When it comes to arguing the Oilers blue, I think the entire group bought into the signature line from this young woman: resistance is futile. The Oilers led the league in GA this season (about 50 above the average) and turned over an enormous percentage of their blueline at or around the deadline.Gone are Denis Grebeshkov, Steve Staios and Lubomir Visnovsky. The Oilers will try to move another contract (Sheldon Souray) this summer, leaving them with two actual NHL defenseman (Gilbert and Whitney) and a guy who has played in the show long enough that it is reasonable to count on him (Smid).
Souray's contract (5.4M times 2 years) might be easier to move because of two recent news items: Sather will apparently be back in NYC and the salary cap could increase by 2M in 2010-11.
Bubbling under are a bunch of not ready for prime time players like Taylor Chorney, Theo Peckham (who might be ready in a support role) and Alex Plante.
Bottom line: while we're talking about the draft and rambling on about the kids, we should say a little prayer to the hockey Gods. Steve Tambellini needs to bring in some help on the blue this summer. There are some nice mid-range free agents available. There's also Europe and some AHL veterans who might be able to help.
Can we agree that the Taylor Chorney-Bryan Young-Danny Syvret "hey we have a lotta defensemen in the AHL" plan doesn't work? I think the Oilers could use three mid-level free agents at the major and minor league levels this summer. EACH!
Seriously.
NOTE: GDT for the SCF G1 is below.
Aaron Johnson, Brett Lebda and just for old time's sake, MAB.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if I learned that Tambellini's strategy for the summer was to move down that list until he found two defensemen (three if we're not getting one back in the Souray deal) who would sign one year contracts for acceptable dollars, I'd be satisfied. I'm not expecting great players, I just want guys who have played enough NHL hockey to have some idea of what they're doing, and who will eat up minutes we'd otherwise be giving to Taylor Chorney.
ReplyDeleteWhitney-Gilbert
ReplyDeleteSmid-Souray deal
Peckham-Johnson
John Scott
Whitney and Gilbert have the makings of a solid top D pairing. Peckham-Johnson dont have to play a lot but when they do, they have to play hard and in your face. John Scott would be the nuclear enforcer that everyone seems to be looking for, but he can fill on forward or on D. I think the D has a better blend than last years team, not to mention less expensive, but signing Johnson and getting good value in the Souray deal are pretty important here. John Scott would be a nice luxary.
hey, where's strudwick? i hear he's great in the room!
ReplyDeleteAs much as Michalek is a player I desperately want the Oilers to take a run at, I'm fairly confident that's not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteWith that in mind, I really hope they're on the phone with the agents of Tony Lydman, Dennis Seidenberg, Henrik Tallinder, and Mike Weaver come July 1st.
Whitney - Gilbert
ReplyDeleteSmid - Lydman
Chorney/Peckham - Weaver
Something like that would be great.
"Whitney-Gilbert
ReplyDeleteSmid-Souray deal
Peckham-Johnson
John Scott
Whitney and Gilbert have the makings of a solid top D pairing."
they only have that potential if you really, really squint.
Whitney is maybe the lesser half of an elite top D pairing.
Gilbert could be the better half of a solid 2nd D pairing.
together, they're passable, maybe, as the top D pairing on a non playoff team.
they also don't strike me as the kind of defensemen who can play the kinds of endless shifts necessary to keep the heat on the 3rd D pairing to an absolute minimum. and our 3rd D pairing is barely above
AHL calibre.
the blueline situation is an absolute disaster, and probably the biggest, most overlooked problem that the oilers have right now.
souray's money and length of contract suggest he should be an elite level defenseman. he's not, and the problems cascade down the rest of the defensive roster.
huge, huge problems that can't be solved through drafting. at least not quickly enough to be addressed before we lose eberle, hall/seguin, mps etc to free agency. here's where the inability to attract elite and mid-level UFAs absolutely cripples the team's ability to grow.
Drew Bagnall on Manchester would be a great addition to either The Oilers or Barons.
ReplyDeleteThe defence is fucked, for a lack of a better word.
ReplyDeleteTheo Peckham is not an NHL defenceman and should be in the AHL Johnson should be a replacement for Strudwick as a 7th defenceman.
Whitney-Gilbert
Smid - XXXX
XXXX - XXXX
Souray gets moved. I'd love Mike Riberio on the Oilers, and hopefully this rumoured deal is in the works. That still means you need to fill the bottom 3 with legitimate NHL defencemen.
Gilbert-Whitney
ReplyDeleteUFA/trade-Smid
UFA/trade-Peckham
Johnson/UFA
I like the idea of Weaver. He's underrated as a bottom pair type guy. I'd like to see Peckham there all season as the #6 and see if he can develop. He'll make mistakes, but maybe he can become a shut-down guy one day - the weaker half of a 2nd pairing, to borrow striatic's lingo.
I'm more concerned about having 'real' NHL d-men than forwards. Yeah, it'd be nice to have a 3C who can win a draw, and true top-6 forwards over 6', but I think there's enough talent coming through the pipeline at forward that it isn't a huge concern going forward.
The same can't be said for the defence - there are lots of potential bottom pairing guys, but no top pairing, or even second pairing prospects.
I have to agree. As well as the end of last year went for Whitney-Gilbert, I'd much prefer them as a 2nd pairig than one that's going to go up against the oposition's best.
ReplyDeleteThere are still a lot of questions about the defense. Not just who the other 3 are going to be, but questions about the guys we know will be mainstays
Whitney/Gilbert - Can they be a legit top pairing? They had success as a pair, but IMO Whitney simply did not look good. Slightly more physical, but otherwise the same player I didn't care for in Pittsburgh and Anaheim.
Smid - How good can he be without Visnovsky? Development rarely happens in a straight line, and Visnovsky has had a way of making his linemates look like world beaters in the past.
Some nice second tier UFA d-men:
ReplyDeleteBrett Clark
Toni Lydman
Dennis Seidenberg
Randy Jones
Shaone Morrisonn
Mark Eaton
Kurtis Foster
Carlo Colaicovo
Mike Weaver
Freddy Meyer
Best plug for my blog I could have asked for. I guess I should get started on my writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks LT.
Peter just mentioned the guy I'd be putting my eggs towards this summer.
ReplyDeleteKurtis Foster.
Saw him play in the Oilers-Lightning exhibition at MTS centre last year and holy mother is the guy absolutely massive. He's got the Bomb from the point we'll be lacking once Souray gets his wish. He's coming off a career year, but he's still somewhat of an unknown quantity at the NHL level.
I'd throw ~1.5M per at him on a 3-year pact. Quite a raise over his 600K salary this year, should at least get us to the bargaining table.
Can we really afford to give Foster the cherry ES minutes and ~4min/game of powerplay time to be successful?
ReplyDelete- Lead TB defensemen in PP TOI/G (by almost 2 full minutes)
- Doesn't kill penalties (0:13 per game last season)
- Highest % of Offzone starts among TB defensemen
- 6th in QualComp amond TB defensemen
- 2nd best QualTeam among TB defensemen
Foster had a great season personally, but how much of that was coaching?
How much do you estimate Hamhuis or Z. Michaelik will sign for on the open market? Is Nashville going to resign Hamhuis with all their cap space?
ReplyDeleteAn entertaining start to the finals, but each of these teams is playing defense like the mid-january Edmonton Oilers.
ReplyDeleteOne guy in the slot scores and three defending forwards and one defenseman looking at each other asking who was supposed to get his stick.
Paul Mara isn't completely terrible, he can PP.
ReplyDeleteI'd give Anton Babchuk a call, he's very large and has a cannon, can move the puck fairly well.
"Brett Clark
ReplyDeleteToni Lydman
Dennis Seidenberg
Randy Jones
Shaone Morrisonn
Mark Eaton
Kurtis Foster
Carlo Colaicovo
Mike Weaver
Freddy Meyer"
most of these guys are either too old to fit a long term rebuild, not good enough to sign or probably wouldn't want to sign here.
one guy on that list i'd REALLY like edmonton to take a crack at signing is Carlo Colaicovo, though i imagine he will see interest from much better teams. could take an overpay : [
I know it was said many times last year but I would really like to see the oilers sign Kurtis Foster. with souray gone he could really help our PP out.
ReplyDeleteWe've got 3 NHL defensemen. They need players for next year, but they don't all have to be long term options. We still need to be able to ice a team, and filling the roster with rookies isn't the answer.
ReplyDelete""Some nice second tier UFA d-men:
ReplyDeleteBrett Clark
Toni Lydman
Dennis Seidenberg""
since the lockout two dmen have been top 50 in one season in
EvG
EVPt
EVGA
PPG
PPPt
PKGA
Blocks
Hits
Chara
Seidenberg.
You lock up Seidenberg 28Y For 2.7-3M for 5 years
He fits the 27yr old to 33 time period for players to acquire.
Lets assume Rozsival will be here next year. He's good d-man I have no problem with him becoming an Oiler.
ReplyDeleteA few guys who I'd like to get. If we could get them cheap enough.
I don't know how serious his injuries are, but would love to get VanRyn. He was out all of last year, but he would be a great d-man for the Oilers if he's healthy. You might be able to get him cheap due to the injury.
Lydman, Foster, Jurcina and Scott could all be a be a good d-man.
Tambi should be able to get a couple of d-man this off season, they're enough available this off season.
How funny would it be if Tambellini signed Bergeron, Roy, and Syvret to fill out the top 6?
ReplyDeleteThen when Motin makes the team out of camp Lowe tells us how its a good problem to have too many defensemen.
I'm actually a little concerned with who Tambellini goes out and signs this summer. If History tells us anything a bunch of stay at home D will be signed, Pat Quinn will bet fired, and our new coach will be asking for fancy dans.
Johnny Boychuk form the Bruins is a 26 yr old UFA who can hit, defend and play 2nd PP minutes while killing penalties and playing tough minutes. yes he played with Chara in the playoffs, but he's a solid top 4 dman who can be had for around $2 mill. I'd take him first, since as much as i like Hamhuis, someone is going to give him $4 mill plus.
ReplyDeleteIf they could land Boychuk that would be great. (5yrs-12M?)
ReplyDeleteA Smid/Boychuk 3/4 is a stretch today sure, but it's tough as nails with (I think) significant upside in both players.
Add a Rozival/Peckham 5/6 in a Souray dump and I think the defense begins to make sense again.
Paestch is an interesting option as a depth guy - as is Johnson.
(anything that keeps Chorney away)
"You lock up Seidenberg 28Y For 2.7-3M for 5 years
ReplyDeleteHe fits the 27yr old to 33 time period for players to acquire."
except he won't sign here.
he has a good thing going in PIT and i imagine they'll attempt to re-sign him still, and if not - i don't see him moving from a potential championship team to a loser last place team like the oilers.
other, better teams will make him offers in that range for sure.
By Pittsburgh you mean Boston right?
ReplyDeleteMorisson would be nice, though my guess is that Vanc. might take a run at him since he's a BC boy. I like the idea of a 2 year (3 at most) deal for Mike Mottau - not sexy but he's experienced probably not too expensive and some veteran savvy at the bottom and in the room would be a help.
ReplyDeleteI always felt Seven of Nine should be at least Eight of Nine.
ReplyDeleteAnd that Taylor Chorney was an AHL dman.
yes. by pittsburgh i mean boston.
ReplyDeletebut they're also a potential championship team.
sorry about that. i was thinking about Mark Eaton but the same logic applies.
Striatic,
ReplyDeletewell he signed with FLA last season, not exactly a contender, and the team he's on has cap issues and a Johnny Boychuk to sign.
"well he signed with FLA last season, not exactly a contender"
ReplyDeletethat was last season though. i don't think it is far fetched that switching teams from a loser to a contender and changing from a habitual minus player to a solid plus might effect the guy's outlook.