General Manager Peter Chiarelli did a nice job adding the size he wanted by acquiring forward Patrick Maroon from the Anaheim Ducks on Monday afternoon. Knowing full well that the player’s value is at a low point, and the fact that the Ducks needed to clear space on their wing for their new additions, Chiarelli gave up very little and even had the Ducks cover 25% of Maroon’s annual salary. TheOilers now have a low risk, reclamation project on their roster, who could potentially be one of the few value contracts on the team. Maroon’s price point is fair if he finds a role in the bottom six, and would be a bargain if he slots into a scoring line and produces.

The trade to bring in Maroon also indicates to me that Chiarelli isn’t going to over spend on size and would rather bring in these types of players on reasonable contracts. I’m hoping that this means the Oilers won’t be pursuing someone like Milan Lucic, who is an excellent player, but will more than likely command dollars and term if he hits free agency this summer. Players who bring a physical element to the game tend to regress rapidly as they age, and I would hate to see the Oilers invest in someone whose productivity is likely to decline.

What we know about Maroon is that over his last three seasons with the Ducks, he’s produced well and has some nice underlying numbers. This season, however, Maroon has played poorly, and appears to have taken a step back when it comes to possession and scoring. Corey put together a solid summary of Maroon’s numbers, but after reading that, I wanted to know more about his struggles and if there’s anything the Oilers should consider in regards to his deployment over the next 17 games.

Full article is at The Copper & Blue.