this is a trade that the Oilers had to make no matter the cost, the bottom line is that the Oilers need a culture shift, and it seems like they don't have the players to get a true elite top pairing blueliner like a Brodie.
But at the end of the day, this to me would be like trading a worse but still good version of Iginla for a worse but still good version of Regher at the heights of their career.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
The trade is not as bad as it is made out to be for Edmonton. There was no chance they, or anybody for that matter, could trade a winger for a #1 d-man. The only way you are getting back a #1 d-man through trade is dealing a #1 center or #1 d-man for another #1 d-man.
Oilers put themselves in a hole and if they thought the rest of the league was going to help them out of it, then i don't know what to say. The return could have been better if they traded Hall last summer.
No doubt the Oilers needed a culture shift, and yes that may involve the trading of players like Hall, but that is just HORRIBLE asset management.
The oilers were desperate and panicked to make a move, as a Flames fan you got to love it when rival organizations paint themselves into a corner.
Hilarious that of all of us were furious when the Oilers got lucky and selected JP, myself included, but that draw of the luck just led the Oilers to this horrible decision.
Just my thoughts... Edmonton is NO GOOD
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I think the Oilers just got much better. Not only is it addition by subtraction but I think Larsson is due to break out. Remember, this guy has had garbage in front of him to play with. I really don't like this trade.
to be fair, he still does.
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The issue with this trade is if Larsson is the best return for Hall. Yes, we laugh when Hall makes a leisurely skate to the bench when he should be backchecking but the guy can put up points. He's proven that in his career. He was an all-star because of his ability to score. When it comes to offensive production, he is one of the top wingers in the league. Is a defenceman with almost no offensive upside the right return for that kind of scoring? I don't think so. A lot of people feel the same way, obviously.
Look, I think even Chiarelli would tell you he "lost" the trade value-wise.
But Larsson is a good fit. The Oil have been dying for somebody who can feed their speedy forwards in transition on the stretch, well in my opinion Adam Larsson can do that better than anyone on their roster. This has ramifactions for a guy like McDavid not needing to curl back to get the puck deep. What they got wasn't their Paul Coffey, but they got a guy who makes their team function more as a team, not a group of forwards frustrated with their D.
Right now I look at the top defensemen on the Oilers - Larsson, Klefbom, Davidson, Sejera - and no I don't see a group that's competing with the likes of Burns/Vlasic/Braun/Martin, Brodie/Giordano/Hamilton, Subban/Josi/Ellis/Ekholm, Letang/Dumoulin/Daley/Maatta, Keith/Hjalmarsson/Seabrook or groups like that. But I see a group that finally transition the puck and play with some pace.
They're still a team that needs its forwards to carry the load. But I also think that they've got some heavy-playing forwards. They've got goaltending. They've got D. I don't think the Oilers are by any means a contender but I think they've got a better balance as a team than they did two years ago and they should expect to be outside of the bottom ten next year. And I think they've still got some deals to swing WRT the likes of Eberle and Yakupov.
I think this is a pretty good trade for Edmonton. While Hall was a 1st overall and a former 80 point guy, I think that his decision to chicken out of the dirty area now in order to preserve himself will harm his production in the long run because he doesn't have the IQ to be a great perimeter player. What made him a first overall was his willingness to go to great scoring areas and use his physicality. Larssen on the other hand I feel improved last year and will continue improving
I think the Oilers lose if you look at it strictly as asset value, but Larsson does help plug their huge gape.
gape
ɡāp/
verb
verb: gape; 3rd person present: gapes; past tense: gaped; past participle: gaped; gerund or present participle: gaping
1.
stare with one's mouth open wide, typically in amazement or wonder.
"they gaped at her as if she were an alien"
synonyms:
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The Delhi police have announced the formation of a crack team dedicated to nabbing the elusive 'Monkey Man' and offered a reward for his -- or its -- capture.
we need one of our more talented members to do a montage video of toe-drags, slow skates to the bench and spraying Eakins with a water bottle to this song:
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"If Javex is your muse…then dive in buddy"
gape
ɡāp/
verb
verb: gape; 3rd person present: gapes; past tense: gaped; past participle: gaped; gerund or present participle: gaping
1.
stare with one's mouth open wide, typically in amazement or wonder.
"they gaped at her as if she were an alien"
synonyms:
The Urban Dictionary might be more useful.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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Won't be too surprised if Edmonton wins the deal. Hall was always the type of player that had good stats but was so insanely selfish he cost the team nearly as much as he helped. Losing an offensive winger for a 206 pound 23 year old dman isn't an immediate loss. Give it 4 years and we'll see where their careers go.
I don't think that is fair. Justin Shultz was sought after by 29 other teams, and he signed with the Oilers and turned into a crappy player. Does that mean 29 other teams were wrong, and he isn't someone they wanted, or the Oilers ruined him?
Taylor Hall has put up 65 and 80 points in his two full season in the NHL, and he's still not 25. As crappy as his defensive game might be, he is still a very good hockey player.
Fact is the Oilers got screwed. Massively screwed.
