During yesterday’s broadcast, and very much everywhere else,

something came up when the issue of re-signing Derek Roy was discussed that

just doesn’t make a lot of sense. There is the perception out there that the

Oilers should wait until at least the draft lottery before they ink their 2C to

an extension. This is nonsense.

The thinking goes like this (I think): The Oilers are in a

great position to draft first or second overall and if

they do they should be getting one of two draft eligible centers who most believe

can jump into NHL action next season. Signing Derek Roy would not only complicate

where this 18 year old kid would play in the lineup but it would be entirely unnecessary

because these guys are already NHL ready and would be the Oilers’ 2C come

October.

Yes. The fear from some is that Edmonton might just have TOO

MANY centers next fall if they extend Derek Roy.

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Well, I’m just here to remind you of two things.

1) The Oilers haven’t had this problem since Gagner was a

rookie

2) That would be a wonderful problem to have

The Oilers’ relative draft position should play absolutely

no part in the signing of Derek Roy. And, if it does, then the club has learned nothing from the debacle that they created for themselves because

they went into this season with no experience down the middle of the ice.

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How quickly some people manage to forget the Oilers were (in

large part) undone because too much was expected of Leon Draisaitl as a raw NHL

rookie. Why would anybody want to go through that again?

“But McDavid and Eichel are special!”

Yes, they are. They have proven themselves to be a cut above

the rest and McDavid is on a level above Eichel even. Sidney Crosby said that

McDavid is better than he was at that same age. It’s incredible praise and the

numbers support the claim: Crosby scored

102 points as a rookie.

But let’s not forget also that the Penguins were terrible

that year. That was 102 points by Crosby that were essentially wasted on a team

that wasn’t able to compete. Their depth was brutal and they took a couple

years to build it around him AFTER he was there. The Oilers could have that

kind of depth BEFORE their most talented player arrives.

The object is to win games and you start getting there when

you add good players to your team, not when you switch them out constantly.

“But where would (our new shiny toy) play?”

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Great question, I’m glad you asked. It may come as a shock

but even with Derek Roy the Oilers aren’t a great team. It turns out

that this version of the team is FILLED with AHL and superfluous talent. There

is plenty of room for talented players on the wings if necessary. My mock

lineup in the event that the Oilers draft first or second in June looks like this.

Hall RNH Eberle

Pouliot Roy Yakupov

Hendricks Gordon Klinkhammer

Lander McEichel Purcell

It’s really not a terrible lineup at all. It gives the

Oilers the opportunity to bring Leon Draisaitl (who is now killing it in

Kelowna and leading the WHL in Estimated Points per 60) slowly if necessary.

Most importantly, it doesn’t rob the Oilers of the experience it needs.

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“But Lander isn’t a winger, you jerk!”

Somebody has to play the wing and the NHL is littered with

former centers playing the wing. Perhaps one day soon the Oilers wont have Boyd

Gordon or Derek Roy will walk away and then your beloved Lander will get to

play his natural position again and Leon Draisaitl can also take a spot on the

big club. Stamkos started on the wing. MacKinnon played on the wing. Heck,

Messier started on the wing. Lots of good players begin their NHL careers away

from their natural positions. It wouldn’t kill Lander and it sure as heck wouldn’t

kill McEichel if the Oilers were so lucky to draft him.

THEY OUTWEIGH THE CONS

The list of benefits for signing Derek Roy to an inexpensive

and short term extension outweigh the cons by far. In fact, from my perspective

it seems so obvious that even I’m wondering how the rug will be pulled out from

under it (because this is the Oilers and it’s always a trap).

1) It keeps more than 700 games of NHL experience in the top

six. We can’t possibly overstate how important that is on such a young team. The

top six drives your NHL club. They are the offensive engine of the team and the

last time I looked you still need to score goals to win games. The Oilers do

not have another offensively minded center with any other experience than the

misery of losing in an Oiler uniform.

2) It gives the coach lots of options. We touched on this

already. With Derek Roy in the 2C spot the Oilers can shelter their shiny new

draft toy to any degree they choose. They will not be exposing this kid the way

they exposed Leon Draisaitl. If players get hurt there will be options already

on the team that can take over duties at center as well. Above all else, there

would be NHL talent all the way through the lineup.

3) It gives the manager lots of options. A “surplus” of

centers means some of those regular wingers could become expendable. I don’t just

mean that the team can let players go for nothing, but more so that they could

move them for pieces they desperately need. MacTavish can go big game hunting

on the blueline dangling Jordan Eberle or he can get creative and retain salary

for Purcell and pick up depth or maybe a goaltender.

4) He is making Yak a player. Not to take all the agency

away from Yakupov, but Derek Roy looks like the best thing that ever happened

to former first overall pick. Roy is there to support Yakupov in a way

that nobody has ever done before at this level and the results are speaking for

themselves. Even though I am one of Yakupov’s biggest supporters, there’s no

question that it looked like he was heading down a path of mediocrity. A lot of

that might have just been bad luck (terrible PDO fuelled by a horrific on-ice

shooting percentage) but I don’t think anyone can deny that with Roy he is now

playing the best hockey of his life. Resigning Roy now doesn’t guarantee that

the good times will continue, but it sends the message that they still care

about his development. Yak turned down a chance to play on the top line because

he wanted to stick with Roy. He made a commitment to Roy and the Oilers could

do the same.

I would re-sign Roy on a short term deal for this quote alone. -bm #YakCityRising pic.twitter.com/0avk0pnK51 — OilersNation (@OilersNation) February 19, 2015

5) He’s already here. Yesterday a report came out saying that the most undesired place to play is Edmonton. The team is terrible, the weather is atrocious,

the media scrutiny is high, the fans are rabid, and there has been a coaching

carousel since MacTavish left. The best way to convince a player that this

could be a great place to play and live is to get them here first and let them

experience it first-hand. Well: mission accomplished. Roy is here, has found a

playing partner, has experienced more success per game than the rest of the

available players will see looking at the season as a whole, and he needs a new

contract. Passing on Roy means overcoming all the obstacles of attracting

players without the chance to let them experience it first. Good luck with

that.

6) He has incredible hair. Edmonton’s style goes up significantly

with Derek Roy in the city limits.

The notion that there’s a scenario at the draft lottery

where it stops making sense to re-sign Roy doesn’t hold any water. Maybe

ESPECIALLY if the Oilers win the lottery or stick with the second pick

they should re-sign Derek Roy. So if the Oilers don’t want to ink him to a new

contract then let it be for some other reason than that they might want to make

room for another 18 year old. Let it be because his possession numbers are low

or because the team covets a more complete player. Let it be because his hair

is just too damn good looking. Literally any other reason to delay signing him

would make more sense than because of what might happen at the draft.



