The Gagner injury has really messed up plans for the Edmonton Oilers opening night roster. They currently need to fill another big void at center and have only three options.
Lander, Arcobello and Acton are the three guys who the Oilers are going to have to choose from. There is no other players in the system remotely close to ready.
Oh shit...
Another (insane) option is to have Jordan Eberle try center like Hall did. Eberle did say the other day that he could try center as he's played it when he was younger. I don't like that idea for the fact your two best wingers are now playing center. We need those guys on the wings, not patrolling center ice.
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Both Weiss and Kassian will have hearings with the NHL for their actions during last nights game. Hall almost had his head taken off by Weiss and Gagner took a high stick and had his jaw broken by Kassian. Both instances went on with no on ice retaliation and it sounds like Gagner will be out for 4-8 weeks. He's having surgery to put his jaw back together.
Darnell Nurse had been making coach Eakins (and the fans) think twice about sending him back to juniors. Nurse has progressively been better as each day passes, and its apparent he's actually being considered to stay. I think he's been better than N. Schultz, Grebeshkov, Fedun, Larsen, Belov and the hurt Potter (based on last seasons play).
I'd like to see him stick. At least give him a few games of real NHL duty to see how he does. I don't think he's going home just yet, but I'm not sure the Oilers want to too many chances with the waiver wire with other players.
POSSIBLE OPENING NIGHT ROSTER
Smyth Hall Hemsky
Perron Gordon Eberle
Omark Lander Yakupov
Jones Acton Brown
Joensuu Eager
Ference J. Schultz
Petry Smid
Nurse N. Schultz
Grebeshkov Belov
Dubnyk
LaBarbera
*starting lines in bold*
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-