So as Smith pointed out, the Oilers have some needs, and weaknesses in their lineup that need addressing. They have chips for trading. So i thought, Whats out there? So i went and checked out what exactly is out there, as far as what the Oilers are in need of. Here's a quick list.
Oilers Needs:
| Scoring LW | Options | Off Season Status |
| Canadian | Mike Cammalleri (CGY) | UFA |
| Canadian | Rick Nash (CLB) | Under Contract (“C” 2010 UFA) |
| Canadian | Simon Gagne (PHL) | Under Contract |
| American | Zach Parise (NJD) | Under Contract |
| Russian | Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL) | Under Contract (“C” 2010 UFA) |
| Russian | Alex Semin (WAS) | Under Contract (2010 RFA) |
| Russian | Alex Frolov (LAK) | Under Contract (2010 UFA) |
| Gritty Faceoff/PK king | Options | Off Season Status |
| Canadian | Rob Niedermayer (ANA) | UFA |
| Canadian | Manny Malholtra (CLB) | UFA |
| Canadian | Dominic Moore (TOR) | UFA |
| Canadian | Jay Mclement (STL) | RFA |
| Swedish | Samuel Pahlsson (ANA) | UFA |
| Russian | Sergei Federov (WAS) | UFA |
| Russian | Radek Bonk (NAS) | UFA |
| 3rd to 6th Gritty Defensemen | Options | Off Season Status |
| Canadian | Denis Gauthier (LAK) | UFA |
| Canadian | Sean O’Donnel (LAK) | UFA |
| Canadian | Greg De Vries (NAS) | UFA |
| Swedish | Niklas Havelid (ATL) | UFA |
| Swedish | Christian Backman (CLB) | UFA |
| Czech | Marek Malik (TBL) | UFA |
| Canadian | Jason Smith (OTT) | Under Contract (2010 UFA) |
As far as a scoring Left Winger goes, its going to be interesting to see what kind of trade the Oilers make, as they will definitley need to come up with a good package. As far as a Checking
Center, and a Defensmen go, it should be a little easier to pry these guys away. For the LW positioni feel like the two best options are Frolov in LA, and Kovalchuk in Atlanta based on the fact that those two teams should be far out of a playoff spot come March 4th.
Concerning the checking center, the best candidate for the Oilers are both Jay Mclement, and Dominic Moore, both are younger centers so prying them from their teams may be a little hard. Niedermayer and Pahlsson are good options as well, but getting them out a playoff team in Anaheim could be harder.
The Oilers need for an extra defensmen occured as soon as Lubomir Visnovsky went down with injury. The Oilers could always hope for young Theo Peckham to come up big, but a bett
er option may be a veteren presence for a playoff puch. All of the prospects I named are great options but personally the two best would be Jason Smith and Nicklas Havelid in Atlanta. Both teams are tanking and both players should be available. (plus who wouldnt want "Gator" back in an Oilers jersey?!)
I know you didn't write on him, but I read that Columbus is looking for a legitimate 1st line center for Rick Nash, and they had their eyes on Jason Spezza. The asking price for Spezza started at Nikita Filatov and Cody Goloubef and go from there.
ReplyDeleteSpezza is in the same class as those LW talents, so, let the bidding start at Eberle, Gagner and go from there...
ya most of those players are the same "jokes" they have already (minus the LW's)i think maybe lets get real talent in here, no not jason smith, need something soon because the formula they have doesnt work, win one, get blown out in the next one, something has to change, NOW!
ReplyDeletelol drew this is why i cant talke your opinion seriously ;)
ReplyDeletei think its legit, when theres a problem area in calgary they address the need, dont do well in the playoffs? replace the coach, flames have had 2 coaches and Darryl Sutter since making the cup final, the oilers have not been back to the playoffs since their appearance so something has to change i say start with the coach and the oiler fanboy club and start remodeling this team into something other then the shit that has been on the ice the past 2 years! and no im no saying this as a flames fan, im saying this as a disappointing fan of the oilers, they rarely give me something to cheer about, they make lots of bad decisions and choices with the talent they choose, there has to be a fresh start, and thats what i thought Katz was going to be, but just more of the same
ReplyDeleteK but as Steve said, if the Oilers start to drop, there will be a firesale. You watch, Staios, Moreau, Pisani,Roloson, Penner (if someone will take his contract), would all be outta here. However, guys like Hemsky, Gagner, Cogliano they are here to stay. Same with Deslauriers. Horcoff would go for the right price, same with Gilbert, Grebs, and Smid. Souray is here to stay as well, just based on the fact that he and Hemsky are the two best things going for the Oil right now. I dont get people, Mac T is not the problem, its always easy to point fingers at the coach, but really, its the players who play the game. In all reality, the Oilers as a whole, have completely dropped the ball this year, not the Organization, but the players.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think its MacT either, I think it was KLowe. I mean, he did bring us the Horcoff, Penner, Staios deals...
ReplyDeleteTrue, but the Penner deal only happened because Vanek's offer sheet fell through and Lowe was pressured to get somebody. Horcoff came up throught the system, and deserves props for that. Is he a 1st lin center? Its yet to be seen, and his contract is too big for a 2nd line center.
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, the Oilers have kinda gone the wrong way with the "hometown discount". Instead of a discount its become the "hometown Raise".
ReplyDelete