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2024 NHL Free Agency Superlatives - Most Likely to Succeed With Their New Team
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Jul 10, 2024
Host Matthew Zator gets together with Jacob Billington and Derek Olsen to do some superlatives for the players that have signed in free agency since July 1. In this clip, they talk about the players to most likely succeed with their new team.
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0:00
Next up, I'll start with you, Jacob, most likely to succeed on their new team here
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I think it's going to be Brett Pesci. I think there's a huge opportunity for him in with
0:09
the New Jersey Devils. He signed a really good deal. Fairly team friendly. I expected
0:14
it to be a bit higher, closer to the six and a half 7 million range, especially in the
0:19
open market. But they moved out John Marino for him. And so the pressure is going to be
0:23
high because Marino is a good defenseman. But he also has Simon Nemec, who is knocking
0:28
on the door for that top four right handed defensive spot. So it's not like he's just
0:32
walking into an opportunity. He's gonna have to earn it. But I think that he is the kind
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of player that is absolutely going to do everything in his power to earn and keep that spot
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I think he's gonna be again, way more, I think more offense. They asked more offense to him
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than Marino. Yeah, yeah. So I mean, he may be able to get a bit more points and add more
0:54
to their back end offensively to Derek, what about you? Who do you think is gonna be most
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likely to succeed? I am I hate to beat a dead horse because I know a lot of a lot of writers and media are
1:06
covering it, but I have to join MSA the Oilers, Jeff Skinner. I just think that that it's
1:14
going to be another very successful Oilers free agent signing. They already proved that
1:19
Zach Hyman was a was a an excellent gamble. And this could be obviously not the same
1:26
but very similar. I mean, Jeff Skinner may not have any business making $9 million a
1:31
season, but at $3 million, I think he offers tremendous value. Yeah, he's obviously scored
1:37
40 goals a couple years ago. He's a nine time 20 goal scorer, six time 30 goal scorer. He's
1:42
been inconsistent in his career, but he seemed to kind of have it figured out in the last
1:46
three seasons, at least. He had a down year with 24 goals and 46 points, which interestingly
1:54
I wrote it down, it would have been fourth in goals and six in points on the Oilers last
1:59
year. So it's the team still struggle with secondary scoring. You know, I know they made
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it obviously to the game seven of the Stanley Cup final, but obviously they lost by a goal
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right? And you have Mick David and dry settle getting shut down by the other team's best
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players. It's important to have those other players that can step up. And I think Skinner
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can be one of these guys. He's not going to be a spring chicken anymore at 32, but he's
2:24
going to be extra motivated for a few reasons. Buyout players tend to have an uptick in production
2:30
due to the proverbial chip on their shoulder. Yeah. Right. He also kind of he wants to produce
2:36
so he can have that one more big ticket contract before he retires. And there's not many better
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ways to do so than playing with Mick David or dry side on potentially on the best power
2:46
play in the entire league. And then lastly, for those who aren't aware, Jeff Skinner has
2:52
never made the playoffs. Yeah, he's got the NHL record, probably one of the worst NHL
2:56
records for most games played without a postseason game. And he's played 1006. So he's gonna
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want to gonna want to break through there. And, and have that debut. And I mean, not
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many 32 year olds are having a postseason debut. So look for him to really give everything
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he has. 14 seasons of of tension, you know, he gets to exact that that'll feel good. And
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and even in that case, I mean, he's running out of chances at a Stanley Cup, even though
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he's never had one. Yeah. A lot of external and internal motivation for Jeff Skinner to
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succeed. And I mean, he's playing with McDavid or dry side odds are so I think this is going
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to be a heck of a contract
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