Confirmed with Link: [EDM/TBL] Sam Gagner For Teddy Purcell; Then TBL Trades Gagner to ARZ Part II

[Joey Moss]

My bold prediction on Purcell.

27 goals 30 assists.

He will clean up around the net.

If this happens the Oilers are a playoff team/someone else disappoints big time.

 

[McOilers97]

I don't think Purcell is likely to get 27 goals this season, as I doubt our 6th leading goal scorer will get to 27 (I would think that hall, eberle, perron, yakupov and nugent-hopkins will all outscore him).

I predict 17-27-44 for Purcell.

 

[skorf]

My bold prediction on Purcell.

27 goals 30 assists.

He will clean up around the net.

My prediction... Purcell and Pouliot combine for

27 goals 30 assists

 

[Oi'll say!]

I can't believe this happened a week ago and I just found out about it today. I used to follow this team so closely.

 

[McShogun99]

My prediction... Purcell and Pouliot combine for

27 goals 30 assists

So Perron got 25 goals and 25 assists?

 

[oilexport]

Seems like everybody on TB board is real happy Purcell is gone.

 

[Del Preston]

Seems like everybody on TB board is real happy Purcell is gone.

They're still talking about him?

 

[NeutralZone]

Seems like everybody on TB board is real happy Purcell is gone.

A lot of people were happy Hemsky was gone. And now Gagner. Doesn't mean they can't succeed.

I think if MacT wanted Purcell though, he could have gotten him for future considerations. I know Gagner's cap hit is a little rough, but it really seems like selling low to me.

 

[oilexport]

The thread on TB board said they could not find a taker for Purcell (with that contract). Could not give him away..

 

[oilexport]

They're still talking about him?

No, but we are...

 

[syz]

The thread on TB board said they could not find a taker for Purcell (with that contract). Could not give him away..

One thing you should know by now as an Oilers fan is that a lot of people find ways to hate decent players.

See recently: Gilbert, Hemsky, Gagner, Penner, Yakupov, Cogliano.

 

[T-Funk]

One thing you should know by now as an Oilers fan is that a lot of people find ways to hate decent players.

See recently: Gilbert, Hemsky, Gagner, Penner, Yakupov, Cogliano.

Players who struggle to play physical and are known to take nights off?
Those unfair fans!

 

[smackdaddy]

The thread on TB board said they could not find a taker for Purcell (with that contract). Could not give him away..

Yeah you see this with every traded player. Sure, he might have his share of issues but I guarantee they were magnified. By how much is another story. Are we talking Cory Cross here or are we talking Gilbert/Cogliano/Brodziak?

Whipping boys exist for a reason. Besides, Tampa fans think they're on some cusp of greatness so I wouldn't take much from the majority of what they have to say, especially when it comes to their scapegoat.

 

[Del Preston]

There was a thread in November asking if Purcell was one of the most underrated players in the NHL and his value on these boards (and with some Tampa fans) was pretty high right until the trade to Edmonton. Literally hours.. there was one on the trade forum the morning of.

I've seen quite a few posts suggesting his play trailed off when he started hanging out a lot with Malone. Purcell has acknowledged he took things for granted so hopefully the trade woke him up and we get a determined player.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I don't know what Purcell is going to deliver once he steps on the ice and plays for Edmonton... but I do know a change of scenery and a fresh start can make a big difference for a player... (or it can be just more of the same as well)... but if a player is determined to make a positive step forward, there's no reason they can't have success.

Hopefully it's a solid trade and both Purcell and Gagner have career years and both do well going forward.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I think Purcell is the perfect fit for this team right now. Obviously the Oilers still need a center, but Purcell makes the Oilers better and deeper, I think this deal will really pay positive dividends

 

[GDU]

One thing you should know by now as an Oilers fan is that a lot of people find ways to hate decent players.

See recently: Gilbert, Hemsky, Gagner, Penner, Yakupov, Cogliano.

lol at this list...

the oilers didn;t give up on hemsky, he played here for 12 years and the team accomplished basically nothing, mutual parting

gilbert trade was stupid, but having tom gilbert does not fix this team and the dmen we brought in this summer are better then him so again who cares

gagner... so redundant on this team, will probably be bouncing around teams for most of his career because he is too one-dimensional, addition by subtraction

penner... lol he's basically played himself out of the league, the lovefest for him here is really mystifying

Yakapov, last time i checked he still played here and the gm had no plans to trade him

Cogliano, the only player here i would agree the oilers gave up on way too early... he would be a great second/third line winger here but for some reason when he couldn;t be a top six scorer the oilers thought he was worthless... basically the team chose gagner over cogliano and they were wrong by a lot

 

[GDU]

There was a thread in November asking if Purcell was one of the most underrated players in the NHL and his value on these boards (and with some Tampa fans) was pretty high right until the trade to Edmonton. Literally hours.. there was one on the trade forum the morning of.

I've seen quite a few posts suggesting his play trailed off when he started hanging out a lot with Malone. Purcell has acknowledged he took things for granted so hopefully the trade woke him up and we get a determined player.

Purcell had a very effective two years in tampa before being pretty bad last year... i dont know what happened last year but the people saying he's awful are looking at the situation with tunnel vision, at one time he was basically the second best player on the lightening and carrying their second line... i think if we get an actual second line centre to pair with him he will be a huge addition to this team and make us a lot tougher to play against (not beacsue he is tough per say but because of the type of offense he should provide)

 

[Necropolis]

Purcell had a very effective two years in tampa before being pretty bad last year... i dont know what happened last year but the people saying he's awful are looking at the situation with tunnel vision, at one time he was basically the second best player on the lightening and carrying their second line... i think if we get an actual second line centre to pair with him he will be a huge addition to this team and make us a lot tougher to play against (not beacsue he is tough per say but because of the type of offense he should provide)

Purcell was a good player under Guy Boucher, he didn't fit Jon Cooper's system at all. He was a very good player in 10-11 and 11-12, then had a good start (like the rest of the team) for 2013 shortened season but then completely disappeared. He's soft and mediocre defensively and the reason why Lightning fans are glad that he's gone isn't the fact that they think he's a completely terrible player (I don't, at least) - it's simply the fact that Purcell wasn't a good fit for the team anymore, now that there's tons of forward depth here. Drouin will make the team next season and will certainly replace Purcell. He was never carrying the second line nor was he the second best player in the Lightning, though. 11-12 he was worse than Malone, Lecavalier, Stamkos and St. Louis when it comes to forwards and the same guys in 10-11. He played mostly with Stammer and Marty anyway, not in the second line and when he played in the second line, he didn't have to carry it.

That said, even though Purcell didn't have much value, I do think that he will rebound in Edmonton. Probably will take Hemsky's role but the difference is that Purcell isn't as injury prone. He'll give you guys more options offensively. He also should help your power play, at least he is one of the best guys in the league when it comes to entering the offensive zone on PP. He's not a terrible player, just wasn't a good fit for the Lightning's system. I'm happy that he's gone, you guys will likely be happy that you have him in your team.

 

[Blue And Orange]

Much like Gagner, Purcell just needed a change of scenery. His size is gonna help us a lot. Glad that Mac-T is finally addressing our undersized forward corps, unlike Tambo.

 

[Mr Sakich]

He was never carrying the second line nor was he the second best player in the Lightning, though. 11-12 he was worse than Malone, Lecavalier, Stamkos and St. Louis when it comes to forwards and the same guys in 10-11. He played mostly with Stammer and Marty anyway, not in the second line and when he played in the second line, he didn't have to carry it.

.

in 10/11, his most common linemates were Vinny, dominic moore, ,simon gagne, bergenhiem, and malone

in 11/12, his time was pretty spread out with nobody playing more than 1/3 of his time with him. his most common linemates were st louis, malone, vinny, downie, and pyatt.

in 12/13, he played with stamkos and malone and did ok. Using Corsi as the measuring tool, he seems to have more impact with checking assignments / secondary offense instead of elite offensive guys.

 

[CornKicker]

Purcell had a very effective two years in tampa before being pretty bad last year... i dont know what happened last year but the people saying he's awful are looking at the situation with tunnel vision, at one time he was basically the second best player on the lightening and carrying their second line... i think if we get an actual second line centre to pair with him he will be a huge addition to this team and make us a lot tougher to play against (not beacsue he is tough per say but because of the type of offense he should provide)

stamkos missing a major portion of the season probably had alot to do with his totals. He isnt an offensive driver but he is a good complimentary player to skilled players. he will fit in fine here.

 

[McDoused]

I hate this notion that Gagner was rushed. He scored 49 points as a rookie, good for 3rd in team scoring and 5th for rookie scoring that year. He was clearly ready to play. His development stagnated, and his defensive commitment never came through, but do you honestly think that another year or two on the London Knights would've changed that? If anything, it's an indictment of the Oilers' ability to insulate their young players with good support, and it's an indictment of the Oilers' coaching decisions over the years. But Gagner was just plain ready to play. He made the team fair and square and performed admirably.

I do think that it's the right decision to send him on though. Too many players with his skill set on the team, and he isn't as good as they are. Arizona is an excellent landing spot for him. He gets to be the man on their 1st PP unit, he gets to be surrounded by players that compensate for his lack of size, grit, and defensive play. I think it's a great fit for him. At the same time, Purcell is a great fit for us. Bigger body, good skating, a natural winger with slightly more offense than Gagner. And he's older. Not as much NHL experience as Gagner, but being older is an advantage in its own right. His body is more developed, he's more developed as a person. Great trade all around IMO, and given what Tampa got for Gagner, I think it was great value.

I couldn't agree more. Anyone who says that Gagner was rushed has a short memory. Sam earned his spot on the roster but has failed to improve his defensive play for 7 years.

 

[CupofOil]

There was a thread in November asking if Purcell was one of the most underrated players in the NHL and his value on these boards (and with some Tampa fans) was pretty high right until the trade to Edmonton. Literally hours.. there was one on the trade forum the morning of.

I've seen quite a few posts suggesting his play trailed off when he started hanging out a lot with Malone. Purcell has acknowledged he took things for granted so hopefully the trade woke him up and we get a determined player.

This is the thread that you're referencing. Some interesting comments with the one sticking out to me is that he was great defensively under Cooper but then again, it was a pretty short sample size early in the year.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1538709&highlight=purcell

It seems like some "what have you done for me lately" mentality with Tampa fans post-trade. It's obvious that he struggled a good portion of last season but he was a pretty good player for them prior to that.
It'll be interesting to see how he does with a change of scenery. He has a good offensive skillset.

 

[OF17]

Purcell was a good player under Guy Boucher, he didn't fit Jon Cooper's system at all. He was a very good player in 10-11 and 11-12, then had a good start (like the rest of the team) for 2013 shortened season but then completely disappeared. He's soft and mediocre defensively and the reason why Lightning fans are glad that he's gone isn't the fact that they think he's a completely terrible player (I don't, at least) - it's simply the fact that Purcell wasn't a good fit for the team anymore, now that there's tons of forward depth here. Drouin will make the team next season and will certainly replace Purcell. He was never carrying the second line nor was he the second best player in the Lightning, though. 11-12 he was worse than Malone, Lecavalier, Stamkos and St. Louis when it comes to forwards and the same guys in 10-11. He played mostly with Stammer and Marty anyway, not in the second line and when he played in the second line, he didn't have to carry it.

That said, even though Purcell didn't have much value, I do think that he will rebound in Edmonton. Probably will take Hemsky's role but the difference is that Purcell isn't as injury prone. He'll give you guys more options offensively. He also should help your power play, at least he is one of the best guys in the league when it comes to entering the offensive zone on PP. He's not a terrible player, just wasn't a good fit for the Lightning's system. I'm happy that he's gone, you guys will likely be happy that you have him in your team.

Thank you for the time you took to write this up. I greatly appreciate the insight. I do have a question for you. Where did Purcell spend the majority of his PP time? Was he on the LW boards, in the slot?