Oilers GM plans to be active in draft
Mactavish says he’s looking at trading assets in New Jersey
There are days when Craig MacTavish hangs up the phone, certain he’s close to finalizing a deal for the Edmonton Oilers, only to discover the following morning that the scenario has changed.
But the rookie general manager is certain it has been time well spent as he heads into a pivotal stretch for the Oilers. The NHL’s entry draft goes Sunday in Newark, N.J., free agency starts July 5, and there are contracts to be renewed and players to part with.
With the salary cap dropping from $70.2 million to $64.3 next season, teams have two compliancy buyouts they can start implementing now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are over. MacTavish would not say on Monday if he’s going to use them both this off-season.
He did say he plans to be particularly active at the draft and he intimated he might be able to move a player or two rather than buy them out.
The Oilers have the seventh pick in the first round and while MacTavish is willing to move it, he’s not keen on dropping so far down that the team won’t secure a skill player. And it is skill the Oilers want from the class of 2013.
MacTavish will look for the required meaty role players through free agency — and if that means surrendering one or both of their second-round picks, that too is an option. The Oilers have two selections in the second round, none in the third or fourth.
“My sense is that we try and put together some packages. The division we’re going into next year is a big, strong division and we’re going to need big, strong players who can compete,” he said. “Our team is modelled more like the current Stanley Cup champions, so we do have that level of skill, but we also need to be able to compete in the tough areas.”
MacTavish, during his predraft media briefing, said he started working the phones a few weeks ago and has spoken to virtually every general manager. There was less interest then than there is now, but he now has a sense of what some teams are trying to do.
He’s also fielded some offers for the seventh selection, but nothing that caught his interest. If the Oilers retain it, that’s a default option he’s OK with.
The priority is not to draft a player who can step into the lineup immediately, but to draft the player who’s going to have the most impact over time. If there are two or three players close on that front, then the Oilers would draft by position, with centre at the top of that list, defence next.
“We realize that at seventh, we’re going to get one of about four players. I really feel the most liquid currency is the second-round pick and we have a couple of those,” MacTavish continued. “They have more and more value as you get closer to the draft.
“We’ll get a very good player there (at seventh).
“I’m really motivated to do something to help this current roster,” he continued, “(but) as one of my counterparts said, sometimes you can feel like you’re trying to push a stone uphill.
“I want to keep an eye on the future and make sure we’re able to add at least a big piece with that first pick but outside of that, I’m open minded.
“You go through phases in this position. One day, you’re at the office certain, really optimistic, you’re going to get something that excites you. The next day it’s slowed down and you go home with a more pessimistic view.”
One of those days unfolded when the Los Angeles Kings dealt goaltender Jonathan Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Matt Frattin and a second-round pick. MacTavish, in the market for another goaltender, had thought he might have a shot at Jonathan Quick’s former backup.
What MacTavish isn’t willing to do is move an asset for a pending unrestricted free agent, nor is he targeting players who are 33 or 34 years old. He said again on Monday he will be active in the freeagent market and if the Oilers have to overpay to get a player they have targeted, he’s willing to do so.
Teams can start talking to players on July 1, but they cannot sign a deal until the 5th. The Oilers pro scouts will be in New Jersey, so the team is ready to move the day after the draft.
“There’s going to be a recruitment period and we’re pretty well prepared in that regard,” MacTavish said. “My sense is that the players we’re going to go after, we’re going to go after aggressively to see if we can land someone.” Oil Drops: New head coach Dallas Eakins is in the process of interviewing assistant coaches, and is in discussions with Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger, who are currently on staff ... Sam Gagner is one of the players up for contract renewal and MacTavish said he’s somewhat optimistic a deal will get done — and that it will be a long-term deal if the two sides can reach an agreement.
“As an organization, at some point, we have to start rewarding people who really embody the characteristics we hold in high regard going forward and Sam really fits that.” Gagner is not only a player that the Oilers have drafted and developed, he’d been through the lean years.