Impending Futures, and Critical Questions...

With the NHL season over for 47% of the league, it is a time to reflect on what went wrong, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For many teams, as is already evident, changes are already in order, such as Minnesota's firing of both GM Doug Risebrough, and Coach Jacques Lemaire. The Oilers have also followed suit, firing head coach of 8 seasons Craig Mactavish. The Avalanche have fired GM Francois Giguere. However not nearly all of the question marks fall into management positions, but to players. . .

Who will coach the Edmonton Oilers?

So far, the list seems pretty big as far as capable candidates go. Names such as Pat Quinn, Brent Sutter, Marc Crawford, and Tom Renney, have all come up. Other lesser known names such as Scott Arniel, and Don Lever. Even Mark Messier has been recently mentioned. Tambellini is going to have to start his very own "coaching combine" with all the possible candidates.

Will Joe Sakic Play one more season?

As long as "the price is right". As far as Colorado is concerned, they need to rebuild, and it begins with this years draft, they will get themselves a top forward, or a future #1 defenseman. Sakic being 39 going on 40 doesn't exactly fit into those plans, on the other hand, how could you turn down such a perennial star? It will ultimately come down to how much Sakic is willing to play for, and if he isn't playing for the Avalanche, he isn't going to play for anyone.

Will Burke get Tavares?

Dream on Burke, the New York Islanders will in no universe give up drafting John Tavares. Plus, the Leafs don't have anything on their roster or in their system that would be worth it. It is much more likely to see Burke acquire the second pick from Tampa Bay, as they have already stated they are willing to part with it. So with that said, Tampa would have to get some handsome return for the potential of drafting who could be the next Chris Pronger/Nicklas Lidstrom in Victor Hedman. A top two pairing of Schenn and Hedman looks pretty damn good if your a leaf fan...

Where will Marian Gaborik end up?

With the firing of coach Lemaire, and GM Risebrough, it seems Wild ownership is doing whatever it can to entice Gaborik to stay with the team. Ultimately I think he has already made up his mind on leaving the twin cities. Now where he will go is another story. The Oilers would love to pair Gaborik with Hemsky, but do they have the cap space to do it? Or would Gaborik even want to stay in hockey's north? The Los Angeles Kings also would love to grab Gaborik, as he would give them a major boost towards their 2009/2010 playoff hopes. Imagine if you will a top 6 of Gaborik, Kopitar, Brown, Frolov, Stoll. Yikes. I'm also sure the Rangers would put in a good pitch as well.

Will JayBo go?

Sorry Panthers fans, he's already gone. In my opinion, signed sealed and delivered in a nice shiny package special for the Edmonton Oilers. He is Edmonton home grown, and plus, adding him to their lineup would have to push the Oilers into the upper echelons of the West.

Turmoil in the Nations Capital

No this has nothing to do with the Parliament Building. Much more to do with what has been going on in Scotiabank Place. The Senators have gone from being the envy of the league, to a complete mess. Some would say it goes back to choosing Redden over Chara. Could be, but in all seriousness, when you have a top line of Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson, you should be winning games. The Sen's biggest issue is in net. The Senators have never had quality goaltending, and when I say never, I mean NEVER. Lalime, Tugnutt, Rhodes, Gerber, Hasek(in his 40's), Auld, Emery, Barrasso, Elliot, and now Pascal Leclaire. The Sens are hoping Lecalire can be the answer to this glaring issue. As far as the defense goes, signing Filip Kuba was a step in the right direction, and 1st rounder Eric Karlsson should prove to be a top defender.

Will Tavares bring prosperity to the Island?

Tavares will be great wherever he goes. He should pair really well with Kyle Okposo. Will he be the Islanders saviour? Probably not. The Islanders need major help, and just Tavares wont be able to fix it all. Signing a major free agent would be nice, as would having a healthy DiPietro all season long. The Islanders need a top defenseman. Jay Bouwmeester would be a huge pickup, but highly unlikely, a more likely option to pursue would be Mattias Ohlund, Derek Morris, or even Sergei Zubov. Any one of these would go a long way in helping the Islanders to make that playoff push.

Will Kovalchuk get his help?

Why not? If GM Don Waddel can do his job properly, then next April the Thrashers should be on the inside of the playoffs. If Waddel doesn't do his job, then the Thrashers will be in their dire straights. Missing the playoffs and seeing Kovalchuk leave via free agency would be devastating to their organization, along the same lines as Gaborik in Minnesota. Waddel's job hinges on next seasons outcome.

Will Tampa Bay see playoff hockey next April?

This all depends on what the Lightning get in return for that coveted second overall pick they are dangling. It also depends on who they can bring on through free agency, this team needs help, and it needs it bad. Hopefully next season will be better to Vinny Lecavalier as well.

Will Dallas ever get over the Sean Avery hangover?

They pretty much have already, but he definitley left his mark, as did injuries. Brad Richards wrists certainly halted any playoff hopes, as did the lack of Sergei Zubov on the blueine. Marty Turco made well on his horrible start to the season, but was it too late? Turco will need to be much better next season. The shining "star" in Dallas was the play of young forward Loui Eriksson who put up a career best and team leading 36 goals. Hopefully he can continue to bury the biscuit next year, though the Stars should hope to see someone else put the puck in the net, as the only other players to break the 20 goal mark were Mike Ribeiro and James Neal.

Will Nashville ever see top notch hockey?

Well its gonna be tough, with the emergence of Columbus and Chicago, their division got a whole lot harder. Management doesnt exactly have alot to work with either as the team suffers their personal salary cap. Steve Sullivan's return was a blessing, but he still did not help to push the team into the playoffs. Bringing back Alex Radulov should help if it can be done, otherwise the Preds are stuck where they are and will have to rely on their drafting.

Will Brian Burke ever get over bashing Kevin Lowe?

NO, because he is small minded and is a media junkie, just keep on hatin Brian, it makes you look realllll smart ;)

Who is the bigger problem? Robert Nilsson or Dustin Penner?

Penner only because of his bigger contract. They both turned in horrible efforts this year and both should end up playing for different teams, if not somewhere in Siberia.


Will the Maroons post another Championship season?

2-0 so far, even without myself and Mr. Edwards, so far so good. Im gonna say YES. It should be another LEGENDARY season for the Maroons.


-Sporer

Quick Hits on the Oilers...

So just a quick hit here on some on my own predictions for what the Oilers lineup could endure this off season. Just a quick list of who I think stays, goes, and who is in limbo. This is all in my opinion, but based on what Ive heard around sports websites, and Oilers interviews.

Staying:

Kyle Brodziak	C
Dennis Grebeshkov	D
Ladislav Smid	D
Patrick O'Sullivan	LW
Sam Gagner	C
Shawn Horcoff	C
Zach Stortini	RW
Ales Hemsky	RW
Steve MacIntyre	LW
Tom Gilbert	D
Sheldon Souray	D
Lubomir Visnovsky	D
Theo Peckham	D
Jeff Deslauriers	G
Taylor Chorney	D

Going:

Jason Strudwick	D
Dustin Penner	LW
Marc Pouliot	RW
Robert Nilsson	RW

In Limbo:

Ales Kotalik	LW
Liam Reddox	RW
Fernando Pisani	LW
Andrew Cogliano	C
Ethan Moreau	RW
J-F Jacques	LW
Steve Staios	D
Dwayne Roloson	G

Others:

Rob Schremp	C
Ryan Potulny	RW
Gilbert Brule	C

With that said, id also like to put to rest any rumor on Souray requesting a trade, if one would listen to Tambellini's interview, he quickly, without hesitation answered NO, to the inquiry that any players had requested trades.

-Sporer

p.s. Rumor has it Mactavish is headed on to coach the Minnesota Wild

Fantasy Hockey Gloat

Who knows more about hockey? I rest my case.

Suck it losers!

Whose the best GM? STEVE SMITH IS THE BEST GM!

Cheers.

-Smith

p.s. - Since we decided to bet a team jersey, and I know noone is good for that, I fully

expect a team pitcher for my winnings.

p.s #2 - And when Jaybo signs outside Alberta, I'll still expect another one, Sporer.

Edmonton Journal: Not all About the Coaches

Spring hasn't sprung this year so much as it has shuffled unsteadily out of the gate, not unlike the non-playoff Oilers' regrettable habit of taking a period or so to unclutter their minds before settling down to business.

The change of season doesn't seem to have provided much spiritual jump out in the larger community. These are tough times, obviously.

As for the Oilers, just wait a bit.

Once the Oilers dispatch with the final Battle of Alberta home-and-home of this season tonight and Saturday, their organizational self-examination will proceed in earnest. Not to mention in depth and breadth.

Various and sundry assessments already have been delivered by local observers and national commentators. TSN's Pierre McGuire, for one, opined Wednesday night on 630 CHED that the Oilers non-playoff failure speaks not to any shortcomings of head coach Craig MacTavish, but to "player procurement" deficiencies, which is another matter and another department.

Which is not to say MacTavish won't withdraw from his job, either in the interests of social peace in the Oilers locker-room or to pacify the hard cases in a cranky market, or simply for his own peace of mind.

But that will unfold in the coming weeks.

The players haven't ducked responsibility for the failed season, even though they didn't live up to their potential during it.

Indeed, you might have to go back to that Monty Python sketch involving the cook gutting himself because a customer remarked about a "bit of a dirty knife," to replicate the nakedly honest self-recrimination the Oilers have engaged in since they were officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup tournament Tuesday night.

And, while the public has struggled to stomach the disappointment of unmet expectations, the Oilers front office has been preparing to take a good, hard look at what went wrong.

There is real opportunity in this, if the brain trust goes about it properly.

From the fans' perspective, the Oilers have missed the playoffs three straight seasons and five of the eight years of the Kevin Lowe-MacTavish regime.

To paraphrase another owner in a different sport from another city in another time, Oilers fans are jilted lovers whose hearts have been broken a few too many times.

The fans need to see real, substantive improvement and the Oilers do grasp that.

Something else. Rookie owner Daryl Katz has the advantage of assessing things as if it's the end of Year 1 of the cycle of hoped-for success, not Year X of an ongoing project. So do GM Steve Tambellini and salary cap guru Rick Olczyk.

There is power in that fresh perspective and it should be fully leveraged.

They don't have a choice, not if they truly want to assemble a genuine Stanley Cup contender.

Job 1 may well be clarifying that, going forward, the GM is indisputably Tambellini. The division of duties between Tambellini and Lowe, at least in the public imagination, was murky this year, perhaps inevitably, given the seamless succession. The best way for Tambellini to stake his claim may well be to outline his vision publicly, and the sooner the better.

It's also basic that the Oilers cast a ruthless eye on their roster and their cluster of prospects and decide how radical a transformation is needed.

Is this the on-ice equivalent of a real-estate tear-down? Or do they think some judicious renovations will suffice?

Do they want to build a Cup contender that will endure a few years, or will they be content to assemble a nice, competitive team that ultimately will fall short?

Some observers eyeball a core group led by Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid and Tom Gilbert, compare it with the likes of Chicago's Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook -- to name one example -- and reckon the Oilers come off poorly.

How good is their talent, comparatively speaking?

Have the Oilers fixated on acquiring, via draft or trade, too many smallish, skilled forwards like Gagner, Cogliano, Jordan Eberle, Gilbert Brule, Patrick O'Sullivan, Robert Nilsson and the unsigned Linus Omark?

Katz and Tambellini need to closely examine the player development function, which has been uneven, or worse, given the apology the club delivered to fans of their Springfield, Mass., AHL farm club for its poor season.

For example, much has been invested in forward Marc Pouliot since he was drafted 22nd overall fully six years ago. To what noticeable effect? Same thing with Rob Schremp. Will Ryan O'Marra ever the see light of day in the NHL?

Young goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers has made a five-year journey through the Oilers minor-league farm system and played all of eight NHL games.

If they recommit to 39-year-old veteran Dwayne Roloson, that will further retard the development of Deslauriers, who turns 25 next month.

As well, the Oilers might be Vulnerable to an offer sheet for the much-improved but high-strung Smid, who is a restricted free agent on July 1.

At the end of the day, if the Oilers franchise is in a hole -- and it is -- it has been an organizational team effort all the way. The necessary correctives must reflect that reality.

jmackinnon@thejournal.canwest.com

Check out my blog at: www.edmontonjournal.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

The Hit List

So with the off season coming up pretty quick (and looking like some good golfing for the Oilers), I thought I'd make a quick list of impending UFA's and RFA's this summer. These are all players you need to keep an eye on no matter who you cheer for, because landing one of these guys could be crucial to your teams success next season.

UFA'S
Francois Beachemin
Eric Perrin
Mike Cammalleri
David Moss
Martin Havlat
Samuel Pahlsonn
Johan Franzen
Marian Hossa
Mikael Samuelson
Ales Kotalik
Jay Bouwmeester
Marian Gaborik
Saku Koivu
Alex Kovalev
Robert Lang
Brian Gionta
Doug Weight
Nikolai Antropov
Mike Knuble
Bill Guerin
Petr Sykora

RFA'S
Erik Christenson
Colby Armstrong
Kari Lehtonen
Phil Kessel
David Krejci
Drew Stafford
Cam Barker
David Bolland
Kris Versteeg
Kyle Brodziak (for the Oilers fans)
Rob Schremp
Denis Grebeshkov
Ladislav Smid
David Booth
Jack Johnson
Chris Higgins
Matt D'Agostini
Guillaume Lattendresse
Travis Zajac
Nikolai Zherdev
Brandon Dubinsky
Ryan Clowe
Jay McClement
Mikhail Grabovski (for THE leaf fan)

So cross 'em off as they go, and make sure you know where these guys go next year, each could make big impacts wherever they land, or stay, and remember, its not about the money....its about winning the Stanley Cup....

On a side note, sounds like Mac-T will be staying behind the bench for the Oilers after Daryl Katz texted Bob Stauffer on the Oilers pregame show, infuriated at all the talk of firing Mactavish...and the boss knows best.

-Sporer