With the NHL Draft fast approaching NHL teams are starting to make moves and the Oilers finally got off their keister and made a critical move: signing Tyler Pitlick to a 1 year deal.
Ok. So…maybe not critical. Maybe not even noteworthy. Still, it’s Friday and the Oilers haven’t fixed their defense yet so I have to address this deal because what else am I going to do?
Tyler Pitlick was taken 31st Overall in 2010 and once upon a time people had high hopes for him as a center on the Oilers. Those hopes were dashed almost immediately after the draft when he was used as a winger in the WHL. His offense in the WHL was also very questionable given his age and former draft position. 62 points in 56 games isn’t exactly bad, but it also isn’t something to write home about.
In typical Oiler fashion he was rushed to the professional game before he was dominating (or anywhere close) the Junior game. His health issues developed a lot faster than his offense ever has. His first professional season marked his career high in points and games played with 23 points and 62 games. Basically any socketed joint on his body is at risk of disintegrating on contact and the last time he hit somebody really hard his spleen ruptured (not a joke).
So he can’t stay healthy, but what he CAN do is skate very fast and play a gritty game. When he isn’t on the injured reserve he LOOKS like an NHL 4th liner. He’s an energy guy for sure. The pipe-dream of him playing in the top 6 ever is over. That will never, ever happen. However, he could conceivably be a cheap winger on the 4th line who can get from A to B in a straight line and arrive in ill-humour.
I have already advocated for walking away from players like Pitlick, but he’s there, he’s cheap, and the AHL team needs to fill a roster too. He signed a 2-way deal that could potentially see him earn $725,000 in the NHL as per General Fanager.
Tyler Pitlick (#Oilers)
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) June 17, 2016
1 yr two-way @ $725,000 cap hit
$95,000 AHL salaryhttps://t.co/35YZnyol3a
I find it unlikely he remains healthy long enough to be more than a nuisance for the NHL team, but as always I will be happy to be proven wrong. I sincerely hope the plan is for him to start the year in the AHL and only be called up when injuries happen, because his reliability is extremely low.
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