Team: 2021-22 Edmonton Oilers

Initial Creation Date: Dec. 14, 2021

Published: Dec. 17, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

As the Oilers sit on a five-game losing streak and my mind begins to wander, I figured I’d have some fun to see what could be. This is my vision in a few months.
My views:
—I am incredibly high on our young talent. I believe the Oilers are in their teen years. They show tons of potential, but they still have pimples and mood swings. So my plan with the Oilers roster would be to let it mostly play out. I think if we let our young guys develop for two years we would have a better shot at creating a dynasty later than if we went all in too-soon (that’s not to say we will be a dynasty).
—Of course if we see an elite goaltender on the market, we grab him. But I don’t see one, and it’s unlikely we’ll find one outside of free agency. Picking up Khudobin off of the waiver wire would’ve been interesting, but with 1 year and $3.33M left on his contract many GMs figure it would be best to wait until the off-season. I think Skinner has a real good shot at being the solution (or perhaps, part of the solution) in a few years time, and as added bonus, he can easily become a fan-favorite since he is an Edmontonian. Until then, Smith (when healthy) has been very good. Koskinen is okay. He’s too inconsistent. Most of the time he’s on his toes and plays very well (not great though), but he has a weak mental state which makes him occasionally lax and uncompetitive, especially when Smith is injured.
—With the expected emergence of Bouchard, Barrie is almost certainly on the move. According to rumors, even Holland has considered it.
—Jake DeBrusk has also been tied to many fantasy trade scenarios. Many of us believe he is a brilliant fit in Edmonton. He’s an Edmontonian his self, and is the son of Edmonton’s color commentator (who was also a former Oiler), and more importantly, he’s what we need. I have seen some suggest that McLeod would be the most realistic person to give to Boston (among a pick), but I am eager to see McLeod and Benson flourish in our future, and McLeod has played very good this year as a two-way center, but is often held back as his wingers aren’t as offensively talented. So I’ll try to keep McLeod.
—The biggest concern on my mind is Tippett. He’s clearly never heard of the phrase “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Our recent struggles are clearly not due to a lack of talent or to a slump. I believe it is constant gameplay shifting from Tippett (which has especially effected the power play) and a lack of fiery and passionate leadership from Tippett. It’s sad, I actually grew to love Tippett earlier.
—Many people expect Keith to be one of the first things an Oiler fan dreams for us to get rid of. But I will not. No I’m not blind. Keith is clearly out of touch. But you see, there is a special quasi-loophole (the exact details and how it works I do not recall) that would give the Oilers additional cap-space for the next season if Keith decides to retire at the end of this season. Therefore we shouldn’t give him reason to retire too early (such as benching him), and we shouldn’t trade him.
—A lot of fans, including myself, have been rather disappointed by the seemingly unimaginative handling of this past offseason. But I believe I see what the plan is. I believe Holland is not intent on making us immediate contenders, but a future dynasty. Most of his moves suggest laying a bridge from now until a few years later, and many of his moves have been for long-term scenarios (mainly Hyman and Foegele). Sure it would have been nice to keep Bear, especially instead of Barrie, but we have an abundance of young, talented, d-men, and most of our young forwards are too far from being NHLers yet. I believe in Holland’s plan (admittedly, much of this is blind hope), not so much Tippet’s.
—Back to goaltending, it’s interesting to see what will become of Skinner when Smith returns. It’s probable Skinner will return to the AHL, but I argue he should stay. He’s shown steadiness when confident, and sending him back to the AHL won’t provide any growth to Skinner (who lead the AHL in wins last year). Keeping him as a third option to start the odd game will improve him and quite possible allow Smith and Koskinen time to rest, as they are often peppered with 30+ shots per game thanks to Tippet’s genius plan of letting the other team shoot first.
—I like Kassian, but with his big contract I don’t see him being in Edmonton much longer, especially when Niemeläinen registered 5.7 hits per game and McDavid himself has become more physical these last few years so “protection” isn’t needed. I'd be sad to see Kassian go, but that $3.2M liberation is all too salivating.
—I don't know why Arizona would trade Chychrun, but rumours suggest they have explored that option, and there isn't a better fit than the Oilers. Holland is very protective of his first round picks, but if the Oilers hope to nab Chychrun without gutting their roster they have to get rid of two now plus a highly-touted prospect. Kassian would also be shipped as Oilers would need cap room and Arizona has no issue with taking on hefty contracts this year.
—PP1 note: Draisaitl is a better face-off taker than McDavid, so he often takes face-offs, and then despite being a left-wing second, Draisaitl will often spend time on the right side where he gets most of his PP goals.

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