b1e9a8r5s
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Put me in the camp that could see Keith rebounding a bit in a new situation and a lessor role (i'm completely biased, admittedly). That being said, not getting the Hawks to retain or taking a contract back is really bad.
He will definitely be a guy that everyone in the dressing room will respect and shut up and listen to when he speaks. Probably something the Oilers really need. No one on this team has ever won as much as he has, he knows what it takes. It sounds like he keeps himself in good shape. I remember watching him in the Edmonton - Chicago series, the guy can definitely still skate and play. Lots of exaggerated nonsense and drama regarding his play in this thread, but the cap hit is certainly too high. Now personally I do not care that much, it is only 2 seasons, IF Holland is still able to make the other moves needed to take the team to the next level. It will be a really poor move if it hinders that. I think that is the issue most people have. I will reserve judgement based on the more important what else he does this offseason.Those who are complaining have no clue what there talking about or just enjoy complaining either way if you took the time to look at your teams own needs and realized edmonton lacks veteran leadership and stability on there backend. Sure keith is 37 not 27 but those who know him understand he is in fantastic condition and shape , his knowledge, experience and leadership plus his work ethic and strong commitment to winning is exactly what edmonton needs .
Keith doesn't need to play 25 to 30 minutes a night but can easily stabilize the backend and slot up amd down were needed. His on ice and lock room presence will help these kids grow and mature plus McDavid and drai don't have to worry when keith is on the ice with odd man rushes. He can quarterback your power play effectively and kill penalties.
Has keith shown down sure he isn't 28 years old , however he can still skate and play effectively and won't be a liability for the team.
What edmonton gave up was a young player whom at best will be a 5 or 6th defenseman and klef being out for the season basically means keith salary is taking his place .
If keith was open to being traded anywhere plenty of gms would have jumped in trying to get keith.
He will definitely be a guy that everyone in the dressing room will respect and shut up and listen to when he speaks. Probably something the Oilers really need. No one on this team has ever won as much as he has, he knows what it takes. It sounds like he keeps himself in good shape. I remember watching him in the Edmonton - Chicago series, the guy can definitely still skate and play. Lots of exaggerated nonsense and drama regarding his play in this thread, but the cap hit is certainly too high. Now personally I do not care that much, it is only 2 seasons, IF Holland is still able to make the other moves needed to take the team to the next level. It will be a really poor move if it hinders that. I think that is the issue most people have. I will reserve judgement based on the more important what else he does this offseason.
Well he is not currently a 5.5m defenseman and the Oilers have more critical needs. If they cannot improve their forwards and goaltending a left shot 2nd pair d-man (No matter who it is) is not going to help move the needle enough. So as I said I can live with the deal as long as it does not hinder their ability to improve the other teams needs. Holland still has a lot of work to do.Actually his cap hit is reasonable. Your avg defenseman who hasn't the pedigree of Keith's caliber is anywhere from 3.5 to 5 and for these younger high priced guys like Hamilton or Jones your talking 8 plus million and or lots of assets to give up.
Once people realize his salary isn't ridiculous compared to what free agency gets you in return Keith's value is alot higher in many different ways.
You can't use free agency to buy a cup you need assets from your farm team to step up and play certain roles.
Chicago had Campbell and sopel on the backend when keith won his 1st cup. Veteran leadership is key
Well he is not currently a 5.5m defenseman and the Oilers have more critical needs. If they cannot improve their forwards and goaltending a left shot 2nd pair d-man (No matter who it is) is not going to help move the needle enough. So as I said I can live with the deal as long as it does not hinder their ability to improve the other teams needs. Holland still has a lot of work to do.
It is certainly a need and Keith does improve that but the Oilers lost to the Jets in the playoffs because they couldn't score, not because of who their 2nd pairing left defenseman was. It is not the most critical need or even top 3 as far as I am concerned. Until Larsson is signed a right handed d-man, a top six winger, and a third line center will improve the team more than a second pairing d-man. Even goaltending is possibly a bigger concern at this point. We can disagree on that but the real issue is how many things the Oilers actually need to legitimately compete in the playoffs. So spending 5.5 M on a left handed second pairing d-man that is past his prime is a concern with so many areas the team can use improvement. As I said though I am not as concerned with this one move as I am with what is accomplished in total this offseason.People keep saying this, but our 2nd line left defense slot was a major weakness last year. They have a lot of holes to fill right now, but based on last season alone, 2nd pair LD was probably our 2nd biggest weakness after top six LW. We still have plenty of holes, and we could possibly have filled it for cheaper, but we could possibly have struck out via free agency and been left with no improvement. At least we have improvement of a big hole over last year.
It is certainly a need and Keith does improve that but the Oilers lost to the Jets in the playoffs because they couldn't score, not because of who their 2nd pairing left defenseman was. It is not the most critical need or even top 3 as far as I am concerned. Until Larsson is signed a right handed d-man, a top six winger, and a third line center will improve the team more than a second pairing d-man. Even goaltending is possibly a bigger concern at this point. We can disagree on that but the real issue is how many things the Oilers actually need to legitimately compete in the playoffs. So spending 5.5 M on a left handed second pairing d-man that is past his prime is a concern with so many areas the team can use improvement. As I said though I am not as concerned with this one move as I am with what is accomplished in total this offseason.
Fair enough, point being though for 5.5 m he better be a really good one. I will let his play determine that. If the Oilers can fill some of there other needs his 5.5 over 2 seasons won't be as much of an issue. I like Keith I think he will add a fair bit to the team and he does improve the second pairing, but hopefully that much cap invested in it is worth it. If he was the only questionable cap hit the team had it would be a non issue for most I think.I agree that a top six LW would be the biggest hole to fill, but 3C may not be. 2LD was a huge hole last year. As was 3C. I put them on par for importance, but it costs more for a 2LD than a 3C.
What about goalies? That is the biggest hole I see on the Oilers.I agree that a top six LW would be the biggest hole to fill, but 3C may not be. 2LD was a huge hole last year. As was 3C. I put them on par for importance, but it costs more for a 2LD than a 3C.
It is certainly a need and Keith does improve that but the Oilers lost to the Jets in the playoffs because they couldn't score, not because of who their 2nd pairing left defenseman was. It is not the most critical need or even top 3 as far as I am concerned. Until Larsson is signed a right handed d-man, a top six winger, and a third line center will improve the team more than a second pairing d-man. Even goaltending is possibly a bigger concern at this point. We can disagree on that but the real issue is how many things the Oilers actually need to legitimately compete in the playoffs. So spending 5.5 M on a left handed second pairing d-man that is past his prime is a concern with so many areas the team can use improvement. As I said though I am not as concerned with this one move as I am with what is accomplished in total this offseason.
Oilers aren't a contender, and this doesn't help them contend. What it does do, is give their young dmen someone to learn from and to take on the harder minutes. Good deal if it works, but it clearly signals that the team is at least 2 years away from doing anything significant.
Come on man. Smith was an allstarWhat about goalies? That is the biggest hole I see on the Oilers.
Just hitting his prime tooCome on man. Smith was an allstar
You literally just undid your argumentThose who are complaining have no clue what there talking about or just enjoy complaining either way if you took the time to look at your teams own needs and realized edmonton lacks veteran leadership and stability on there backend. Sure keith is 37 not 27 but those who know him understand he is in fantastic condition and shape , his knowledge, experience and leadership plus his work ethic and strong commitment to winning is exactly what edmonton needs .
Keith doesn't need to play 25 to 30 minutes a night but can easily stabilize the backend and slot up amd down were needed. His on ice and lock room presence will help these kids grow and mature plus McDavid and drai don't have to worry when keith is on the ice with odd man rushes. He can quarterback your power play effectively and kill penalties.
Has keith shown down sure he isn't 28 years old , however he can still skate and play effectively and won't be a liability for the team.
What edmonton gave up was a young player whom at best will be a 5 or 6th defenseman and klef being out for the season basically means keith salary is taking his place .
If keith was open to being traded anywhere plenty of gms would have jumped in trying to get keith.
The eye test is saying he is. He was played in a role he shouldn't have been in with changing rookie partners.
yep... Keith is still a 2nd pairing guy that will play good in a 2nd pairing role.
I'm calling it one of the better moves EDM has pulled off in the last 1-2-3 years. They needed to break the losing culture and only can do it paying for some players coming from winning cultures/teams.
He’s not currently a top pairing D.Even though Keith likely only has 3-4 more seasons in him as a top pairing dman, he brings championship pedigree to the Oilers blueline and that's something Edmonton hasn't had since Chris Pronger 16 years ago. Oilers defense is 1000x better today than they were a few days ago. Keith likely plays with Bear.