We'll start off with the first trade, where the Oilers traded their longtime No.1 goalie Devan Dubnyk to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks. Hendricks is a bottom six player who is on a long four year deal, which many don't have in the NHL when they are playing low minutes like himself. Edmonton, who needs better players because they are a terrible team, picked up a player paid 1.85M until he's 36 who has a staggering 4 points this season. At 32 years old, this means his deal is not over until he's 36, meaning decline is inevitable, something that has already started happening this year for him. The Oilers just went through decline with a player around his age, in Eric Belanger, who at ages 34 and 35 was a famed whipping boy after scoring 4 goals and 19 points in 104 Oiler games, before the team bought him out in the summer. He's another "locker room specialist" player on a terrible contract, a guy who the Oilers have had many of over the years.The Oilers also just moved a similar "locker room" guy, Mike Brown, who was cheaper, although I believed moving Mike Brown was a major positive for the team getting better on the ice. Ethan Moreau is a decent comparison for Matt Hendricks, who had his own 4 year deal in his 30s, who also suffered major decline on the way to a buyout for him after the 2010-11 season. With a shining 0.20 PPG, Hendricks has less points per game than former Oilers enforcer Georges Laraque. Jerred Smithson, who cost the Oilers less than Hendricks, was at least cheaper, playing a much similar role, and Ben Eager is another player proving that you can lose your NHL ability as a role player quite easily, especially when you play for the Oilers. David Poile just totally fixed his summer screw-up.
As for Devan Dubnyk, he had a fantastic season last year, and this year was more shaky, although his poor defense in front of him was the catalyst for many of the goals he let in this year, if not the majority. Devan, who is a guy with a fantastic attitude with the media, is someone I see doing well somewhere else, and I wish him the best. I hope he proves Oiler doubter fans and Craig MacTavish wrong by playing well for Nashville down the stretch before Pekka Rinne comes back from injury. Not only did Nashville steal him for half of his salary, but they also shed a terrible contract they had locked up for 4 years. It's a great day for them.
As for Ben Scrivens, he may have success in Edmonton, he may not. The LA Kings have D, and the Edmonton Oilers don't, so I don't view him as an upgrade over Dubnyk until he proves he can be the man. It's frustrating to see the Oilers trade a 3rd rounder, a high one to be frank, for a guy who the Kings had no intention of re-signing. If Ben wants to walk at the end of the year, which is very possible because his wife is from LA and doesn't seem to like cold weather environments, the Oilers will have traded two useful assets for a bad contract. Great management. Also, what was stopping Edmonton from keeping Bryzgalov and Bachman for the rest of the season if Scrivens was their target? They could have waited until July 1 when he becomes a UFA and keep the pick. It's not like they are in a playoff race. I was an advocator for keeping Dubnyk on board as a 1B option for next season, because I don't think he's done in the NHL and with an improved D in front of him, he could be an excellent value play for teams this summer. After ten years of developing their first round pick, the Oilers traded it for a character guy who is already on the trail of crashing and burning, showing both poor asset development, management, and ultimately, repeating their old mistakes. It's just another day for Kevin Lowe and the lowly Oilers.
As for Devan Dubnyk, he had a fantastic season last year, and this year was more shaky, although his poor defense in front of him was the catalyst for many of the goals he let in this year, if not the majority. Devan, who is a guy with a fantastic attitude with the media, is someone I see doing well somewhere else, and I wish him the best. I hope he proves Oiler doubter fans and Craig MacTavish wrong by playing well for Nashville down the stretch before Pekka Rinne comes back from injury. Not only did Nashville steal him for half of his salary, but they also shed a terrible contract they had locked up for 4 years. It's a great day for them.
As for Ben Scrivens, he may have success in Edmonton, he may not. The LA Kings have D, and the Edmonton Oilers don't, so I don't view him as an upgrade over Dubnyk until he proves he can be the man. It's frustrating to see the Oilers trade a 3rd rounder, a high one to be frank, for a guy who the Kings had no intention of re-signing. If Ben wants to walk at the end of the year, which is very possible because his wife is from LA and doesn't seem to like cold weather environments, the Oilers will have traded two useful assets for a bad contract. Great management. Also, what was stopping Edmonton from keeping Bryzgalov and Bachman for the rest of the season if Scrivens was their target? They could have waited until July 1 when he becomes a UFA and keep the pick. It's not like they are in a playoff race. I was an advocator for keeping Dubnyk on board as a 1B option for next season, because I don't think he's done in the NHL and with an improved D in front of him, he could be an excellent value play for teams this summer. After ten years of developing their first round pick, the Oilers traded it for a character guy who is already on the trail of crashing and burning, showing both poor asset development, management, and ultimately, repeating their old mistakes. It's just another day for Kevin Lowe and the lowly Oilers.