Massive overpay for Kreider.

The TOR trade leaves the defense horribly weak on the right side - Samorukov definitely won't be able to handle 1st pairing minutes on his off side in one year - he hasn't played a single minute of pro hockey yet. He'll play in the AHL this year and you expect a 21-year-old rookie to jump into top pairing in a position he's not familiar with?

Skinner is currently 5th on the depth chart and there are better goalies behind him, it will take a miracle (and a ****-ton of injuries) to vault him into a starting position next year. If this happens, expect a 31st place finish and another lottery pick.

Since you're rushing guys to the NHL, where's Broberg?

The Oilers top 3 forward prospects don't show up here, at least 2 of them should. Maybe all 3, since your conclusion is "the kids are ready".

Massive overpay for Kreider?? I don't see him getting less than 7x7

Keep Larsson, Johnsson is a lot better.

For a 29-year-old who averages 48 points per season and has a career high of 53?? You're insane!

I don't see that trade working for either team. Toronto has lots of RHD now so Larsson definitely has more value to Edmonton.

That whole, more value based on team need is a bad idea to use to value players. Remember when Edmonton thought they had too many skilled forwards and needed help on defence so they traded a future MVP for a guy who wasn't very good and never got better because of team need? Who's the better player, Player A or Player B? If its player A then he's more valuable period.

You don't trade away a player when it hurts your team. Trading is more than value-for-value, you need to look at "is the team better after this trade?" also. Win the battle but lose the war, is that what you're suggesting?

And when you make a trade, you get at least equal value back. I don't support Chiarelli's Hall-for-Larsson swap at all, never have, never will.

That's all I'm saying.

In the case of this trade, you have Larsson who is an okay 2nd pair defenceman but got destroyed when he had to carry too much last year when Klefbom went down with injury. Larsson isn't anything special and he doesn't help you move the needle at all. Johnsson would become the 2nd best winger in Edmonton easily. So in this trade you are moving someone who may be your best RHD but that is only because your defence is an utter crater of uselessness (Klefbom is your best defenceman and Nurse has shown some signs of being a decent top 4 guy but has a lot of growing to do). You'd be far better off rolling the dice on young players if it meant you can move Larsson for a top 6 winger who is young.

Edmonton fans seem to want to hold onto Larsson unless some other idiot GM is willing to overpay to get him. In my opinion I wouldn't give up a 2nd round pick for Larsson, he just isn't very good and never has been. I only harp about this so much because I want Edmonton to be good but the whole franchise needs to change its thinking. Fans need to have a thirst for a proper team construction and patience for the time it will take. They should tear down everything outside of a few players, invest heavily in player development and work hard to convince McDavid the team will be up and coming within 3 seasons. Its possible but a tonne of work needs to be done and a lot of losing will happen this season and likely next, but after that you should have enough high end talent and quality depth that the team should be a contender for 5 seasons at least.

TL;DR, but I disagree that running 3 rookies down the right side - especially when 2 of them are lefties - would leave the team "far better off". That's idiotic and Holland would never go for it.

I mean, his last 2 full seasons he's put up nearly 30 goals and he had the 40th highest WAR in the entire NHL last year...

The thing Oiler fans should get their head around though is that the team isn't good, and it isn't going to be good because you have Larsson in the lineup, he's not that good. Bear and Jones could be just as good as him, or slightly worse. But they are cheaper and have potential to get better. Edmonton needs to move out anyone who doesn't push the needle forward for future assets that can be developed into pieces that move the needle. If for some insane reason a team would offer up a top 6 winger for Larsson Edmonton should take it and run and be happy they got the better of a Larsson for a skilled player trade.

Damn I'm glad you aren't running the team.

Twenty-nine years old. Seven year contract. Forty-nine million dollars. For a guy who averaged 22 goals and 45 points per season THROUGH HIS PRIME.

https://hockey-graphs.com/2017/04/10/a-new-look-at-aging-curves-for-nhl-skaters-part-2/

If you want to pay him that, go right ahead. But it won't stop me from calling it the way I see it: MASSIVE overpay.

I would have torn out the players that don't help 2 seasons ago, revamped the player development department and cleared out all the old guard in the front office. The Oilers should be in a much better position, instead they are going to try to patch work things and hope McDavid wants to stay but it won't work. They have too many holes, not enough prospects and can't afford to overpay FA's to supplement the talent they do have. Its going to be a long dark time for Oiler fans.