With all of the money spent on the first day of free agency, some of the best, sneaky, under the radar moves came from the Edmonton Oilers. Chock full of talent, but frontloaded with high dollar offense, the Oilers made some of the smartest moves of the day.
Expectations have been high and getting higher in the Alberta city since the Oilers landed one, then two and finally three of the first overall selections in three of the last four drafts. The results have shown promise, but the playoffs have been out of reach since their Stanley Cup run in 2006.
The Oilers focus was on building a supporting cast for the elite talent that was drafted. The past three seasons have been marked with a fast start, before injuries and a distinct lack of depth sunk them late in the season. While the favorable draft position has given Edmonton some elite top six forwards, there is a discernable gap between the top and bottom of the Oilers’ talent pool.
As we see every summer talent alone does not win a Stanley Cup. Hot goaltending helps, but alone cannot send a team to hockey immortality. The balance within a roster, top to bottom, with contributors on every line is key to playoff success. This is where general manager Craig MacTavish and company placed their collective focus on the Oilers this offseason.
Brad Ference, Boyd Gordon, Jesse Joensuu were added via free agency with David Perron acquired in a trade with St. Louis on Wednesday. The Oilers now have a full roster, with $7 million in cap space left. They have effectively closed the talent gap between the top four forwards and everyone else, while giving new head coach Dallas Eakins a ton of line options moving forward.
Ference, from the Stanley Cup finalist Boston Bruins won’t contend for a Norris Trophy, but he will stay at home and give consistent play in front of young netminder Devan Dubnyk. Gordon is a grinding, second to third line center who is an absolute stud in the faceoff circle. He plays strong on both ends of the ice and is a terrific locker room guy.
Joensuu became expendable with the New York Islanders because of their surplus of forwards. He can play either wing and will be a solid third to fourth line forward. Perron is a first or second line winger who typically plays the left side. He isn’t the big winger that MacTavish necessarily needed, but he will prove to be much better than the 10-goal, 25-point player that struggled with St. Louis’ Ken Hitchcock and his system.
With the key additions to the Edmonton roster, I am hardly suggesting we make an appointment to have the Stanley Cup engraved with the Edmonton roster next summer. I will suggest that Oilers' fans get ready for some playoff hockey, because their wait is coming to an end.
With a few seasons together, this young core will not back down from anyone. Coach Eakins will drive them every night to be their absolute best and I don’t suspect that they will disappoint. The 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the entire NHL, and will make some noise in the re-aligned Western Conference. Not quite ready for the Stanley Cup, but definitely a team to watch.