Value Deals 2017-18: Getting The Best Bang For Your Buck

There’s nothing like getting a good deal. When the Oilers can swing a deal or a signing that pays off well beyond the dollars, that’s a time when management deserves much praise for making a good deal.

I’m going to exclude Connor McDavid from this conversation, simply because his base salary is nine hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. That’s like six bucks a point. The Oilers have a couple of candidates on the roster that could make the case for superb value in 2017-18. Let’s talk about a few of ‘em.

JUSSI JOKINEN

This is a good deal. I squealed like a whale when this deal was signed. Jokinen is 34, an age where a lot of uncertainty creeps into one’s game. But let’s be honest, Chiarelli could do a lot worse than offering a one year deal at 1.1 million. Freshly bought out of a deal in Florida that would have seen him make four million in the final year of his contract, Jussi Jokinen will make a fraction of that as a member of the Oilers. Jokinen scored 28 points in 69 games with the Panthers last year. That might not seem like much, but I’ll make a bet with you that there will be some folks making near twice that number that won’t hit 28 points. Solid.027

PATRICK MAROON

This deal doesn’t stop paying for itself. Anaheim will continue to pay 33% of Patrick Maroon’s deal in 2017-18, which means that the Oilers will absorb just 1 million on the cap for the man who played very well alongside Connor McDavid in 2016-17. Maroon’s 27 goals in 81 games was an unexpected and very welcome surprise last season. With 2017-18 being the final year of his deal, a 50 point season could very well make his next deal a monster.

OSCAR KLEFBOM

The Oilers have Oscar Klefbom for six more years at 4.16MM, and it didn’t cost them Taylor Hall to get him. If we’re just talking points, his 38 points are right after Patrick Maroon on the scoresheet. If we’re just talking defence, we’re talking about a guy who chalks up more than 22 minutes of ice time a night, one who took just three minor penalties all of last year, and would absolutely cripple the defence if he were to miss any period of time. The Oilers are up against a rock and a hard place with Andrej Sekera missing up to half the season with an ACL injury. Losing Klefbom would require the Oilers needing about five goals a night to stay afloat.

Cam Talbot could easily have been included in this list, as well as a few others. Which player will provide the most bang for their buck in 2017-18?