An area of need that the Edmonton Oilers should address this offseason is shoring up their depth scoring.
The team relies too much on their star players and although their stars are fantastic, they need more from the bottom half of their roster. This is an area that can thankfully be addressed in free agency in different ways but there are three former Toronto Maple Leafs that could help the Oilers out.
This seems to be a secret recipe for the Oilers who have had plenty of former Leafs like; Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and more. Why not add one or two of these players?
Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting, 30, has turned into a journeyman the last few seasons having been traded once in each of the past three seasons. He will be 31 by the start of next season and you would have to imagine he would be searching for some stability.
Throughout his relatively short career Bunting has shown he can be a productive scorer playing up and down an NHL lineup. He has played with stars like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and proven worthy of being their companion, notching 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points in 79 games in 2021-22, earning him a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
He has seen his point totals decline the past three seasons from 55 to 38 and to 33. However, with that has come a lesser role and there is reason to believe if given the chance alongside one of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl that he could lift his production.
Mason Marchment
Fresh off a four-year deal that paid him $4.5 million, Mason Marchment appears to be a stable middle-six powerforward. He can play physical and score goals, making him the perfect compliment for one of the Oilers’ star centres.
Marchment has scored 45 or more points in four of the past five seasons and has found relative success in just about every stop he has made in his career between the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Columbus Blue Jackets, with an underwhelming stop with the Seattle Kraken.Â
He is likely to be a hot commodity in free agency given his play style but if his price is reasonable, the Oilers should pursue him heavily.
Ilya Mikheyev
Ilya Mikheyev checks a lot of boxes that the Oilers have had success with in their complimentary pieces. He is similar to Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin in that he has decent size, penalty killing ability, speed, and some offensive skill to his game.Â
Although he is by no means a player who can rely solely on his talent, Mikheyev has been productive scoring over 30 points in three of the past four seasons in the NHL between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Chicago Blackhawks. He has even set career highs with 34 and then 36 points with the Blackhawks the past two seasons.Â
He will be 32 early next season but should still have more to give on a medium term contract. He is another player who is expected to be a relatively hot commodity and depending on the acquisition cost, could be a worthwhile player to add.
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