I'm sure if you spoke to anyone employed in an NHL organization they'd tell you differently. You're an Oiler fan who saw Justin Schultz go from trainwreck to Norris-calibre in two short years because he was on a roster with the ability to push the play the other way.
Shattenkirk isn't a game-breaking defenseman. He's a complimentary puck mover who can produce on the PP. Put him in a good situation, he's a 60 point defenseman. Put him in a bad one and he looks like he does now.
As for 'chasing', what are we giving up? The only value we're giving up here is trading back twelve spots in the draft. Either of the players we're getting cost considerably more than Jesse Puljujarvi, as does the ability to clear the entire term of Milan Lucic's contract.
The Oilers make out like bandits.
Schultz still had upside, was young, and wildly mismanaged. Shattenkirk has none - he washed out of St Louis, was useless in Washington, and now he’s not an everyday defenceman for a team whose best defenceman is Brady freaking Skjei. He’s aging, wildly expensive, backsliding, terrible defensively and useless 5 on 5. His career high for points is 45, how on earth is he going to hit 60 at 31 years old on a poor team like ours? Unless your argument is “nobody has ever used him correctly except me”
NYR is using him as best they can - hugely sheltered zonestarts and matchups at 5 on 5, big powerplay minutes, and he’s still completely brutal for them on the defensive side of the puck. Whoever was partnered with him would have to do some major league babysitting. Klefbom’s too important to task him with that and Nurse isnt ready. Unless you want to form a 13 million dollar bottom pairing with Sekera that’s a horrible idea.
I *might* do Lucic straight up for him. That’s all the value I would assign to him at this point.
There’s every possibility all we’ve got in one year’s time to show for this trade is whoever we’ve picked at 20 and a Shattenkirk buyout. He’s bad, man. Really bad.
