[Signing] Oilers sign Nikita Nikitin (2yrs, $4.5mil AAV). Blue Jackets get 5th round pick.

[Clever_Iggy]

Is 28 year old Nikitin at $4.5M for 2 years really that much better than 28 year old Smid at $3.5M for the next 3 years?

Smid - 6'3, 209lbs - 8 points, 78 PIMS, -10 in 73 games
Nikitin - 6'3, 217lbs - 15 points, 20 PIMS, +9 in 66 games

[Roof-Daddy]

I think with this signing, it's probably safe to say the Oilers have officially surpassed the 50% barrier of NHL teams wanting to trade their roster for the Oiler roster. Probably at what now....60% (ish)??

[19Yzerman19]

Originally Posted by saillias

Hey look, Oilers just gave 4.5 million to another bottom pairing defenseman.

Originally Posted by Read Only

Money is way too high but term is pretty good.

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

The Oilers just paid a 5th to outbid every other team that would have sent an offer to him in UFA. Smrt.

I realize this is a Flames board but can we please maintain some semblance of reality?

4.5 is absolutely fair for a guy who would play 2nd pairing minutes on half the teams in the league and certainly in Edmonton. There's limited downside risk because it's a two-year deal. I would not be surprised if someone would have offered him $5M for longer on the open market, particularly given that the UFA class this year is absolutely terrible. The best UFA d-men available are a 38 year old Dan Boyle and Matt Niskanen and the cap is going up so teams have room to do stupid things.

I'm not saying Nikitin makes them a good team but there's really no reason to criticize this contract at this point. Makes little sense to me from Nikitin's perspective. Although, Nikitin does have a history of making nonsensical decisions...

Spoiler!

What the heck is he even thinking on that play?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Viable top 4 guy?

On a good day, sure. But I'm not certain he will have many good days with the Oilers. Nonetheless, he does represent an improvement for them.

[EldrickOnIce]

@FakeOilersGM: It took us nearly a week to convince Nikita Nikitin that we were seriously willing to pay him $4.5M per year...

[sureLoss]

Live feed from Anton Stralman's house:

[GGG]

Not terrible, short term, oilers have cap space so there is no opportunity cost, UFA market is week, so a 5th for an overpaid Niskinin. They could probably trade him for a 5th right now so a good deal.

He definately helps the oilers build stability short term.

I hope calgary does the same kind of deal with a guy like Cammy, short term and overpaid.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

I'm not saying Nikitin makes them a good team but there's really no reason to criticize this contract at this point. Makes little sense to me from Nikitin's perspective. Although, Nikitin does have a history of making nonsensical decisions...

Spoiler!

What the heck is he even thinking on that play?

To me, it looks like Dorsett is the bigger culprit. It appears that he was going off for a line change. I think a lot of defensemen would have looked bad in that scenario. Just a bad time to make a line-change when a player is rushing up the middle.

[saillias]

n/m

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Is 28 year old Nikitin at $4.5M for 2 years really that much better than 28 year old Smid at $3.5M for the next 3 years?

Smid - 6'3, 209lbs - 8 points, 78 PIMS, -10 in 73 games
Nikitin - 6'3, 217lbs - 15 points, 20 PIMS, +9 in 66 games

They got assets in return.
Be like trading Hudler and then signing a free agent to replace him.

And money is irrelevant in this case (as in anything the Flames do in the next few days) as long as term doesn't handcuff them.
So, yes the $ is an overpay, but

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

They got assets in return.
Be like trading Hudler and then signing a free agent to replace him.

And money is irrelevant in this case (as in anything the Flames do in the next few days) as long as term doesn't handcuff them.
So, yes the $ is an overpay, but

True, but you could argue that they would be even better off with both Smid and their newest signing.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

4.5 is absolutely fair for a guy who would play 2nd pairing minutes on half the teams in the league and certainly in Edmonton.

Looking at the regular season, Nikitin averaged 17:06 TOI in 66 games. Good for 7th on the Blue Jackets. In the playoffs, in 5 games he was bottom pairing (in terms of TOI) 4 times and a healthy scratch once:

Game 1 - 11:38 TOI (6th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 2 (2OT) - 20:34 TOI (5th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 3 - 11:48 TOI (6th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 4 (OT) - 21:23 TOI (4th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 5 - 16:21 TOI (5th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 6 - Healthy scratch in favor of... former Oiler Nick Schultz!

Nikitin will certainly play top 4 (likely top 2) minutes for the Oilers. Considering Ference is in the same boat, I'm not sure that's worth anything. I don't think he's a top 4 defenseman on 10% of the teams in the league, let along >50%.

The Oilers are in a very tough spot - they have Ference and a bunch of rookies and RFAs. Nikitin is, objectively a 5/6 defenseman league wide. But he's a better alternative to overplaying Klefbolm and Nurse against top lines. No real UFA help (look for them to back the truck up to Niskanen and be rejected) and the Weber wet dream is never going to happen (knock on wood).

Overpay 5/6 defenseman (Nikitin/Ference) to bridge the gap or overplay rookies before their ready? Looks like in 2014-15 the Oilers are going to do both.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

True, but you could argue that they would be even better off with both Smid and their newest signing.

Excellent point.
The Oilers have always traded for magic beans.
Only need to look at the contributions of ex Oilers on the Kings versus what they got in return. Which is why their bottom six forwards and the entire defense last season were easily the worst in the NHL

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

They got assets in return.
Be like trading Hudler and then signing a free agent to replace him.

True. Horak is in Russia and Brossoit isn't going to help them anytime soon.

I guess Nikitin + 2 games of Horak + Brossoit (eventually?) > Smid.

Smid + Nikitin would have been the best scenario... but the Oilers desperately needed 20 games of Bryzgalov.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by saXon

Any UFA signing with the Oilers are going to be overpaid. No surprises there.

Leaving the no goodness aside, Edmonton isn't the most enticing location to live for NHL'ers. It's Edmonton.

Bringing the no goodness back into it, the Oilers are career killers. The franchise chases countless players out of the organization, whether it be through FA or bolting to the KHL, annually. It's Edmonton.

Good luck Nikitin.

By this criteria every NHL city is not an enticing place to move to.

Boston had to pay a 36 year old Iginla coming off of a poor playoff series with the Pens 6M /year.

No body in their right mind wants to play in Manhattan.... see what the Rangers had to pay Brad Richards.

Minneapolis must be a hell-hole... no UFA goes there with out a 10M by 10 year contract.

Philly: They need to pay an ageing skill declining Vinny Lecalvier.... 4.5M for 5 years to get him to play out the string in their town. And he is still getting 32 M not to play hockey in Tampa!!


Obviously Toronto needs to pay a premium to get players there... they had to pay 30 year old Glencross calibre player Clarkson 5.5 M for 7 years to put up with living in Toronto to play out his declining years.

Any and all UFA signings are bad contracts. The only exception that comes to mind that was a good UFA signing 3 years after the deal was signed is Chara. Every year dozens of guys get signed as UFA's for too much $ and term (regardless of the city and team) and then in 3 years the new GM is complaining how the old GM messed him up.

[Bingo]

how many picks to the Oilers have left? 1st, 6th and 7th? Or do they have their 2nd?

[bubbsy]

i think they have a 4th or two?

[Roof-Daddy]

Oilers picks

I'm assuming the 5th going to CLB is the one they gave to the Oilers for Nick Schultz, because the Oilers 5th is gone to the Ducks for Fasth.

1st - Oilers
2nd - None
3rd - None
4th - Sabres, Sharks
5th - Sens
6th - Oilers
7th - Oilers

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Looking at the regular season, Nikitin averaged 17:06 TOI in 66 games. Good for 7th on the Blue Jackets. In the playoffs, in 5 games he was bottom pairing (in terms of TOI) 4 times and a healthy scratch once:

Game 1 - 11:38 TOI (6th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 2 (2OT) - 20:34 TOI (5th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 3 - 11:48 TOI (6th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 4 (OT) - 21:23 TOI (4th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 5 - 16:21 TOI (5th amongst Columbus defenseman)
Game 6 - Healthy scratch in favor of... former Oiler Nick Schultz!

Nikitin will certainly play top 4 (likely top 2) minutes for the Oilers. Considering Ference is in the same boat, I'm not sure that's worth anything. I don't think he's a top 4 defenseman on 10% of the teams in the league, let along >50%.

The Oilers are in a very tough spot - they have Ference and a bunch of rookies and RFAs. Nikitin is, objectively a 5/6 defenseman league wide. But he's a better alternative to overplaying Klefbolm and Nurse against top lines. No real UFA help (look for them to back the truck up to Niskanen and be rejected) and the Weber wet dream is never going to happen (knock on wood).

Overpay 5/6 defenseman (Nikitin/Ference) to bridge the gap or overplay rookies before their ready? Looks like in 2014-15 the Oilers are going to do both.

You used stats to knock down Nikitin and then ignore stats calling Ferrence 5/6 when he was clearly 3/4 by TOI on the Boston defense that would have been at least top 3 in the NHL.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Bingo

how many picks to the Oilers have left? 1st, 6th and 7th? Or do they have their 2nd?

They got a 4th for Mike Brown and 5ths for Nick Schultz and Hemsky.