Today, I saw these tweets on Twitter as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mark Fayne is a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game. With Todd McLellan on the bench, a very veteran heavy coach, it’s not normal for a serviceable defenseman like Mark Fayne to be sitting on the sidelines for this long if he is not injured. I’m not one to really talk about rumors or speculation because I am awful at it, but this one stood out as rather curious.
Dunno if Stauff was referencing something specific w earlier comment or not but... does Mark Fayne for Scott Hartnell add up? Say CBJ eats $
— Ross Creek Nasty (@akaRCN) November 4, 2015
Mind you, these were tweeted a day or two ago and I did not hear it first hand. However, when it comes to Edmonton Sports Radio, Bob Stauffer is usually the first hand source for these type of rumors, although he has been known to speculate.
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Why Bring in Hartnell?
Scott Hartnell was acquired last year from the Philadelphia Flyers in a shocking trade for winger RJ Umberger. At the time of the trade, I sided with Columbus for being an absolute win. Umberger had the shorter contract but he was struggling and declining hard. Umberger only posted a measly 9 goals and 15 points in 67 games. Hartnell on the other hand, at the same age of 32, put up 60 points in 77 games. Hartnell plays with a physical edge and is a very gritty player, something that the Oilers are sorely missing. Sure, Hartnell is notorious for being a slow skater, but adding Hartnell could be a solid addition.
Hartnell is a fan favorite with good reasons. He is well liked in the locker room and plays with that physical power forward element that teams would love to have.
Put it this way: as bad as the Oilers are defensively, the Oilers are dreadful when it comes to secondary scoring from the Third and Fourth lines respectively. If you slide Hartnell in, he would create some more scoring (in theory at least). Heck, if you put him in a top six role, you could slide another player down to the third line, which would not be a horrible option.
Columbus lacks some defensemen. They have allowed the second most goals per game at 3.57. Fayne would be a help and is a coveted right handed shot.
Why it could Backfire
Mark Fayne is younger (at 28 years ago vs 33 years old) and is considerably cheaper at 3.625 million dollars over the next three years (including this one). Hartnell on the other hand is is due for 4.750 million dollars over the next four years, including this one.
Then there’s the problem with age. 33 is a scary number for a forward of Hartnell’s play style. While he put up an impressive 60 points last year, it’s a ticking time bomb to see when he will decline.
Another problem is trading Fayne leaves a hole open: Fayne has not been impressive by any means, that’s for sure despite what his fancy stats say. I still like Fayne and he was a target for the Oilers back in the 2014 off season with good reason. That said, I’d rather have Fayne over an Andrew Ference or Brandon Davidson at this point.
Final Thoughts
As with any rumor, it’s hard to say if there’s any legs or not to it. However, when a guy as connected as Stauffer openly states that the Oilers and Blue Jackets have been talking about this one for one trade, you have to listen. Given Chiarelli’s history with trading blue liners in his first season, it would not be a shock to see Mark Fayne traded sooner than later, especially when he’s a healthy scratch for three games straight.
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As for Scott Hartnell, despite the obvious warts in his game (footspeed, age, expensive contract) I would be thrilled to have him on the Edmonton Oilers. He adds a different element to the team via his physicality and adds those locker room intangibles that fans love. I think he would be a good fit in Edmonton, but I would be worried about a sudden decline because it is not a matter of “if” it would happen, but “when” it would happen.