Couldn't help but look at the contracts that are essentially being wasted with this lock out. Hall and Eberle are on their last years of their ELC. This is the last year they won't have a $6M cap hit. After this season they are paid handsomely.
Another reason to look is to see which players are in their final contract years. Let's be real. The league isn't going to fire up at all this year, so at some point, the Oilers have decisions to make.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Nikolai Khabibulin - This is the final year in his questionable contact. I can't see the Oilers resigning him even if it's a one year extension. He's past his prime and will never be a good goaltender again. However, not sure Dubnyk can carry the whole load. Oilers will have to sign a replacement goaltender once Khabibulin is gone.
Ryan Whitney - What do you do with a player who has been injured the last few years and still hasn't played a game this year with another league? I don't know either. Sign him for one more year as a "feeler" and see how it plays out? When he's 100% he's the best guy on the backed the Oil have. But will he ever reach that again?
Ladislav Smid - I like Smid. He's just turning into a stud on the blueline and I can't imagine the Oilers let him walk away for nothing. I'd do what it takes to ensure he comes back with a multi year contract.
Ryan Jones - Another North American talent wasting away sitting at home. Jones is a great team player, but can a guy like Hartikainen fill his spot? Most defiantly. If management truly likes him, he will be back for at least one more season.
Darcy Hordichuk - Meh! Fringe player who isn't really part of this team moving forward. Good team guy, but really, that's all he is.
Andy Sutton - From the word on the street, the big man might be headed for retirement. Sad if true. He's a decent 6th man.
Lennart Petrell - I didn't see the big hub bub about him. He's an OK player, but why not give his 4th line minutes to one of the kids whose earning a spot playing with the OKC Barons. I wouldn't bring him back.
Yann Danis - He's a solid goaltender for the OKC Barons and he's worthy of a one year renewal. But, never forget that Tyler Bunz could be ready to play in the AHL next season. With Bunz and Roy, they won't need Danis.
Dane Byers - I don't know a whole lot about Byers. All I really know is he's a good team guy and it's worth signing him for more term with the OKC Barons.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Sam Gagner - Gagner has been playing over in Austria and is trying to stay in game shape. He's still in the "to be determined" catagory with the Oilers and not having him play in front of Oilers management on a nightly basis makes it harder for the team to decide what to do with him. I'd resign him for two more years if he would go for it. But much like last year, he will probably ask for a one year deal. If the Oilers want long term, the price needs to go up. I like Gagner and I want him to be part of this team moving forward. Do the Oilers?
Teemu Hartikainen - The big man is really finding his game this season. He's been good for most of his games played. No doubt the Oilers try and lock him up for two years minimum. He will be a main part of the future of the Oilers for years to come.
Magnus Paajarvi - He's really meshing well with Lander and Hartikainen so far this season in Oklahoma City. Can that carry over to the NHL? Not sure. But the Oilers will resign the Swede and decide down the road if he's a fit with the team or not. Very possible he's trade bait once the general managers get talking again.
Theo Peckham - What do you say about a player who was just released by an ECHL team? Oy!!! (To be noted: Peckham allegedly asked to be released) What happened to this guy? If the Oilers make any decisions on Peckham, it's probably only a one year extension. Also probably trade bait.
Colten Teubert - He replaces the lost muscle that the Oilers will lose with Peckham. I like Teubert's game. He's a standup guy who takes no shit. Once he's seasoned, he can be a great 5/6 guy for any NHL team. He should get at least a two year extension.
Taylor Fedun - He scored his first professional goal last night and that must be a huge monkey off his back. Oiler fans everywhere are proud of his commitment on getting back into the game after his leg injury last year. Before the injury he was a solid player with big potential. Oilers now hope he can regain that form once again. So far this year he's made strides. No doubt the Oilers resign him for at least a couple of years. He's part of the future.
Mark Arcobello - He's a decent AHL talent and I can see him coming back for another year with the OKC Barons. Not sure if he will ever play in the NHL though.
Chris VandeVelde - While some players have developed, I'm not 100% sure CVV has. It's possible that he could become a 4th line center, but his faceoff % needs to improve for that to happen. I'm not sure if the Oilers want to keep developing him. He's kind of at a stand still. Give him one more year with the Barons then decide?
Alex Plante - Plain and simple, his foot speed is slow. As is, he will never become a regular in the NHL. I'd resign him for the purpose of including him in a trade down the road. I don't see him as part of the future.
Tanner House - Effective AHL'er at times. Not entirely sure what the projected output is of this guy, but it doesn't look that good. Is he worth keeping around for the Barons sake?
Philippe Cornet - He led the Barons in goals last year and was swiftly sent down to the Stockton Thunder at the beginning of this season. It was puzzling. Maybe something happened between him and the coach? Either way, after being sent down he's produced pretty well in the ECHL. He has 18 points as of right now. I'd resign him for sure. Two more years to see if he can evolve some more.
Antti Tyrvainen - From all reports that I've read about him, he's not a player the Oilers should continue developing. I'd move on.
CAP HIT (BUYOUTS)
Sheldon Souray - His $1.5M cap hit is over after this 2012-13 season is officially over.
- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-
The Pages Of Oilers Jambalaya
Saturday, November 17, 2012
If This Continues, the Oilers Dodge a Few Bullets
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The NHL Lockout Provides Oklahoma City With A Boost
Oklahoma City |
Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Justin Schultz, Anton Lander and when ready and healed, Taylor Hall are going to be in the OKC Barons lineup.
This is a once in a lifetime (probably not now with Bettman still in charge) opportunity for the people of Oklahoma City to come out and watch some very good NHL talent play right in their own back yard.
Jordan Eberle was a Lady Byng finalist this year. He piled up the numbers while playing a gentleman's game. He's classy through and though. To have him around your community is something to cherish and embrace. He's a great ambassador of the game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was a finalist for the Calder trophy which is awarded to the NHL's top rookie. Some say he should have won. Who better to be a part of your hockey club to show what hard work really is than RNH? His work ethic will rub off on the rest.
When he's ready to play again in a couple of weeks, Taylor Hall is going to bring leadership to the team like they have never seen before. He oozes a winning attitude and no doubt, he will help bring the team to new heights in their quest to winning the Calder Cup.
Let's not forget the fact they still have Oilers prospect Magnus Paajarvi on the team. He's a year older and another year wiser. I'm expecting a big year from him too before he can make the jump to the Oilers.
Oklahoma City is extremely lucky to be getting these guys. Coach Nelson was given an NHL top line to have at his disposal. I can guarantee he isn't going to squander this. You can hear it in his voice, he's excited.
Not only are the OKC Barons going to flourish because of the NHL lockout, so will the ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder. With the Barons gaining a few new players, that means they are taking spots from guys up there. Those guys will go down to Stockton until a spot becomes available with the Barons.
Goaltender Tyler Bunz and at least 3 other players will be sent to the Stockton to play in the ECHL with the Thunder. It could even be more.
The ripple effect has begun. Enjoy this Oklahoma City, it won't last forever.
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Edmonton Oilers Young Stars Head To Oklahoma City
The Edmonton Oilers assigned several players down to Oklahoma City today to play with the Barons during the NHL lockout. This is great news for Barons fans.
Here is the official press release from the Oilers;
"Edmonton Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the club has assigned the following players to Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League.
Cameron Abney
Mark Arcobello
Tyler Bunz
Dane Byers
Philippe Cornet
Yann Danis
Brandon Davidson
Jordan Eberle
Taylor Fedun
Curtis Hamilton
Teemu Hartikainen
Tanner House
Anton Lander
Martin Marincin
Ryan Martindale
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Magnus Paajarvi
Kristians Pelss
Tyler Pitlick
Alex Plante
Toni Rajala
Olivier Roy
Justin Schultz
Colten Teubert
Antti Tyrvainen
Chris VandeVelde
Tambellini also announced defenceman David Musil has been assigned to the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League and forward Nail Yakupov has been assigned to the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League."
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Edmonton Oilers... Destination #1? Schultz Says So!
The past is the past for the Oilers now. Long gone are the days of not wanting to be in Edmonton to play hockey with the Oil.
The advantages of coming here are at a high.
Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Magnus Paajarvi, Nail Yakupov, Anton Lander, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry, Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, Devan Dubnyk, Tyler Bunz.
Now the Oilers have free agent Justin Schultz to add to the list.
I'd hope and expect the Oilers to land a few more good players to compliment the kids listed above. With all this youth and excitement, I have no doubt the Oilers will be Stanley Cup challengers sooner, rather than later.
Our door is open in Oil Country... we welcome those who want to join the fun.
GOILERS!!!
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-
Friday, June 15, 2012
The Edmonton Oilers... Destination #1? Schultz Says So!
The past is the past for the Oilers now. Long gone are the days of not wanting to be in Edmonton to play hockey with the Oil.
The advantages of coming here are at a high.
Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Magnus Paajarvi, Nail Yakupov, Anton Lander, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry, Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, Devan Dubnyk, Tyler Bunz.
Now the Oilers have free agent Justin Schultz to add to the list.
I'd hope and expect the Oilers to land a few more good players to compliment the kids listed above. With all this youth and excitement, I have no doubt the Oilers will be Stanley Cup challengers sooner, rather than later.
Our door is open in Oil Country... we welcome those who want to join the fun.
GOILERS!!!
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Magnus Paajarvi / The Monkey Is Off The Back
Already with two assists in tonight's OKCBarons game, Magnus Paajarvi has just scored his first ever AHL goal. Good for him.
From all the reports that I've been given, he has been the Barons best player since joining the team. By scoring this goal tonight, he should find his scoring touch now.
I bet he's relieved...
-Written by Smokin' Ray Burnt-
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Magnus Paajarvi, The Slump Continues...
If you can believe this... 4 games with the OKC Barons and not a single goal.
One assist and a nifty shootout goal is all he has to show for during his short AHL career. It appears that he's just having a goal scoring slump in life. Not just in the NHL.
While he has played pretty decent in Oklahoma, he's there to find his goal touch. If he's not scoring down there, he'll never get called back up to the Oil. It's looking like a long road ahead of Magnus.
I'm hoping he can turn it around soon. He's too good of a player to be a wasted talent. This isn't another Rob Schremp story.
-Written by Smokin' Ray-
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
What's The Problem?
I don't get what the big deal is. Why not send Magnus Paajarvi down right now?
He's clearly struggling and the Oklahoma City Barons could use a talent like Paajarvi right now.
I say send him down now and it will work out best for both parties. MPS needs to find his groove.
-Smokin' Ray Burnt-
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Desperation Line
With how this season has started for some players, you would think Edmonton Oilers coach Tom Renney would simply create the Desperation line out of... well, desperation.
The Oil have three players who really need to get the offence going. So why not make them play together? It's not like they are contributing on any other line.
On left wing I'd put Magnus Paajarvi. He needs to get it going like no other Oiler and perhaps a solid set line is what he might need to find some chemistry and rhythm. I like Paajarvi and I think he needs sone help. He's not a "throw away" player like some suggest.
Next, I'd put Sam Gagner at center. He's his best when patrolling center ice and he's at the point of his career where he's got to take the bull by the horns. He's starting to show it now with his fight last night. He always picks it up after dropping the gloves. Paajarvi will benefit from Gagner's leadership and skills. These two together could be dangerous.
Lastly, I'd have Anton Lander on right wing. While he has been playing pretty good (at center), a little offence would give him that added piece of confidence. Lander can, and probably would mesh well with Paajarvi. This line can help both find the goal sheet if given a solid chance together.
The other bonus to having Lander on this line? Faceoffs. If Gagner is booted out, Lander can take the draw. Win-win for this line.
So there you have it. The Desperation line.
Paajarvi - Gagner - Lander
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-
Saturday, October 8, 2011
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
So... What's changed in the world since 2010-11?
Firstly, a new look: As soon as I saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pull on a vintage Oilers road jersey (albeit with the Reebok EDGE style collar), I knew one thing was certain: we'd OFFICIALLY dumped the Midnight Blue & Copper colours. Thank God we have, I hated them! The Oilers website looks fresh, it looks good, and it's got all the Blue & Orange touches I could ever dream of! The wallpapers there are also excellent. If you've not seen it, I recommend you go to the Oilers website (no link provision necessary) and download Marcel Schoenhardt's Taylor Hall wallpaper - it's bitchin'!
Secondly, a re-hashed line-up. I think the Oilers franchise made some very good off-season acquisitions, headlined by the "Return of #94", the one and only, Ryan Smyth! (acquired from LA for Colin "Crap" Fraser) Smytty's EXACTLY what this franchise needs right now - a leader (and I don't mean Horcoff) who can show these blossoming kids (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Nugent-Hopkins etc...) exactly what it means to be an Oiler and play in front of these Diehard* fans.
*Pay close attention to that word, "Diehard", I'll be using it again towards the end of the blog...
We also made a excellent move by acquiring Éric Bélanger (accentuated name and all) from free agency; because, let's face it, the Oilers have stunk at winning draws in the faceoff circle for the last 5 years or so... There's also Ben "Hothead" Eager flanking our 4th line LW and new D's "BIG... Did I say BIGGGGGG?" Andy Sutton (acquired from ANA for Kurtis Foster) and Cam "trying to get my career back on track" Barker shoring up the Oilers blueline. I still think we're missing a top-end D-Man to pair with Ryan Whitney (when he returns from injury), but maybe he's there just waiting to be discovered in Oklahoma City, or Prince George, perhaps?
Whilst keeping within the same point, we're going the other way now with new additions that have come in the form of people like Anton Lander (very excited to see what he's going to do for us), who solidly edged out Gilbert "Bye, have fun in OKC!" Brulé from the Oilers roster, Lennart Petrell (excellent PK guy - he's a bit of a bitch for having a clause in his contract which states "If I don't play NHL, I'm going home to Finland..." My retort: "Grow up, you fucking child!"), Jeff Petry, I had said around various other websites he'd get an NHL job this season and Corey Potter, who's a bit of a dark horse, but had an excellent showing throughout camp, Potter's a necessity for us right now, because of our defensive injury crisis (Already!? Yes, already!) and finally... Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who'll get his 9 games this season for sure, will he get anymore? You're damn right he will! Not only can he find the back of the net, but he's an unselfish playmaker too, who'll have no problem finding a Hall or an Eberle in the right spot waiting to slot it home.
Although it's exciting to see how RNH handles his 1st NHL season, what REALLY excites me is Taylor Hall, he's the true Oilers franchise player. In 10 years time, if you're asked to name an Edmonton Oilers player straight off the top of your head, the first name you think of should be Taylor Hall, because he's this generation's Mark Messier; the embodiment of hard-work, leadership and having the ability to take charge and change a whole game at the snap of his fingers. (Remember Hall's first NHL hat trick when we played Atlanta? That's exactly what I'm talking about!)
Thirdly, not really Oilers-related, but kind of is; my wife is pregnant again with her 3rd (my 2nd) child - a girl, who we're going to name "Jasmine Leah Jericho". She's due in early February 2012, but she'll likely arrive sooner like her older sister (Alexa) did. Another Oilers fan in the world is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing!
Right... It's now time for some plugs:
I haven't designed any artwork for a while, but I'm waiting on some decent media to come my way, before I get started. I have, however, changed my Twitter handle. I can now be found HERE.
Remember the word Diehard? Good! You were paying attention. If you're on the ol' Facebook, be sure to check out the "Edmonton Oilers Diehards" group. It's a "closed" group, we don't let anyone just walk in - but if you're here to spread Oilers love without trolling other members, then it's all good. We don't allow Flames fans, or Canucks fans etc in; they'd make the group look bad (á la the Oilers Official Facebook page) when spreading their hate.
Erm... I think that's all I got for now. If there's anything you guys think I've missed, do drop me a comment and I'll post something up.