The Edmonton Oilers were big-game hunting heading into the trade deadline. They failed to land the top target they were after, but by all accounts had major interest in Mikko Rantanen. In fact, not only were they looking to trade for him, but they were said to be willing to offer him a long-term extension for more money than the eight-year, $96 million deal he signed with the Dallas Stars.
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Hearing that the Oilers offered that much money is somewhat shocking, given that they just locked up Leon Draisaitl long-term and need to figure out an extension for Connor McDavid this offseason. Creating that much space from a salary cap perspective wouldn’t have been easy, but the Oilers obviously believed they had a way to make it work. Now, fans are turning their sights to another forward star they may pursue in the offseason.
Marner’s Future Uncertain
The future surrounding Mitch Marner is starting to ramp up. After a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that he was asked by the Toronto Maple Leafs to waive his no-movement clause ahead of the trade deadline, it’s starting to feel more and more likely that the 27-year-old will hit the free-agent market this offseason. With 21 goals and 79 points through 62 games, he’s likely to earn a contract similar to the one Rantanen just signed.
Should Marner hit free agency, the Oilers may somehow have the money to sign him, considering they were willing to give a huge bag to Rantanen. From Marner’s perspective, heading to Edmonton makes plenty of sense. He’s close with McDavid, was good friends with Zach Hyman during their time together in Toronto, and would have a legitimate opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.
My colleague Jesse Courville-Lynch recently suggested the Oilers target Marner in the offseason. You can understand the logic, as he would be the scoring winger they desperately need and would make them the deepest forward group in the NHL. Watching Oilers games with Marner in the lineup would be great fun, though when it comes to team success, they are better off looking elsewhere.
The Oilers went into this past offseason with the mindset of adding more offensive talent, and it burned them. Granted, Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson aren’t in the same stratosphere as Marner, but many felt they’d make a big difference. What many, including management, ignored was their need for some help on the back end as well as in between the pipes.
Rather than putting all their remaining dollars together to sign Marner, the Oilers would be better off adding a legitimate top-four defenceman (whether via free agency or trade) and perhaps addressing their goaltending. If they still believe their goaltending is okay the way it is, the remaining money could then be used to look at another scoring winger, one that would come with a much cheaper price tag than Marner.
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This isn’t an indictment on Marner, who by all accounts is a fantastic player. He would help the Oilers when it comes to scoring goals, but that isn’t their biggest issue. They desperately need help on the back end, and that should be their biggest target this coming offseason. It may not be as fun as bringing in a player of Marner’s calibre, but it is the better decision when it comes to helping this team reach its ultimate goal.
Oilers Need Better Gameplan
As exciting as adding Marner would be, the Oilers need to enter this offseason with a clear plan, one much better thought out and strategized compared to last summer. Ideally, they will distinguish a top-four right-handed defenceman to pick up, and from there, add a goalie who can play in a tandem role with Stuart Skinner. Filling both those needs will be more beneficial to this team than adding Marner, no matter how elite of a player he is.
