The Edmonton Oilers franchise received a generational boost when they won the pick that landed them Connor McDavid. Three years later, winning a Stanley Cup is a legitimate aspiration. McDavid has already blossomed in to one of the most dominant players in the NHL. After a controversial second round playoff exit at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks in seven games, the future is clearly bright in Edmonton. Here is a look at the Oilers offseason plan.
3 Things The Oilers Have To Work On
1. Build Around McDavid
Edmonton’s 2016 offseason was a success. The Oilers signed Milan Lucic and traded for Adam Larsson among other moves. Lucic and Larsson clearly had a positive impact on the team’s performance in the regular season and in the playoffs. While Edmonton might have slightly overpaid for Lucic, they still have he and Larsson locked in through 2020-21 at a combined $10 million. The Oilers also have an estimated $22.5 million in cap space to work with this offseason. Kris Russell and Eric Gryba are unrestricted free agents. David Desharnais and Matt Hendricks are both UFA’s as well. Edmonton will have some tough decisions to make but they have enough flexibility to make sure they won’t need to break the bank in order to bring those players back if they want to do so. It makes sense for the Oilers to bring back Russell and Gryba at reasonable prices. However, they might think twice about the money they want to commit to Desharnais and Hendricks. The combination of McDavid’s ascent and the Oilers relevance makes Edmonton a place that free agents might want to sign this summer. With the necessary cap space and a strong foundation in place, the Oilers need to go all-in and build around McDavid this summer.
2. Push The Youth Movement
It’s no secret that McDavid is already among the top superstars in the NHL. However, Edmonton’s other young talents deserve a ton of credit for the turnaround as well. Leon Draisaitl has been an absolute force to complete the perfect 1-2 punch up front for the Oilers. Anton Slepyshev flashed his immense potential in the playoffs while Drake Caggiula is an underrated option that could help fill out the bottom-six forward group. Meanwhile, Larsson took a major step forward this season on the back end along with Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom. Each of those three players is 24-years-old or younger so they are only now entering their prime years. It’s easy to forget now but Edmonton has another pair of top prospects that could be ready to take that next step in 2017. Jesse Puljujarvi was the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and might be the perfect compliment on the top line with McDavid and Draisaitl. Meanwhile, Griffin Reinhart is coming off a solid season with Bakersfield and might be ready to play as a fifth or sixth defenseman for the Oilers next season. Edmonton is absolutely loaded with young talent. The smart move might be to stick with the youth movement and make room for Puljujarvi and Reinhart next
3. Upgrade On Defense
McDavid, Draisaitl and Puljujarvi could make up one of the best scoring lines in the NHL next season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic would be a solid second line. Those players are all under contract and the Oilers still have over $20 million to work with to add another forward to the mix as well. However, the main focus for Edmonton should be upgrading the defense. The Oilers were a much better defensive team this season and Cam Talbot’s numbers illustrated it. Talbot went 42-22-8 with a 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage with seven shutouts. Larsson, Klefbom, Nurse and Andrej Sekera are all under contract for next season but Edmonton could still upgrade on the blue line. Reinhart is an option. Russell and Gryba could both be back as well. However, if the Oilers want to make a real splash and take another step forward next season then they might want to consider upgrading their defense either in free agency or via an impact trade this offseason. Kevin Shattenkirk is one name that will garner plenty of attention. It will be very interesting to see if Edmonton makes an impact move to upgrade its blue line.
Key Free Agents
Russell and Gryba could both return at a decent price. If not, Edmonton will have plenty of options either in free agency or by promoting from within. Desharnais and Hendicks could both walk as well and it wouldn’t hurt the franchise. The most important forward contracts will be handed out to Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian, who are both pending RFA’s. Draisaitl in particular is due for a raise but the Oilers will be hoping for him to take a bridge contract. Edmonton certainly has plenty of options and plenty of cap space to work with. If they can bring back Draisaitl at a reasonable price then they could be really aggressive in this summer’s free agency period.
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