Bolstering The Right Side

With Jordan Eberle relegated to (temporary?) third line duty and Jesse Puljujarvi playing three minutes a game, the Oilers don't have much choice but to go shopping for a right winger.

By Jeff Chapman@NewWaveOil Jan 6, 2017, 8:33pm MST

Admittedly, I partially want to see him in an Oiler sweater to watch Calgary burn

Thanks in large part to Patrick Maroon's hat trick, the Oilers emerged victorious in Boston last night. Yes, Connor McDavid was elegant and fancy and all of his usual superlatives that we humans tend to laud onto generationally talented teenagers, but the fact remains that the hole on the right wing of this club remains gaping and massive.

Let's take a look at the right wing boxcars from last night, along with some time on ice. Shall we?

DRAISAITL: 0-1-1, 21:07, 2 SOG
KASSIAN: 0-0-0, 18:05, 1 SOG
EBERLE, 0-0-0, 13:23, 2 SOG
PULJUJARVI, 0-0-0, 3:23, 0 SOG

Forgive me, but that's no screaming hell. And, you're taking a huge risk in making the Oilers a one line team by taking Draisaitl off of the second line to play him on the right of McDavid. Unless this line is going to score three goals every night, this risk will likely come with some consequences in the near future.

ALSO

What the hell is going on with Jesse Puljujarvi? Three minutes? Knock it off. Play the man, or send him to the AHL. What are you getting out of three minutes? What is Puljujarvi getting out of three minutes? Darcy Hordichuk level usage is what he's getting. On with it.

The Oilers could benefit from two right wingers if Puljujarvi is playing roughly twelve seconds a night. But let's keep it simple for now. Let's get one real live NHL winger who can play top six in order to bolster up the right side. I know buying at this time of year is a weird sensation for us all, but let's take the plunge together.

Who's out there?

Jarome Iginla - Colorado Avalanche

Cap hit: 5.33MM, UFA 2017

Getting Jarome Iginla would be great if for no other reason than it would irritate the Flames fans in your life. While that certainly would be worth the price of admission, Colorado is melting in the standings, and acquiring a veteran who can step right in is what counts. Iginla has just ten points in thirty eight games (5-5-10), and at age 39, you might think that he's out of gas. That's fair, but he's played with Blake Comeau and John Mitchell the most this year. Yes, the John Mitchell! He's played almost as much with Carl Soderberg, but if Iggy is willing to waive his NMC for a shot at the playoffs (it's weird writing that), the Oilers ought to go in.

Jaromir Jagr - Florida Panthers

Cap hit: 4MM, UFA 2017

Jaromir Jagr is the stuff that legends are made of. He'll be 45 in a month from now, and he's on pace to hit 50 points in this, his 26th NHL season (don't forget about the three years he spent in the KHL some years back). The second all-time leading scorer is still putting up numbers on a team that's bottom-five in goals per game (2.31). If Florida remains out of the playoff push, can the Oilers acquire an all-time great, even if for one playoff push?

P.A. Parenteau - New Jersey Devils

Cap hit: 1.25 MM, UFA 2017

Ah yeah, the guy the OIlers should've picked up when he hit waivers before the season began. You know, for zero assets. It's not too late to trade a conditional draft pick! Maybe that one that you got for Nail Yakupov. Yeah, that's it. Trade a third round pick that could become a second if Nail Yakupov scores fifteen goals. Book it. Done. The former ninth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks back in 2001, Parenteau is on pace for 35-40 points on a Devils team that scores even less than the Panthers (2.28).

Literally Anyone Else On The Colorado Avalanche

Boy oh boy, who else is for sale over there? Relax, you guys. Drafting first is fun.

Eleven

Take out Leon Draisaitl from the top line, and eleven is the number of goals that the rest of the right side has scored in half a season. That's not ten per cent of the 113 goals that this team has scored. No, that doesn't include Tyler Pitlick, who would nearly double that number with eight goals. Yes, it does include Jesse Puljujarvi's one goal, Zack Kassian's two goals, and Jordan Eberle's eight.

The Oilers are paper-thin on the right side. Acquiring one of these pending UFA wingers would give the Oilers a much needed option for player deployment. It would help bright some more offence on the right side, and it shouldn't break the bank in doing so.