Quoting: CD282
I don't disagree with much of this, I just think it's too much too soon to rely on rookies from the get-go next year. There should be some veteran cover in case they falter - you have enough money for a guy like Hainsey, for instance. One injury to Larsson and now you have 2 raw rookies playing in the top-4, 1 on his offside. Not good.
Yes, but you've traded both Benning and Russell and brought in 2 rookies to play there without any evidence that they can hold down those positions.
No, but you have to balance between building the team and sucking so bad that the superstars get fed up. Not saying you're making the team worse, but you're setting up the prospects to fail. Too much too soon is what has happened to Puljujarvi and Yamamoto.
Fair, and this is all predicated on moving Russell. So, if the new GM isn't willing to gamble on the rookies then they will need to guard against the Oiler tradition of too much salary and too much term. It would also be wise to avoid any NTC and NMC, so that a trade is possible, or the veteran can be left unprotected in the Seattle expansion draft. Otherwise, a veteran RHD is simply going to be in the way once the 2020/21 season begins. So how many suitable RHD veteran UFA's are going to agree to play in Edmonton for reasonable money, a short term, and no guaranty against a move during the season?
If a suitable UFA can be found, I'd also suggest that acquiring that veteran RDH for the top 4 only increases the pressure to move Benning. Here's why:
- Success in the NHL has become dependent on speed, offensive zone pressure, and a quick transition game.
- Today's NHL defenseman has to be able to move the puck to the forwards quickly, and consistently.
- Benning has proven that he cannot play in the top 4, he simply can't.
- The Oilers have a RHD prospect, Persson, who is already better skater and at least three, Persson, Bouchard, and Bear, who are better puck-movers than Benning.
- Benning plays the kind of sheltered minutes that would benefit a developing young defenseman, like Persson, Bouchard, Bear, Jones, and Lagesson.
- Benning does represent good value for opposing GMs, and is a great trade piece that could be dealt in a package that returns an upgrade in the net, or among the forwards.
Of course, a trade involving Benning doesn't, have to happen right away. The Oilers can hang onto him while a player like Jones, or Persson, gets comfortable, and then move him later in the season. I think though, that if any of the prospects demonstrates an ability to play well along side either Nurse or Sekera, Benning could be moved sooner than later.
In response to your last point, I offer that Edmonton could have developed Justin Schultz if they had accepted him for what he was/is, instead of trying to force him to be something else. With Klefbom, Larsson, Nurse, and Sekera on the roster, Edmonton now has better depth to support a young player's development in the NHL. The game has changed in a manner that could also make it easier for today's rookies.