A New Day

Today's announcement of the signings of both Pat Quinn and Tom Renney came as a bit of a shock to me.  I had heard it being talked about, but I couldn't believe that Renney would consider becoming an "associate" or assistant coach after being a head coach in the NHL for seven years.  But, here we are, with two established coaches on one coaching staff.

Kudos to Tambellini on this one, though it's not as if he really went out on a limb here, and maybe he didn't have to.  I'm inclined to believe that the man who had more to do with this move than Tambellini was Daryl Katz.  Considering that Renney is probably paid just as much as Quinn, it would've required Katz to open his pockets a little bit.  But obviously he gave the go ahead, and again showed that he is willing to do whatever it takes to make his team a winner.

It will be interesting to see how the dynamic between the two coaches works.  Pat Quinn is known for being a strong motivator who really gets into the heads of his players.  He's also known for leaning towards the offensive side of the game when setting up the game plan.  On the other hand, Tom Renney is known for being a strong tactician who is more partial to the defensive side of the game.  In fact, a lot of people make the comparison between Renney and our old friend, Craig MacTavish.  And the comparison makes sense, especially when looking at last season, the last for both on their former teams.  Both were accused of being too complacent and not taking enough risks offensively.  In theory, Quinn's offensive, motivating coaching style should balance well with Renney's MacT-lite coaching style, but of course, because this kind of arrangement has never been tested in the field before, no one really knows.

What will be fun to see, provided the these players stay on the roster through the summer, will be how certain players respond to the new coaching staff.  Hopefully guys like Dustin Penner, Robert Nilsson, and maybe a kid like Rob Schremp, will see it as an opportunity for a fresh start, with the chance to make a new impression on management.  I've got a feeling that Dustin Penner could really benefit from a move like this, because if anybody is going to get him going, it's going to be Pat Quinn.  For me, the jury is still out on Nilsson and Schremp.  It's possible that they simply don't have the total package and never will take that next step.

Apparently there is an agreement that if Quinn retires at the end of his contract (both are signed for three years), then Renney will take over the job as head coach.  I'm hoping that Renney learns a lot from Quinn over the next three years and becomes a complete coach in every aspect of the job then, as he is getting a great opportunity to pick up some things from one of the most respected coaches in the game.  

And don't forget that connection Renney has to Jagr... T'was a good day in Oilertown.

Saving the Oilers: Deciding on a Starter

EDIT: Before reading this article, please be aware that I completed it, somehow forgetting the number two guy on my list... Swedish phenom free agent Jonas Gustavsson.  For that, I apologize, and I will put up a separate blog specifically concerning Gustavsson tomorrow evening.

So now that we've figured out what to do with the younger goalies, how about looking at the most glaring hole going into the offseason: the lack of a true number one goalie.  Yes, Deslauriers and Dubnyk are coming along, but it's unlikely either of them will be ready to play more than 30 games in the NHL next season, let alone lead a team into the playoffs.  There seems to be quite a few goalies out there, but not really any obvious targets.  Let's take a look at them.

The old saying goes "if it aint broke, don't fix it".  That's all fine and dandy, but what about when we're talking about a 40 year old goalie who just played 63 games (in a contract year), who is probably not interested in cutting his workload?  Then, perhaps instead of fixing it, maybe it's time to just trade in for the newer model.  Understand that I have absolutely nothing against Dwayne Roloson, and was as pumped as any other Oiler fan over his great play last season.  But in extending Roloson for another season, we're looking at a stop gap for maybe another two seasons, who is liable to falter at any moment.  With the amount of goalies available, I don't think that's a smart gamble to take.  I mean, if there are no other options, then sure, sign him for one year in an attempt to stay competitive in net.  But right now, the Oilers should be looking at setting up a solid future in net.

And as an aside, wouldn't we all like to see Roli get a shot at a cup?  If he hits free agency, I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a pay cut to play for a team like Detroit.  He's been in the game for his entire life, and given how close he's been to a ring (game sevens with Buffalo and Edmonton), you know it's something he'd like to accomplish before he hangs up the pads.

So past Roloson, what options to the Oilers have?  The most attractive option from a fan's point of view has to be Minnesota's Josh Harding.  He's just 25 years old, and has put up three solid seasons as backup to Niklas Backstrom.  Now that Backstrom has been extended to an expensive contract, and Harding is looking for a contract himself, it would seem as if Minnesota has chosen their goalie for the future.  And as such, Harding is undoubtedly on the block.

The real question is whether Minnesota would even be willing to trade within their own division.  They did once before, trading Roloson to the Oilers three years ago, but Roloson was a free agent to be.  Harding, if traded to Edmonton, will be the goalie here for the foreseeable future, and facing him six times a year might be tough to swallow for Wild GM Chuck Fletcher.  I wouldn't think the Oilers would have to give up more than draft picks and prospects for Harding, given the situation the Wild are in with their goalies.

Another trade target has to be Atlanta.  Right now they've got Johan Hedberg, Kari Lehtonen, and Ondrej Pavelec all vying for a number one spot.  Pavelec has made it known that he wants more playing time, and as such may be available.  He's a 22 year old with a bright future, but with him would come a lot of question marks.  It's possible that he would lose the starting job to Deslauriers, given his performance last season, and that would likely not be a good situation for the Oilers.  Lehtonen would be a nice goalie to have, but I don't think Waddell would be too keen on moving him.  Granted, it is Don Waddell.

And so, if all trade options run dry (and who knows exactly who is available), then it's time to look at the free agent market.  The big name on the market right now is Khabibulin, but after the Hawks' run to the Western Conference Finals, I'll go out on a limb and say he doesn't make it to July 1.

Next up could be Manny Fernandez, and how ironic would that be?  Fernandez only played 28 games this season thanks to Tim Thomas, but he still put up a .910 sv%.  He's 35 years old, which isn't exactly young, but for a couple of years, he could be a perfect transition goalie while Deslauriers and Dubnyk get ready for the show.  It all depends on his contract demands though.  He has only played 32 games over the last two seasons, so he might not be asking for that much.  I think he's a guy the Oilers should seriously look at.

Martin Biron would be a legitimate starter should he sign here, but the idea of letting Roloson go is not only to get younger, but to also get cheaper.  With the numbers that Biron has put up over the last two seasons, the Oilers would have to cut salary elsewhere to sign him.

My favorite goalie on the FA market this season is the Panther's Craig Anderson.  In 31 games this season, he put up 15 wins and a .924 sv%.  In 17 games last season, 8 wins and a .935 sv%.  And he's in his prime at 28 years old.  This is a guy I would make cap room for.  I think he could be a top 10 starter in the NHL next season.  And it's possible that he could come at a little bit of a discount anyway, given that he still hasn't played a full season.  The only reservation I would have with signing him is that there really isn't going to be any opportunity for Dubnyk or Deslauriers to break in with Anderson in net, but sometimes plans change.

The fall back, after Roloson, is Scott Clemmensen.  We all saw him fill in admirably for Brodeur this season, leading the Devils to 25 wins during his stay as the number one.  He'll also come relatively cheap.  But he's 32 years old, and I think you're asking for trouble if you're relying on Clemmensen to be your number one.  If he signed here, I would expect nothing less than 40 games from Deslauriers next year.  I don't think Clemmensen is number one material at all.

Summary

So the first guy on my shortlist is Craig Anderson.  He's young, he's got all the tools, and he might not cost as much as the other desirable UFA goalies.  Second would have to be Josh Harding, though it would be tough to get him out of Minnesota, and the Oilers would probably have to overpay a little bit.  If I struck out on both of those guys, I'd probably take a serious look at Roloson, but only for one season.  I would not want to give Roli two years or more, and I've got a feeling that's exactly what he's looking for.  After that, Biron.  Though he's one of the better goalies available, he's going to cost a pretty penny.  Then Fernandez, who I would hope would be a nice goalie to have for a couple years before turning the reigns over to Dubnyk.  If I can't even sign Fernandez, then I'll look at trading for a goalie from Atlanta, though if it's Pavelec who's available, I would finally settle for Clemmensen.  

Whoa, maybe they should just sign Roli after all?

Saving the Oilers: Kiddie Keepers

We've all seen what great goaltending can do for the fortunes of an otherwise average team.  Exhibit A: Roberto Luongo.  Exhibit B: Henrik Lundqvist.  Both the Canucks and Rangers had pretty weak rosters coming into the season, but both are among the few teams in the league in possession of a truly elite, game-changing goalie.  Heck, throw Blue Jacket's tender Steve Mason in there as well.

The Oilers haven't had an elite goaltender for a very long time.  And by elite, I'm referring to the type of goaltender that can single handedly turn a tenth place team into an eighth place team, or from a pretender to a contender.  Those goalies are hard to find, and the opportunities to grab one are very limited.  And maybe this Oilers team isn't built in a fashion which can accommodate a "big ticket" goalie.  But I think the days of relying on a forty year old puck stopper are soon coming to an end, as, put quite simply, better options are presenting themselves at this point.

The first thing Tambellini is going to have to look at this offseason, at least pertaining to goalies, is the future of Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk.  The Oilers have put a large amount of time into developing both of these guys (not so much into Deslauriers thanks to the lack of a farm team for several years), and one must think the time to make a decision with them is now.

Deslauriers has had a rough go at it as a member of the Oilers.  He only got into ten NHL games, and just five AHL games, all of last season.  Though he did put up a .901 sv% in those ten games, it was hardly enough to cement his place as a legitimate threat to be a starter in the future.  Most memorably, Deslauriers put up a couple of beautiful performances early in the season, featuring one especially great start against the Rangers.  He's shown fantastic athletic ability for such a large goalie, but makes the mistakes that an unexperienced goalie should.  If he's on the roster next season, then he has to get at least 20-30 games.  If he's not going to get that, I think it's time to part ways with a 25 year old goalie who's never been given a shot.

Dubnyk is knocking hard on Deslauriers' door as the number one young goalie in the Oilers' system.  Actually, he may have already opened that door.  Playing on a horrendous AHL team in Springfield last season, Dubnyk put up a .906 sv% in 62 games, with an astounding 1730 saves.    Whereas Deslauriers has always struggled for playing time, Dubnyk has had no problem finding playing time in the Oilers' system.  And at 23 years old, Dubnyk may have more room to improve as well.  Playing on a better AHL team next season would be ideal for Dubnyk, and I would expect he'll get his shot with the big club within the next two years.  I certainly wouldn't be in any rush to move him; he's one of the most talented young goalies in the AHL.

Outside of twin towers, the Oilers do have a couple of other goalies in the system.  Bjorn Bjurling has been putting up good numbers in Europe for several years now, so there is clearly some talent there.  Unfortunately he's now 30 years old, and whether he'll ever cross the Atlantic is starting to look doubtful.  Still, Pendergast has indicated that there is some interest there on the Oilers' side, so he's one to keep an eye on if he ever does come over.  He could very well be a hidden gem, just like the Backstrom's and Hiller's of today's NHL.

Andrew Perugini had a solid season for the Stockton Thunder, showing himself to be worth the AHL contract the Oilers signed him to before the season started.  He's only 21, and put up a save percentage on the right side of .905% last season.  He's got plenty of time to develop, and could be a legitimate prospect for the Oilers somewhere down the road.

Bryan Pitton and Glenn Fisher are the other two goalies in the system (though I'm not sure about Fisher's contract).  Pitton had an average year with Stockton, and Fisher had an absolutely fabulous season statistically with the Las Vegas Wranglers.  Where they fit in the system next season is not clear, though one would think that if Fisher is still Oilers' property, he'll have somewhere to play next season.

Summary

For me, Deslauriers deserves another shot with the big team, but only if he's getting a good number of games in.  If a star number one arrives in town (which is unlikely), then I'd shop him around to make room for a veteran back up.  Otherwise, I think it's worth seeing if he can find a consistent NHL level game.

Dubnyk is a keeper in my opinion, and my number one priority concerning young goalies would be to get him as much playing time as possible.  I think he could step into the NHL within the next two years, and could be a legitimate number one at some point.

As for rest of the crew, the only guys I'm really keen on are Perugini, Fisher, and Bjurling.  All three are outside shots, but it's worth hanging on to them just in case one turns out to be a surprise stud.

Are the Oilers Doomed?

Times, they are a changing in Edmonton, at least when talking about the local hockey team.  First, Kevin Lowe, after eight years of acting as general manager, is now "President of Hockey Operations", leaving Steve Tambellini in charge of the daily hardships of player and personnel management.

And Tambellini's first big move was firing coach Craig Mactavish, who had been part of the organization for the last eight years, and is now left, or at least one would assume, looking for employment elsewhere in the NHL.  Perhaps a team like Minnesota would be among the suitors for the newest coach on the unemployment line?

Anyway, Tambellini has taken control of the search for a new coach, and whoever does sign his name on the dotted line will have to fit within Tambellini's vision of a tougher to play against Oilers team.  But a new coach is certainly not going to fix everything.  Some part of last season's struggles must fall on the shoulders of the players, who on the most part, underachieved.  The question is, can this team be repaired?

The Oilers are in a unique and, for some fans, terrifying position.  First, the consequences of never entering a full rebuild and therefore the lack of high-end young talent.  Second, the consequences of a cinderella cup run three years ago which led to numerous overpaid veterans.  And third, the consequences of signing average players to very large contracts.

What this ended up leaving us with is a team that is not young, yet not full of grizzled vets.  It's a team which now has 5.5 million wrapped up in a first line center who may or may not break 60 points in back to back years.  A team which is stuck with a 4 million dollar, 6'4 left winger who won't hit a fly and can't keep up with an offensive line.  A team with 42 (edit: 48 million with Visnovsk off the LTIR) million committed to the cap going into next season, without a starting goalie and in desperate need of a roster reconstruction.

Can Tambellini solve these issues (or at least hide them), and turn this team around in the course of an offseason?  Probably not.  But you know he'll try.  And I will too.  

Over the next little while, I'm going to be posting a list of moves which I think the Oilers should pursue.  I'm not going into this with the idea that every single move can or should be made.  It's more of a process, or a path to enlightenment if you will.  "If I were GM, what would be the first thing I would try to do?  What about the second?  And third?"  I will talk about free agents that are available, players that may become available via trade, and will try to take a fantasy approach to the situation.  It should be challenging, but I think I can turn this team around...

Tune in if you'd like.

Turning the corner

So the inevital has happened. Not everyone agrees with me, but this came almost three years too late.., two years for certain.

MacTavish definitely had some success and some really good moments during his tenure, but the last couple of seasons have been hard to watch without constantly grinding one's teeth. His philosophy of having every guy on the team learn how to block shots helped push the injury ward to a maximum. There are some guys who just shouldn't even try doing that. I could go on and on discussing various decisions that made me cringe, but I'm sure that's been done to death already.

I think there were other signs, but when MacT went public with his ripping of Dustin Penner back in November, I figured that was the final sign that the writing was on the wall.


I look at this as a positive thing for the Oilers. If they can find someone with some fresh ideas and a little different idea on how to direct the young talent on this team, they could easily challenge for the play-offs.

So here's to an intriguing summer as Steve Tambellini really gets to start making his mark on the team.

So I Guess That's It?

So, another long season of Oiler hockey is in the books, and once again, we'll be heading into an even longer offseason.  Surprised?  I don't see how you could be once half the season was through.

I guess some Oiler fans will take solace in the possibility that this could mean the end of a coaching era.  

Personally, I'm kind of just upset that we won't be watching any playoff hockey for the third season in a row, no matter who was behind the bench.  Perhaps that explains why I had no will to write anything on this blog for extended periods of time.  After watching an entire season of a team simply not showing up to play an entertaining, exciting brand of hockey, I think the luster kind of wore off.

However, as has been the case for the last three years now, I'm sure there will be much more to talk about during the offseason.  First, we have to figure out where everybody on this team fits in the future.  And then the draft, of course, will be as fun as ever.  And then free agency should provide us with some laughs.  And then rookie camp.  And then preseason.  And then we'll be back where to where we were six months ago.

I know my lack of activity has most likely driven away most of the already few readers who visited this site, but if you are reading this, know that my activity will be up exponentially now that the season is over.  Weird how that works, hey?  Such is the life of an Edmonton Oilers fan.

Well, At Least the Kids Are Back

The Oilers have obviously been playing a lot better as of late, save for today's game against the Wild.  And let's be honest, games like today's are almost expected when playing Lemaire's hockey club.

Still, Sam Gagner has suddenly returned to the form he found late in his rookie year, and the Oilers as a team are playing better.  Well, almost as a team.

One of the few constants throughout the first half of the season was one Ales Hemsky, who would dazzle us night in and night out with his smooth moves and slick skating.  That quality has all but disappeared as of late.  And could he have picked a worse time to go through a slump?  Now that he's got a talented winger to play with in Patrick O'Sullivan, now that Sam Gagner is playing the best hockey of his career to take some pressure off him, now that the Oilers season weighs in the balance, Ales Hemsky has left the building.  Some might see this as just a little bit troubling.

His slump points back to a game against Dallas, where it appeared that he had banged up his foot.  So perhaps injury is to blame for this horrible drought?  It's possible, except that we've seen glimpses of his old self at times, though it's never been all there.  No, in my eyes, it's something mental, maybe coupled along with the tenure of the season and the bruises that come along with it.  Of course, I could be blind.

If one thing is for granted, it's that the Oilers need Ales Hemsky to go anywhere in the playoffs.  The way they're playing right now, they may sneak into the playoffs without him going at 100%, but his playoff experience is invaluable, and the Oilers need that to be all there against the Red Wings, Sharks, Flames, or Canucks.  Hemsky has put this team on his shoulders before, and while we thought he had taken that next step earlier in the year, it looks like we spoke too soon.

Ales, time to take that next step.

Strong Effort, Disappointing Result

The Oilers played well tonight; I don't know how anyone could argue that.  At least compared to the average Oiler effort, this game was great.  It's unfortunate that it ended the way it did (a 4-3 OT loss), but it was a good effort, and I felt the team deserved better.

The kids are alright once again, as all of Cogliano, Gagner, Grebeshkov, Gilbert, and Nilsson played solid games.  Smid continued his great play as well.  The Oilers caught a tough break when Souray left with a lower body injury early in the third, and I really feel like that could've been the deciding factor in tonight's game.

The defensive lapses were still there, but for the first time all year, the Oilers came out and absolutely dominated a period.  They outshot the Canadiens 17-2 in the second, granted quite a few of these shots were perimeter shots.  The tide predictably turned in the third though, and the Canadiens controlled that period much like the Oilers had controlled the second.

If it was not already clear, Dwayne Roloson is this season's team MVP.  Once again he kept the team in the game when the going got tough, and has earned his 22 straight starts.  I would say that Mactavish should give him a break, but I already said that ten games ago, and Roloson hasn't shown any signs of slowing down really.  It's too bad that Jeff Deslauriers is about to finish another year of very limited playing time, which might spell the end of his Oiler career if I were to wander a guess.  I would bet that the Oilers are already looking ahead to Devan Dubnyk as the future goalie of the Oilers.

I liked the way O'Sullivan and, to a lesser extent, Kotalik played tonight, and I think both have made Dustin Penner pretty much the definition of expendable.  But, I'd still like to see Penner draw in on the fourth line, maybe J.F. Jacques too, in place of Stortini and Reddox.  Though I think Reddox deserves whatever playing time he gets.

The Oilers now come home for three crucial games if they are interested in playing hockey well into April.  Games against Atlanta, St. Louis, and Colorado are all very winnable, and maybe could be considered "must wins".  If the Oilers win all three, like they should, they'd be in a good position to drive for the playoffs.  If they don't, then they better hope that the teams around them in the standing falter at the same time.  Unfortunately, like I mentioned earlier, Sheldon Souray left tonight's game with a lower body injury.  I bet that he'll be out for at least the next two, though I don't really have anything more than a hunch to go on.

Let's Go Oilers, eh?

Turning the corner??

No pictures for this one., it didn't deserve..,

Well.., in the 1st game after the trade deadline.., the positive was a 2-goal performance by Sam Gagner. The rest of the game, it seemed like they were using even-strength to work on the penalty-kill strategies..,

Roloson continued his strong performance, which is not really a surprise.

I saw a couple of shifts where Ales & Ales seemed to click together. I wasn't paying close attention to O'Sullivan tonight, but I did notice that Nilsson wasn't playing. I'm told that's 3 games in a row.., I guess I've been distracted from hockey in recent weeks!!


For the red & white enemies down the highway, who seemed to be universally declared the winners of TDD.., things went a little differently. Their new additions seemed to fit into the line-up with ease, scoring 3 of the 5 goals. However, the opposition came out totally flat, so it's really difficult to rank just how successful a game it was.

Say What?

When the clock hit 1:00 pm today, I admit that I was a little (read: very much so) disheartened with Tambellini, Lowe, and the Edmonton Oilers organization as a whole.  Just look at this roster.  Doing nothing, buying nor selling, is simply unacceptable this season.

And then, at 2:00 or so, the news began to flow in.  Patrick O'Sullivan coming to the Oilers.  So what'd that cost?  Nilsson, second rounder, Cogliano?  How about Erik Cole.  That's right, 20 games of Erik Cole in exchange for a 24 year old winger with 37 points on the year, and a second rounder.  Steve Tambellini, you genius you.

And yet, he goes and flips that pick for Ales Kotalik.  Kotalik is a rental, no doubt about it, but he's got 32 points on the year, and apparently is best buddies with another Ales who plays with the Oilers.  No complaints there.

So to sum up, the Oilers gave up 20 games of Erik Cole for 2 years of Patrick O'Sullivan and 20 games of Ales Kotalik, both of which have more points than Cole.  Colour me impressed with our new general manager.

According to Mactavish, Kotalik is going to start out with Hemsky on the top line, and O'Sullivan is going to play with Gagner and Nilsson.  I wouldn't be surprised to see O'Sullivan with Hemsky if Kotalik doesn't click right away.

I suppose I'll be sad to see Erik Cole move back to Carolina, and the team definitely lost even more toughness, but hopefully J.F. Jacques can step up his game a little and crash some bodies.  And it sounds as if Mactavish expects O'Sullivan to step in and play a solid two way game, so maybe he'll be able to help out the kids in their own end.

Anyway, enough with the rambling here.  I'll just say that I'm really impressed with what management was able to put together today, and am looking forward to watching the new players take the ice tomorrow.  This is clear; the Oilers have no excuse for missing the playoffs now.

On the Road Again

No, not the Oilers, but myself.  Last night I got to experience an NHL game outside of Edmonton for the first time in my life.  And if you're going to watch an NHL hockey game, you might as well go to the hotbed of hockey itself...

Phoenix.

Wait, what?  That's right, last night I took in a game  between the Phoenix Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues.  The Blues won 3-1, featuring two particularly nice goals scored by Jay McClement and David Perron.

As someone who hasn't been able to score tickets to a game at Rexall for quite some time now, it was a great experience to finally be able to watch an NHL hockey game live.  I have to say that it's a completely different experience watching a game in 25+ degree Phoenix as opposed to -25- degree Edmonton.

First, free parking.  I know, my jaw hit the floor too.  Jobing.com arena was built in a remote area in Glendale, beside a large shopping complex complete with places to eat and people to see.  Prior to the game, I ran into former baseball stars Mark Grace and Ferguson Jenkins.  Anyways, because the arena is built where it is, a huge parking lot is located directly next to both the arena and the mall, which sure beats the long walk you have to make at Northlands.

Second, obviously, the fans are different, but from what I saw and heard, hockey should be able to find success in Phoenix with the right direction.  The cheaper seats were pretty much sold out, but the lower bowl had some empty spots.  Personally, I'm pretty sure that the team could sell out consistently if the ticket prices were lowered a bit.  I saw a lot of people being turned away because they had no $20 tickets left, and those people weren't really up for shelling out $50+ for a ticket.

And the atmosphere was fantastic.  Sure, the fans weren't as knowledgeable as the fans here in Edmonton, but they were probably just as loud.  After every hit, the crowd roared.  Even when a small scrum broke out, the crowd got on it's feet.  It was an exciting crowd to be a part of.

I will say that Winnipeg needs a team, and Canada as a whole should have another one or two teams.  But it would be a shame for the Coyotes to be ripped away from the Phoenix hockey fans, and I would not want to see that kind of thing happen to any hockey fan.  Hopefully Phoenix and the NHL find a way to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix for many years to come.

This Guy is Gonna be a Player

Toby Petersen is a NHL hockey player.  I know this may come as a shock to some Oiler fans, but it's true.  He's played 56 games this season with the Dallas Stars, scoring 4 goals and 11 points.  He'll probably play some key minutes in the playoffs killing penalties and whatnot, as he already averages what looks like over ten minutes a game (just judging by his game log).

I believe Liam Reddox will be better, and I say this with, in particular, the last few games in mind.

I've been incredibly impressed with Reddox's hustle and physical play, especially considering the only player on the team who can come close to matching him in those aspects is Erik Cole.  One sequence in particular from last night's game against the Flames which caught my (and everyone else's) attention came late in the third, when Reddox single-handedly hemmed the Flames in their own zone with a tenacious forecheck that, for whatever reason, Oiler fans are not used to seeing from this team.  When he left the ice, the crowd showed their appreciation with a great ovation for a player of Reddox's stature.  Unfortunately, the play was lost in the shuffle of what turned out to be another disappointing loss for the Oilers.

I suppose what I'm trying to get at here is that Reddox is going to be a great player for the Oilers in the future as a third or fourth liner.  He's only 23, and he's already shown the ability to be a spark plug for a team that needs it.

Why compare him to Toby Petersen?  Because earlier in the year, Reddox received plenty of unwarranted criticism when he was put on the top line in place of Hemsky.  And in 06/07, Toby Peteresen received similar criticism when he was played in roles you wouldn't expect him to be played in.

Oiler fans have had a history of picking targets.  Poti, Roloson (pre-Garon trade), Lupul; we've seen it happen plenty of times.  It looked like Reddox might become one of those 'targets' earlier in the year, but he played through it and has become a solid player for the Oilers.  One would think on a team which lacks so much energy and physical play, fans would love a guy like Reddox who shows the ability to bring that, and maybe a little more sometime down the road.

The fans seem to have let up on Reddox, and to the ones that haven't, I think you'll have to get used to hating him for at least a few more years.

Now, to find him a better nickname than "Red Ox".  Seriously, that's truly awful.

Cole for Kovalev?

Hello blog, good to see you again.

Darren Dreger wrote this on the TSN.ca website today:

No. 9 - The Oilers are believed to be one team interested in Kovalev and sources say Edmonton forward Erik Cole could be worked into a package as the Oilers search for a top line forward.

Though the wording is a little awkward, I believe the gist of it is that the Oilers are looking at moving Cole for Kovalev, but are also looking around for other options.  I have to say that the thought of Kovalev coming over to play for the Oilers is quite intriguing, for a few reasons.  

One, he's a potential game breaker, something the Oilers don't have outside of Ales Hemsky.  Two, the current powerplay hasn't exactly been setting the league on fire, and Kovalev should be able to help out there.

Three, Kovalev is an impact playoff performer, putting up 95 points in a 112 games.  He'd be, by far, the most experienced Oiler when it comes to the playoffs, and would be a leader on the team.

Four, and this is a rather simple one, he's better than Cole.  Look, I like the way Cole plays too.  He gives it his all on every shift, and leads the team in hits.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he hasn't fit with the Oilers, and simply isn't bringing enough offence to the table for him to stay in the top 6.  Kovalev changes the entire dynamic of the team in terms of offence.  Either he can find his game at left wing and moves to the top line with Hemsky, or he stays at right wing and slots in with Gagner and Nilsson.  Doesn't really matter, because a player with the skill of Kovalev makes everyone around him better.

I understand that Kovalev has a little bit of a reputation around the league for being soft, or being too inconsistent.  Doesn't matter to me, because if he doesn't work out, the Oilers can let him walk at the end of the year, just like Cole will at the end of the year, and use the cap space on something else.  But the catch is, if Kovalev fits with Hemsky or Gagner and Nilsson, the Oilers have a shot at signing him for a cheaper, short contract, and when Kovalev is at his best, he's a guy you want on your team.

Photo of the Day

Why is this photo interesting?  Well, let's see.  At the forefront, we have Jay Bouwmeester, current Florida Panthers' ace defenceman and soon-to-be UFA come July first.  I'm sure you've heard of his alleged reluctance to play in Edmonton, as it has been well documented amongst friends of friends of cousins of the Bouweester family in Edmonton and surrounding area.  Apparently playing in his hometown would be too much pressure for Jay to handle, just like it was recently for Joffrey Lupul.  Prior to the Pronger deal, rumours were flying that Bouwmeester rejected a trade to Edmonton because he didn't want to play here, so the Oilers ended up with the previously mentioned Lupul, Ladislav Smid, and draft picks.

Now Bouwmeester could be back on the market as a rental, albeit a rather risky one.  He'll cost a lot to acquire, and there is a chance that he won't sign with the team he's traded to.  With Lubomir Visnovsky potentially out for the rest of the year, perhaps it's time for the Oilers to take another run at the Edmonton kid?  Maybe he's changed his tune as he's aged, and would be more open to play in Edmonton.  He would make one of Grebeshkov and Gilbert expendable this offseason, but would also give the Oilers one of the most expensive defensive cores in the league.  Personally, I take the risk and bring him in.  Actually, it seems like a no-brainer to bring in a young player of his calibre into the system.

And to come back to the photo, the player in the background is another Edmonton boy who did not work out so well for the Oilers.  I'm not going to lie and say that Comrie wasn't one of my favourite players during his time with the Oilers.  Unfortunately for his fans, his stay here didn't last long, but maybe it was unfortunate on both parts.

What's kind of stunning is just how good Comrie was as an Oiler in his early twenties.  Statistically, he put up two of his best three years as an NHLer during his three years as an Oiler, and has only hit 60 points once as a member of another team.

My question is, why don't these type of homecomings work out better more often?  Fernando Pisani has been pretty good, but I think it's due time that the Oilers had a true hometown kid once again.  Jay Bouwmeester, come on down!

Negativity Boiling Over

This is the first post in a week on Oilertown, and I can probably point to a couple of reasons for that.   One, this is a blog, and for me personally, unless there is something I've thought about and would like to write about, I'm not going to put up a post for the sake of it.  I really ought to try to post much more frequently though.

Second, and again, this may just be for me, it seems like there is an overwhelming sense of negativity surrounding the hockey club recently, and it makes it hard to want to talk about the team when that's happening.  Sure, the negativity is warranted to some degree, but the team still is not that bad off, Mactavish hasn't done a horrible job, Roloson is not blowing it as the team's number one goalie, and Liam Reddox is not a bad hockey player.  After tonight's win against the Blues, the Oilers sit in sole possession of eighth place, which when considering how poorly the team has played in stretches this year, isn't all that bad.  They're in a good spot to overtake a couple teams if they put together some victories, and finishing in fifth spot is still not out of the question.

Obviously the potential loss of Visnovsky is huge, and hopefully Tamblowe can do something to rectify that hole on defence before the trade deadline.  But we saw it last year when a team missing key players came together and put together a magical string of games at the end of the season to come this close to making the playoffs, and who knows, it could happen again.

I missed the game tonight, but I've read that Roli played really well, Nilsson and Gagner were both solid, and that the team put in an overall good effort to scrape out the two points.  Seems like there has to be some kind of positive to take out of a game like that.

So all I'm asking for is for the fans to give this team a chance to show what they can do.  Instead of harping on the same things over and over, regardless of the situation, I say we should look at the rest of the season just like the team should; one game at a time.

I will be writing throughout the weekend, and will aim for a post a day over the rest of February.  Hopefully the Oilers come out of this weekend with three point, and above Anaheim.

Cheers, and enjoy the weekend.

No Stones

I'm a bit choked right now. No, it's not because of the colossal stinkbomb that the Oilers dropped on us Tuesday night. It's the fact that the league office has once again shown zero backbone.

I'm speaking of the recent extension that Henrik Zetterberg has signed (12 years, $73 million). It's not the length or amount that I have an issue with - in fact, this is great work by Ken Holland to lock up a talent like Zetterberg. My concern is the year-by-year dollar distribution of the contract.

For the first nine years, Zetterberg will earn $68 million - approximately $7.55 million per year. For the final three years, though, he will earn $3m, $1m, and $1m respectively, which drops the cap hit to $6.08 million per year. By the time Zetterberg hits year 10 of the contract, he'll be 37 years old. Now, it's a real possibility that Zetterberg will still be putting up 70 points a year, and will still be a valuable asset to the team. He could also retire, and the cap comes off the books (since he signed it prior to age 35).

Now I know you're probably saying "Why does jt have his panties in a bunch? It's a savvy move by Holland." Well, let me take you back to 2006, when Rick DiPietro signs his 15 year deal. Bill Daly goes on Prime Time Sports and says something along the lines that the league has the right to veto a contract if it is too front or back-loaded (unfortunately, I can't find a link to either the conversation or an article with this comment). Don't you think a contract where less than 7% of the total salary over the final 25% of the term could be deemed as front-end loaded?

This is a slippery slope - what if a team had, say, a star player that was slated to be a UFA in 2012, when he would be 29 years old. They could offer him a 15 year contract worth $95 million (8 years at $10 million, 2 years at $5 million, 5 years at $1 million) - it's a cap hit of just over $6 million a year, but he's making top dollar for the prime of his career.

Wait a minute, how old is Hemsky going to be in 2012? Twenty-nine? Err, never mind...

European Wonder

Alright, I know we've all heard this story before.  Oilers draft some European kid, kid goes on to put up some points in Euro-league, kid stars in hyped up youtube video... and eventually said kid disappoints us all.

Recently, we can look at Alexei Mikhnov and Jani Rita as the finest examples of overhyped Oiler prospects who never delivered.  Maybe this time will be different?

Linus Omark has put up 43 points in 44 games with Lulea of the SEL.  He is 21 years old, and his production is good enough for second in the SEL.  The man in the picture above?  That's Fabian Brunnstrom.  You probably remember him from this last off-season as the European free agent that half the league was apparently after.  When he broke out in the SEL last year, he was 23 years old, and his stat line was 54gp-9G-28A-37P.  So where's the hype revolving around Omark?  Well, it's slowly coming around, and I would bet it won't be long until we read a Jim Matheson "Hockey World" article on him.

The big difference between Omark and Bruunstrom?  Fabian is 6'1, and Omark is 5'9.  Yup, another tiny forward for the Oilers.

Still, the numbers Omark has been putting up have been nothing short of impressive, so it's little wonder that the Oilers will be doing their best to get him over before the next training camp.

Here's an interesting blog post from Guy Flaming concerning Omark as well as the rest of the Oiler prospects currently playing in Europe: European Report

Edit: And since it seems I forgot, look up Omark on Youtube and you'll find plenty of highlights to choose from.  He's scored some beauties.  He wears number 30.

Bringing in a Star

I guess it's been a while since I've wrote anything on here, but really, it's the All Star Break, so there hasn't been that much to talk about.  Until today, that is.

Rumours involving Vincent Lecavalier have been flying around Edmonton this morning, and the possibility of a superstar in Edmonton seems to have split the Edmonton fan base a little bit.

The rumoured deal according to the Toronto Sun is three players, two prospects, and three picks, but according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, the cost would be a little bit less.  Some people think giving up so many assets for one player would be poor management and would leave the team depleted.  And some fans would just do anything for a legitimate star in Edmonton, though maybe it would make two considering how well Ales Hemsky played the last two games beore the break.

Just for fun, I'll play along and make a prediction.  If we look at the past deal for superstars (ie. Joe Thornton, Chris Pronger, Roberto Luongo), it's rare that the team shipping out the best player gets a good deal.  It's also rare that the superstar ever costs as much as the fans thought he would before the deal was done.  So if the Oilers are giving up eight assets, I'd be inclined to believe that the quality would not be as high as if it were a three asset deal.  With that said, here's what I would offer:

• Horcoff
  
• Nilsson
  
• Gilbert
  
• Chorney
  
• Schremp
  
• Two first rounders
  

Is this enough?  Maybe not.  And I don't think my salaries work out very well for Tampa.  But I just can't see the Oilers giving up Gagner, Cogliano, or Grebeshkov in the deal.  Schremp is pretty much worthless right now, so maybe sub him out for one of the better prospects in the system (Eberle, Petry).  I think it's imperative that Horcoff go the other way in any deal, because I wouldn't want to be paying his salary to a guy not playing on the first line.  He's never produced without Hemsky, so the chances that he puts up good numbers playing with Moreau and Pisani are low.  Really, he'd turn into a glorified third line center. 

The lineup after this deal would look something like this:

Penner - Lecavalier - Hemsky

Brule - Gagner - Cole

Moreau - Cogliano - Pisani

Pouliot - Brodziak - Smack

Souray - Grebeshkov

Visnovsky - Smid

Staios - Strudwick

I feel like I'm forgetting somebody, but this still looks like a pretty good lineup, and obviously Lecavalier makes it a hundred times better.  The defence is a little bit weaker than it was, but I don't think the difference is too much to overcome.

Looking back at my trade, it's not really fair, and the salaries don't work.  But my point is that we can take a few things from the Thornton and Luongo deals; the deal always costs less than everyone thinks, and the team that receives the superstar always wins the deal.  So get it done Tamblowe!

Turning a Corner

Ladies and gentlemen, it's fun to watch Oilers hockey again... well, at least it was fun tonight.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better script for tonight's 6-3 win over the Coyotes.  First, Ales Hemsky comes back early from his concussion.  Worried?  Don't be.  He played like the true star he is, and reminded us all of what he brings to the table.  I'm not one to stand up off my couch while watching a game on television, but Hemsky darn near forced me to about six times tonight.  Slickest hands in the league, bar none.  Oh, and he potted two goals too.

And then how about that Ethan Moreau?  I've been disappointed by his recent play, but tonight he played like he's supposed to.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that he threw in a hat-trick, but the big difference in his play tonight was his physicality, as well as his skating.  He was flying around the ice all night, and was strong on the forecheck.

And of course, it was Glenn Anderson Night.  It's about time his number went up, and while I thought his speech was a little, say... awkward, the ceremony on a whole was very well done.  And it was cool to see him take that pass from Messier and finish (albeit into an open net) one last time.

I think this game left me with a feeling of complete satisfaction.  I don't know if I've said this yet this season (probably have), but this is the team I thought we were going to see a lot more often.  The secondary scoring is there, the role players are there, and of course, the elite offensive leader is making it all go.  What a pleasure it is to watch this team when they are playing well.  And it's about time they showed up with a game like this at home; that just makes it all the better for the fans.

Now, bring in Doug Weight/Bill Guerin for a pick and a prospect, and I think this team is going to go places.

Going, going, Garon

Well., we all knew changes were going to come sooner or later. Mathieu Garon became the 1st real casualty of the inconsistent efforts the Oilers have been putting up this year. He was just dealt to Pittsburgh for Dany Sabourin, Ryan Stone & a 4th round pick.

Ryan Stone is a left-handed center who stands 6'2" and weighs in at 207 lbs. He put up some strong numbers when he played in Brandon and became a 2nd round pick of the Penguins a couple of years back. I believe might actually have played a game or two in the play-offs for them last year.

It sounds like Dany Sabourin will never play a game as an Oiler. They will try to flip in another trade if possible, or just send him to Springfield. This eliminates the 3-goalie problem that has plagued the Oilers and will allow them to work Jeff Druin-Deslauriers into some games now.

Garon will get a chance at a fresh start in Pittsburgh where he'll be backing up Marc-Andre Fleury. Good luck to him!


Apparently there's persistent rumours out of Ottawa of trying to do a Spezza for Horcoff & a skilled young blueliner (Gilbert or Grebeshkov?), but as Bob Gainey was recently quoted as saying "it's not usually the media who solve our roster issues".

Halfway Point Extravaganza!

Yes, we've made it through 41 Edmonton Oilers games this season. I know, it went by so fast, am I right?

Truthfully, this has been one of the more boring and frustrating first halves of a season I've witnessed as an Oilers fan. But regardless, as a blogger in the Oilers community (granted, not many people know this), I feel it is my duty to give my own halfway point report card. Of course, being the rambling typist I am, I'll probably lose the plot at some point, but it's not like I'm getting paid. And I'll throw in some awards too, just because. So here we go...

Shawn Horcoff: C-

What happened to the Shawn Horcoff of a season ago? Was it the injury that kept him out of the season for the last 30 games? Whatever it is, he can wake up anytime now. A couple of games ago against the Nashville Predators, Horcoff generated offence with his speed and scored on a nice shot. Can anybody remember another instance where he has done this? Because I'm seriously inclined to believe that all of his nine other goals have come on one timers from the hash marks which probably bounced in off the goalies noggin. And it was probably on the powerplay too.

Dustin Penner: Zzzzz (D+)

I'll admit that this grade is greatly influenced by Penner's game last night against the Blues. I mean, have you ever seen such a big hockey player seem to care so little about the outcome of the game. The only time he gives effort is when he gets called out by MacT or gets benched. Guess what? You're a 26 year old professional, get with the program and show some consistent effort on the ice. I think he has a lot to offer when he is on top of his game, but when I watch Erik Cole giving it all on every shift, I wonder what switch is off in Penner's head. He has to begin to generate consistent offence, otherwise Tambellini should begin to pursue other options for the top line LW spot (though I'm guessing he already has)

Ales Hemsky: A

How can I give Hemsky anything but an A considering how bad the rest of his line has played without him? (Okay, I promise not to type another word about Penner or Horcoff starting... now) Hemsky has taken his game to the next level, and is a point-per-game player this season. He's also on pace for over 20 goals for the second time in his career (barring injury). He's done nothing but improve during his tenure as an Oiler, and it doesn't appear that that trend will end anytime soon. Far and away the best forward on the team, and the only one who can be considered a "star".

Erik Cole: B

I haven't really looked at any other blogger's report cards yet, but I'm guessing that most of them would be a little harsher on Cole. I'll admit that I have a soft spot for the way he plays the game, but most hockey fans probably do. He plays hard, he drives to the net, and he is aware defensively as well. The goals certainly weren't there at the beginning of the season, but he's been the Oilers' best forward since the Hemsky injury, and I'd say he's been playing at a high level for the last month. It's too bad it took so long before he was put on a line with the kids, but that happens with new players once in a while. He does have 8 goals, but his shooting % is still hovering below 10%, which is lower than he has ever shot in his career. He will end up with 20 goals by season's end.

Sam Gagner: B-

Samwise gets a break because he's still under 20 years of age. If he was, say, 26 and 5 inches taller, perhaps a start like the one he had would have me crying bust. But he's not, and he will be a good player. Just how good is hard to gauge. Is he ever going to be at the level of Patrick Kane, or will he become something similar to Mike Comrie? Jury is still out there. But I will say that he has become a lot more comfortable with the puck as the season has grown older, and is stronger along the boards as well. Having a player like Cole to make room for him helps too. I'm looking for a nice second half from Gagner, and any hope of playoff hockey might rest on that.

Robert Nilsson: C-

I'm not sure what happened to Nilsson over the summer, but if it's possible, I think he lost some skill, possibly a little hockey sense too. His game is just not there at all, and his speed doesn't seem to be there either. It's been a tough half for Nilsson, with being benched, called out, and now an injury on top of that. He just hasn't been a very good player this year. However, he is still young, and the promise it there. Whether he ever fulfills that promise is beginning to look... erm, less promising. How he gets as good a grade as Horcoff and Penner, I'm not sure. I think my mood has lightened since the beginning of this post.

Andrew Cogliano: A+

The only member of the Kid Line who has improved so far this season. It's not hard to imagine Cogs becoming a 30+ goal scorer in the not too distant future, and possible the Oilers number one center. If Horcoff is ever let go, I would venture to say that Cogliano would be next in line. Speed? Check, he's one of the fastest players in the league. Defence? Check, he kills penalties and back checks hard. Offence? Check, god knows he can finish the opportunities that Horcoff has, plus he can create his own offence by backing up the defence and creating a chance for himself. He's the Oilers purest goal scorer right now, and he has 12 goals playing with Moreau and *insert AHLer here*. Looking at the stats right now, how is this kid not the Oilers number one center? Why not put Horcoff on the third line, turn that line into an elite checking line, and then let Cogliano run free with Hemsky? Oh, that's right, the Oil would then have a $5 million cap hit playing on the third line.

Ethan Moreau: D+

I'm not going to lie to you and say that I like the way Moreau plays the game. First, he takes a lot of stupid penalties, and is second on the team in PIM (and that's not due to fights). Second, he's big and skates fast, but he doesn't really hit. One would think he could hit like a Curtis Glencross, but he doesn't. He does the old "fly by" just as much as any other Oiler. Third, he can't hit the net or really play the forward position at all. How many times do we have to watch Chopper spin wildly and take a blind slap shot which results in the puck ripping out of the zone? Fourth, I don't think he's that good of a captain. Granted, I'm not in the locker room, so I shouldn't really say that. But just judging by some of his comments (complaining about players leaving, the Souray and Stortini comments a couple days ago), he just doesn't seem like a mature player. I'm sure a lot of people see him differently though.

Fernando Pisani: IR

When was the last time this guy played?

Marc Pouliot: B+

As much as Oiler fans hate to admit it, Pouliot is an NHL player. No, he will never be Zack Parise, or even close, but I'm quite confident that he will find a spot in the bottom six of many NHL teams for years to come. I don't think he has that next level in him, but we will see. He certainly has shown some scoring touch this season, which is new. He's a very unnoticeable player, which is good and all, but the Oilers have too many of those types right now. Still, Pouliot's been good.

Kyle Brodziak: C

I was honestly not aware that Brodziak had seven goals. Like seriously, when did this happen? Anyhow, my problem with Brodziak this season is that he hasn't been able to fill the shoes of Marty Reasoner like he was supposed to. Coming into the season, I felt that he'd be able to take that step to become a legitimate shutdown center, and I get the feeling that Oiler management felt the same when they let Marty go. He's still a fourth line player, which is kind of underwhelming for me.

Jason Strudwick: B+

I can't fault Studwick for anything this season. The only reason he doesn't get an A is because he is simply not that good a player. But when he was asked to play D, he played it well, and now that he's moved to forward, he's still effective. He stands up for his teammates too. Good first half for Jason, though I can see his playing time dwindle once Hemsky and Pisani come back, not to mention the possible emergences of Gilbert Brule and Ryan Potulny.

Liam Reddox: B

He does not belong on the top line. But I truly believe that he is playing the best he can and is giving it 100% on every shift. Yes, he's a borderline NHL talent, but not unlike Toby Petersen from a couple of years ago, he is playing where the coach asks him. And he's doing a fine job considering the circumstances. I really have no problem with the kid.

Zack Stortini: A+

I don't think Stortini is a good hockey player. Though he has gotten a lot better at fighting. I don't know, I'm getting tired of typing, and I still have to get through the defencemen, so I'll give him an A+ just for funzies. Oh, Steve MacIntyre gets an A too.

Seriously, how do all these bloggers get through this? Every time I try, it takes forever, and my fingers begin to hurt. Perhaps I should've considered two parts? However, the show must go on.

Sheldon Souray: A

Obviously deserving of such a grade, considering he's leading the team in goals and is second in points. This is the Sheldon Souray we thought we were getting, but better yet, he's playing a gritty defensive game too, not unlike Jason Smith was in his prime. He's the consistent physical presence on the back end for the Oilers. Though he can be somewhat of a heart attack with the puck sometimes, he's still the best defenceman the Oilers have had since you know who.

Lubomir Visnovsky: A

Actually, this guy might be the best defenceman on the team right now. Not only can he run a powerplay and move the puck, but he's also on the ice for the least amount of goals (outside of Smid) per 60 minutes. Does he play against the toughest competition? No, I think Souray probably plays that role. But Visnovsky shuts down the opposition whenever he's on the ice, which is all you can ask for from a defenceman, especially one that plays like Lubo does. He should be killing penalties, and if he was, he'd get a lot more credit than he does.

Tom Gilbert: B+

Gilbert is going to hit near 40 points this season, and considering he's the third best point-producer from the back-end, that's quite impressive. I thought he got off to a little bit of a tough start, but he's closed up his game since joining Souray. His contract is pretty massive, but I think he'll be every bit worth it for the duration of it. He's a really solid defenceman.

Dennis Grebeshkov: B+

Marc Andre Bergeron got us this guy. Yeah. Way to Garth Snow, you really pulled the fleece over Lowe's eyes on that one. Grebeshkov has quietly had a very good first half. He's also on pace for near 40 points, but perhaps more impressive is that he has already nearly matched his output from the entirety of last season. It's great that both he and Gilbert have Souray and Visnovsky to help shelter them. If there is one thing the Oilers front office has done well, it has been putting both Gilbert and Grebeshkov in a position to succeed and improve. Who knows how much Grebs will be charging for his services next season, but we can worry about that come time for the season-ending report card (which will be done in 2 parts).

Ladislav Smid: B

As I said earlier, Smid leads the team in goals/60 minutes (at even strength), so it's clear that Smid has developed that part of his game. He's still a tough as nails defender, but also takes some dumb penalties for his needless, after the whistle confrontations. I'd like to see a little more offensive ability from him, but I'm not sure that's in the cards for Smid. However, I do think he will eventually put up a few more points.

Steve Staios: C

I really think Staios has left his best days behind him. He even struggles to get the puck out on the penalty kill, which has been his bread and butter for years. But still, he's a solid bottom-pairing defenceman, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I would like to see Visnovsky get some of his PK minutes, but we all know that's not going to happen with the current coaching situation.

So there you have it, the Oilertown.com halfway mark report card. And just in order to fulfill my promise at the beginning, here's my picks for the NHL awards if the season ended today:

• Hart Trophy: Alex Ovechkin
  
• Vezina Trophy: Steve Mason
  
• Norris Trophy: Dan Boyle
  
• Calder Trophy: Steve Mason

Cheers!

Edit: Way to Garth Snow? I know it was just a typo, but maybe that could be the next big phrase in the hockey world! eg. "Way to Garth Snow that trade", or "They Garth Snow'd that signing all the way to last place."

Brule's the Name

I should first say that I didn't get a chance to watch the Oilers take on the Sharks on Friday, so I can't really comment on how bad (or good?) the team played.  From what I've heard though, it was typical of what happens when a bubble team takes on the best team in the league.  It's not worth  worrying about losing to the San Jose Sharks.  They are one of the best rosters assembled in recent memory, and the Oilers were lucky to walk away with a win last time they faced each other.

However, losing against a depleted, bottom-dwelling Blues team really would've been the dagger to the heart for Oilers fans hoping for playoff hockey this season.  Yes, Ales Hemsky is still out with a mild concussion, but the Blues are missing half their defensive core and several key parts of their offence.  So it's a good thing the Oilers walked out of Rexall with 2-1 victory tonight.

Gilbert Brule finally showed some offensive potential tonight, scoring a goal on a breakaway while generating some chances on net.  Everybody knows he has that kind of game in him, it's just a matter of finding it at the NHL level.  Tonight, we saw some of that.

And wouldn't you know it, Ryan Potulny was called up for today's game, and he put up two points.  Yep, pretty sure I called that one.  Of course, like I said, this was against one of the worst teams in the league, and was probably the closest to AHL talent either of these players are going to see.  The game against Washington will be a much a better indication of where both Potulny and Brule are at in terms of development, just like the first game against San Jose was for Robbie Schremp.

Erik Cole is without question the most talented forward on this team right now (omitting Hemsky), and remains the only player who consistently drives to the net.  He still has a little trouble with finishing his plays off, but he's been able to do it before, so I don't see why the run he's on now would end any time soon.

I'm going to have to cut this short tonight, but there is a lot on my mind concerning the Oilers current situation, so I'll work on that and hopefully have something up tomorrow.  For now, let's just enjoy this win.

Disappointing...

You know, I really look forward to watching Oilers games.  It's a good chance to lay back and relax, and maybe be entertained.  So it's frustrating when every game you watch is a complete snooze-fest.  The Islanders game a couple nights ago was such a sloppy brand of hockey that it felt like an empty win for the Oilers.  Tonight's game against the Canuck's was really no different.  Yeah, Hemsky is hurt, but come on!  Give us a little bit of energy!  Something to get on the edge of our seats for!  Instead, we get a one man in system and a trap for most of the game, until the Oilers are down by two of course, at which point the team opens up and actually puts some chances together.

The best part of tonight's game from an Oilers' standpoint was Souray's one punch knockout against Ohlund.  Apart from that, it was pretty bleak.  Cole is the only one who can skate his own way through the neutral zone with the puck consistently, though Gagner has really impressed me with his puck control lately.

The Brule experiment didn't last past the second period, and he was replaced with Cole on the top line and moved down to the fourth.  Speaking of which, have you ever seen a group of NHLers screw up a 3 on 1 as badly as Stortini, Strudwick, and Brodziak did tonight?

There really isn't that much else to say about the game tonight.  Cole continues to roll, which is awesome for my prediction of 20+ goals, so I guess that was alright.  Too bad it was the third Oiler goal to go in off a skate out of the last six goals.

This team needs Hemsky back badly, and since it doesn't look as if that is going to happen in the very near future, I'd suggest they call up Ryan Potulny.  Yeah, he's not going to be the answer to the Oilers' goal-scoring woes, but he might bring some pop to a lineup that needs it so very badly.

And maybe not so surprisingly, Mats Sundin was not all that effective tonight.  However, he definitely showed signs.  Which is bad news for the North West.  Personally, I was hoping he'd fall through the ice.  Maybe that way, the Oilers staff would finally call the plumber and fix the clearly outdated or simply crappy ice machine.  The ice at Rexall is just atrocious this season.

Whatever.  The Red Sox signed John Smoltz, so this night in sports wasn't completely awful.  Though I don't even know if I want John Smoltz. *sigh

Story of the Game Tonight...

I'll be back with post game.  Promise.

I Had a Dream

I'm not going to lie; What you're about to read is fairly dumb.  But it's not every day that one dreams about their favorite hockey team (well, maybe for some of you...), and thanks to a lack of activity on this fine, freezing Saturday afternoon, I figured I'd write about it.  Some people believe dreams can tell you something about life, whether it be abstract or what not, so take from this what you will.

I think the dream was the result of two things; one, the comparison of the late 90's teams to today's team.  I think I've come to the conclusion that those teams were much more exciting to watch, thanks to a big time forecheck and a free flowing style.  No doubt in my mind that today's team is better on paper, but whether it's the system or the players, they simply don't play "fun" hockey.  Which is a shame, considering how much of the season is left.

Two, I've thinking about what kind of moves could be made to improve this team, and one of the players I feel could really help is Doug Weight.  He's playing very well for a horrible Islanders team, and is a veteran presence that this team desperately needs.  One Bill Guerin also plays on the Islanders, and as another former Oiler, I guess I also wonder if he could help this team too.  I think he could, considering his size and ability to put the puck in the net.  He'd step in and become one of the Oilers goal-scoring leaders.

Anywho, I think I've set it up enough.  Here's how it went down.  This was kind of a surreal dream, as I would slip in and out of consciousness, except when I was conscious, it was like I was cross-eyed, and couldn't focus, so then I would slip back into my Oilers fantasy.  As you can imagine, this was very much a life-changing experience.

So the Oilers have traded for Doug Weight and Bill Guerin.  This part of my dream is a bit hazy, but I believe they are playing the Minnesota Wild.  What's quite cool is I'm watching the game at ice level, like from a Mighty Ducks movie or what have you.  So I'm watching and I notice that Shawn Horcoff is not on the ice, and neither is Dustin Penner.  Whether they've been traded, I do not know.  If I had to guess, I'd say Horcoff was traded and Penner was benched, because let's face it... Craig MacTavish would never bench Shawn Horcoff.  

What was really disappointing was that the Oilers actually lost this game 6-4.  That's right, they gave up six goals against the Minnesota Wild.  Mind you, in my dream, Marian Gaborik is not made of glass, and I believe he scored all six goals.  As if I don't see the Oilers lose enough in real life, now their losing ways are haunting my dreams.  Terrific.  Thank you very much dreamland Kevin Lowe.  Maybe you should have thought before approving a deal involving the only forward who somewhat resembles a shutdown center on this team.  And the next game was against Calgary, so if a team is giving up six goals against the Wild, who knows how many they'd give up against the Iginla's and Cammalerri's of NHL: Dreamland Edition.

Luckily, help was apparently on the way.  As I floated to center ice to watch the opening faceoff of what was sure to be a long game, I noticed a new face on the Oilers; Jason Arnott.  Apparently this Oiler fan forgives you Jason, and would like you to come back.  The thing is, I didn't even know I wanted Jason Arnott back.  Clearly I've been suppressing these feelings for many years.  Boy, it feels good to get this off my chest!

As you can imagine, Jason the Magnificent was the saviour of this Oilers team.  Horcoff and Penner were definitely gone now, leaving the lines set up something like this:

Guerin - Weight - Hemsky

Nilsson - Arnott - Cole

Cogliano - Gagner - Pisani

Moreau - Brodziak - Pouliot

The team went on to walk to an 8-1 drubbing over the Calgary Flames, and I bet if I had stayed asleep for the rest of the season, I would've seen the Oilers walk to their sixth Stanley Cup.  Doug Weight was leading the offense, just like he was ten years ago, and Arnott was a beast, hitting everything in sight.  Even Erik Cole was scoring goals, and I'm pretty sure Hemsky got one too (though I'm fairly sure he played 50 minutes that game).

So what can we take from this?  Is it a sign of things to come?  Perhaps Tambellini is going to make a move for a former Oiler in the next week or so, and this was my conscience letting me know that help was on the way.  Or maybe it was simply a message that the current team will never be as good as the teams of yesteryear, and are doomed to an eternity of mediocrity.

Or maybe the message was hidden within the game.  You see, the one goal the Flames scored was by... yep, you guessed it... Curtis Glencross.

Day 4 of World Juniors

This was on of the best games I've seen played at the World Juniors in years.  USA goes up 3-0 early, Canada ties it up with two goals 48 seconds apart by future-superstar John Tavares and another Powerplay marker by Jordan Eberle.  Lots of intensity and energy, huge hits on either side, a couple of stunning saves, and some dirty play too.  Something for everybody.  Move on to the second, when Canada ends up ahead by one thanks to Boychuk, but then gives it up just minutes later when Jonathan Blum scored for the USA.

Unfortunately, some controversy early in the third when the time keeper let a Canadian player on the ice too early, which led to a goal by Cody Hodgson to make it 5-4.  It's too bad that game ended up being decided that way, but let's be honest, as a Canadian fan, I'm not going complain.

Tavares ended up with a hat-trick, adding an empty-netter late in the third.

I thought Eberle had a really good game.  He showed a little bit of finish on his goal, and is obviously a very good passer, considering how many times he's been able to get the puck to Tavares on the other side of the net.  Something I noticed is that he's not very physically mature, and right now is getting knocked off the puck along the boards.  But that will change while he ages.  One thing I did not realize was how deft he is with the puck.  He is actually "Hemsky-esque" with some of the moves he makes, and he's good at creating chances when the puck is on his stick.  He is definitely one of Canada's top players, and that's always a good sign.

Zach Boychuk left the game after taking a heavy hit, but he is quite the player.  I think I've said this before, but Carolina has a hell of a player on their hands with Zach.  He can skate, he can hit, and he can finish.

Lights Out

Well.., I just happened to find a picture with players from the Oilers last 2 opponents.

The game against Ottawa was not a bad effort, but they came up a little short. I definitely think the top line took some time to gel with Reddox filling in for Hemsky. They managed to be caught on the ice for the 1st to Senators goals, but did get together let in the game to get one back.

Against the Flames on New Years Eve.., it was looking like a really good battle with both the Nilsson-Gagner-Cole line constantly embarrassing the Bertuzzi-Langkow-Bourque line, whereas the Horcoff line was struggling to contain the Iginla line. The pivotal moment in the game was clearly the disallowed goal early in the 3rd period. From the replays that I saw, I could not tell where the puck hit Tom Gilbert.., so I guess they couldn't find anything conclusive enough to reverse the referee's call. Hard to say how things would have gone if the Oilers had gotten the lead at that point, but the Flames managed to regain the momentum a few shifts later and wound up adding 3 more goals.

I had wanted to see Cole put on with 2 of the kids back in training camp. What I saw last night against the Flames was a perfect example of why. He was leading the way aggressively, with & without the puck. Gagner & Nilsson seemed to be feeding off his energy as they regain their confidence. The other thing that I liked, was how quick Cole responded when Aucoin had the high hit on Gagner late in the game.


Hopefully Hemsky is ready to go on Saturday night against Dallas. With a couple of the other lines starting to gel, his presence on the 1st line is crucial!

Day 2/3 of World Juniors

I don't think it's really worth getting into the Canada/Kazakhstan game, but I will side with the TSN crew on the issue of moving the tournament down to eight teams from ten, or at least changing the qualifying process.The way it's set up now is obviously flawed.  You have two teams relegated every year which are replaced with the two top teams from the division 1 tournament from the year before.  There are a couple things wrong with this.  One, you have players who might not even be eligible to play the next season qualifying their team for the tournament.  We saw this a few years back when France qualified with a bunch of 19 year-olds, only to be absolutely blown out the next year when all those players moved on.  We're seeing the same thing with Kazakhstan this year, though they didn't even get relegated from the big tournament last year.

The solution to this problem would to simply hold a qualifying tournament a month or so before the tournament begins.  This would make sure the best teams from this year are playing in the tournament.

Two, some of these teams are simply not competitive.  With ten teams, there is at least two or three teams that have zero hope of winning a medal.  As it is, Canada, Russia, USA, Sweden, Finland, and the Czechs are the only countries that have put up some level of consistency at this tournament.  Slovakia rarely has a good junior team, but once in a while they put up a good team.  So what we're seeing is two games, sometimes three, where the top level teams just walk over the opposition.  It doesn't make for good hockey, and devalues the competitive level of the tournament.  And you can't convince me that the Latvia's and Kazakhstan's enjoy getting blown out night after night.  Kazakhstan didn't even stay on the ice for the Canadian anthem after yesterday's game.

What I would propose is that the tournament move to an eight team format, with the top six from last year's tournament qualifying automatically.  Then for the last two spots, hold a qualifier a month before.  My guess is that the qualifier would usually be between Germany and Slovakia, but at least the tournament would be a little more competitive.

This is the type of game Canada needed after yesterday's 15-0 win.  Germany is a very big, strong, and physical team.  Yes, they lack the skill to score many goals, but it won't be for a lack of effort.  In the first period, the Germans stayed right with the Canadians physically.  They were outshot, but they were making life difficult for the Canadians.

Eventually, the Canadian skill took over and allowed them to win 5-1, but it was a good game to set them up for the New Years Eve against the USA.

Jordan Eberle was really impressive again for Canada, though his shot seems to be lacking in this tournament so far.  He's had some good chances in all three games to really snap one home from the circle, but he just hasn't been able to so far.  He showed some fantastic hands in the third period, moving around two German defender before drawing a hooking penalty right in front of the net.  He added another assist to bring his totals to 1-5, but I wouldn't worry to much about his lack of scoring.  He clearly doesn't have a problem doing it in the WHL, so I think we should still look at him as a future scorer for the Oilers, not another Gagner or Hemsky type of player.

P.K. Subban was really impressive tonight.  He might be the fastest player on team Canada, and he has really good offensive instincts.  He'll be a stud in Montreal before long.

The other guy who really stood out for me was Zach Boychuk, who scored two goals for Canada tonight.  He looks really mature on the ice, physically and mentally.  Bob McKenzie said on air tonight that he thinks Boychuk would be on the Hurricanes were not for the wrist surgery he had over the summer.  I'm definitely not going to argue with him after his game tonight.

The real tournament begins in a couple of days against USA.  The winner of that game gets a bye into the semis, but will most likely be a preview of the semi-final barring a major upset in the first round.  USA just barely slipped by the Czechs last night, so you know they'll be hungry against Canada.

Breakout!

How fun was it to watch the Oilers play a complete game last night?  I'm being honest when I say that I can't remember the last time a Mactavish coached Oilers team controlled a third period like they did last night.  They actually outshot the Predators 11-8, despite having a three goal lead.  It's nice to see that kind of killer instinct on the ice against a team they need to beat for a playoff spot.

Maybe more important than the 5-2 win though was the performances put in by Erik Cole and Sam Gagner.  Cole scored his second goal in four games and chipped in with two helpers, and Gagner scored a goal and an assist.  Of course, a lot of Oiler fans will still be sour (I'll admit I'm a little too) that it took so long for Cole to be put on a line with the kids, but now that it has happened, there appears to be some good chemistry there.

What I found really impressive about Gagner's game last night was his puck control.  Not only was he confident enough to make a move or two to get around a defender, but he was strong along the boards and was retaining possession of the puck.  Sam hasn't been able to do that all year, and it was nice to see him come into his own last night.

Nothing really changed in Erik Cole's game.  He was still driving to the net, and once again he had multiple chances to score, but just couldn't get the breaks.  I'm pretty sure he's the most visibly frustrated Oiler I've watched play for quite some time.  He has deserved better this year, but I'll go out on a limb and say that he'll hit 20 goals this season.  He has always shot better than 10% throughout his career, and this season he's shooting just 6.8%.  His luck will turn around, and I think some production from him will get the Oilers in a good position to make the playoffs.

As a quick aside, Kyle Wellwood is shooting 31% this season.  He's never shot better than 14% in any other year in his career.  I think he's due for a slight (a.k.a. huge) drop in performance, whether it be the end of this year or all of next season.  Mike Gillis is playing dangerous game if he's going to continue to count on Wellwood for secondary scoring.  Mind you maybe, perhaps Sundin will help a little (a.k.a. a lot) in that regard.  I hate the Canucks.

Sheldon Souray scored another goal last night, giving him 11 on the year.  He's beginning to look like a legitimate threat for a Norris nomination, given his leadership and physical play on top of his offence.  He's got a little ways to go still, but he's playing like a top-ten defenceman right now.  Add a constantly improving Lubomir Visnovsky, and the Oilers have a very solid defence that has the opportunity to grow over the next five years.

MacTavish was quoted today in the Journal saying "This is what we anticipated at the start of the year -- lots of skill."  I agree completely, and look forward to more of this in the future.  So please don't screw it up against the Senators and Flames.  Thanks.

Photo of the Day

Ty Conklin will probably be best remembered by Oiler fans for his gaffe in game 1 of the '06 finals.  But a few Oiler fans may think of his start against the Montreal Canadians on the 22nd of November, 2004.  That was the date of the first regular season game to be played outdoors.  Since then, we've seen the outdoor game played in Buffalo, and will soon be watching the Blackhawks take on the Red Wings at the timeless Wrigley Field on January 1.

There has been one constant at each game.  Ty Conklin.

After being let go by the Oilers for obvious reasons, Conklin signed in Columbus, where he would only play eleven games before being traded to Buffalo for a fifth round draft pick.  He would play five games there before becoming a free agent and signing with Pittsburgh, where he found his 03/04 form, putting an 18-8 record and a .923 sv%.  One of those games included a game against Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium in front of 70,000+ people.

Conklin became a free agent for the third time after backing up Marc-Andre Fleury to a Stanley Cup Final.  From there, he would sign with the team who beat him, the Detroit Red Wings, which is where he is now.  Conklin has continued to put up good enough numbers to challenge Chris Osgood for the starting job, and has a very real shot at making the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in his career (this time he might actually play).

And chances are Conklin will play in his third outdoor hockey game in four days.  Is there a more extravagant goaltending story in the NHL right now?

Just Like I Said...

Now that was a character win.  Sure, the Oilers got a little help last night, scoring on two five on threes, but the powerplay is vital in todays game, and scoring at a high rate is almost necessary to be successful.  So good on the Oilers for capitalizing on their chances there.  And when the tide turned in the third, the Oilers hung in there for the 3-2 victory.  Near the end of the game, Smid, Staios, Horcoff and Hemsky were stuck on the ice with the net empty for two minutes thanks to an icing call (Penner snuck off for Brodziak).  The shift finally ended when Smid blocked a shot and Horcoff fell on it.  That shift was indicative of the Oilers last night.  It was a solid team effort, and winning games like that should set up a team nicely to put together some wins.

Erik Cole continues to struggle to get on the scoresheet, failing to score on two breakaways.  It's becoming hard to watch at this point.  Here's a player who is playing for a new team for the first time in his NHL career, uprooting his family from Carolina and moving to Edmonton, and on top of that, is playing for a contract.  His lack of production is costing him money, but it's not like the effort isn't there.  He's still drawing penalties and leading the team in hits, but the numbers just aren't there.  I'd be surprised if he lasts past the trade deadline, frankly.

Dwayne Roloson continued his stellar play, holding the fort in the third when the Canucks carried the play.  This season has been very similar to last season in that one goalie has forced Mactavish's hand in terms of who gets the majority of the games.  Last year it was Garon, this year it has been Roloson.  He's now 8-5 with .920 sv%.  Those are number one numbers, and he's giving the team a chance to win on most nights.

Dustin Penner had a stellar game yesterday I thought, continuing his new-found physical play.  Ales Hemsky picked up another couple of assists, giving him 35 points in 33 games.  He could be flirting with 90 points by season's end, which would be a treat for Oiler fans who haven't seen that since Doug Weight was snapping pucks from the half-boards in the late 90's.

Marc Pouliot is my player of the game, not so much his performance last night, but for seemingly taking that next step as a hockey player.  Yes, Parise would have been nice out of that draft, but Pouliot can quell at least some of the whining amongst Oiler fans by becoming a solid third liner.  He's now got six goals, which is already a career high.  If he can put up 15+, he'd be making a lot of Oiler fans happy.

Day 1 of the WJC

Alright, I have quite a bit to talk about, so let's get going.  Oilers/Canucks post game will be up a little while after this one is done. 

I watched the most part of two games yesterday, Canada/Czech Republic and USA/Germany, so I'll go through some things that I saw those games.  Both were blowouts, so it's hard to say how good any of these teams really are, but I took some things away from them anyway.  Let's start with the good guys.

As you probably watched, Canada waltzed to a 8-1 victory over the Czechs last night, and you also may have noticed one John Tavares.  If there was ever a reason to tank a season...

Tavares scored the first two Canadian goals, both on the powerplay of course, and then assisted on the third goal at even strength.  Tavares not only seemed to be in the right spot all the time, but he also can create his own offense like nobody else on Canada can.  Unfortunately, it seems as if Pat Quinn can't find him some line mates for 5 on 5 play to get him going, and the one even strength goal assisted on was created by a great steal he made.  Going into this tournament, and without really getting to see either Tavares or Hedman that much, I would have put Hedman over Tavares because of Hedman's potential to be the best defenceman since Lidstrom.  But now I'm not so sure.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to see another Sweden game later on.

Jordan Eberle played on a line with Zach Boychuk and Cody Hodgson, and looked very good.  He had two assists for sure, and should have been given one on Boychuk's goal (I'm not sure if he was given one later on or not).  The line he's playing on is Canada's top line, so he'll be counted on for production later on when the tournament gets tougher.  I think Eberle has a chance to put up the best World Juniors of any Oiler prospect over the last ten years, given his skill set and line mates.  He's a shooter, but he has soft hands and passes the puck very well.

Canada's defence looked solid, with Thomas Hickey leading the way.  I'm still not sure that taking him at fourth was the best thing for the Kings, but it looks like he'll turn into a very good defenceman, possibly a top twenty defenceman in the league at some point.  Ryan Ellis looks fantastic for a seventeen year old, very gifted offensively and not too bad defensively.  He'll go high in the coming draft.

It's hard to gauge Canada based on this game.  The Czechs are not a good team, and obviously showed that last night.  For Oil Kings fans, I didn't really notice Thomas Vincour, though he threw his body around a little bit.

As an aside, HC Davos is creaming Canada in the Spengler Cup as I'm writing this.  Do the names Reisen, Salmaleinenenen (I'm not even going to bother), and Niinimaa ring a bell?  How about Pittis and Isbister?

The Americans were also in action yesterday against Germany, and won 8-2.  Germany obviously is not a talented team, but some players on the States were very impressive regardless.  James van Riemsdyk looks like he's going to be an elite player for Philadelphia.  He uses his size well to create space for himself, and he knows how to finish.  He scored two yesterday.

Drayson Bowman also scored two, and looked good as well.  The best player for the Americans was Jordan Schroeder, who is draft eligible in 2009.  He can skate like the wind, and he has a ridiculous shot.  He's similar to Phil Kessel in that he can make moves at a high tempo, making him one of the most electric players in this tournament.  I'd guess that he will go in the top ten for sure, possible top five.  He's one to watch for sure.  

The game between USA and Canada on New Years Eve will be the highlight of the preliminary round for sure.  Both teams have looked great early on, and the potential is there for this tournament to turn into a two horse race.  But first, Canada has to get through Germany and Kazakhstan.  I wonder how long the red light will last...

Big Game Tonight

First of all, Happy Holidays everyone!  Hopefully the season has been good to you, and maybe you picked up some Oilers gifts to keep you occupied for a while?  Such as the Oilers "10 greatest games" DVD, which I highly recommend to anybody who is a fan of hockey.  It's great to be able to look back at how hockey was played thirty years ago.  I haven't looked at the Canadiens edition of the DVD, but if they have games from the 60's included, that would be something I'd probably look into too.

Anyways, tonight the Oilers get back to business against the Vancouver Canucks, in Vancouver.  I'm not going to lie and say that I don't think Sundin will help the Canucks; he obviously will.  But I will say that I don't like the whole situation of waiting half a season before making a decision.  I didn't like it when Niedermeyer and Forsberg did it, and now that the team benefitting from it is a division rival?  Well, now I really don't like it.

But since Sundin won't be in the lineup tonight, and Luongo is still out, that makes it all the more important to win these games while the Canucks are shorthanded.  The Oilers sit 8 points behind the Canucks with three games in hand, so winning tonight would be huge in terms of making up ground.  The Oilers have put together two reasonably solid games in a row (obviously not a full 60 minutes), so you'd think a win tonight would be a nice character win to have. 

Ethan Moreau is out tonight, so Robert Nilsson should return to the lineup.  Hopefully Nilsson can put himself back into Mactavish's good books, as he's a treat to watch when he's going good.  And Dwayne Roloson is back in the net, and you know, he's the best goalie the Oilers have right now, and I'm glad he's playing so well.  Hopefully he can earn himself another NHL contract with the year he's having, be it with the Oilers or somewhere else.

Enjoy the game tonight, I'll be back later to talk about the World Juniors and the Oilers game (depending on how it goes, of course).

Edit: Apparently Moreau is a game time decision, according to TSN.  Mactavish didn't sound like he was going to put him in though.

Random Pondering

First, I'm sorry about the lack of content over the last couple of days.  It's been a busy holiday season, and my internet connection was not at its best either.  That said, the Oilers haven't really given me a good reason to talk about them, losing games against Vancouver and Anaheim since the Chicago game.  

Anyway, while watching HNIC, I began to think about the late 90's teams that were the epitome of mediocrity.  For five straight years (96/97-00/01), this team made the playoffs, and even made it out of the first round twice, as you might remember.  The last of the five years was coached by Craig Mactavish, but the other four were coached by Ron Lowe or Kevin Lowe.  Why was I thinking about this?

The current Oilers simply are not an exciting team to watch.  I was watching the Vancouver/Chicago game, and realized that just about every non-Oiler game I watch is quite a bit more exciting and faster than an Oilers game.  Granted, I don't watch the Tampa Bay's and Atlanta's of the league.  Still, the Oilers roster coming into the season was one that was supposed to be fast and talented, and so far, they haven't lived up to that.  Is it the system?  Is it simply a lack of skill on the team?  I don't know, but I what I do know is that those mediocre teams of the late 90's never had a problem playing exciting hockey.  Though Oilers fans often look back on those days with frustration, those Oilers did make the playoffs, and they did play some exciting hockey.  The current roster should be able to outperform those teams, at least on paper, or so I thought.  That's why I'm going to do a comparison between the 98/99 Oilers and today's Oilers; to see which team I would rather have.

Tale of the Tape

98/99 Oilers - Coached by Ron Low, this team finished the season 33-37-12, which was good enough to sneak into the playoffs.  They scored 230 goals and allowed 226.  Led by the likes of Bill Guerin, Boris Mironov, and Doug Weight (missed about half the season to injury), this team struggled to score many goals, but still played an aggressive style of play with guys like Mike Grier and Rem Murray.  Two men in on the forecheck, and a free-flowing offensive style.

08/09 Oilers - Coached by Craig Mactavish, this team plays a more laid back style of play.  With a 14-14-3 record, this team has struggled out of the gate.  Led by Sheldon Souray and Ales Hemsky, this team looks like it should have plenty of offensive talent, but they've only scored 81 (pro-rated to 214 over 82 games) goals this season, and have allowed 94.  

Because there were several trades during the 98/99 season, we'll look at the roster from the end of the season.  Also, the lineups will be based on what looks right, as I can't remember all of them.  Let's compare:

Ryan Smyth - Doug Weight - Bill Guerin

Rem Murray - Joseph Beranek - Pat Falloon

Ethan Moreau - Todd Marchant - Mike Grier

Alexander Selivanov - Boyd Devereaux - Kelly Buchberger

Janne Niinimaa - Roman Hamrlik

Tom Poti - Sean Brown

Jason Smith - Marty McSorley

to

Dustin Penner - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky

Robert Nilsson - Andrew Cogliano - Sam Gagner

Ethan Moreau - Kyle Brodziak - Erik Cole

Liam Reddox - Marc Pouliot - Zack Stortini

Sheldon Souray - Tom Gilbert

Lubomir Visnovsky - Dennis Grebeshkov

Steve Staios - Ladislav Smid

To me, it's obvious which roster is more talented.  Though the kids may have been a tad overrated coming into this season, I think they can compare to Murray/Beranek/Falloon, who each put up pretty solid 40 point seasons that year.  The first line is comparable, though I don't think Ryan Smyth was on the first line throughout the 98/99 season.  Still, Hemsky should be able to put up similar numbers to Weight, Penner can put up near 30 goals, and Horcoff is a solid third first liner that the 98/99 team was missing.  So the top two lines go to today's Oilers, at least talent wise.

However, the bottom-six goes to the old Oilers.  The Marchant checking line was brilliant, and Grier added some 20 goals too.  Erik Cole should be able to do that, but he won't on the third line.  Ethan Moreau of ten years ago was younger and faster than today's Moreau, but probably not as effective a checker.  Regardless, I take the old third line any day.  The fourth lines kind of wash each other out.  Selivanov and Reddox, Devereaux and Pouliot, Buchberger and Stortini.  Actually, these lines are surprisingly similar, but I think I'd rather throw out the 98/99 version late in the game if I had to.

The defense goes to the current Oilers in my mind.  The bottom four of today's Oilers could be inserted in the top four of the old team, so I don't think an argument can be made there.

So what's my conclusion?  Honestly, I don't know what to think of today's Oilers.  It looks like the talent should be there, but if I had to choose a team to watch 82 times a year, I'd pick the first team.  Today's Oilers don't play a fast game, and they don't hit and forecheck like the 90's Oilers did.  So in my mind, it comes down to the system, but I could be wrong.  So really, if you're still reading, I've taken you on a journey to nowhere in particular.

Any thoughts on this comparison?