In the salary cap world that the NHL finds itself in, teams are constantly going to have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Too much money in centers, someone gets traded to buff the defense. Too many resources allocated in one spot means adjusting. And everytime someone earns a significant raise the balance is tested again.
For a long time the strength of the Oilers was along the wings. The results spoke for themselves. Despite having some very talented wingers, without a quality blueline and some center depth it was all for nothing. Today Edmonton finds itself in the position of having a some enviable depth down the middle of the ice, but that came at a cost.
There is an imbalance on the wings and no position is more questionable than Edmonton’s right side.
Let’s start with the good. Everything that Pat Maroon has done as an Oiler is great. I imagine there are Ducks fans wondering how they missed this version of Maroon. He’s big, skilled, plays a meat and potatoes game, and he has been a great fit with McDavid. (My personal theory is that Maroon’s game is SO simple that it is actually perfectly suited for McDavid’s complex wizardy. Just go to the net, the puck is coming.)
Now the bad news. Pat Maroon is the beginning and the end of the “Good… list. Everyone else is a mixed bag. Milan Lucic had more points than Maroon and if that were good enough, I would be pleased to list him in the good category. The issue with Lucic is that 5v5 his normally solid offense eroded and he relied very heavily on the PP. A full HALF of all his points came from the PP. Keep in mind that McDavid scored literally 2x as many points as Lucic, but only had 2 more points from the Power Play. 27 for McDavid vs 25 for Lucic. Without wading into the contract issues for Lucic, the Oil need more from him at even strength this coming year.
Worse news: There isn’t another winger on the team that had even a nearly good season in 2016-2017. At least, not from an offensive perspective. Now, this statement is accurate so long as we believe that Leon Draisaitl will be a Center. If he goes back to the wing then Edmonton has a great 1RW option. If he’s a Center then we are left praying that this is Puljujarvi’s year to shine.
In order of offensive production in 2016-2017, here are the remaining wingers:
Ryan Strome: 30 points Jussi Jokinen: 28 points Zach Kassian: 24 points Drake Caggiula: 18 points Anton Slepyshev: 10 points Jesse Puljujarvi: 8 points Iiro Pakarinen: 4 points
It’s not exactly a murderer’s row. Let’s assume for a moment that the Oilers will start the year with McDavid, Draisaitl, Nuge, and Letestu down the middle. That’s going to open offensive opportunities for right wingers and we have to believe Puljujarvi will get a chance to show himself in the top 6. We can probably say the same for Ryan Strome early on in the season.
However, with Edmonton having more than a fighter’s chance at winning the Pacific and pushing beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs, you can forgive me for thinking that the team shouldn’t be putting all of its eggs in the basket of 19 year old Puljujarvi. This team has been handing prime spots to young players who haven’t earned them for a long time and maybe we shouldn’t be in that phase of team building any longer.
I like Slepyshev as much as the next guy and I’m not suggesting that Puljujarvi will be a bust or anything drastic like that, but why not go for it? Why not get the best RW available and if the young guys beat out that level of internal competition then now you have 2 solid wingers.
The Oilers have Cap Space THIS season. The roster is “complete… and there is still $8.3M unused space. That projects to $38.7M in space at the deadline. There is no real incentive to keeping that much Cap Space while trying to actually win this year. The Oilers aren’t adding nearly 40 million dollars in players at the trade deadline.
The team can easily add another $4M dollar player, I’m suggesting a winger, and still have lots of space at the deadline to add if desired. And you’re darn right the player I want to see in Oiler silks is Jaromir Jagr, but I’ll accept lesser players like Thomas Vanek or Parenteau. The worst thing that happens is it forces players down the lineup until they actually outplay a veteran.
Whether it’s a full contract or a PTO, I would like to see the Oilers add another player who could conceivably play on a line with McDavid or Draisaitl on the right side. I would like to see Edmonton’s young players develop until they are ready instead of being thrown into the fire. And, maybe most importantly, I don’t want to see Jagr’s nameplate on a Flames jersey. This would be perhaps the most painful development imaginable. Awful.
Maroon McDavid Puljujarvi Lucic Draisaitl Jagr Jokinen RNH Strome Caggiula Letestu Kassian Slepyshev Khaira Pakarinen
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