Grade Holland’s deadline (week)

[Spawn]

I think our team could potentially be comparable to the recent Penguins cup winning teams if the chemistry comes together.

We're gonna be massively underrated.

We don’t have the goaltending of those Pens teams unfortunately. Not unless Skinner finds some consistency.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

PULJUJARVI
Dumping Jesse will prove to be the wrong decision, but I acknowledge the situation. He never felt welcomed, we handcuffed ourselves and when we tried to reverse course late, the damage was already done. I'm happy to see him in Carolina that will be a good fit for him. This trade gets an "C-". Avoids an "F" because we did need to shed money, however the reason we needed to shed money was Ken's mismanagement of the cap

EKHOLM
Lovely trade from Holland. I was floored that people were crying about Barrie when this went down, he wasn't needed. He was good in the room in the sense that he kept things light, he's not a competitive player though. His point totals were inflated by the PP, in which he was not the QB nor an essential piece. I hated the Schaefer pick from day one, so I was elated that we moved him in this deal. Ekholm adds a veteran competitive edge and experience to the backend. This could be bumped to an "A+" after some time, but for now, I give it an "A"

BJUGSTAD
I was ok with Bjugstad for a 3rd. Made some sense as a depth add for a run. They retain 50%, even better. Then I find out Kesselring is involved. That turns this trade from solid to a disaster. I had Kesselring, a player I've seen a ton of going back to his USHL days, as a potentiual fit as soon as next year. We dumped him for three months of Nick Bjugstad, who was healthy scratched for Minny in the playoffs last year. This trade gets an "F" from me

Overall I went with a "C". Ken did well on the big trade, but I didn't like the other two. I also don't feel he did enough to maximize this team, when we need to be going all in

Reading the grades, damn. You guys need to raise your expectations

Every season we don't win the cup under the McDavid era needs to be looked at as a complete failure. So, I liked the Ekholm deal, but I'm not sure we did enough. If we win the Cup, all is forgiven

We don’t get ekholm without dumping puljujarvi

 

[McBooya42]

I honestly thought it was more to get EK down to 6 per. The pieces didn’t seem to fit without moving someone out. Then he got Bjugstad at 450k and it clicked. He was finally able to run almost a 23 man roster even with Vinny up. It was really quite masterful and probably the reason even though Kane could have been put on LTIR retroactively he wasn’t. Now when we get to playoff time and roster size doesn’t matter we have all sorts of options.

Old lazy, bumbling Holland did alright.

 

[WaitingForUser]

We don’t have the goaltending of those Pens teams unfortunately. Not unless Skinner finds some consistency.

He could do what Murray did I think

 

[FlameChampion]

Comparing his work to the teams we're competing with for the Division:

vs. VGK - I think we did better
vs. LA - Tough to say. If Korpisalo keeps up a good season, advantage could be LA. Also while Ekholm > Gavrikov, not sure Ekholm - Barrie > Gavrikov. However three years of Ekholm is >> than 20+ games of Gavrikov.
vs. Seattle - Clearly out did them.
vs. Calgary - Holland did better, I think.

vs. Conference.

vs. Dallas - advantage Holland
vs. Colorado - advantage Holland
vs. Winnipeg - advantage Holland, but I like thier Nino pickup.
vs. Minnesota - tough to say. I think Guerin had a remarkable deadline both building future assets and bolstering his lineup for the playoffs, though I have a hard time seeing them make a real run here.

vs. the East.
Almost everyone in the East did more but I think he did well to improve their odds at taking the West and they at most they'd only have to face one of the Eastern teams.

Nice write up.

In regards to the East:

vs BOS obviously loaded up. I like their moves. Orlov, Bertuzzi, and Hathaway. Makes sense for them. They spent assets on rentals, but I think they picked guys who can move the needle (on a team that may not of even needed it). Having a great year, and owe it Bergeron/Kreijci to go all in.
vs TOR. I just dont see it really. Are they better? probably. But I dont think they addressed needs. I just see a busy bunch of trades with not a lot of needle moving. That team needs someone that can add some attitude to their top 6 like an Evander Kane. Honestly I just dont think their core is going to get it done (I think the only way they beat TB is just because TB has played too much hockey). I think they needed to add a better dman than McCabe.
vs TB. I think the Jeannot trade is honestly stupid. Its not going to make a difference to TB though. They will get free agents to sign sweetheart deals with them instead of all the wasted picks.
vs CAR I think JP is a good cheap bet by them. They got Gotisbehere and he will fit in nice there. They did ok but its pretty underwhelming. I think they will fizzle out like they always do. They really needed to go get some offensive talent that can push it in the playoffs like Meier.
vs NJ. I like the addition of Meier for them, assuming he re-signs and I am sure he will. I think he was the best forward available.
vs NYR. They did pretty well. Tarasenko and Kane will help. But when someone will only sign with you, makes the GM's job pretty easy.
vs NYI I think Horvat will be good for them. Hes overpaid but they got their guy.
vs OTT. (Will just list them here). I think Chychrun makes sense for them (more than it did for the Oilers). Fits their age of their core. I think its a smart move by Dorion (provided he doesnt get injured - which isnt all that unlikely).

I think Holland did better than TOR, TB, CAR, NYI. Probably on par with NJ, NYR and OTT. BOS did better.

I think when you look at what Holland did compared to the other playoff teams, makes me feel better about our deadline.

 

[Sheikyerbouti]

B-

Ekholm the player is a great addition. Don't like that we had to subtract from the right side to get him and should have gotten more retention (for anyyone saying teams don't retain on muli year deals look at Burns in Carolina and look at McCabe in Toronto).

Bjugstad is pretty meh. Feels like Derrick Brassard 2.0. Hopefully he is a better fit.

I don't like the fact that he didn't add another RHD.

Nurse
Ekholm
Kulak
Broberg
Niemelainen

That's good LHD depth imo

Ceci
Bouchard
Desharnais
...
Demers?
Kemp?

Feels like a single injury to any of our top 3 RHD and we're in a bit of trouble. Either playing a LHD out of position or dressing a guy like Jason Demers or what.... Philip Kemp I guess?

An upgrade on Yamamoto or at least someone who could potentially step into the top 6 would have been nice. But there weren't a lot of options available for that.

Exactly how I feel.


Demers, Kemp, and now Dineen, are our depth and that's not very good. You have to assume an injury or two happens. They would have been higher on the depth chart than kesselring, but we needed to add dmen not trade one for another

My concern is that Bouchard fails spectacularly and we are banking everything on him playing top 4

I would rather have moved mcleod to the wing and gotten a 3c too, but our cap made everything impossible

Bjugstad had me at huge. It's always a win when you add a player with size but he doesn't make a huge difference

 

[Perfect_Drug]

We don’t have the goaltending of those Pens teams unfortunately. Not unless Skinner finds some consistency.

Maybe not.

But you know their #1 Dman was Justin Schultz on their last cup win.

 

[Spawn]

Maybe not.

But you know their #1 Dman was Justin Schultz on their last cup win.

He wasn't, but your point stands that their defense was unremarkable.

 

[Mr Positive]

I would hesitate for full marks, but if having Nurse and Ekholm with a split- double top pairing makes Ceci and Bouchard play better, than it could be full marks. I would have thought a "true" RD was needed, but maybe not.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

I would hesitate for full marks, but if having Nurse and Ekholm with a split- double top pairing makes Ceci and Bouchard play better, than it could be full marks. I would have thought a "true" RD was needed, but maybe not.

We've seen Nurse carry the likes of Russell/Bear as the team's highest matchup pairing in past years, it's just that the past 2 seasons he went from "one of the highest QoCs in the NHL" to "the highest QoC in NHL history" b/c the Oilers had a lot of "2nd pair" veterans who needed to be heavily sheltered like Keith/Kulak/Barrie which goes against the entire point of experienced players. Ekholm we know is capable of playing heavy minutes with young D like Fabbro/Carrier and will likely continue doing so with Bouchard/Broberg. We don't even need Ekholm to play Nurse esque brutal minutes, just ease the workload so Nurse-Ceci can see the occasional shift against the bottom 6/bottom pair here and there.

 

[9GWG9]

After watching Ekholm in person since acquired I felt compelled to log on and give the man an A. Karlsson may have been too much of a distraction. Kiss

A+ if Kane punches the right ticket

 

[Senor Catface]

Maybe not.

But you know their #1 Dman was Justin Schultz on their last cup win.

Brian Dumoulin and Ron Hainsey played the most EV strength minutes per game that playoff run.

Followed by Maata, Daley, Schultz and Cole.

I have no idea how they won that year...

 

[yukoner88]

Brian Dumoulin and Ron Hainsey played the most EV strength minutes per game that playoff run.

Followed by Maata, Daley, Schultz and Cole.

I have no idea how they won that year...

They had a forward core that could forecheck like no tomorrow.

 

[Fishy McScales]

B. Should have gotten more retention with Ekholm by giving up more future draft picks ideally, but still a pretty solid deal.

With how many years are left on his contract it's probable Nashville wasn't interested in this.

 

[BurnabyBrawler89]

A-. I’m worried about our goaltending I wish I had some faith in Campbell but I don’t. Although very early im liking what I see in Ekholm, even Nurse looks better the seaweed man made a few mistakes last game hope he plays better today

 

[dssource]

Ekholm was the guy I wanted over any other. Helps the team with it's biggest need. We've already seen the benefit in the first 2 games and it's just going to get better. Nurse will look better. Broberg has his mentor. goalies will look better. Small, subtle defensive plays that can go unnoticed, but the puck will spend less time in the Oilers end. Let's see what Bjugstad adds, but I'm already a happy camper.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Holland convinced Puljujarvi to come back from Finland, signed him for cheap, re-signed him again for a reasonable 1 year rate (that too avoiding arbitration), and then pushed for an extension again last week, and somehow he still gets a C from some of you when he manages to shed JP's cap hit for an impact defenseman?

There's no pleasing some of you lol. JP had already made up his mind to leave.

 

[LTIR]

B+ from me.

Trading Pulju without retention or giving up a pick was big +

Ekholm and Bjugstad are good adds..

Would have been A had he managed to add a veteran RD or gotten more retention on Ekholm.

A+ would have EK in an Oilers Jersey

 

[Oilhawks]

Holland convinced Puljujarvi to come back from Finland, signed him for cheap, re-signed him again for a reasonable 1 year rate (that too avoiding arbitration), and then pushed for an extension again last week, and somehow he still gets a C from some of you when he manages to shed JP's cap hit for an impact defenseman?

There's no pleasing some of you lol. JP had already made up his mind to leave.

I think some expect the literal impossible / NHL23 type moves to give a good score. I would have given an A+ if he somehow managed to get a cheap RD fit in for insurance (tough, but not impossible). I think RW would have been difficult and would have meant Yams out. If he keeps on this heater it might have been a downgrade even.

Even a harsh outsider in The Athletic gave Holland's Oilers an 8/10 for their TDL, tied for the highest of any buyers in the West with LA (though IMO I think Edmonton's was a a little better).

 

[SwedishFire]

Ekholm was A. Bjugstad was B-.

He could easily be quicker at OReilly or Meier. If EK65 wasnt a reality, leave that and focus on other deals.

If he got Ekholm + another forward for Barrie, Jesse, Yamamoto I would give him an A.

Imagine 2024 1st + 2023 2nd + Yamamoto for O Reilly at 50%.

And then Bjugstad.

Leon mcDavid Hyman
Ekane Nuge Janmark
kostin OReilly Bjugstad
Fogele McLeod

I really really wished Leon and McDavid, as they are no 1 and no2 in the world Right now, could take a half bad player under their wings on the 1st line.

 

[McSuper]

Getting Ekholm was a great move. Not much else he could do with limited cap. Thumbs up from me.

I agree but the bold was his own doing. Imagine if we didn't have Campbell he could of went after Saros and then tried to add Karlsson in the summer.

Karlsson , Ekholm and Saros makes this team a cup favourite. I still gave him an A- because it not base on last summer it is a trade deadline poll

 

[WaitingForUser]

I agree but the bold was his own doing. Imagine if we didn't have Campbell he could of went after Saros and then tried to add Karlsson in the summer.

Karlsson , Ekholm and Saros makes this team a cup favourite. I still gave him an A- because it not base on last summer it is a trade deadline poll

There was no indication that Saros was even actually available. Other than the one tweet from some random guy. Why would Nashville even consider trading their starter?

 

[Canovin]

Goaltending should have been our biggest priority

 

[SwedishFire]

PULJUJARVI
Dumping Jesse will prove to be the wrong decision, but I acknowledge the situation. He never felt welcomed, we handcuffed ourselves and when we tried to reverse course late, the damage was already done. I'm happy to see him in Carolina that will be a good fit for him. This trade gets an "C-". Avoids an "F" because we did need to shed money, however the reason we needed to shed money was Ken's mismanagement of the cap

EKHOLM
Lovely trade from Holland. I was floored that people were crying about Barrie when this went down, he wasn't needed. He was good in the room in the sense that he kept things light, he's not a competitive player though. His point totals were inflated by the PP, in which he was not the QB nor an essential piece. I hated the Schaefer pick from day one, so I was elated that we moved him in this deal. Ekholm adds a veteran competitive edge and experience to the backend. This could be bumped to an "A+" after some time, but for now, I give it an "A"

BJUGSTAD
I was ok with Bjugstad for a 3rd. Made some sense as a depth add for a run. They retain 50%, even better. Then I find out Kesselring is involved. That turns this trade from solid to a disaster. I had Kesselring, a player I've seen a ton of going back to his USHL days, as a potentiual fit as soon as next year. We dumped him for three months of Nick Bjugstad, who was healthy scratched for Minny in the playoffs last year. This trade gets an "F" from me

Overall I went with a "C". Ken did well on the big trade, but I didn't like the other two. I also don't feel he did enough to maximize this team, when we need to be going all in

Reading the grades, damn. You guys need to raise your expectations

Every season we don't win the cup under the McDavid era needs to be looked at as a complete failure. So, I liked the Ekholm deal, but I'm not sure we did enough. If we win the Cup, all is forgiven

Ao you dont thimk Bjugstad gets resigned?
Why would Holland do that?

Bjugstad may score some goals, important ofX, good on him using his reach, but he should study Tage Thompson, cant be that hard?
And no physichality is scary.

 

[joestevens29]

B. Should have gotten more retention with Ekholm by giving up more future draft picks ideally, but still a pretty solid deal.

I was a bit surprised too. Already retaining on the guy for 3 more years, so why not take a bit more of a sweetner to retain a bit more.