The Edmonton Oilers sent David Perron to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for their first round draft pick and forward Rob Klinkhammer. I know there are some positives to this trade, however, I see more negatives. These negatives include, that it was Perron that was traded, the return they got, and the timing of the trade.Why would the Oilers trade David Perron? This is something I don't really understand. Yes, I know he hadn't scored in a long time. And yes I know he was possibly a "cancer" (more on this later), however wouldn't trading Eberle get the Oilers more value? I would rather it had been Eberle, because he would have had more value in a deal. The Oilers would have had enough other wingers that plugging the hole left behind by Eberle wouldn't be a huge problem. Also, Perron has a bit more grit which is something the Oilers need more than the finesse of Eberle. In addition, Perron has heart. He was one of few players who were talking like he cared that they were losing. If this is the Oilers idea of being a "cancer" then there are more problems than we thought. No, I'm not in the locker room and no we don't know exactly what he was saying or even if he was a cancer. However, if the comments he made that we the fans heard are the same or similar comments to that of which got him traded than the Oilers have even more problems and bigger problems than we realized. If a guy who is frustrated with losing can't express those emotions in such a way he did without getting in trouble and/or traded, then the whole organization needs to give their head a shake and maybe do another "forensic investigation" and hope that they actually find a major problem they can fix. I think we all know by now a major problem is there, but it's just a matter of where it is and what the front office is going to do about it. Whatever it is, it better be figured out soon, because one side affect of this problem could be a lack of returns on trades.
I know, I know, a first round pick can be quite valuable, especially in this year's draft. Anyone who follows me, or knows my views knows that I'm saying don't trade a draft pick this year. However, that doesn't they need to trade for one though. Especially for one that is unlikely to be higher than twenty fifth overall. Yes, I realize there's potential for the Oilers to flip the pick for something else, but there's no guarantee that will happen. Mactavish seems to have had some problems finding trading partners this year, and while a late first round pick might help as a bargaining chip there is no guarantee either. And if they do use the pick that's another prospect in the system. There are just too many "What ifs" surrounding this return. You don't know what a pick will turn into in a trade, and you don't know who they could draft with it. The acquisition of a draft pick does not mean that teams still won't be asking about Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, or Eberle all of whom Mactavish would lots of return for in order to deal (Nugent-Hopkins is likely completely untouchable). A late first round pick would not be adequate compensation for a team instead of Hall or Eberle. I do believe Perron had more value than what Mactavish got for him, teams know what he is capable of, and especially on a team like Pittsburgh it's fairly certain that he is going to thrive. When trading a player of quality who will be a very valuable asset to a team, a GM should make sure he is getting the best possible quality back. I don't believe Craig Mactavish did that and I don't see why he had to do that deal now. He could have waited.
The timing of this deal was odd. I don't think Mactavish had to pull the trigger now. Sometimes teams are willing to give up more for players at the trade deadline, and if not the deadline at the draft or in the summer. Perron is the type of guy who you know is going to score eventually so there was little risk of his value declining even more. I think if Mactavish waits until the deadline or the summer he is able to either get more for Perron straight up, or able to put Perron in a nice package and get some real value and immediate help back. However, he didn't do that and I don't know why. It's possible he was a cancer, but as we established earlier that seems unlikely. For whatever reason Mactavish decided to do the deal now rather than waiting and there are many aspects of it that don't make sense.
In conclusion while the trade of David Perron does have some positives there are more negatives to be found. They probably could have gotten more return for Eberle, and it seems unlikely that Perron was a cancer. The main point of return being the first round draft pick doesn't make much sense either as that seems to create more questions than answers, and while it might be possible that the pick is flipped for more value nothing is a guarantee and it creates more questions than answers in an organization that has far too many questions as it is. And finally, the timing of the trade was poor as Mactavish seemingly settled when he didn't have to. It seems likely he could have gotten more value at the deadline or in the summer, yet for some reason he was unwilling to wait. Maybe the answers to a lot of this are coming in the coming weeks and months, and if the answers do come and they are very good answers I will gladly eat these words. However, until that time (hopefully) comes this trade leaves me sitting here scratching my head.
-Darren
-What do you think of the trade of David Perron? Let me know by commenting below this post or find me on twitter @thewildman111
photo taken from hockey30.com
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