NHL Pacific

The Florida Panthers announced Friday they have signed six-time All-Star and likely future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton to a one-year contract. 

Joe Thornton's one-year deal with #FlaPanthers is for the league minimum: $750,000.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) August 13, 2021

Thornton said he was really impressed with how the #FlaPanthers looked against the #TBLightning in the playoffs.

"It left a big impression on me." pic.twitter.com/7jPPqlgVDQ

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) August 13, 2021

In 1,680 career regular-season games, the 42-year-old has recorded 425 goals and 1,104 assists for 1,529 points. He also won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top points scorer in 2005-06.

While Thornton is no longer an elite player, his leadership and experience make him a valuable piece.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito explained the rationale behind signing him: "With more than 1,600 games played in the NHL, Joe will bring a wealth of experience to our locker room and lineup. His drive to succeed is unmistakable and we are thrilled that he chose to sign with our club and that he believes in what we are building here in South Florida."

Thornton ended a 15-year run with the San Jose Sharks when he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2020-21 season. A native of London, Ontario, he said going to Toronto brought him closer to home but that the move was reflective of what the Leafs were building.

"It was probably the hardest hockey decision I've ever had to make, but I truly believe Toronto, with the roster they have with the guys they picked up this offseason, I think this team is ready to win now," he said in October. "I'm ready to win. I'm just excited. I'm coming to be a Maple Leaf."

Joe Thornton took Jason Spezza and Alexander Kerfoot aside to spend time working on their own drills as an individual line. Kerfoot says he's never experienced that before.

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) March 25, 2021

The franchise played up to Thornton's expectations during the regular season by finishing first in the North Division with 77 points. But the Leafs threw away a 3-1 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Thornton had a limited role, which was to be expected given his age. He had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in the regular season and added one more goal in the postseason. He provided depth and used his experience to help teammates in ways that don't show up on a stat sheet.

After the Maple Leafs' playoff exit, Thornton was noncommittal about playing in 2021-22.

"This came so sudden—I really haven't had time to think about it," he told reporters. "First and foremost, I have to be a dad for a little bit here. But I feel really, really healthy. I feel really, really good. But we'll see. I haven't made any decision yet."

Thornton's decision to sign with Toronto made his priorities clear. In the event he decided to return for 2021-22, he was only going to join a team with Stanley Cup ambitions.

The Panthers have never won the Stanley Cup, but they boast a stacked roster and have reached the playoffs in each of the past two years. They even finished ahead of the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the standings last season.

Florida is poised to take the next step, and having a player like Thornton should help come playoff time.

The Edmonton Oilers announced that they agreed to an eight-year, $74 million extension with defenseman Darnell Nurse on Friday. 

Nurse was slated to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2021-22 NHL season and was earning an average annual value of $5.6 million. He'll see a significant raise for the 2022-23 campaign when his AAV jumps to $9.3 million. 

The 26-year-old has certainly proved he's deserving of the deal. Nurse has tallied at least 33 points in each of his last three seasons and hasn't notched fewer than 26 since 2016-17. The cornerstone defenseman had a career-high 16 goals over 56 games in 2020-21. 

If Nurse's extension kicked in today, he would be the fifth-highest paid defenseman in the NHL. Only Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones are currently earning a higher AAV. 

He'd also become the third Oiler to earn more than $8 million per year alongside Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. 

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the NHL's salary cap is expected to rise by $1 million for the 2022-23 campaign, but giving so much Nurse could come back to haunt the team despite the fact that Nurse recorded the most even-strength goals (15) among blueliners.

Despite rostering arguably the best tandem in the league in McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers have failed to find postseason success. The team was swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round in 2020-21 and has only advanced to the second round once since losing the Stanley Cup in 2006. 

 

 

Goaltender Philipp Grubauer is moving on from the Colorado Avalanche, signing a six-year, $35.4 million contract on Wednesday with the Seattle Kraken,  according to Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet.

He earned $10 million over three years on his previous contract, and Grubauer proved worthy of another payday with his work in 2020-21. The netminder recorded a 30-9-1 record in 40 starts with a career-best 1.95 goals-against average, a 92.2 save percentage and career-high seven shutouts for the Presidents' Trophy-winning Avalanche.

That gave way to a postseason run to the second round ended by the Vegas Golden Knights, where the 29-year-old posted a 2.61 GAA and 91.4 save percentage in the playoffs. The 6'1", 188-pounder proved he's capable of handling No. 1 goalie responsibilities for a Stanley Cup contender after years of playing a backup role with the Washington Capitals since going No. 112 overall in the 2010 entry draft.

Yet following the addition of Devan Dubnyk at the deadline and Pavel Francouz signed through 2022, per CapFriendly, it appeared Grubauer's time with the Avs was up. Now he moves on to Seattle as he looks to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2021-22.

The Vegas Golden Knights traded goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for center prospect Mikael Hakkarainen in a move that creates $7 million in salary-cap space.

TSN's Darren Dreger first reported the parameters of the deal. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic added Vegas' return.

According to The Athletic's Rob Rossi, Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus, Fleury was "totally shocked" by the trade and "doesn't want to play" for the Blackhawks. Fleury reportedly did not believe Vegas viewed him as "their guy," though he had expected to finish out his contract with the team.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's best goaltender is scheduled to enter the final season of a three-year, $21 million contract.

Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, said the 36-year-old netminder hadn't been immediately informed of the trade by Vegas and would "seriously evaluate his hockey future" before deciding whether to join the Hawks or retire:

While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.

— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) July 27, 2021

Fleury joined the Golden Knights as part of their initial roster in the 2017 expansion draft. He's compiled a 117-60-14 record with a 2.41 goals against average and .917 save percentage across 192 regular-season appearances for the club.

The 2003 first overall pick won three Stanley Cup titles as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining Vegas. He helped lead the expansion franchise to the Stanley Cup Final in its debut season, posting a .927 save percentage in 20 games during the 2018 playoffs.

He would take over as Chicago's unquestioned No. 1 goalie if he opts to continue his career.

Meanwhile, the trade to generate financial flexibility suggests the Golden Knights may be setting the stage for a marquee offseason addition via trade or free agency.

Vegas has been linked to a potential blockbuster deal for disgruntled Buffalo Sabres star center Jack Eichel, who carries a $10 million cap hit. The team has $12.2 million in cap space after Tuesday's trade, per CapFriendly.

The Golden Knights have one of the NHL's most complete rosters, but a true No. 1 center is missing. Eichel would fill that void and bolster the team's championship hopes assuming he's recovered from a neck injury that limited him to 21 games last season.

While there's a shroud of uncertainty about Vegas' next move, one thing did become clear with Tuesday's trade: Robin Lehner will now be the full-time starter between the pipes.

Facing a salary-cap crunch, the Philadelphia Flyers essentially gave away defenseman  Shayne Gostisbehere. 

The Flyers announced on Thursday they sent Gostisbehere and two 2022 draft picks, including a second-rounder, to the Arizona Coyotes. 

Philadelphia isn't receiving anything from the Coyotes in return. 

"This was a difficult decision but one we thought was necessary given the reality of the salary cap," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said in the trade announcement. "Shayne has been a quality player for this organization since the moment he arrived in Philadelphia and has been a part of many special moments in his seven seasons as a Flyer."

Prior to moving Gostisbehere's deal, Spotrac projected the Flyers to have $9.4 million in cap space to spend on free agents and draft picks. 

Gostisbehere has a $4.5 million cap hit in 2021-22, which would have been the eighth-highest mark on Philadelphia's roster. He also has a $4.5 million cap number in 2022-23, the final season of the six-year, $27 million contract he signed in June 2017. 

The Flyers are trying to find the right pieces to get them over the top. They have alternated making the playoffs and missing the playoffs for the past 10 seasons, with the 2020-21 campaign being a miss year. 

The Flyers haven't advanced beyond the second round of the postseason since reaching the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. They have several key roster decisions to make this offseason, including whether to re-sign restricted free agents Travis Sanheim and Carter Hart. 

Gostisbehere has seen his production decline since setting career highs with 13 goals, 52 assists and 65 points during the 2017-18 season. He has put up just 32 points in 83 games over the past two seasons combined. 

At just 28 years old, Gostisbehere could turn things around to show the form he displayed in 2017-18. The Coyotes are taking a low-risk, high-reward gamble to add him, and they got two draft picks next year to help strengthen their depth for the future.    

The Seattle Kraken announced their initial 30-player roster during the 2021 NHL expansion draft Wednesday night.

Seattle had to select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. The remaining selections were allowed to come from any position. One pick came from each of the existing NHL franchises aside from the Vegas Golden Knights, who were exempt from the process.

The Kraken also had an exclusive negotiation window with potential free agents. Any contracts signed counted as their pick from the players' previous teams.

Here's a look at the full list of selections. 

---

Anaheim Ducks: D Haydn Fleury 

Arizona Coyotes: F Tyler Pitlick

Boston Bruins: D Jeremy Lauzon

Buffalo Sabres: D Will Borgen 

Calgary Flames: D Mark Giordano

Carolina Hurricanes: F Morgan Geekie 

Chicago Blackhawks: F John Quenneville 

Colorado Avalanche: F Joonas Donskoi  

Columbus Blue Jackets: D Gavin Bayreuther 

Dallas Stars: D Jamie Oleksiak

Detroit Red Wings: D Dennis Cholowski 

Edmonton Oilers: D Adam Larsson 

Florida Panthers: G Chris Driedger 

Los Angeles Kings: D Kurtis MacDermid 

Minnesota Wild: D Carson Soucy 

Montreal Canadiens: D Cale Fleury 

Nashville Predators: F Calle Jarnkrok 

New Jersey Devils: F Nathan Bastian 

New York Islanders: F Jordan Eberle

New York Rangers: F Colin Blackwell 

Ottawa Senators: G Joey Daccord 

Philadelphia Flyers: F Carsen Twarynski

Pittsburgh Penguins: F Brandon Tanev 

San Jose Sharks: F Alexander True

St. Louis Blues: D Vince Dunn

Tampa Bay Lightning: F Yanni Gourde 

Toronto Maple Leafs: F Jared McCann

Vancouver Canucks: F Kole Lind  

Washington Capitals: G Vitek Vanecek

Winnipeg Jets: F Mason Appleton  

The Kraken are expected to be competitive out of the gate, though they have a tough act to follow after the Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their debut season after a strong showing in the 2017 expansion draft.

Like Vegas, Seattle worked out side deals with opposing teams to avoid selecting certain players in the expansion draft in exchange for other assets. Details of those agreements should be available ahead of this year's entry draft, which is set to get underway Friday.

The Kraken passed on some of the more high-profile players available, most notably the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price and St. Louis Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko.

Seattle will begin play during the 2021-22 NHL season.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price reportedly wasn't selected by the Seattle Kraken as part of the 2021 NHL expansion draft.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported the Habs will retain Price, who's under contract through the 2025-26 season as part of an eight-year, $84 million deal. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff Hockey reported Montreal is "likely to lose" defenseman Cale Fleury instead.

The Kraken's selections will be announced Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Price's $10.5 million cap hit for the next five seasons was likely a crucial factor in Seattle's decision. Financial flexibility is perhaps the most valuable commodity an expansion franchise has, and committing that much of the $81.5 million salary cap to a 33-year-old netminder would have come with risk.

The 2005 first-round pick was terrific during Montreal's underdog run to this year's Stanley Cup Final, where it lost to the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lightning. He posted a 2.28 goals against average and .924 save percentage across 22 playoff games.

His regular-season performance over the past two years hasn't lived up to that standard or the one he set in 2014-15 en route to winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP and the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.

Price has compiled a 2.74 GAA and .907 SV% across 83 regular-season appearances since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. His goals saved above average (GSAA) over that span is minus-4.9, per Hockey Reference.

Those numbers combined with the high number of potentially valuable goalies available led the Kraken in a different direction.

Seattle has agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with goalie Chris Driedger, an impending unrestricted free agent who will count toward the team's pick from the Florida Panthers, per Tim Booth and Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Kraken are likely to select a more cost-effective option from Montreal in Fleury, a restricted free agent who carried a $771,666 cap hit in 2020-21.

Fleury, 22, tallied just one goal in 41 games during his rookie season with the Habs, but he projects as a reliable defensive blueliner in the coming years.

It's possible his 25-year-old brother, Haydn Fleury, will also end up with Seattle after being left exposed for the expansion draft by the Anaheim Ducks.

The Seattle Kraken are reportedly "taking a deep dive internally" to determine whether to select veteran goalie Carey Price in the upcoming expansion draft, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

However, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported Price's "health has clouded the selection process." Per Seravalli, Price "may miss significant time with a hip injury."

LeBrun later reported Price is scheduled to see a doctor in New York this week to evaluate a knee issue:

Told that Carey Price is scheduled to see a doc in New York this week regarding a knee issue which could potentially lead to surgery. The hope is that it’s not too serious.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021

As @frank_seravalli reported, I also believe Price will have his hip checked out. But the potential surgery I’m told is knee related

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021

The Kraken will have the opportunity to select one player from 30 other teams (the Vegas Golden Knights are not included) with each squad protecting up to 11 players on their current rosters. Price was one of the players left available by the Montreal Canadiens despite leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final this past year.

Another question mark for the Kraken is whether to take on Price's contract with five years remaining on his initial eight-year, $84 million deal, per Spotrac.

The contract could be a concern, but the Golden Knights showed a quality blueprint for an expansion team by building around goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Vegas reached the Stanley Cup Final in its first year and has been a perennial contender all four years of its existence, while Fleury won the Vezina Trophy in 2020-21.

If healthy, Price could make a similar impact with a resume that includes a Vezina Trophy and a Hart Trophy in 2014-15. The 33-year-old has continued his high level of play and shined this postseason with a 2.28 goals-against average in 22 starts.

The Kraken do have other big names available in net, however, with Braden Holtby, Jonathan Quick and Matt Murray also left unprotected.

Seattle could find impact players at other positions as well, including defenseman Shea Weber and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko. The team will also have the opportunity to target one or more unrestricted free agents, including Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.

The team has until Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET to determine its picks, which will be revealed publicly Wednesday night.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price, Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog and St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko headline the group of players left available for potential selection by the Seattle Kraken during the 2021 NHL expansion draft Wednesday.

SiriusXM NHL Network Radio provided a look at some of the other high-profile names available for the Kraken:

Notable names left exposed for the #NHL Expansion Draft.

Carey Price,
Vladimir Tarasenko,
Gabriel Landeskog,
Ryan Johansen,
Matt Duchene,
James van Riemsdyk,
Mark Giordano,
Jonathan Drouin,
Yanni Gourde,
Tyler Johnson,
Jason Zucker,
Ryan Getzlaf,
Nino Nieddereiter

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) July 18, 2021

The NHL published the complete list of protected players ahead of the draft.

Seattle is going to select a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies during the expansion draft. The remaining selections can come from any position.

The Kraken also have an exclusive negotiation window with potential free agents through Wednesday. If they sign any players during that period, it will count toward their selection from the player's last team.

While there were a lot of marquee names left unprotected, it doesn't mean they will all be selected by Seattle general manager Ron Francis. He has a pretty good playbook to follow after the Vegas Golden Knights maximized their leverage in the 2017 expansion draft to become an immediate Stanley Cup contender.

One tactic used successfully by Vegas was accepting assets, mostly in the form of draft picks, in order to select specific players or to overlook certain players.

For example, the Winnipeg Jets traded the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 draft and a third-round choice in 2019 in exchange for the Golden Knights taking Chris Thorburn and the No. 24 pick in the 2017 draft.

Vegas later flipped Nick Suzuki, the No. 13 selection in 2017, in a blockbuster deal for Max Pacioretty in 2018.

So there will be plenty of wheeling and dealing by the Kraken's front office ahead of Wednesday, and they probably have even more leverage than Vegas did because opposing NHL teams are dealing with roster issues related to the flat salary cap coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have $81.5 million of cap space to play with, so that's certainly something we want to make sure we try to take advantage of moving forward," Francis told Tracey Myers of NHL.com on Saturday.

Although names like Price ($10.5 million cap hit), Tarasenko ($7.5 million) and Landeskog (impending UFA due for a big deal) jump out at first glance, Seattle is unlikely to go all-in on high-priced veterans since its cap flexibility is such a major advantage.

Players like the Tampa Bay Lightning's Yanni Gourde ($5.2 million) and Toronto Maple Leafs' Alexander Kerfoot ($3.5 million) are the sort of cost-effective options who figure to attract attention.

As a whole, the Kraken were already in a promising position entering their debut offseason, and the protection lists appear to put them in an even stronger spot. They will either be able to select some high-impact players or obtain significant assets to accelerate their building process.

Vegas set a high standard by making the Stanley Cup Final in its first season, and while that's probably too lofty of an expectation, Seattle should at least be highly competitive out of the gate.

Changes are coming in Edmonton this summer. A first-round sweep against the Winnipeg Jets guaranteed as much for a team in win-now mode, and with a number of inherited contracts coming off the books, general manager Ken Holland is certain to bring in new faces and make the team unequivocally his.

Monday's trade with the Chicago Blackhawks will be the first move of many. The Oilers traded defenseman Caleb Jones and a conditional third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for Duncan Keith.

That's three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Norris Trophy winner and four-time NHL All-Star Duncan Keith. Not since Chris Pronger in 2008 has a defenseman of such stature joined Edmonton. His credentials are unimpeachable, and he'll be an eventual first-ballot Hall of Famer. During a press conference on Monday night, Holland made sure to allude to those qualities while staunchly defending the cost of acquiring Keith, referencing the player's "experience" and "intangibles," which he said are needed to succeed in the playoffs. 

Adds, "I can't put a price on three Stanley Cups ..." https://t.co/jObyZyjFb9

— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) July 13, 2021

The assets surrendered to Chicago are not a big deal. Caleb Jones is a 24-year-old defenseman on an $850K cap hit who skates well and can do a competent job as a sixth or seventh defenseman. The Oilers, having already traded a number of mid-round draft picks in recent years for meager returns, are further cutting into the prospect pool with the departed third-round pick, which isn't great. In the big picture, those are negligible expenditures in the pursuit of improving the NHL roster.

This is less about what Holland gave up and instead what he has acquired in Duncan Keith; a soon-to-be 38-year old with a $5.5M cap hit through 2023. It would be one thing if Keith was merely past his prime. That wouldn't preclude him from being a contributing member to the Oilers in the next two seasons, even if at an inflated salary. 

But Keith's on-ice performance has been actively detrimental to Chicago for years. Per Evolving-Hockey, Keith has been worth minus-18.9 goals over the last five NHL regular seasons; only Roman Polak ranks worse among NHL defensemen during that span.

Caleb Jones (traded to Chicago with some picks) is an average nhl defender. Duncan Keith (in return to Edmonton) is a liability to his team on offence at 5v5, a liability on the powerplay, a liability on the penalty-kill, a severe defensive liability at 5v5, and a poor shot. pic.twitter.com/ruLIbB7pwP

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) July 12, 2021

Statistics aren't infallible, and there's something to be said about a change of scenery. Sometimes different systems fit different players better. There's a human component, too, and sometimes a fresh start can reinvigorate players.

However, Keith has endured a long and painful decline over a number of years to the point that his outputs resemble that of a player long past usefulness at the NHL level. A new, less physically demanding role in Edmonton could mitigate his problems, but that's still a long way from contributing in a positive manner. 

There are likely many causes for Keith's decline. The age factor is obvious, and maybe more impactful is his mileage; 1,327 total NHL games will take a toll on a player's body. What stands out most is Keith's decline in foot speed. A participant in the 2008 Fastest Skater competition, Keith no longer has the same mobility that drove his success during his prime years.

In the offensive zone, he'll still put his hands and vision on display, but he's no longer the same threat with the puck in motion. More pertinently, his defensive game has become non-existent. He isn't able to close gaps and win sprints to pucks the way he used to. There are other players who never relied on speed and can continue to play a meaningful role in their later years (Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton, for instance). Keith has shown no ability to compensate.

Of course, the Oilers did not acquire Keith solely—maybe not even primarily—because of tangible on-ice talent. As Holland and many in the Edmonton media have stated, Keith brings other qualities to the table. Experience, leadership and, above all, knowledge of "what it takes to win" in the National Hockey League.

It's the same tired narrative that has been tried time and again in Edmonton with nothing but underwhelming results. Holland himself was hired with the dynasty he built in Detroit in mind. Never mind the fact those teams were largely built during a different era of hockey and pay no attention to the mess he left behind for Steve Yzerman to clean up. Holland hasn't brought his winning ways to Edmonton yet.

Before Holland was Peter Chiarelli, who won a Stanley Cup in Boston.

"His record speaks for itself," CEO Bob Nicholson said at the time of his hiring. Indeed it now does. 

In previous years came a parade of dynasty-era throwbacks. Mainly head coach/general manager Craig MacTavish and president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe. In 2013, following a seventh-straight season of missing the playoffs, Lowe defended his ability to build a team.

"I'll say that there's one other guy in hockey today that is still working in the game that has won more Stanley Cups than me. So I think I know a little bit about winning, if there's ever a concern."

Lowe was removed from the role after two more failed seasons.

Along the way, many players with Stanley Cup pedigrees were brought in. Milan Lucic, Dustin Penner, Nikolai Khabibulin and Erik Cole among them. Andrew Ference was not only brought in but named the 14th captain in team history. All of these players combined to win one playoff series in Edmonton. They must have forgotten to pass their wisdom on.

There's no doubting that Duncan Keith, over the course of a long, successful career, has learned a few things he could pass on to his teammates in Edmonton. He might have some advice to lend to Evan Bouchard on how to improve his pivots. He might set a good example in the film room. He may well know what calming words are needed in the locker room after a devastating overtime loss. 

But the Oilers organization seemingly treats the conditions necessary for winning the Stanley Cup like some sort of mystical formula outside the bounds of hockey itself to which only a select few are privy, as if it's a family recipe Grandma has hiding in the attic. There appears to be no plan beyond baseline appeals to authority.

What it took for Keith to win three Stanley Cups in Chicago is not a mystery. The most basic and important requirement is a really good team. Per Evolving-Hockey, over that six-year span, the Blackhawks ranked first in the NHL in five-on-five expected goals percentage. To compare, the Oilers ranked 15th last season and 21st over the last three seasons. One can imagine how ugly those numbers look when a certain superstar isn't on the ice. 

Becoming a really good team requires a lot of really good players. Players relegated to Chicago's third line in 2015 such as Patrick Sharp and Teuvo Teravainen would easily be Edmonton's second-best wingers today. Nor does Edmonton have anything remotely matching the iron wall of (prime) Keith, Brent Seabrook,Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya.

Winning the Stanley Cup requires a lot of ingredients: A cohesive locker room, some mature leaders who can help the group battle the trials and tribulations of a long season and luck.

But most importantly. It requires a well-rounded roster with numerous layers of talent and competency. It's still early in the offseason, and perhaps Holland has a few major tricks up his sleeve to completely change the makeup for the better. As of now, and over the last few seasons, the Oilers have been nothing more than a skeleton crew propped up by two offensive superstars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl who fell into the organization's lap at the draft table years ago. 

Keith, one of the worst defensemen of the last few seasons, isn't going to do the team any favors on the ice, and unless dramatic changes are made, all of the brilliant advice, leadership and intangibles he theoretically has to offer won't do anything for a team that lacks the comprehensive talent necessary to contend in the NHL.