Could the Oilers be one of the 12 teams chasing UFA Jiri Sekac?

JIRI SEKAC

What are the chances this 6'2, 190 lb Czech player lands in Edmonton? He has taken a long road to get to the NHL but is being highly sought out right now according to those in the inside circles of hockey. I highly doubt he is coming to Edmonton but never say never for a team that has been trying it's luck outside the NHL for talent to bring in.

Check out his stats here at elite prospects . Nothing shouts out at you that he is a top 6 player but possibly a player to add some skill and bigger size on the third line. You have to try swinging for the fence sometimes otherwise you never even hit first base. This recent tweet suggested the following...

Vishal Hussain @vishal_hussain
European Sources: Jiri "Cakes" Sekac has eight NHL offers, #Devils #Flyers #Senators appear to be frontrunners for his services.

It's rumoured that he will likely select to play in New Jersey with the Devils as Jagr is once again a prime recruiter as per usual. Don't think he ends up here in Edmonton just more curious if he actually may have been at least targeted by the young Oilers team.

for more info on NHL prospects or oilers news follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/revingev

YAKCITY - "Yakupov's Rise in Edmonton"

Thanks to OilersNation, a contest was run and incredible good photo shopping work was done last season to represent Nail Yakupov. They were all good but one that stood out was 'Yak City'. It did bring me to the question, 'how good is Nail Yakupov?' 'How high is his ceiling?' 'Can he improve on his defensive game any more without sacrificing his offensive output?' 'Is this guy a long term Oiler like many believe Hall is, or does he get traded in the next couple seasons for a key player to put this team over the top?' 'Can he he co-exist , sharing the stardom with the Oilers other elite players?' All these are valid questions and for right now, only guesses.

Like the previous 2 #1 selections before him in Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, people flooded the calls for Oilers jerseys to get their hands on a Nail Yakupov #64. I was no exception and the Nail Yakupov watch began in 'Oil Country'. The biggest debate was 'What position would he play? RW or LW where the need was?' NOTE: Nail Yakupov has tweeted he will remain with the #64 number rather then take #10 with Horcoff gone. 

It did not take Yakupov long to get into stride in 'Oil Country' with timely goals and goal celebrations. This guy was getting the whole NHL talking, including players, NHL player agents, GM's, players themselves, broadcasters and most of all fans. Were his celebrations appropriate? Were they tasteful or disgraceful? Lots of questions were being raised about his poor defensive game as well in spite of his scoring touch. Being a young 1st year NHL player right out of jr with only 1/4 of a season in the KHL the expectations were high. His season took some lows but also ended with some extreme highs bringing to light the question 'What is his ceiling offensively and defensively?'

Nail Yakupov is a dedicated, hard working player who has put submerged himself into our community with family support and aims to be the best player he can possibly be. 

No one can say Nail is shy and or non-fan friendly. Between his twitter account, his public appearances and easy access to get pictures, Yakupov has shown his followers he wants to give back and will make every effort to enjoy the life he has been afforded. Give Nail a tweet on twitter and if it is intriguing to him, maybe you will get a reply. He is like a rock star in Edmonton and back in Russia as well. He likes the attention and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Nail is about to get started again here in Edmonton on his early season skating and drills with the other Oiler boys. He's easy to get along with, is a great personality, loves our city and the team, wants to be a star and most importantly to Oiler fans....He just wants to 'score goals'!

Maybe if your lucky and fortunate, you will find Nail at a local Starbucks near you. Hoping to see him there? Where can you catch a glimpse of Nail drinking a latte? Maybe spend some time in some Edmonton SW Starbucks and you will see him come through.

All I can say is, it is so refreshing to have a personality on the Oilers who likes to talk, likes to interact with the fans and does not come over as rehearsed in what he says. 

Next blog let's discuss more on the questions mentioned at the beginning of this post today. We will examine expectations, talk about predictions and discuss his game and where his future is headed.

In the meantime, keep your stick on the ice!

Nail Yakupov MIA?

There are some rumors that Nail Yakupov might be staying over in the KHL.



From what I heard and by what I think, I'm sure that he will probably not stay in Russia, because he was so happy to be drafted by the Oilers and he wants nothing more than to have a long and prosperous NHL career. Why would he just drop it all to because the NHL has a lockout for a couple months? He wouldn't.



Unless he is getting extra money from his team to play with them till the end of the season like it is rumored other players are, I really don't see him staying.

There has been rumors that Kovalchuk might stay and there is a small handful of others that have said they will. But you'd think Nail is different than them, as he will honor his contract, unlike the others. I still think Kovalchuk will come over to play back in the NHL this season, but I guess we will see.

All I know is I'd fully believe we will see Nail Yakupov wearing the #64 for the Edmonton Oilers this year.



This was written by Noah Fuchs!

Draft Time - KHL Style

On May 28th, the KHL held their 3rd entry draft. This year, out of a pool of 371 players, 134 were drafted. No voided picks, like the three from last year when teams drafted players that had already signed an NHL contract.

Not that this affects the NHL draft, but it is a bit interesting to see the mindset of the Russian clubs in their picking. Chances are, most of the guys drafted by the NHL will never see the KHL, but some teams still take the chance. Below, I included those picked that have already been drafted in the NHL, the top projected picks at this year's NHL draft, and just a few that I thought were interesting.

Notable Picks

1st Overall: Anton Slepyshev - Metallurg Novokuznetsk
5th Overall: Jonathan Huberdeau - Vityaz Chekhov
10th Overall: Anders Nilsson (New York Islanders prospect) - Dinamo Minsk
14th Overall: Joel Armia - Severstal Cherepovets
16th Overall: Gabriel Landeskog - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
20th Overall: Oscar Klefbom - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
24th Overall: Markus Granlund - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
33rd Overall: Adam Almqvist (Detroit prospect) - CSKA Moscow
36th Overall: Miikka Salomaki - Dinamo Minsk
42nd Overall: Joachim Nermark - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
43rd Overall: Calle Jarnkrok (Detroit prospect) - Severstal Cherepovets
51st Overall: Christopher Gibson - Ak Bars Kazan
60th Overall: Matthew Dumba (Red Deer Rebels player) - Vityaz Chekhov
65th Overall: Petter Granberg (Toronto prospect) - Dinamo Minsk
74th Overall: Jonas Brodin - SKA Saint Petersburg
80th Overall: Rasmus Bengtsson - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
106th Overall: Ryan Murphy - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
111th Overall: Ryan Strome - Amur Khabarovsk
112th Overall: Mark McNeill (Edmonton native) - Vityaz Chekhov
121st Overall: Jarrod Rabey (Indiana Ice player) - Dinamo Minsk
132nd Overall: Robbie Russo (US National Dev. Team) - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
133rd Overall: Sean Couterier - Salavat Yulaev Ufa

And to continue with those that are projected high in this year's NHL draft, from last year's KHL draft:

Dmitri Jaskin - 1st Overall by Sibir Novosibirsk
Adam Larsson - 17th Overall by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Mika Zibanejad - 129th Overall by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Notably absent in both years, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. For whatever reason, I don't know. But considering some of the names that have been drafted by the KHL, it's a bit odd that he wasn't chosen either year.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Michael Garnett / Is He Right For The OKC Barons?

Now I understand that the OKC Barons might have one of Devan Dubnyk or Jeff Deslauriers -- and that's the best possible option -- to start the season. But if either one of them do not clear waivers or the Oilers decide to keep both with the big club, the Barons need another option as Bryan Pitton is not the answer.

In fact, I wouldn't cry if Pitton went to Stockton -- or which ever team the Oilers choose to affiliate with -- and was a tandem with Andrew Perugini. His (Pitton) best GAA was with the Thunder this past year. It's clear by his stats that he can't play at a higher level than the ECHL, and he's not a good enough goalie to bother keeping around the Barons. Worst comes to worst, he can be called up if needed or play as a back up. But according to Kevin Lowe, the Oilers organization is only going to operate in a forward motion. No more shortcuts. Wouldn't this include turfing Bryan Pitton and picking up a better goalie?

Enter Michael Garnett.

Who?

Well, to be honest, I don't really remember why I picked this guy. I don't. Maybe I seen him on TV or read about him somewhere? I can't remember. But there must have been a reason. *shrugs shoulders*

So let's take a look at what possibly makes him so special and why I think he should be signed to be a Baron.

He achieved his best career GAA this season (2.06) and he posted 5 shutouts. Not bad. He was 24W-15L-4T in 44 Games. Again, not bad. But most importantly, these games were played in the KHL (Balashikha MVD HC) so it wasn't like he's been playing in a bush league. I think we can all agree that the KHL is decent league. No? With an average that's that close to two goals against is pretty good. Take a look at the NHL stats, I think you can make your own assumptions.

Maybe I picked him because he's from Saskatoon, Sask? He's practically a local and possibly an Oiler fan. Maybe that's part of the reason I liked him? I don't know. Did I mention he played his junior hockey in Red Deer? Again, practically local. Or maybe I picked him because he has AHL experience by playing for a few years with the Chicago Wolves and he could easily step into a role in OKC and be comfortable?

I really don't remember. All I know is that I have had his name saved in my draft box for a while now. So I thought why not post this? Maybe someone else out there knows more about him and can fill me in on why I liked him at that time.

-Written by Smokin' Ray Burnt at Oilers Jambalaya-

Linus Omark Coming North America? Should I be Excited?

Reports out of Russia this morning are reporting that Oilers' prospect Linus Omark has left Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. He exercised an option in his contract not to return next season to Dynamo Moscow.

This could be a blessing for the Oilers, if they can convince Omark to come to North America to play. If Omark does decide to come play, it's safe to say that he might get that one way contract. This would open up the door to Jordan Eberle to continue his development in the AHL next season.

Omark was drafted by the Oilers in 97th overall pick in 2007.

Written By OilFieldHockey.com

SMOKIN' RAY: I don't know a whole lot about Linus Omark. From the reports that I have read, he's a real good player. Also from what I have been told, he's far more advanced than Eberle, MPS and Lander. I guess we will have to wait to training camp to see more about Omark and see if he makes the team or not.

I'm really not getting my hopes up.