Thoughts ? This is a joke ... we wouldn’t trade Lehkonen OR Armia 1 for 1 for Samorukov

Maybe Armia

As soon as I saw Armia's name, I said "NO"!

There's very little to like with this AGM.

I have no interest in Edmonton trading one of their better LHD prospects (Jones and Lagesson may be NHL ready today, but Dima has a higher ceiling and I value him as such) for a pair of depth wingers. I can live with including Samorukov in a high-stakes trade, but not for bottom-end pieces. That's terrible asset management. I saw earlier there was a Habs fan trying to figure out why Oilers fans are so touchy with Samorukov; if Broberg is Edmonton's top-pairing LHD of the future, Samorukov is the guy that's stepping out on the ice behind him anchoring the second pair. His growth as a prospect has turned him into a projected steal as a former 3rd Round Pick.

I don't see why Edmonton would be moving their current top-RHD and one of their biggest trade chips (remember, there are teams that still really want Puljujarvi) for a rental center and a fourth-line winger. There's absolutely no incentive for Edmonton to do that.

Nurse is going to struggle to justify earning more than what Rasmus Andersson just signed for in Calgary: there's very little to his game that actually values him as a top-pairing defender. Any contract with a number over the $5.5M range is going to be an overpay, but unfortunately that's where his market is trending. If that's the deal the Nurse camp is looking for over the summer, I don't hesitate to trade him. Another team will value him, but at that pricepoint he's hurting Edmonton's ability to afford improvement.

Broberg, Lavoie, and most likely McLeod will be in the AHL next season. Rodrigue might start his professional career in the ECHL due to the logjam in front of him. There's no need to rush that trio. Give them the time and ability to reach their potential and become genuine pieces of Oiler dominance for the next decade. Bouchard does not need to step into next season as the only puck-moving RHD on the team, nevermind as a top-pairing option. I'd be much happier seeing him start on the bottom pair and playing top-4 minutes upon Edmonton trading Larsson midseason.

It's hard to see on this AGM but buying Chiasson out does nothing but add another league-minimum cap hit for the season after this one. There's cap coming off of this roster by season's end, but big pieces will need a raise. RNH, the two middling wingers you've acquired at an overpay, Yamamoto, and two additional top-4 RHD will need to be paid for with approximately $24M. Paying for the defence, RNH, and Yamamoto likely eats up the majority of that cash. This team cannot piss away any more money. If they want to be competitive, they need to take advantage of every cent at their disposal.

Read it all and it was fantastic.

Very well said, especially regarding the poor value trades posted here.

I just can't agree with your assessment of Darnell Nurse. I think he's trending towards being a 1st pairing defenseman, albeit not one who will anchor the powerplay. For this reason he shouldn't be paid like a top defender (read: Trouba's $8M deal is not a comp), but like a solid #2 defender (read: Morrissey's $6.25M deal at the top end). I think I would model a deal after Morrissey's but would accept it if it was shortened it up a little, something like 7 x $6M or 6 x $5.75M. The deal takes effect when Nurse is 25, so a 6-year contract covers him through age 31, 7 to 32 and 8 to 33. I don't think you want to be over paying for 30's production, but if the contract ends too early - right at the end of his prime - you'll be faced with paying prime money on his 4th contract for a player very likely to be declining. Therefore I think the 8-year deal is the best one for Edmonton. The only reason to go less term is if you think both Broberg and Samorukov will force both Klefbom and Nurse out of jobs in the next 3 years, something that I wouldn't put money on. In any case, an 8 x $6.25M Nurse contract is eminently trade-able 3 years in.