Despite an outstanding 2016-17 season, the Edmonton Oilers know there is still room for improvement.
One area of improvement, of course, involves adding more depth and offence to the forward lines. From the looks of the prospective free agent market, there are many promising names that the team could add. A huge one, however, would be Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie.
Edmonton Oilers
Famous for his heroics in the 2010 Olympics in which he scored four out of five shootout goals, Oshie packs a lot of skills. He’s a fast, intelligent winger who brings chemistry to his line and also knows how to make smart players. Paired with an outstanding shot and deadly accuracy, Oshie goes under the radar as one of the NHL’s top wingers.
He was tied with Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals’ team lead in goals with 33 on the season. He finished fifth on the team in scoring with 56 points through 68 games and proved to bring a lot of offence to the eventual President’s Trophy winners.
Oshie to Edmonton?
With the amount of firepower and depth he adds to the Capitals’ arsenal, one must wonder what he would bring to a team like Edmonton. With his scoring prowess, and ability to perform just as well as even strength as he would on the power-play, Oshie is an all-around player. He has great offensive acumen and solid backchecking ability, and would bring plenty to the team’s top six.
The Oilers have players like Jordan Eberle who should pack the punch that Oshie would bring to the lineup; however, they are not getting that out of him. Because of that, he could soon see his time in Edmonton come to an end, and that would signal the need for Oshie.
While Connor McDavid does have Leon Draisaitl to pack a punch with, there are questions surrounding the pairing. Why match two playmakers with each other, and outstanding passers, when you can spread their ability though the top six and down the middle. Draisaitl is developing into an elite centre who can carry his own line. In turn, he could take over the second line and add offence that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins doesn’t carry with him.
Having a player like Oshie who knows his role and acts as a pure goal scorer will add more offence to the top six. Not to mention, it will help Edmonton further grow and have more options down the right side. The only issue would be the pay; he costs at least $4.5 million per season, which would mean possibly moving around some assets.