When you are an NHL general manager you never forget your first free agent frenzy. Expect that to be the case for Craig MacTavish. Hired in April but truly baptized into his new job in the last week. First the draft and then came Friday. Well actually, let’s backup to Thursday night. That’s when the news broke that Edmonton had shipped Shawn Horcoff to Dallas with no strings or dollar bills attached. MacTavish the Magician made Shawn Horcoff and his $5.5 million cap hit disappear. He didn’t even need to saw his assistant, Scott Howson, in half. Edmonton got a seventh round pick and Phillipe Larsen in return.
Trading Shawn Horcoff, the player, wouldn’t be hard. He’s got a great work ethic, is a leader, kills penalties, takes faceoffs and plays the not so fun minutes for a centreman. However, trading his contract was another story yet MacTavish found a way to do both and it cost him very little money in return.
The saving in cap space was a lead in for Friday with reports David Clarkson had visited Edmonton. That’s about all Clarkson will continue to do as he eventually signed with Toronto. The fact the Oilers missed out on a tough top six forward didn’t stop the new GM from turning his attention and cash elsewhere. He picked up Andrew Ference to bolster a blue line that has five returning defenceman. Ference with his background should be easily in the top two or three.
Then MacTavish went to work on filling the hole left by Horcoff. He went out and got a younger, cheaper version of the former captain in Boyd Gordon. A bonafide third-liner who wins faceoffs, kills penalties etc.
Edmonton needed another goalie and they secured Jason LaBarbera out of Phoenix. A career backup who has a shot at playing more than 20 or 25 games. That will depend on him and on how Devan Dubnyk’s development curve continues. There were also some less heralded moves like Finnish forward Jesse Joensuu who is looked upon as an upgrade to Teemu Hartikainen and Lennart Petrell. Throw in depth signings like Will Acton(son of Keith) and Ryan Hamilton it was a busy day or so for MacTavish.
What MacTavish didn’t get was the same thing the Oilers have been craving ever since they started stockpiling small, skilled talent: a bodyguard — or two or three — who can play but can also serve and protect the future of the franchise. Clarkson would have been nice or Nathan Horton or someone on defence with a mean streak, who can fight and play.
MacTavish says they’ll have to beat the bushes to find some of the above. In his press conference after the Horcoff deal and free agent Friday, MacTavish answered 18 questions in just over 20 minutes and then he was done. Done with the press conference but a GM is really never done answering questions or pulling rabbits out of a hat in order to find success.