Preseason Thoughts - Forwards on the Cusp

Slava Trukhno!
Can this guy play or what! Good skill set, a bit suspect on the skating, great shot, backchecks... I really like this guy. I think he would greatly benefit from big minutes in the A, and looks like a good injury callup. Plus the guys are calling him Trucker!




Gilbert Brule:
Love this guy. Smart hockey player, good skill set, not afraid of the corners, fast. Has shown decent faceoff skills in the past, and looks like a good fit for a 3rd or 4th line role. Would love to see him on a line with Brodziak... could maybe fill the Glencross shoes? He seemed a bit selfish with the puck in the last preseason game... trying to do too much and impress probably... but I'm sure MacT could settle him down. With a defined role, I think he will be a big upgrade on Torres.

MA Pouliot:
I've been a fan of this dude for a while... and it feels like I've been waiting for him to break out in the bigs for years now. He'll show a flash or two of excellence... generally makes the right play, and looks good in a bottom 6 role. Then he'll stall out, have a bad period, make junior-level mistakes - the guy is fustrating me to no end! Three years ago I would have told you that he would be centering a stellar checking line that could put the puck in the net. If you ask me, this will be Poo's last 'Cup-o-coffee' for the Oil if he doesn't pull it together.

Ryan Potulny:
Who? Doesn't ring a bell... Seriously, has anyone noticed this guy in preseason yet? Invisible! Apparently a solid 2-way player, but haven't seen him do much of anything. Not ready for the show.


Rob Schremp:
Whooo boy, where do I start? Ok. This guy has an amazing set of hands. Fantastic skills with the puck. HOWEVER, he lacks at two-way play, is afraid of the tough areas on the ice, and doesn't have the footspeed to keep up with Gagner or Hemmer. IMO, he would be wasted on a 4th line, PP specialist role. Plus, we already have at least three skilled forwards who can set up on the half boards on the PP (Gagner, Hemsky, Nilsson, etc). Don't get me wrong, I like 'Sugartits', but there isn't a spot on the roster for him. I say we keep him up, give him some playtime, and ship him outta dodge for a 3C faceoff defensive specialist (see Nichol post below).

Enough 'Silly' talk! What do you think about a Stanley Nichol?

I've noticed recently on a couple of the Oiler blogs that others also think the Oilers are lacking in a solid defensive 3rd line righty centerman - with good faceoff skills. Like a Draper. Oh I'm sure everyone would love to have a Draper, wouldn't they? Good luck stealing him away from the Wings!

Anyway, I've noticed that some would like to see Mike 'Silly' Sillinger make his way over to the Oilers. I too was looking pretty hard at Sillinger - I think he would be a good fit for now - but are we trying to plug a temporary hole here? Sillinger is not a "piece of the puzzle" in my opinion. At 37 and on the decline is more of a stopgap. And as that may be a good fit while Cogliano and Brodziak develop, I myself have always been a Puzzle kind-of-guy.

The player that I've really been impressed the last couple of seasons with is Scott Nichol from Nashville. Good solid player defensively, pk, top righty faceoff guy, and at 33 he still has some good years ahead of him. Would love to see this guy in copper and blue. Maybe a rich-man's Reasoner?
His defensive numbers from last year were pretty good:
- Faceoffs: 60% (441 won for 738 tot);
- Plus/Minus: +12
...and his +/- On Ice per 60 mins VS +/- Off Ice per 60 mins looked even better, at 0.71 vs 0.12. (See Desjardins Behindthenet for detailed excellent stats).

I see us giving up a goalie and/or some young skill / prospects. Nashville is lacking in proven goalies (Their top two have less than 50 big league games between them) and just lost Radulov to Russia. Maybe a Schremp or a Roly is something Nashville could use right now, as they have no shortage of established centers (Arnott, Legwand, Bonk, Fiddler).

I'm trying, I really am...

Why-oh-why is this blogging thing so hard to keep up with? I'll tell you why dammit, cause I started a friggen hockey blog in the middle of this beauty summer! Not the brightest idea, but one that I'd like to keep the car running on until the hockey actually starts up. THEN you'd better watch your ass, 'cause they'll be so many bloody posts you'll be a-spinnin'.

Riiiight.

Okay, so todays hot hockey topic is, ahhh.... uh... lemme see... lets run through some here...


"Oilers Capitan Moreau passenger in hit and run" - Wha? Oh yes. Very lame. Ethan and his chachi buddies are out for shooters at a posh Vancity club... hit a PARKED CAR while backing out of the parking stall, set off some car alarms, then took off. WTF?

No? Feeling dumber? Join the club.

Lets try another:


"Horcoff to Habs for Plekanec trade rumour" - Wow. Some Habs fans just won't let this one go.

This rumoured trade makes ZERO sense. They JUST signed Horc to big dollas for six yrs. It would be at best a lateral move for the Oil... and what kind of message does that send to other players (ie. Garon, Cole) who are thinking about long-term deals?


Who makes this crap up? Seriously. Ok, one more before my brain explodes:

"Khabibulin to LA for a pick and a prospect" - I've seen this one floating around for at least a month now. Chicago brought in Huet as the new #1 this summer, and they are now about $2.5mil over the cap. The Builn Wall is in his last year of a pricey deal: $6.75mil / yr cap hit.
The Kings on the other hand are well below the salary cap floor (~ $10mil +) and need to do some signing/spending/trading in the next 4 weeks. Also, they are lacking in the "quality proven goalies" department. It would seem to be the perfect fit, so I'm not sure why this one is stalled out. Maybe LA has their eyes on a bigger prize? Or isn't willing to fork over some future just to make the cap. Not sure why Lombardi didn't just offer big bucks to Huet on July 1 in the first place. Would have saved him a whole lot of headache now!

Well, that's about all I can come up with. Relevant Oilers news is hard to find this time of year. Hell, ANY hockey news is hard to find. Just be happy that I'm not talking about Mats again!

TTFN suckas.

Summer Slackin Already...

Yup I know avid reader(s?), I've tortured you by providing 0.0% new informational content for a whole week now. You must be numb from waiting! I must say, I'm so sorry. How on Earth can I ever make it up to you? Huh? Wha? What's that you say? Timmy's in the well? AGAIN? Goddamn it Timmy, you keep this up and we'll call the next one of your accidents "natural selection". Lassie needs her sleep you know.

Oops, went a little off the deep end there. Ok back to reality people.

I'd like to kick things off on this glorious Friday by lecturing all of the old, indecisive potential NHL retirees: SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT, YOU WANKERS! Yes, I'm talking to YOU Mr. Sundin, Mr. Sakic, Mr. Shannahan, and anyone else that I've forgotten.

Mats is killing me with this "will he, won't he" crap, so lets consider Mats Sundin for a moment here. He refused to be traded at the deadline (for a chance to win a cup) and stayed true blue. When I heard this, I thought to myself, "this guy must bleed maple syrup he's so bloody loyal". Either that or his chip shot needed some practice before hitting the links. Now summer's here, and he says that he's considering retiring, as well as considering offers from the Leafs and OTHERS. Well... what the hell.

Just for kicks, lets take a look at your options here Mats:

1. Retire: If he's done, well then ok. He's done. But if the guy has waited this long, lets be honest - he still has that urge suckerpunch Sean Avery or to pancake... well... ANYBODY into the boards one more time. (Can you blame him?) He knows that he still has some very good hockey left in him, and if you still enjoy it then I say: play while you can buddy. Also, as one of the greatest Leafs of all time he hasn't had a proper send-off... and to retire now would be lame. Very lame.

2. Sign with the (Insert other team name here): Leaf fans would want to lynch the guy if he does this. First he denies them some decent players/prospects/picks by refusing to be traded at the deadline (stating team loyalty as a reason), and now he signs elsewhere as a free agent? So much for your legacy as a Leaf, Mats. Not really the way a premier player should end his long career with a franchise! He'd go from beloved to beheaded pretty damn quick I'm guessing.

3. Sign with the Maple Leafs: I can only think that the reason he hasn't done this yet is that he is waiting to see what the hell Fletcher still has left to tinker/trade/screwup before summers over. If he wants to still play hockey I see this as his only realistic option (see above).

Anyhoo. Thats how stretched I am for relevant hockey talk today. The Mats Sundin Saga. Friggin Hell.

Fall Lineups!

I realize that it's still summer, but I haven't been this excited about an Oilers team and their upcoming season since we had Weight and Cujo. I know, its a bit sad. Strangely, I was never that enthralled when KLowe brought in Pronger three summers ago (in fact I've always had a hate-on for the guy dating back to his draft year with the Petes - although his contributions in '06 were outstanding, especially playoffs). This year promises to be one of speed and skill, with a couple of surprises coming out of camp as well.

I've put a lot of thought into lines lately. There are a number of factors/circumstances that will affect and change what happens, but it is still fun to play coach for a day. Here is the lineup as I see it:

Forwards:
Cole - Horcoff - Hemsky
Penner - Gagner - Nilsson
Cogliano - Brodziak - Brule/Stortini
Moreau - Pouliot - Pisani
Adds = Schremp, Potulny, Reddox

I see Penner in on the 2nd line for a couple of reasons. He provides a big presence down low and along the boards for the young skill, he can put the puck in the net, and most importantly he provides good faceoff support (and I actually see him taking 2/3 of them over Gagner). The Oilers have no shortage of Centers this year, but are (for the first time in a long while) looking very mediocre in the faceoff circle. Penner had the best faceoff numbers last year of returning players (55%, 189 FOs). Horcoff is solid at 52%, but took close to 1000 last year and I don't see him being able to take more than 1500. The departure of Stoll and Reasoner has left a large void for faceoffs that I can't see any of the kids stepping up and making up for this (other than Brodziak - a respectable 52% on 189 FOs last yr). Gagner: 42% on 299 FOs (one of the worst in the league last yr); Cogliano: 40% on 542 FOs (just awful); Pouliot: 48% and unproven; Brule: 52% on 78 FOs (small sample size). I'm not saying that MacT won't keep the kid line together for some situations, but I see a weakness on that line that MacT is bound to try to fix. This is just one of the possibilities, but probably most likely - as it allows Penner to have some top six time.
I see Liam Reddox pulling into the lineup occasionally if he has a good camp, as the coaching staff really has a hard on for him. Schremp is due for a tryout, and Brule may surprise at camp making things tough. MacT may have to juggle a few in and out for a while to see what fits best, and this likely means that only 2 goalies stay long-term. JDD through waivers, or trade Roly. It's going to be an interesting start!


Defence:
Souray - Visnovsky
Grebeshkov - Gilbert
Smid - Staios
Adds = Roy, Strudwick

I see Staios possibly moving up with Visnovsky, as he may provide better d support that big Sheldon. Smid and Souray may work, and MacT might play around with this a bit. Super Steve will see more minutes than this lets on, as he is the go-to guy for defensive situations, but I like him with Smid as I think they have decent chemistry and Smid could probably use the mentor beside him. Visnovsky will insist on the right side, especially on the PP. One of the most solid d-corps the Oil have started the season with in a while tho.


Goal:
Garon
Roloson
Droulin-Deslauriers

I see Roly stepping up to start the season and playing well. Probably a 60-40 split with Garon until one of them gets hurt. JDD is unproven and might be a bit shaky, although you never know with goalies. I suspect he will pass through waivers mid October unfazed, and remain in Springfield until one of the big boys is injured/traded. I can't see them hanging on to three goalies for long, as I think MacT will want the extra seat in the PB for a young forward (Potulny, Reddox, Brule etc). The other option is sign Garon and trade Roly and a kid (Pouliot? JFJ?) for a solid vet.


PP Unit 1:
Penner - Horcoff - Hemsky
Souray - Visnovsky

PP Unit 2:
Cole - Gagner - Nilsson/Cogliano/Schremp
Grebeshkov - Gilbert

I see a lot of shuffling/tinkering with the lineups here - particularly the second unit with the young skill. Cole and Penner may change places, and the RW is a crapshoot. Expect a tryout period. Visnovsky's numbers should increase from last year with his right side position back - this was his biggest complaint from last season. Breaking up Souray and Visnovsky might be a good idea as well... although it would seem a waste to put Souray's shot on the second unit.


PK Unit 1:
Horcoff - Moreau
Souray - Gilbert

PK Unit 2:
Brodziak - Cogliano
Grebeshkov - Staios

This is where we will suffer on d-zone faceoffs. Things really drop off below Horc. I see Brodziak stepping up in Nov-Dec and showing us decent faceoff numbers. Brule may slip in on the 2nd unit here as well - if he stays up with the team, that is.

Okee dokee, here we go!

Allll-righty then! I'm blogging. So (to my enthralled audience of one) lets not disappoint!

So... yeah. Blog. Bloggitty blog-blog-blog. The initial intent is to create another Oilers-based blog, and participate in the online Oilers community, contributing where I can. We're gonna have a great season this year... everyone chipping in... firing on all cylinders... and play with intensity... we had some bad breaks... the next game is a huge game for us... we're ready to take the next step... he stole two points for us tonight... we've got to take it one shift at at time... and give 110%... the next goal is gonna be a big one... it's gutcheck time!

So following the theme of above-inserted awfully-boring (and cliche) hockey quotes, here is a list of oddball, sometimes humorous comments from current and past Oilers. Try and guess who said what:

1. "We're going to do some damage!" - player quoted heading into the '06 playoffs;
2. "Part of the learning curve in Edmonton is learning to hate Calgary";
3. "Every goalie we play against seems to have the game of his life against us" - said Oiler during a particularly awful span of games in '06-'07;
4. "I just tape four Tylenols to it" - former player said about playing on injured ankle;
5. "I don’t like my hockey sticks touching other sticks, and I don’t like them crossing one another, and I kind of have them hidden in the corner. I put baby powder on the ends. I think it’s essentially a matter of taking care of what takes care of you";
6. "When we've got the puck, they can't score";
7. "There are similarities but I think [Bisaillon] is going to be better because he doesn’t turn the puck over as much as ‘Bergy’ sometimes did";
8. "If it’s sexy, let’s be honest, sex sells. I wouldn’t have a problem with that" - player said regarding the new tv show MVP;
9. "I just grabbed her Slurpee and started drinking and then gave it back to her. She was shocked." - former Oiler said about how he met his wife while playing in junior;
10. " You can have all the talent in the world, but if the pumper's not there, it doesn't matter".

Winner gets a bran muffin and 10 Stanley Nickels.