The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Alexander Giroux to a rumored one-way contract (waiting for confirmation on the 1-way, you can follow Corey Graham on twitter). He is a ridiculous talent at the AHL level, having scored 36, 42, 33, 60 and 50 goals in his last five minor league seasons.
Giroux is an older player (29), but has size (6.03, 190) and is a shooter (253 shots in 69 games with Hershey in 09-10).
The one-way deal implies he's an Oiler, but his resume suggests he'll be a Baron. Either way, he is a shooter and at the very least should be considered the new Ryan Potulny on this year's depth chart. This is a solid move, no matter where he plays.
Excellent depth move by ST. This is turning out to be the summer of Steve. I guess all that time spent analyzing, before Klowe gave him the reins was god for him.
ReplyDeleteif intended for the AHL, i've been anticipating a deal like this for a while. the farm team really needed to be shored up and some veteran AHL talent needed to be brought in to do that.
ReplyDeleteif the intent is to give him him a shot at the big club, that's okay too, but i think a guy like this could really help stabilize the development system.
Sounds like a good signing, what's he like in the faceoff department?
ReplyDeletelooks like he's been given a handful of shots at the show with washington but just can't make the jump.
ReplyDeletepretty meagre results on NHL ice.
He scored 3 EV points in a little over 79 minutes on the ice, which works out to 2.27/60. Very small sample and the Caps are loaded, but he did well with his hour in the show.
ReplyDeletei like the signing and would like him to get a chance to make the Oilers next year, but, remember, Chris Minard and Charles Linglet both have good AHL scoring resumes, but neither made an impact in the NHL.
ReplyDeleteso i guess he signs here to have a better chance cracking the NHL lineup than in DC. makes sense on his part.
ReplyDeletebut Giroux's stats in the AHL are much better than Minard's or Linglet's and Giroux is a goal scorer, so he'll get a long look at camp.
ReplyDeleteLowetide: you're usually fairly conscientious in your choice of photograph. Does the Capitals jersey tell us where you think Giroux fits in the depth chart, or is the NHL sweater just a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteexcellent signing. But the one thing i look at is he's a LW.. were so deep at LW's now.
ReplyDeleteHe has some size and will get a long look in camp.
LT, with your new position at ON, perhaps you can find out why Copper&Blue was taken off their BlogRoll? It just seems a little peculiar.
ReplyDeleteThe very top AHL guys do not come cheap sometimes it seems. PA Parenteau for example played in the AHL on a 1 way 500k contract last season. Yesterday he just signed a new 1 way 600k contract with the same team (Rangers). I am sure there are a few other examples. But I am too tired to look it up. :)
ReplyDeleteI do recall Guy Flaming saying last off-season, that Giroux was looking for a 1 way 500k deal to play in the AHL before he signed.
Why don't the Oiler look at and sign Zenon Konopka - UFA from TB. He is a center and brings toughness. Here are some notables from last year:
ReplyDelete*Leads NHL & TBL with 265 PIM and ranks 2nd on team in FO% with 62.5.
*Ranks 5th on the team in hits with 106.Ranks 3rd among former and current *NHL players with the most fights since the 1997-98 season with 33.
Lt,
ReplyDeleteThanks, you are the main reason this season still had me following hockey in any capacity.
Your style has me checking in daily for years now. It has allowed me to look at the game with an immeasureable amount of insight. You have made hockey that was just god awful more intersting.
I wish you all the best and can't thank you enough for what you've shown myself and many others. Reading the comments on you gagner piece, quickly realized I don't have time or interest to filter through the amount of noise present. Its in the sports section, on the street and in the pub everday. This has always been a daily pleasure as much for you posts as the discussion it initiated. I know I've taken a lot more than I could hope to add to you conversation over these past four years but as a casual poster daily reader I wish you all the best.
Came for cino stayed for lowetide.
Good luck over there.
Chartleys
Kind of wondering if a whale hunt deal is about to go down. Is another Penner/Cogliano/D-man trade in the works?
ReplyDeleteHe signed on to play for Tom Renney, so maybe he's looking to crack the bottom six? Or is JFJ still injured with no chance of being in the lineup by opening night? Right now our LW depth chart is:
Penner
Hall (no way he's back in junior)
JFJ
Jones
MacIntyre
Giroux
Omark
Looks a little heavy...even if Linus stays with the Barons.
magisterrex said...
ReplyDeleteKind of wondering if a whale hunt deal is about to go down. Is another Penner/Cogliano/D-man trade in the works?
I've been wondering how much ST has been tempted by the apparent availability of Spezza?
Parenteau and Konopka have been signed by the NY Islanders.
ReplyDeletePenner
ReplyDeleteHall (no way he's back in junior)
JFJ
Jones
MacIntyre
Giroux
Omark
You are forgetting MPS. Mens World Championship Allstar.
I also think Omark plays RW, not positive.
I've been wondering how much ST has been tempted by the apparent availability of Spezza?
ReplyDeleteWord is that since Spezza got his balloon payment of 4M on July 1, he's no longer available.
I think Giroux is one of my 'warm bodies' for MPS to have to force his way past.
ReplyDeleteMPS has said he is okay with starting in the AHL for '4 or 5 games' (!!) if necessary. Can point out Giroux every time MPS whines about being in the AHL.
Why isn't Groux in the NHL? Can he skate?
I love this signing. Rebuilding teams need these guys.
Giroux was also the AHL leading scorer in the playoffs on the Champion Hersey Bears.
ReplyDeleteScored at a 1.49pts/gm clip in the regular season and 1.29pts/gm in the playoffs. Did similar numbers last year too.
Probably looking for something similar to Arsene last year. A top end AHL contract with a real chance to play NHL minutes.
Hockeydb lists him as a C, AHL as a LW. Not that these sites get it right all the time, nhl.com has listed Dustin Penner as RW for two years now.
Good depth signing.
More depth D please.
More NHL RW and C please.
If he signs a one way, does that mean he has to clear waivers to come up or go down?
ReplyDeleteWG - I'd be okay with another Giroux on the RW in front of Omark and Eberle.
ReplyDeleteStill need a 3C, but we have the makings of a lottery team.
Matt.N. 1-way and 2-way are about money.
ReplyDeleteWaivers is a separate issue and apply no matter if you are on a 1-way or 2-way.
@ Deano
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I am wrong please.
One way contract = 1 salary no matter which league you play and had to clear waivers before you got sent down (i.e. Souray and POS)
Two Way contract = 1 salary for NHL and another for AHL. (i.e. Reddox) and no waiver eligibility.
You are saying that waiver eligibility is a separate item that gets negotiated into a one way or two way contract.
Deano - agreed
ReplyDeleteMatt - almost
A two way contract has nothing to do with waiver eligibility.
Its only about the money.
Most players on two way contracts are waiver eligible given their age, games played, etc.
Waiver eligibility is determined by the CBA, not an individual contract.
Link to PDF download of NHL 2005 CBA
ReplyDeleteHandy to have if you are interested in these types of things, can speak some legalese, like to squint, or think banging your head against a brick wall is too much fun.
Waivers are Article 13.
ReplyDeleteIts page 84 of 472 in the PDF.
Still need a 3C, but we have the makings of a lottery team.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably not a bad thing for this year.
Sell off as many of the 1 year contracts for draft picks at the deadline and start to add real pieces as they come available.
Dale Tallon was been wrong about a lot of things, but his take on draft pick values is a good one. (paraphrased):
"They get handed out like candy at the trade deadline and treated like gold at the draft"
Any good manager should load up when they are cheap and sell them off when expensive, or use them.
Hopefully 3.0 does that this year.
Once some Real NHL Players are sold off, the lottery might be in full view.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKulemin in TO signed a 2 yr $2.35 mill per deal. He is a comparable this past season to Gagner, so expect Gagner's camp to push for a similar offer. i think the Oil get him for 1 year at $2 mill (if gagner wants to try and improve his numbers), or the Oil offer him a multi year deal that brings him on year shy of his UFA year (I think that means 4 years) at around $3 mill (which is what Versteeg basically signed ofr last year, and he's a good UFA comparable for gagner).
ReplyDeleteAs for the Giroux signing, he is exactly the kind of guy we could use. He can play anywhere in your lineup, he obviously can score and he's not a smaller player (like potulny). If he breaks camp with the big club that is good because the kids go back down. If he gets sent down then he is the #1 vet centre for the barons and it brings a vet presence to the AHL team that the kids will need. Personally I hope he make sthe big club, because that means some of the kids start in the minors.
@WG
ReplyDeleteYou going to the WSOP this year? I got my seat last month.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteOn a whim I played two tourneys last night after my wife and 16 month old daughter went to bed.
First time I played online in over a year. Just no time.
Still doing the drunken 2/5 or 5/10 live when in Vegas or occasionally local, always full of comedy and profitable.
Still playing lots?
2 kids under 2. Cuts into the degen weekends. Don't have the patience to grind really. Looking forward to Vegas and the 10K though.
ReplyDeletehttp://howlings2.wordpress.com/2010/07/02/ex-wolf-pack-forward-alex-giroux-to-edmonton/
ReplyDeleteWow.
ReplyDeleteYou are better at time management and have a much more understanding wife!
We actually talked about me going and she's supportive, I just can't find the time nor inclination to win a seat.
Good job!
Why isn't Groux in the NHL? Can he skate?
ReplyDeleteIt's gotta be the skating. It's always the skating with these types especially since he's not a midget.
Can't skate and tend to be soft seems to be the book on him.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't matter, really. If the Oilers want a warm body to stand in the way of the kids while himselfs having a shot of making someting of soft minutes, Giroux is a decent bet.
Nice, nice move.
Caps fan here. Not saying this isn't a good depth signing, but don't expect much in terms of production at the NHL level. When he was on the ice, he was given a handfull of opportunities (even one as Alex Ovechkin's right wing two seasons ago). He cherry picks, gets about a breakaway a game if he can (he' pretty slow) and biffs the shot right into the keeper's chest. His shot is not deceptive enough to beat NHL keepers. He's your classic 4A player - too good for the AHL, not good enough for the NHL.
ReplyDelete"Kulemin in TO signed a 2 yr $2.35 mill per deal. He is a comparable this past season to Gagner, so expect Gagner's camp to push for a similar offer."
ReplyDeleteSam Gagner
223 44 87 131
Nikolai Kulemin
151 31 36 67
Gagner PPG for career: 0.58
Kulemin PPG for career: 0.44
Gagner PPG last year: 0.60
Kulemin PPG last year: 0.46
Kulemin is also 3 years older than Gagner.
How exactly are these guys good compatibles and why would Gagner's camp look for similar money to a much, much inferior player?
good depth signing.mps,eberle,omark are all eligable to be sent down to ahl.one or all could be sent down & a guy like giroux could play on a top line with these guys in the minors.I was hoping the oil would resign potulny to be a minor league scorer to help the young talent.tambo really has done an excellent job this offseason.this move is just another piece of rebuilding the entire organization both in the NHL & ahl.
ReplyDeleteHe's your classic 4A player - too good for the AHL, not good enough for the NHL.
ReplyDeleteOh, Christ, did we just sign JF Jacques again?
souray cleared waivers.
ReplyDeleteper Rishaug - Souray clears.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get just money back.
We'll see if Tambo will take someone else's bad deal back.
We'll see if Tambo will take someone else's bad deal back.
ReplyDeleteAt this point unless he's pure poison in the dressing room, I say make him play. He can hardly complain that Tambellini's not doing enough to trade him when we now have conclusive proof that his value is negative. All else being equal, the Oilers' defensive corps is substantially better with Souray than without, and it's not like we're short of cap space for the coming year.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
He needs to build some value.
Unless v3.0 thinks he's locker room poison.
Still a chance that a deal happens though.
if no one takes souray this summer, i think the oilers are going to hit a big bump in the rebuild. he delays everything.
ReplyDeletehe takes up a big chunk of cap space that is going to be needed soon, if not immediately, to acquire key players over the next couple of years.
i'm not sure he's tradeable next year either. even before his injuries last year he seemed to have lost a lot of foot speed and his shot wasn't particularly potent compared to seasons previous. my hunch is that he won't bounce back next year, now that he's even more banged up. his wrist might very well be completely shot [multiple injuries] and i think forwards will keep getting the drop on him as he continues to slow.
just a bad, bad situation. hoping he proves me wrong, but he didn't look great last year even when healthy which is cause for concern if we need him to "build value" next year.
if no one takes souray this summer, i think the oilers are going to hit a big bump in the rebuild. he delays everything.
ReplyDeleteI don't see it.
The rebuild centers around the development of the young guys - something that will take three years (if you figure some will play as rookies this year, some the next couple of years, add in a sophmore slump or two, etc)
The Oilers have cap room and Souray isn't taking any prospect's spot. If the next Drew Doughty came along the Oilers could fit him in easy.
Souray isn't delaying anything. I expect the Oilers will bite on taking some big ticket back or just play him. If he plays well and keeps his mouth shut (which he ought to be motivated to do) he could be downright popular at the trade deadline.
Smartest move Tambellini has made on a player who isn't 18. I've been begging for this signing for the last two off-seasons, and management finally came through for me.
ReplyDeleteHe'll pot twenty this year if he plays 50 games with the Oilers.
Giroux is not going to play in Edmonton unless injuries take their toll. He's an AHL signing pure and simple, this year's Minard. Not sure why so many are already penciling him into the line-up.
ReplyDeleteOnly problem is that he's not NHL caliber talent. Cant seem to make the jump.
ReplyDeleteI've watched Giroux play for the Hershey Bears for the last two years. The upside: He is a sniper par excellence -- accurate and lightning fast release, with a scorer's mentality. He's also a decent passer -- sees the ice well. And he's a really good guy -- a plus on the team. The downside is he struggles with defense and puck handling under pressure, though not for lack of trying. I think he could be a good fit on an NHL team that is strong defensively but needs a gunner. My guess is that's he's going to Edmonton because he thinks he can make the big club. I hope so -- he deserves a legit shot at the NHL, and the Caps are already loaded with snipers.
ReplyDeleteThe new Ryan Potulny? Ooh, high praise. The great Ryan Potulny. Who? Man the Oilers are a bunch of nobodies other than Taylor Hall.
ReplyDelete