Ok, I’ve been trying to avoid this one since the rumour first popped up but now The Score went and put it up on their site. I wanted to avoid it because of how terrible the suggestion of trading Gagner for Umberger is, but now we have to address this steaming pile of trash. Aaron Portzline out of Columbus has suggested that the Oilers and the Blue Jackets have been in talks with the main pieces being the kid whose name in French means “To Win… and the guy whose name in French means “Hamburger….
Here is how the trade is framed. Poor teeny weeny Edmonton needs to get big and tough so it behooves them to pick up Columbus’ trash for them all while giving away a 2nd line center. Gagner is described as this backwards moving asset, not someone who recently had a career season and then had his face caved in and Umberger is the Panacea to all of Edmonton’s woes in the grit department. Great trade on paper, right?
Um…No. It’s a terrible trade and I’d like to think that MacTavish isn’t so damaged from all those years playing without a helmet that he would actually consider making that deal. In the EXACT SAME article Portzline admits that Edmonton is likely on Umberger’s No Trade list AND if they cant trade him they would like to buy him out. Does it make sense to anyone else to give up an asset for something that will likely be freely available soon?
But hey, Umberger had 34 points and Gagner had 37 points, they’re pretty much equal value, right? WRONG. Umberger is on the wrong side of 30 and trending down in his career. Gagner was trending in the right direction before being obliterated in pre-season. Umberger scored his 18 goals and 34 points while shooting at 13.2%, the HIGHEST of any season he has played before. Gagner got his 10 goals and 37 points while shooting a paltry 7%, the LOWEST of any season he has played before. What do you figure the odds are of either replicating their past seasons next year? I highly doubt Umberger has turned into a sniper and Gagner’s abilities have left him completely.
And would you care to guess where Umberger ranks among the Columbus regular in terms of possession? If you guessed dead last for any Blue Jacket that played more than 500 minutes, you would be absolutely correct. Dead last.
Trading Gagner right now is trading him at the lowest point he’s ever been at in his career and THESE are the types of deals that are going to be available. Umberger is dead weight. His contract is dead weight. His value as a player is decreasing constantly. What he could bring to the Oilers is questionable at best, AND the Oilers are easily losing the best player in the proposed deal. Gagner is a good bet to bounce back from a bad year, Umberger is not. If the Oilers did pull the trigger on a deal like that they would empty themselves of their 2C and gain an extremely highly paid bottom 6 winger.
But, great trade on paper, right?
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