Who Do You Keep For Next Season?

McDrai

Registered User
Mar 29, 2009
23,891
18,289
So pretend you are the new Oilers GM and have just taken over what's left of Chia's mess. Which players do you keep and which players/assets do you trade away?

At the deadline I would trade Chiasson and Gravel for picks as they are impending UFAs and could garner some decent returns. I like Chiasson but he is going to be asking for a lot after this year and his shooting % is astronomical and not sustainable. Trade him while his value is at its highest.
I doubt anyone would want Petrovic but I would shop him around and see if anyone gets desperate at the final minutes of the deadline.

So players I would keep:
Forwards
1. McDavid
2. Draisaitl
3. RNH
4. Rieder (having a bad year offensively but I like his speed and PK. Could be re-signed at a good cap hit and low term)
5. Kassian (I have a soft spot for Kass. Mean streak, surprisingly quick, and is capable of moving up and down the lineup)
6. Khaira (pretty invisible this year but was impressed with his play last season. Could be re-signed for dirt cheap and is at his lowest value imo)
7. Puljujarvi (the tools are there but doesn't know how to use them. He's at rock bottom value. Give him a full season in the AHL to gain his confidence)
8. Yamamoto (needs a full season in the AHL and to gain some strength. Fading value at this point)

Defense
Klefbom
Larsson
Sekera (injury prone but still an upgrade over most of our current dmen in the bottom 3. Also at his lowest value)
Nurse
Russell
Bouchard (needs a full season in the AHL to refine his game)
Jones (ditto)
Bear (another full season in AHL; has had a rough year with injury and inconsistency)

Koskinen

So all of the players not mentioned I would trade them for whatever we can get (players with 1 year left on contract, picks, prospects). As for Lucic I look to LTIR him or simply press Box him. He's a complete liability and weighs down his line.
Whatever spots are left on the roster we fill in with vets on 1 year "show me" contracts and PTOs. In the meantime look to build through the draft and develop one of the deepest prospect pools in the league.
 
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Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
72,141
27,826
Willingly?

McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Klefbom are to me the main pieces really worth keeping and in the prospect pool Bouchard, I'd entertain offers on anyone else.
 
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oil4life97

Registered User
Aug 10, 2005
1,257
378
Darnell Nurse. He’s on another level. Everyone else not ready for prime time yet or past their best before date.
 

Hopelesslucicfan

Larsson fanclub 2016
Mar 14, 2009
8,156
2,124
Edmonton
Keep on the NHL team by choice:

Mcdavid Drai RNH (obviously)

Jp Khaira Reider (Could make a nice third line next year, and all are young and cheap enough to still grow their game)



Klef Larsson (the closest thing we'll have to a top pair)

Nurse (Add a hamilton type maybe, I also have a ton of time for nurse despite the boards hate boner for him)

Russel (Give a chance to jones/bear/bouchard to take the #6 spot with pp duty)


Koskinen
Talbot


I don't really care either way with the goalies. Hard to blame them too much when the D in front of them is holier than the pope. The reason I have them is I assume they could split duties and be a reasonable 1a/1b for sub 6m total if our D shores up.
 
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Cam98

Registered User
Jun 24, 2009
2,596
242
Honestly, keep no one. I am at the stage now where I really won't even care who we give up if it brings in major changes.
 

russ99

Registered User
Jun 9, 2011
3,499
2,435
McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Yamamoto and Bouchard.

Everyone else can go if the return is good.

RNH and Klefbom are our best trade chips, I’d let the new GM move both if we can get back on track and keep Connor as an OIler,
 

780il

edm
May 29, 2018
12,622
14,463
Edmonton AB
My best case scenario roster for next year:

Deadline: Trade Talbot for Laughton
Deadline: Reider and Petrovic for pick

Tank for a high pick. Take one of Hughes/Kakko/Cozens/Dach

Sekera stays on LTIR, dump Manning/Benning/Spooner

Trade Lucic + Puljujarvi for Rask + 3rd

Trade Rask + Bear + Marody + 2nd for Kreider

Sign a backup in FA, maybe sign a vet 3rd line winger who can pk

Lines:
Nuge - Mcdavid - Chiasson
Kreider - Drai - Cozens
Benson - Laughton - Yamo
Khaira - Brodziak - Kassian

Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse - Jones
Russel - Gravel/Bouchard

Koskinen
UFA Backup
 

belair

Jay Woodcroft Unemployment Stance
Apr 9, 2010
38,538
21,713
Canada
Forwards
xxxx - McDavid - Draisaitl
xxxx - RNH - Chiasson
Khaira - xxxx - xxxx
xxxx - Brodziak - xxxx

Move Puljujarvi and Rieder at the deadline, the latter if we continue to slide in the standings. Shop Lucic and Spooner hard. Move Kassian if there's a taker--his role could be filled for a fraction of the price. Rattie? Meh.

Defense
Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse - xxxx
Russell - Bouchard

Shop Sekera hard. If no trade is available and he's healthy but a shell of his former self--buy him out. Also shop ManningBenning, but they're likely here next season. Petrovic can stay if he takes half his current salary. There's probably no room for Gravel.

Goaltender
Koskinen

Trade Talbot to a contender at the deadline. I'd even consider it if we put some wins together with Koskinen. He's just not going to re-sign here unless he somehow carries us into the playoffs the rest of the way.

Odds are that only Puljujarvi, Rieder and Talbot get moved. Sekera gets bought out. Petrovic walks. And Spooner gets flipped for a similarly valued forward.
 

Mowzie

Registered User
Sep 17, 2003
9,966
2,030
I don't think you can call anyone untouchable. McDavid is the obvious choice, but if you're rebuilding, he's probably asking for a trade in a year or two anyways. You probably owe it to him to move him to a competent organization.
 
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guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
32,644
12,154
You start with Lucic...he has to go.
Buy him out...send him to the AHL....I dont care but he has to go. He is a large part of whats broken on this team and his vortex of negativity has to be purged.
 

Mowzie

Registered User
Sep 17, 2003
9,966
2,030
Lucic has to go.
Buy him out...send him to the AHL....I dont care but he has to go. He is a large part of whats broken on this team and his vortex of negativity has to go.

His contact is basically iron clad. I'd sit him for the rest of the year and try to find a back door to toss him out in the summer. Maybe Katz can give him a 40 million dollar endorsement deal for whatever business he's in, in exchange for a jersey allergy.
 

guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
32,644
12,154
His contact is basically iron clad. I'd sit him for the rest of the year and try to find a back door to toss him out in the summer. Maybe Katz can give him a 40 million dollar endorsement deal for whatever business he's in, in exchange for a jersey allergy.

I hear you...I am just very pissed off. I am so done with him after tonights cowardly display.
 

Niten Ichi Ryu

Registered User
Jul 1, 2018
1,699
2,059
*delete*
(originally a very long post about who to keep, and who to trade, but I've come to the conclusion that I have no idea on how to fix the enigma that is our team. I just hope the new GM is a genius)
 
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CycloneSweep

Registered User
Sep 27, 2017
47,831
39,718
I hear you...I am just very pissed off. I am so done with him after tonights cowardly display.
I oddly like the idea of adding a pick and moving him for Alzner. Montreal wanted him at some point and he was willing to go there. Montreal can eat his cap for a bit as well as they are rebuilding. Alzner is much easier for us to manage cap wise as well.
 

Mowzie

Registered User
Sep 17, 2003
9,966
2,030
I hear you...I am just very pissed off. I am so done with him after tonights cowardly display.

He doesn't seem to be protected by the media guys who usually insulate players and give them the benefit of the doubt. This is a player who scoffed at the idea of hiring a skills coach this year, and from what we heard, has pretty bad vision and hasn't done anything to correct it.

There is almost zero chance that he improves. This team is stuck in the mud until they find away to get this bum off the books.
 
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guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
32,644
12,154
I oddly like the idea of adding a pick and moving him for Alzner. Montreal wanted him at some point and he was willing to go there. Montreal can eat his cap for a bit as well as they are rebuilding. Alzner is much easier for us to manage cap wise as well.

Works for me. :nod:
 

Fourier

Registered User
Dec 29, 2006
25,444
19,579
Waterloo Ontario
McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Yamamoto and Bouchard.

Everyone else can go if the return is good.

RNH and Klefbom are our best trade chips, I’d let the new GM move both if we can get back on track and keep Connor as an OIler,
If you are trading either RNH or Klefbom you are probably losing the deal. The goal has to be replacing non-productive players with ones that produce. Look at Vegas and tell me that they have a better core than McDavid, Draisaitl, Nuge, Klefbom and Larsson. Most of their team was built from cast offs. What they don't have is players eating up 1/4+ of the cap space who are doing nothing.
 

Gone

Fire KLowe
Aug 9, 2005
4,098
43
Earth
Trade anyone you can, even McDavid. This team has to be completely blown up to rebuild. Let Lucic become your number one centre to make the cap floor. This team in 2019/20 should be the worst Team in NHL history next year, if you do it right.
 

DaGap

Registered User
Sponsor
Sep 27, 2017
3,602
2,890
McDavid - Well its obvious why we keep him
Draisaitl - ditto
Klefbom - Makes a great 2nd pairing with Larson
Larson - Makes a great 2nd pairing with Klefbom

RNH - I would love to keep him but he doesn't deserve this. He's been nothing but a soldier for the Oilers. I would like to see him moved to a team that is competent. He deserves a shot at playing on a team that isn't a dumpster fire

All the rest can be traded packaged up but we cannot downgrade anymore. We've done it for 4 years straight and voila here we are
 

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