Colorado Avalanche: Raiding the Oilers Roster

Taylor Hall, Left Wing

Taylor Hall is an elite winger. He would instantly be our best forward and a centerpiece on our top line. On top of that, the Oilers fans do not want to see him traded, which to me makes him that much more desirable.

There are negatives though. He hasn’t been particularly durable in his career. His total games played in each of his 6 seasons are: 65, 61, 45 (lockout season), 75, 53, and for the first time ever, this season he played all 82 games.

He also gives the puck away far too often for my liking, produces poorly on the power play, and has been consistently criticized for his defensive play. Not exactly the kind of player to break the mold of the current Colorado Avalanche.

But he does have the size and physical play that coach Roy likes, and his Corsi numbers are something this team is severely lacking. Acquiring him would allow left wing Gabriel Landeskog to fit comfortably into a secondary role and would give us a clear-cut top line (whichever one he’s on).

Next: Jordan Eberle

Jordan Eberle, Right Wing

I remember watching Jordan Eberle in the World Juniors playing for Canada. At the time he was Mr. Clutch. He’s never had a chance to show that since, as the Oilers haven’t been in the playoffs.

What he has done is score at a consistently high rate. His numbers this season were lower than normal, but his offensive numbers still compare nicely with those of Matt Duchene. So by acquiring him, we’d essentially be getting a right-shooting Duchene. Doesn’t sound so bad to me.

Once again though, there are negatives. He’s rather small (5-foot-11, 181 pounds), and has been criticized as being a perimeter-style player. He also was voted by the Oilers fans as the guy they’d most like to see traded. Not a good sign.

That being said, given his unpopularity and his off season, he might be available at a bargain rate compared to a guy like Hall.

Next: Benoit Pouliot

Benoit Pouliot, Left Wing

Benoit Pouliot earned his current contract ($4 million per season through 2018/19) after a decent year and an excellent playoff run with the New York Rangers. He’s since managed to have a career year for the Oilers, scoring at a rate that would put him just behind Duchene on the Colorado Avalanche.

However, he did this while playing most of the time with Connor McDavid and getting sheltered zone starts. He also historically has never put up numbers like this. I seriously doubt he’d be able to keep up this level of production on a new team.

There’s also the suspicious fact that he’d played for 5 different teams over 5 seasons (MIN, MTL, BOS, TB, & NYR) before arriving in Edmonton, and the Oilers already tried to trade him at the deadline. I suspect that Mr. Pouliot might not be a great guy to have in the dressing room.

Next: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Center

The Nuge, as he’s affectionately known in Edmonton, is wildly popular with the Oilers faithful, and with good reason. Despite being on the small side (6-foot, 189 pounds), Nugent-Hopkins has developed into a solid two-way centerman.

Puck Prose

None of his numbers are spectacular, but none are bad either. His stats paint him as a below average NHL #1 center, which is not exactly a bad thing.

But “wait”, you might be saying, “I thought Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was an offensive star like Hall or Eberle”. Wellllll, no, not really. His offensive production has actually been pretty steady his whole career, and that production is about 50-55 points per season.

For comparison, his offensive production this season was on par with Carl Soderberg.

The one place The Nuge excels is on the power play. On the man advantage he is one of the better players in the league, which may account for his reputation as an offensive dynamo.

So do the Avs need such a player? No, not really. We already have a Carl Soderberg, and we’re already in a situation where one of our top centers probably needs to play wing.

On top of that, the Oilers would very likely want a huge return for him. He is a #1 center after all. I say let the Oilers keep him. He’ll make a great #2 behind McDavid for years to come.

Next: So is there a trade to be made here?

So is there a trade to be made here?

Of the 6 top line players Edmonton has, I’ve narrowed the list down to 2 players the Colorado Avalanche may be interested in: Hall and Eberle.

But what would it take to pry these stars out of Oiltown?

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It would take at least Tyson Barrie.

It’s well known that the Oilers have needs on defense, and specifically they need right shooting defensemen, which Mr. Barrie is. In addition, look at this quote from Micah Kowalchuk over at Beer League Heroes (an Oilers Blog):

“Assuming the best odds are landing a player like Hamonic, it means the Oilers need a second pairing defenseman with high power play skills who’s naturally a right side defenseman.”

Who does that sound like?

So is it worth it? If I’m the GM, there’s no way I trade Barrie for Eberle. He’s another player like we already have, and while his scoring will be much appreciated, this team desperately needs players who can both score and play defensively. If we’re going to trade Barrie, I don’t want it to be for yet another purely offensive player.

That being said, if there’s a chance to get Hall, and the price is right, I’d pull the trigger. Taylor Hall is the kind of guy who could easily end up in the Hall of Fame one day, and when you get a chance to land a guy like that, it’s hard to pass up. I’ve read in some places that he’s not being traded, but I have to think the Oilers would listen if the Avs dangled the right pieces.

Next: Colorado Avalanche: 4 Blackhawks Players to Consider

So overall, raiding the Oilers roster isn’t such a great idea after all. There’s only one potentially available player I’d want to pursue, and I think it’s unlikely a reasonable deal can be made there. I think we’ll have to look elsewhere for the top 6 wingers we need.