Free Agency Slam…Flunks
Milan Lucic… enough said.
But in all seriousness, Free Agency has by no means resulted in any slam dunk signings in recent years. Who was the last free agent you remember having a significant impact on the success of the Oilers? I’d love to know. Not that Edmonton should ever expect to be the dream destination for potential free agents, but even a few small payoffs isn’t too much to ask.
Kris Russell and Mikko Koskinen have been guys that come to mind as being substantial additions but came at a high price point for their respective roles. And don’t help the fact that Edmonton currently has the worst winger depth in the entire league.
So if you aren’t finding them outside the first round of the draft, and trading away the ones you do see in the first round, how else are you supposed to find guys that can contribute?
Well, the Oilers thought they found that guy Lucic, and if they had gotten the Milan Lucic of 2011 they might have found their fix. But it would turn out that Edmonton had picked the worst year to be big spenders on the market. A year that saw the likes of veteran forwards David Backes, Andrew Ladd, Kyle Okposo, Loui Eriksson, and of course Milan Lucic all get signed to big money over long-term.
They missed on their big fish, along with everyone else in 2016. But even their recent depth additions up front haven’t provided much get behind.
Tobias Reider hasn’t even scored yet this season for the Oilers. A guy who stepped away from the term in order to get a chance to prove himself worthy of a bigger contract this coming July is currently writing his own career obituary in Edmonton.
Reider has been a reliable addition to the penalty kill, but Peter Chiarelli was banking on him being a guy that could provide some offensive options among the forward group. Instead, he got a guy who is still goalless in January.