This isn’t Oiler fan’s first rodeo. We’re veterans of the Draft and all that goes with it. We’ve heard everything that can possibly come out this time of year and that includes the potential of trading picks for players today. Everyone talks a big game but come Draft day nobody wants to part with their first round selections.
THE 16TH PICK
We know how I feel, after pick number 1 all offers are welcome. And Peter Chiarelli has said almost exactly the same thing in his latest availability. His words were, “I’m open to all kinds of offers for our picks, except the first overall.… I certainly advocate being aggressive with the 16th Overall pick but the Oilers are no exception to the effects these picks have on teams.
Chiarelli also said that his instincts are to use the pick to Draft a player so it all comes down to how bad someone else wants the 16th, I think. His words were:
There’s going to be a really good player with that [No. 16] pick. Instinctively you want to keep the pick, especially as the draft approaches you get a little more pumped about that pick and that player. Those picks are valuable on a number of levels, and the other level is that it can get you a pretty good player. Instinctively, yes, I’d like to keep it.
For all of the changes made to the Oilers, nothing has been done to the roster. He knows he needs Defense and Goaltending but those changes are going to be made over the next 2 weeks and then we should be all quiet until the players hit the ice again.
I’m hopeful the Oilers trade the 16th for a Defender but we should be prepared for them to use that pick and there might not be a Defender rated in that spot available.
GOALTENDING
One of the areas of interest for Oiler fans that Chiarelli addressed specifically was the goaltender market both via trade and at the Draft table.
Chiarelli sounds like a guy who really understands the market for goaltenders right now and he believes it’s ripe for buyers. Darren Dreger has been on record the last two days speaking very highly of Cam Talbot and the trade market for him, but Chia doesn’t seem to agree (at least on the larger scale for goaltenders):
There are goalies out there. We’ve had discussions with teams. We’re in a group of my guess is two or three, maybe four teams that are looking for goalies. There are more goalies than those number of teams, so we’re in a bit of a buyers’ market. Having said that we’ve got multiple picks so I seem to be a popular potential trading partner on that front. Would we trade a second-round pick? Yeah, sure, I’d look into doing that possibly.
It was reported today by Dreger that the Rangers turned down an offer of two 2nd Round picks for Cam Talbot. Meanwhile, Chiarelli is on record saying he would “possibly… offer a 2nd Round pick for a goalie. What we know is that everybody lies at this time of the year and it’s hard to say who is playing the media more, Sather or Chiarelli.
That said, if Glen Sather truly turned down a pair of 2nd Round picks for his Backup then it’s time for the Oilers to move on. Cam Talbot is not worth it. Set the sights on Eddie Lack or the Free Agent market. I agree with what Chiarelli was quoted saying above, it’s a buyer’s market for Goaltenders and cheaper options are out there who might turn out to be just as good.
As for Drafting a goalie, Chiarelli said that the 2nd Round is generally when Goalies start getting considered on your Draft lists. I wrote the same thing just the other day. There has been a big change to when Goalies get Drafted in the Salary Cap era and unless our ability to project their future performance gets better then the 2nd Round should be the starting point for Drafting them.
THOUGHTS
Peter Chiarelli, at this point, is sounding very conservative with regards to his strategy at the Draft if we’re going by his own words. Once things start to happen and deals get made we’ll have a much better idea of how well his words marry with his actions, but right now he is indicating a preference to keep the 16th and maybe flip a 2nd. He is telegraphing towards potentially using a 2nd Rounder to Draft or Trade for a Goalie but not giving up anything higher than that.
The reality is that he needs a goalie but it’s a buyer’s market for goalies and he has an extra 1st Rounder and the market is better for sellers in the 1st Round. Everybody wants another 1st and Edmonton’s 16th is the highest pick that is definitely in play. Chiarelli holds some pretty good cards.
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