Value of: Jayden Struble to Edmonton

[Nico Cauzuki]

Doubt hes worth much i rather keep him hes decent and plays with grit we need to trade Harris

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Physicality is fine if you can do other things well. But if you can't then it is not a big plus. Kulak has been very good three playoff years in a row. The defense on the whole was excellent without Desharnais and they did manage to make it to game 7 of the final. I doubt that Struble would have been the guy to put them over the top.

Oiler’s fan creates thread looking for value of Struble then we are told he can’t crack their line up over 3rd pairing journeyman Brett Kulak and isn’t worth what we got for Kulak, so keep Kulak and close thread I reckon.

 

[Jared Dunn]

They already have a good cheap replacement for Kulak in Broberg

Very different player with a lot more upside, also isn't signed yet and no, I don't think he is that - neither Josh Brown or Troy Stecher should be more than a #7. In any case I think trying to dump Ceci and upgrade there is where they should be focused, as they should have last trade deadline

 

[Fourier]

Oiler’s fan creates thread looking for value of Struble then we are told he can’t crack their line up over 3rd pairing journeyman Brett Kulak and isn’t worth what we got for Kulak, so keep Kulak and close thread I reckon.

The quote below seems to suggest that soem Hab fans do not share your belief in what Struble would return. In fact, I'd say that this quote represents a fair assessment of the situation.

I'm not sure Montreal is looking to move him right now. A 3d rounder is likely his actual value, but Montreal has plenty of picks in the system.

I wouldn't be surprised if Harris is the next one moved out, Struble's physical play is something Montreal doesn't have enough of.


Reinbacher and Mailloux are RD, so they are unlikely to push him out.

The real issue is Guhle returning to LD, Hutson and Xhekaj likely taking the 3 regular LD spots, but given how often defensemen get hurt, having Struble as a 7th D option isn't a bad thing.

The fact that one Oiler fan expressed interest in him does not mean that he would play ahead of any of the Oilers current top 7 defenders including Kulak. Unless he took a big step forward in the preseason he wouldn't. That is just a fact. Is there a scenario where the Oilers would be interested? Sure. They could decide to move out Kulak and Ceci for cap purposes to improve the second pairing RHD which is where their real need was. In this case you have

Ekholm Bouchard
Nurse New guy
Broberg Stecher

In this case, Struble would be a cheap #7 option who might play. But right now the situation is:

Ekholm Bouchard
Nurse Ceci/Broberg
Kulak Broberg/Ceci
Stecher

The reason Stecher probably stays even if the Oilers had Struble right now is that in a pinch he could slot into the second pairing RHD spot. Struble's cap hit is also almost $100K higher that Stecher which for a team spending to the cap matters.


The Oilers also signed Josh Brown who is 6'5 220lbs. He had a decent year last year in AZ. Right now he is probably AHL fodder unless they move one of Ceci or Kulak. But he was AZ's most physical regular defenseman and like Struble he can skate. Unlike Struble he is a RHD which is where the Oilers are thin and he has almost 300 games of NHL experience.

So as you can see despite one poster's interest in the player, as a team the Oilers don't really need to complicate their situation on the backend further to add a player who is unlikely to play. Basically, the only way I think they would consider such a trade is if he were part of the return in a trade involving Ceci. And since such a trade makes no sense for the Habs unless there is a considerable sweetener, which then make no sense for the Oilers. Habs fans in this thread have mentioned Holloway as a possible key to such a deal while acknowledging that this was unrealistic, which is 100% the case. As such it would seem that if you want more than a 2nd and a 4th for Struble it would be best to look elsewhere.

 

[Fourier]

Very different player with a lot more upside, also isn't signed yet and no, I don't think he is that - neither Josh Brown or Troy Stecher should be more than a #7. In any case I think trying to dump Ceci and upgrade there is where they should be focused, as they should have last trade deadline

I don't think any Oiler fans sees either Stecher or Brown as long term solutions in the top 6 and almost universally we would agree that upgrading Ceci is the priority. But at this point an upgrade would be a challenge given the cap situation. They may well look to make that move at the deadline even if they do trade Ceci now.

The Oilers should be fine in the regular season with either Stecher or Brown in the line-up. But no, going into the playoffs with either as starters would not be ideal. With respect to this thread though, Struble does little to mitigate that.

 

[Jared Dunn]

I don't think any Oiler fans sees either Stecher or Brown as long term solutions in the top 6 and almost universally we would agree that upgrading Ceci is the priority. But at this point an upgrade would be a challenge given the cap situation. They may well look to make that move at the deadline even if they do trade Ceci now.

The Oilers should be fine in the regular season with either Stecher or Brown in the line-up. But no, going into the playoffs with either as starters would not be ideal. With respect to this thread though, Struble does little to mitigate that.

Like I said, I think dumping Ceci and upgrading is the play, Kulak is worth his contract.

The way Struble would make some sense is if it's too difficult to move Ceci to open up that cap. I don't think Kulak would be as hard to move and you wouldn't lose much on ice value by replacing him with Struble. If it put them in a cap position where they can accrue cap space throughout the year to add a legit Ceci upgrade, I could see it making sense for them

 

[Fourier]

Like I said, I think dumping Ceci and upgrading is the play, Kulak is worth his contract.

The way Struble would make some sense is if it's too difficult to move Ceci to open up that cap. I don't think Kulak would be as hard to move and you wouldn't lose much on ice value by replacing him with Struble. If it put them in a cap position where they can accrue cap space throughout the year to add a legit Ceci upgrade, I could see it making sense for them

Even so, if they moved Kulak but kept Ceci, they probably go with Ceci/Nurse and have Broberg as the 3rd pair LDH with Brown and Stecher as the #6/7 options.

If the Oilers could get Struble for a 3rd or 4th maybe they might bite. But why do the Habs even consider that right now? Otherwise why not sign one of the leftover LHD's for no assets. If they moved Kulak the would have room for a guy like Kylington on a cheap show-me deal. Or even resign Tyson Barrie for insurance on the right side.

Again, I am not saying Struble has no value. It's just unlikely that the Oilers would spend the assets necessary to get him right now since those assets can almost surely be used elsewhere.

As to trading Ceci, I really don't think it would be that hard to do. He gets a lot of flack because he is viewed as the weak link on the Oilers defense, in good part because he and Nurse don't work that well together. But as a veteran RHD with one year left at $3.25M he is fair value. It's not like he has been a disaster with the Oilers. He's averaged over 20 points and a +10/yr in his three years. They might not get much for him but reports suggest that there is a market. It's just that until they can replace him trading him leaves a hole.

 

[lakai17]

Even so, if they moved Kulak but kept Ceci, they probably go with Ceci/Nurse and have Broberg as the 3rd pair LDH with Brown and Stecher as the #6/7 options.

If the Oilers could get Struble for a 3rd or 4th maybe they might bite. But why do the Habs even consider that right now? Otherwise why not sign one of the leftover LHD's for no assets. If they moved Kulak the would have room for a guy like Kylington on a cheap show-me deal. Or even resign Tyson Barrie for insurance on the right side.

Again, I am not saying Struble has no value. It's just unlikely that the Oilers would spend the assets necessary to get him right now since those assets can almost surely be used elsewhere.

As to trading Ceci, I really don't think it would be that hard to do. He gets a lot of flack because he is viewed as the weak link on the Oilers defense, in good part because he and Nurse don't work that well together. But as a veteran RHD with one year left at $3.25M he is fair value. It's not like he has been a disaster with the Oilers. He's averaged over 20 points and a +10/yr in his three years. They might not get much for him but reports suggest that there is a market. It's just that until they can replace him trading him leaves a hole.

Ceci and Kulak are expendable of course. No knock on them at all but this defence core is still mediocre at best.

I'm not saying Struble is the answer on defence as theirs lots of work that's needed to be done unfortunately. I don't believe you've watched any film on Struble but I could be wrong. He wasn't supposed to get the call from Montreal that early into the season but injuries are part of the game. He stepped in and performed as if he already played in the NHL before.

He has the tools to be a consistent 2nd pairing at least. He is capable of playing a physical game but can also jump up on the rush if necessary. Some decent hockey i.q for sure. He can skate. He's better than Stecher overall I'd say but that's my opinion. Some good mentors for him on the team today to let him elevate and grow his game I believe.

 

[Fourier]

Ceci and Kulak are expendable of course. No knock on them at all but this defence core is still mediocre at best.

I'm not saying Struble is the answer on defence as theirs lots of work that's needed to be done unfortunately. I don't believe you've watched any film on Struble but I could be wrong. He wasn't supposed to get the call from Montreal that early into the season but injuries are part of the game. He stepped in and performed as if he already played in the NHL before.

He has the tools to be a consistent 2nd pairing at least. He is capable of playing a physical game but can also jump up on the rush if necessary. Some decent hockey i.q for sure. He can skate. He's better than Stecher overall I'd say but that's my opinion. Some good mentors for him on the team today to let him elevate and grow his game I believe.

I live in Ontario and grew up in Edmonton as die hard a Habs fan as could be for almost two decades. Now it would not be true to say that I am still a big supporter, but I still follow the team to a degree and probably see more Habs games than any other eastern team other than the Oilers or (unfortunately) the Leafs. So I have seen Struble play, probably a half dozen times this year including at least a couple of times vs the hated Leafs. Honestly, I can't say I really remember being all that impressed with anything outside of his physical presence, though I also did not really pay all that close attention. The Habs have kind of been a rotating wheel of young defensemen with various flavors of the day so he seemed to me to be just another in that group. So while it would be a lie to say I have deep personal experience with this player I am also not ignorant to what he brings to the table.

My sense is that he's a good skater and he is definitely physical, but otherwise he was a typical rookie defenseman playing a fairly minor role on a team that was more focused on who it would draft than winning. (That's not a shot at the Habs by the way. They have a bright future but right now are still in the building phase.)

Whether he ever becomes a consistent second pairing defenseman is still up in the air. To do so he will need to either find some offense in his game or really take big strides forward defensively. If he were a RHD maybe being better than Stecher (which can be debated) would matter, but he is LHD with 56 NHL games. The Oilers are not going to use him in place of Stecher on the right side and he is not going to beat out Broberg on the left.

Bottomline is that right now he is not going to help the Oilers so if the price is what some Habs fans suggest, ( and I don't blame them since they have no reason to move him without an over pay) I don't see him being a target for the Oilers.

 

[Theodore450]

I’m really high on Struble. I can see him being a top4 D like Oduya or stralman

 

[biturbo19]

I don't really see much point in the Habs trading Struble.

Yes, he's caught in that mushy cluttered mess at the fringes of the Habs defensive NHL depth chart...but that's also part of why it doesn't make much sense to move him. He's in those margins where the value to a team like the Habs is greater in the small chance that his development trends more sharply upward, than just restarting the clock on another mid-round pick when they're already flooded with prospects.

They've also kind of cleared up the logjam in the short-term by moving Kovacevic for a pick. That made sense as the guy to move, as sort of the most "proven" or "veteran" that a team might actually pay the pick for. With the most concretely established "low upside" from the Habs end. At his age, he be what he be.

So they've got a starting group of something like:

Matheson-Savard
Guhle

And some mix of Xhekaj, Struble, Harris, Barron to round out their 7D...with room for one of Hutson/Mailloux/Reinbacher to crack the roster if they force their hand and look ready which would bring it to 8. But there's zero rush. Nothing wrong with letting guys marinate in the AHL for a bit. Piece of gateau.

There will also inevitably be injuries over the year, and almost certainly at least one more roster spot will open up for them on defence at the deadline when a guy like Savard is moved. Will also have had time to take a longer look and possibly a last look at a guy like Barron. So those AHLers will get their cups of coffee in one way or another.


So there's really no reason to make any sort of moves for the Habs. Their best move at this point, with the highest potential "return on investment"...is to just let these depth guys muck it out and see who rises to the top and who sputters out. Hope someone among Struble/Harris/Barron takes another step and establishes themselves as more than a depth D.

Or gives them time to figure out who they want to ship off for someone else to tinker with as a depth project. Barron probably being the most likely as the only one with much realistic "Top-4 Upside"...but also probably the lowest floor of the group who are otherwise all decent enough #6/7 NHL D at this point, at worst.



On the shorter end...Don't even really see why the Oilers would need Struble anyway. A team in their sort of window is better of spending whatever pick/asset on some sort of veteran, playoff seasoned depth D at the deadline instead. Or using that asset to package up for some bigger upgrade at the deadline.

 

[pth2]

So there's really no reason to make any sort of moves for the Habs. Their best move at this point, with the highest potential "return on investment"...is to just let these depth guys muck it out and see who rises to the top and who sputters out. Hope someone among Struble/Harris/Barron takes another step and establishes themselves as more than a depth D.

Or gives them time to figure out who they want to ship off for someone else to tinker with as a depth project. Barron probably being the most likely as the only one with much realistic "Top-4 Upside"...but also probably the lowest floor of the group who are otherwise all decent enough #6/7 NHL D at this point, at worst.

If no one really takes a step forward in development, I figure Harris goes as a serviceable 3d pairing guy who can play either side. Likely wouldn't fetch much.

If Barron shows some real promise and other teams can see him as top-4 who just requires more development, then I could see him traded for something of interest.

 

[Jared Dunn]

I’m really high on Struble. I can see him being a top4 D like Oduya or stralman

Ben Chiarot if he had a brain

 

[HabsQC]

We will gift him to you for future considerations....


If you also take one of Anderson or Gallagher

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Ben Chiarot if he had a brain

So he’s worth 2x1sts then?

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Weird trade. Not much reason for Montreal to trade him, not much reason for Edmonton to trade for him.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

Struble looked very good last year establishing himself as a useful & reliable young D. However, he is more valuable to the Habs, right now, than the Oilers as they chase the cup.