Bite the bullet on Lucic Trade with TOR NYR MTL

Team: 2019-20 Edmonton Oilers

Initial Creation Date: May 17, 2019

Published: May 17, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

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It is time to move on from Lucic. In a world with a rising cap and an owner with deep pockets we are better off to just buy him out than to trade him along with assets in order to retain salary anyway. Buying him our saves 3 Million this year, 375k next year, 1.8mil the year after that then $375k in the final year. The penalty is only a $600k hit for three years following the buy out. To me thats worth it. Just get him gone, if nothing else it clears a roster spot.

The Brodziak trade doesnt need to happen. We have the space to keep him as a scratch in this scenario but it would be preferable to move him.

Vesey and Brown trades seem like commons sense, it is my personal belief the draft picks might be a one round overpay in each scenario but we need winger depth like we need oxygen.

The Sekera for Shaw deal is where I know this thread becomes controversial. The Habs are in need of an upgrade to their defensive core at the NHL level, Sekera can be that, Shaw is also expendable there as they have many forwards that are better and or cheaper than he is plus it is my understanding that the Habs plan to target one of the bigger FA forwards. In this scenario the money is even, they trade an expendable guy from a surplus to upgrade a weakness, and they gain an early second round pick to either package or use to get a pretty decent prospect as well as a lottery ticket type prospect to try to develop. To me its fair but I am open to discussion, the Oilers could even probably retain more if need be.

Mrazek may be a long shot but I'm not sure anyone is going to be offering him a better contract than that. The Oilers need a goaltending upgrade and after Bobrovsky its my opinion that Mrazek is the best guy available to share a net with Koskinen.

It is my understanding that Cozens is the most NHL ready forward in the draft, if the Oil can get him it could instantly improve the top 6, if he isnt ready or if they go in a different direction Kassian could bump up like he did last year or they can give Puljujarvi another kick at it.

I like the bottom 6 here, a third line good in their own end and tough to play against that can kick in some offence, then a young talented fourth line that can ideally get an increased role as the season goes on and maybe eventually flip with what I have listed as the third. If they want to develop those players another year or if they struggle we have options like Gagner and Cave to come in and play 8 minutes a night at a passable fourth line level.

Blueline remains questionable. Banking on bounce back years from Klefbom and Larsson, continued upward development of Nurse and Jones, and stability as third pair guys from Russell and Benning. Gravel is fine to scratch and play in emergencies, Persson, Bouchard, and Bear will compete to be the first guys up if a long term hole opens up. It is a lot to ask of the group but for the first time in a long time the blueline isnt the biggest need for an upgrade this offseason.

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