I have a dream...
Posted 12:18 PM ET | Comments 2
I have a dream.... that the Oilers can get impact young d-men to help with their cause now...rnrnSeem like a bit of a stretch? Maybe, but there might be a few trade scenarios that could work well for both sides, therefor making it a viable deal, even in this cap-crazy world we call the NHL.rnrnFirst off, let me just say that I love all the Oilers young forwards. I believe firmly that all this team needs to be successful (and by that I mean being competitive in ALL games) are a few more d-men like Klefbom, ones who can be relied upon in their own zone, but aren't afraid to take a hit to get the puck moving in the right direction. **cough, juhltz, cough** That being said, have you ever walked up to a car dealership and offered your '84 Chrysler for the shiny new floor model Charger? You'd be laughed at faster than Nikitin can skate backwards. Point being, you need to offer something close to equal trade value to get something good with potential back. If I want a young, capable d-man with top-4 potential, I either need to give the same back, or give a forward of the same pedigree back.rnrnWhich brings us to a couple potentially viable trade offers we might be able to swing by some GMs.rnrn1. To Edm. 2015 3rd overall, Brandon Gormley - To Arz. Nail Yakupov, 16th overall. From Arizona's perspective, they lose the 3rd overall, which Maloney is willing to trade anyways apparently, and they lose Gormley, a soon-to-be top 4 d-man, that happens to be very buried on a young and good depth chart. However, they get a former 1rst overall pick with tremendous scoring upside to market along with OEL. They also get to add another prospect for further down the road with the 16th pick. As for Edmonton, well we would pick up a better version of Marincin who will be a much better offensive game, along with drafting Hanifin, or swapping the 3rd overall pick for something a bit further down the line. Losing Yak sucks, but... the issue that I have with Yak is that he might be the player that needs someone else for him to live up to his potential. In junior, he had Galchenyuk. His rookie year wasn't bad, but he floundered until we traded for Roy. Point is, are we always going to have to be finding that secondary player for him to be able to maybe live up to what he can do?(see:Ales Hemsky) I'd rather move on and let another team have this issue.rnrnThat's one scenario. If that's not up you're alley, what about;rn2. To Edm. Haydyn Fleury, 2015 5th overall - To Car. Nail Yakupov, Martin Marincin. For Carolina, they give up nothing that hurts them now, while getting two NHL players. Last year E.Stall was their top offensive weapon, and he managed only 54 points. Yaks totals this year, being awful for half the year, would be good for a tie for 4 on the team. He could easily get the ice-time he needs to produce. As for Marincin, he gives them an NHL ready young d-man, and he would probably slide into a top-4 role next year alongside Ryan Murphy. Edmonton on the other hand gets a top D prospect who is likely 1-3 years away from helping, and the 5th overall pick, who I would personally use to select Ivan Provorov. Downside to this trade is lack of NHL ready players coming back to Edmonton.rnrn3. To Edm. Griffin Reinhart - To NYI. 16th overall, Justin Schultz.rnOk, admittedly, maybe more of a pipe dream, but... Schultz could excel being much lower on the depth chart in NYI, and they have the cap space to accommodate it as well. Plus, factor in NYI getting a draft pick that's actually in the first round of a deep draft, (the top pick they have so far is 72nd overall?!?) and this might work. Reinhart is a top prospect, no doubt, but the depth chart above him is pretty nice. Did you know Nick Leddy is only 23?? and they traded what for him?? sigh.. anyways, he's another good d-man bubbling under the surface of making the NHL, on a prospect-deep team. As for Edmontons perspective? Well they have always loved Reinhart, from back before he was drafted, playing for the Oil Kings in Rexall. They get someone they know, and is a year or two away from playing very dynamic hockey.rnrnSo there you have it, my humble opinions as to what could be done right now to help Edmontons quality of defense, some for now, others for the future. What do you think?? It's the beauty of a website like this is finding like minded hockey fans and talking about things we'd like to see happen.rnrnps. My cherry was popped with this blog, that's right, it's my very first blog, ever, so go easy in the comments on me. 
Phaneuf !
Crap!