By Kathryn Uggerholt, NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Correspondent

Who are these Edmonton Oilers?

The squad had a strong opening month that was highlighted with success from rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and a six-game winning streak that stretched into the first game of November. Edmonton, who was once third in the league, has more losses in November than they do wins and seem to be settling into the place most critics figured they would fall into quickly.

This up and down start to the season is nothing to fret about quite yet because the NHL is only two months in to a long season. Despite being early in the season, it is hard to determine just where the Oilers might head as November comes to a close.

It came as a surprise to all – even Oilers fans – when the team came out so strong in October. The outstanding play from veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin seemed to shock everyone as he lead the league statistically and showed off those numbers with stellar performance on the ice. 2010’s first-overall pick Taylor Hall was really coming into his own, and this year’s first overall pick Nugent-Hopkins was proving that he could hang in the league with a goal in his first game and a hat trick in his third.

Then suddenly a six-game winning streak was snapped and the Oilers began to look like the team fans knew from years past and the players doing so well started to slump. Hall could not find any of his offense and apparently neither could the rest of the team as they could barely get more than two goals in a game.

Looking at the schedule, one could easily point at the home ice advantage that was carrying the team to victory. In their eight home games in October, the Oilers got a point in all but one, and lost only two. In three away games, however, they lost two. November started with a six-game road trip, where Edmonton struggled to score goals and find the win column. They lost four of the six games, never scoring more than three goals, and seemingly most of those were scored by Ryan Smyth.

Just as Oilers fans may have wanted to start hanging their heads, Edmonton topped the Chicago Blackhawks 9-2 this past Saturday night.  Nugent-Hopkins became the first 18-year-old to ever record five assists in a game; he is also only the fourth 18-year-old to record five points in a game. Prior to Saturday, the Oilers had not scored more than eight goals in a game since a 10-1 victory over Calgary in 1996, when a lot of the current roster was not even ten years old. That game also saw a second-career hat trick from Taylor Hall, as well as nine skaters tallying points – including Jordan Eberle and Tom Gilbert each recording a goal and four points.

A flash in the pan or will the Oilers soon be back to their winning ways? The game following such an offensive explosion was a 4-1 loss to Sheldon Souray and the Dallas Stars, so no one can be too sure.

Going on statistics, this team has all the ingredients for success as the season carries on. They’re 6^th in the league for their power play with a PP% at 20.7% and 7^th for their penalty kill at 86.8%. Just for comparison, they finished last year 27th for power play and 29^th for penalty kill. Still looking at the numbers, it is not surprising that Smyth is 17^th in the league and Nugent-Hopkins is 20^th each with 20 points. Though his stats may be slipping a little, Khabibulin is still getting the starts as Devan Dubnyk has yet to get two back-to-back games.

So where does the team go from here? While they have all the pieces to climb up the standings, only time – and games – will tell.

by Melissa Grissom

Last year the Dallas Stars were close to making the playoffs and during the off season, General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk made changes in the team.  The biggest change is losing number one center Brad Richards to the New York Rangers as he signed a nine-year contract worth $60 million but they were very active in the free agency world by signing Michael Ryder, Radek Dvorak, Vernon Fiddler, Jake Dowell, and Eric Goddard in the forward position, while toughing up their defense with the signing of Adam Pardy and Sheldon Souray.  This team will be different but I see a big season from them.

So here is a brand new look for your 2011-2012 Dallas Stars Roster.

13 Barch, Krys RW/LW 6-2 210  Hamilton, Ontario

14 Benn, Jamie LW/C 6-2 205 Victoria, British Columbia

16 Burish, Adam RW 6-0 189  Madison, Wisconsin

6 Daley, Trevor D  5-11 207 Toronto, Ontario

11 Dowell, Jake C 6-0 202 Eau Claire, Wisconsin

20 Dvorak, Radek RW 6-2 200  Tabor, Czechoslovakia

21 Eriksson, Loui RW 6-1 190 Goteborg, Sweden

38 Fiddler, Vernon LW/C 5-11 201  Edmonton, Alberta

28 Fistric, Mark D 6-3 234 Edmonton, Alberta

18 Godard, Eric RW 6-4 211  Vernon, British Columbia

33 Goligoski, Alex D 5-11 180 Grand Rapids, Minnesota

2 Grossman, Nicklas D 6-3 214 Stockholm, Sweden

32 Lehtonen, Kari G 6-4 215 Helsinki, Finland

10 Morrow, Brenden LW 5-11 207 Carlyle, Saskatchewan

29 Ott, Steve C/LW 6-0 195  Summerside, Prince Edward Island

27 Pardy, Adam D 6-2 206 Bonavista, Newfoundland

17 Petersen, Toby C/LW 5-10 200 Minneapolis, Minnesota

30 Raycroft, Andrew G 6-0 185 Belleville, Ontario

63 Ribeiro, Mike C 6-0 180 Montreal, Quebec

3 Robidas, Stephane D 5-11 195 Sherbrooke, Quebec

73 Ryder, Michael RW 6-0 192 St. John’s, Newfoundland

44 Souray, Sheldon D 6-4 233 Elk Point, Alberta

23 Wandell, Tom C 6-1 183 Sodertalje, Sweden

Losing Richards is a big deal, but I do see five players stepping up during the new season to counteract the loss of Richards in the lineup.  Let’s look aboard, now shall we:

1. Jamie Benn, the young and upcoming forward for the Dallas Stars, who was 4th in goals (34), 4th in assists (34) and tied for 5th in points along with Brenden Morrow (56).  He has shown the league that he can step up, be the big player he can be, and help the Stars in the standings.  He has emerged into a big-impact player who scores those big goals.  Last year, Benn had some amazing highlighted goals and proved to be a big part of the team when he missed 10 games with a shoulder injury.  During that time, Dallas struggled on offense.

2. Loui Eriksson who was in his first ever All-Star game last year, was 3rd in goals (27), 3rd in assist (46) and 2nd in points (73).  He will have to prove to the league that he can produce the points without getting the passes from the departed Richards. Eriksson was also a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy.  He will be a big part of the Stars next year while adjusting to new linemates.

3. Brenden Morrow, the heart and soul in Dallas, has been with the franchise since 1999.  He was 1st in goals (33), 6th in assists (23) and tied for 5th in points along with Benn (56).  He is the type of guy who brings heart and passion to the Stars that need it and the dedication to win a Stanley Cup.  He plays with his heart on his sleeve, and will be relied upon to score even more goals.

4. Stephane Robidas is Dallas’ number one defenseman.  He scored 5 goals and added 25 assists for 30 points in 81 games.  He is the backbone and veteran presence of the defense, and has proven to help the Stars on the penalty kill and power play.  He has also proven to be a warrior by coming back from injuries that would have kept him out of games and get up after debilitating hits from opponents.

5. Kari Lehtonen is the number one goalie in Dallas.  He had 34 wins in a total of 69 games.  He will be a big reason if the Stars are able to make the playoffs.  He will be relied heavily upon to make the key saves and help the Stars to victory, and be a big leader.  The two biggest questions for Lehtonen this year will be; 1)  Can he prove to the rest of the league that he can win the big games?  2)  Will he be step up and be one of the key players next year for the Stars?  It is his time to answer both of those in the affirmative. 

The Dallas Stars are going into the 2011-2012 season with a new-look roster and one goal: to make the playoffs and win Lord’s Stanley Cup.

After incessant speculation, Smyth returned to the Oilers from the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Smyth was drafted by the Oilers back in 1994 and he played in the organization until the 2006-07 season when he was dealt to the New York Islanders. A native of Alberta, Smyth asked for a trade from the Kings for family reasons with a desire to return to the Oilers. Despite almost making a trade with the Calgary Flames, in the end, the Oilers sent Colin Fraser and a 2012 7th round draft pick to the Kings in exchange for Smyth. The King intended make a trade for Gilbert Brule where they would then place him on waivers or buy him out but due to Brule’s concussions they accepted Fraser and were to let him try out for a spot on the team in camp.

On Thursday, reports came forth that Fraser had a broken ankle and a cyst. That injury is one that requires surgery where the recovery time is roughly four months. Regardless of Fraser’s ability to play, the Kings are not looking to try and undo the trade especially since Smyth had requested to be traded. Instead, there will be “extra compensation” that has yet to be named to be added to the trade.

A day prior to the free agency frenzy, the Oilers made a move to buy out the remaining year on Souray’s contract. In what GM Steve Tambellini calls a “last resort,” the team will pay his $4.5 million salary for his last year of his five year contract.  The cap hit of $3.56 will spread out over two years. Souray spent last season on loan to the AHL affliate of the Washington Capitals, the Hershey Bears and prior to that he had been very injury plagued as a member of the Oilers. Just as much, he and Tambellini were not on good terms at the end of last season and Souray has not spoken to Tambellini since he left Edmonton.

So the re-addition of Smyth and the delayed leaving of Souray, what does this mean for the Oilers? For fans, Smyth returning is a huge plus. It is certainly a good feeling to have “Captain Canada” back just as a fan favorite but he adds more. The youthful team certainly needs veteran leadership and Smyth will contribute that. Not only does he have years of experience in the league but he also has the experience on the Oilers when they were consistently making the playoffs. Also, Smyth can still put up good numbers and surrounded by a core of young talent they surely will not lag.

As for Souray, his relevance to the Oilers is long gone. Though there were flashes of hope it is likely for the best he is gone. It will be interesting to see if he goes anywhere in free agency but it probably will not be with a five year contract.

“Oil that is, Black Gold, Texas Tea.”

That is the song that Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini was singing when his Oilers hit pay dirt and retained the first overall pick as the New Jersey Devils won the draft lottery.

Last season at the draft in Los Angeles, the choice for Tambellini was the theme of the draft, Taylor or Tyler [Seguin].  The Oilers took Taylor Hall, who had a successful first season, picking up his scoring in the second half before his season was cut short by an ankle injury in early March.

Coming to Minnesota, the player that will be taken #1 overall is not clear.

There are as many as six players that could go with that first pick.  Some rumors even have the Oilers shopping their draft choice to try and acquire either another forward or a starting goaltender.   The Oilers also have the first round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, acquired at the trade deadline in the Dustin Penner deal.  All eyes will be on them as they take to the podium to kick off the 2011 draft.

What’s in the System?

The Oilers posses one of the best young crop of forwards in the NHL.  Names like Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Linus Omark and Sam Gagner (when healthy) elicit the envy of a lot of teams in the league.  The Oilers do have a lot of young blue liners in the system, but none are considered a true #1 that every team in the league covets.

Of their defensive group, Jeff Petry might be the best.  Petry, a strong, two-way blue liner who has a big shot from the point, can hold his own in front of the Oilers net.  Second round pick in 2010 Martin Marincin had the scouting staff so high on him that they even thought about trading into the late first round to get select him and were obviously thrilled when he fell to them.  His top-end potential would be a Tyler Myers-type defender which made the Oilers quickly sign him after only one season with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. He could play another year in juniors or the team could decide to promote the import to the AHL.

Colten Teubert, acquired from the Kings at the deadline in the Penner deal, was a high draft pick of the LA Kings.  He is a big, nasty stay-at-home blue liner that will not give very much offensively, but he is the type of player every team in the league needs to win.  Teubert was simply caught up in a numbers game in LA with Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, Jack Johnson and soon Drew Doughty all signed to long-term contracts.  Combine them with several top blue line prospects in the Kings system and the team could afford to replace Colten.  Nevertheless, The Oilers will give him every chance to make the big club.

One glaring hole in the system is the lack of a top-notch goaltending prospect. Olivier Roy was a 5th round pick in ‘09 and surprised a lot of people when he was named the starter for Canada’s WJC team in Buffalo.  After a poor performance, he was benched in the final, and Canada went on to lose.  He went back to Junior and put up a solid 35-win season.  The Oilers are high on him and many feel he will be a solid pro, but not an elite starter.

System Needs

The Oilers have a young stockpile of forwards that are getting full-time NHL duty.  The depth of the system has taken a hit with these players moving up to the big club.  Having the 1st and 19th pick in the first round will stockpile more talent.

Tambellini will be tempted to place the #1 pick in the NHL, but might err on the side of caution because of a large amount of young players on the NHL roster.  That being said, a top pairing blue liner would go a long way to the rebuilding process.

As noted earlie, the Oilers lack a #1 goaltending prospect.  The problem is that the goaltending class this year is poor.   The Oilers will have both first round picks for sale and trading 19th overall might be enough to land them a young goaltending prospect.  With so many young players in the system already, do not be surprised to see the Oilers take their time with future prospects.

2011 First Round Picks

Round 1 – 1st and 19th (from Los Angeles)

Overall the Oilers have ten picks in the draft including five in the first seventy-four selections.

Potential First Round Pick:

1st — C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,  D Adam Larsson,  LW Gabriel Landeskog

19th — D David Musil, G Chris Gibson, LW Brandon Saad

When the draft kicks off, there will be some suspense.  With no clear cut #1, there will be a lot of scuttlebutt about what the Oilers would do.

If there is a team behind the Oilers that love a particular player, do not be surprised if they try and jump up and the Oilers trade down.  GM Tambellini and Kevin Lowe will have discussions with several teams in the weeks leading up to the draft.  Also, with the 31st pick, the Oilers will add another top prospect.

At some point, the Oilers will either acquire or draft a goaltender.  The Sheldon Souray problem will need to be addressed and there might be a taker at the draft, but at a $4.5 million cost it will be a tough sell.

Expect the Oilers to unload a couple of late picks to acquire future picks in future drafts.

Mike Murangi
Draft Reporter
Twitter: @Draft_Mike

One can’t blame the Edmonton Oiler fans for counting down the minutes until the opening day first puck drop to start off the season against their arch rival Calgary Flames October 7th. Not only is it an opportunity for the Oilers to start off the season with a bang over their nemesis rivals but they can showcase their new and improved team. There is no doubt this team is much improved compared to last year bringing in guys like Kurtis Foster and Jim Vandermeer along with rookie studs Magnus Paajarvi, Jordan Eberle and 1st overall draft pick Taylor Hall.

Magnus Paajarvi leads the Oilers in pre-season scoring with 3 goals and 1 assist and that’s in just 1 game! Shawn Horcoff is trying to have a rebounding year to prove fans that he is at least worth a partial amount of his hefty yearly salary and is off to a good start averaging 2 points a game in his first 2 games of the exhibition season. Other notables are Ryan Whitney with 4 apples in 2 games, Jordan Eberle with 3 points in 2 games and even rookie center Chris Vande Velde has 3 points. Needless to say the Oilers seem like an offensive bunch which many have predicted including me and many other prognosticators around the NHL world.

The big question is will this team gel and form into a tough team to play against night in and night out? If anyone can do that head coach Tom Renney certainly can, Renney has a fulfilling task ahead managing the learning curve of the new additions to the club thus getting them to play the system that Renney employs.

I would like to see the Oilers try to play a puck possession game similar to the Chicago Blackhawks although it may be a lot more challenging considering the skill set is not quite where a team like Chicago or Washington has…yet. With veterans like Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff around it will more than likely help these new players get settled in their new environment.

OK, so most people are predicting the Oilers to finish last in their division and I guess that’s “somewhat” reasonable with them being such a young team but deep down we all know predictions are for the birds therefore no one knows how good their team will be as much as they think they do until at least 20 or so games into the year.

Still up in the air is the goaltending situation, I truly believe one of these goaltenders will have to be moved as all 3 goalies, Khabibulin, Deslauriers, and Dubnyk are on 1-way contracts. Khabibulin will not be moved as his contract will be a tough one to deal away but if most saw Khabby play in his first game in an extremely long time, he looked very sharp. The Oiler brass will need to decide which goalie they are going to go with for the future and possibly move the other. Martin Gerber is also licking his chops at getting back into the NHL again so all of the aforementioned goaltenders will be pushed. Edmonton may decide to roll 3 goaltenders to start the season and see how it plays out as there is always a chance for injuries and Khabibulin is known to have a few of those from time to time.

Still no news on the Sheldon Souray front, we may not see anything happen unless a notable defenseman on another team goes down and may want to fill that spot with a very good defenseman in Souray. Many thought the New York Islanders would be all over Souray considering they lost Mark Streit for at least 6 months but that is not the case, any rumors of a deal for Souray have been nixed.

In ending, what NHL fans do know is this young Edmonton team is built for speed, scoring and the future and Edmonton fans should be excited for this upcoming season. This Oiler team will have its up and downs but guaranteed they will bring excitement throughout the league plus will not be a push over like last season.

Get ready Oiler fans, it’s going to be a fun season!

Trent Kondo
NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Correspondent
tkondo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @TK0N

Training camps and exhibition games are approaching quickly and there are a lot of questions with the Edmonton Oilers roster and if they will be adding more pieces to the mix to open the season.

Taking a look at the projected line up to start the season it should look something like the following:

Offense:

Penner/Horcoff/Hemsky

Hall/Gagner/Svensson

Eberle/Brule/Cogliano

Stortini/Fraser/Jones

Steve MacIntyre, Linus Omark, and J.F.Jacques on the outside looking in. All this depending on how many forwards the Oilers will want to dress we could very well see Jones and the aforementioned 3 players in MacIntyre, Jacques and Omark rotating in and out of the lineup. Rest assured this season there could be a lot of young players from the AHL getting some time with the big club this year. Gagner and Cogliano are still awaiting their RFA offers from the Oilers but I assume they will get those two signed up with nearly 9 million in available cap space. Other notables in the waiting are Liam Reddox, Gregory Stewart, Brad Moran and Alexandre Giroux. Edmonton most definitely have some nice forwards in the system and is key for a rebuilding franchise.

Defence:

Souray/Smid

Foster/Vandermeer

Gilbert/Whitney

Strudwick

The defensive core looks quite locked up for now and it might be tough for guys like Taylor Chorney, Theo Peckham, and rugged Shawn Belle to get much playing time this year. Shawn Belle has been hanging around for years trying to crack an NHL roster but has failed to do so spending most of his time in the AHL. There is no shortage on toughness on the back end with Vandermeer, Souray, and Strudwick plus having Peckham and Belle hanging around does not hurt either. The toughness will be much needed this season to protect the abundance of young inexperienced forwards that the Oilers will be carrying this season.

There has been some trade talk, although limited, with Edmonton involving disgruntled Sheldon Souray. The latest was to have him dealt to the Washington Capitals for forward Tomas Fleischman which would be a good deal in receiving a 20 goal 20 assist guy and getting rid of Souray who had requested a trade just after last seasons end. With Chorney and Peckham licking their chops to get a roster spot the Oilers could definitely part with Sheldon whom ultimatley does not fit into the Oilers rebuilding plans.

Goaltending:

Khabibulin/ Dubnyk/ Deslaurier

Still awaiting the outcome of the DUI charges on Khabibulin we need to assume he will be the Oilers #1 goaltender unless imprisonment is the result of Nikolai’s court case. While many fans mock at Khabby and would not mind seeing him off the roster, they need to remember that after Penner Mr. Khabibulin was the best Oiler before he was injured . With a healthy Khabibulin in goal it does nothing but help these youngsters especially having a goaltender with an abundance of experience along with a Stanley Cup ring on his finger.

The Oilers may deal either Devan Dubnyk or Jeff Drouin-Deslaurier as both are on one-way deals although they could easily sit one of them in the press box and rotate them on the bench behind Khabby. It’s not an easy case for Edmonton to just move one of the young goalies as Oiler management know that Khabibulin is prone to injury and it could very well be Dubnyk and Deslaurier tending the nets again.

Overall the Oilers will be a much different looking team this year with the departures to Fernando Pisani to Chicago, Ethan Moreau to Columbus, Patrick O’Sullivan to Phoenix, and Robert Nilsson to KHL’s Salavat Yulaev along with departing unrestricted free agents Mike Comrie, Aaron Johnson and Ryan Potulny. Clearly Steve Tambellini has removed the bad apples of the club and replaced them with dynamic young rookies along with some toughness which should prove to be a more competitive and exciting hockey team to watch this upcoming season.

It is unclear to this point on what Tambellini wants to do with his available cap space and over abundance of forwards but you can bet he is shopping Souray for a young forward or an up and coming defenceman. Tambellini will more then likely wait until the half way mark of the season to analyze his team to see if they can make a legitimate run for a  playoff position, he may then look at acquiring a veteran or high profile player if possible and use up some of that cap space.

Trent Kondo
NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Correspondent
tkondo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter:@TK0N

Los Angeles – The 2010 NHL draft may have quite a fireworks display even before Steve Tambellini makes his way to the podium to announce to the world the winner of the Tyler vs. Taylor sweepstakes.  Going into the ’09 draft, there was one trade in the days leading up to the first round.  As of June 24, 2010, we have had two major and three minor trades.  Thank you salary cap era.

There are several names being kicked around on the trade market going into Friday.  Tomas Kaberle and Jason Spezza top the list.  Teams that are shopping for goaltending help will be looking at names like Tim Thomas and Tomas Vokoun.

A rumor coming out of Boston in the last 36 hours is that Marc Savard has been put on the trading block.  Some other players like Sheldon Souray and Ethan Moreau have been on the block for some time.  Florida has been very public with the fact that they would love to trade their 15th pick recently acquired from the Boston Bruins.  Do not expect the Oilers or Bruins to trade out of the top 2 unless they flip-flop picks.  The real fun starts once the Florida Panthers go on the clock.  Panthers GM Dale Tallon has made it no secret that you can trade for almost anyone on his entire roster.

I expect to see the most fireworks between picks 7 and 23, where several teams will want to move up or down, and try and obtain extra picks.  The wild card of the draft is Russian sniper Kirill Kabanov, a premiere goal scorer who comes with a ton of baggage.  A team with multiple first-round picks, or a deep farm system might take a run at him.  Also, keep an eye on the Washington Capitals.  What young Russian kid would not want the chance to play with the “Great 8”?

This should be one of the most exciting first rounds the NHL draft has had in years.  “Better get your popcorn ready!”

Follow me live on the draft floor via twitter for all 7 rounds at draft_mike.

Mike Murangi
NHLHS Draft and Prospect Correspondent
mmurangi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Draft_Mike

Not only has there been great debates on whom the Oilers should take albeit Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin but since a leak broke out about Jason Spezza being on the block along with his 7 Million dollar cap hit through 2014-2015 has sparked rumors aplenty across NHL nation this last week.

First off, the decision between Hall and Seguin seems to be a touch choice with Hall being the more dynamic player and seemingly is more of a drive to the net type of player with the “give me the puck” attitude. Hall is a left handed shot, which does not really matter unless you’re a defenseman, and a natural winger plus many feel he can play center if needed. He has been compared to the likes of Ryan Smyth or Glenn Anderson but with more overall skill then either of the two.

Seguin is a natural centerman which at this point seems to be the Oilers biggest concern of holes to fill. In my humble opinion I believe the Oilers biggest weakness is on their blueline but will they select Cam Fowler before Hall or Seguin? Not a chance. That would “almost” be like taking Cam Barker over Ovechkin or Malkin which had no chance of happening in the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Either of these 2 players will be a great addition to Edmonton and likely playing along side of players such as Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson to name a few of the nice young players the Oilers have in the system. Reminds you of the Chicago Blackhawks with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dave Bolland which creates a great nucleus to rebuild from.

Enter the rumor mill! There are many rumors that Steve Tambellini could and should trade the top pick to acquire an already proven player in the likes of Jason Spezza who is still young and turning I believe 27 years old next week but also has a hefty price tag of 7 million per year. While many Oiler fans want to win right now and would love to see Spezza who is a nice talent on this team he most certainly will not make the Oilers a Stanley Cup winning team next year and adding that much of an addition to the salary cap would be down right ridiculous.

Boston has made it no secret that they want Taylor Hall and would probably make a deal with Edmonton to swap picks. Now that’s an offer Tambellini should most definitely consider especially if they are leaning towards Seguin anyways, ultimately the Oilers could probably dump some salary on Boston in a deal for example like this: Edm 1st overall pick and Sheldon Souray to Boston for the 2nd overall pick, Dennis Wideman and another draft pick. That would save about 1.5 million per year and remove a disgruntled and oft injured Souray from the Oilers and gain a solid d-man in Wideman along with another pick.

If I am Steve Tambellini I select Taylor Hall and keep the rebuild and youth movement going, attempt to trade the unhappy Souray for a solid role player or a good young upcoming defenseman if possible and just keep building your team as planned. If the right deal comes forth Tambo has a lot of nice trading pieces to get a deal done to improve the Oilers now and for the future without busting the bankroll. While many may disagree with this I think the Oilers have a very good chance of making the post season next year with a healthy squad and some fine young gunners coming in they just may surprise a few people.

It will be a busy off season for the Edmonton Oilers having to deal with the draft, 4 Unrestricted free agents and 8 Restricted free agents currently on the big league roster. Let’s hope the Oiler brass makes the right decisions for this storied franchise.

Many NHL prognosticators predicted a post season berth for the Oilers with their off-season moves and coaching staff adjustments, bringing in players like Nikolai Khabibulin to solidify the goaltending. The team also brought in a past proven winner plus offensive spark plug and home town boy Mike Comrie. The additions of legendary coach Pat Quinn and Tom Renney as his assistant also looked like a pure genius move by G.M. Steve Tambellini.

Right winger Ales Hemsky led a cast of what seemed to be a decent forward depth squad with player’s such as Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner, Shawn Horcoff and Patrick O’Sullivan and what looked to be a solid back end with Sheldon Souray, Lubomir Visnovsky, Tom Gilbert, and Denis Grebeshkov.

Edmonton started off well going 6-3-1 in their first 10 games with all signs being indicative towards a successful season upcoming for the Oilers but unfortunately this was not the case as the wheels started to fall. The team finished the month of October posting a record of 7-6-1 and over the next three months had a nauseating 9-25-2 record including the month of January where Edmonton did not even record a single victory.

The downfall can easily be blamed on injuries to Hemsky, Khabibulin and Souray along with underachieving of big money man Shawn Horcoff and supposed sniper Patrick O’Sullivan therefore leaving the reigns to Dustin Penner, youngster Sam Gagner and speedster Andrew Cogliano. Not a great scenario by any means especially now having your franchise player, number #1 goaltender and best defenseman on the shelf for an indefinite amount of time. All of the aforementioned issues and unfortunate occurrences for Edmonton spelled a 30th place finish overall and obviously dead last in the Western Conference with a mere 27 wins on the season.

In all honesty, if the Oilers were completely healthy with their full roster it’s hard to fathom if Edmonton would have been a serious contender or even participate in the post-season this year as the forward depth is just not there and the lack of solid stay at home defensemen was most definitely a key to being one of the most scored upon teams in the league. The top 4 d-men for the Oilers are pretty much considered offensive defensemen and more of a liability defensively which really is not a good nucleus to have in today’s game.

The Oilers, realizing there was no hope for post season play, then began the movement for next season stating there will be a complete rebuild of this club from the bottom to the top. They were not kidding around either in saying that as it all began quickly by moving Visnovksy to Anaheim for Ryan Whitney and a 6th rounder, Grebeskov to Nashville for a 2nd round pick, and Steve Staios to the Calgary Flames of all teams for Aaron Johnson plus a third round pick.

Add in the trade demand by Sheldon Souray after the season was over plus the firing of long time trainer Ken Lowe, Kevin Lowe’s brother and equipment tech’s Lyle Kulchisky and Barrie Stafford which a combined 84 years of service altogether for the Oiler franchise. As one can see family members and long time service means nothing if the team is not winning.

Edmonton cleared up a bit of cap space and will have even more if they can dump Souray’s contract on to another team and furthermore will have to decide on a few upcoming unrestricted free agents in the likes of Fernando Pisani, Aaron Johnson, Mike Comrie and Jason Strudwick in which I expect none will be brought back and will go elsewhere trying to find more money or a team not in rebuilding mode. They will also have 8 restricted free agents with the most notable being Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers and Gilbert Brule who will be available to entertain offers from other clubs which can be matched by the Oilers or simply let them go on their way to another club.

In ending it was a season of purgatory so to speak for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans but need to be positive as the future looks bright with the likes of Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, Jordan Eberle, Taylor Chorney and yes either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin in the upcoming NHL entry draft.

Trent Kondo
NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Contributor
tkondo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @TKON

If the Oilers cannot move star defenseman Sheldon Souray perhaps they can move another of their excellent offensive defensemen in Lubomir Visnovsky.  TSN’s Darren Dreger listed Visnovsky as one of his 10 most likely players to get traded at the trade deadline so it should make sense that the Oilers wish to move this talent.

The Oilers traded for Visnovsky from the Kings and the latter traded up for the Slovakian d-man in the 2000 draft.  Had Los Angeles not made a move for him he probably would be in an Ottawa uniform to this day.

Regardless, less than two years ago he moved for two young, valuable roster players: Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene.  At this point with three years left at 5.6 million the Oilers may not receive the same bounty despite admirable production.

During his last three seasons in Los Angeles he posted 166 points over 231 games, a .72 point-per-game pace and impressive marks for a blueliner.  With Edmonton he registered points at a .62 PPG pace, less than his previous totals but above average regardless.

Still with cash strapped teams and limited cap space only a handful of teams could take on Visnovsky’s salary without the Oilers taking back salary.  GM Steve Tambellini likely would acquire a young talented forward and a stop gap defenseman for the services of his top-pairing player.

Still with Souray and possibly Scott Niedermayer on the market, teams would probably list the 33-year-old as a contingency plan and not necessarily the solution.  Buffalo, Washington, Ottawa and possibly Vancouver could use a defenseman of this caliber but would they be willing to part with the players necessary to make a deal?

Lets wait for the other dominoes to drop before Visnovsky leaves Edmonton.  Still should be a very interesting player come March 3rd.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove