The Edmonton Oilers didn’t exactly have a banner July 1. The organization had a chance to plug some major holes in the lineup. But judging from the moves, the team is no better off after July 1 than it was before.
Leaving the questionable hiring of Mike Babcock aside, the Oilers really didn’t make any serious attempts to shore up confidence in Edmonton as a Stanley Cup contender.
Let’s start with the most evident need for the club: Starting goaltending.
Last season, the club moved on from Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. That move was long overdue. But the replacements, Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram, didn’t quite work out. In fact, Ingram, the guy that led the Oilers to the playoffs, has pretty much walked away in free agency.
The solution Stan Bowman came up with was a washed-up prospect and a veteran. There was a time when Devon Levi was a solid goaltending prospect. However, he just couldn’t find his game in Buffalo. Apparently, Edmonton thinks there’s something there. If Levi can find his game in Oil Country, well, that would be a home run.
But it’s rare that a Stanley Cup contender would hang so much on a 24-year-old goalie.
Then, there’s Frederik Andersen. He’s coming off a Stanley Cup championship. As such, why would the Carolina Hurricanes just let him walk away? If he were part of the organization’s plans, the Canes would have easily topped what the Oilers offered.
So, banking on a tandem of Jarry and Andersen next season is something that fans should really be concerned about.
Nurse Trade Looked Bad for Oilers
To Bowman’s credit, it’s impressive that he pulled off the Darnell Nurse trade without retaining any salary. The talk had been that the Oilers would have had to retain a bunch of that contract just to get it off the books.
Well, that wasn’t the case. And in return, The Oil didn’t get very much. Yes, Shakir Mukhamadullin is a solid young defenseman. He’s a former first-round pick and packs size and punch.
But he’s not really going to be more than a middle-pairing guy at best. All right, so the Oilers don’t really need that right now. Yes, but what did the Oilers do with the cap space they saved from Nurse’s contract?
What to read next:
Edmonton Didn’t Do Much with Cap Savings
Had the Oilers turned Nurse’s cap hit into other serviceable pieces, it would be easy to justify the trade. Instead, the organization signed Ryan Shea to essentially replace Nurse. That’s not necessarily an upgrade.
Then, the club lost Jack Roslovic and bottom-six forward Adam Henrique. What’s the plan to replace those guys?
The Oilers have over $7 million in cap space and will need another top-six forward and a bottom-six center. That’s not really doable with that cap space. Unless Edmonton is banking on Isaac Howard and Matthew Savoie to really step up this season, it’s tough to see the club get scoring beyond their main guys.
Ultimately, the Oilers are a one-trick pony. It’ll be Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl carrying the entire offense, while praying that Evan Bouchard can keep the defensive gaffes to a minimum.
And there’s also the matter of Andersen and Jarry somehow coming up with great seasons to paper over the lack of scoring the Oilers will surely encounter.
Oilers Are No Better Off Now Than They Were Before July 1