Who might the oilers zone in on at Defence?

[metaldude26]

Yes it was a head-scratcher for Nashville to give up so much for a guy that very obviously had no place on their team. But I think Franson is a good top pair option for a team like the Oil. He puts up solid offensive numbers, can be a monster at times. His eagerness to hit people is an area of leadership that a timid young team like Edmonton could benefit from. I guess it all depends on cap hit and term, like always. The Oilers have to get serious about their back end, signing Franson out of FA if no trade develops would be an expensive but useful upgrade. Then re-sign Schultz and things look quite a bit better.

I think if you are signing Franson to be a top pair option you've already lost the battle.

[Doug Glatt]

Like I said, it all depends on cap hit and term. The Oil need to do something to upgrade that blue line, its a real mess. Re-signing Schultz is the right move but it is also just status quo. I will take Franson on my top pair over Schultz every single time. Franson has flaws, he's not a great skater and the 2nd pair/PP1 would be the best spot for him in a perfect world, but he's the best that is available and he is without doubt a major upgrade to their top 4 D group. Maybe the late season bust will keep Franson's market within reason.

[metaldude26]

Like I said, it all depends on cap hit and term. The Oil need to do something to upgrade that blue line, its a real mess. Re-signing Schultz is the right move but it is also just status quo. I will take Franson on my top pair over Schultz every single time. Franson has flaws, he's not a great skater and the 2nd pair/PP1 would be the best spot for him in a perfect world, but he's the best that is available and he is without doubt a major upgrade to their top 4 D group. Maybe the late season bust will keep Franson's market within reason.

I'm not projecting Schultz for top pairing duties either. I think neither one is qualified at this point. Given the way the UFA market tends to go you are paying top pairing prices for a guy like Franson, it's just going to happen. Too many teams need defensemen and Franson has the offensive numbers to campaign for a big salary bump. If I know that I'm paying an offensive defenseman then I'm paying the younger RFA because I can keep costs down and hope he grows into a bigger role.

I maintain Sekera is the best UFA target. Strong possession numbers even on bad teams and doesn't need to be a top power play guy to be effective. Might even come cheaper after a quiet year offensively. That he was the Kings' deadline target speaks volumes.

[Axeman33]

Analytics play into todays game so I am sure Sekera will be looked at hard by the Oilers for the reasons MD26 mentioned. He would be a solid addition to the backend.

[butch]

my gut feeling tells me the isles and oilers could make a deal involving G.Reinhart .

Chia and Snow have a good trading relationship and I believe the old guard (lowe/macT) came close to pulling the trigger on a deal mid-season to aquire him.

[JagrBomb]

my gut feeling tells me the isles and oilers could make a deal involving G.Reinhart .

Chia and Snow have a good trading relationship and I believe the old guard (lowe/macT) came close to pulling the trigger on a deal mid-season to aquire him.

something tells me the oilers are going to go after more proven talent then prospects.

theyll try their luck at FA and see if they can get guys like ehrhoff, martin etc to sign, if not then go the trade route.

and their big plan this summer is to acquire phaneuf so that's all that matters anyways, itll be like winning the mcdavid lottery all over again.

[Axeman33]

something tells me the oilers are going to go after more proven talent then prospects.

theyll try their luck at FA and see if they can get guys like ehrhoff, martin etc to sign, if not then go the trade route.

and their big plan this summer is to acquire phaneuf so that's all that matters anyways, itll be like winning the mcdavid lottery all over again.

Agreed. The Oilers already have a decent group of prospect D in the system, finding their way. I am not saying Reinhart won't be a good one, but he's not quite what the Oilers really need today.

I could see guys like Sekera (mentioned earlier), Green, Franson, and/or Ehrhoff as primary targets for their backend issues.

[kevinsrangers]

id love to see a guy like green or phanuef there. give the young D. some time before they're the big guns in town.