The Poll Results / Who Makes The Oilers This Year?

With a simple question of "Who Will Make The Oilers Roster This Season?"

These were the results of the 120 people the voted. Multiple answers were allowed (Thank You!);

Taylor Hall 114 out of 120 (95%)
Jordan Eberle 97 out of 120 (80%)
Magnus Paajarvi 100 out of 120 (83%)
Teemu Hartikainen 6 out of 120 (5%)
Linus Omark 33 out of 120 (27%)
Someone Else 8 out of 120 (6%)
None 0 (0%)

Votes so far: 120
Poll closed

A stunning 95% of people picked Taylor Hall to make the team. No doubt he will. He can't go play with the OKC Barons, so it's either Oilers or the Spitfires. I think he's beyond Juniors and he will play with the Oilers.

Now the votes were very close between Paajarvi and Eberle. Paajarvi edges out the new Captain Canada by three votes. Most fans believe that all three of these guys will make the team this year. I still have my doubts, but I'm sure the fans will be right.

Linus Omark did garner 33 votes and tha's not bad. I'm willing to bet that Omark starts the year with the Barons and not the Oilers. What? I like the easy bets too.

The surprising fact, 8 people actually voted for someone else to make the team. Whom may that be I wonder?

Thanks for voting everyone!

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Can This Version Of The Edmonton Oilers Become The 1983/84 Oilers?

I have been debating for a while now if the Oilers should have more than two rookies in the lineup next season. Most of you know that --before the changes by Tamby to make the team tough-- I have thought that only Hall and Paajarvi would start the year in the NHL and Eberle and Omark would go to the Oklahoma City Barons.  But the more I talk to people about it, there is just so many questions that need to be answered and scenarios to think of.

Would the rookies be better off spending a year in Oklahoma City instead of playing in the NHL? Probably. It's only logical and makes sense.

Would it be a great way to fill the Cox Convention Center and build a fan base by adding players like Eberle and Paajarvi to the opening day roster? You bet it would and that's what the OKC Barons are going to need. You can't just open the doors and expect people to just come watch a game. Names sell.

But you also need to think that since players like Eberle and Paajarvi are signed to a contract, it would essentially burn up a year on their respective deals. Not exactly a good thing right? Hmmmm....

Then you look at the way that Tambellini is building the current Oilers roster. He's added some big boys with the likes of Vandermeer, MacIntyre and Foster to go with a talented and skilled small team. It seems like he's preparing to ice a young rookie squad with large muscle to surround them. The writings on the wall one would think.

But is it the right thing to do? Is it too soon?

So now I have myself thinking about another young Oilers team. The first cup winning team from the 1983/84 season. That team is a fairly young team much like the current one we may possibly have now.

How did that team from the 80's get so good so quick? Well I have a theory.

Gretzky, Coffey, Messier and Anderson were all just a mere 22 years old when they won the first cup. Jari Kurri and Andy Moog were 23, Kevin Lowe and Charlie Huddy were 24. Grant Fuhr was just 20.

The oldest guys on the team were Willy Lidstrom at 32 years old and Jaroslav Pouzar was 31. The only two guys over 30. Wow!

So here we have a team with no real veteran leadership yet, the won the Stanley Cup. How is that possible?

The kids grew together. They played together as rookies. They became friends and won for each other like winners need to do. Isn't this what this current team should do? Should the opening roster include Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi and Omark? You add those four plus the youth of Gagner, Brule, Cogliano, Smid, Chorney, Peckham, & Dubnyk equals the same youthfulness as the Oilers of old. Maybe this squad can grow and learn together like that team did? Maybe this squad is just like that 83/84 team? Take a look, we even have our Pouzar's and Lidstrom's in Horcoff, Strudwick and Khabibulin. The two teams are building to be sort of the same.

But isn't the smart decision to just let the kids develop slowly? In Oklahoma City?

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

NHL Equivalence Numbers

I enjoy stats, so I figured I'd take Behind the Net's Gabriel Desjardins' NHLE on my day off and come up with what we could expect to see next year if they were to play the full season in one league.  I highly doubt that will happen, but it gives a good idea. Keep in mind that I just used the regular seasons for these numbers. Math isn't exactly my strong suit, so if I messed up, please call me out on it.

Linus Omark
2009-10 KHL: 36 points in 56 games = .643 Points per game
2010-11 AHL Projected: 97 points in 80 games = 1.21 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 44 points in 82 games = .533 PPG

Magnus Pääjärvi-Svenson
2009-10 Elitserien: 29 points in 49 games = .591 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 83 points in 80 games = 1.04 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 38 points in 82 games = .461 PPG

Teemu Hartikainen
2009-10 SM-Liiga: 33 points in 53 games = .623 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 61 points in 80 games = .764 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 28 points in 82 games = .337 PPG

Jordan Eberle
2009-10 WHL: 106 points in 57 games = 1.86 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 64 points in 80 games = .800 PPG*
2010-11 NHL Projected: 46 points in 82 games = .558 PPG*
(*Question you probably have right here is, why does Eberle have a lower projection in the AHL but a higher in the NHL than MPS and Omark have. The NHLE numbers have a specific conversion rate for the CHL leagues that skewed the numbers a little bit.)

Toni Rajala
2009-10 WHL: 63 points in 60 games = 1.05 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 36 points in 80 games = .452 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 26 points in 82 games = .315 PPG

Like I said, let me know if I messed something up please.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

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.