NHL analyst reveals the moves Stan Bowman could make to become salary cap compliant
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NHL analyst Zach Laing revealed that once the Oilers get all their healthy bodies back, Stan Bowman will have his work cut out for him to get the team under the cap.
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to come into their own, but a problem quietly festering on their roster continues to nag at them.
Allan Mitchell succinctly identified one of the issues that has plagued Edmonton this season, but his latest piece captures another problem that Edmonton has seen all season long.
What the Oilers are without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the ice
Edmonton is clearly not much of an NHL team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the bench. However, with these players on the ice, Edmonton is clearly a legitimate contender.
"When McDavid and Draisaitl are off, Edmonton's offense falls off a cliff."
- Allan Mitchell
- Allan Mitchell
Problems begin as soon as McDavid and Draisaitl depart the ice. Mitchell's numbers reflect just a slight scoring per 60 minutes above a goal per game when the top players aren't in the lineup, which further lowers their goal share.
On defense, the bottom-six is adequate, while on the power play, little applies in terms of pressure, identity, or resistance.
This has carried forward in their recent lineup enhancements as well: Andrew Mangiapane and Trent Frederic haven't made their impact yet, Adam Henrique has provided some slight scoring, Max Jones has glimpses in brief flashes, while Jack Roslovic does appear to be better suited in the top-six slots.
Depth is clearly an issue with the Oilers. To add to the complexity, NHL analyst Zach Laing pointed out a pending salary cap squeeze.
Why Stan Bowman has an upcoming juggling act with the salary cap
Once Tristan Jarry, Jake Walman, and Kasperi Kapanen are all healed, GM Stan Bowman will have to juggle to stay within the cap.
Laing proposes the Oilers will have to trade Mangiapane, with options in a Mangiapane for Egor Zamula trade, with $600,000 retained salary by the Flyers, or they can send Max Jones, Riley Stillman, and Calvin Pickard to the AHL, or utilize a 21-man roster to procure approximately $20,900 of space.
Whether through internal adjustments or a few trades, losing games isn't an option. Another playoff run built this heavily around the top six risks overworking the stars, and history suggests that approach rarely ends well.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 30 | 193 ANSWERS NHL analyst reveals the moves Stan Bowman could make to become salary cap compliant Do you anticipate Stan Bowman making several moves prior to the trade deadline? | ||
| Yes | 149 | 77.2 % |
| No | 44 | 22.8 % |
| List of polls | ||