Oilers send Puljujarvi to AHL, waive Gustavsson

[Mr. Guru]

It wasn't barzal and Stephens, forget about them. It was the 16th and 31st pick.

I'd rather the 16th pick alone than Reinhart I think.

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It wasn't barzal and Stephens, forget about them. It was the 16th and 31st pick.

I'd rather the 16th pick alone than Reinhart I think.

[Axeman33]

It wasn't barzal and Stephens, forget about them. It was the 16th and 31st pick.

I'd rather the 16th pick alone than Reinhart I think.

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It wasn't barzal and Stephens, forget about them. It was the 16th and 31st pick.

I'd rather the 16th pick alone than Reinhart I think.

It was the 16th and 33rd pick actually. Those two picks ended up being Barzal and Stephens.

[Mr. Guru]

Who cares what they ended up as.

That means nothing.

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Who cares what they ended up as.

That means nothing.

[doulos]

In all fairness, that doesn't say much.

I don't have a crystal ball either, but I'd be willing to bet that contract doesn't look great in a couple years.

I could be wrong but I like my chances.

It doesn't say much on a last place team. It says a lot more on a much better team like they are this year. Maybe Sekera's contract will be bad in the future, I really don't know. But right now he's easily earning his contract with the team with his very good on ice play.

[doulos]

Who cares what they ended up as.

That means nothing.

I agree actually. I really don't like that trade at all. I also suspect neither did Chiarelli and think there was more behind that whole story. Could be wrong though and ultimately he was the GM when that trade went down and he needs to be held accountable for it. Reinhart has been a huge let down and those picks likely would have been much more useful. I doubt the Oilers would have picked Barzal at that spot anyways.

[The Comish]

Devils advocate.

Oh so now you're a New Jersey fan!? Big Taylor Hall fan were ya? Weak.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Everyone says the Reinhart deal was bad, but I am not sure how anyone can say anything about that deal. The Oilers dealt the 16th (Barzal) and 33rd pick (Mitchell Stephens) to the Islanders for Reinhart.

Can anyone tell me what Barzal and Stephens have done in the NHL career to this point that is any better than what Reinhart has done? The Oilers and Islanders aren't playing fantasy hockey. Who the hell are any of us to know if Barzal or Stephens will turn out at all in the NHL?

We can all assume value based on their Jr careers but who really knows what either of those kids will be in the NHL, where it really counts. I am not going to call that deal a bust until I see what they actually traded away in NHL value, not just in assumed name value.

In perceived value, it "looks" bad on paper but the game isn't played on paper. I've seen my fair share of quality Jr prospects not be able to fulfill their Jr success at the NHL level (Griffin Reinhart is a name that comes to mind).

Devils advocate.

The Islanders used that 33rd pick + another 3rd rounder to move up to #28 and draft Anthony Beauvillier.

If the Islanders wanted to trade Barzal and Beauvillier right now, they could get a proven top-4 D-man in return. They don't need to prove anything at the NHL level, they have plenty of trade value already. If the Oilers wanted to trade Reinhart right now, they could maybe get a 4th round pick. That's a huge difference.

[Axeman33]

Oh so now you're a New Jersey fan!? Big Taylor Hall fan were ya? Weak.

No, I am far from a Devils fan, but I am still a Taylor Hall fan.

[Axeman33]

The Islanders used that 33rd pick + another 3rd rounder to move up to #28 and draft Anthony Beauvillier.

If the Islanders wanted to trade Barzal and Beauvillier right now, they could get a proven top-4 D-man in return. They don't need to prove anything at the NHL level, they have plenty of trade value already. If the Oilers wanted to trade Reinhart right now, they could maybe get a 4th round pick. That's a huge difference.

Yes, I am aware of the Islanders moving up with that 33rd pick. I do follow the draft as well. To be honest, I think Beauvillier has more value in the NHL than Barzal. He's had an excellent start to his young career and looks like a smart pick for the Islanders at this point.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Yes, I am aware of the Islanders moving up with that 33rd pick. I do follow the draft as well. To be honest, I think Beauvillier has more value in the NHL than Barzal. He's had an excellent start to his young career and looks like a smart pick for the Islanders at this point.

Good, then you can stop using Stephens to try to prove your point. He has nothing to do with the equation because we don't know if the Islanders or the Oilers would have drafted him with that 33rd overall pick. Maybe Beauvillier himself would have been available if the Islanders didn't trade up. Or maybe the Oilers would have drafted Brandon Carlo with that pick instead? He was ranked on the 1st round by many and the Oilers desperately needed (still do) someone like him in their organization. So if you think it's important to put names to those picks, then why not put Barzal and Carlo there. Or better yet, how about Chabot and Carlo? That's right, the Oilers could have Chabot and Carlo on their blueline now if they didn't do the Reinhart trade. How good does that trade look now?

[doulos]

Good, then you can stop using Stephens to try to prove your point. He has nothing to do with the equation because we don't know if the Islanders or the Oilers would have drafted him with that 33rd overall pick. Maybe Beauvillier himself would have been available if the Islanders didn't trade up. Or maybe the Oilers would have drafted Brandon Carlo with that pick instead? He was ranked on the 1st round by many and the Oilers desperately needed (still do) someone like him in their organization. So if you think it's important to put names to those picks, then why not put Barzal and Carlo there. Or better yet, how about Chabot and Carlo? That's right, the Oilers could have Chabot and Carlo on their blueline now if they didn't do the Reinhart trade. How good does that trade look now?

Or the Oilers could have drafted two plugs that never do anything with their careers as well. However, even if that were true, the trade was still bad, as they would at least have 2 useless plugs instead of just one in Reinhart!

[Jouko-Pouko]

Or the Oilers could have drafted two plugs that never do anything with their careers as well. However, even if that were true, the trade was still bad, as they would at least have 2 useless plugs instead of just one in Reinhart!

Good reply and yeah, that's very much possible especially considering how bad the Oilers have been at drafting outside the top-10.

But if we assume they would have taken a D-man with both picks, at least ISS ranking had Chabot as the highest ranked D-man available at #16 and Carlo as the highest ranked D-man available at #33, so it's not like I just took best case examples from the draft that would have been odd selections at time. Both of them were highly ranked, and I remember thinking before the draft that Carlo is such an obvious choice for the Oilers at #16. I didn't think he would have been the best player available at that spot but with his size and right-handed shot, it just seemed like the Oilers would reach for him at that spot. Of course I didn't know Carlo would become so good so quickly but that's besides the point - drafting him definitely would have made sense for the Oilers, and that's no hindsight.

TSN ranking had Carlo ahead of Chabot and Kylington between the two of them, so of course it's possible they could have gone with Kylington as well (although that's unlikely since he ended up slipping so far). But the point is that if they had kept their picks and chose D-men with both, they would have at least one of Chabot or Carlo now and possibly even both if they had just gone with ISS ranking and not spend one penny on their scouting department.

[doulos]

I just don't think trying to figure out who they would have drafted instead really is helpful. There's simply no way of knowing. But regardless, it doesn't even matter. Even just the value of the picks, as picks, is worth more than Reinhart right now. They took a gamble on a young player and it totally bombed.

[rataylor22]

Puljujarvi going to the World Championships, meaning he ends his rookie season at 28 GP, 41 Games on active roster, 8 points. What I decision to burn that RFA year for no good reason. Especially with the long term contracts on the books and McDavid's 14 million extension coming, that negotiating year to bump his salary could cost the Oilers.

[Axeman33]

Puljujarvi going to the World Championships, meaning he ends his rookie season at 28 GP, 41 Games on active roster, 8 points. What I decision to burn that RFA year for no good reason. Especially with the long term contracts on the books and McDavid's 14 million extension coming, that negotiating year to bump his salary could cost the Oilers.

Thanks for caring so much.