06/02/12 Andrew Cogliano One Year Later

On July 12th of last year, Andrew Cogliano was traded to Anaheim for a second round pick in 2013. Fans seemed to understand that the Oilers couldn't have too many small players, and there wasn't much complaining. How did the Ducks do with Cogliano? How did the Oilers do in the trade?



Difficult though it may be to believe, in the 2010-11 season Cogliano led all Oilers forwards in total ice time with 1415:02. An average of 55 seconds per game was spent on the powerplay, while he spent 2:43 on the penalty kill. Only Liam Reddox spent more time per game penalty killing among all Oilers forwards, but Cogliano was still first in total PK time.

The Oilers' penalty kill that year was 29th in the league. Hmm...

Cogliano's faceoff prowess while shorthanded left much to be desired. He led the Oilers in draws taken while down a man, but won just 41.5% of the time. He also led the team in total faceoffs taken with 1108, but his winning percentage was a measly 41.6%.

In raw offensive production, Cogliano was decent with 11-24-35 in all 82 games, but at just 5'10" and 188 pounds he was too small to fit into either the top or bottom six forwards.

In his first year in Anaheim, Cogliano scored 13-13-26 in 82 games. The Ducks used him in much the same way that the Oilers did in 2010-11, only in a reduced role.

Cogliano spent 33 seconds per game on the powerplay, and 1:36 killing penalties. However, his 131:34 of total PK time led his team's forwards. Anaheim's penalty kill ended up 16th in the NHL, two spots below the Oilers, and the Ducks finished 25th in the league.

Andrew Cogliano was not trusted with the faceoff work while the Ducks were shorthanded. In fact, he was fourth in total shorthanded draws taken, winning 39.5% of them. The needle barely moved on his overall faceoff winning percentage, as he went 164 for 388 (42%).

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Lennart Petrell is the Oilers' tallest forward at 6'3" and there is no guarantee that he will (or should be) back next season. If the size of a team matters, the Oilers can't afford to have any more small forwards. Andrew Cogliano didn't explode offensively for the Ducks, and his other special teams work was merely average. He scored a modest three points on the powerplay in 2011-12, and considering the firepower the Oilers will employ in coming years there simply wouldn't be a spot for Cogliano with the extra man.

Cogliano's versatility and 35-point performance in 2010-11 likely contributed to the fact that the Oilers were able to acquire a second round pick for him. Of course, he's a former first round pick (25th overall).

There should be some big changes in Anaheim this off season, and if the team elects to trade one of its big stars it could mean they will spend another year near the bottom of the league. A pick early in the second round of next year's draft is a valuable commodity, and gives the Oilers a lot more flexibility than Cogliano would. If the Oilers are in a playoff chase at the 2013 trade deadline, a second rounder will have more value than a small forward.

It depends what the Oilers get with Anaheim's pick, but they appear to have done well with this trade. They offloaded a small forward with some scoring touch who didn't fit into the lineup and added an asset in the process. The only question now is why on earth they couldn't have done that with Linus Omark.