Oiler fans just don't get it, they undervalue everyone elses players while they vastly over value their own.
for defensemen this year and especially top 3's its a sellers market, which means nobody is going to do the Oilers or any other team any favors. The Oilers know that they picked up a bottom pairing at best defenseman in Reinhart for a pretty big cost, and then they signed a middle pairing defenseman like Sekeras for a high dollar amount.
So if they go snooping for Carolina for a guy like Faulk who's on a very good contract, the price is going to be huge, and its going to involve Draisatl (who faded badly in the second half of last season) and probably their first this year. If the Oilers want to pay that, god bless them and pass the dynamite.
On top of that signing a guy like Demers in what could be a sellers market means that he's going to go after probably 5 because he was paid 3.6 in his last year. He might be a guy that they can't afford. "But Captain," you say in a voice similar to a 5 year old after stubbing your toe, they have lots of cap room and players right.
I mean you look at it, if the Oilers let their UFA's and RFA's all go they're at about $68 million bongo dollars. That means 12 forwards, 7 defensemen, two goalies. Decent shape, don't need to do anything right? Right
But they have about 11 million bucks left this year. But Zach Kassian needs a new deal. he's going to want 3 at least, some other RFA's are going to want a raise to. So lets set aside $5 million for their RFA's right.
So they going to be at 6 million dollars. So if they want a 5 million + guy like Demers they need to find a way to move out salaries, like Ference or Yak or Korpikoski or one of the other guys that teams don't really want or need.
But that's fine, so they sign their free agent and they're lets say a million below the cap.
Then what happens at the end of next year.
Suddenly Reinhart needs a raise, now lets be honest, he's barely an NHL defenseman now so they don't have much on the farm to replace him, so do they sign a free agent? Draisatl is up for a contract, so suddenly your adding $6 million to your payroll, yikes you might be out of room unless your willing to trade one of your vunderkids for picks and prospects.
But lets say you do that. You get below the cap, phew, we can breath again. We go into the next off season.
We're competitive yay.
Bam Nurse comes up for renewal and probably adds 4 to 5 million to their cap situation. Pow Davidson comes up and at least doubles and probably more to his hit. el whammo to the face Conner McDavid adds 10 to 11 to your payroll.
Hey guess what, we have to trade some of those 6 million dollar superstars for picks and prospects.
The Oilers can't afford to go nuts for the next 2 to 3 years on free agents unless they decide to dump their bigger salaries for futures.
On top of that their poor scouting means they have a piss poor farm system, so any injuries like this years to their main team means they don't have the depth to survive it.
"But Captain" you say in a voice that's a mix between a plaintive whine and the sound of a bear farting through a 30 foot pipe, "Is there any hope for the Oilers to be good?".
"No child" I say in a voice that has a mixture of thunder and Morgan Freeman, "They're the Oilers, they'll never be good"
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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but regardless, I am happy that things have gotten better for his family.
