Revisiting the Oilers' Jordan Eberle Trade to the Islanders – Hockey Writers – NHL Trade Analysis

The 2017 trade of Jordan Eberle by the Edmonton Oilers to the New York Islanders for Ryan Strome sent shockwaves through the hockey world. At the time, Eberle was a prolific former 30-goal scorer who was coming off a respectable 20-goal, 50-point campaign in 2016-17. However, the playoffs proved to be one of the worst for a player of his caliber, with zero goals and two assists, as the Oilers lost in Game 7 in the second round to the Anaheim Ducks.

With two rising stars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers need another scoring punch to find playoff success. So, trading their third-leading scorer for a third-point unproven forward with top-six ability was somewhat of a surprise (even for a playoff contender), though Eberle trade rumors had been circulating for some time because of his six games. -year, $36 million contract.

There has been a lot of talk over the years about the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade, but the Eberle deal seems to have been overlooked. However, this trade had a major impact that has continued to impact the Oilers and their inability to win a playoff series ever since.

Eberle Trade and the Rationale behind it

As previously discussed, the Eberle trade rumors had started circulating a few years ago, around the same time that the Hall rumors started. This is important because, during this season of Oilers hockey, there has been a lot of discussion about trading Hall or Eberle for the best defenseman. That ended up being a Hall of Fame trade for Larsson in the offseason following the 2015-16 season.

The results of this Hall trade have been well documented, including by Hockey Writers' Rob Soria, but many believed the Oilers would hold on to Eberle following Hall's deal to provide McDavid or Draisaitl with much-needed help on the wing (McDavid and Draisaitl had 100 points and 77 points, respectively , in 2016-17).

However, trade rumors continued to circulate during the 2016-17 season, and increased following the playoffs. Reports continued to circulate throughout this period that Eberle's attitude, inconsistency, and one-sidedness frustrated the coaches and then-general manager Peter Chiarelli, as described by Jim Parsons of THW at the time of the trade. This was also confirmed by Eberle's $6 million a year contract, and they would eventually send him to Long Island for Strome, a 24-year-old forward who was the fifth overall pick in 2011.

Strome had the potential to be a top-six hitter and a valuable contributor offensively who could play as a center or wing player. Of course, the biggest impact of this entire trade was money, as Strome was under a very expensive $2.5 million per year contract for two years.

Strome had one 50-point season with the Islanders but was coming off a 30-point campaign in which he missed 13 games due to injury. It appeared that the Oilers believed they could adequately fill Eberle's void by opening up significant cap space to retain restricted free agents and sign another strong defenseman. But that wasn't how Strome's time in Edmonton would end.

How Eberle Trade Works

The most important part of this trade was that the Islanders made a deal to give John Tavares offensive support at the time, as he and Eberle were teammates on Canada's 2009 World Junior Championship team. However, the Oilers decided to go in the opposite direction and remove a talented piece to back up Draisaitl and McDavid.

Eberle was a big contributor for the Islanders alongside young, talented center Mathew Barzal, with 76 goals and 169 points in 272 games on Long Island. He was also a key piece in the Islanders' playoff runs, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Islanders have since moved on from Eberle, having left him exposed to the Seattle Kraken during the expansion draft, where he was selected in their first round. But he remains one of the league's top scorers, with 58 goals and 151 points in 239 games with the Kraken. McDavid and Drasaitl are two of the top scorers in the league, but scoring depth on the wing has been a problem for the Oilers. And Eberle's scoring ability will still be very useful alongside McDavid or Drasaitl.

But despite Eberle's solid production, his trade isn't even the most frustrating part of this whole ordeal. Strome never really got a chance to prove himself with the Oilers' top-six. Former head coach Todd McLellan always had Strome as a third- or fourth-line center or as an occasional second-line player due to injuries. It seems like he never got a real opportunity to be a key part of the team.

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Strome wasn't a world beater during his time with the Oilers, but he had the potential to be a key contributor and a key contributor to the offense and the second unit on the power play. Chiarelli brought him in to be a potentially new and economically viable scoring and playmaking option. It didn't work out, and after only 14 goals and 36 points in 100 games with the Oilers, they traded him to the New York Rangers.

Ryan Strome Trade to the Rangers and Aftermath

As explained above, Eberle excelled in the regular season and playoffs on the Islanders' front line alongside Barzal and Anders Lee. He was the main reason for the Islanders' continued success, even after Tavares' departure. And it's clear the Islanders missed his scoring and offensive production, as they finished 16 points out of the playoff spot.

As for Strome, following his struggles and, arguably, the Oilers' mismanagement, they traded him to the Rangers to replace third baseman Ryan Spooner in Nov. 2018. He became a restricted free agent following the season, but this trade couldn't really be considered a salary-clearing move because Spooner was making $4 million per season himself.

The shocking part of the trade was that Strome, who had been written off by many because of his tenure in Edmonton, became the most highly regarded forward of the six on the fledgling Rangers team. He was their consistent second line center alongside Kaapo Kakko, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin at times. In July 2022, he signed with the Anaheim Ducks. During his tenure with the Rangers, he tallied 195 points in 263 games, including 54 points in 74 games in 2021-22.

On the other hand, Spooner has played 25 games with the Oilers and has three points as a third-line center. He was a decent hitter before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018-19 season, where he was acquired. He now plays for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the KHL, where he had 34 points in 45 games in 2021-22.

Clearly, Spooner wasn't the answer the Oilers were looking for offensively or defensively, especially at his price. And the trade brought back Sam Gagner, who had been a stalwart for nearly seven seasons in Edmonton previously and had played up and down the Oilers' roster.

Gagner wasn't quite the player he was when he debuted in Edmonton, as he split time between the minors and the NHL in 2018-19 and posted a cap hit of $3.15 million per year. He played a total of 61 games in two seasons in the NHL (and four games for the Bakersfield Condors in the minors), where they tried to use him in a combination of different lines, resulting in only 22 points and a lack of continuity. defensive performance.

He was unable to make a consistent contribution on the power play, was not involved in the penalty kill, and seemed to have a difficult time adjusting to playing in different Oiler lineups and was eventually traded to the Detroit Red Wings in Feb. 2020.

Eberle's Current and Future Implications Trade

The article was very critical of the Oilers' decisions, and it's clear that the widespread belief that the Islanders won the trade back then still holds true today. Even the purchase of Andreas Athanasiou, who the Oilers selected when they traded Gagner to the Red Wings, did not work as expected. Athanasiou played nine games for the Oilers, totaling just two points. He signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2020-21, where he had 10 goals and 23 points in 47 games – a pace of 40 points in 82 games. He then signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2022.

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Despite struggling with injuries in recent seasons, Athanasiou can still produce and finish scoring opportunities thanks to his large frame, finishing ability, and high-reward, high-reward style of play. Outside of Zach Hyman and Evander Kane, the Oilers lack scoring depth on the wing, especially as they regress on their roster. If Athanasiou were still on the roster and healthy, they would benefit from someone who can put up with 40-45 points in the middle-six role as he is.

Offensively, Athanasiou would match up well with Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That's because of his ability to fight in the corners and dig up loose pucks, get to the front of the net, create and finish chances with a strong shot and passing ability. Of course, that's assuming Athanasiou can stay healthy, which was an issue in 2021-22.

All in all, the Eberle trade was a complete mismanagement by Chiarelli and McLellan. They were never able to recapture what they lost at Eberle. They mistreated the players they got and made decisions that affected the players and the players involved in the project.

Current general manager Ken Holland tried to salvage something from Athanasiou. But even if that deal were to go through, he wouldn't offer it again in a way that upsets Eberle. And the lack of scoring depth compounded by the Eberle trade has continued since then.