the following year of the offer sheet
• Less than $1,295,572 = No compensation • $1,295,572-$1,962,986 = 1 third-round pick • $1,962,987-$3,925,975 = 1 second-round pick • $3,925,976-$5,888,960 = 1 first-round pick, 1 third-round pick • $5,888,961-$7,851,948 = 1 first-round pick, 1 second-round pick, 1 third-round pick • $7,851,949-$9,814,935 = 2 first-round picks, 1 second-round pick, 1 third-round pick • More than $9,814,935 = 4 first-round picks
What would be realistic for Edmonton to offer?
If Edmonton were to offer Stone a deal in the 7.5 million range over 5 years to remain in the third highest bracket would Stone accept? Would the Senators match? Stone is obviously worth that money but what is the long term goal for Ottawa and where do they expect to be 3 years from now during Stone's prime? For players like Stone and Karlsson to sign long term the Senators need to be able to build a team around them. Can they afford to do so with higher term contracts?
IF Edmonton was to even consider this a couple other things would have to fall in place. First off they would need to find a way to shed the Lucic or Sekera contract without retaining salary, a feat which could be impossible. Second this is assuming the cap does increase into the 80 million dollar range.
What say you Oilers fans? What would you be willing to pay to sign Mark Stone?
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