EDMONTON — We may one day look back and conclude that consecutive July 1 busts are the reason this team fell one or two games short of its goal.
But in the here and now, general manager Stan Bowman can’t sit around and cry over spilled milk. Or stay sour — sourdough? — over the Andrew Mangiapane signing.
The window to win a Stanley Cup is wide open in Edmonton, perhaps even more so with the state of the Pacific Division and an Eastern Conference playoff bracket that will not include the Florida Panthers.
As such, Bowman forged ahead at the deadline with some pretty decent moves, dumping Mangiapane’s remaining term and salary, acquiring the heavy, right-shot defenceman that was needed in Connor Murphy, and landing the kind of third-line centre we haven’t seen in this town since Michael Peca, with the arrival of Jason Dickinson.
“Just such a solid defensive centreman,” is how Murphy describes Dickinson, with whom he spent the last four seasons in Chicago killing penalties and playing against opponents’ best players. “The last few years, he's matched up against the top lines of every team and done a great job of it — whether it's in the faceoff circle or on the penalty kill.
“He’s a leader and a veteran player that's so calm — a calm presence. He's a big, big player.”
The Oilers, we know, can beat you when McDavid and Draisaitl play 26 minutes each. Or when they’re paired together, the rest of the team basically watching from the bench.
What has eluded them, however, is the ability to beat good teams consistently while rolling four lines — or even three lines.
McDavid has always played against the other team’s top line. If that becomes Dickinson’s role, to some extent, we would ask: Where are those minutes coming from?
“You never want to take minutes away from Connor and Leon. But, yeah, there's an element to that,” explains Bowman.
He and head coach Kris Knoblauch envision a scenario where you can ice any of McDavid, Draisaitl or Dickinson for a defensive zone faceoff and not worry about who the opponent sends over the boards. In theory, Dickinson’s presence also helps when Knoblauch puts 97 and 29 on the same line in a game where the goals just aren’t coming.
But, mostly, a solid, defensive centreman in the No. 3-hole is just good for business. Ask any coach that had Sammy Pahlsson, Manny Malhotra, Guy Carbonneau, John Madden or Craig MacTavish at his disposal.
“In the playoffs, (where you play against the) same team, seven-game series, matchups really, really matter,” Bowman said. “Now we've got three centres that we can put out there on the road in the defensive zone, and not be holding our breath that they won't put their best players on the ice.”
In the process of divesting himself of first- and second-round draft picks this week, Bowman brought in pending UFAs in Dickinson and Murphy, and shipped out Mangiapane’s $3.6-million cap hit for next season as well.
But despite his foibles — the Tristan Jarry-Stu Skinner trade may yet go down as the most lopsided deal made in the National Hockey League this season — Bowman has managed to stock his roster with sub-25-year-olds. Guys like Vasili Podkolzin, Matt Savoie, Ike Howard, Josh Samanski, Ty Emberson, and now, local kid Colton Dach.
On a veteran team that doesn’t hit much, Bowman brings in Dach. He led the Blackhawks in hits, and is perhaps a guy who will pair well with farmhand winger Connor Clattenburg one day soon.
“Docker has an engine and is a big guy (six-foot-four, 220 pounds). He has some poise with the puck in the corners for a young guy,” said Murphy. “Coming into the league for his first year, to be able to impose his will on teams is important.”
“He's one of those guys,” Murphy added with a smile. “It's like a fun, goofy, young guy that gets along with everyone. He's accepted right away by all the teammates and vets, which sometimes isn't as easy to do as a young guy. That speaks a lot about his character.”
This team needs some characters, to be sure. And it needs some size and guys willing to do the dirty work.
But before all that, it needs a Stanley Cup.
We’re not here to say these deals make them a favourite, but they’ve got more than a puncher’s chance out West.
And, if the goal is to distract folks from what’s been happening on July 1, how about this for an idea:
Hold a parade on June 29. See if that works.
