ICYMI: Oilers part ways with Spooner and Rattie

GM Chiarelli eating crow once again.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
ICYMI: Oilers part ways with Spooner and Rattie
Zuma Press

In case you missed it, the Edmonton Oilers placed forwards Ryan Spooner and Ty Rattie on waivers earlier today.



Spooner, of course, was acquired in exchange for Ryan Strome earlier this season who in turn was acquired in exchange for Jordan Eberle in the summer of 2017. So, in effect, Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli has traded Eberle, a six time 20+ goal scorer, for… well… nothing. 

To be fair though, Spooner has NOT been good with the Oilers, putting up just two goals and three points in 24 games with the team. He’s playing fourth line minutes under head coach Ken Hitchcock and it’s clear that he doesn’t fit in the role. So, if you can’t score and you can’t check, you’ll most likely find yourself on the waiver wire. Unfortunately for him, Oilers fans will always link him to Eberle, despite Spooner himself having no connection to the trade.

As for Rattie, well… it’s a little confusing, to say the least. With just two goals and eight points in 29 games it’s not like Rattie was setting the NHL on fire, but to anyone who has watched this team, it’s clear that Rattie isn’t the problem. He’s been more impactful than Milan Lucic, Tobias Rieder and Kailer Yamamoto this season, the latter of which could be demoted to the AHL without the need for waivers.

So, while the Spooner waiving is egregious but understandable, the Rattie waiving is simply perplexing. Could Chiarelli have another panic move up his sleeve?