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Reasons Why The Edmonton Oilers Have The Worst Winger Depth In The NHL

ByAdam Girard|
EDMONTON, AB - JANUARY 10: Milan Lucic #27 of the Edmonton Oilers lines up for a face off during the game against the Florida Panthers on January 10, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - JANUARY 10: Milan Lucic #27 of the Edmonton Oilers lines up for a face off during the game against the Florida Panthers on January 10, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Edmonton Oilers
EDMONTON, AB – DECEMBER 22: Adam Larsson #6 of the Edmonton Oilers warms up prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 22, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Misfired Trades

Taylor Hall? Jordan Eberle?… Who needs them?

There was no doubt that at the time one of them would have to go in order to fetch the top pairing defencemen Chiarelli was in search for. But Adam Larsson isn’t it, sorry to tell you. At least not for what the Oilers gave up. I mean c’mon,  Hall just went on to win a Hart Trophy in 2018… A FREAKING HART TROPHY!

And remember when the Oilers made the playoffs, and there was a proven top 6 winger in the lineup… good times.

Now don’t get me wrong, there were some negatives in Eberle’s game. Many weren’t happy that he didn’t score at all in 13 playoff games, he had struggles in the defensive zone, was far from the fastest player on the ice, and has a 6 million dollar contract.

However with that said, Eberle was also third in points on the Oilers that season before he was traded, with only Leon Draisaitl and Connor Mcdavid racking up more points in 2016/17.

So if you are trading a guy who is consistently putting up over 20 goals and 50 points, you better be getting someone back who can replicate that.

And no, the fact that Pat Maroon had one season where he flirted with 30 goals does not mean you can afford to move on from one of your most consistent goal scoring wingers just to save a quick buck. Somebody in the organization should’ve stepped up and said that wasn’t sustainable to rely on a couple of big, slow-moving forwards to make up most of the scoring from the wing.

So there you have it. In a matter of two years, the Oilers managed to trade away two proven top six wingers out of their lineup and brought in nobody capable of replacing them. That’s an easy way to ruin your depth chart.

Why not add salt to the wound by going on to trade a guy in Drake Cagguila who had a consistent spot in your forward lineup and provided some offensive flair (along with some defensive issues) for a defenceman that can’t even crack a d-core dealing with injuries?

And why make that move in a year that all the spotlight is on how the Oilers only have four players that can put the puck on the net?

Sure, there were some small scale trades that paid off in the short term. But those guys aren’t with the Oilers anymore and are barely keeping their NHL careers above water. So what good is that to the team now?

One last point: If you are losing Ryan Strome and Drake Caggulia trades, there is an issue. Let’s leave it at that.

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