The Merrimack Warriors' season is officially over as Cornell's win in the consolation game in the ECAC tournament cemented Merrimack's spot outside of the top 15 in the Pairwise rankings -- meaning the team is now unable to obtain an entry into the NCAA Tournament.
I've talked about Bigos at length previously - he's enormous, mean, versatile and mobile - traits that no other defenseman in the organization or system possess, meaning Bigos would be a tremendous addition to either the Oilers or the Barons. Bigos may not be ready for the NHL, but if the Oilers can sign him to an ELC, the last ten games of a lost season are an ideal time to find out what the big blueliner is capable of against tough competition.
I've noted the difficulties the Oilers might face when it comes to signing Bigos:
There remains a small issue of signing him to a contract - if Bigos stays for his senior season with the Warriors, he'll become an unrestricted free agent next summer and at that point will no longer be bound by entry-level contracts. Those close to Bigos may advise him to stay in school and wait for the new CBA and/or avoid a possible contract rollback.
Bigos finished at #23 in our Top 25 Under 25, but with a bullet. In an organization starved for defense, 23 with a bullet could be top seven material.