At his most recent press conference, Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli sounded like he might be open to bringing in one more forward.
But which forward? Do any of them make sense, given the Oil’s needs and restricted cap situation.
Here’s a list of the most likely candidates, listing many top forwards remaining on the TSN Top 75 unrestricted free agents lists, as well as unlisted players mentioned as possible candidates by Oilers insider Bob Stauffer.
TSN rankings:
13. Patrick Maroon, 30, 74 games, 43 points.
18. Antony Duclar, 22, 56 games, 23 points.
36. Scott Hartnell, 36, 62 games, 24 points.
60. Nick Shore, 25, 64 games, 18 points.
67. Scottie Upshall, 34, 63 games, 19 points.
Not listed. Lance Bouma, 28, 53 games, 9 points.
Not listed. Tyler Ennis, 28, 73 games, 22 points.
Not listed. Jason Chimera, 39, 74 games, 13 points.
Oilers could use a 14th FWD in 700K range.
Any of these guys could make sense:
Tyler Ennis-skilled, but banged up last 3 seasons
Scottie Upshall-quick, competitive, can PK
Anthony Duclair-fast, struggled last 2 seasons
Lance Bouma-plays hard
Jason Chimera-can still skate — Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) July 3, 2018
My take
Patrick Maroon was the best two-way winger on the Edmonton Oilers last year, but the narrative goes that he’s not the right fit for the team right now because he lacks skating speed. Maroon seems to be that one top free agent who can’t get the deal he wants even as other similar forwards who put up a similar number of points last year like James Neal, Derek Ryan, Riley Nash and Michael Grabner have all signed big money deals. You would think that a team craving toughness would move quickly on Maroon, who is a decent bet on a three-year deal. Yes, the production of most players drops off and keeps dropping after the age of 29 or 30, and, yes, Maroon did benefit from playing with Connor McDavid, but he’s a solid, skilled, tough two-way winger. Too bad the Oilers can’t afford him because they’ve invested so heavily in a similar but inferior player in Milan Lucic. Anthony Duclair is the next best bet for the Oilers. He was ranked 18th by TSN, ahead of Tobias Rieder, who ranked 20th. I can find no inside info on why Duclair has not yet signed. He’s young and skilled but he’s already been with three NHL teams. He scored 44 points in his rookie season with Arizona in 2015-16. Why not offer him a one-year deal for $1 million per? Of course, teams may well be offering that amount and Duclair may be holding out for more. I also like Nick Shore on this list, as he’s young, has plenty of NHL experience, shoots right and can play centre. He’d be a solid 13th forward, no? As for the others, they are older and all more iffy bets. The Oilers can’t afford Maroon, but should circle back on Duclair and Shore. Make sense?
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