[News] The Edmonton Oilers win the draft lottery and will select 1st overall

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

None of those guys are even remotely available. EDIT: meant for playfulgenius.

To Matty, no, you don't need an elite level defender. Suter isn't even that. They need a top pairing, and they have to hope that Nurse (or Marincin or Klefbom, or two thereof) becomes that guy. As for their top 4 on a contending team, I tend to agree; Jultz only counts if he's paired with someone better. In the right situation, Mark Fayne could be a #4.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I don't know if I would call the Pitts D-core that won the cup fantastic.
I'd say it was more like league average.

The Pens finished 17th in goals against that season.

Gonchar has always been an offense first guy.
Letang was in his sophmore season and was a minus player that year.
Orpik was a good shutdown guy.
Gill, Scuderi, and Eaton were serviceable defencemen.

Out of all the cup winners since the lockout, the only team with a worse D-core were the Hurricanes.

You don't even need a true shutdown defence to have success though, you just have to have guys back there that can make a good breakout pass to get the puck to the forwards. That's what Pittsburgh did extremely well and what the Oilers are terrible at. If they were able to acquire some good puck moving defencemen then they likely could score themselves out of a lot of trouble, but relying on Justin Schultz to be that guy is asking for failure

[jeffman]

Nashville seems to be an ideal trading partner to oilers Hall for Seth Jones and James Neal

[cKy]

Originally Posted by jeffman

Nashville seems to be an ideal trading partner to oilers Hall for Seth Jones and James Neal

Maybe Neal considering his age, but I dont see how Nashville lets Jones go.

[PlayfulGenius]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

None of those guys are even remotely available. EDIT: meant for playfulgenius.

To Matty, no, you don't need an elite level defender. Suter isn't even that. They need a top pairing, and they have to hope that Nurse (or Marincin or Klefbom, or two thereof) becomes that guy. As for their top 4 on a contending team, I tend to agree; Jultz only counts if he's paired with someone better. In the right situation, Mark Fayne could be a #4.

Not available?? ...I'd argue any on that list could be made available in exchange for McDavid.

It's possible Subban and Pietrangelo might not be, but I'd be surprised.

[polak]

Oilers will turn him into Daigle 2.0 and then we shall look back at this thread and laugh

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Oh, sure, but McDavid isn't available either.

I thought we were talking about trading Nuge / Hall / Eberle / Yak / Nurse / Draisaitl / etc. To get a guy like Pietrangelo for example would take such a ridiculous overpayment that it would cripple the Oil even with Connor McSavior.

[Gaudfather]

Can't wait to see McDavid in the first game vs the Flames next year against a playoff seasoned Bennett, Gaudreau, Monahan, Ferland, Brodie etc... Bring it on!

[ah123]

When I heard that the Oilers had won the lottery, it felt like a punch to my gut...now that I have calmed down enough (and enjoyed the Flames win over the Canucks), I think this is not as bad as I first thought.

I can see the Oilers following the Flames' model of acquiring some mobile D to play the "counter" game. They are set on C and have decent wingers, a couple of puck moving D and the Oilers could move out of the basement. Not sure if they have enough leadership, and if the current core (read Hall & Eberle) is willing to change their habits to be successful.

It is going to be an interesting off season for sure

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

An uber elite talent can wallpaper over alot of problems.

Ah Grasshopper

If the house is built with a rotten foundation, all nice wallpaper does is pretty up the rubble.

[Geeoff]

I'd think New Jersey would be a good trading partner for Edmonton. Their team is full of young defense and their offense is awful. Something around Eberle for Severson...

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

To Matty, no, you don't need an elite level defender. Suter isn't even that. They need a top pairing, and they have to hope that Nurse becomes that guy. As for their top 4 on a contending team, I tend to agree; Jultz only counts if he's paired with someone better.

I didn't say you needed elite, I said you needed something close. Let's look at contenders:

CHI: Keith, (and Seabrooke, who is lesser, but still a great dman.)
MIN: Suter (dude is in Norris contention almost every year. If he's not considered an Elite dman I don't know what is. I think most would have him in their to 5-10), Brodin is on the rise.
NSH: Weber, Josi
NYR: Mcdonagh, Girardi, Staal Boyle (No top elite guys, but a group of guys who are a step or two below to combine for a very strong top 4).
STL: Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk
TBY: Hedman, Stralman having a great year.
MTL: Subban

And playoff teams that arent necessarily contenders:

VAN: Edler and Hamuis are a good top 2
CGY: Gio and Brodie (not to mention Wideman and Russell)
WPG: Buff

ANA and NYI lack the top group, but have great all around top-4 groups similar to NYR.

Nothing edmonton has even comes close to ANY of these players. Or any of their top 4. 1 top 4 defender may get drag them out of the lottery, but if you want a contender, you need top defenseman that are that on any team. Maybe guys lie Nurse and Klefbom can become them, but the Oiler's have given no indication that they're commited to developing that at all.

[PlayfulGenius]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Oh, sure, but McDavid isn't available either.

I thought we were talking about trading Nuge / Hall / Eberle / Yak / Nurse / Draisaitl / etc. To get a guy like Pietrangelo for example would take such a ridiculous overpayment that it would cripple the Oil even with Connor McSavior.

Hence, I started the post with '...this will not happen, but...'

I'm simply asking for an opinion if the Oilers would be better off making such a move.

[ForeverFlameFan]

The Oilers grabbing McDavid most likely moves them out of the bottom 5 picking now, and they'll also think they won't need to build from the back end and goaltending anymore. I am quite fine with this, it just made the fans delusional again.

[ah123]

Crazy thought...would Edmonton be willing to trade the first overall for an elite defenseman?

[saXon]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

The Oilers grabbing McDavid most likely moves them out of the bottom 5 picking now, and they'll also think they won't need to build from the back end and goaltending anymore. I am quite fine with this, it just made the fans delusional again.

Nonsense. They're slotted to pick 1st overall at least 3 more times in the next 6 years.

[GirlySports]

Heres my fantasy trade.

McDavid to ARZ for Hanifin, Ekman-Larson, Smith and 2016 1st

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Finally finished dry-heaving after hearing the news.
Horrible that they will get McDavid, but at least the still have that joke of a management team running things into the ground.
If they were smart (big if), they would move one of Eberle/Yak/Leon for defensive help. But for all of the talk of "assets", I am convinced that MacTavish will dream of all of his shiny toys running around like the Globetrotters. It won't work.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by MattyC

ANA and NYI lack the top group, but have great all around top-4 groups similar to NYR.

This is what I mean; you don't need that elite level guy if you have a solid reliable top four or at least a strong legitimate top pairing.

I agree they don't have any of those guys yet (losing Petry was dumb, at least he was solid), but I really like Darnell Nurse as a prospect and he could be a #1 defenseman in this league even though he's unlikely to ever reach Doughty/Weber/AP level. I suspect at least one of Marincin, Musil or Klefbom will ultimately be a reliable if unspectacular top four option as they're all good prospects who will either make it or bust, but they've got three bullets in the chamber there. They'll probably keep Jultz as a PP quarterback #4 type. For the rest, they'll have to get those guys through trade or free agency. Which is do-able, so long as they don't mistake Nikita Nikitin for a useful hockey player.

I know people want to crap all over them but they have an opportunity to basically be the West's Penguins and need only a couple of pieces to get that ball rolling. At this point, there are plenty of people who could fix the Oilers if they were the Oiler GM. Now we find out if MacTavish is one of those people.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by cKy

Maybe Neal considering his age, but I dont see how Nashville lets Jones go.

That's a terrible trade for Nashville. Hall doesn't get you Jones straight up. Jones is going to be a top defenceman in the league and Hall is never going to be anything but a complementary piece (like Kessell).

Plus Edmonton won't do it because they figure Hall is playing with McDavid.

The question is what can they get for Draisaitl, since I don't imagine he will want to be a number 3 or 4 centre.