Patrick O'Sullivan's hand and Ethan Moreau's neck may mean a callup from Springfield is imminent. There's not much left in the Falcons cupboard but someone is likely going to get their ticket punched to the show in the next 24 hours.Among the players who are outright Oilers prospects (forwards) are Liam Reddox, Colin McDonald and Ryan O'Marra. We've seen those three earlier in the season and may see them again when the Oilers take on Montreal and Toronto this week.
Also available are Oilers forward prospects who've never made the show. They include Slava Trukhno (photo), Geoff Paukovich and Bryan Lerg.
Finally, there are "Falcons", minor league veterans who are signed to AHL contracts. Often these players have in fact been acquired by the AHL team itself, and these men would include Rob Hisey, Charles Linglet, Colton Fretter and Chris Minard. To my knowledge, only Minard is signed to an Oiler contract from that group of minor league veterans.
If the Oilers were about bringing up the best actual player, I think Linglet or Minard would get the call, with Hisey a possibility. Having said that, teams in 30th are basically looking to next season so a Reddox or McDonald might be the better bet.
And then there's Trukhno. Edmonton has a bunch of AHL forwards who are restricted free agents this summer (Trukhno, McDonald, Reddox, Paukovich, Lerg, O'Marra) plus guys like Potulny, Jacques, Pouliot and Stone to make decisions on during the off-season. This might be the Last Chance Texaco for prospect and team. Many of these players could be in Europe or in another NHL team's training camp come the fall.
It'll be an interesting callup. or two.
I'd like to see Ryan O. I think he can be an NHL grinder one day. Big enough, skates well, maybe he can get good on draws? He also has pretty good hands for a would-be 4th liner.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Trukhno, opinions one him are varied but I'd at least to see what he'd look like in the chel.
ReplyDeleteHe's got speed for a 6'1'' guy, it would be interesting to see what that would do on the ice with all the speedy smaller forwards.
Eberle?
ReplyDeleteI'll choke if it's Rob Hisey.
ReplyDeletewe can't get Captain Clutch until he's done in Regina.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I read this blog is because even when I can't thing of a single damn positive thing to say, you come up with something. Here's to a longshot getting his once-in-a-lifetime.
ReplyDeleteSince we've had a glance at O'Marra, Reddox and McDonald, why not get a look at Turkno and see if there is something worth looking at?
ReplyDeleteLet's go with Liam Reddox. Of that group (with the possible exception of Minard) he has the best chance of being an actual NHL player.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to see Reddox again, and would love to see how Minard performs now that he is healthy. Reddox takes Moreau's role and Minard takes O'Sullivan's role. Can't be much of a drop off in talent based on play!
ReplyDeleteSmart management would call up Trukhno and see what he can do with skilled players before his contract expires.
ReplyDelete...and see what he can do with skilled players before his contract expires.
ReplyDeleteWho's that? /end sorta sarcasm
Any news on POS? I see this from Tencer...
ReplyDeleteQuinn says slash did "quite a bit" of damage to O'Sullivan's hand. Says he had a "procedure" done. Will be out for a while, sounds like.
C'mon Trukhno!
O'Marra gets my vote. We're lacking in size up the middle so we might as well see if he can play against NHLers while we have the chance.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what we can get out of O'Marra, he at least looks like he might have a future.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of prospects, if you'd like a treat, go find Strasburg's 2 innings from yesterday. WOW.
ReplyDeleteAny French guys who we could dangle in front the Habs management?
ReplyDeleteHow about Milan Kytnar? He'd be fun to see. The Giants don't start their playoffs for 9 days.
ReplyDeleteClassic GDT yesterday. Sorry I had to miss all the fun.
ReplyDeleteIMO, bring up Reddox and Trukhno because you need to have a player who can play and a look at the guy who is gone this summer. Which means that it is MacDonald and Minard coming up. Big, slow and unlikely to ever play regularly in the show.*
*the slow tag does not necessarily apply to Minard.
Looks like I'm going to see Ldn Knights vs Sarnia Sting this evening. If anyone here is interested in some particular draft prospect(s) I'd be happy to keep an eye open for them and give you a quick take on how they're looking right now.
ReplyDeleteCSS has two guys from each of these teams, all in the 100-200 rankings
ReplyDeleteLondon:
123 Jared Knight (C)
171 Reid McNeill (D)
Sarnia:
142 Joe Rogalski (D)
167 Brandon Alderson (RW)
If the Oilers were about bringing up the best actual player, I think Linglet or Minard would get the call, with Hisey a possibility. Having said that, teams in 30th are basically looking to next season so a Reddox or McDonald might be the better bet.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that any of the names mentioned really have a chance of making the big club next year, so I'm not sure I see the value of bringing them up on that basis.
You probably want Eberle up for his 9 games (while making it clear to him that there's still a very good chance he stays in the A next year). Beyond that, I think maybe you do try to bring some of those AHL veterans up, to see if you can keep them in fold for the move to OKC.
Minard's getting a lot of ink in this regard and Truk's being mentioned as well so I'd say those two get the call.
ReplyDeleteReddox and ROM as the darkhorses.
Alice, could you take a look at Nazem Kadri, I know he's a Maple Leaf prospect, but that's because I've been a Leaf fan my whole life as well as an Oilers fan.
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever really seen him in Junior, just see if he dominates the way that Seguin, Hall, Tavares used to do in Junior.
Man, Leafs and Oilers, It sure is a helluva bad year for me eh?
I haven't really been paying any attention to Nazem, since he's already drafted. The guys you're talking about dominated in their draft years, then went straight to NHL, where Kadri is on the Eberle path, playing out another year of jr after they were drafted and didn't head to the show straight-away. But yeah, I'm interested to see what Burkie was buying when the play for Kadri left MPS to fall in our lap. God bless him.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me his WJC was a mixed bag this year, started off well but was pretty invisible later in the tourney. I could be wrong, that's just off the top of my head.
One of my boys cheers for the Leafs, so as I say to him too: we are solemnly joined in our futility. At least my team has the frigging draft pick though!
Burke is insane to spend 2(1 probably 1 possible) first round lottery picks for a 30 goal scorer.
ReplyDeleteOf course our very own Burke Light nearly got his wish to destroy the Oilers with 4 first round picks for Vanek.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's Class VI after this year, isn't he?
ReplyDelete@Alice: Kadri didn't impress me at all in the World Juniors. As I recall, he made a lot of lazy/selfish plays and couldn't connect on a one-timer if his life depended on it. For that matter, I also thought Hall showed a stunning lack of awareness at points for a #1 overall pick, though he also made up for it more with his production and playmaking later in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteThis year's World Juniors, as a whole, were a pretty weak pool compared to past years, which makes me wonder if, in a different year, that same Team Canada would've even made the gold-medal game.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis brings up an interesting dilemna...
ReplyDeleteWould you rather be sitting in Brian Burke's chair with his hockey players or in Tambo's chair with the Oilers.
One has a bad team with draft picks coming up, the other has an imbalanced team with no draft picks.
????
Burke is insane to spend 2(1 probably 1 possible) first round lottery picks for a 30 goal scorer.
ReplyDeleteTotally. I wonder what sort of record Burke thought the Leafs would finish with? I guess he wasn't bull$%&#in' about expecting the '09-10 club to make the playoffs.
If the Bruins snag a Hall/Seguin, then a Nugent (or hockey gods forbid) or a Larsson next season...I think Chiarelli should buy Burke a boat or something.
ReplyDeleteI've held a dislike of the Bruins organization for some time, but damn if I don't like their players. It would be hard not watching and cheering for that team.
Uni:
ReplyDeleteThe Sabres wouldn't have had a shot at Gagner, in much the same way that Anaheim couldn't get him. The picks for Vanek would have started from the 2008 draft.
From the last entry since we've moved over....
ReplyDeletePDO said...
As someone who has barely seen either play... I have a hard time seeing how Seguin isn't the #1 pick... and it's getting harder by the day.
Quick numbers (and why can't the OHL have a decent site?):
Seguin:
60GP-47G-105P +17 on a team that is +50 and has scored 239 goals (Seguin in on 43.9% of goals).
His next closet teammate is ranked #41 in the OHL with 23 goals and 61 points.
Hall:
56GP-39G-103P +45 on a team that is +132 and has scored 319 goals (Hall is on on 32.2% of goals).
He has Henrique (#16, 37G-76P), Shugg (#20, 37G-74P), Nemisz (#21, 34G-70P), Wellwood (#27, 31G-66P)...
So...?
Dennis said...
Brian: the Oilers have been after the one-shot scorer ever since Lowe attached the label to Jochen Hecht.
So I suspect they'll take Hall.
PDO said...
Dennis:
47 in 60 > 39 in 56? Especially since we know its not like anyone is giving Seguin any sweet dishes?
Doritogrande: Whoops! Don't believe I missed that.
ReplyDeleteSo here's the do over scenario for Buffalo then: Vanek at 50 million for 7 years or Myers, Svensson, Hall/Seguin, and a 2010 1st round pick.
That Vanek offer sheet was the moment that I realized that Kevin Lowe had lost touch and wasn't a good GM anymore. Hell he was in John Ferguson Jr. territory there.
So here's the do over scenario for Buffalo then: Vanek at 50 million for 7 years or Myers, Svensson, Hall/Seguin, and a 2010 1st round pick.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's assuming that history plays out exactly as it would have otherwise.
Would we finish higher in 2008 with Vanek over Penner? Maybe.
Would we be a lottery team this year? If we have our superstar, we're not trying to impress Dany Heatley. If we're not trying to impress Dany Heatley maybe we don't sign Khabibulin for his all-important Stanley Cup ring. (Not to mention the money involved!) Then we actually have a goalie this year. Who knows.
I agree that 4 first rounders is crazy, but who knows where they would have placed.
You have to wonder if Darcy Regier ever considered not matching.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember seeing the offer sheet reported during my lunch hour at work and then seeing the report of it being matched before I was done my sandwich.
If Regier was just seeing red and matched without thinking about it, that's a pretty huge error in judgement and the mark of a guy who's maybe too emotional to be running a team.
I'd still take him ahead of our clowns though.
Schitzo, of course Vanek instead of Penner means a different place finish in the standings, and different players may have been picked. That aside playing what if is fun.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm not sure how much those 40 goals a season would affect the team though, but with 3.14 million less wiggle room they'd likely also be even less balanced.
4 first rounders and a cap strung 7.14 million a year for 7 years is just nuts.
Now I'm not sure how much those 40 goals a season would affect the team though, but with 3.14 million less wiggle room they'd likely also be even less balanced.
ReplyDeleteNo POS, no Khabi, maybe no whopping Horc extention. Man, life would be tough.
Vanek a superstar?
ReplyDeleteI had no idea the NHL was the sports equivalent of the Milky Way galaxy.
There's a book called The Peter Principle, it's premise is that everyone rises to their level of incompetance.
ReplyDeletePrior to the lockout everyone used to talk about how Kevin Lowe was one of the brightest young general managers, because he used to be able to ice somewhat competitive teams without any real money to spend.
Then Lowe gets the money and instantly proves he hasn't got a fucking clue what money is, how to spend it wisely, anything. More or less proving the book correct, at least in Lowe's case.
With Vanek, and without those first rounders, perhaps they are forced to sign real NHLers and try to win?
ReplyDeleteAdd to that Vanek really wanted to be here, and the fact that he'd be playing with Hemsky...the possibilities still intrigue me.
Strong. Rubbery. Thighs.
ReplyDeleteGumby.
With Vanek, and without those first rounders, perhaps they are forced to sign real NHLers and try to win?
ReplyDeleteReally? You think they weren't trying to sign real NHLers? Khabibulin, Souray, and even Horcoff were all part of the 'let's set our money on fire to keep trying to win!' plan. They weren't purposely signing bad deals, the people in charge are really just that stupid.
Incidentally, LT, I think "Last Chance Texaco" probably wins the title for your favourite post title.
ReplyDeleteBut this time it's the real "Last Chance Texaco", unlike those other "Last Chance Texacos" ;).
ReplyDeleteIs there any truth to the rumour that a giant sea creature is going to emerge and wreak havoc on one of the NHL's coastal franchises?
ReplyDeleteAnd if the impossible happens, does anyone think it will happen during a game?
But this time it's the real "Last Chance Texaco", unlike those other "Last Chance Texacos" ;).
ReplyDeleteWell, in LT's defense, all of those posts have been about different players.
I wonder if NYI wishes they had taken Hedman or Duchene, with JT getting his first goal in 17 games last night.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if NYI wishes they had taken Hedman or Duchene, with JT getting his first goal in 17 games last night.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't matter because they've got Robbie friggin' Schremp!!
Is there any truth to the rumour that a giant sea creature is going to emerge and wreak havoc on one of the NHL's coastal franchises?
ReplyDeleteIt's not a rumor. It's predicted by the East Cost Sea-monster and Oceanagraphic Institute. (ECSOI) They also predict that the Clash of The Titans remake will be totally unrealistic and crappy.
---
I'm all for Minard. Give him a cup of coffee. He showed well for Pittsburgh in a brief stint last year. Can he kill penalties? (I'm guessing, Trukhno doesn't.) It would be nice if we had more PK'ers on cheap contracts for the 4th line.
PDO: Can't start regretting after so few games. Maybe in 1-2 year.
ReplyDeleteQuain,
ReplyDeleteNail on the head!
An Echo of JW's two latest articles on ON...
Be careful what you say boys (and Alice), it looks like big brother's listening to us:
ReplyDeletehttp://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=313335
psst...Alice is a dude.
ReplyDeleteHilarious that some fans believe that only cheering Oiler wins no matter what the eventual outcome is the measure of the true fan, which is like being a dog wagging it's tail at the master who beats it.
ReplyDeleteOr is a dude Alice?
ReplyDeleteJust a quick heads up for anyone curious about Oilers thoughts Hall/Seguin.
ReplyDeleteOilers President Kevin Lowe has been on the road scouting Hall and Seguin since the Olympics...he joins me on the show tonight. 8:35pm/CHED.
- http://twitter.com/dantencer
Didn't see this anywhere yet, but cry for Trukhno
ReplyDeleteThe Islanders have just annouced that center Rob Schremp will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his right knee in the first period of the team's game last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. Schremp has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus and will need surgery. - Islanders website
ReplyDeleteHorcoff can surely beat him in the points race now!....Right?
...Minard was clearly the best guy to call up as far as performance goes.
ReplyDelete...Minard was clearly the best guy to call up as far as performance goes.
ReplyDeleteAnd therefore the worst as far as what the Oilers need right now. I hope this is just a temporary thing until the WHL season ends, after which we'll hurry up and sign Abney to a pro contract.
Oilers Recall Minard
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTP3ScWi7rc
ReplyDeleteIt's just a perfect title. Plus a good song.