This in from Elliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast, news that Edmonton is getting much higher on the list of preferred destinations for NHL free agents. “I heard from some agents who told me there were players who took Edmonton off their no-trade list. They had Edmonton there the year before but they said, ‘You can take Edmonton off.’ We can talk about the weather, we can talk about the taxes, we can talk about the attention, the number one thing is still, ‘Where do think I can win?’ Any player you want, that’s the number one thing. And players right now think they can win in Edmonton.”
Edmonton management’s strategy will be to wait, hold and go out and fill major team needs, Friedman said. “They know how hard it’s going to be. It’s still going to be hard, but they’re going to go out there and they’re going to get it. And, by the way, Edmonton is still looking for another ‘D.’ You know what I heard who would be interested in potentially playing there? Kevin Shattenkirk. That’s an example of what we were talking about, of how Edmonton is coming off the list of places where people don’t want to go. I’ve heard Shattenkirk would love to be part of that Oilers team if there’s a spot for him.”
My take
1. An interesting tidbit there from Friedman, but not unexpected. In fact, it would have been odd for more players not to be open to Edmonton, given the opportunity to win, the first-class arena, dressing room, practice rink and team facilities, the way the team treats the players, and the passion of the Edmonton fans. The only places where Edmonton will continue to struggle to compete for players comes down to weather, players who prefer a less intense hockey city, and, of course, money.
2. I’m not connected to NHL players as Friedman is but I wonder if he’s right that the most important thing to them is the opportunity to win. I’ll suggest there are two huge things for players, winning and money. Players might well take a bit less to play for a team that is a Stanley Cup favourite, and I suspect they’re more inclined to do so if they’ve already made $20 million-plus in their career, but they still will want a good pay day. That’s not always easy for the Oilers to do given the team’s cap constraints.
3. Edmonton is going to have to fill out its roster in coming years with drafted players who have trained in Bakersfield, or young players like Ty Emberson who are on their second, or third, or fourth organization, or with veterans who have already made their NHL fortune in monetary terms but hunger for a Cup win and are willing to take a Stanley Cup discount in terms of pay. This last category will be key.
4. As for Shattenkirk, I haven’t done the work of watching all his shifts for his past 20 or 30 games, so I’m not going to hazard a guess on his true talent as an NHLer just now. When it comes to putting up points at even strength last year, he was OK.
Staples on politics
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