Hall Fan

"Oilers and More"

Canada • 2013 Years Old • Male

Oilers Post Deadline: The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Lets end this on a good note and save the good. So the trade deadline for the Oilers overall. We did little. We added a center which is good. Some might say a winger is what we need as we do have Letestu, Nuge, Hendricks (technically), Lander, Samuelson (some were hoping he was the number 4 guy as Letestu has been playing really good and could be argued as a third line guy if needed) and long term some are still hoping Yakimov might be a 4th line guy. Then of course Leon and Connor. Ideally a guy like Sharp that plays both wing and center would have been great. Didn't have to be Sharp but someone like him.

What we got was a really short and struggling Deshardais and the other short guy as he will be referred to hence with in this blog. Personally I like Deshardais and think he could be great with the Oil. I think his struggling has to do with the way Montreal was coaching their team this hear. I don't know how many people have been following them but it has basically the who gets to play with Radulov show followed by whoever is next in the box. They have struggled to get offense in any of their formerly consistent players and I think David will be a strong competitor.

The other short guy cost us little but really he is an AHL player. There is little hope of his "veteran" play doing anything for the Oilers in the playoffs. Maybe the Condors will benefit.

I know this should be the Ugly but the bad is the fact that the Oilers did NOTHING to support a team that has finally made it to the playoffs in 15 years. Not just that but they did have a chance and home ice advantage and with a few rentals might have got through a round or two. Then next year at this time we would be talking about our young guys as being playoff veterans and not looking for an AHL dwarf that can't skate to come in to provide that.

They didn't do anything with their need for a back up and there are tons out there that are cheap. Philly broke off trade talks with both their pending UFA goalies. Calgary would sell Elliot for puck machine at this point, Miller was on the block, plus a list of career backups they could have had that were all better than Broisoit. Lets just hope Talbot stays healthy.

They did make their blue line worse if that is any comfort. Not in a large degree but they traded their third best LHD.

THE UGLY

Oilers have all but said with this trade deadline is that they have no intention of trying for the cup this year. Vanek is proof of that. Way better than Deshardais, he plays all three forward positions although best used on either wing. He plays a big game and has huge talent. He has expressed interest in playing with the Oilers in the past and even signed and offer sheet with them. Detroit received a player worse than Davidson in return for him. The tag on many news sites is "Who is Dylan McIlrath?" Vanek is a potential UFA so little risk for the Oilers. If he clicks though the guy is 33 and comes with a low cap hit. I am thinking that is a great gamble to take. Someone the Oilers got less for more much like the Hall deal.

Not a big fan but 31 year old Drew Stafford was acquired by a CONDITIONAL 6th round pick. That is literately like being traded for air. He is a big guy that can add offense on the wing. Another pending UFA that would have costed NOTHING.

Victor Stalberg is fast with huge acceleration. He is a big guy and plays big. He is 31 years old and can play either wing. The pending UFA is little gamble and cost a third round pick. We all know the success the Oilers have had with their third round picks since the 90s. I will spoil the ending. The players aren't even in the AHL. If he works then we can ink him for a year or two for dirt cheap, if he doesn't we got a rental for our third/fourth line.

These and so many others the that were shopped and never traded. Like Anahiems defense. Landskog. Chiarelli has done little to nothing all year to help the Oilers as they battle every night to try to stay in the play off race while other GMs provide support.

Which provides us with the good. Chiarelli has done nothing. I am sorry but he has to go. His draft picks are horrible. The griffin trade was brutal. The fact that he hasn't addressed the blue line is unacceptable. If you like Larsson, I will spoil the ending, they could have got him for Eberle, Nuge or even Yak. He is a second string player and remains that way. Definitely not worth the 4 mil cap hit. Plus he knew that he would have to protect the prospect defender come this summer which tied his hands all year. He should have dealt with Sekeras. He is good but he is not 5.5 mil good. Not for the length he is signed. Oilers need a top line defender and Sekeras is good enough to pair with him but not good enough to be him. However signing one is tough with Klef, Larsson, Sekeras make over 14 mil just the 3 of them. Sekeras is not a bad player he is just over paid in a cap market. He is worth 4 mil on his contract length.

I hate the revolving doors of GMs. I do but Chiarelli has to go. He is getting credited with the success the Oilers are having when he is actually continually making the team worse. He lucked out with Talbot, Rienhart cost us a ton and we couldn't trade lucic if we retained his whole salary.

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