Nice to meet you bored, I'm tired.

I don't think that Ottawa trade goes through - sure, they're going to need to meet the floor this next year, but they're going into a rebuild and Lucic isn't compatible with that goal - especially not without any salary withheld.

You're rushing Bouchard and Yamamoto. It's of my opinion that you're rushing Benson too. I'd give all of the notable kids (Jones being the exception if they can move one of Sekera or Russell) a year to find some chemistry in the AHL before bringing them all up the year after once some money is off the books or substantially easier to get off the books. I don't think there's much of an NHL player in Currie despite the good storyline that's come out of his career thus far: I'd consider Gambardella in the #4LW slot before him.

Overpaid Maroon and Mrazek by a combined $1M and a year. Can't see Nelson actively wanting to sign in Edmonton when the Isles are on a heater and are about to be duped into thinking they're closer to contending than they really are.

Regardless of whether or not Ottawa agrees to take Lucic on, it's hilariously unlikely that Lucic is willing to go to Ottawa. The only way that happens if it's a three-way trade that sees Lucic land elsewheres with both Edmonton and Ottawa retaining as much salary as possible (which would be $4.5M combined if they both 50%).

Kassian is better than Maroon, I would cancel the trade and the signing.

I hate the idea of trading assets to get rid of the Lucic deal, especially since he's a serviceable bottom-6 player. But if that allows you to sign Nelson... Nelson is worth a 1st + Jones, IMO. I would try to trade Sekera or Russell first though, as they have more value than Lucic.

Keep Kassian, send Yamamoto to the minors, have Gagner as the 3RW and Kassian as the 4RW. Otherwise I like it.

How are they rushing benson? He’s a PPG player in the AHL, he should be NHL ready. The only issue with the oilers and their prospects is they don’t put them in a position to succeed. Puljujärvi was constantly getting demoted to the 4th line and was barely getting any ice time. I’d be more than happy to have a third line of Benson - Nuge - Puljujärvi.

Because that was the first full season Benson's had at any level of organized hockey since he was in bantam. He's played in just under 58% of the games he's potentially been able to since being drafted by the Giants, which is going to have him behind his peers to some extent. PPG at an AHL level suggests that he's in the NHL replacement level tier, not NHL top-9. Lander was in that same boat, and he didn't stick.

I think it was a Jeffler article, but the gist of it was that goals and 5v5 primary points are a better indicator to translatable NHL success than just being a PPG player at the AHL level. While Benson is listed with 16 goals and 33 primary assists, the site I'm using (http://prospect-stats.com/AHL/2018-19/forwards) doesn't differentiate between what is and isn't 5v5. 0.71 primary points per game is fine, but if you consider Tyler Johnson as a comparable (similar PPG in his AHL rookie season, but more goals), his second AHL season saw him explode to over a point-per-game and a 0.89 primary points per game total. Johnson is very much a success at the NHL level, and Tampa definitely could have brought him up a year sooner, but opted to give him and the Calder cup-winning Syracuse Crunch an extra year in the minors.

If Edmonton was expected to have some sort of legitimate success next season or be in the running for contending, I'd consider it, as it's likely money would be used elsewheres to bolster the team. Reality is, the only thing Edmonton needs to prove next season (knowing full well the year after gets better) is that they aren't a lottery team and actually in the hunt for a playoff spot. At the end of the day, Benson's 21 years old. An extra year in the AHL, playing in what should be a winning environment, is not going to hurt his development. Instead it gives the Oilers a year to figure out some of the dead cap and bring in cheap deals the following season, perhaps when they go out and make a pricey, but educated run at a player in free agency next summer?

The Puljujarvi situation is not comparable. I'm advocating for Benson to get top, quality minutes in Bakersfield, not glue him to the 4th line. Puljujarvi should have been in the AHL the past two seasons - at the very least during his first two - not playing minimal minutes per night on grinder lines that didn't have legitimate NHL talent on them.

LOVE that line!