The Chris Pronger trade was pretty disastrous for the Edmonton Oilers, but at least they got something from it. To be exact, they received: a limited quantity of Joffrey Lupul goals, first and second round picks they would later trade, the draft pick that would become Jordan Eberle and Ladislav Smid.
Time will decide whether flashy goal scorer Eberle or defensive defenseman Smid end up being the best takeaway for the Oilers from that deal, but both seem to have a future in Edmonton. GM Steve Tambellini signed Smid to a two-year, $4.5 million deal today.
Smid didn’t set the world on fire in 2010-11 (10 points and a -10 rating in 78 games played) but on a team as defensively deficient as the Oilers are, he stands out by being competent. He earned a career-high 20:17 minutes per game and looks to be a rare steadying presence on Edmonton’s blueline. Now, if the team could just add some defensive talent around him, they might be onto something ...