The Edmonton Oilers have been silent. Too silent. And yesterday we discussed how the clock is ticking and Edmonton will probably make a trade for a better defenseman. In our first Weekly Oil Drop, we invited fans to tweet us questions about the Oilers roster. One question, however, rang a question in my ears, too.
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Beer League Heroes tweeted us this:
"“#OOWRoster What are the #Oilers thinking going into this season with that defense? Surely a deal must be made, no?”"
Well, Beer League Heroes, we’re here to answer this question. The Oilers are not going into this season with one stable defender in Andrej Sekera. They will surely have to make a deal, and there are some rumors flying around that we here at Oil on Whyte would like to address in our first edition of “Weekly Oil Drop.”
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Jordan Eberle for Kevin Shattenkirk
The Hockey Press, as well as a few other sites, hinted at a trade possibility, which involved Jordan Eberle being shipped to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defender Kevin Shattenkirk. I like the trade, although I’m not too keen on sending Eberle away. He’s a great, reliable scorer who I think will flourish under Todd McLellan‘s reign.
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if this actually happened. Shattenkirk is a great defender. He’s young, smart and knows how to play defense and offensive evenly. With just six seasons in the NHL, he has scored 34 goals and netted 138 assists. His +/- is an overall 49 and has been in the positives for the past five seasons. He’s consistent, and he would work well in making Edmonton’s defense a bit younger and a bit stronger. He can also help out other defenders on the team who don’t really know how to balance scoring and back checking.
Would Eberle be a lot to give up? Yes, but Shattenkirk’s a great return. I would rather see a dedicated young defender with high numbers and great ability rather than keep Eberle and maintain a terrible Oilers defense. Besides, we have Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, McDavid and Yakupov, so losing Eberle wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the talented offense.
Conclusion: Eberle for Shattenkirk
Brent Seabrook for… uh… who?
Brent Seabrook rumors are popping back up. The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Trevor Daley, and for some reason, with the season around the corner and the Hawks cap too tight, it looks like Seabrook may be headed out, for real this time. If so, Edmonton is surely interested, and rumors indicate that the teams have discussed the defender. This could also explain why the Oilers haven’t made a move.
For Seabrook, it’s hinted that Yakupov and Eberle could be on their way to Chicago, or even Darnell Nurse or another defender. For Brent Seabrook, I wouldn’t mind shipping out Yakupov or Eberle. Sure, Yakupov is great and really has potential to redeem himself this season, but if he doesn’t step up this season, he is going to be out on the first flight come trade time. As for Eberle, again, I’d rather see a talented defense than one more showpiece on our offensive lines.
I’m not keen on including Nurse in the deal. He’s a great addition to the Oilers defense and has really shown progress. The only defender I would include is someone like Andrew Ference or Nikita Nikitin. Both have talent and experience, just not great numbers in Edmonton. Maybe they need another team they can show off their skills with. And I would throw in a prospect or draft pick to keep them away from Nurse, but I wouldn’t trade a great defender for another great defender, especially one like Seabrook, who is getting older. Nurse is younger and has time to grow.
Conclusion: Seabrook for Yakupov or Eberle, plus Ference or Nikitin and a draft pick.
Roundup
We need a defender. I think Shattenkirk or Seabrook would really help the team and are necessary pieces of the puzzle to finally get Edmonton out of the bottom of the standings. The future of this team relies purely on the defense, as well as utilizing the youth.
Every gift comes with a price, so if we have to trade away good players for good players, so be it. Let’s just wait and see, fans.
Next: Clock Ticking: Does Edmonton Make a Move?