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If you’re a fan of the Edmonton Oilers, you likely have a slick move made by Edmonton Oilers (interim) GM Jeff Jackson that you just can’t get out of your head. There are plenty to pick from this July given the success of Jackson in retaining and attracting talented players.
Your favourite deal is not necessarily the best move that Jackson made this July, the single move that will most improve the team. But the deal that stands out for you as Jackson’s sharpest piece of business is almost certainly the kind of transaction we didn’t always see from previous Edmonton Oilers GMs, although most of them can lay claim to a few such deals.
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For example, as much as some folks wanted more out of former GM Ken Holland, almost everyone loves his trade of Tyson Barrie and prospects for Mattias Ekholm.
And as much as most fans were happy to see the axing of Peter Chiarelli, fans were also pleased early on in his tenure when he traded picks for Cam Talbot, moved failing goalie Ben Scrivens for Zack Kassian and brought in Patrick Maroon from Anaheim for a fourth round pick.
This July, though, it’s fair to say that Jackson has hit the sweet spot of working out deals for less money and less term than previous Oilers GMs could get.
My pick for move of the summer
My own most memorable Jackson move this summer was his signing of Adam Henrique. For me, it stands as a particularly deft transaction for a few reasons.
First, the Oilers have been searching forever for a functional third line that can hold their own against tough competition. Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark made for a beast of a checking line.
The Oilers finally got this combo together against the Florida Panthers, but only after losing the first two games of the series. It was a key tactical adjustment. Like all good things, I wish it had come sooner, but that’s the rule with all good things. It came when it did and it made a dramatic difference.
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My hope heading into free agency was that somehow Jackson would find the cap space to keep two of the three players from this line (all of them unrestricted free agents)on the team, but I never was so greedy as to expect all three to come back. But first Brown, then Janmark and finally Henrique signed new contracts, taking deep discounts, all on July 1.
Edmonton’s certain to move players around on lines next year, but the coaching staff has to know now that it’s got a winner in this checking line, a line that can free up either the McDavid or Draisaitl lines to faceoff against weaker competition, a massive tactical advantage for the Oilers.
Second, if we look at the market for centre forwards in the Henrique-class, it’s evident that the Oilers got a huge Stanley Cup discount on the Henrique contract. The market paid much more for this kind of centre, but Henrique’s desire to compete for the Stanley Cup lured him back to Edmonton.
What was the market for this kind of centre in July 2024? I found five centre/wingers comparable to Henrique who signed this free agency period. Only one of them, Matt Duchene, had a higher points per 60 rate at 5-on-5 Henrique.
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Duchene was at 2.18 per 60 minutes 5-on-5, Henrique 1.87, with Sean Monahan 1.84, Chandler Stephenson 1.66, Elias Lindholm, 1.39 and Alex Wennberg 1.27.
All five of the others got special team time like Henrique did last year, with Stephenson, Monahan, Duchene and Lindholm getting more time than Henrique on the power play, and Lindholm getting more time on the penalty kill. Henrique had the highest rate of hits per 60 in 5-on-5 play.
All of them signed on July 1 or 2, but when it came to salary, the other five averaged $5.5 million per year over four years of term. Henrique was signed for $3 million per year over two years of term. If he’d gone for the money, and was able to get market price, he would have signed for $5 million-plus over two years, the shorter term related to his age. Henrique is 34, Duchene, 33, Stephenson, 30, Monahan, Lindholm and Wennberg, all 29 year of age.
Of course, many fans are thrilled at the signings of attacking wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, while others are super keen on the cap-friendly trade of Ryan McLeod for hot shot prospect Matthew Savoie, a deal which could well have the most upside if Savoie reaches his potential.
But the Henrique trade met a massive need right now. It solved a problem the Oilers have had for years, the lack of a solid third line centre. It gives the Oilers the key link in that vital and necessary third line. And it could be the key move in bringing Edmonton a Stanley Cup in the next two seasons. It’s the Jacko deal that is most memorable for me.
How about you?
P.S. In other news… Leon Draisaitl with his own best move of the summer. Congratulations to both of them on the engagement.
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