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!

REVS 2014 Draft Prospects (#1 Sam Reinhart)

#1 Ranking: Sam Reinhart

Chances are pretty good, according to early reports. Sam Reinhart, a center with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League, will make an impact prior to the 2014 NHL Draft, which will be held June 27-28 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

At 6-foot-1, 186-pound and a right-shot forward he is heads and tails IMO right where he belongs in the #1 slot.

"He has a complete game at both ends of the ice," Central Scouting says. "He does everything well. He won't get you overly excited, but from a coaching perspective, he's the guy you always want on the ice in critical situations. He's your go-to guy and team leader and is just going to be consistent at the junior level, and eventually the pro level."Reinhart, who considers his hockey sense his best attribute, led the Ice last season with 85 points as a 16 year old. 17 years old now and ready to be drafted at year end, Sam will need to continue the growing curve but nothing appears able to stop this young man, except himself.

Sam Reinhart won the WHL rookie of the year, was captain of Canada's team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament last summer, he wore the "C" for Canada's entry at the 2013 IIHF World Under-18 championship that won gold. At the U-18s in Sochi, Russia, in April, Reinhart had 3 goals, 7 points and a plus-7 rating playing mostly with Morgan Klimchuk  and 2015 draft-eligible Connor McDavid. His achievements seem to follow him regardless of where he goes. This guy is the real thing.

Sam has been tracking well for a few years now and while some have heard of him, not all people know lots or believe he would actually be a #1 OV selection if this draft class was stronger. He is worth the price of admission and come June 2014 there will be teams drooling to draft this player. If Sam can possibly grow 1 more inch and put on even another 4-5 pounds, he will be one heck of a prospect all around. (potentially being 6'2 and 190 lbs would go a long way to be drafted #1 and as a future center for whoever is afforded that opportunity)

Highlights from youtube

REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

It may seem early for some fans but not for those who follow the NHL draft eligible players for this upcoming season. A couple years ago I started this here at Oilers Jambalaya. Here is the history of my Prospect list

This list occurs anywhere from 1-2 months in advance of the actual playing season and a final list I put out just before draft time. It can be a real difficult challenge evaluating and ranking players so early but it is a enjoyable thing to watch as the season progresses right through to the draft day selections.

I have the early september ranking I produced with the actual players selected in their positions to their right side. While not perfect these past two years the top 15 still has produced well. The exact draft order can be difficult due to a team's preference. Some players as you can see fall off the map or come on late.

 REVS 2012 NHL Draft Prospects

1.Nail Yakupov (Nail Yakupov)

2.Mikhail Grigorenko (Ryan Murray)

3.Ryan Murray (Alex Galchenyuk)

4.Alex Galchenyuk (Griffin Reinhart)

5.Morgan Rielly (Morgan Rielly)

6.Mathew Dumba (Hampus Lindholm)

7.Nick Ebert (Mathew Dumba)

8.Filip Forsberg (Derrick Pouliot)

9.Griffin Reinhart (Jacob Trouba)

10.Martin Frk (Slater Koekkoek)

11.Derrick Pouliot (Filip Forsberg)

12.Cody Ceci (Mikhail Grigorenko)

13.Olli Maatta (Radek Faksa)

14.Zemgus Girgensons (Zemgus Girgensons)

15.Jacob Trouba (Cody Ceci)

**Selected 11 of 15 of top selected players**

 REVS 2013 NHL Draft Prospects

1. Nathan Mackinnon (Nathan MacKinnon)

2. Seth Jones (Aleksander Barkov)

3. Sean Monahan (Jonathan Drouin)

4. Aleksander Barkov (Seth Jones)

5. Hunter Shinkaruk (Elias Lindholm)

6. Curtis Lazar (Sean Monahan)

7.  Jonathan Drouin (Darnell Nurse)

8.  Ryan Pulock (Rasmus Ristolainen)

9.  Elias Lindholm (Bo Horvat)

10.  Valeri Nichushkin (Valeri Nichushkin)

11.  Anthony Duclair (Samuel Morin)

12.  Max Domi (Max Domi)

13.  J.T Compher (Josh Morrissey)

14.  Josh Morrissey (Alexander Wennberg)

15.   Adam Erne (Ryan Pulock)

**Selected 10 of 15 of top selected players**

The following is my early ranking this year for the 2014 Draft class. I will be starting a write up on all the 15 players very soon. This years class may not be a deep top end talent as last year but they all will hold their own in the top 20.

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

1.Sam Reinhart

2.Aaron Ekblad

3.William Nylander

4.Roland McKeown

5.Jake Virtanen

6.Blake Clarke

7.Nick Ritchie

8.Leon Draisatl

9.Michael Dal Colle

10.Jakub Vrana

11.Ivan Barbashev

12.Jared McCann

13.Anton Karlsson

14.Joshua Ho-Sang

15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:

Oskar Lindblom

Haydn Fleury

Nick Schmaltz

'A closer look into the Oilers Bottom 6 forwards'

There has been lots of talk about Edmonton's bottom 6, but as it currently sits with Hemsky still in the mix, I don't quite see it as bad as others might. When you look further around the league most good teams spend very little on those bottom 6 and too much IMO is made of the bottom 6. It has been mentioned our bottom 6 was the scoring problem last year. I agree, they lacked scoring ability last year but our second line struggled as well. I do feel strongly that Perron will make a huge impact on that 2nd line with puck possession ability and relentless forechecking.

Taking a look here at the Oilers VS others teams bottom 6, I feel much better about our ability to produce this year. 


Edmonton
Ryan Jones- Boyd Gordon- Ales Hemsky
Ryan Smyth- Anton Lander- Jesse Joensuu/Mike Brown

Vancouver
Higgins-Schroeder-Hansen
Weise-Richardson-Santorelli

Carolina
Bowman-E.Lindholm-Palushaj
Westgarth-R.Nash-Dwyer

San Jose
Torres-Pavelski-Wingels
Sheppard-Desjardins-Burish

Buffalo
Foligno-Ott-Flyn
Kaleta-Grigorenko-Adam 

Pittsburgh
Bennett-Sutter-D'Agostini
Glass-Vitale-Adams

Ottawa
Conacher - Zibanejad - Condra
Greening - Smith - Neil

Tampa Bay
Palat-Johnson-Malone
Panikt-Thompson-Crombeen

This list could go on but very few teams actually have a incredible bottom 6 forward core. Nothing earth shattering here but nonetheless maybe its time to relax on picking apart our bottom 6 forwards and focus in on other others for growth and improvement. IMO, Edmonton has always been more focused on bottom 6 forwards then most teams fans in this league. Just a thought to ponder through a real slow summer.

"Bring on the KLEFBOM" Oilers Development Camp 2013

At 6'2 and 204 lbs Oscar has becomes the 'Oilers' next great hope. Oscar Klefbom brings a good size presence in the form of a player who has game already. After years of watching Jordon Eberle, Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and last year Nail Yakupov, dominate the attention at Oilers Development Camp, Klefbom and fellow blueliner Darnell Nurse were the ones who were being watched closely this camp.

Klefbom had many eyes upon him last year and before his injury was actually scheduled to be at Oilers training camp in September 2012. As fate goes, he was injured and was not able to attend or even play the rest of the year. This year Nurse was all the ‘craze’ for MacT and the player he obviously was coveting if Monahan was gone at their drafting position. Center and defence is what MacT has preached and so it should be.

This years camp had maybe 75% of the total amount of fans visiting compared to 90-100% capacity at the previous 3 camps held in Edmonton and/or Sherwood Park. It’s a given without the excitement of a #1 OV draft selection, things are not as pretty as they are becoming solid. I have given MacT somewhat of a hard time in regards to what he has done, but selecting Nurse will really stabilize the back end of the Oilers defence for years to come.

This years camp was very little about the forwards (all the young prospects are already playing for the Oilers) and more about defence. With Musil. Gernat, Klefbom, Nurse and Simpson you have a pretty good group of prospects on defence to watch. You can always find ways to pick apart a defence corps in comparison to forwards but this group is looking good for the future.

Notice the size of the Oilers D-men coming down the pipe? They are big guys (maybe not all filled out yet, but will over time) but none stands out as ready as Oscar Klefbom. “The Bom” as I like to call him, stood hands above everyone else at this camp and he should. He has played against men for awhile, is big, solid muscle, good hockey IQ, a leader and solid character guy as mentioned by those closer to him. Not to mention this is his second camp and the 2^nd time around is always easier. Just ask Jordon Eberle! 

Sure Oscar made a few mistakes here and there but the drills are made to expose area’s on players to show them what they will need to work on. Be it positioning, stick work, skating agility etc..every player has work too do. I have followed these camps since 2007 and each year even the #1 OV selections struggled on different drills or at different points. This development camp is not about evaluation but about development.

Having said all that, Oscar Klefbom IMO has arrived to the point of readiness. I know many fans say ‘he needs time in the AHL’! How can you make that call, when you have not seen him play against actual NHL players and in game situations. For me, Oscar is ready for that 3^rd pairing role already in Edmonton but he should have to earn it. If other players are stronger back there, send him to develop in the AHL awhile but let’s not judge him to quickly. Maybe Oil Country is tired of promises only to see players fall short or not used correctly. I like what MacT is doing by loading up on depth on defence. Klefbom will have his hands full this coming 2103-2014 NHL season competing for a position but I suspect he will be the player who walks out of the battle w=victorious because he is ‘just that good’. I was OK with Oscar and where we selected him but have become even more impressed with what we may have in the future. No pressure on the young guy, let’s just give him a chance before we judge where he should play is all I say.

As far as Darnell Nurse? He showed some promising size, learned some new skills to apply at the Jr level for practice and let’s hope he shows good arrows this year in the OHL. 

NEXT POST: What Possibilities are left for the Oilers?

Defencemen: Crazy or Legitimate Speculation in "Oil Country"?

What a crazy day in the world of the NHL. Is there another sport that knows how to build excitement in and around the game for so many days of the year like the NHL? granted it may only be in North America and or Europe but it is huge and it dominates the world of sports all over. Twitter has exploded today. Just check what is trending and you will see.

Something to keep in focus during this time, these are mostly all only teams potentially interested in making a move. It does not mean there is a move to make. Enough said, in today's earlier blog we covered potential Goaltenders the Oilers could consider, but what is happening with Defencemen in the world of speculation and rumours? Is there any legitimate rumours or interest or is most of this all smoke and mirrors and people having fun making things up?

Lets take a closer look into D-men that may be purely speculation and or legitimate guys the Oilers are considering bringing to Edmonton in the very near future.

The following are speculated to be considered being traded for or coming to Edmonton;

Braydon Coburn (Age 28, 6'5, 220 lbs)
While I write this, the rumours are going crazy the Oilers are going strong after him. I would think there are some legs to this one and it is possible it could happen by the end of the night as long as it is not for the #7 pick tonight. If it includes a deal for Braydon with a 1st round it will be pushed to the Oilers know who they have available at the #7 slot tomorrow. I like this move for the right price but would be very upset if we lose chance at Monahan or Nichuskin and have Coburn and a later pick like Horvat or Lazar. Like those players but they are not the same quality player. This is a big player who can do some damage to opposing teams forwards who like to crash and bang.

Jake Gardiner (Age 22, 6'2, 184 lbs)
jake has been mentioned in several different options and 1 being the trading of 1st round picks between the Leafs and Oilers. The Oilers may like Jake but not to fall that far back in the 1st round. Jake would be a great addition but not at the expense being considered. Doubt there is any movement to this any longer but still makes good for interesting conversation.

Kris Letang (Age 26, 6'0, 201 lbs)
The best player potentially the Oilers could pick up. Guys like this do not come available very often. Problem? High $ to pay for a top #1 D-man. Is he worth it? He is IMO but let's face it, his numbers points total would not be much different then they were with the Pens as Oilers do have high end skill. This is a PPG player and they are rare. Don't be fooled by the fact he gets points cause he is in Pittsburgh. This guy makes many plays on his own. I would trade the house for him (almost) if we were able to extend his contract signing first). Untouchables for me would be J.Schultz, Hall, Yakupov and RNH.

Dion Phaneuf (Age 28, 6'3, 214 lbs)
Another trade rumour that involves Gagner but the loss in that trade without Dion being re-signed is substantial and could he handle being a local boy under scrutiny? His next contract he won't want a hometown discount so I doubt it's a match but regardless as a player, I do like him in second pairing. This is purely speculation to me cause TO has mentioned the want to replace Bozak but let's face it, they are going hard after a Big Center in the UFA market who was just bought out and I would not doubt if they promised #1 Center position to a certain newly bought out sought after UFA Center.

Fedor Tyutin (Age 29, 6'2, 216 lbs)
I really like his size and his puck movement, if the Oilers were able to land him, he could fill in nicely on that second pairing. 

Johnny Boychuck (Age 29 , 6'2 , 225 lbs)
Rumours are abound that Johnny could be had for the right price. With d-men coming up in the system it is possible they are hoping to unload some salary and he was slated to return back to Edmonton last time when he was a UFA upcoming but Bruins convinced him to stay on. I am sure he made the right choice but Johnny loves Edmonton, grew up loving the Oilers and his family is here. Not sure there is a match for what Bruins want but this speculation could have some feet as a possibility at least.

Wade Redden (Age 36, 6'2 , 205 lbs)
The Oilers Kevin Lowe wanted him years back out of Ottawa but Truth is Redden wanted nothing to do with us back then. I say why bring him back now as a depth d-man if he didn't like us then why should we take a chance on him now. I know petty of me huh?

Rob Scuderi (Age 34, 6'1, 216 lbs)
I know his age is against him but I have always loved the way Rob plays the game. Would be great for a second line pairing tops or in our bottom 5 or 6 role. A 2 year deal would be fair to me if you can convince him of the potential and he would sign with 2.5 million range. I highly doubt it and suspect he goes back east.

Jonathan Blum (Age 24, 6'1 , 186 lbs)
This player is sought after by the Oilers if you read the rumours the past couple years. While he would be a interesting player, he has no real size like fans and coaches say this team needs. Not a upgrade IMO.

Keith Yandle (Age 26, 6'1, 190 lbs)
A top pairing d-man that we could use now. Problem? Can we afford to pry him out of his organization without giving up too much to get him. I don't think we want to give what the Coyotes will want in return. I think there is talk but it ends quickly when the Oilers top players are brought into the equation.
Zach Bogosian (Age 22 , 6'3, 215 lbs)

Ron Hainsey (Age 32, 6'3, 210 lbs)
Another older but good experienced player who can handle the minutes. He is a bigger player who can handle himself well. Never been considered All-Star quality but could be a good stop gap until the prospects are matured enough.

Tyler Myers (Age 23, 6'8 , 227 lbs)
A enormous player who has taken a fall for the worse. Maybe it was the pressure , maybe the injuries but regardless he has fallen lots. Carries a high price tag but you have to take risks sometimes but question is would he be worth the risk? It will take a lot to pry him out of Buffalo. No? Maybe not.

Jack Johnson (Age 26, 6'1 , 231 lbs)
I like this player more then most and would love to find a way to land him. He is a beast on the ice and not easy to move. He makes some mistakes but is still fairly young and growing into his game. I think he can be had with CBJ but only time will tell. 

All in all there may be other potential rumours or speculation to come but this covers the majority of players that are available. The following is my order of preference if we were to land a player (excluding how much they make or would cost to get)

1. Kris Letang (all I require in this trade is to see a extension)
2, Keith Yandle (as long as RNH,Hall,Eberle,Yakupov,J.Schultz and Klefbom are not included)
3, Braydon Coburn (could potentially be done or done as soon as tomorrow at the latest.)
4. Tyler Myers (Doubt the Oilers want to do this with the $ and risk factor)
5. Fedor Tyutin (Could be a possibility. Give it a 30% chance)
6. Jake Gardiner (Highly unlikely now but where there is smoke there is fire sometimes)
7. Ron Hainsey (Have not heard much interest directly from management)
8. Dion Phaneuf (don't think many fans like this or Dion but would fit well but not sure of attitude)
9. Johnny Boychuck (Like the potential possibility if the Oilers got him for right price)
10. Rob Scuderi (Highly unlikely as may want to return to play in the east)
11. Jonathan Blum (Not sure how MacT feels but Tamby loved this guy)
12. Wade Redden (I don't think there is any interest and Oilers would consider if in playoff race)

NEXT POST TOMORROW AM: 

Forwards: Crazy or Legitimate Speculation in "Oil Country"?

A look into the UFA "Defencemen" position in Edmonton

We already know there are few centremen available to the Oilers on the UFA market coming up but what about Defence? It has been mentioned now for years we need a fix. What could possibly be out there for defence? Let's take a look at the possibilities that are mentioned going into the UFA market in less then a month;

UFA Defence

Ron Hainsey
Mark Streit
Marek Zidlicky
Rob Scuderi
Jordan Leopold
Toni Lydman
Douglas Murray
Anton Babchuk
Adrian Aucion
Andrew Ference
Joe Corvo
Michal Rozsival
Adam Pardy
Scott Hannan
Wade Redden
Mark Eaton
Ben Lovejoy

These are guys on defence who I think would even be given consideration let alone actually offered a opportunity in Edmonton. There are some possibilities here but outside of Haninsey and Streit, you are not getting that top pairing defence you may be wanting in the UFA Market. How much would you be willing to pay for one or the other on the UFA Market? Your not trading for a top 2 defencemen without giving up one of the Oilers 'sacred 5' so you either pay one of those guys or continue to develop your own. IMO , other then a trade MacT may make a offer to either of these guys but no more $ then 4.5 million/year and no longer then 3 years in term. Myself, if they could land him, I really like Rob Scuderi but likely he gets resigned or signs elsewhere for more. Some have said he wants to play in the east, only time will tell.

'Keep your stick on the ice!'

A look into the UFA 'Center' position in Edmonton

Today we are going to look at potential Centre position players that could be brought in. We may just need that depth center position filled here in Edmonton OR could we trade Gagner potentially if he is asking for too high a price and sign a decent Centerman to replace him? Only time will tell for Oiler fans but in the meantime let's take a look at what is available on the Free Agent market for Centre's July 1/2013.

Elias, Patrik » 6'1 194 lbs
Ribeiro, Mike » 6'0 176 lbs
Connolly, Tim » 6'1 192 lbs
McDonald, Andy » 5'10 187 lbs
Antropov, Nik » 6'6 245
Roy, Derek » 5'9 187 lbs
Koivu, Saku » 5'10 181 lbs
Cullen, Matt » 6'1 194 lbs
Lombardi, Matthew » 5'11 194 lbs
Zubrus, Dainius » 6'5 225 lbs
Weiss, Stephen » 5'11 192 lbs
Malhotra, Manny » 6'2 216 lbs
Handzus, Michal » 6'5 216 lbs
Wellwood, Kyle » 5'11 185 lbs
Bozak, Tyler » 6'0 187 lbs
Reasoner, Marty » 6'0 190 lbs
Gordon, Boyd » 6'0 201 lbs
Hecht, Jochen » 6'1 192 lbs
Steckel, David » 6'5 223 lbs
Lapierre, Maxim » 6'2 220 lbs
Regin, Peter » 6'2 196 lbs
Halpern, Jeff » 6'0 203 lbs
Nichol, Scott » 5'8 179 lbs
Chipchura, Kyle » 6'2 209 lbs
Adams, Craig » 6'0 198 lbs
Hall, Adam » 6'3 205 lbs
Bolduc, Alexandre » 6'2 201 lbs

Of these players available, very few would be of interest to replace Gagner at center, so unless they can grab a top centerman in the NHL entry draft, very unlikely they let Gagner go unless they secretly plan to move Hall to the centre position. (I highly doubt they go that way). Take a look see at some possibilities here for that 4th line role behind Horcoff if he is not traded. Belanger's replacement is very likely going to be a faceoff winning centre who has speed to burn and is a big boy who can land a good hit.

I will discuss under comments some of my thoughts as too which players I like  or dislike.

'Keepin on Keepin on'

The NHL Lockout Is Over!

As of a few hours ago, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a ten year deal.

THE OILERS ARE BACK!

NHL Lockout is Affecting the Oilers in 3 Good Ways

Please stand by while greedy people fight.

If there is a sliver lining for this NHL lockout, it's that the Edmonton Oilers have three things in this NHL lockout going for them!

Number one;

Letting Taylor Hall have more time to recover, because if the NHL season would have started on time, he might have been rushed in a little bit to fast then he would have liked.

Number two;

Developing their farm team by getting their players that will hopefully be in Edmonton someday to hang out and play with some of the great young faces of the Edmonton Oilers. Hopefully most of the kids playing in OKC will be playing someday with guys like Ebs, Hallsy and RNH on the Oilers. This is great experience to have them "gel" ahead of time.

Justin: Thanks for signing me

Steve: No problem. It's fun locking out people after I sign them. Yakupov, Hallsy, Eberle and now you.

Number three;

Getting Schultz time in the AHL so it's not as big of a step from college to the NHL. That's a big leap and if I may say my thoughts on him, what a player he is turning out to be. He's better than anyone could have thought, even with the high expectations people had on him.

This article is written by Noah Fuchs.

I'm Sick Of This... Boycott Still On!

You have to wonder at what point the players and the league say, "screw this!"

Good luck sharing revenue when there is no revenue. Just like at the beginning of the season, I encouraged our followers to boycott buying any NHL or Oilers related merchandise to show them the fans are not stupid. We want the game back more than the players or the league do. So to show them, we as a group, have been keeping our money in our pockets while the owners make nothing and the players wonder why their bank accounts never get filled up.

I still encourage our followers to continue this trend. For the first time in over 25 years, I have asked for my family to NOT buy me any Oilers stuff. Just because it's Christmas, doesn't mean we should support a bunch of morons who are killing the game they "so called" love.

This on again, off again talks they have been having are pissing more than the average fan off. It's becoming a joke around the nation and beyond.

Enough is enough!

I want replacement players.

-----------------------------------------------------------

MOVEMBER UPDATE

Thanks for all the support from the Oilers Jambalaya fans. Feel free to donate $5 to www.mobro.co/brenthuska

The Mo looks better everyday!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Oilers and Flames Players Might Not Be Locked Out?

I came across this story by Sportsnet and I thought I'd share the link with you. Very interesting read. Something similar is happening in Montreal as well.

There is hope that the lockout may not happen. At least in Canada anyways.

Or... an Oilers/Flames Stanley Cup final. (just kidding)

http://www.sportsnet.ca/iphone/hockey/nhl-lockout/2012/t09/08/oilers_flames_legal_snag_lockoutr/?regiony=WEST

If link doesn't work, here is the entire article below;

"Flames, Oilers could hit lockout legal snag

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames could hit a legal snag if the National Hockey League locks out its players on Sept. 15, according to the Edmonton Journal.

A lockout vote is required in the province of Alberta by the NHL owners in order for Daryl Katz, owner of the Oilers, and the group of businessmen who own the Flames, to legally lock out their players if there is no new collective bargaining agreement in place by the deadline.

The NHL has to request Alberta to appoint a mediator, under the provincial law, who theoretically could work to have an agreement in place between the warring sides before the NHL owners can hold a lockout vote. A mediator was appointed on Aug. 21.

However, the Players' Association has filed a challenge to this -- arguing that the NHL's lockout vote would be defective because the league failed to take certain steps when it asked for a mediator for the dispute.

The law requires the mediator to wait 14 days but the NHLPA contends the league has shown no interest in using the mediator to try to get a resolution. It says the league insisted the mediator leave his task after three days with no meetings convened between the two sides.

The NHLPA is arguing the league is trying to rush the clearance for a lockout without following the necessary steps in Alberta and if the Alberta Labour Relations Board agrees, the league couldn't legally lock out Oilers winger Ryan Smyth or Flames captain Jarome Iginla or any other Edmonton or Calgary players."

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-