I can kind of see how this might work in that we do still need "hard working" grinder vets to go out there and mostly get their face kicked in most nights, while still working hard, setting an example, and clinging to somewhat closer games. You're not going to play "fun, exciting, barn burner hockey" with a team at this stage in a rebuild. The horses aren't there, and it mostly just becomes getting blown out every night. This is a bit like what the Leafs did while they were "tanking out". Filling the roster with veteran grit and fluff and filler and just trying to eek out some "close" losses with an honest effort and basically just be the hockey equivalent of a punching bag.
Problem is, it's different in one key aspect. Term. You have to keep the term on these deals under control so you're flexible enough to pivot whenever it happens that your young players do start to take that step and produce the fun, exciting, skilled hockey that really wins games in the NHL. Development of these young players can be very sudden. 4 Year term just sucks so hard, and is completely the wrong thing for this team right now.
With Beagle it's especially frustrating because on top of the term, he's not what we really needed to field a reasonably structured team in the first place. He's a worse version of what we already have in Sutter. When what we actually needed, was a Center with at least some semblance of the offensive instincts and vision to play up the lineup with younger skilled players. Even if it was obviously not going to be a "good" Top-6C here, or any kind of long-term answer...if you're going to spend on a UFA, it should've been someone who can at least play with skilled players and give us some semblance of a "2nd scoring line" behind whoever gets to play on Bo's wings.
Roussel might have even been a pretty decent signing (if not for the excessive term) in that he could be that perfect fit on Sutter's wing with a dedicated "checking unit". Something that can take some pressure off by eating all the ugliest defensive minutes and PK time, etc. But it's twice as much term as you'd want for that...and it's just made all that much worse when combined with the Beagle contract that just isn't necessary.
The way things are right now...barring a notable trade, it's like they've essentially relegated 2 entire lines to "defensive duties". Which in turn means they've more or less either penned Gaudette in as the "#2 offensive Center"...or they're thinking if they load Sutter and Beagle lines up with almost exclusively DZone starts all year, they can put Sam Gagner in the middle of an insanely soft minutes pure offensive line (a la Cody Hodgson here) with the young skilled wingers like Pettersson/Dahlen/Goldy. Playing with almost exclusively favourable offensive zone starts. Which seems unlikely in the real world where matchups aren't nearly so consistent, especially with Green at the helm.
It could almost kinda work if we'd signed these old grinders to shorter term deals...but if we're still relegating 2 entire lines to Sutter and Beagle in 4 years...that'll be a sign we're in Oilers "rebuilding the rebuild" territory.
