The Oilers lost their 10th straight game on Monday. It was a complete disaster. Former Edmonton prospect Tobias Rieder torched the club that drafted him with two shorthanded goals in 58 seconds, kick-starting a four-goal second period. Arizona, a mediocre team by virtually every definition, won 5-2.
Struggling Oilers still looking to make a change
Off to yet another poor start, Edmonton is ready to make some trades. Maybe.
Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports
The Oilers fell to 0-12-3 against the West and 6-15-4 overall, putting them in last place in the NHL.
Many of Edmonton’s problems were highlighted that night. Defensive breakdowns were aplenty, inadequate goaltending ruined any chance of a comeback and a lack of depth plagued the team from top to bottom.
Such performances have become all too familiar over the last few months eight-plus seasons, and frustration is starting to boil over.
"To come in here and try to convince guys that they should be excited to play in the NHL and have some pride and not mope around -- it's a joke," Andrew Ference told the Edmonton Journal. "It shouldn't happen at this level. Until guys can figure that part out, it's going to be a constant cycle."
This constant cycle has put GM Craig MacTavish in an unenviable position. Nearly a decade of rebuilding and a plethora of high draft picks have resulted in little progress, and fans are getting restless. Undoubtedly, the time has come to shake things up. MacTavish knows it and has known it for a while.
Multiple reports indicate the Oilers are ready to make some trades, and everyone but Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins appear to be on the table. Of course, the Oilers have been looking to make trades for some time and have yet to pull the trigger on a major deal.
Despite the skepticism, David Perron and Jordan Eberle have been the subjects of many rumors and could be pieces the Oilers are legitimately shopping.
In the case of Perron, it seems evident that Edmonton is trying to deal him.
He hasn’t been great this season (three goals, nine assists) but enjoyed a career year in 2013-14, when he tallied 28 goals and 29 assists in 78 games. He’s averaged 0.26 goals per game since breaking into the NHL in 2007-08.
There are plenty of teams who would be interested in a winger like Perron, especially since he’s signed through next year with a modest $3.813 million cap hit. That’s tremendous value for someone of his caliber.
Eberle is coming off a 65-point performance last year and is considered one of the most talented young wingers in the league.
But as TSN’s Darren Dreger noted, “Eberle isn’t playing well enough to garner a huge return.” He has five goals and 11 assists in 24 games -- good, not great.
Eberle is a potential All-Star down the road, and at 24, has a lot of room to grow. Unloading him now, when his value is lower than normal, would be tough to swallow. If the Oilers are hellbent on striking a deal, they might not have a choice.
Nail Yakupov is another name that’s been tossed around. The first overall pick from 2012 has been horribly underwhelming since arriving in Edmonton, racking up just 62 points in 136 games. It’s debatable whether a change of scenery has a big effect on athletes, but surely there are GM’s who would be willing to take a flyer on the 21-year-old.
Finding a match
If you're MacTavish, the question now becomes what you look for in a return. If you subscribe to the belief that teams should be built from the crease out, adding a goaltender should be a top priority. Ben Scrivens isn't as bad as his woeful .888 save percentage may indicate, but he's provided little evidence that he can be a reliable, consistent No. 1.
Viktor Fasth hasn't been much better in limited time. Moreover, the farm system is somewhat barren in net.
The problem with adding a goalie is the lack of suitable options. Ideally, the Oilers would add a young backstop who is not only NHL-ready, but has a high ceiling, too.
Those don’t exactly grow on trees.
This issue may have to go on the back-burner. After all, Scrivens should get better. Not "I'm going to carry a team on my back like Mike Smith in 2011-12" better, but enough to post respectable numbers.
Improving up the middle
Center is arguably a more pressing need, and is the one most likely to be addressed. For perspective on this glaring deficiency, let’s take a quick look at how Edmonton’s centers have fared thus far in 2014-15:
| Games | Goals | Assists | Relative Corsi % (Even Strength) | Zone Start % (Even Strength) | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 23 | 5 | 11 | 3.02 | 59.81 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 25 | 2 | 4 | 0.98 | 80.73 |
| Mark Arcobello | 25 | 5 | 4 | -0.79 | 71.5 |
| Boyd Gordon | 25 | 4 | 2 | -5.64 | 11.07 |
Nugent-Hopkins has been solid and should continue to evolve into a quality first liner. Draisaitl has been decent, but he’s also been coddled with a remarkably high zone start percentage and hasn’t faced difficult competition. (Some have argued that he should’ve be sent back to juniors until next year, when he’ll be prepared for more rigorous assignments).
Arcobello and Gordon, well, they simply aren’t good enough.
Ideally, your second line center can thrive in all three zones. Think Jordan Staal. Finding someone to fit that role won’t be easy, though; no general manager would swap a well-rounded pivot for an above-average winger such as Perron or Eberle.
Someone like St. Louis’ Patrik Berglund could be a fit, but he’s not the elite skater fans have been pining for. Still, he’d make a positive difference under the right circumstances.
Edmonton needs help on defense, as well, which is nothing new. The Oilers’ blue line is improved from a season ago but still lacks the kind of depth found on playoff teams.
What do you expect when you dress Justin Schultz, Nikita Nikitin and the 35-year-old Ference every night?
***
No matter who MacTavish casts away, no matter who he brings in, the Oilers will still be bad. That’s the painful truth. There are no quick fixes in these situations.
The best course of action would be to mend some weaknesses via trade, suck it up until April, draft well in June and have a busy, productive off-season.
At the very least, a few smart decisions now can make the road a little smoother later on.
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