It only took a week and a half for the Edmonton Oilers to completely change their look. Taylor Hall is gone, as is Lauri Korpikoski, and now, they have Adam Larsson filling out the top-four on the blue line and Milan Lucic stepping in as a top-line winger.
This new look is going to bring forth a new culture, and though it is difficult to see players go, and the system change this way, the new step forward is refreshing, and necessary. And yes, it is also worth every penny.
Lucic
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What Lucic brings to the lineup is consistency and toughness. The 6-foot-3, 233 pound winger has had four 20-goal seasons in his nine-year long career, and is a consistent point scorer. Lucic has totaled over 40 points for the last three straight seasons, and in that time, he has also racked up over 200 hits per season.
In his 2015-16 stint with Los Angeles, Lucic scored 55 points (20 G, 25 A) and proved to be one of the Kings’ most valuable assets. He also had a relative Corsi of 4.2, 244 hits, 22 shot blocks and 22 takeaways.
Lucic is an asset and will prove to be an excellent addition to the forward lines. Though it is difficult to replace Hall’s scoring ability, as well as his brilliance when it comes to takeaways and points per game, that is not what the Oilers will need with Lucic, and that is not why he signed him. The reason that the Oilers went ahead and sighed the gritty left winger was so he can lay on physicality and hits, while also bringing offensive firepower to the Oilers’ lineup.
These new-look Oilers aren’t going to be relying on scoring from former first-overall picks. They will rebuild around Connor McDavid, who can do the playmaking and point-scoring and help his teammates capitalize offensively, even if they’re numbers don’t exactly paint them as goal-scorers.
Not to mention, this will be a positive change for the Oilers’ locker room. Lucic even pointed out how optimistic he is and how he hopes to continue that in Edmonton.
"I've always been a positive guy. I will bring that to Edmonton where things haven't been that positive lately." Lucic. #Oilers
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) July 1, 2016
If you were wondering why the Oilers went ahead and replaced Hall with Lucic, this is another reason. There needs to be a change in culture within the Oilers locker room, and with Lucic, the Oilers can accomplish that. This brings in a new voice and a winning mentality, one that will surely spread around the locker room.
Please understand that I’m not saying that Hall didn’t bring optimism or positivity in the locker room. However, you can see that he visibly grew frustrated and tired with losing, and it translated into the way he wore his heart on his sleeve and spoke in his exit interview. He is a passionate player, but at the end of the day, Edmonton needs a winning mentality and a more optimistic voice in the locker room. That is waht they get with Lucic.
Larsson
Many critics are underrating Larsson’s potential. Also seen as a great locker room guy, Larsson already can connect with some of the Oilers’ Swedish players. He is also a defenseman who takes incredibly good care of the puck, and watches over it.
Sure, he may not be an offensive defender who can score goals from the point or start breakouts, but if teams are looking for a big, shutdown defenseman, this is the man for the job. Larsson was one of the key reasons why the Devils led the NHL in goals against last season, and despite their poor overall performance as a non-playoff team, it was not Larsson’s fault.
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It is always disappointing to see players go, but General Manager Peter Chiarelli knows that he needs to make changes that will translate and transform the Oilers into a winning NHL team that can seriously match up and compete against other teams. There was a reason that he traded away Hall: to declare that there is a new culture and a new look coming, and the words “rebuild” are no longer a joke.