Arizona Coyotes Trade Talks: Making the Case for Jordan Eberle
The Arizona Coyotes should propose a trade for Jordan Eberle, and here’s why
So I’ve always had this weird affection for Jordan Eberle. He’s a really swell player, and seems like he’d make the perfect addition to any team’s lethal second line.
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Too bad he’s on the Edmonton Oilers, meaning that rooting for him inaverdently means bringing dishonor to pretty much any NHL team that takes the ice at Rexall Place any given night. I’m all about the family honor, so I usually keep my Jordan Eberle fangirling to myself.
Realistically, though, I think he’s being wasted in Edmonton. He’s got the kind of puck-handling skills that make him an effective scorer and consistent man on the wing — something the Arizona Coyotes desperately need, and the Edmonton Oilers don’t know what to do with anyway. He doesn’t have that kind of giant, intimidating on-ice presence like the Boston Bruins‘ top line or the silky, speedy hockey sense of the Sidney Crosby’s and Patrick Kane’s of the NHL… yet rather than pruning him into a pesky, dynamic second line winger, Edmonton is really just letting him wither on an ineffective offense that will never see the Stanley Cup playoffs.
I think it’s a sign that Edmonton is only planning on digging themselves deeper that all the team’s trade talks involve swapping a winger for a good, two-way center. Luckily, how they manage their team does little to impact me personally — so I’m just going to roll with it and offer up a couple viable trades of my own.
Catch: They all involve shipping Ebs to the desert.
Option One:
FROM EDM: Jordan Eberle (ret. 25% of his salary), 5th round pick 2017
TO EDM: Antoine Vermette, David Schlemko
Why this would work: Obviously, making any kind of trade for Jordan Eberle could involve either piling up a giant mass of players from the Coyotes roster or requiring Edmonton to eat some of Eberle’s salary, since his $6 million cap hit is double that of every Coyotes roster forward but Shane Doan. Antoine Vermette plays a decent two-way game, though, and provides better possession play than essentially anyone already on the Edmonton roster — so unless this team is too stubborn to accept an olive branch, they’ll be caught making this kind of trade wherever they go. Package in a draft pick for Arizona to hopefully alleviate the pain of dropping a top-six center without Domi’s eligibility an option until next season, and then ship David Schlemko to the Oilers to hopefully provide them some relief on the penalty kill. The Coyotes may be down on Schlemko’s play comparatively speaking, but he’s not a terrible player — and unless the Oilers are really looking to give something up, the league just doesn’t have the kind of blue liners they need on the market at the moment.
How this would play out in Arizona: With Antoine Vermette‘s departure, the Coyotes could do one of two things; continue to take a chance with Brendan Shinnimin’s chances as a third-line center (putting Sam Gagner on the second line), or shift Tobias Rieder to center on the second line and flank him with the newly acquired Eberle and veteran captain Shane Doan. Either way, make sure the top line is made up of Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal, and Kyle Chipchura.
In the first scenario, put Gagner in between Rieder and Eberle, then put Martin Erat and Shane Doan with Shinnimin on a surprisingly gritty third line. In the second scenario, use Erat and Shinnimin on the wing with Gagner up the middle to provide mid-range scorepower and distribute the talent among all three top lines.
Pitfalls: As mentioned earlier, the Edmonton Oilers don’t seem like they’re much for reasoning and logic. Vermette has a low cap hit and Schlemko spent some time on waivers, so it would be just like the Oilers to claim that their combined value doesn’t come close to what they’d lose in Eberle — and that could prevent any kind of negotiations from panning out.
Option Two:
FROM EDM: Jordan Eberle, Martin Marincin
TO EDM: Martin Hanzal, Keith Yandle, 5th round conditional draft pick (awarded to Edmonton if the Coyotes finish in 5th place or higher)
Why this would work: If there’s anyone on the Arizona Coyotes who provides a monster trade value, it’s Keith Yandle — and with his $5 million cap hit, he’s one of the pricier players on the roster. The Edmonton Oilers might be so dazzled by the size (and defensive prowess) of Hanzal and the highly-touted reputation of Yandle that they overlook the fact that Martin Marincin might be the one good dark horse sitting on their roster at the moment. He’d provide the Coyotes with a confident, skilled up-and-coming offensive blue liner, while Eberle would bring the same thing he would in the first trade. With Max Domi obviously poised to grab a role with the Coyotes next season, the team can afford to lose Antoine Vermette to free agency — but what many don’t stop to consider is that Henrik Samuelsson’s intimidating size could very well replace Hanzal in the lineup before long, as well. Capitalizing on his trade value sooner rather than later could help the team in the long run, and he’d be beneficial for the Oilers as well.
How this would play out in Arizona: Obviously, things would work pretty much the same on offense, swapping Hanzal in the remaining lineup for Vermette. This would give the Coyotes a nice, fresh perspective on offense, as with the last trade, without having to give up anyone the team still has high hopes for.
On defense, losing Yandle would obviously be a big hit — but not an irreplaceable one. The Arizona Coyotes have trimmed down what previously looked like an overflow of talent in their defensive prospect pool, and the clear stars are starting to show through: by dropping Yandle, the Coyotes could get the opportunity to give Brandon Gormley and possibly even Justin Hache prominent roles with the club before long. By pairing Connor Murphy with Gormley and Michael Stone with either Marincin or Chris Summers, the youth on the team’s blue line would be given the opportunity to start standing out — and should the team decide that Hache is ready to make the jump, his physical presence could be a solid improvement over having too many puck-movers on the blue line.
Please don’t call me crazy. This could work.
Pitfalls: it’s been a significant source of debate, deciding whether or not the Coyotes could hold their own without Yandle on board. They might want more for him than just Eberle and Marincin, in which case the Oilers would be highly unlikely to strike a bargain.
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