The Edmonton Oilers went into costless agency with a big shopping list, they didn’t get all they needed, but they made some significant upgrades to their lineup with the acquisitions of Pouliot, Fayne, and Aulie. Not to mention the swap of Sam Gagner for Teddy Purcell on Sunday evening. Adding size was the name of the game for the Oilers headed into this offseason, and they have taken some significant steps in this regard.
"They all have size," MacTavish said during a press conference after the signings. "We added a lot of size in the last two days. We haven't touched the core group of guys we ended the season with and we've added what we think is a much more well-rounded complement to those players with size and speed and puck pursuit.(NHL.com)
Pouliot
Benoit Pouliot is a solid puck possession winger who has been bouncing around the league since being drafted 4th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Pouliot has never truly lived up to his potential, though last season he took strides by becoming a gritty, speedy, positive puck possession player. He is versatile as he can play on any wing in the top 9. He also kills penalties effectively with his speed and puck pursuit, and isn’t afraid to throw his weight around in the offensive zone.
Pouliot brings an added element of size to the top 9 in Edmonton, and the Oilers are hoping he continues along the positive progression of last season. The term is a big risk, Pouliot has been underwhelming for most of his NHL career, but with his skillset, and apparent growth in his overall game, it was a risk worth taking for Mact and Co.
"Pouliot was our most important addition because we needed someone with speed," MacTavish said. "We talked about size, we talked about increasing our competitiveness and he's a guy who tracks the puck very well and pressures the puck very well. He's a great skater and we really felt we needed to add that element."(NHL.com)
Fayne
Mark Fayne projects as a top 4 defender in Edmonton. Fayne is not a number 1-2 Defenseman because he doesn’t have the offensive capabilities. He is however a great shutdown defender who can move the puck effectively out of his zone. Quite often players of the shutdown ilk have terrible puck moving abilities and it makes them ineffective. Fayne is from the new shutdown breed, whereby moving the puck efficiently is a key aspect of his game.
One of the most important aspects of Mark Fayne joining the Oilers is that he pushes every other defender down. Klefbom and Nurse will get more time to season, Marincin won’t be so heavily relied upon, Schultz and Ference will have their minutes reduced, and Petry won’t feel so alone. This addition is an important step not only in 2014-15, but in the future of this team.
"With Mark Fayne, it brings us a guy that really makes simple plays with the puck but makes them highly effectively," he said. "He's a very good defender. I think he fits into that role." (NHL.com)
Aulie
Keith Aulie is the Mark Fraser replacement. He is huge 6’6-6’7 (information varies in this regard) and plays a style that relies on physicality and no nonsense. He won’t be a starter for Edmonton, but instead will make his way in and out of the lineup as a 7th D.
This move meant not signing Deryk Engelland to the $3M/year three year deal that Calgary did, and that in of itself makes it a great move. Aulie is not the big get today, but he is better than many of the other 7th D options that are out there, and thus it is an ok signing.
Second Line Centre
This is where Mact struck out (for now...it's early). Bringing in a second line centre is vital for the Oilers, who have failed miserably in this regard for quite some time now. The good thing is that there are options out there. Mikhail Grabovski remains on the market, likewise Olli Jokinen and David Legwand. All three bring different aspects. Grabbo is a very good possession player, capable of playing first line pp minutes and producing effectively at 5 on 5. The problem is he is looking for a $5M for five years deal, which is a little rich for the Oilers. Jokinen is a guy that has been around the league for awhile, he disappears at times, but he can contribute offensively as well. He could likely be brought in on a shorter term deal. Legwand is more of an offensive threat than Jokinen is at this stage of his career. He could be a very effective two way second line center, but he has had struggles outside the Nashville system. He could be a great fit on a decent contract, but is likely looking for more term than Mact is comfortable with.
After a heavy spending day there are also some trade options that have sprung up. St. Louis could be looking to move Patrik Berglund, who has played a less offensive role in St. Louis due to their depth up front. He is big, plays all aspects of the game and is on a very reasonable contract. Berglund is also the former teammate of David Perron, so there could be some history there which would help with the transition to Edmonton. St. Louis is apparently looking for a 2015 1st round pick for Berglund, which is unfortunate for Edmonton. The Oilers are not yet in a position where they can trade a first round pick, the chance of being in the lottery remains far too high.
Leon the Conqueror?
So what about newly draft Leon Draisaitl, could he fit the bill? The vernacular in the Edmonton media seems to think Leon will be starting with the Oilers in the 2014-15 season. As the fans in Edmonton are well aware though, rushing prospects doesn’t always work out as planned. Leon could likely start in the NHL next year as a soft minutes, third line player with low defensive zone starts and even lower defensive responsibilities by playing against the bottom 6 of opposing teams. This is a distinct possibility, but playing second line centre? Is that even an option worth considering?
Well consider this, playing centre in the NHL is like playing a video game on `Hard` difficulty. It`s not for the faint of heart, the responsibilities are intensified to the umpteenth degree. Playing centre in the Pacific Division of the NHL is like playing a video game on `Extreme` difficulty. Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles. These are the cream of the crop in the Pacific Division. How is Leon going to matchup as the second line centre against these teams? Who knows, but you have to think it wouldn`t be a very smooth transition to the NHL level, and ultimately could be damaging to this player in the long run. Not worth the risk.
Consider this
What if the Oilers start the season with Mark Arcobello as the 2C, and Leon as the soft minutes 3C, and in doing so give Leon some time to adapt to the NHL game. If they did this, they would likely be hoping that Arcobello starts strong enough, surrounded by bigger bodies in Perron, Purcell and Pouliot (pick two), and hope that Leon just takes the 2C from him midway through the season. This is obviously not ideal. Mark Arcobello is not a 2C in the NHL, and it would likely be Gagner 2.0 from this past season. This option is only worth considering if the alternative is throwing Leon to the dogs as the 2C.
The ideal situation sees Mactavish making a move either through the remaining costless agents, or via trade to bring in a solid two way second line centre. Can he do this? There`s a whole lot of summer left for him to make it happen.