The Edmonton Oilers and those shiny objects?
David Staples of the Cult Of Hockey: The same refrain presents itself here. Ken Holland must stay away from the Gabriel Landeskog‘s of this world and even Zach Hyman. Instead, his focus should be on Adam Larsson (who will likely test the free-agent market).
The Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bet is risky enough as his contract goes well into his 30’s. One hopes he can maintain his foot speed and scoring prowess. These free-agent players do not have that elite scoring ability consistently enough.
Landeskog will put a lot of mileage on his body based on the way he plays the game. He has a better chance of being somewhat proficient in the scoring department into his 30’s but again, injuries could take a toll. There are lots of risks involved and the player wants $8-9 million AAV? That is a red flag.
The same goes for Hyman. Talk of a 6×6 deal should be a sign alone to stay far away. Predictably, Holland will still look under the hood. It is a case of looking at what is in the system rather than chasing the shiny objects.
Adam Larsson to definitely explore the free-agent market
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic: Again, the significant part here is the following quote.
“As we speak today, there’s a real possibility that Larsson wants to explore the market,” Oilers GM Ken Holland said.
Again, that feels like buzz words for yes he will test the waters. Larsson earned that right to do so as he searches for the right contract. The odds may diminish but Edmonton feasibly could offer the defender a 5 x 5 deal or something close. That could be all it takes to keep Larsson in Edmonton.
It does not seem like the two parties are that far apart. J.P. Barry, his agent, has not acknowledged it in so many words, and yet he has.
Negotiations can change in a blink of an eye and there are still ten days or so to go.