Screen Shots: Should the Edmonton Oilers Have Signed Phil Kessel Over Corey Perry?

This is Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we discuss a few hockey topics in shorter paragraphs. 

Today's topics include the Edmonton Oilers' Corey Perry, Marc Savard leaving the Calgary Flames and Matthew Tkachuk in the spotlight for the Florida Panthers in Game 1. Let’s get to it:

The Edmonton Oilers will face their toughest challenge yet this post-season in the Dallas Stars. If they’re going to win the Western Conference final and move on, the Oilers need a fuller team effort than they've had to date. It appears they're looking for it without veteran right winger Corey Perry in the lineup.

Perry was a healthy scratch for Edmonton in Games 6 and 7 of the Oilers’ second-round series against Vancouver after not producing a single point in 10 games of this year’s playoffs.

The 39-year-old has had a tumultuous year – beginning the season as a Chicago Blackhawk, only to have his contract terminated before he signed a one-year deal with Edmonton. 

He has 71 assists and 124 points in 206 career playoff games. But as the Oilers try to eliminate a deep and focused Stars team, they’ll need all the help they can get. 

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has demonstrated he’s not afraid of making notable roster changes from game to game, starting Calvin Pickard in Game 5 before returning to Stuart Skinner. 

Knoblauch can always choose to put Perry back in the lineup as well. If he can make life difficult for the Stars and put some points on the board, he could stick in the lineup and help nudge Edmonton past Dallas for a Cup final showdown. That is if he gets another chance.

Some might suggest the Oilers would’ve been better to sign three-time Cup-winning forward Phil Kessel instead of Perry.

Last season, Kessel averaged about as much ice time for the Vegas Golden Knights as Perry did with the Oilers in this regular season – around 12:50 per game. Kessel had 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games for Vegas last year, while Perry had 13 points in 38 games with Edmonton and 22 points in 54 games this year.

While the Golden Knights only played Kessel in four games last post-season en route to the Stanley Cup, he had two assists in Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets to kickstart their four straight wins in that first-round contest. 

While his pace of play fell behind what was needed in the NHL, and his practices with the Vancouver Canucks' AHL team didn't turn into a contract before the trade deadline, his winning experience and ability to positively affect a game here and there last season could've given some more support to the Oilers.

That said, Perry also has winning experience. In a league that values grit over scoring skill for their depth – and really, the Oilers had plenty of scoring skill – Perry’s “snot” probably was why he got the nod over Kessel.

This could be Perry’s last chance at a championship, and now it’s on him to prove he can still be a difference-maker in clutch time if he gets the opportunity again. 

As some speculated following Craig Berube's hiring as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new coach, veteran NHLer and recent Calgary assistant coach Marc Savard parted ways with the Flames. 

This opens the door for Savard to join Berube’s staff in Toronto, most likely replacing Guy Boucher as the Leafs assistant in charge of the power play.

The Buds’ power play suffered throughout their first-round playoff loss to Boston, and with talents like William Nylander and Auston Matthews in tow, that just shouldn’t happen. 

If Savard joins the Leafs, he could turn that 180 degrees. In his time as a player – with 499 assists and 706 points in 807 career regular-season games – Savard showed creativity and terrific instincts with the puck. He’ll be facing pressure straight away in Toronto, but Berube’s choice to bring him in speaks to the confidence he has in Savard to turn things around.

Finally, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final between the Rangers and Panthers, Florida star winger Matthew Tkachuk was at his best. 

He scored the game-winning goal and set a gritty, physical tone that the Blueshirts had no answer for. 

For another post-season, Tkachuk has shown his value when games matter most, sparing no one as he imposes his will on his opponents. And the Rangers don’t really have a competitor who does all the things Tkachuk does.

You could say Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was the player of the game for Florida in Game 1, as he posted a shutout to take away home-ice advantage from the Rangers. But without Tkachuk barreling into opponents with little regard for them or himself, Florida has had that little bit extra that’s needed to get teams ahead of opponents who are otherwise their equal. 

Tkachuk deserves all the laurels he’s getting this year, and if the Panthers win the Cup, Tkachuk could earn his first Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. 

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