Simpleton
Joined: Jun. 2017
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 502
I think Ken Holland's top priority will be trading Kris Russell, followed by trading James Neal. If he can do either, or both, Alex Chiasson will remain an Oiler, as will Riley Sheahan.
Last season Edmonton had an incredible power play and among players with 90 minutes or more of power play time, six Oilers were in the top eight with respect to GF/60. Alex Chiasson was number one in the league with respect to this category. While his 5v5 stats clearly suggest he is a depth player when playing even strength, he is also an outstanding net-front presence on the power play. I'm pretty sure that Holland will ask for Montreal's 2021 3rd round pick, and after negotiating with Bergevin he might agree to their 4th round pick instead.
Sheahan made huge contributions to the NHL's 2nd ranked penalty kill, and he was beginning to offer some secondary offense toward the end of the last season. His future in Edmonton will be dependent on his salary expectations, whether Edmonton can clear a bit of extra cap space, and the performance of Jujhar Khaira during the play-in series and playoffs. It is likely he will cost a bit more than $1,000,000 because the Oilers can probably afford that amount, and they offer him an opportunity to play a meaningful role rather than sit in the press box.