BY ERIC NGUYEN AND BLAIR CIPYWNYK – FAN FUEL BLOGGERS
Fan Fuel blogger and sports writer Eric Nguyen and his good friend, the self-proclaimed wannabe sports GM Blair Cipywnyk team up to bring you Sports Talk: a stimulating week-to-week discussion about various topics around the world of sports.
This week’s topic: The draft needs and rebuilding plans of the Edmonton Oilers.
EN: Let’s start off with what everybody is asking: Who should the Oilers take at number one? Or should they trade away the pick?
BC: It’s quite simple. The Oilers need to take Nail Yakupov. Simply put, he’s way too good to pass on.
EN: I’ll agree with that to some extent. What isn’t debatable is who should go number one overall. Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting is the complete package on offence. He should go first overall and will go first overall. My only concern is whether or not the Oilers should keep the pick and take him or trade down to possibly pick someone else.
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BC: Everybody that follows the Oilers knows that defence is likely the Oilers’ biggest need. That being said, as good as Ryan Murray is, Yakupov is too good to pass on. Plus, look at the track record for picking defenceman early in the first round. Erik Johnson, Cam Barker, Thomas Hickey – the jury is still out on those guys. In recent memory, most of the defencemen taken with the early picks in the first round have failed than turned into successful NHL players.
EN: Ok, but let’s look at it from this perspective then: As “stacked” as the Oilers are at forward, eventually, those skilled forwards are going to need someone to distribute the puck to them from the blueline. Ryan Whitney seems like a decent choice, but he’s not durable and probably a little too old to build a blueline around. I see Murray as a staple on the blueline for the next 20 years – he skates effortlessly and has tools to be effective on both sides of the puck. He’s not flashy, but he’ll get the job done.
BC: The Oilers are obviously in need of a puck-moving defenceman, but it’s also a lot easier to trade for a puck-moving defenceman than a franchise scoring winger. Let’s not forget that Justin Schultz is a real possibility for the Oilers this off-season.
EN: Looking at the Oilers depth chart, it seems as if the Oilers have a decent amount of firepower on offence. A top six of Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, Smyth, Gagner and Hemsky should be serviceable.
BC: Simply put, the Oilers don’t have consistent scoring outside of the “Kid Line.” Edmonton has an abundance of mediocre forwards that cannot provide consistent scoring. Also, look at the free-agent class this year. Parise and maybe Semin? That’s it. At least with Yakupov, you know that you’re getting a dynamic offensive forward for possibly many, many years to come.
EN: It doesn’t seem like Parise will be an option anyways right? Parise may or may not stay, but maybe he’ll be motivated to stay in New Jersey thanks to their Cup Final appearance. But if he’s hitting the open market, the Red Wings are going to be all over him and Suter to remedy the departures of Lidstrom and likely Stuart.
BC: Exactly.
EN: What about this thought? Devan Dubnyk is a serviceable goaltender, but he has consistency issues over a long-stretch of starts. If the Oilers want to immediately improve, upgrades on the blueline and in the net would be the most feasible. How about trading away the 1st overall pick to the Canucks for Cory Schneider and a future Canucks’ first rounder?
BC: Why are you interested in Schneider all of a sudden? Is it because he’s “available?” The Canucks would need their heads checked if they are going to decide to choose Luongo over Schneider.
EN: It’s not so much choosing Luongo over Schneider, but rather Yakupov and Luongo over Schneider and a first round pick. It meets the needs of both sides.
BC: I’ll just say that the Oilers need to be thinking long-term. Getting Schneider will make the Oilers better next year, but not good enough to be a serious Cup contender. The Oilers need to take a little bit more time. Take Yakupov knowing that the team still has a lot of holes that need to be filled.
EN: And that’s exactly my mentality about the Oilers too. If the fans (and management for that matter) are willing to wait just a little longer on the Oilers, they have the potential to be very good. Pick Yakupov, but pick him knowing the team still hasn’t addressed their needs on defence. The Oilers will likely finish with a Top 10 pick again next year (assuming they add no big names via free agency) and after they use that pick to pick a defenceman, then the Oilers can really turn to winning.
EN: Lastly, let’s talk Radulov: yay or nay? He could go for real cheap and be a nice fit onto a 2A/2B line on the Oilers. Maybe Radulov-Gagner-Yakupov and Smyth-Horcoff-Hemsky? Putting him on a line with Yakupov could rub off badly on Nail, but it’s probably important that the Oilers sit him down first. I think the Oilers could get him for a low round draft pick.
BC: He needs to have the right attitude to be with the Oilers. He’s a big danger to be a bad influence and he will also want a lot of ice-time since he’s easily a top six player in the KHL. If he doesn’t get what he wants in the NHL, he’ll leave to get almost everything he wants in the KHL.
EN: As we wrap up, what should the Oilers do with the number one pick? Take Yakupov. He’s definitely first overall material, but expect the Oilers to be another non-playoff team by a longshot next season. Unless a big name UFA is available, the Oilers should not get swooned into overpaying for anybody this off-season.
BC: Agreed. Nail Yakupov is the one. He’s dynamic and allows the Oilers to have a much better top six. Retaining him in the future with all the other young guys could be an issue, but cap space is coming. Hemsky is expendable now too. Khabibulin’s departure and Smyth’s re-worked contract will provide cap space. Whether or not the Oilers will choose to move or keep Hemsky is another issue. Horcoff should also be a prime candidate for an AHL stint with his contract and relatively poor performance.
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