Edmonton Oilers hunting to replace Brobeg and Ceci with big name puck-mover, NHL insider reports
The Edmonton Oilers are down three out of the seven d-men who played for the team in the Stanley Cup Final, with a specific need now for a right-shot puck-mover to team up with Darnell Nurse on the second-pairing.
Philip Broberg, Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais are all out, but who is in?
No surprise that NHL insider Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff is reporting the Oilers area after a number of d-men with big names, though their play might not much that their reputations in recent seasons.
1. Seravalli was the insider who broke that the Edmonton Oilers were unlikely to match on Broberg and Dylan Holloway, so his credibility is at an all-time high in Edmonton. If he’s reporting this, I’ll take it as true fact.
2. Of course big name players like Barrie, Shattenkirk and Justin Schultz have solid reps, but their performance was down a quart or two last year or they would not be unrestricted free agents just now.
Barrie, 33, had just 19 points in 41 games for Nashville and was -10 on official goals plus-minus.
Shattenkirk, 35, who reportedly has turned down interest from Edmonton in the past, had 24 points in 61 games for Boston last year and was -2.
Schultz, now 34, had 26 points in 70 games for Seattle but was -23.
4. One interesting player is Tony DeAngelo, relatively young at 28, who had a poor season in Carolina last year, just 11 points in 31 games, though he did get into nine playoff games. But in the two previous season, DeAngelo had 51 and 42 points. He’s significantly younger in NHL years than Barrie, Shattenkirk or Schultz. If he’s healthy, fit and keen to go, is he not a strong bet to team up with Nurse?
DeAngelo and Nurse starred together on the same Sault St. Marie team in 2014-15, so if there are any questions about DeAngelo’s character, Nurse can speak to that if he’s inclined, though I should add ten years and plenty of miles have passed us all by since 2015. People change and grow.
5. Another name that’s often been mentioned is Travis Dermott, who played for Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch in major junior at Erie. He was -7 in 50 games in Arizona last year, with just seven points. He’s a left shot but he’s just 27 and knows McDavid and Connor Brown from their Erie days together.
6. When it comes to points per 60 minutes of even strength play, unheralded newcomer Ty Emberson had more last year, 1.04 per 60, than any of Schultz, Shattenkirk, Barrie, Dermott or DeAngelo. He’s going to have a shot at the job with Nurse, especially given he’s also got a solid reputation for defensive hockey. At age 24, he’s entering the prime of his career, not leaving it. I haven’t seen Emberson play, but his numbers are solid for what that is worth.
7. The week before Barrie was traded, few fans saw it coming and most thought he was doing the job well in Edmonton. I liked his play as well, though I thought if the Oilers were going to make a move, it was logical to trade out Barrie and create a spot for Evan Bouchard to work his magic in the Top 4 and on the top power play unit. GM Ken Holland, in his best move as Oil GM, traded away Barrie, a top prospect and a top pick for Mattias Ekholm. But perhaps Barrie has more gas in his tank. He’s certainly got some familiarity playing with Nurse.
