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As many of us ripped ourselves away from our decks and boats on a beautiful Canada Day to watch the “free agent frenzy”, the Edmonton Oilers went about their business trying to build a Stanley Cup winning roster.
And while many of the organization’s moves on Saturday were more around their organizational depth, one move in particular should move the needle when it comes to winning it all.
9 Things
9. Ken Holland took all sorts of grief from some corners when he moved on from Jesse Puljujarvi, Caleb Jones, and Ethan Bear. But none of those 3 were qualified by their new teams and have not been signed since.
8. We will get to Connor Brown in a minute. But his presence means that the Oilers have 3 young players who have a chance to make up a fast, exciting 3rd line this season; Ryan McLeod (who will be signed), Warren Foegele (who had a solid playoffs) and Dylan Holloway. That trio has a real chance.
7. I did not expect the Oilers to get an NHL D-man this weekend. Instead, I expect Philip Broberg to get a chance to be “the guy”, instead. In fact, if I were Jay Woodcroft, I would put Broberg on the 2nd pairing and give him 18:00 a night. Play him. Test him. Then, if you still need an upgrade by the deadline, go out and get one then. Meanwhile, the Oilers have Mattias Ekholm for a full year.
6. Do not get me started on the 5th place vote one member of the PHWA who gave Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy. What did not get nearly as much ink is how Leon Draisaitl scored 50 goals (again) and his 128 points were 15 better than the next closest guy…yet he finished 7th in the MVP balloting. I do not wish to denigrate those who finished ahead of Draisaitl. But honestly…what else does the guy need to do?
5. The Oilers’ amateur scouts look like they got one right with the drafting of Beau Akey last week. The Barrie Colts rearguard and right-shot prospect was rated as high as a late 1st Round pick. That Edmonton got him at #56 is a win in my eyes. Guys who watched him last year she he can really shoot. But Akey’s exceptional footwork and ability to contain attackers will give him the chance to be a strong defender, too.
4. I believe that the Oilers were prepared to go after Michael McLeod had he not re-upped with the Devils. New Jersey did not qualify him, instead bringing him back the next day on a cheaper deal. The right-shot center with excellent faceoff skills would have been a welcome addition. Instead, the Oilers either still need a 4C or they will start the year with Derek Ryan in that slot (I can think of worse) and see how it goes. But I expect Holland to keep shopping. Jonathan Toews? Paul Stasny? Evan Rodrigues?
3. I like the Drake Caggiula signing. It kind of flew under the radar on Saturday. He inked a 2-year, 2-way contract. We should expect him to be in Bakersfield but look: Caggiula still moves very well and was just shy of being a point-per-game AHL performer last season. I see him as a half-notch above a “tweener” who has experience and who could be useful with the big club if injuries hit. I also would not entirely rule out the possibility of him making the team at the league minimum. What he really does is give the club options and depth.
2. Both Klim Kostin and Nick Bjugstad have moved onto other organizations. Both are interesting studies. I like both guys as players. And I totally get athletes who will take the best deal available to look after their families. It would be hard for me to say I would be any different in their place. But in both cases, lets be honest: They took more money to play for teams not near as good as Edmonton and with no real chance to win a cup in the next few years, unlike guys like Derek Ryan and Mattias Janmark who took less. Maybe in the end it is best that those other guys have moved on?
1.With the Free Agent signing Saturday of Connor Brown the Edmonton Oilers have upgraded their Top-6. That is a laudable chore for any NHL team to undertake. But if you already had the best Top-6 in the league, which the Oilers probably did? Then that is no small matter. It makes an already good team even more dangerous and hard to defend against. And for that, Ken Holland deserves credit. Brown would have had a few other serious options around the NHL. But Holland got it done. Credit where credit is due. Each season since his arrival the General Manager has been able to add another impact player to this roster.
We should not pretend that there is no risk with Connor Brown. The ACL surgery is serious, although players today commonly overcome it. But it will be interesting to see how he moves come September. May 1st was 8 months since he underwent the procedure. He is back skating. It may take him a while to get going. But you do not know for sure until he laces ‘em up. The proof will be in the pudding.
But then again, Kailer Yamamoto’s health had become a going concern as well. And as much as I respected how a relatively small man played a big man’s game, Yamamoto was on a concerning track vis-à-vis his health. Brown, on the other hand, skates (when healthy) just as well, is at least as good of a PK guy and is a much more solid individual, physically. He is built for playoff hockey.
Some are concerned about the amount of bonus money involved. But the way I see it, Brown was already a 4-million-dollar player (o.k., $3.6M) before Edmonton signed him. And with the Oilers finally back to being a non-LTIR club this season, some of that can be absorbed by the remaining cap space at year’s end. It is not automatic it all goes to next year.
Besides, the Oilers are in win-now mode. If you win with Brown, then who bloody cares about an overage? It would be a nice problem to have.
It would be the price of victory.
