This in from two NHL insiders former GM and player agent Brian Lawton and writer Josh Yoshe of the The Athletic, Lawton’s opinion that the Edmonton Oilers still need a Top 4 dman, and Yoshe’s take that Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins is on Edmonton’s radar.
First, Lawton, talking with Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, when asked about Edmonton’s biggest need in a trade: “It’s always the same for me, and that is to find a partner for Darnell (Nurse) and that second pair that can allow the Oilers to know that they’re going to be able to control at the end of the day virtually 80% of the game from the back end. I haven’t found that yet.”
Lawton said Brett Kulak of the Oilers has been amazing this year but he’d prefer to see Kulak on a third-pairing. For me, you have to find the right partner (for Nurse), though it can’t just be a good player. You’ve got to try to imagine what the chemistry fit should be between Nurse and another defenceman. You’d love to get someone that’s a right shot, but you need someone that can eat minutes and can complement Darnell’s skills and vice versa. If the club is able to do that, then I don’t see ho — even with Vegas having the season they’re having — I don’t see how you keep this team out of a long, deep playoff run.”
Yoshe, the beat writer in Pittsburgh, had this to say about Pettersson, who is in the last year of his contract. “Although Pettersson isn’t having his customarily consistent defensive season, he’s still been fine. He’s still the kind of player teams covet and is almost certainly as good as gone. The Penguins know they can receive a nice piece in return for Pettersson and they only have so many players without no-trade clauses. Edmonton and Vancouver are interested in him.”
My take
1. Pettersson, 28, is in the last year of the deal that pay him $4.0 million per. He’s a long, thin defensive d-man who can move the puck, playing about 22 minutes a night for Pittsburgh this year. He averages about a hit per game. I can’t give you a credible opinion on his value to the Oilers as I haven’t put in the work going over video of his last 30 gams and taking careful notes. But the Penguins like him enough to use him in heavy rotation, with the most even strength and penalty kill minutes for a left-shot d-man on the team.
2. Stauffer has mentioned that the Oilers are looking for a d-man with more term on his deal than just this one season, and also a player who play the right side. As mentioned, Pettersson’s contract is up after this year.
3. I’m more bullish on Kulak as Nurse’s partner than is Lawton, but you can never have enough solid d-men, and it’s also the case the Oilers need one more big left shot d-man with size who can defend and move the puck well. Pettersson may well tick off those boxes, but his cap hit is substantial for a team pressed to the cap like the Oilers.
4. Stauffer and others have also talked about the Oilers looking to sing up Ty Emberson on a longer term deal now that it’s the New Year and Emberson is eligible to ink a new contract. It would make sense for both player and team for this to happen. Emberson has played well, showing a physical edge, defensive awareness and increasing ability to move the puck. Indeed, moving the puck is the defining quality of this Oilers defence, with newcomers Emberson and Stecher better puck moves than either Vincent Desharnais or Cody Ceci, though not quite as strong as Philip Broberg.
5. Edmonton’s top need may yet be a forward as opposed to a d-man. But if Edmonton could pick up both a d-man a big, puck-moving dman and a rugged forward with reasonable skill, that would work, no?
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