Edmonton Oilers: Keep the Powder Dry Unless You Can Get This Player

What type of pieces should the Edmonton Oilers look at this offseason? Could they be difference makers next year?

I’m a firm believer that the Edmonton Oilers should add periphery pieces this off-season. I don’t think that this roster needs a significant move at all. The core of the team is set right down the middle, and only a bit of tinkering is required.

This could be the year to find a specialist to add to the roster be it a player that excels on the penalty kill (Brian Gibbons?). Or a player that has elite power play numbers (Torey Krug?) or perhaps a bottom-6 centre who is a mastermind on the faceoff (Jay Beagle?).

I know that a lot of fans are begging Peter Chiarelli to go out and use the little funds they have at their disposal to sign a player like Michael Grabner, but I disagree. I think Grabner is going to disappoint.

Look at his production for New Jersey after he was acquired at the deadline. Regular season and playoffs combined he had 23 games played two goals and three assists. That’s brutal, and in no way, shape, or form should the Oilers be shelling out Benoit Pouliot money for him.

Trades

As for as trading for a player, names like Rasmus Ristolainen, Dougie Hamilton, and Justin Faulk have come up.

Ristolainen is a player that a lot of folks think the Sabres should hold on to so that they can insulate Rasmus Dahlin next season, but generally you want to protect a player with playing personnel who can defend. Not a player who is -102 in his career with Buffalo.

I think Oilers fans wouldn’t mind Ristolainen because there’s a need for a right-hand shot who can run a powerplay. But the problem with this idea is that the big Finn only scores once every ten games and the Oilers need a bit more there.

Speaking of players who are right-handed that can score. Dougie Hamilton is a defender that seems to wear his welcome out on teams every three years. Some have said he’d got an intriguing personality. You can take that however you want to. Maybe the way he conducts himself within the confines of the team dynamic doesn’t dovetail with traditions or something. I don’t know.

All I know is that this guy can shoot, and he scores, but the Flames will never trade him to Edmonton unless maybe they’re getting a winger like for example Jesse Puljujarvi back.

Another angle

If you haven’t heard Craig Custance’s latest podcast, you should. He interviews the Carolina Hurricanes new VP of Hockey Ops, Paul Krepelka, and this guy is as honest as they come. He’s got me jacked up to see what the Hurricanes are going to do and in the podcast, he says that most of the changes will come via trade.

Elliotte Friedman has spoken about LA’s interest in Jeff Skinner, and the Justin Faulk rumors won’t go away… You have to wonder how much of that roster will get gutted to create the team that new owner Tom Dundon has envisioned.

Apparently, they’re going to lean towards the analytics route, so does that mean we’ll see a Maple Leafs-like revival in Raleigh or will it be more akin to the Arizona Coyotes?

Is Justin Faulk the kind of player that the Oilers could get for futures? Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer has hinted to his body composition as being “bigger,” and by bigger, in my opinion, he’s talking that perhaps the player is a tad out of shape.

Analysis

Is Faulk the PP specialist that Edmonton requires? I mean he’s a D-Man who scores goals, there’s no debate there.

In 2015/15, Faulk had 12 out of his 16 goals scored with the man advantage. His career best to date. Last season was a down year for him but in the previous three seasons, he had a combined 48 goals.

I think most Oilers fans can agree that they could use Justin Schultz right now and his time in Edmonton is an excellent example of how insulating someone doesn’t work. They had him playing heavy minutes when he should’ve been playing sheltered ones.

Is this the perfect time to pick up a player like Faulk who isn’t great on the defensive side of the puck but could be protected because the Oilers have Adam Larsson and Matt Benning (IF he re-signs and isn’t traded).

The title of this post hints to keeping the powder dry unless the Oilers could trade for a specific player and I was thinking, what about a player like Kris Letang?

Kris Letang

He might be one of a handful of true No. 1 defencemen in the league. He’s been through hell and back with regards to his injuries, he’s a champion, and he’s contracted for another four seasons at $7.25M per year. He’s right-handed, he’ll muck it up, he can play MEGA minutes, he brings offense, and the Penguins might entertain proposals for him this summer.

But that’s not the player I’m going to say.

The player I’m thinking about is Erik Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson

If you’re going to make a splash, make one that covers the entire league with water. The rest of the NHL already has an intense dislike for the Oilers. Why not pile on and get the game’s best offensive defenceman to go with the game’s best offensive forward?

I imagine it’d take a combination of young players and picks and maybe players with contracts that will expire soon to get the conversation going. The Sens owner is going to leak cash for the next few years unless he sells or the team becomes a playoff contender ASAP. So minimal dollars will be an area of importance for Ottawa.

It’s of my opinion that the only way the Oilers would even contemplate this transaction is if they could do a sign-and-trade with the Sens. This way the Oilers could get Karlsson for eight more years at probably a discounted rate.

The AAV would be high; there’s no doubt about that and cash would have to be moved out of Edmonton before that contract kicked in. Which isn’t as hard of a task when you think about it. Starting next summer Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell can both submit a list of team they’d be willing to accept a trade to.

In 2018/19, Erik Karlsson makes $6.5M, and that’s a price that could fit within the Oilers salary cap. Peter Chiarelli would be making a helluva statement to the fanbase if he could get Erik Karlsson.

What are your thoughts? Is there a player out there that the Oilers should go all in for? Or is this the year to ride the current roster as-is?