Edmonton Oilers Will Not “Blow It Up”
Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli scheduled a press conference today where he took questions from several media members, and the overriding theme of the day was that the team would not “blow it up.” Chiarelli is not looking to dump players for draft picks just to start the development process again, but instead make tweaks to the roster to try and get back to the level of success found in 2016-17. The team is prioritizing speed in any acquisitions they make, and admitted that they had looked at a couple “hockey deals” recently.
Chiarelli also said that there had been interest in both Patrick Maroon and Mark Letestu, though wouldn’t go into specifics on either player. He also said they’d looked into extensions with some of their pending free agents.
The Oilers have struggled through a very disappointing season, but aren’t going to push the eject button just yet on this group. Though there is work to be done, a Connor McDavid-led team could jump right to the top of the league next season with some adjustments, just as it did a year ago. Chiarelli says he’s not involved in some bigger things going on around the league, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Edmonton is one of the quietest teams at the deadline, outside of perhaps selling off a few rentals. Any big changes are more likely to happen in the summer.
Trade Candidates: Mark Letestu
With the trade deadline just days away, we continue to profile several players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
Mark Letestu has not had a good season. In fact, in many ways this is the worst season of his NHL career. However, when Trade Deadline season rolls around each year, experienced, versatile depth forwards on expiring contracts are consistently the most common type of player dealt. Letestu fits the bill, hence the rampant speculation that he will be traded. Like Letestu, the Edmonton Oilers have not had the 2017-18 campaign they expected and have no reason to keep Letestu and, based on his play this season, are likely eager to trade him to the highest bidder. This is not a question of if Letestu will be dealt, but when and to whom.
Contract
Letestu is in the final season of a three-year, $5.4MM contract signed with the Oilers in 2015. The deal holds a $1.8MM cap hit and no trade protections.
2017-18
The 32-year-old Letestu is coming off a career-high 35 points in 2016-17. While he may not be an offensive juggernaut, Letestu has been the definition of reliable in his nine-year NHL career. He can play on the power play and penalty kill, excels at the face-off dot, and is hardly ever found taking a bad penalty. In 2017-18, he has continued to dominate the dot and play clean hockey; that’s about all he’s done right. Letestu has seen his offense disappear this season and, with it, his play time. He is currently on pace for 25 points this season, 10 fewer than last year and tied for the second-least of his career. Even worse, most of that production came earlier in the season. Letestu recorded 16 of his 18 points prior to the new year and is currently on a 24-game goal-less streak, with just two assists to show for the last two months. To qualify that lack of impact on the score sheet, consider that Letestu is still averaging more than two minutes per night on the power play as well. Between his significant power play and penalty kill time – despite no offense and a team-worst plus/minus – Letestu is left with under nine minutes a night of five-on-five time this season.
Season Stats
58 GP, 8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points, -16 rating, 10 PIM, 91 shots, 12:57 ATOI, 50.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
Despite a miserable season, there continues to be immense interest in Letestu. That is not to say that the Oilers will receive an immense return when they trade him, but there will be some competition driving up the price for a player that otherwise would be worth very little. Some teams may consider Letestu’s personal struggles a function of Edmonton’s poor season and hope for a bounce back to his 2016-17 level of play with a change of scenery. Others may just see him as a specialist and continue to use him as Edmonton does – power plays, penalty kills, face-offs, and little else.
Among the teams rumored to be interested in Letestu are the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He would fit well as an energy line or 13th forward on any of those teams. Other squads who could use another body up front include the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Boston Bruins, while several others are sure to do their due diligence on his availability as well. However, as The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline alluded to, the perfect fit for Letestu is likely back with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Letestu spent parts of four seasons in Columbus before signing with Edmonton, including arguably his best season in 2013-14. Not only that, but Portzline points out that Letestu and his family still call Ohio home. While too much stock is often put into familiarity when it comes to transactions and Letestu likely won’t have a say in his destination, the landing spot makes sense for other reasons as well. The Jackets are still fighting hard for a playoff spot and may not be willing to pay for a premium player with their playoff future still uncertain. Letestu will likely be more affordable and, as an added bonus, can jump right into the lineup, rejoining some past teammates and lending his experience to the many younger, newer Jackets forwards. More specifically, Columbus has also struggled greatly with special teams this season, sporting the league’s worst power play and a bottom-five penalty kill. They may have a better chance than anyone at giving Letestu an environment where he can rediscover his even strength game and scoring touch, but even if he doesn’t, he can at least help to rejuvenate the special teams.
Likelihood of a Trade
The likelihood of Letestu being traded is as close to 100% as any player on the block. The Oilers have absolutely no reason to keep him and there is high interest in his services. At some point over the next few days, Letestu will have a new home for the remaining months of the 2017-18 season.
Minor Transactions: 02/21/18
After a busy night in the NHL, the league has just three games on tap for today. Instead, teams might use their time off to cement their status for the trade deadline and make inquiries around the league. All the minor moves we’ll keep track of right here. Refresh the page throughout the day to make sure you stay up to date on all the comings and goings.
- Tucker Poolman has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, after being scratched again last night. It’s been eight straight games in the press box for Poolman, who will get a chance to play again with the Manitoba Moose.
- In addition to claiming and assigning Gabriel Dumont, the Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Matthew Peca to the Syracuse Crunch. Peca has scored five points in 10 games for the Lightning, and is scheduled to become a Group VI free agent this summer.
- After being acquired yesterday, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Eric Fehr from the minor leagues, sending Rudolfs Balcers back down in his place. Fehr could get into the lineup as a fourth-line player in the coming days, after an impressive performance for the San Diego Gulls through the first part of the season.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Reto Berra under emergency conditions while John Gibson deals with his latest injury. Ryan Miller will start for now, and will need him to help them towards the playoffs like Jonathan Bernier did a year ago.
- Speaking of goaltenders, the Edmonton Oilers have returned Laurent Brossoit to the minor leagues as Al Montoya is set to get back on the bench. Montoya needs to play just three more games for the Oilers to force them into sending a fourth-round pick to Montreal instead of a fifth.
- Ryan Sproul is on his way back to the minor leagues after getting into four games with the club. Sproul has a point in each of his last two games, but will need to wait for his next chance to get into the lineup.
- The New Jersey Devils have returned Nick Lappin to the AHL as several players approach a return to the ice. Lappin has played in just six games with New Jersey this season, but is leading the Binghamton Devils in goals with 17.
- After Carey Price took a shot to the head last night, the Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren under emergency conditions. With him comes Noah Juulsen under a regular recall, ready to make his NHL debut after battling injury this season. Juulsen was called “very close” to NHL ready in September by his GM, before breaking his foot in training camp.
Goalie Interference Frustrations Boiling Over
The NHL’s issues with inconsistency in goalie interference calls are getting out of hand. Complaints from players, coaches, and executives have been flooding in since last season. Discussions were promised over this past off-season, but seemingly nothing came of it, as the problem has only grown larger in 2017-18. Last month, coaches and league executives met to discuss the rule and Commissioner Gary Bettman promised to work with officials to back off the call. Weeks later, there has been no ascertainable change. In fact, there were several incidents of inconsistent calls on one night earlier this month, stirring up frustrations. Bettman said in January that “Overall, the system works,”, but most around the league would probably disagree at this time.
So when will things change? The NHL’s goalie interference call has become somewhat of a joke like the NFL’s “what is a catch?” problem, but in a game where every goal, scored or called back, carries so much weight, this issue is no laughing matter. Perhaps one of their own players lashing out at the rule will cause the league to take action. That’s what happened tonight following the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes after the ‘Yotes scored the game-winning goal while bumping into the goalie, but won a goalie interference challenge when their own keeper, Antti Raanta was interfered with on the erased game-tying goal. The opposing goalie, Cam Talbot, stood at the other end of the ice seething. The Edmonton Sun’s Rob Tychkowski caught up with Talbot after the game and got an honest reaction:
“There’s no consistency and I’m f*****g sick of it. It’s f*****g ridiculous. You can quote me, they can fine me, I don’t give a f**k anymore.”
Talbot also spoke on more of a case-by-case basis about the rule, illustrating its inconsistency (video). For Talbot, generally a mild-mannered and polite person, as well as the NHL wins leader in 2016-17, to speak out publicly and be so clearly emotional about the topic, one would think the league would take notice. A respected goaltender unable to contain his frustrations should indicate to the league that this is a major problem. It may not be possible for a clear goalie interference rule to be firmly decided on and implemented by officials this season, but Bettman and the NHL’s leadership need to step up and put some effort into fixing this problem, starting by publicly addressing Talbot’s comments and again reiterating that changes will be made. If they don’t, goalie interference inconsistency will only continue to be a mark on the 2017-18 season.
Oilers Recall Laurent Brossoit On Emergency Basis, Assign Keegan Lowe To AHL
- Edmonton announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled goaltender Laurent Brossoit from Bakersfield (AHL) on an emergency basis. The move was necessary after Al Montoya left practice early on Friday after taking a shot up high. To make room for him on the roster, the Oilers sent defenseman Keegan Lowe back to Bakersfield.
Edmonton Prefers Prospect Over Pick For Maroon; Sekera May Have Concussion
The Oilers are expected to speak with Allain Roy, the agent for pending unrestricted free agent winger Patrick Maroon in the next 24-48 hours to discuss a contract extension, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (video link). However, given Edmonton’s salary cap constraints, a trade is still the likelier outcome. With that in mind, LeBrun notes that a late first-round pick is a possibility for a return but GM Peter Chiarelli would prefer a prospect that is close to making an NHL impact. The Bruins are known to have interest in the 29-year-old and have several youngsters that are on the cusp of being ready to be recalled so they may be a team to watch for here. Darren Dreger of TSN adds Winnipeg as a team that is interested in Maroon.
- While the Oilers are only saying that defenseman Andrej Sekera has a facial injury after taking a puck to the face on Wednesday versus Anaheim, Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that the blueliner might be dealing with a concussion as well. Edmonton has already shifted him to injured reserve. This has been a rough season for the 31-year-old who missed the first few months after tearing his ACL back in May and he has struggled considerably when he has been in the lineup.
Bruins Interested In Patrick Maroon
The Bruins are looking to add some help on the wing between now and the trade deadline and have shown interest in Oilers winger Patrick Maroon, reports NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty. He notes that Boston has been scouting Edmonton for the last couple of games while Oilers VP of Hockey Operations Craig MacTavish was keeping tabs on the Bruins on Saturday night.
Maroon is positioned to be one of the more sought-after rental players between now and the trade deadline. He has shown that he can do well in a scoring role with Edmonton but before his time there, he had success in a crash-and-bang role, something the Bruins may be looking to add to the equation.
[Related: Maroon’s Trade Candidate Profile]
This season, the 29-year-old has 13 goals and 14 assists through 52 games while averaging a career-high 17:01 in ice time per game. He’s also no stranger to the postseason having played in 42 playoff contests where he has thrived, tallying 26 points (12-14-26) in that span.
There is mutual interest between Maroon and the Oilers in terms of working out a contract extension but with Connor McDavid’s new $12.5MM deal set to kick in next season, Edmonton’s payroll flexibility may be too limited to get something done. He will undoubtedly be looking for a considerable raise on the $2.1MM salary ($2.0MM cap hit; Anaheim is paying 25% of that this season) he is currently getting and that may be too rich for them to afford.
From Boston’s perspective, they have several quality young wingers in their system that will be pushing for NHL jobs soon so they would likely view Maroon as a pure rental and not someone that they would look to re-sign after the season. While they don’t have a ton of cap room to work with – just shy of $3.4MM in full-season salary on trade deadline day per CapFriendly, that’s still enough to absorb Maroon’s deal and still have enough left over to try to add another piece to their roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Blues, Thornton, Lewis, Lightning
In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford writes (subscription required) that while the Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile teams such as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, it’s unlikely the team will make a big move for a big name forward with years on his contract like a Max Pacioretty or a Mike Hoffman despite recent rumors to the contrary.
Due to the high trade demands being made for these players, Rutherford believes that trading a top prospect for a player who has a large contract to fit into their salary cap space doesn’t make a lot of sense as the team wants to have as much flexibility when free agency arrives this summer. Instead, the scribe believes the team needs to go the rental route and acquire a player (for a much cheaper price) so the team can make their run.
The team already is without their 2018 first-round pick which they traded for Brayden Schenn, so moving a top prospect could set the team back long-term. The team should look into a player such as Rick Nash, Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon as options as they likely won’t cost them one of their top prospects in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas or Klim Kostin.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that alarms should sound after San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton refused to say that he will definitely be back this season. That’s a surprise considering he is a player who last year played through torn MCL and ACL injuries during the playoffs. Historically, he’s been a player who goes out on the ice no matter how hurt he is, so the idea that he might not be back this season suggests the injury is worse than people think. Could he have already played his last game as a San Jose Shark?
- Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
- Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that the rumors of a potential Ottawa Senators-Tampa Bay Lightning deadline deal refuses to go away. He writes that there have been a number of rumors, including talk of Erik Karlsson, and points out that Ottawa’s chief scout is expected to be at the Tampa Bay game tonight.
Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Edmonton Oilers.
What a difference a year can make. Following a strong regular season that saw them post 103 points plus a solid showing in the playoffs where they lost in the second round, the Oilers were expected to take another step forward in 2017-18 and push for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the opposite has happened and they find themselves in a spot that they’ve become all too familiar with in recent seasons where they’re on the outside looking in.
Record
23-25-4, sixth in Pacific Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$37.4MM full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th/5th*, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2019: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
*- Edmonton’s fourth-round pick transfers to Montreal if Al Montoya plays in seven or more games with the Oilers with at least 30 minutes played in each. If that happens, Edmonton will instead have their fifth rounder.
Trade Chips
As is always the case with selling teams, the first place to look is the players on expiring contracts. Winger Patrick Maroon highlights that list as a power forward that has certainly held his own in a top-six role with Edmonton. After being practically an afterthought at the trade deadline two years ago, he will be one of the more sought-after players this time around. The Oilers are believed to want to keep him around long-term but with Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV contract kicking in next season, they may not have the cap room to keep him around.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see GM Peter Chiarelli look to try to offload some money off the books for next season and beyond. While winger Milan Lucic may be very tough to move with five years left on his deal, someone like Ryan Strome – a pending RFA with arbitration rights who will see a raise on his current $2.5MM deal and carries a $3MM qualifying offer – could be someone that they look to move to free up a little bit of space for next year. Strome has two years of team control remaining.
Five Players To Watch For: W/C Drake Caggiula, C Mark Letestu, LW Patrick Maroon, LW/RW Anton Slepyshev, RW/C Ryan Strome
Team Needs
1) Defense: This has been at the top of the list in Edmonton for several years now and while they have taken steps to improve it, this is still an area that needs considerable improvement. Andrej Sekera has struggled this season since returning from a torn ACL and while they’re hopeful that a full summer will help get him closer to his usual form, that’s not a guarantee. Kris Russell is best served in a depth role while Oscar Klefbom has taken a few steps backward this year. This group isn’t good enough if they want to contend so more additions will need to be made. They may be able to get a decent prospect for Maroon if they value that over a draft pick but otherwise, this may be a need that gets addressed in the summer.
2) Picks, Cap Flexibility: Edmonton doesn’t have its full complement of draft picks to work with this year nor do they have any extra selections from trades with other teams. That should change over the next few weeks with players like Maroon and Letestu expected to yield something in a trade which will give them a few more selections to work with. For 2018-19, the Oilers have nearly $61MM tied up in just 13 players. That doesn’t give them a lot of room for additions even if the salary cap goes up as expected. At this time of the season, players with term remaining on their contracts don’t often move but expect Chiarelli to try to find a way to free up some more cap room for next season and beyond.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mark Stone, Patrick Maroon Interested In Signing Extensions
While many players are worried about which team they’ll be suiting up for in just a few weeks, two are already thinking about inking extensions in the summer. Mark Stone and Patrick Maroon both spoke about wanting to stay in their respective cities, though they may find different outcomes as the deadline approaches.
First Stone, who told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he wants to stay with the Ottawa Senators long-term and has little doubt the two sides will come to an agreement when he hits restricted free agency this summer. Stone is in the last season of his three-year, $10.5MM contract and has developed into the Senators best forward on most nights. Despite missing the last seven games due to injury, Stone leads the Senators in scoring with 44 points in 44 games and is arguably the league’s best takeaway artist.
Stone will deserve a huge raise if the Senators want to sign him long-term, as he has just a single season left before being eligible for unrestricted free agency. Turning 26 in May, he could demand a contract along the lines of some of the game’s elite wingers. Depending on how Ottawa feels about their finances as they move towards Erik Karlsson‘s 2019 unrestricted free agency, Stone’s contract could come with some substantial hurdles. Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf remain on the books with huge cap hits, and owner Eugene Melnyk has hinted in the past that the Senators would need to cut salary.
Then there is Maroon, who is headed towards unrestricted free agency this summer. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required), Maroon’s representatives have already touched base with the Edmonton Oilers to discuss an extension, though if things can’t be completed in the next few weeks one would have to believe a trade could be the result. Even with the Oilers’ recent surge they remain more than ten points out of a playoff spot and have to be looking towards next season and beyond.
Maroon has found his game in Edmonton and developed into an effective player, but with the Oilers heading into Connor McDavid‘s eight-year $100MM contract and Leon Draisaitl already earning $8.5MM per season, they have to be very careful with how they divide the rest of their salary cap. Even though Maroon is on pace to come short of his career-high of 27 goals set last season, he should still get a raise on the $2MM cap hit he currently carries.
The fact that Maroon is relatively inexpensive this season—he would come with only a prorated $1.5MM cap hit since Anaheim is still retaining part of his salary—also increases his trade value. Edmonton could potentially use him as a rental at the deadline, only to try and re-sign him in the summer months. That’s a tricky game to play though, as things can change quickly in the NHL, especially if Maroon were to go to a team with a good chance at the Stanley Cup. There’s no telling what could change his mind and cause him to sign elsewhere after hitting the open market.
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