Plugging Three Holes

No, it’s not the name of a Porn movie. I’m talking about the differences between recent cup winners Pittsburgh and Chicago and an extrapolation of the Oilers current talent and roster. The general consensus is that we are missing the three following ingredients:

1. A (big body) first line centerman
2. A (big body) first pairing defenceman
3. A number one goaltender

In general I agree those are probably the three most obvious holes in the Oilers line-up, regardless of whether you’re talking about Hall arriving for the morning skate in a flying car or one with wheels. With that knowledge in hand, let’s talk about how a team might go about plugging said holes. The three obvious routes are UFA/RFA signings, trades, and finally drafting. Aside from secret Chinese cloning labs (I’d say a mix between LeBron and Crosby), I’m not sure how else a team can acquire good hockey players, so these are the three methodologies I will focus on, one hole at a time.

Analysis after the jump.