Friedman: The Oilers Offseason Priority

[ChaoticOrange]

Haha, good luck with that.....that takes years to draft if you’re lucky and years of losing badly. Ugly list.....

Not saying I disagree with you.

I don’t necessarily agree with that poster, Talbot is a perfectly capable starter, he just needs his workload managed better, and Strome is fine at 3C.

We need better special teams coaches, which should be good for a 25 goal swing (+15 goals with a better powerplay, -10 with a better PK), a real PPQB type defenceman, and a couple decent wingers - you don’t need superstars to play with McDavid, just capable players.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

The Oilers need a scouting staff capable of finding talent outside of the lottery picks.

It’s coming. Ever since Keith Gretzky has taken over drafting duties things are definitely looking up.

2015 draft yielded Bear, who’s already made his NHL debut, and Jones and Marino both of whom have NHL upside.

2016 draft looks good, with Benson, Berglund, Wells, McPhee, and Rasanen all looking like good selections.

2017 draft was solid as well, with Yamamoto, Skinner, Maksimov, Safin, and Samorukov progressing well and Kemp looking like an outright steal.

The problem with a thing like drafting (which, yes, we’ve sucked at for years) is its really 4-5 years before any real progress is noticeable, and everything I’ve said above could be completely null and void if these guys hit the pro ranks and fall on their faces.

To me an absolute must is a total revamp of the player development and coaching sides of things in Bakersfield. The only non first rounders to come out of that squad in the last ... well, ever - are Jujhar Khaira and Brandon Davidson. That’s simply not good enough, when teams like the Jets and Pens and Bruins have young guys kicking the door in. One guy leaves, and three are ready to take his place.

You’ll also see under Keith Gretzky we’ve almost entirely gone away from ‘risky’ guys. Over the years we got screwed quite badly by drafting and developing Euros only have them bail and jump back overseas - Rajala, Omark, Hartikainen, Yakimov, Zharkov, Perhonen, Gustavsson, Lander - that’s a lot of guys and a lot of 2nd to 4th round picks to eventually amount to absolute squat.

 

[north49er]

The Oilers need a scouting staff capable of finding talent outside of the lottery picks.

And how can you trust Chia to do something right for a change?

 

[TheDoldrums]

They could use a guy like Petry imo

 

[me2]

Write off the next four years as being cup contenders, refocus on 2022 and the core pieces you need to add. The McDavid and Draisaitl ELC years are gone and attempting to trade more futures for quick fixes to compete now is far more likely to fail than succeed, leading to more long term damage. Instead ride out Lucic and the other bad contracts. McDavid and Draisaitl will still be in their primes, aim to get cheap good players around them in 4 years. If Edmonton succeeds in the next 4 years while going that long term path it won't hurt the 4 year plan, but trying to force it is more likely to backfire than succeed.

I'm not talking about tanking, just focusing on a vision and a year, be methodical.

 

[webersshot]

Holy f*** Detroit sucks

 

[Roof Daddy]

Obviously fire the coaching staff and GM. Hire Sheldon Keefe as coach. Possibly Dubas or Fenton as GM.

Win the lottery, nab Dahlin. Then focus on Karlsson and do what it takes to get him, even if that means trading Draisaitl + (seems steep, but I think we could lock up EK, having Drai going the other way helps make that happen).

At forward, trade picks/prospects for guys with 1 year left on teams heading towards a rebuild (ex: Paccioretty - not necessarily him though).

Try and find a UFA willing to do a 1yr deal with the promise of trying him with McDavid to pump his value the next free agent period (Maybe Grabner becomes a candidate, dropped off once he got to New Jersey).

 

[405Exit]

I doubt you get a #1 with the pieces the Oilers are willing to give up.

Agreed as someone also Mentioned before, they need a RH puck moving defenseman. That could have easily been Vatanen to Oilers instead of New Jersey. Woulda coulda shoulda I guess.

 

[405Exit]

Obviously fire the coaching staff and GM. Hire Sheldon Keefe as coach. Possibly Dubas or Fenton as GM.

Win the lottery, nab Dahlin. Then focus on Karlsson and do what it takes to get him, even if that means trading Draisaitl + (seems steep, but I think we could lock up EK, having Drai going the other way helps make that happen).

At forward, trade picks/prospects for guys with 1 year left on teams heading towards a rebuild (ex: Paccioretty - not necessarily him though).

Try and find a UFA willing to do a 1yr deal with the promise of trying him with McDavid to pump his value the next free agent period (Maybe Grabner becomes a candidate, dropped off once he got to New Jersey).

If oilers win another First overall pick this year the entire NHL fans bases would explode in anger besides Edmonton’s. It would be tampering at this point.

 

[Kamiccolo]

Depending on how the Leafs front office projects the cap, I wonder if they think Dermott can be an excellent 2nd pairing LD do they consider a deal with them with Gardiner? PP quaterback on one of the top PP's in the NHL and 50 points on the year.

Maybe for the Oilers first? Pull an Anaheim and move out older non core guys for first rounders and draft well with them to continue with depth.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Karlsson or OEL please.

Then McDavid, Draisaitl and Karlsson would take up like 40% of the cap by themselves.

 

[eviohh26]

I'd imagine their priority is "Get Gud"

 

[GOilers88]

If only they had a valuable asset to trade for an elite offensive defenceman like the ones people are listing in this thread... something like an elite forward in his prime perhaps?

So clever.

 

[Roof Daddy]

If oilers win another First overall pick this year the entire NHL fans bases would explode in anger besides Edmonton’s. It would be tampering at this point.

Tampering? Do you understand the definition of the word? Unless you're suggesting the accounting firm of Ernst & Young are all closet Oiler fans and rig the lottery (the same lottery process that bumped the Oilers back 2 spots in 2016, causing them to miss out on Laine).

The lottery basically comes down to luck and math. It has nothing to do with history.

And no anger from other fan bases for us (possibly) winning can match the anger from Oilers fans having to suffer another shit season.

 

[MR4]

Depending on how the Leafs front office projects the cap, I wonder if they think Dermott can be an excellent 2nd pairing LD do they consider a deal with them with Gardiner? PP quaterback on one of the top PP's in the NHL and 50 points on the year.

Maybe for the Oilers first? Pull an Anaheim and move out older non core guys for first rounders and draft well with them to continue with depth.

No we don't trade Gardiner, worst case is we let him go next offseason and target a RD in UFA, but no chance we trade him. And why the hell are we trying to trade dmen for 1st rounders? Should be the other way around

 

[member 147413]

What would Oiler fans offer for Gardiner?

 

[Ctrain2k]

Middle 6 forward depth

 

[ConnorMcNugesaitl]

What would Oiler fans offer for Gardiner?

Kris Russell.

Gardiner doesn't work without Russell going the other way. No room on the blue line or under the cap.

 

[terrible dee]

I could see that. I've suggested similar actually.

If I'm the Sens I take that deal AND RUN!

 

[HenrikW]

Agreed as someone also Mentioned before, they need a RH puck moving defenseman. That could have easily been Vatanen to Oilers instead of New Jersey. Woulda coulda shoulda I guess.

For what? We wouldn't give RNH for Vatanen so who is fair value? There was no such deal to be made.

 

[Koonta]

I think the Oilers could really use a player like Taylor Hall.

 

[glovesave_35]

I doubt you get a #1 with the pieces the Oilers are willing to give up.

The gap between Schlemko and the names being mentioned here is massive. Why would a team that needs production from D-men be after a guy whose career high is 19 points.

 

[ManofSteel55]

If oilers win another First overall pick this year the entire NHL fans bases would explode in anger besides Edmonton’s. It would be tampering at this point.

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

 

[HugginThePost]

Tampering? Do you understand the definition of the word? Unless you're suggesting the accounting firm of Ernst & Young are all closet Oiler fans and rig the lottery (the same lottery process that bumped the Oilers back 2 spots in 2016, causing them to miss out on Laine).

The lottery basically comes down to luck and math. It has nothing to do with history.

And no anger from other fan bases for us (possibly) winning can match the anger from Oilers fans having to suffer another **** season.

Yes, you poor things. It must be terrible for the Oiler fans. I mean you've have only had 4 1OA's, one of them being McDavid, and one of them will most likely win the Hart this year, you have Drai, and RNH. Yes, it's been so very difficult for you. I meaning getting all the high end talent for the last 9 years, while teams like the Coyotes get your scraps is deserving of our sympathy?

Do you guys ever stop to think of the talent you have received from the draft....at what point do you guys kick back and say..."yup, we have been given every opportunity to be great but we just keep f***ing it up"? When does that happen instead of the "Poor us, bad drafts" shit that gets thrown around here all the time?

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

I think the Oilers could really use a player like Taylor Hall.

How's Larsson doing?