Ban Price trades
Rejoint: oct. 2017
Messages: 6,482
Mentions "j'aime": 6,455
Except we already know that Klefbom is going to miss the entire 2020-21 season, and may possibly even retire, so he's not an option for this squad moving forward.
Bouchard is likely not playing a full season in the NHL this year: Barrie's skillset is almost identical. If the whole Canadian division and their AHL franchises playing in Canada ordeal is true, he'll play big minutes for the Condors and be one of the first call-ups. Bear and Jones are bona-fide NHLers at this point: scratching them makes the team objectively worse. Jones is miles better than Russell. Bear on a one-year deal is easily a million-dollar contract, and I think both sides are going to fight like hell for a 2 or 3 year deal.
I'm not a huge fan of the lines, as I don't believe Neal should be playing above 4th line minutes at even-strength. Top powerplay minutes until he falters sure, but he's an anchor for 48 minutes a night.
Kassian probably starts the year beside McDavid, and likely finishes it where you have him on the third line. I suspect Puljujarvi replaces him by about game 15.
If I were Tippett, I'd be pleading with Holland to find one more goal-scoring LW: breaking up the trio of RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto diminishes Edmonton's chance of coming out on the top-end of an all-Canadian division. Duclair - in my eyes - is a perfect fit for McDavid; it makes the Oilers' top-six all that much more of a scoring threat and may force McDavid into some defensive responsibility without sacrificing his offensive production.
I think Chiasson is still going to get moved: his calling card with the Oilers was to be a net-front presence on the power play (either unit). The Oilers are now tasked with finding utility for Neal (who's basically a PP specialist now) while finding power play time for Puljujarvi and Yamamoto. The Turris signing also tips us off to the idea that Tippett is going to use his fourth-line as a tough-minutes shutdown unit, and Chiasson's skillset provides little to no defensive utility.
I don't think your powerplay is set up optimally either: Draisaitl is a stronger faceoff man than McDavid (who prefers playing along the wall and up high as a distributor) and Barrie on his natural side limits his ability to distribute and put shots on net (you'll sort the forwards by optimal shooting for their handedness, but not the blue?). Te second unit - if they get any time at all - probably works as you have it, but I'd personally have Turris taking draws and use RNH in a similar fashion as McDavid on the top unit. Minor stuff though.