This level of detail may appear to be the ramblings of a madman. Take that as you will.
The key foci of this AGM are Winnipeg missing the boat on a backup goaltender and Dallas needing to shed Khudobin in order to find ice time for Oettinger. In this instance I think Edmonton can take advantage of both teams needs: I fully believe that Dobby is too pricey (in acquisition cost and term specifically) for the Jets to go out and get him themselves. I also believe the Jets may want to aim a touch higher than Stalock, who is likely more apt for AHL employment this season. A retained Koskinen remains one of the only options in terms of a readily-available backup netminder besides the remains of Devan Dubnyk: in this instance, the Jets take the better goaltender with upside to maintain or improve upon his .917sv% form. Because Edmonton cannot retain beyond the shown $1M, I have the Oilers recouping Beaulieu (total AAV equals a 50% Koskinen and makes some room on their back end) and a diminished return in a b-prospect and late pick.
I think the peak price on Khudobin given the Stars' desire to make room for Oettinger is a b-prospect and a 3rd round pick. Given the Oilers' cap constraints however, a second round pick probably appeals to the Stars more as I require them to retain just shy of league-minimum AND take Beaulieu off the Oilers' books. Nate can either play or to be buried: in either case, the Stars free up $500k after Oettinger is added to the main roster, $1.5M if they bury Beaulieu. With Bishop on LTIR, could be the difference in adding quality up front before or during the season.
Blink and you'll miss it, Holland mentioned wanting another defenceman to add and is on record of hating having more than four RHD (see: Bear trade). I don't think anyone expects Russell to play an entire season thus I wanted the upgrade to be somewhat substantial within the means of the Oilers' cap situation. I think Murray on a more Cole-esque deal than what he signed for last year is a perfect fit: I wouldn't be surprised to see Murray-Bouchard even emerge as the Oilers' second pair by midseason. The addition of another defender likely means Lagesson is going to be waived: this is poor asset management and the justification for the Minnesota trade, which admittedly only works if the Wild are interested in Lagesson. If the pairings fall as Brodin-Spurgeon, Goligoski-Dumba, and Kulikov-Mermis, Lagesson offers more at a lower price in that #7 slot than AHL journeyman Jon Lizotte. My ask I don't believe is all that extravagant either: Dewar appears to be an AHL tweener/late bloomer and Johansson is one of those names I wanted late in 2018 and appears to be a buy-low candidate. The Oilers system is not flush with RHD with Bouchard graduating and I think SiJo, pending a successful year in Finland, can at the very minimum make an impact at the AHL level. The Oilers as an organization highly value Kris Russell and losing Lagesson to waivers is poor asset management: I think a return similar to Kurtis MacDermid (re: a 4th) is possible here but I have less interest in assets that won't be ready in 4 years as opposed to depth pieces that could contribute in a year or two. Very 'meh' deal from an external POV but a shrewd case of asset management I believe.
Finally, the Canucks trade addresses a miniscule gap in their goaltending depth: I fully expect Silovs to play big minutes in the ECHL this season which means the Canucks are left with Dubnyk, a laundry list of ineffective AHL goaltenders, or the Oilers' Stalock to split starts with DiPietro. Vancouver's new AHL team isn't flush with pivots either and I believe Rasanen has some value as an AHL-ready prospect for their system. I suspect the only reason Edmonton hasn't signed him is his not being a Holland pick and/or Edmonton's hit-or-miss relationship with Finns post-Puljujarvi. I don't know how highly Kunz is regarded in the Canucks' system but I do recognize that he's still likely 2 or 3 years out from the AHL. Because I'm less interested in a draft pick and much more interested in a prospect that would be ready sooner, I think the value is fine regarding Abbotsford acquiring more AHL depth even if Kunz stretches out the definition of 'ready sooner' a touch.
Signings are relatively straightforward: I have Foegele signing his QO as I think the Oilers' brass would appreciate a closer look at what he does for the team before offering him too much money. If Yamamoto comes in lower, Foegele can come in higher. Cairns, Johansson, and Tullio to sign before the AHL playoffs. Rodrigue gets the entire season in the ECHL.
That would appear to not be a very good idea. Neither his KHL numbers nor his AHL numbers from the last two seasons imply anything of NHL caliber goaltending.
That would appear to not be a very good idea. Neither his KHL numbers nor his AHL numbers from the last two seasons imply anything of NHL caliber goaltending.
Koskinen's issue is that he was overplayed to start the season and is overpaid. As soon as Smith came back to action this past season Koskinen was above league average in sv% and frequently above .920sv%. He may not be a starter, especially behind Edmonton's blueline, but for a year he is quite literally the best backup available in the league right now.