Well, Um, Who's Coming to Edmonton this Summer?

Before their arrival in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers airlifted many big names into the city. However, most of them were well past their prime (Norm Ullman, Jacques Plante) and very few (Stan Weir) had much impact on the club.

Garry Unger's arrival was a pretty big deal, but the first real trade bringing in quality iirc was Kenny Linseman. He was a jackass, a complete jerk. I used to hate him before he landed in Edmonton, but for the time he spent here (82-83, 83-84, 91-92) I loved that he played for the Oilers. His play in the deciding game of the Oilers first Cup win is something I'll always remember.

For a franchise relatively rich in history, the quality players going out have not come close to being equal to the players coming in. The Oilers picked up good players, but most of the time they were sending away a better one.

Recently I've been reading that Edmonton may be in the market for Brad Richards. Added to Wade Redden, that makes two players in the rumor mill already this summer. I haven't read too many Patrick Marleau rumors, but he's probably going to get mentioned soon.

Each of the teams looking to deal these players (and others like them) will no doubt want to do a multi-player deal with less expensive players coming in return. The Oilers have lots of less expensive players, but how many of these Redden or Richards deals exclude the really good young players like Raffi Torres?

Probably none. If the Oilers are going to get a big gun, they're going to need to trade a useful player (Torres, Jason Smith), a young player unproven but with plenty of promise (Pouliot, Greene) and possibly a pick.

Kevin Lowe has so much talent bubbling under right now I don't honestly know if he can go through this summer without trading a few of them. The sheer number of forward prospects who'll come to camp looking for work is astounding:

1. Marc Pouliot
2. Robert Nilsson
3. Kyle Brodziak
4. JF Jacques
5. Zach Stortini
6. Andrew Cogliano
7. Alexei Mikhnov
8. Ryan O'Marra
9. Rob Schremp
10. Slava Trukhno

That group is going to have to get by this bunch of veterans:

1. Shawn Horcoff
2. Jarret Stoll
3. Marty Reasoner
4. Raffi Torres
5. Ethan Moreau
6. Patrick Thoresen
7. Ales Hemsky
8. Fernando Pisani
9. Joffrey Lupul

Plus at least one UFA (Sykora or Hartnell, or if we allow ourselves to dream Ryan Smyth) and probably at least one of those veteran checkers coach loves (hopefully an upgrade over poor Toby Petersen).

I like the Oilers at center. Horcoff with a healthy Stoll and an emerging Pouliot pushing Reasoner for playing time isn't the worst case scenario and is far from this club's biggest weakness. Adding Brad Richards would help, but at what cost? Could they get him without giving up Horcoff? Could they afford him without giving up a large contract?

The Oilers at LW are one man short. Torres is a helluva player when he knows there's a game going on, and Ethan is a solid veteran. Thoresen is a player (much like Pouliot) who can push the guys in front of him and eventually take away playing time from slumping wingers. Oilers need to add an actual hockey player at LW this summer.

RW should be money, but we (I) said that last summer. Hemsky is still in the Rick Middleton range among those beauty skill-RW's which isn't bad but man there looks to be another gear there. Pisani is a fine player who cashed in on a tremendous playoff run and is overpaid but not enough to consider him a problem. Lupul we've discussed, I think he should be on the team this fall if only to raise his trade value.

Can we agree Richards doesn't really address the problem? Fine player, love to have him. However, the Oilers needs are at LW and D, and they can probably add a Radek Dvorak and a second veteran D to the list.

I don't think Brad Richards (or Patrick Marleau) are close to the answer. Ken Linseman would be a nice pickup, though.