GDT: Holland to address media at 11 AM

Behind Enemy Lines

Registered User
Feb 19, 2003
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Vancouver
Why would we do that? Seattle is likely to take Kassian as a forward, or Jones as a dman, depending how we do our protection scheme (7/3, or 4/4). Let Neal play out next year, where he likely still produces somewhat still (say 12-14 goals), and is over paid, but its not the end of the world. Buy him out next off-season, where it will cost us $1.9 million for 4 years, but save us $3.8 million in 21-22 and 22-23. The flat cap is expected to continue until 22-23, so the $3.8 in extra space for these 2 years would be very beneficial. The 23-24 cap is going to go back to the old formula, where the previous years revenue sets the 23-24 cap. (Links: NHL salary cap to remain same next season) So buying him out next off-season would free up a decent amount of cap space in a time when we will need it. The additional 2 years where it actually costs us cap space is when the cap should start rising again, so will be more palatable. It's almost perfect to be honest.

This also happens to align to the cap penalties for Pouliot going away ($1.3 million) and Sekeras penalty dropping by $1 million in 21-22. Buying him out next offseason + the penalties being reduced would free up $6.1 million for 21-22 and 22-23, where the flat cap exists.

$6.1 million should help us replace Neal's 15-ish goals per year and find a #3 center, or help us "trade up" in defence. Say from trading Kelfbom and his $4.1 cap + something, to a team for a more expensive dman. Regardless how we spend it, $6.1 in the "flat-cap era" is a pretty decent amount of space, and the player(s) we would bring in would almost certainly provide more team value than Neal did on his own.

Interesting take and appreciate the thinking around the cap. I think it is a no-brainer for Seattle to take a young, cheap defenseman. Can never have enough young defense and this is actually an area that seems to have some ability in the pipeline.

Seattle will have cap flexibility to extract extra picks or assets from team's that want to flush bad contracts but it is going to be costly especially with a covid stalled cap. Zero chance imo they would voluntarily take an enigmatic, costly Zach Kassian. And I would still explore a pro-active approach with Seattle to take old and expensive versus losing an young, developing player - that would mean James Neal.
 

North

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Jun 25, 2009
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There was zero reason to sign the contract when they did. Unless they were already settled on a number and just waited till Kassian was the fav in town after a couple flames games so no one would care. But its a pretty indefensible signing.

Pretty bold take considering what Brandon Tanev got on the open market.
 

Drivesaitl

Time to Drive
Oct 8, 2017
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Duck hunting
Yes how many disappear I here people talking about players on other teams doing the same thing all the time. See Lucic and Buff as examples. Every team has guys like that and most make more then 3.2.
Kassian apparently has the "other battery" in EverReady commercials..;)

An Energy player that most often doesn't bring any semblance of energy and disappears in playoff rounds? Yeah, I don't buy that defective battery.
 

Sanchez

Registered User
Jan 18, 2006
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hmmm, that is very odd. I wonder if the organization was feeling the pressure, and then buckled to have some subset of players available.

This is what I was thinking too; it was handled poorly when they were eliminated.
 

missinthejets

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Dec 24, 2005
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Kassian might be over paid, but I don't think it's fair to use this years nonsense "playoffs" as a big strike against him. I actually thought in game 2 with Sheahan and Athanasiou he was really good, the whole line in fact, but after they lost Ennis and shuffled the lineup around I think he was one of the guys who got lost in the shuffle. Tippett really did a piss poor job against Chicago with the lines and keeping everyone in the game.
 

Took a pill in Sbisa

2showToffoliIwascool
Apr 23, 2004
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Kassian might be over paid, but I don't think it's fair to use this years nonsense "playoffs" as a big strike against him. I actually thought in game 2 with Sheahan and Athanasiou he was really good, the whole line in fact, but after they lost Ennis and shuffled the lineup around I think he was one of the guys who got lost in the shuffle. Tippett really did a piss poor job against Chicago with the lines and keeping everyone in the game.

I still don't know why Tippett kept Kassian off McDavid's wing all series. They succeeded together basically the entire season and has brought out the best in Kass.
 

Stoneman89

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Feb 8, 2008
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I still don't know why Tippett kept Kassian off McDavid's wing all series. They succeeded together basically the entire season and has brought out the best in Kass.
That and moving Nuge off the Drai line. Sure, we didn't play well anyhow, but those decisions will be second guessed all off season.
 

space321

Registered User
May 11, 2011
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Pretty bold take considering what Brandon Tanev got on the open market.

Are you saying Brandon Tanev's a good contract or am I missing something?

Just because other teams dish out terrible contracts ala Tanev/Ferland doesn't mean the Oilers have to follow suit, especially not when we're already up against the cap. Energy players like Kassian/Tanev/Ferland can be for much much cheaper.
 

McJadeddog

Registered User
Sep 25, 2003
20,186
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Interesting take and appreciate the thinking around the cap. I think it is a no-brainer for Seattle to take a young, cheap defenseman. Can never have enough young defense and this is actually an area that seems to have some ability in the pipeline.

Seattle will have cap flexibility to extract extra picks or assets from team's that want to flush bad contracts but it is going to be costly especially with a covid stalled cap. Zero chance imo they would voluntarily take an enigmatic, costly Zach Kassian. And I would still explore a pro-active approach with Seattle to take old and expensive versus losing an young, developing player - that would mean James Neal.

I agree completely. I think Seattle will target young dmen as they have more value, all thing being equal, than young forwards. This same reasoning is why I think we will go 4/4 in our protection scheme (unless some forward has a crazy break out year that needs protecting, or we sign/trade a forward that needs protecting as well). I'd protect McDavid/Drai/Yams/4th forward (whoever plays the best and is worthy) for forwards, and then Klefbom/Nurse/Bear/Jones for dmen. RNH won't need protection if we can have a a gentlemans agreement on an extension, but just sign him after the expansion draft is finished.

However, if Seattle is willing to take Neal for a sweetener on our part, I would certainly be looking into that. Obviously the sticking point becomes what that sweetener is.
 
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Beerfish

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Apr 14, 2007
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Kassian is overtermed not as much over paid. The big sin of a gm is too much term for non core players.

Connor McDavid has made three players a fair bit of dough (not super high end money but more than they were worth)
 

Fourier

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Dec 29, 2006
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Waterloo Ontario
Kassian is overtermed not as much over paid. The big sin of a gm is too much term for non core players.

Connor McDavid has made three players a fair bit of dough (not super high end money but more than they were worth)
Just out of curiosity, who are the three players you are talking about? I am not disagreeing with you by the way. I am just not sure who the other two are. I'd guess Chiasson might be one. But I am unsure of the third.
 

Beerfish

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Apr 14, 2007
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Just out of curiosity, who are the three players you are talking about? I am not disagreeing with you by the way. I am just not sure who the other two are. I'd guess Chiasson might be one. But I am unsure of the third.

Kassian, Chaisson, Maroon and of course the legendary 'This guy is an nhler! Ty Rattie'
 

Fourier

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Dec 29, 2006
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Waterloo Ontario
Kassian, Chaisson, Maroon and of course the legendary 'This guy is an nhler! Ty Rattie'
Maroon did have a big year with McDavid but it didn't actually get him much of a deal. He went from making $2.1M in his last year with the Oilers to a one year $1.75M deal and then a one year $900k deal.

Kassian certainly benefitted the most.
 
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Ritchie Valens

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Sep 24, 2007
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I still don't know why Tippett kept Kassian off McDavid's wing all series. They succeeded together basically the entire season and has brought out the best in Kass.

That and moving Nuge off the Drai line. Sure, we didn't play well anyhow, but those decisions will be second guessed all off season.

I think it boils down to Tippett out coaching himself. He probably thought Chicago has oodles of game film and had two months to figure out how to shut them down.

Solution: Change the lines and force it to work even if it's not. Imagine if Cassidy split up the Bergeron-Marchand-Pasternak line for unexplained reasons in a playoff series and stuck with it until they were in the dying moments from being eliminated.
 
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joestevens29

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Apr 30, 2009
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Maroon did have a big year with McDavid but it didn't actually get him much of a deal. He went from making $2.1M in his last year with the Oilers to a one year $1.75M deal and then a one year $900k deal.

Kassian certainly benefitted the most.
Isn't that more due to Maroon pretty much only wanting to go to one team? Kind of reminds me of the Smyth trade. When a guy only wants to go to one place either things start to become drastically limited.
 

McJadeddog

Registered User
Sep 25, 2003
20,186
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Regina, Saskatchewan
I think it boils down to Tippett out coaching himself. He probably thought Chicago has oodles of game film and had two months to figure out how to shut them down.

Solution: Change the lines and force it to work even if it's not. Imagine if Cassidy split up the Bergeron-Marchand-Pasternak line for unexplained reasons in a playoff series and stuck with it until they were in the dying moments from being eliminated.

It really was a baffling decision. Just incomprehensible actually. It was a top-3 line in the entire league, and McDavid was still producing on his own (because he is McDavid), and you split them up. I get maybe trying to "out-think" yourself to begin with in some ways, but not going back to it after the first game, or at the start of the 4th game, is beyond crazy.
 
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Zerotonine

Registered User
Apr 23, 2017
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A true number one will do wonders for a team. Unfortunately the oilers haven’t had one since Roli or Cujo. A true number one would instantly put us in contention IMO. We just don’t have the resources or more likely havent been able to attract one in well over a decade.

Imo ROLLI was pretty average at best except for that cup run. So he is no different them kosko
 

WaitingForUser

Registered User
Mar 19, 2010
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Edmonton
Imo ROLLI was pretty average at best except for that cup run. So he is no different them kosko
He was still more reliable than every goalie we have had since he left. Way different then Koskinen he was already an established number 1a when he came here and easily the best goalie we have had in over a decade.
 

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