Oil Change | A New Era in Edmonton

[OilCountry93]

Oilers Add Franson and Gravel, Beef Up Defense

This past Thursday on July 9th, the Edmonton Oilers completed yet another goal in their offseason plans as they added coveted right-handed defensemen Cody Franson and top prospect Kevin Gravel via Free Agency. Franson was long rumoured to be interested in signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs but ultimately the Oilers signed the defensemen to a 2 year deal worth $5.000 million annually. Franson is expected to be a nice replacement to Jeff Petry and will factor in on the Oilers second line D pairing and special teams. Franson recorded 32 points in 55 games for the Maple Leafs but struggled later last season once traded to the Nashville Predators as he only recorded 4 points in 23 games. Kevin Gravel is only 23 years old and projects to be a solid top four defensemen in the future. Gravel was widely sought after by many teams and rivalled Mike Reilly in the Free Agency market before deciding on the Oilers. Reilly, however, ended up signing with the Minnesota Wild. Gravel was signed to a 2 year, two-way contract, with an annual value of $775,000. Gravel could see an NHL stint with the Oilers if injuries occur to their blue line this year but will start the year in Bakersfield in the American Hockey League.

Insider Look:

Oilers Acquire:
Defensemen Kevin Gravel [74 Overall High Top 4 D Potential]
Defensemen Cody Franson [84 Overall Exact Top 4 D Potential]

[OilCountry93]

Oilers Continue to Tweak Team

The Edmonton Oilers continued to revamp their squad this offseason as last Sunday the Oilers acquired defensive prospect MacKenzie Weegar and a 2016 Fourth Round Pick (FLA) from Florida in exchange for defensemen Nikita Nikitin. The Panthers, who were two million short of reaching the cap floor, inquired about Nikitin multiple times according to GM OilCountry93. Nikitin's $4.500 million price tag helps the Panthers reach their cap floor while also giving the Panthers a top six defensemen on an expiring contract. The Oilers, meanwhile, manage to free up cap space for this year and bring in another young defensemen in MacKenzie Weegar, who may be able to eventually play in the Oilers bottom pairing as well as a fourth round draft pick.

Insider Look:

Oilers Acquire:
Defensemen MacKenzie Weegar [73 Overall High 7th D Potential]
A 2016 Fourth Round Pick [FLA]
Panthers Acquire:
Defensemen Nikita Nikitin [82 Overall Exact Top 4 D Potential]

[OilCountry93]

Oilers add Grit in Trade with Stars

General Manager was busy once again on the trade market as he acquired gritty left winger Antoine Roussel alongside defensemen Patrik Nemeth in exchange for enforcer Luke Gazdic, skilled prospect Marc-Oliver Roy, and a 2016 Third Round Draft Pick. Roussel is expected to factor in on the third forward line for the Oilers while Patrik Nemeth may battle for a third line defensive role with the Oilers. The Stars acquire 2013 Second Rounder Marc-Oliver Roy back in the deal as well as enforcer Luke Gazdic and a 2016 third round pick. The most important aspect of this deal is it frees up much needed cap space for the Stars, as the were originally $2.150 million over the salary cap before the trade with the Oilers.

Insider Look:

Oilers Acquire:
Left Winger Antoine Roussel [82 Overall Low Top 9 F Potential]
Defensemen Patrik Nemeth [75 Overall Medium Top 6 D Potential]
Stars Acquire:
Left Winger Luke Gazdic [78 Overall Medium Bottom 6 F Potential]
Centre Marc-Oliver Roy [71 Overall Medium Top 9 F Potential]
A 2016 Third Round Pick [EDM]

[OilCountry93]

Oilers and Flames Grudgingly Execute Trade

On August 11th 2015, longtime rivals Calgary and Edmonton completed a trade in the National Hockey League. General Manager of the Flames, Brad Treliving, addressed his team needs by adding a scoring winger from the Oilers. The Oilers sent winger Benoit Pouliot and a 2016 Fourth Round Pick (EDM) to the Flames in exchange for promising goaltender Joni Ortio and gritty winger Lance Bouma. As GM OilCountry93 stated, "it's always tough to trade with your biggest rival. Those players you trade away may come back to haunt you. But this deal is a really good deal for us and makes a lot of sense. Eventually we agreed upon it." Treliving managed to clear up his crowded crease in Calgary, as Jon Gillies figures to be the goaltender of the future in Calgary and may even push Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo for time in the NHL this year. The Flames, who also signed Michael Frolik and Justin Williams in the offseason, are quickly becoming a top team in the Western Conference. One thing is for sure, the battle of Alberta just got more interesting.

Insider Look:

Oilers Acquire:
Goaltender Joni Ortio [79 Overall Medium NHL Backup Potential]
Left Winger Lance Bouma [78 Overall Low Bottom Six Potential]
Flames Acquire:
Left Winger Benoit Pouliot [84 Overall Exact Top 6 F Potential]
A 2016 Fourth Round Pick [EDM]

[OilCountry93]

Oilers Sign Husso

Today, the Edmonton Oilers have announced that they have signed prospect goaltender Ville Husso to a three year deal worth $575,000 annually. Husso, who was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the third round (94th overall) in the 2014 Entry League Draft. Somehow, the goaltender passed through all National Hockey League Free Agent regulations and hit the open market. Many teams were interested in the services of Ville Husso including the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and Minnesota Wild. Husso eventually decided on signing in Edmonton on August 19th 2015. "You look at the additions they made this offseason and I think it's an exciting time to be a part of this organization." said Husso to a reporter. Husso may one day challenge for the Oilers' starting job in the crease. A ton of praise has to go to Oilers' GM OilCountry93 as he has considerably improved this team and hit on almost all of his team needs.

Insider Look:

Oilers Acquire:
Goaltender Ville Husso [72 Overall Medium Backup Potential]

[johnstone1987]

A lot of moves! Things might go your way this season!

[vinaa23]

You have a lot of work to do with this Oilers team but I see you're already getting started. Shame to see Nikitin go, I always liked him. But you made some nice moves there. Good luck, friend.

[OilCountry93]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnstone1987

A lot of moves! Things might go your way this season!

Lots of moves, hope they're realistic! I needed to put my "fingerprint" on the team as Peter Chiarelli called it. I really like the moves I made and think we may be a competitor this year.

Quote: Originally Posted by vinaa23

You have a lot of work to do with this Oilers team but I see you're already getting started. Shame to see Nikitin go, I always liked him. But you made some nice moves there. Good luck, friend.

Definitely a lot of work to go. At least I have a starting goaltender and some quality defensemen, something the Oilers didn't have last year. I really like Nikitin as a player, he brings some snarl to the lineup but I had too many left handed defensemen on my roster and he was the odd man out. I looked at moving out Mark Fayne but he was a right handed defensemen and has 3 years left at $3.600 million so for realism's sake I thought teams would be more interested in Nikitin's pricy ($4.500 million deal) yet expiring deal (1 year left as opposed to 3).