Monday, November 8, 2010
Save of the year.
This is the save of the year. Hands down.
Big win by the Oilers last night, apparently they like playing in the "Madhouse". Should be a decent road trip since they now have some momentum going into Raleigh. Dubnyk should also get a start either in New Jersey or Detroit, Im thinking itll be against Detroit, letting Khabiboulin get the second night. Shawn Horcoff is listed as day-to-day with a leg contusion, could even play against Carolina.
-Sporer
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A new Season, A New Hope
Its been awhile, and we here at Smith Sporer Hockey apologize for such a long lapse in our posts, however, a new NHL season is upon us, and posts will be written. Not only that, but it seems as though this will be quite the juicy season for articles and issues. So without further adieu here goes post #1 for the 2010-2011 season. Enjoy!
As an avid Oiler fan, I must express what every Oiler fan must be feeling these days, EXCITEMENT!! The Oilers boast 3 of the NHL's newest and more highly skilled prospects, and no they don't play in junior or on the farm team, but don the copper and blue. Ya sure, we will lose a bunch of games, but man alive is it ever fun to watch the human highlight reel Jordan Eberle scoring those epic goals each night. Not only that, but watching Taylor Hall and Magnus Paarjarvi fly up and down the ice is like watching a Mclaren take off. These kids are GOOD, very good. Oiler fans should be pumped for the future of this team. As of right now, Eberle, who is the oldest of the three, leads all NHL rookies in scoring, but Paarjarvi is right behind him, and Hall truly not far behind. Hall shouldn't stay back for too long, after getting his first and second goals in just as many nights, it seems as though the Hall Express may have taken off.
League Parody
Right around the league there seems to be a sense of parody, where anyone can beat whomever on any given night. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings lead their respective conferences. The New Jersey Devils are sitting in last place, after signing the most coveted Free Agent of the off season in Ilya Kovalchuk. Not only that, but the Buffalo Sabres are right behind them, and in the west, Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim all sit out of the playoff picture. The Colorado Avalanche are really proving that last year was no blip in the radar as they sit atop the NorthWest Division for the time being. Montreal has proven themselves to be a pretty serious threat in the east as they sit in 2nd place. The parody was really shown in how the Maple Leafs began their season. They sat on top of the eastern conference for the first half of the month surprising everyone. No only that, but the ever surprising Nashville Predators went undefeated until early last week. The exclamation point on all the parody, was the Oilers, Blackhawks game on Friday night. The 2nd place team taking on the last place team, with the Oilers coming out with a huge 7-4 win! Be ready hockey fans, this season is setting up to be a real head scratcher.
As an avid Oiler fan, I must express what every Oiler fan must be feeling these days, EXCITEMENT!! The Oilers boast 3 of the NHL's newest and more highly skilled prospects, and no they don't play in junior or on the farm team, but don the copper and blue. Ya sure, we will lose a bunch of games, but man alive is it ever fun to watch the human highlight reel Jordan Eberle scoring those epic goals each night. Not only that, but watching Taylor Hall and Magnus Paarjarvi fly up and down the ice is like watching a Mclaren take off. These kids are GOOD, very good. Oiler fans should be pumped for the future of this team. As of right now, Eberle, who is the oldest of the three, leads all NHL rookies in scoring, but Paarjarvi is right behind him, and Hall truly not far behind. Hall shouldn't stay back for too long, after getting his first and second goals in just as many nights, it seems as though the Hall Express may have taken off.League Parody
Right around the league there seems to be a sense of parody, where anyone can beat whomever on any given night. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings lead their respective conferences. The New Jersey Devils are sitting in last place, after signing the most coveted Free Agent of the off season in Ilya Kovalchuk. Not only that, but the Buffalo Sabres are right behind them, and in the west, Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim all sit out of the playoff picture. The Colorado Avalanche are really proving that last year was no blip in the radar as they sit atop the NorthWest Division for the time being. Montreal has proven themselves to be a pretty serious threat in the east as they sit in 2nd place. The parody was really shown in how the Maple Leafs began their season. They sat on top of the eastern conference for the first half of the month surprising everyone. No only that, but the ever surprising Nashville Predators went undefeated until early last week. The exclamation point on all the parody, was the Oilers, Blackhawks game on Friday night. The 2nd place team taking on the last place team, with the Oilers coming out with a huge 7-4 win! Be ready hockey fans, this season is setting up to be a real head scratcher.Cracking Down on Fines and Issuing Head Shots
So the NHL decides to start cracking down on head shots with their new punishment and discipline system. With that, they have practically created a bigger issue. What is a head shot? The Hjalmarsson hit on Pominville? Shane Doan didn't seem to think his was. So truly, which one was the epitome of what the NHL is trying to stop? Doan got 3 games for his hit, whilst Hjalmarsson got 2. Here are the two hits. In my opinion, Hjalmarsson's was actually fairly clean, while Doan's was crystal clear a head shot, and he should have gotten more games.
If anything, Hjalmarsson should have gotten an interference penalty. Other then that, I thought it was a good play, but Pominville went into the boards funny. Doan should be ashamed of his hit, it was very dirty, and the fact that he argued it and didn't think it was that bad, makes me lose some respect for such a respectable guy. Either way, Ive seen a few Oilers get their bells rung with no penalty, so in my opinion this whole new hits to the head crackdown is ridiculous.
Aside from the head shots, how about some of the other fines and suspensions being handed out, or more importantly the actions that have brought them on...James Wisniewski's hand gesture, Mike Cammaleri's slash, Briere's crosscheck, and a few "hit to the head" fines. The fines are ridiculous for one, especially when a guy like Tom Gilbert (making $4.25 million per season) gets fined only $2500. Its like getting a $5 speeding ticket. The Wisniewski "hand gesture" was pretty awesome, especially considering it was directed at Sean Avery. I'm sure every Dad who was watching the game had a good chuckle before telling his 5 year old son that what he just saw was very bad...
Draft Class of 08
Steve Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Tyler Myers, Erik Karlsson, Michael Del Zotto, Jordan Eberle, Tyler Ennis, and Josh Baily. All players who are making big impacts on their respective teams. All 2008 1st round picks. Not only that but a few later round picks have made their presence known this season: Derek Stepan (51st overall by the Rangers) scoring a hat trick in his first game. Jason Demers (186th overall by San Jose) had a big season for the Sharks last year and should be an important part of the team this year. Don't forget other 1st rounders currently in the NHL; Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn, Zach Bogosian, Nikita Filitov, Cody Hodgson, Zach Boychuk, and Colin Wilson. Steve Stamkos has had a blazing beginning to the season with 19 points in just 10 games! Tyler Myers is an absolute stud and the NHL's next Chris Pronger. Eberle and Ennis will probably be battling it out for the Calder trophy this season, while Del Zotto and Karlsson have become integral parts of their teams defense corps. Josh Bailey is leading a surprising New York Islanders cast without a lot of their star players. All I'm trying to say is, Draft Class of 08, your not bad....
Well I better stop or else I will eat up all the juicy things to talk about so far, and Smith will have nothing to talk about. Don't worry though, this season seems like it will have plenty of fun topics to come, and maybe a few cinderella stories....Go Oil
-Sporer
If anything, Hjalmarsson should have gotten an interference penalty. Other then that, I thought it was a good play, but Pominville went into the boards funny. Doan should be ashamed of his hit, it was very dirty, and the fact that he argued it and didn't think it was that bad, makes me lose some respect for such a respectable guy. Either way, Ive seen a few Oilers get their bells rung with no penalty, so in my opinion this whole new hits to the head crackdown is ridiculous.
Aside from the head shots, how about some of the other fines and suspensions being handed out, or more importantly the actions that have brought them on...James Wisniewski's hand gesture, Mike Cammaleri's slash, Briere's crosscheck, and a few "hit to the head" fines. The fines are ridiculous for one, especially when a guy like Tom Gilbert (making $4.25 million per season) gets fined only $2500. Its like getting a $5 speeding ticket. The Wisniewski "hand gesture" was pretty awesome, especially considering it was directed at Sean Avery. I'm sure every Dad who was watching the game had a good chuckle before telling his 5 year old son that what he just saw was very bad...
Draft Class of 08
Steve Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Tyler Myers, Erik Karlsson, Michael Del Zotto, Jordan Eberle, Tyler Ennis, and Josh Baily. All players who are making big impacts on their respective teams. All 2008 1st round picks. Not only that but a few later round picks have made their presence known this season: Derek Stepan (51st overall by the Rangers) scoring a hat trick in his first game. Jason Demers (186th overall by San Jose) had a big season for the Sharks last year and should be an important part of the team this year. Don't forget other 1st rounders currently in the NHL; Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn, Zach Bogosian, Nikita Filitov, Cody Hodgson, Zach Boychuk, and Colin Wilson. Steve Stamkos has had a blazing beginning to the season with 19 points in just 10 games! Tyler Myers is an absolute stud and the NHL's next Chris Pronger. Eberle and Ennis will probably be battling it out for the Calder trophy this season, while Del Zotto and Karlsson have become integral parts of their teams defense corps. Josh Bailey is leading a surprising New York Islanders cast without a lot of their star players. All I'm trying to say is, Draft Class of 08, your not bad....Well I better stop or else I will eat up all the juicy things to talk about so far, and Smith will have nothing to talk about. Don't worry though, this season seems like it will have plenty of fun topics to come, and maybe a few cinderella stories....Go Oil
-Sporer
Monday, March 29, 2010
And here we go...
So with the season wrapping up for the Oilers, and still 5 points away from the organizations worst season total of 60 points in 92-93. That draft year the Oilers drafted 7th overall. They took Jason Arnott. Not bad for their worst season. This year, the Oilers will pick 1st overall (barring the draft lottery which they have a 50% chance of winning). There are two possible candidates as it stands. Windsor Spitfires power winger Taylor Hall, and the Plymouth Whalers star center Tyler Seguin. Here is a breakdown of each player.
Taylor Hall:
Number: 4
Position: LW
Shoots: L
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185lb
Born: November 14, 1991 Kingston, ON
40 Goals 66 Assists 106 Points
Tyler Seguin:
Number: 9
Position: C
Shoots: R
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 186lb
Born: January 31, 1992 Brampton, ON
48 Goals 58 Assists 106 Points
Either way, the Oilers will be getting an All Star player. To me, for the Oilers, Seguin is the more optimal pick. He is a center, which the Oilers need an All Star center pretty bad. He also isn't small, being 6'1" and 186lbs before even bulking up for the NHL. He is slightly younger then Hall, but that's fine. Another reason I'd give Seguin the one-up, would be because he plays on a team without much else for talent. While Hall is surrounded by talent (Cam Fowler, Ryan Ellis, Greg Nemisz, and Adam Henrique). So with all that said, you never know, they may even go off the board and take the now #3 rated pick in Cam Fowler, if they really want a defensman. With that said, let us consider the Oilers lineup, season end (take away UFA's, keep RFA's).
Dustin Penner Shawn Horcoff Ales Hemsky
Robert Nilsson Sam Gagner Gilbert Brule
Ethan Moreau Andrew Cogliano Ryan Potulny
Zach Stortini Marc Pouliot Patrick O'Sullivan
Ryan Whitney Tom Gilbert
Sheldon Souray Ladislav Smid
Taylor Chorney Theo Peckham
Nikolai Khabiboulin
Jeff Deslauriers
Those that are RFA's over the summer are highlighted in red. UFA's over the summer are:
D- Aaron Johnson
D- Dean Arsene
D- Jason Strudick
RW- Fernando Pisani
C- Mike Comrie
C- Ryan Stone
So minus the RFA's and UFA's, the Oilers total cap hit (as per nhlnumbers.com) is: $41.82 million.
At the draft, the Oilers will add a top 6 forward. They will also, most likely, get the injection of Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paarjavi-Svensson. Thats 3 top 6 forwards that they will have to make room in the lineup for. Here is a possible lineup combo:
Svensson Horcoff Hemsky
Penner Gagner Eberle
Cogliano Seguin Brule
Moreau O'Sullivan Nilsson
Stortini Pouliot Potulny
Whitney Gilbert
Souray Smid
Chorney Peckham
Khabiboulin
Deslauriers
Either that, or they will have Seguin play on the farm, or with his OHL club again. As for Eberle and Svensson, there may be a good chance of them playing on the farm as well. Moreau's spot on the team is in contention, and there is a good chance he may not be here next September, same for Nilsson, Pouliot, and Horcoff. Horcoff is kinda untradeable though, so pretty much count him one the team for next year, barring a miracle. Penner, Souray, and Hemsky are being talked about as good trading chips on draft day, as the Oilers would love to grab at least another top 5 pick. There certainly aren't any guarantee's as to who will be in the opening lineup next year, but count Gagner, Brule, Whitney, Gilbert, Deslauriers, Eberle, Horcoff, Smid, and possibly Svensson as probables.
On defence, the Oilers swapped Vishnovsky for Whitney, not a bad deal at all, especially moneywise. Whitney is bigger and plays a tougher game. Souray could be on the block, especially on draft day. Smid and Chorney should be in the lineup opening night. As for Peckham, a trade, or free agent signing could very easily have him playing on the farm again. The Oilers resigning Aaron Johnson is the most probable move on defense, as he has showed up pretty good for them down the stretch.
In goal, the Oilers will have a goalie battle on their hands. With the veteran Khabiboulin coming back from injury, youngster Deslauriers has shown pretty good, but will have to fight to get games. Khabiboulin should get the nod, at least for 60% of the games, but who knows, maybe we will see a split, though those never really work out. Dubnyk, barring any moves, will be Oklahomas starter.
The team will be a young, exciting one, hopefully ridden with rookies. They could show up and be really good, or have major growing pains, either way, Oiler fans should be in for some exciting, fast, upbeat hockey, but be prepared for lots of rookie mistakes!
-Sporer
Taylor Hall:
Number: 4
Position: LW
Shoots: L
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185lb
Born: November 14, 1991 Kingston, ON
40 Goals 66 Assists 106 Points
Tyler Seguin:
Number: 9
Position: C
Shoots: R
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 186lb
Born: January 31, 1992 Brampton, ON
48 Goals 58 Assists 106 Points
Either way, the Oilers will be getting an All Star player. To me, for the Oilers, Seguin is the more optimal pick. He is a center, which the Oilers need an All Star center pretty bad. He also isn't small, being 6'1" and 186lbs before even bulking up for the NHL. He is slightly younger then Hall, but that's fine. Another reason I'd give Seguin the one-up, would be because he plays on a team without much else for talent. While Hall is surrounded by talent (Cam Fowler, Ryan Ellis, Greg Nemisz, and Adam Henrique). So with all that said, you never know, they may even go off the board and take the now #3 rated pick in Cam Fowler, if they really want a defensman. With that said, let us consider the Oilers lineup, season end (take away UFA's, keep RFA's).
Dustin Penner Shawn Horcoff Ales Hemsky
Robert Nilsson Sam Gagner Gilbert Brule
Ethan Moreau Andrew Cogliano Ryan Potulny
Zach Stortini Marc Pouliot Patrick O'Sullivan
Ryan Whitney Tom Gilbert
Sheldon Souray Ladislav Smid
Taylor Chorney Theo Peckham
Nikolai Khabiboulin
Jeff Deslauriers
Those that are RFA's over the summer are highlighted in red. UFA's over the summer are:
D- Aaron Johnson
D- Dean Arsene
D- Jason Strudick
RW- Fernando Pisani
C- Mike Comrie
C- Ryan Stone
So minus the RFA's and UFA's, the Oilers total cap hit (as per nhlnumbers.com) is: $41.82 million.
At the draft, the Oilers will add a top 6 forward. They will also, most likely, get the injection of Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paarjavi-Svensson. Thats 3 top 6 forwards that they will have to make room in the lineup for. Here is a possible lineup combo:
Svensson Horcoff Hemsky
Penner Gagner Eberle
Cogliano Seguin Brule
Moreau O'Sullivan Nilsson
Stortini Pouliot Potulny
Whitney Gilbert
Souray Smid
Chorney Peckham
Khabiboulin
Deslauriers
Either that, or they will have Seguin play on the farm, or with his OHL club again. As for Eberle and Svensson, there may be a good chance of them playing on the farm as well. Moreau's spot on the team is in contention, and there is a good chance he may not be here next September, same for Nilsson, Pouliot, and Horcoff. Horcoff is kinda untradeable though, so pretty much count him one the team for next year, barring a miracle. Penner, Souray, and Hemsky are being talked about as good trading chips on draft day, as the Oilers would love to grab at least another top 5 pick. There certainly aren't any guarantee's as to who will be in the opening lineup next year, but count Gagner, Brule, Whitney, Gilbert, Deslauriers, Eberle, Horcoff, Smid, and possibly Svensson as probables.
On defence, the Oilers swapped Vishnovsky for Whitney, not a bad deal at all, especially moneywise. Whitney is bigger and plays a tougher game. Souray could be on the block, especially on draft day. Smid and Chorney should be in the lineup opening night. As for Peckham, a trade, or free agent signing could very easily have him playing on the farm again. The Oilers resigning Aaron Johnson is the most probable move on defense, as he has showed up pretty good for them down the stretch.
In goal, the Oilers will have a goalie battle on their hands. With the veteran Khabiboulin coming back from injury, youngster Deslauriers has shown pretty good, but will have to fight to get games. Khabiboulin should get the nod, at least for 60% of the games, but who knows, maybe we will see a split, though those never really work out. Dubnyk, barring any moves, will be Oklahomas starter.
The team will be a young, exciting one, hopefully ridden with rookies. They could show up and be really good, or have major growing pains, either way, Oiler fans should be in for some exciting, fast, upbeat hockey, but be prepared for lots of rookie mistakes!
-Sporer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)