Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Keys To The Off-Season Part 2 - Adding More Puljujarvi's (Internal)

May 29, 2023, 6:11 PM ET [4 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Seattle Kraken Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Jesse Puljujarvi was not a perfect player... just pretty close to one.

Obviously I kid. Puljujarvi was far from perfect. He handled the puck like a grenade and failed to bury grade A chance after grade A chance. At the end of the day, the Oilers gave Jesse plenty of opportunity in the top six but ultimately he failed to make the most of that time.

That all being said, there is a reason why many, myself included, valued what he brought to the team. Puljujarvi was an aggressive forechecker and excelled at forcing his opponents to turn the puck over. Many goals Edmonton scored were a result of a play that began with Puljujarvi forcing a turnover. He may not have appeared on the scoresheet but that didn't mean he wasn't doing positive things while he was on the ice.

My first off-season blog detailed the idea that Edmonton should split up these six forwards among three lines: McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Kane, RNH, and McLeod. These players are your play drivers and my last blog talked about creating three sets of duos from this grouping.

Obviously a line needs three players so today we are going to talk about that third player. Edmonton doesn't need to go looking for 25-30 goal scorers in Free Agency or via trade. The offensive pieces exist already on this roster. Now it's about finding that right third complimentary piece that can best assist each duo.

The good news is the Oilers already have a solid group of internal options that could be considered for these roles.

WARREN FOEGELE

Foegele probably is the best fit in the type of complimentary role that I'm looking for in the top nine. Defensively sound? Check. Has the foot speed to keep up with the high end skill players? Also check. Some scoring touch but also provides useful skills to the lineup when he isn't producing? Absolutely.

Foegele has a career high of 13 goals which he has hit twice in his career, including this past season in 67 games. He is a bigger player at 6'2 but still skates quite well and isn't afraid to make a hit or take a hit to make a play. Foegele is the kind of player you can plop anywhere into your top nine and expect the same style of play from him. He can be the defensive conscious of a line, go into the tough areas to retrieve pucks for his higher skill linemates, and still have the instincts to produce in timely moments.

Foegele has a year left on his contract at 2.75 million. Some have suggested Foegele be moved to clear some cap space. I disagree. This is a player who I believe if he gets a chance in the top six could make the most of a contract year and be a valuable roster player.

KLIM KOSTIN

Kostin can be a polarizing player in the fanbase. The 24 year old came to Edmonton and made the most of his icetime, averaging just a hair over 10 minutes a game but still scoring 11 goals in 57 games, 10 of those goals at even strength. He is physical, tough, and can land bone crunching hits on the opposition. When Kostin is on his game he is a huge asset.

The bad side though is when he is not at his best than he can be a detriment to his team. The cost of landing the big hit sometimes comes in an ill-timed penalty or taking himself completely out of the play. Also there should be some concern on his 19.6SH% and that he was really only averaging a shot a game (56 shots in 57 games). If he doesn't increase his shot volume there is a good chance that we see a massive drop-off in production, should the Oilers sign this pending RFA.

Kostin could end up being Kassian 2.0 - a bottom six winger who happened to have one good offensive outburst. The optimistic side is that Kostin is still only 24 years old whereas Kassian was 28 when he had his best seasons, meaning Kostin could still be on the rise instead of an impending decline.

I expect Kostin will be signed to a short term deal with a lower AAV. Kostin could be an interesting player to fit somewhere in the top six on a line that needs a bit more physicality and with linemates that have more defensive awareness.

RAPHAEL LAVOIE

Does Lavoie have what it takes jump in and score right away next season? If he isn't scoring will he have the ability to be an impact forward? These are going to be some of the big questions surrounding Lavoie next season. For those not familiar, Lavoie was drafted 38th overall back in 2019. The forward was described as a elite scorer with a wide variety of shots. Everywhere he went this kid found ways to score goals; the Mooseheads and Segueneens in the QMJHL, and in Sweden with Vasby IK. That dried up a bit in 21/22 where Lavoie managed only 13 goals in 56 games in his first full professional year (though he did have an injury near the end of that season).

This year however we saw Lavoie figure things out at the professional level where the 6'4 winger notched 25 goals in 61 games. More than just the goal scoring, Lavoie found ways to impact the game at all ends of the ice. Consistency was a concern for this player as far back as his draft year but now he is looking like he has eliminated those "shifts off" and has elevated his game.

Lavoie will have a chance to crack this roster in training camp. He could be sheltered in a less prominent role on the team or if he has the right instincts Woodcroft could place him on a feature line and let him do what he does best.

DYLAN HOLLOWAY

Holloway is in a very similar boat to Lavoie; a young player with top six potential but has yet to prove he can reach that level of play. In terms of playstyle, Holloway and Lavoie are quite different, Holloway being more of a playmaker and relying on his high end speed as opposed to booming shot.

We have gotten only a small taste of what Holloway can do at the NHL level. With only 3 goals and 9 points in 51 games, there is still plenty to be desired but it takes longer for some young players to figure out how to make an impact. No one should be counting Holloway out yet. Another player to keep a close eye on in training camp.

KAILER YAMAMOTO

I have to include Yamamoto because he is still signed for next season as of today. Yamamoto has some skills that are valuable to any NHL roster. He is aggressive on the puck and while he doesn't shoot nearly enough, he is accurate with the shot and can go on hot streaks.

His cap hit and his inconsistencies however I think are just too great a risk for the Edmonton Oilers at this stage of where they are at for competing for a Cup. I just don't see a long term fit here anymore.

---

Based purely off of internal options, I would be intrigued to see the Oilers run a forward core something like this:

Hyman-McDavid-Kostin
RNH-Draisaitl-Lavoie
Kane-McLeod-Foegele
Holloway-Bjugstad-Ryan

Kostin adds some grit to the top line and could be a higher volume shot player if McDavid is threading him pass after pass. Draisaitl at his best is a strong 5 on 5 producer and RNH is a good two way player, both of which would help shelter a young offensive player like Lavoie. Foegele and McLeod work great together defensively and can help Kane's deficiencies in that area while also relying on his offensive instincts.

I still expect the Oilers to add and make some changes to the forward group and add another depth option or two. That is something we will look at in the next blog. The core pieces are there for this forward core, it's up to Holland to add the best complimentary options that he can and for Woodcroft to figure out how to best utilize those players.

Thanks for reading.
Join the Discussion: » 4 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Sean Maloughney
» Eberle Signing Looking Less Likely - Trade to Edmonton?
» Seattle Trades Wennberg To Rangers
» Wennberg Healthy Scratched For Trade Related Reasons
» Should The Kraken Trade or Keep Jordan Eberle?
» Should Seattle Be A Buyer?