Welcome, Edmonton Oilers country, to our first Comment-Con! As part of our new series, we will be hosting Comment-Con every day this week, where fans will comment on a tweet about our theme topic for that day. Today is Trade Talk Tuesday. Yesterday, we analyzed trade rumors, but today, we want to hear from YOU, the fans!
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First off, we have to set some ground rules. Select tweets will be featured. No inappropriate tweets, or tweets regarding off-topic questions, will not be featured. If your tweet is not featured, we invite you to comment on this post, because that’s what comment-con is all about! Second, this is mainly over Twitter and Facebook, so comment on either the tweet or status for a chance at being featured. Third, all comments must be in by 3 p.m. Yeg time in order to be featured.
Without further ado, let’s start:
Well first off, we had a question from our friends over at Blue Line Station, the New York Rangers FanSided site:
"“Which Oiler is going to kiss Cam Talbot’s mask after a win?”"
First off, to our friends at Blue Line Station, thanks for your question. Not really about trades or the Oilers roster, but it was pretty funny. I believe the Oiler who will kiss Cam Talbot‘s mask after a win will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He’s a baby-faced beauty who is a true team player, and if he ends up getting the Captain’s C, he’ll be even more happy and bond even closer with our newest netminder.
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Anyway, let’s get back to the real questions.
Matt Folkerts asked us about a topic we’ve touched on the past few days:
"“Who do we look to for trades if our defense starts terrible to the year?”"
Hi, Matt, thank you so much for commenting. Our defense needs to be touched up, period. We all know that. Chiarelli knows that. Let me tell you this: a deal will be made, but it’s taking long. Now there are three teams that the Oilers can turn to: Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators.
Brent Seabrook is a huge possibility, but we would have to give up a lot to the Hawks. Why is he a possibility? Chicago is having cap problems, and they cannot afford to keep paying Seabrook a lot of money each season. With a lot of cap space and a desperate need for defense, Edmonton’s a perfect target for Seabrook. Besides, with Patrick Sharp gone, the Hawks need a good offensive player, but they maintain a strong defense, especially with Trevor Daley and Duncan Keith. We’d have to pay a price, letting Jordan Eberle walk and even a D-man like Andrew Ference or Nikita Nikitin.
Kevin Shattenkirk’s the next answer. He’s a young defenseman who can fit well with the Oilers youth. I don’t believe we would have to give up a lot more for him, considering he’s not a “star” per say and he’s still young. We could pass it off with just Eberle or even tag on Ference. Another young option is one of his teammates, Alex Pietrangelo. He’s got speed, agility and playmaking ability. He can even score some goals, and the most important part? He can maintain a positive +/- because he can back check. He has the ability to play defense and contribute. Just like Shattenkirk, just a bit younger.
Option three? As the Beer League Heroes suggested in a conversation last night, Shea Weber is a possibility. Sounds crazy, right? He’s getting older, but his time in Nashville is running out. This past season was great, but the 30 year old defender is becoming involved in trade talks. Edmonton could be a destination. He has one of the fastest slappers in the league, and he is an experience veteran who plays an aggressive game on the backend.
But we have the pieces to give up for him, and although it would be hefty, it could happen. Draft picks. Nugent-Hopkins. Eberle. Ference. We have pieces of the puzzle that we could trade, and if Nashville is as ready to let go of him as they seem, this trade should be a piece of cake. Anything’s possible.
Notice how I kept discussing Andrew Ference? Staff writer Kurt Leavins actually made a case for Ference this morning in his newest column. However, others believe that the captain is ready to leave the city.
Jonathan McLeod said the following:
"“I don’t think anyone would want to trade for Ference. I think buyout, retirement or press box are the only options.”"
Jonathan, I disagree with you on the trade aspect. I think certain teams out there looking for more of a veteran presence would want him, as well as an experienced captain. He has won a Stanley Cup and has maintained good stats throughout the years, just not in Oil town. If he packs his bags, I think he will perform better in another city.
However, if he doesn’t leave Edmonton, I think you’re right, 100 percent. He will be bought out by Edmonton next season if the numbers don’t change, and if the season starts off horribly, he will be watching games from the press box. Retirement is possible, but I think it’s only if he can’t find another gig with another team.
That’s it for tonight’s first edition of Comment-Con! Feel free to join in below in the comments and our writers will reply!
Next: Edmonton Oilers: A Case for Andrew Ference