He'll make $4M and then he's UFA.Erik Cole is a stud, no doubt. He's a quality NHL player and Desjardins' suggests he played against tough opponents and with middle-to-good linemates.
It's a lot to give up (and plenty of future) but as a straight up NHL deal it makes a ton of sense for this team at this time.
Bob Stauffer is reporting on TEAM 1260 right now that they probably won't sign him, allowing Cole to feel out the lay of the land (and new ownership) before making a decision on him toward the deadline.
Here's the roster updated:
- GOAL: Mathieu Garon (1.1M), Dwayne Roloson (3.67M)
- LEFT DEFENSE: Sheldon Souray (5.4M), Denis Grebeshkov (1.5M), Ladislav Smid (.886M)
- RIGHT DEFENSE: Lubimor Visnovsky ($5.6M), Tom Gilbert (4M), Steve Staios (2.7M), Mathieu Roy ($.500M)
- CENTER: Shawn Horcoff (3.6M), Sam Gagner (1.625M), Andrew Cogliano (1.133M), Kyle Brodziak (.497M)
- LEFT WING: Dustin Penner (4.25M), Erik Cole (4M), Ethan Moreau (2M)
- RIGHT WING: Ales Hemsky (4.1M), Robert Nilsson (1.833M), Fernando Pisani (2.5M)
TOTAL SIGNED PLAYERS: 19
TOTAL DOLLARS SPENT: $50,894,000
CAP: $56,700,000
DOLLARS AVAILABLE: $5,806,000
SPOTS AVAILABLE: 4
TOTAL DOLLARS SPENT: $50,894,000
CAP: $56,700,000
DOLLARS AVAILABLE: $5,806,000
SPOTS AVAILABLE: 4
The 4 slots could go to Reasoner ($1M), Pouliot ($1M), Stortini ($.750M) and Schremp ($.860M) and that would put the 23-man roster at $54,504,000 and give the team a couple of million to spend somewhere during the season.
Straight across?
ReplyDelete...other shoe has dropped, and I'll take Cole over Raffi every time.
ReplyDeleteThere had better be other assets involved here. A second round pick coming back with Cole at least.
ReplyDeleteJust to note... Raffi Torres = $2.75M for a year and then he's UFA.
ReplyDeleteThe last series of trades (Visnovsky, Brule, Cole) only make sense if you assume there was no way Pitkanen intended to sign here.
ReplyDeleteActually, Torres at 2.25 for 2 years and than UFA. At least Cole can play tough opposition, but if that was a 1-for-1 swap, Lowe got the worst of the deal.
ReplyDeleteso we trade stoll, torres, pitkannen and greene for Cole, vishnovsky and a project. I don't see how this makes any better this year and I really fail to see how it fits into the hemsky window.
ReplyDeleteI freaking hate lowe...
Never really liked cole as a person(i dont think he handled the whole orpik situation very well) but i dont know what hes like as a player.
ReplyDeleteI see his career high is 30 goals. Is he gonna be any good?
I wake up on Dominion Day and find that a) my favourite Oiler, potential-wise, is gone, and b) a guy I've been mocking for years for being a total bust is here in exchange for the last physical player this team has left. Well, the last physical player this team had left for about an hour.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jonathan. I don't think this is Pronger-for-FIVE-ASSETS, but I hope the Oilers have something coming their way.
But on the other hand. We trade from a position of great strength to help a position of great weakness, which is what you're supposed to do. It was pretty clear that Pitkanen never had any real desire to be an Oiler. And we're trading for a guy who we know is an impact player, right now, and giving up a guy who is probably an impact player.
I'm confused.
Horrible trades.
ReplyDeleteThat is all I can say for now. Just straight out horrible trades.
I do know that, during one of Raffi's many, many injuries, I've not often said "Jesus, this team needs Raffi Torres". And during one of his many, many cold streaks, I've often thrown bricks at the wall.
ReplyDeleteTorres has been taking big steps backward every year since 2005-06. Maybe getting out while he still had value was the right move.
typical kevin lowe...We really need a new GM...I fail to see how it wouldn't have been more advantageous to package torres and pitkanen together as opposed to trading down in both deals...
ReplyDeleteBut the boys on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round
Might as well grab Rolston and have a sweet Penner-Cole-Rolston line...
ReplyDelete"I do know that, during one of Raffi's many, many injuries," raffi was injured once in his career as an oiler and that was this past season. at the time of his injury he actually held the Iron Man streak. He wasn't injury prone he has one stroke of bad luck.
ReplyDeleteSo, as of right now:
ReplyDeleteGreene, Stoll, Pitkanen, Torres for
Visnovsky, Brule, and Cole. If we consider Visnovsky=Pitkanen, than we have Torres, Stoll and Greene for Cole and Brule. I am OK with that, but I do think things could have worked out better. Especially since we actually picked up about 1M in salary.
The only issue I have with the Pitkanen trade is the fact that Cole is for one season and Pitkanen's contract won't run out for several years.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a BIG issue.
raffi was injured once in his career as an oiler and that was this past season. at the time of his injury he actually held the Iron Man streak. He wasn't injury prone he has one stroke of bad luck.
ReplyDeleteHe was injured in 2004-05 and missed about a dozen games. He was injured during the playoffs of 2005-06, missed a couple games, and was ineffective for quite a few more.
Uh....
ReplyDeleteThe only issue I have with the Pitkanen trade is the fact that Cole is for one season and Pitkanen's contract won't run out for several years.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a BIG issue.
Agreed. Even one more year on that contract would have been a big help.
He was injured during the playoffs of 2005-06, missed a couple games, and was ineffective for quite a few more.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall that Torres – Peca – Pisani line having quite an impact on the 05-06 playoffs. Even removing his very accomplished linemates, Torres was a major factor, just by virtue of his hits on Doug Weight and Milan Michalek.
Agree with Lord Bob. The Raffi trade is only a bad trade if you're a fan of his, which I can't see why anyone would be. All you hear about him was how he brought a dimension to the Oilers that no one else did, but he brought that dimension so freaking inconsistently, that you could never count on it being there. What good is that? I, for one, am glad to see him go. One has to think that Lowe's been trying to move him for a while, and if a salary dump for a risky prospect is all you get, so be it.
ReplyDeleteLord Bob: I don't think we agree on much but I liked it when you used Dominion Day:)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I heard that.
Staal-Cole-Williams-Whitney all played close to the same Qualcomp and Cole won that battle at +15. GFON/60 pretty much the same from '07 to '08 but his GAON/60 went down.
So, he's not a bad player and he's an EV outscorer and we needed that once Raffi left. I'd damn well want Souray gone before Pitkanen but you don't know if Joni wanted to resign and. We didn't deal off the '06 PItkanen and I don't know if you'll see that guy again; though, I must say, I wanted to give him one more year.
One note though about how our team looks now -- and trying to figure out who's gonna outscore and play the though -- our top three LW are 27-12-Cole. I doubt Nilsson's gonna be on a tough line and all this means that 27 or Cole is gonna be on a Non-Scoring line with Pisani on their right wing.
That doesn't seem like the plan for some reason. The Oilers will pimp Cole as a scorer but he won't score 30 with Pisani on his right side.
I seem to recall that Torres – Peca – Pisani line having quite an impact on the 05-06 playoffs. Even removing his very accomplished linemates, Torres was a major factor, just by virtue of his hits on Doug Weight and Milan Michalek.
ReplyDelete"Quite a few more" was not meant to imply "twenty-ish". If memory serves me right, Torres was injured in the first round. I don't think his second round against San Jose was that good (yes, he destroyed Michalek, and Marc-Andre Bergeron destroyed Brenden Morrow even more magnificently a few years ago and how did that help?).
By the Finals, obviously, he had turned it around a bit and was a good third-line factor, but he was also the least valuable member of that line even at his best.
So, do we come out ahead here? I'm having trouble seeing it.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe some of the comments I've been reading from here. Honestly, how many have you guys actually seen cole play more than half a dozen times? He's a beast- physical, punishing in the corners, with a soft touch around the net. Fans of all other eastern conference teams are happy that he's out of their conference- because he just gives teams troubles all night long and can be a game breaker. At top form, he will be a huge assett for the oilers when it comes to gritty NW conference battles with the flames, canucks, and avalanche. He's a poor man's Brendan Morrow, with shades of ryan smyth thrown in.
ReplyDeleteOf course he's UFA status is an issue, but it will also be a huge virtue in a way- I expect him to have a career year this year, which will only help the oilers. He will show up to play from day one.
As for the vaunted pitkanen, amazing how overated he is both here and on other places around the internet. This is the same pitkanen who missed substantial time due to injury and was always a risk to re-injure at seemingly the slightest infraction. This was the pitkanen who would follow inspiring rushes up the ice with routine boneheaded giveaways in his own zone. Pitkanen's obvious talent just isn't enough to offset his injury issues, his reported inability to mesh with a team's chemstry, and his very real challenges with the defensive aspects of the game. And this injury prone question mark was who some fans wanted to lock up 5 million dollars over the long term in?
Lowe saw that the pitkanen experiment wasn't going to work. Pitkanen, at 25, for all of his obvious talent, is now on his third team. That says volumes about his character and his ability to work within a team dynamic, IMO.
Good trade for the oilers.
"He was injured in 2004-05 and missed about a dozen games. He was injured during the playoffs of 2005-06, missed a couple games, and was ineffective for quite a few more."
ReplyDeleteHe missed 2 games in the cup run with the flu. and I admit I didn't really watch the road runners in 04-05
I'm thinking the Oil may have been better off trading him on draft day than for Brule. No one must have wanted him I guess? There must be more to this trade than what we can see. Howson and Lowe might just have something brewing here.
ReplyDeleteDennis:
ReplyDeleteI think they're looking at:
Cole - 10 - 83
27 - 83 - 12
18 - 13 - 34
He's a poor man's Brendan Morrow, with shades of ryan smyth thrown in.
ReplyDeleteNonsense. He’s better than Brendan Morrow. I just think that right now the premium commodity on the market is the puck-moving defenseman. I don’t know if everyone else has blacked out 2006-07, but remember how hard it was to get one? I really believe we could have got a little more for Pitkanen. Cole is an excellent player, with the only caveats being health and how signable he is. And, as was mentioned, those caveats do both apply to Pitkanen.
Can someone explain how these fit in the hemsky window
ReplyDeleteSo now do we resign Glencross? Then our lines are:
ReplyDeleteHorc - Hemsky - Cole
Gagner - Penner - Nilsson
Cogs - Pisani - Moreau
Brodziak - Stortini - GlenX
Or do we still make another move for a guy like Rolston? Is that lineup tough enough? brule or pouliot as your extra forward. And do we now sign Jason Smith again to add the tough vet for $2 mill or less.
Stauffer just said Columbus is offering Redden $36 millfon 6 years
Well Cole is older but the main issue for me is his UFA status. Horcoff and Cole are now in their walk year and apparently they have no plans to sign Cole immediately (I have no proof, but Stauffer mentioned it).
ReplyDeleteI like Cole, but would have hoped for a signed Cole in return so in that way it's a "win this year" trade which I think we can agree is a longshot.
The Hemsky window is his beauty contract for the next four years. Cole and Vis should remain effective for that window... hopefully, and assuming Cole signs. The window is less magnficient when we sign him for $9m a year after he puts up 130 points in our Stanley Cup winning season of '11-12.
ReplyDeleteWhat?
cm.. Cole is immediate help for Hemsky. 1 year or not, that's what he needs. I think it's expected that Gagner will be bigger and better a year from now he will no doubt effect Hemsky.
ReplyDeleteSo that's our big forward acquisition?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's been a morning. I guess we could look at it as Pit for Vish, Stoll Torres for Cole, Greene for prospect.
Is that good?
Just a thought, but with Mike Green gettng $5.25 million, does anyone think part of this trade is the fact that KLowe was not going to pay Pitkanen $5 mill per season? So do you take 3 picks, or take Cole and hope to either resign him, or let him walk and replace him from within. Also, letting Cole go allows us to pay Horc long term (say $5 mill for 4 years) and also gives us cap flexibility to resign the kids in 2 years,
ReplyDeleteI guess the biggest problem I see with today is that we've changed from a "Build for a cup run" team to "lets make the playoffs" team. In my opinion that marks a sad day...
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Everybody outside Edmonton thinks this is a fantastic deal.
ReplyDeletehttp://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=530483
I agree. Cole will be a much better fit than Penner on the top line.
Fucking kudos to Kevin Lowe. Gets an adequate replacement for Pitkanen for next to nothing (Visnovsky), and leveraged his asset to obtain a power forward with grit, hands, and speed.
I also like the Torres deal - a good young prospect for a salary dump.
PDO: the problem with that is I don't think you can count on 18 for anything and I think those guys played together this year and how did they fare? I'm thinking not so well for some reason and I'm pretty sure that's the last line 13 played on before they formed the kid's line early on during the loss in TB.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is how did 27-89-12 fair together? Once again, I'm thinking not well.
Finally, is Stauffer coming in up updates during Rome's show? I'm listening to Team1260 now and it's the Rome show.
(oops, I mean Stoll Green for Cole, Torres=Brule)
ReplyDeleteWell the Brendan Morrow/Ryan Smyth comps both apply to Cole, based on style of play/age/injury risk, etc. No doubt cole has risks associated with him- injuries being one and the contract status. But he brings a pronounced impact to the ice, and he has shown that he can do it consistently over the past 3 seasons. He may not be the ppg power forward he was 3 seasons ago, but he is a difference maker, a big guy with some speed, physicality, and a nose for the net. Kind of like all the things we hope penner will become.
ReplyDeleteWhat else would you have wanted for Pitkanen? Based on our depth chart needs we needed a top six LW who could score and we got one. Lowe has done his job here, IMO. The oilers have the money to sign Cole and should be as competitive as anyone in that regard. And if there not, well...then that means we get cap space.
There's certainly a huge pricetag on puck moving d-men right now- which is precisely why we were able to get such a good return on joni as we did. Remember, pitkanen missed a not insubstantial amount of time due to injury, was inconsistent in his own zone, didn't score at a clip consistent with the elite puck movers in the league, and, if innuendo and rumour and some not-so-subtle suggestion is to be believed, has not exactly had the easiest time fitting into a dressing room. Some call him a head case, but after 3 teams in 3 years, at the age of 25, with that kind of talent- that must send alarm bells for gms who are looking at acquiring him.
For a player with Pitkanen's question marks, we should be happy that lowe was actually able to get as solid a player as cole back for him.
And lowe addressed the need for a puckmoving d-man in a trade earlier this week. Our pp will still be very good without joni.
I have to say I am shocked by the demeanor of this crowd. It reminds of draft day 07 when we passed on Voracek, took Plante, and then drafted Nash. Only for everything to turn out okay.
ReplyDeleteThe way I look at it is not like Jonathan said " Visnovsky = Pitkannen", it is that Visnovsky is what we hope Pitkannen will become...but there is no guarantee. Also, Cole is what we always wanted from Torres but he does it consistently .
I agree it is not all rainbows in my world...I would have liked to see a conditional pick come back with Cole, I would have liked to see a pick come back with Brule. But, I will take two legitimate talents and a project on the Oilers for three 3rd line players and one who has potential but obviously a headcase.
Torres Stoll Greeen and pitkannen are not getting us over the hump...visnovsky and cole have the potential to.
Take Care,
Jon
Even if we can't count on Moreau (and we can't), we can probably count on having Pouliot, Brodziak, or hopefully Glencross around to tread water.
ReplyDeleteObviously the lineup has holes, so we're not going to be going to the Stanley Cup in 2008-09. It's a shame, but a step at a time. :P
I agree with Lowetide with respect to the UFA issue. Lets hope Kevin Lowe can extend him. Me thinks he's going to cost in the 5M range.
ReplyDeleteIf we resign GlenX for $1.2 mill, our cap with a full roster is $52 million. Giving us $4 mill to still spend. If you waive Roy and sign Jason Smith for $2 mill, then you have $3 million still available. Do we make another move for a veteran 3rd line centre or do we make another trade and bring in another impact player?
ReplyDeleteDennis: Yeah, Stauffer and Bryn are breaking in with major items during the Rome show and will go live if anything breaks.
ReplyDeletePlus they're giving updates.
The way I look at it is not like Jonathan said " Visnovsky = Pitkannen", it is that Visnovsky is what we hope Pitkannen will become
ReplyDeleteI agree that Visnovsky is a non-trivial upgrade on Pitkanen, but he is signed for big money until he dies, which I find to be slightly concerning.
It looks to me like we have done a pretty nice upgrade to our top two lines at the expense of making our third line a giant question mark. Is that an improvement? Probably, I suppose. Signing a legit 3rd line guy right now would make me pretty happy.
ReplyDeleteTSn is reporting Vrbata just signed i ntampa for 3 yeasr at $3 mill per. man tampa is tearing it up.
ReplyDeleteOK, let's forget Smith and go with Roy as the 7th.
ReplyDeleteNow, is there anyway we can sign Hossa for say 8.5 cap hit and know it's easier to keep him next year when we let Cole walk?
Is there anyway to do that ALONG with signing up Horc?
It all gets so muddled, can we keep Souray off the cap by sending him to Springfield and/or does his NMC preclude Katz from being able to buy him out?
Sweet Jesus, I hate the Rome Show.
ReplyDeleteTSn is reporting Vrbata just signed i ntampa for 3 yeasr at $3 mill per. man tampa is tearing it up.
ReplyDeleteVery nice signing, at reasonable dollars too.
It all gets so muddled, can we keep Souray off the cap by sending him to Springfield and/or does his NMC preclude Katz from being able to buy him out?
The way I understand it, his NMC prevents the Oilers from sending him to Springfield, but they can still buy him out.
Jon: the extra Raffi freight in CBJ means it's unlikely Peca's gonna be back there......
ReplyDeleteThe posts on this blog were generally positive re: Gagner and the only misgivings about Plante were in regard to that F/D rotation they usually do for their first 2 picks.
ReplyDeleteI was against trading 30 and 36 for Nash (I think that's right) and would still argue that they overpaid for that selection.
However, the procurement department of the Oilers is good on draft day.
Kevin Lowe struggles July 1-10.
Well, then, if Katz wants to be the fucking man, here, let's buy out Souray and throw down with Hossa.
ReplyDeleteCole has had declining years since he signed at 4 mill. One would think you could extend him at a similar price no?
ReplyDeleteIf we wait and Cole has a big season then we end up paying more, and if he has a similar or slightly worse season I doubt we pay him less. So it only makes sense to do a contract now which is why i'm wondering about Lowe's choice to wait.
Cap Space ~ 7.234
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think I would be ready to unconditionally praise Lowe if he could salary dump Souray for a thrid line C/LW, and than bring in Kurt Sauer to take over on LD.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I have trouble seeing that happening.
If Sather comes up short everywhere else and Roszival goes elsewhere, we Might be able to send him there.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, c'mon, Katz, get off the wallet. You've already got Lubo lobbying for Souray's right PP point and you're eventually gonna rape the Edm public when you get their tax money for your new building.
Let's go.
Am I the only person who'd rather pay GlenX 1.25 to play on the 4th line than pay Brule 1.25 to play on the 4th line?
ReplyDeleteIsn't cap space right now a non issue? I mean, in the off season, you can go up to 10% over the cap until August or something like that (I don't know for sure, but that's what NJ did with Mogilny and then snuck that long term injury thing past the league and he came off the books). What I mean is, can't they just do whatever to sign whoever, then worry about dumping salary later before the season starts?
ReplyDeleteSomeone here must know the letter of that law.
LA could use Roli...
ReplyDeleteSo why doesn't Lowe call them up, offer to swap Roli for Dan Cloutier straight up, then Katz can buyout Cloutiers contract.
LA pays the same for an upgrade between the pipes, we get cap space and pray Garon stays healthy.
Am I the only person who'd rather pay GlenX 1.25 to play on the 4th line than pay Brule 1.25 to play on the 4th line?
ReplyDeleteI think Brule is on a one-way ticket to the minors. Potulny, Schremp and Reddox are probably the lead contenders for that 4th line LW role. Or Marty Reasoner ;)
Isn't cap space right now a non issue? I mean, in the off season, you can go up to 10% over the cap until August or something like that (I don't know for sure, but that's what NJ did with Mogilny and then snuck that long term injury thing past the league and he came off the books). What I mean is, can't they just do whatever to sign whoever, then worry about dumping salary later before the season starts?
We’re allowed to go 10% over the cap, but that doesn’t mean that we should.
PDO: Brule is down the depth chart imo. Here's how I'd rank them now:
ReplyDelete1. Horcoff
2. Gagner
3. Cogliano
4. Brodziak
5. Pouliot
6. Schremp
7. Brule
Brule imo is a guy who needs to get it together in the AHL before he sees the NHL.
Unless MacT is even more brilliant than we think he is, this kid needs to get some success.
LA pays the same for an upgrade between the pipes, we get cap space and pray Garon stays healthy.
ReplyDeleteHow is Roloson an upgrade on Labarbera? L.A. needs defensemen, not a goaltender.
ReplyDeleteWe’re allowed to go 10% over the cap, but that doesn’t mean that we should.
Why not?
We’re allowed to go 10% over the cap, but that doesn’t mean that we should.
ReplyDeleteWhy not?
Because we end up having to get under later. To use your example, we trade Vladimir Malakhov and a 1st round pick to San Jose for cap space.
LT:
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't allowed to play in the AHL the last couple years because he was still WHL eligible, correct?
How is Roloson an upgrade on Labarbera? L.A. needs defensemen, not a goaltender.
ReplyDeleteHe is an upgrade on Cloutier. Same price. And having a vet backup that doesn't completely such could interest LA, as Labarbera was inconsistent at best last season. Wodl beater at times, egg-beater other times.
It only makes sense if Lowe is looking for cap space... if so and it needs a pick or something, do it.
LA could use Roli... not sure if they have better options in mind.
Re: Sauer.
ReplyDeleteYes please.
Just a thought, but if Lowe were to bring in Hossa at this point, the Penner experiment is over. That should give us the cap space, or at least close to it.
ReplyDeleteThink anybody would give a bunch of picks for him?
Correct. He was 20 (and entry level) last fall, same as Cogliano. Bad, bad development decisions by the Bluejackets.
ReplyDeleteBrunette and Zidlicky to Wild.
ReplyDeleteFrickin' Wild.
ReplyDeleteZidlicky for Ryan Jones and a 2nd round pick. Nice trade, Riseborough.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteteam 1260 are live the rest of the way. FYI.
ReplyDeleteAnd the just said $9 mill per season from a few teams offered for hossa.
ReplyDeleteTSN: Langkow's deal is 4 years/18 M (4.5 M per year)
ReplyDeleteWell, Horcoff is worth more, but I feel pretty good about that comparable when it comes time for his extension. God, please let there be an extension.
ReplyDeleteThe team has to stop teasing me by talking about signing Hossa for $9,000,000 and dumping Souray.
ReplyDeleteWell, Horcoff is worth more, but I feel pretty good about that comparable when it comes time for his extension. God, please let there be an extension.
ReplyDelete6 years, 5.5-6M per season. Please, Kevin, please.
Horc and langkow are definitely comps, if they got him for 4.5 I'd say signing Horc for right around 5 is probably doable..
ReplyDeleteFun things that I hear on the Team 1260:
ReplyDelete“Right now, Torres is a little better than Brule”
“Darcy Tucker can play on my team any time.”
Horcoff won't get more then $5 mill. You can get him for 5 years at $5 mill, then wait on cole and see if he pans out.
ReplyDeleteThe crazy talk is if they give Hossa $9.5 million, how the hell can you fit that under the cap short of dumping Souray and roloson and a pick for nothing. The boys mentioned Columbus who needs to add salary to reach the cap floor.
Oh, and TSN is reporting someone has offerd Sundin $10 million. Bet it's Columbus trying to find someone to play with nash and make a run at the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteColumbus has 24 mill in 14 players. They have a lot of money to spend but also need to sign a lot of players. What is the cap floor?
ReplyDeleteI think the floor is $40M.
ReplyDelete$40MM or so.
ReplyDeleteSo if they use Cole on the 3line and make that group carry the mail, we get:
ReplyDelete1line: Horcoff-Penner-Hemsky (tough M)
2line: Gagner-Cogliano-Nilsson (soft parade)
3line: Brodziak-Cole-Pisani
4line: Pouliot-Moreau-Stortini
And they probably sign Reasoner for that 4line. Make sense?
If they use Cole on the 3rd line I'm starting a lynch mob :)
ReplyDeleteI would join PDO's mob.Cole should be playing with 83
ReplyDeleteI like him there. If they use him on the top line with Hemsky then that means Penner is on the MacT special 3line and then puck pursuit, physical presence and aggression on the forecheck is a distant bell.
ReplyDeleteCole goes on the outscoring line.
LT:
ReplyDeleteCole - 10 - 83
27 - 83 - 12
18 - 13 - 34
Is everyone calling into the Team on the sauce already? Hossa wouldn't fit in here? GlenX is fine at Nilsson money?
That should say 89, not 83, as the 2nd line C.
ReplyDeleteNo, LT, I think it looks more like this.
ReplyDeleteCole - Horc - Hemsky
Penner - Gagner -Nilsson
Moreau - Cogs - Pisani
as the top-9. The 3rd line is definitely the question mark though.
Penner with Gagner and Nilsson? I don't like that line.
ReplyDelete18 should be on the 4th line, they need to find a LW who can play 80 games on the 3rd line and not get killed. I don't know who that is but I like PDO's lines more than LT's.
ReplyDeleteGator in a Flames jersey would be filthy.
ReplyDeleteTucker in a Flames jersey would be fitting.
The problem with 27-89-12 is that Gagner and Nilsson are speed players who generate chances with quickness and skill, and Penner is really, really not. Not a good fit.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty confident that Cole is being pencilled in to play with Hemmer and Horc, problem with Penner was his up down game was slow with those two... Coles got wheels and I think MacT had that on his wishlist.
ReplyDeletePenner with Gagner and Nilsson? I don't like that line.
ReplyDeleteWhy not? Gagner gets a guy who can finish, Nilsson gets to play the waterbug role of carrying the puck, and we have to pray like hell they're never on the ice in their own zone, but with Gagner's smarts and Penner's cycling ability, they should be able to keep puck possession.
27 has a better chance of keeping up with 89 and 12 than he does with 10 and 83. Sadly i'm not sure fits on any line
ReplyDeleteI would join PDO's mob.Cole should be playing with 83
ReplyDeleteConsidering that Penner scored on a 35 goal pace in December/January when he, Hemmer and Horcoff finally found their juju - there is no way I want Cole there.
With Cole's history of slogging tough minutes, I want him on the outscore line too.
Cole - Brodziak - Pisani is a bastard line for an opposing coach to match.
Is my memory going, or are Nilsson and gagner not that fast? They have decent speed but aren't burners like Cogs or Horcoff. I thought the time they had gagner - Nilsson and Penner together they were alright? Maybe that's whishful thinking, but i think they'll be fine togther.
ReplyDeleteDoes Brule and Potulny pretty much assure Schremp is gonna be flipped?
ReplyDeleteThe kid line chemistry uses Nilsson's combination of passing and speed, Gagner's ridiculous creativity and Cogliano's footspeed.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Penner gets them that fast break ability and his cycling ability is useful on when the line is in possession of the puck or in a battle.
A bunch of chances for the kid line comes off neutral zone turnovers created by speed.
So, is everyone writing off Hossa then? Because the way I look at it, since if we offload Penner we are close to cap ceiling, we'd have:
ReplyDeleteHossa - Horcoff - Hemsky
Cole - Gagner - Nillson
Moreau - Cogliano - Pisani
Glencross - Brodziak - Stortini
I'm pretty sure this would fit under the cap, though I'm lazy and don't want to do the math. If Lowetide's "Souray might retire" pans out, we have tons of space.
Why is everyone abandoning the dream? ;)
I think Cogs was important to Gags/Robert success. Cogs backed up the defense and created space for the guys in transition, not sure a slower winger would translate as well.
ReplyDeleteconference call with Cole and brule on team 1260 right now
ReplyDeleteIs my memory going, or are Nilsson and gagner not that fast? They have decent speed but aren't burners like Cogs or Horcoff.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I’ve always viewed both as more shifty than speedy.
Does Brule and Potulny pretty much assure Schremp is gonna be flipped?
Maybe Potulny does, but I think the last couple of days have been nice to Schremp. Two forwards out and only one back, since Brule is almost assuredly going to the minors.
Danny: I think Schremp is farther away from the roster today, yes.
ReplyDeleteender: I'm not writing off the Hossa deal. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing how in hell Lowe could get under the cap.
LT:
ReplyDeleteWe find Tonya Harding's boyfriend and tell him to work on the shoulder this time.
Is anyone listening to this? Is Stauffer drinking now too?
ReplyDeleteon the one hand, i love the idea of a Chopper-Cogs-Fernando line, which would be a 3-headed buzzsaw wolverine to play against.
ReplyDeleteBUT, i don't completely like splitting up the KId line, which had chemistry, and like a lot of others have suggested, Penner seems like a bit of a square peg in this lineup.
The problem, Jonathan, is the two forwards out were bottom six, defensively reponsible guys, which is not exactly Schremp's comparable when it comes to being a considered replacement.
ReplyDeleteI think Erik Cole is a vast improvement over Dustin Penner on the 1st line.
ReplyDeleteIt could be the case of Lowe realizing he fucked up on the offersheet, or it may be a case of him wishing to improve the team upfront.
Initial numbers show that Cole can play the tough minutes. He's also deemed to have speed and grit. A goal scorer to compliment Hemsky.
I think Pitkanen may have some character issues. Too many sources, including those outside Edmonton. He didn't really blend into the team on a personality basis - every time he scored, the Oilers didn't gather and hug him, like they do with other players. 3 teams in the past 13 months. Something may be apparent that we don't know about. On the on-ice, if he could make a bigger difference on the powerplay, he still may have been an Oilers. Unfortunately, his PP production was pitful, and always has been.
The only deal I have somewhat of a reservation is the Brule-Torres deal. That said, the Oilers may be high on him, and this may be a deal that works out in 2-3 years.
Pierre McGuire was on the radio...absolutely loves the Oilers moves.
Maybe it's solved in the fall when Penner arrives with a summer of prep.
ReplyDelete...every time he scored, the Oilers didn't gather and hug him, like they do with other players.
ReplyDeleteChrist. Between Pleasure Motors complaining that Torres was too mean and this new scouting by counting the hugs...this isn't the game I grew up with.
The problem, Jonathan, is the two forwards out were bottom six, defensively reponsible guys, which is not exactly Schremp's comparable when it comes to being a considered replacement.
ReplyDeleteYes, but it also means that Moreau just got bumped into the top-9, so a slot at 4th line LW opened up. Potulny could certainly get it, or Reasoner, but it is a slot that Schremp has a chance at filling, especially if he lights it up in TC.
Christ. Between Pleasure Motors complaining that Torres was too mean and this new scouting by counting the hugs...this isn't the game I grew up with.
ReplyDeleteI just don’t understand why Marty Reasoner is so undervalued by commenters, given his affable, gregarious nature ;)
Is anyone else impressed with Cole's verbal? Is this a stand-in? Jesus.
ReplyDeletesilly aside:
ReplyDeleteusing Babel Fish to translate an RDS.ca/Oilers article, GIlbert Brule and Erik Cole become
"Erik Sticks and Gil Flaming"
That's true. Hell, I'd hop on the Schremp-wagon if he could play a fourth line banger role with effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteI'm still kind of hoping Glencross comes back, at a reasonable rate.
Sauer signs a 4-year deal with our old buddy Wayne.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone else impressed with Cole's verbal?
ReplyDeleteYet one more NCAA-developed player on the Oilers roster. I get the feeling that I’m really going to warm to Cole over the coming year, and I already like him.
I wonder which one of them will request a trade first?
ReplyDeleteSauer signs a 4-year deal with our old buddy Wayne.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Toronto should consider Don Maloney in its already-under-contract-GM-search.
Loving Cole's interview. Very smart guy.
ReplyDeleteTheodore signs in Washington. What does that do to Colorado?
ReplyDeleteDoes Eric Cole think its the 80's? Who is the last guy that sounded this excited to be an Oiler? Craig Simpson?
ReplyDeleteIs this switchboard guy on the conference call half asian, half robot?
ReplyDeleteWhat an odd voice.
Christ. Between Pleasure Motors complaining that Torres was too mean and this new scouting by counting the hugs...this isn't the game I grew up with.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I'm being honest man. Go look up his goals - barely any glove taps. Lowe is a fan of character, and it seems on a social level, Pitkanen did not blend in.
There are issues. 3 teams in 13 months.
Raycroft signs with Colorado. Lordy.
ReplyDeleteSauer signs a 4-year deal with our old buddy Wayne.
ReplyDelete*Words that LT's daughter should not read*
NEXT!
Finger please
Mirtle reports that the Sauer contract is for $1.75-million per season. Maloney just made the best UFA signing of the day, by far. Phoenix is in good hands.
ReplyDeleteOh, and TSN is reporting someone has offerd Sundin $10 million.
ReplyDeleteThat would be the Canucks. Two years, $20 million.
Raycroft signs with Colorado.
ReplyDeleteAt the other end of the scale, if this isn’t a two-way deal, they need to ease up on the drug use in the Avalanche war room.
So this is where the party is at?! ;)
ReplyDeleteCrazy shit, no doubt.
This team is better then it was - Visnovsky > Pitkanen and Cole is a legitimate top six forward. I think moving Raffi was a salary dump. It hurts to move Joni but I think its the possibilities there that hurt more then anything. Greene is presently a fringe guy who was holding down a roster spot. Stoll just had a terrible year last year.
The good - Cole is a legitimate player in every way. So is Lubo.
The bad - Cole's contract and the fact that we are relying on Moreau to play in the top nine by the looks of it. That won't work out.
Having said that this is a playoff team now, I believe, and they will have cap room to sign Horcoff and Cole if they can. Worse case they lose Cole they still have that cap room.
That's the only thing I'd prefer to see - Cole with an extension. Other then that the Oilers didn't move anyone who really had a future here, honestly, except for Joni and if he wanted the dough he wanted then he had to go. Have to perform somewhat to get 5 mill or so.
and Conklin is a Red Wing.
ReplyDelete"Sweet Jesus, I hate the Rome Show."
ReplyDelete100% agree.
I could see Cole playing with Gagner and Nilson (the Nis-Gole line?) with Cogs moving to 3rd line centre. Cogs not ready for that I guess. Maybe Reasoner takes the draws.
A thought:
Snobby, over educated amateur art critics are to art as many bloggers are to hockey GM's.
Raffi Torres just said some nice things about Craig MacTavish scratching him in December. I am gonna miss that guy.
ReplyDeleteI think that if every team in the West entered the playoffs today, we're a playoff team.
ReplyDeleteRaycroft to Colorado... guess scoring goals on the Avs will continue to be easy.
BDHS: Yeah, Cole not signing an extension hurts this deal but he's a player.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Bob Stauffer thinks Brule is going to be the next in a line of centers developed by MacT (he mentioned Horcoff, etc).
It's interesting to think about, but man o man Horcoff going to college was a better decision than throwing Brule in the deep end at 18.
Detroit forfeits their chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions by signing Ty Conklin to a one-year deal.
ReplyDeleteDetroit forfeits their chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions by signing Ty Conklin to a one-year deal.
ReplyDeleteWay, way better signing than Raycroft to Colorado. I think you’re kidding, but I actually really like that signing.
LT - yeah, he is a terrific player
ReplyDeleteIts a blue sky outside and not everything is done yet but presently this is a playoff team, no?
BDHS: I think they are now. Nice top 9F and solid D and G, but adding a veteran D in the mid-range who can shake loose some dental work would help.
ReplyDeleteWings will be set for years cause Larsson is the next Lundqvist in goal. He just needs a year or two in the minors.
ReplyDeleteI love this “Joni Pitkanen wasn’t popular with his teammates” angle that 1260 is on. How much does that matter, really? I mean, as long as he isn’t a big-time cancer in the room, who cares if he’s playing poker with Souray and Reasoner over at Moreau’s house.
ReplyDeleteTalk about being late to the party. Pretty exciting stuff. It'll be interesting to see where all the free agents land.
ReplyDeleteFrom TSN:
ReplyDeleteToronto signs UFA defenceman Jeff Finger to a 4 year deal worth $3.5-million a season
Man, they must be buying out McCabe
Jeff Finger to Toronto for $3.4 million a year? That's so out of whack I almost think it's a misprint.
ReplyDeleteI don't really listen to Edmonton radio because I don't currently live there, but I have a couple questions:
ReplyDelete1) who's the guy who thinks Brule is stepping in the lineup next year as a legit shutdown guy
2) Can I get a piece of whatever he's on?
Finger to Toronto for...
ReplyDelete$3.5 million per.
eeeeek
NEXT!
Orpik please?
That's a pretty gaudy number for a defenseman like Finger. Overpaying for defensemen apparently never goes out of style in Toronto.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else find it sort of funny that this was the draft and free agency day where the Oilers didn't feel like they had to make deals, and here we are almost a third through a new team?
Toronto signs UFA defenceman Jeff Finger to a 4 year deal worth $3.5-million a season.
ReplyDeleteJoseph at 700K too. That makes what, Kubina, McCabe, and Kaberle and Finger all in the 4M range? I’d imagine Kubina is on his way out- Columbus, maybe?
Also- maybe Souray is tradeable.
Jeff Finger to Toronto for $3.4 million a year? That's so out of whack I almost think it's a misprint.
ReplyDeleteHe's a very good dman, probably about to develop into a top-tier, vs. top line dman. I expected him to get about $3 million. But not from Toronto.
Jesus.
He's a very good dman, probably about to develop into a top-tier, vs. top line dman.
ReplyDeleteFinger played the 6th easiest opposition among Avalanche blueliners, where he succeeded. For him to get 2X what Sauer received is absolutely asinine, and Fletcher just jumped in with that Giguere fellow in Colorado as dumbest GM today.
Minor news, but Adam Hall to Tampa Bay on a three-year, 1.8M dollar deal. Very nice depth signing, and I guess I was wrong in asserting that Koules and Co. are total imbeciles. Vrbata was a nice acquisition too.
ReplyDeleteI am here at my buds place so im chking in on all the news, what did cole have to say? any place i can read the hard copy of raffi and cole;s comments?
ReplyDeleteRaycroft signs with Colorado. Lordy.
ReplyDeleteMan, now I know how the fans of other NW teams felt when the Oilers signed Souray. That's just unbelievable. Stauffer was on about Roli maybe going there...Raycroft is even better.
Snobby, over educated amateur art critics are to art as many bloggers are to hockey GM's.
Well Lowe's certainly made those who criticized him over the course of the past two years look bad.
Dennis: The Cole/Brule phone conference is up over at Edmontonoilers.com
ReplyDeleteStillman to FLA and Huet to Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHawks get Huet.
ReplyDeleteGoddamn, 5.6 a year for Huet?
ReplyDeleteWhere does Khabibulin (6.75M next year) go?
ReplyDeleteStillman was had for just over $10 million 3 years. That's not a bad contract.
ReplyDeleteJonathan - what, you don't like spending $12 million on goalies?
ReplyDeleteGodard to pitts - Laraque on the move?
Fuck, I like what the Hawks have done and the money doesn't really matter but they're going to spend $12MM on goalies next year, unless the Wirtz' have mob ties that can solve the Khabibulin problem.
ReplyDeleteGillis offer sheet - 2.5M/yr for David Backes. Interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteOh snap, vancouver offer sheet
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point with a 7.5M offer sheet?
ReplyDeleteBlues like him a lot, so can't imagine they pass.
Only thing I can think of is that St. Louis and Vancouver are in a bidding war for Sundin or Hossa, and Vancouver is trying to make STL choose between their own RFAs or a big UFA signing
ReplyDeleteTucker to Colorado. Fuck him.
ReplyDeleteDarcy Tucker to Colorado Avs. How much does he have left?
ReplyDelete$2.5 million for David Backes? Between this, Finger, Raycroft, and Theodore, tears are just streaming down my face right now I'm laughing so hard. This is the best Dominion Day ever.
ReplyDelete2.25M/yr for Darcy Tucker. Does anyone still want to make the argument that Torres is overpaid?
ReplyDeleteThere are just some fuckstick contracts going on here. The Finger deal is a giggle, Raycroft for 10 cents isn't worth it and Theodore at 5M.
ReplyDeleteI know he had a nice stretch there, but 5M? Long term?
I think the Oilers made that deal because they think they can do something with Brule, much as that might strike us all as insane.
ReplyDeleteI think the Oilers made that deal because they think they can do something with Brule, much as that might strike us all as insane.
ReplyDeleteI really believe that there’s another deal in the works. One more player.
I still can't believe Theodore managed to land himself a huge payday not just once, but twice! Are GMs hypnotized by this guy or something?
ReplyDeleteTheodore at 5M
ReplyDeleteAnd they wouldn’t pay Huet 5.6M. That is very interesting, and kind of dumb, but not as dumb as Colorado.
Jon:
ReplyDeleteThere certainly is something else... we still haven't heard a peep from Lowe.
TheOdour's contract makes re-upping Garon a bit of a worry. If MG has a better than league average season then we might have to budget all of Roli's money +.
ReplyDeleteI know he had a nice stretch there, but 5M? Long term?
ReplyDeleteI don't know LT, it's not like he's burned a team on a long term deal be...what? Are you kidding me? He got paid $16MM for the last three years of .895 goaltending over 3395 shots? That's unreal.
It's like the Caps feel like they're cheating if they don't waste $5MM on goaltending after last year.
Tyler: The problem is size. 5-10 180 and he's a physical player too so my worry is that he's not going to be a healthy player.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't play much for 61 games in the NHL btw. 600 minutes total, 49 on the PP.
Is there any connection between him and MacTavish? Vancouver Giants?
Apparently Katz is selling Hossa on the Oilers.
ReplyDeleteThe Hossa rumors just won't go away.
ReplyDeleteGuys: there's no way. Hossa isn't coming here. Impossible. I want to wish Marian and his family all the best in their new city that isn't Edmonton.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to the Calgary Flames this playoff season.
ReplyDelete5M dollar signing bonus for Sundin on that Vancouver offer. So, if he plays only one season, that is 12.5M. Not a bad play by Gillis.
ReplyDeleteDare to dream L.T.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to the Calgary Flames this off-season.
ReplyDeleteThe thing the media never talks about with Pitkanen is grey matter. They talk about heart and effort but I'd like to know how coachable the guy is/was.
ReplyDeleteNot LIKEABLE, coachable. Remember Jack Armstrong? Million dollar arm, ten cent head, that's what they called him.
One way to maybe circumvent the salary cap, would be to have katz owned perks, handed to the players for teh tenure of their stay.
ReplyDeleteFor example, say... a 10 Million Dollar mansion complete with matching his/her lambos?
He retains equity, theres value on the rockstar treatment for the players, only depreciation is on the female lambo fender benders :D
danny: I think that's illegal. They can hire the Dad to scout or whatever.
ReplyDeleteGuys: there's no way. Hossa isn't coming here. Impossible. I want to wish Marian and his family all the best in their new city that isn't Edmonton.
ReplyDeleteWaaaaaaaaaaaait a minute, what's going on here?
Guys, I was in a computer hockey league once, and it turns out that the single-season goalscoring record holder was one Marian Hossa.
ReplyDeleteWho set the record for the Edmonton Oilers.
Good omen? I think so! By which I, of course, mean "best of luck to the Calgary Flames this playoff season."
LT: really? Its pretty common for players / coaches etc to take in young guys. Ethan gave his place to Penner right? Something like that...
ReplyDeleteOr is it illegal to promise these things beforehand?
Just a thought