{"source_url": "https://oilersnation.com", "url": "https://oilersnation.com/2020/01/01/friedman-the-oilers-are-wary-of-trading-draft-picks/", "title": "Friedman: The Oilers are wary of trading draft picks", "top_image": "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1", "meta_img": "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1", "images": ["https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/81281fbb32a5d59ff021c88538283692?s=90&d=mm&r=g", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/allwrestling.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/flamesnation.png?v=2", "https://i2.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/OddShark_350x200_NHL.jpg?w=1424&ssl=1", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/canada-wordmark1.png", "https://i1.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/PP-Horiz-300w.png?resize=300%2C94&ssl=1", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nhl/BUF.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/dailyfaceoff.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/puckpedia.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/hockeyfights.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/site-logos/oilersnation.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/oilersnation.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/canuksarmy.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nhl/NYR.png", "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Aircom-Instrumentation_blkgray-min.jpg?w=1424&ssl=1", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/jetsnation.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/wingsnation.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nhl/EDM.png", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/leafsnation.png?v=2", "https://oilersnation.com/wp-content/themes/nationnetwork/assets/img/logos/nn-mini/bluejaysnation.png?v=2"], "movies": [], "text": "Ken Holland has found himself in a tricky situation halfway through his first season at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers.\n\nHis big-picture plan is to retool the organization, through the draft. There\u2019s a core here of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Oscar Klefbom, and others along with a nice prospect pool in the minors. But there\u2019s still a ways to go, and the most prudent way to add talent is through drafting and developing.\n\nBut there\u2019s also a team and a fanbase desperate for playoff hockey. There\u2019s a building that isn\u2019t being sold out on a nightly basis because fans aren\u2019t interested in paying top dollar to see a team that isn\u2019t winning. There are also two superstars in McDavid and Draisaitl doing everything they can to drag this team to the playoffs.\n\nAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\nThe Oilers are on the bubble. Their hot start has come to an end and a cold stretch in December has the team right on the cusp of the playoffs. It\u2019s pretty much a coin flip at this point. That, of course, is if Holland doesn\u2019t do anything before the deadline. If he makes a big addition or two, the likelihood of the team making the playoffs obviously becomes a lot higher.\n\nSo, what do you do now? Do you stick with the original plan and think about the big picture? Or do you lean into what\u2019s right in front of you and try to make the playoffs?\n\nAccording to Elliotte Friedman, Holland is wary of trading draft picks away to improve the roster right now\u2026\n\nThe Oilers are wary of trading picks. There\u2019s no guarantee all work out, but, the more lottery tickets you have, the better. They didn\u2019t have a second- or third-rounder in 2015; their 2016 first-rounder is estranged from the organization; didn\u2019t have a second-rounder in 2017; nothing in round three-to-five in 2018; and six picks last year. That\u2019s one of the reasons they passed on Taylor Hall \u2014 not wanting to give up two more high selections.\n\nFriedman went on to make another Oilers-related point, this time in regards to McDavid and Draisaitl\u2019s frustration\u2026\n\nAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\nYou can see the frustration on Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid as the rest of the Pacific catches the Oilers. St. Louis players in particular noticed in-game how upset Draisaitl was by missed chances in a 2-1 loss to the Blues on Dec. 17. They thought it really affected him.\n\nSo there are a couple of things going on here.\n\nFirst, we have Friedman suggesting that Holland is skeptical of giving up draft picks, which isn\u2019t all that surprising, given the fact we know his priority here is building the Oilers up for long-term success. When Peter Chiarelli came in, he was trigger happy, dealing away everything in his sight in order to fill what he viewed as primary needs for the organization. That won\u2019t happen with Holland.\n\nSecond, we have the classic McDavid and Draisaitl are frustrated analysis. I mean, there\u2019s no doubt that they are. They\u2019re first and second in the league in points and they\u2019re dragging the team on their backs to the best of their ability and they might not have anything to show for it at the end of the year. No, this isn\u2019t McDavid and Draisaitl want out of Edmonton but there is merit to them being frustrated with potentially missing the playoffs for the third year in a row.\n\nThat\u2019s what makes this situation so challenging. Holland\u2019s plan of worrying about the future is the right one for the Oilers. I wrote last February that, as awful as it sounds, the best course of action is for the Oilers to be patient in order to be successful.\n\nIf the next general manager comes in and tries to remedy the Oilers with a quick fix, things will only get worse. Buyouts will worsen the cap situation long-term. Trading prospects and draft picks for short-term solutions will continue to hemorrhage the organization of depth. Being active in free agency will sink the Oilers deeper into cap hell. The only solution is patience. It\u2019ll take time, but they have to get it right this time.\n\nThat hasn\u2019t changed. After 2020-21, the Oilers have a much neater salary cap situation that\u2019ll afford them flexibility in free agency. They\u2019ll also likely have a handful of internally-developed, young talent establishing itself on the roster. If they\u2019re patient, they can continue to stock the farm this year and continue working towards a very deep farm system, something we haven\u2019t seen since, well, I don\u2019t even know.\n\nBut is being patient that easy? Can you tell McDavid and Draisaitl to be patient? Can you ask them to drag this roster all season to a position in which they\u2019re in playoff contention at the trade deadline and then stand pat, hoping they can do a few more months of heavy lifting? That\u2019s a big ask.\n\nAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\nI can understand why Holland doesn\u2019t want to deal draft picks away at this stage, but hopefully, he can find some kind of middle-ground, because standing pat and giving McDavid and Draisaitl nothing to work with down the stretch isn\u2019t ideal.\n\n\n\n", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["Edmonton Oilers", "Ken Holland", "Trade", "Draft Picks"], "tags": [], "authors": [], "publish_date": "Wed Jan  1 00:00:00 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "Ken Holland has found himself in a tricky situation halfway through his first season at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers.", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://i2.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cropped-oilersnation_site_icon1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1", "meta_data": {"viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1", "description": "Ken Holland has found himself in a tricky situation halfway through his first season at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers.", "keywords": "Edmonton Oilers, Ken Holland, Trade, Draft Picks", "fb": {"pages": 431189716935410}, "ia": {"markup_url": "https://oilersnation.com/2020/01/01/friedman-the-oilers-are-wary-of-trading-draft-picks/?ia_markup=1"}, "og": {"type": "article", "title": "Friedman: The Oilers are wary of trading draft picks", "url": "https://oilersnation.com/2020/01/01/friedman-the-oilers-are-wary-of-trading-draft-picks/", "description": "Ken Holland has found himself in a tricky situation halfway through his first season at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers.", "site_name": "OILERSNATION", "image": {"identifier": "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1", "width": 1000, "height": 563}, "locale": "en_US"}, "article": {"published_time": "2020-01-01T15:26:57+00:00", "modified_time": "2020-01-01T15:45:15+00:00"}, "twitter": {"site": "@oilersnation", "text": {"title": "Friedman: The Oilers are wary of trading draft picks"}, "image": "https://i0.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Edmonton-Oilers-General-Manager-Ken-Holland-e1560535001846.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1&w=640", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "msapplication-TileImage": "https://i2.wp.com/oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cropped-oilersnation_site_icon1.png?fit=270%2C270&ssl=1"}, "canonical_link": "https://oilersnation.com/2020/01/01/friedman-the-oilers-are-wary-of-trading-draft-picks/"}