House is an Alberta boy, and has played in both the AJHL and BCJHL. He went 35gp, 10-25-35 with 56pims this season for Maine. He scored 4 PP goals and a shorthanded tally, and took 102 shots. He's 6,02, 200. He turns 25 this spring, so is long in the tooth for a prospect and should be considered a candidate for the Oilers/Barons at training camp.
I guess the Oilers did have scouts in Maine; however, they may not have been watching former draft pick Robby Dee. This is the second NCAA grad to sign with the Oilers. The club signed Taylor Fedun a couple of weeks ago.
Another VandeVelde?
ReplyDeleteLooked at in a vacuum, he doesn't look like a gamebreaker or future impact player. Looked at as a sign that Edmonton is looking into "new" methods of player procurement and having success getting those players this is actually a wonderful signing. It's the sort of things the Red Wings and, more recently, the Ducks and Leafs under Burke would do.
ReplyDeleteI love signings like this. Fedun, same thing. Four year college vet, captain, at worst you're getting a responsible player whose talent will find its level, but who will almost certainly help his team at that level.
ReplyDeleteLT:
ReplyDeleteI could be mistaken here, but I think House is old enough that he isn't subject to the ELC system. If that's the case, in theory this could be a one way contract like Matt Gilroy was with the Rangers two years ago. I don't expect it to be, but I suppose it's possible. I'm not sure how it works for the contract, whether this counts as year one or not.
I'll be curious to see the terms of this contract on capgeek when it comes up...
speeds: Interesting. I'll follow that on capgeek. If that is the case, is there a chance he plays here or OKC this season?
ReplyDeletePretty much agree with Bruce, I love seeing signings like this because there's very little risk to them. At best this signing ends up being a dependable two-way forward with leadership capabilities, and at worst an organizational depth forward who, if nothing else, will at least provide a push from beneath for some of our potential bottom six prospects.
ReplyDeleteI can't say with certainty, but I think it's possible that he does play this year, and that the year would count, based on Casey Wellman last year.
ReplyDeleteMy (limited) understanding is that most of the time, a team signs a college player to a contract that actually begins the following season and they play out the rest of the current season on an ATO. That could be mistaken, I haven't really read that section, I'm not entirely sure how it works.
But, based on the fact that Wellman's contract started last year, it seems possible. In fact, because it's not a ELC contract, maybe it has to start this season, I really can't speak with any authority here.
Maybe part of the deal was that he get some games in at the NHL to make some serious money, maybe he gets a big signing bonus, I guess we'll see when details are released - a lot of it depends on how many other teams wanted him, etc.
Like this thinking outside the box.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers need serious upgrade options on the bottom six. Size, two way and smarts. What's not to like. If he could play this year in OKC, even better.
Great news!
ReplyDeleteHF said this about him a week or so ago:
House has become one of those players in college hockey that has quietly flown onto the NHL free agent radar. This past summer, he attended the Montreal Canadiens prospects camp. The Cochrane, AB native centers Maine's excellent top line with juniors Brian Flynn and standout Gustav Nyquist (DET). House currently ranks fourth on the team with 33 points (ten goals, 23 assists) in 33 games to date and co-leads the Black Bears with plus-12. House has been especially good this season on special teams. Of his ten goals, half have come on special teams - four on the power play and one shorthanded. House is a finalist for this year's Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes the top senior's performance on the ice, in the classroom and in the community.
House is an outstanding two-way, playmaking center. He has good size (6'1/200 lbs) and uses it quite effectively. House also uses his size, strength advantageously in protecting the puck as well. One attribute that makes House such a great player is how well he balances his offensive and defensive sides. While he can create and finish plays quite well, House is equally good at providing defensive support and is a very good shot-blocker. He has also shown that he can be effective in a checking role as well. For a player of his stature, he is remarkably agile on his skates. He is an outstanding skater with powerful yet fluid strides. While House doesn't possess blazing speed, he does get around the rink quite well. He has really nice hands and distributes the puck quite well.
@Ducey: What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteI hope he is 170% in the faceoff circle - that could go a long way to solving some problems.
ReplyDelete@Ducey: What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds like it was written by his dad, but another prospect can't hurt.
Sorry for being a contrarian. He is a 25 year college grad. Right? And we are wondering where he will play next year? Smid isn't 25.
ReplyDeleteOne immutable thing Bill James taught everybody who followed baseball is that an old prospect is, mostly, old.
Delighted Oilers are thinking outside of the box but can we do it with 20 and 21 year olds in NCAA? Course if I had the record of lateral hires this gang of brain dead twits did, I can see how 25 or 26 year old prospects might look like they may pan out.
I sincerely hope this works but expect it won't and then one of the Bobbesy twins will say it's not for a lack of effort.
can any of you Desjardins experts compare RNH vs Seguin last year using NHLE?
ReplyDeleteSeguin had 106 points in 63 games, but 48 goals.
RNH has 106 points in 109 points, only 31 goals though.
Does the WHL being a tougher league to score in offset RNH playing 6 more goals, using NHLE?
WOuld also be curious to know how much Desjardins docks Couturier for playing in the Q, NHLE wise.
Would love to have some rational Ryan fans explaining away the whole PP/EV point issue as in many ways he looks similar to Seguin last year.
Last point, Robby Dee had similar stats to this House fellow, but is two years younger, fwiw, and it seems like the Oilers forgot they drafted him based on a CoppernBlue interview from last year.
I mean to say RNH this year vs Seguin last year, of course, and that RNH played 69 games this year, not 109, of course. fat fingers
ReplyDeleteSeguin 09-10 82gp, 19-22-41
ReplyDeleteRNH 10-11 82gp, 11-27-38
I'm going to float this as just a theory and sorry - it's off thread.
ReplyDeleteSense from looking at the RNH is he's more play maker. If you draft him, does this mean you're planning on trading Hemsky this summer?
I half-wonder if this wasn't specifically aimed at addressing the gaping holes that are showing up in OKC, now that half the team is up here thanks to injuries/trades. I mean, sure, if he's a solution in the Oilers' bottom six, great, but I wonder if that's even what they were going for.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Lander insurance to me.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers can afford to give House half a season or even a season in the AHL, but that's about it as his age.
BTW - House has a 3.8 grade point average in Finance. This is no dummy. I is also a "rare two year captain" of his hockey team, according to his bio here: http://www.seniorclassaward.com/athletes/tanner_house/
House has a 3.8 grade point average in Finance.
ReplyDeleteHim and Fedun both brainiacs.
Who wudda thunk that the mean IQ in Oklahoma City would skyrocket once the AHL hit town?
montran, featuring the hit single rdar love
I would suspect the plan for him is the AHL and if it doesn't work out there he can play a role in the ECHL (though he might not be willing). Perhaps he has the stuff to be a role player in the NHL, but its a big jump from college.
ReplyDeleteI think this is another move that is based upon ensuring that the 'culture' of the organization is good right through. These 'character' players make the dressing room a better place and the Oilers need that both on their farm team and in Edmonton.
Meh. It's okay signings. These guys are already old, and didn't really punch it out in College.
ReplyDeleteHe's a signing for the AHL roster, or some 4th liner, at best.
Strome and RNH just look like the same guy by boxcars, Strome a bit ahead of him.
As for Landeskog I think he just hasn't produced enough to warrant the 1st pick.
Couturier for the steal.
i like watching some guys hum and haw because the guy doesn't drive the ball out of the park at the college level. we have a shitty bottom six with no definition, a blackhole at center and a nuclear fallout at special teams.
ReplyDeletewe know off the top that he's not being paid to come in here (NHL/AHL) to score goals and light it up. this resume screams character player who knows his role and will most likely bring some energy ... it's almost like ppl are secretly hoping we can keep players like JFJ!!
i think this is a great signing, doubly if we can get him out for the barons this year.
Looking at their stats and scouting reports, he doesn't look/sound that much different from a guy like Fernando Pisani. I agree with the general sense that this reinforces the player type lacking in the organization and if we can add 2/3 guys like this for nothing more than money and a contract, why not?
ReplyDeleteHouse looks almost the same on paper as Robby Dee except Dee is a year younger. It will be interesting to see if they sign Dee.
ReplyDeleteThey'd have VDV, TH, House, Dee, O'Marra, Reddox, Jones, JFJ, SMac all pushing for bottom six minutes. Cogs, Omark, Hamilton, Lander could be in the picture too.
Suddenly there would be some depth.
Serum : Big difference, Pisnai was 2 years younger.
ReplyDeleteThe mistake that the Oilers made for years was to sign one player at a time and it became the mantra that he would develop and become great. Give credit to Katz for realising that there had to be a development system in place even though it cost money initially and we get OKC as a farm team. Excellent potential to become as self supporting franchise. The two recent signings are more assets for at least the AHL. Also, the Oilers are knee deeper in wingers and sucking slough water in centers. They are not dominant in any portion of the ice. Options like Lander and House are gold assets and options, to even begin to build strength down the middle. You can't keep running ankle biters out there and expect to dominate. House - size and smarts is a bonus. He won't be watching the puck in his own zone.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that upsets me most with the present day Oilers is working hard, brain in neutral. Reading the ice is a total mystery. There are a few exceptions but the Jones, JFJs, Fosters et al running around just drive me berserk.
ReplyDeleteSeguin 09-10 82gp, 19-22-41
ReplyDeleteRNH 10-11 82gp, 11-27-38
Definitely not the same player. Yeah defeinitely not. Yeah definitely not.
House looks almost the same on paper as Robby Dee except Dee is a year younger. It will be interesting to see if they sign Dee.
ReplyDeletePoints wise they're similar...that's where the similarity ends, two completely different types of player.
Dee has a reputation as a bit of a power play specialist, and isn't known for his defensive ability. I don't see them signing him at all, but I could be wrong.
Has anyone been beating the Larsson drum harder than Jim Matheson?
ReplyDeleteSorry, that's a mobile link.
Spoiler: His article is ridiculous considering:
ReplyDeleteLidstrom was draft in the 3rd rounder and was more of a late bloomer.
The high end defenseman he named, none of them were lottery picks.
FPB: Doughty wasn't a lottery pick?
ReplyDeleteHis coach also said he coached Lidstrom from age 16 to 21. I think we can assume he is properly considering the context of his own statements.
Otherwise, I don't see anything in Matheson's articles to suggest he's "in the know" about who the team will take. It seems more like he is convinced that Larsson is the best player available and fills a need for the team.
Frankly, the Oilers could use both RNH/Couturier and Larsson. This will be a crucial draft for the Oilers' future.
I think if we realistically see the team being bottom 5 again next year you take Larsson. There are some good centres available in that range and usually a defender will take longer to develop. Take Larsson now and the centre next year.
People pushing RNH should stop to consider who he would play with. Putting him with Hall, Eberle would be the Powder Puff line. This isn't Flag Hockey. Hall, MPS, Hemsky, Eberle are not physical players. Hall, MPS as the protectors? I think not. Realistically it should be Larsson, Coutourier in that order all day long, McNeil, Musil with the second first.
ReplyDeleteI think we've been over this before FPB:
ReplyDeleteflamingpavelbure said...
Spoiler: His article is ridiculous considering:
Lidstrom was draft in the 3rd rounder and was more of a late bloomer.
At the time Lidstrom was drafted Euro players were not popular and largely ignored. Add to the fact that he was playing in relatively the middle of nowhere. The Wings scouts who saw him loved him and raved about him, and they knew they could sneak him out in the 3rd round (53th overall) because he wasn't on anyone's radar.
He was far from a late bloomer, he was just given time to develop properly. If a Lidstrom clone was available in this draft where Sweden is properly scouted we both know he wouldn't last that long.
Sure you can grab a Weber (in a very deep draft) or a Keith in the 2nd round if you luck out, but if one looks to be available in a draft tell me they wouldn't get strong consideration for 1st overall.
The high end defenseman he named, none of them were lottery picks.
The standouts that come to mind would be Doughty and Pronger when it comes to high picks. Also fun to note that the guy who got picked before Pronger was no hells bells. Also I bet a lot of GMs would love to do a redraft and grab Tyler Myers instead.
We get that you're a big Couturier booster, but it doesn't mean that the people here who support Larsson are out to lunch. Remember, everyone in the SEL is touting this guy as the best prospect to come out of Sweden since Forsberg.
I'm firmly in the Larsson camp, but time will tell, that's the thing about drafts, you can do all your homework, have all your biases and rationales, but chance is capricious.
fareeres: careers that go far?
Another hellacious option would be someone like Zibanejad with the second first. He's 33 in the video.
ReplyDeletehttp://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=881302&page=7
So I read Spoiler's link and it's interesting to see that it's Lowe and not the puppet who's talking about what the Oilers might draft.
ReplyDeleteJesus.
Can't Lowe even let everyone think for a second that Tambo's really the one in charge?
as I have said many times, he's the Sinden and Clarke figure in the Oilers org.
Uni: At draft age Lidstrom had 19 games and 2 points.
ReplyDeleteOf course Larsson looks better.
Mats Sundin was drafted N1 overall out of sweden.
People were saying things like this of Robert Nilsson too.
Sure you got Doughty, but you also got 3 guys right behind him, with only one who looks like he has the stuff to be the franchise guy.
Then you skip to 10-20 and you got, Karlsson, Teubert, Myers, Gardiner, Sbisa and Del Zotto.
As someone exposed earlier, success rate seems to go way up on forwards. I'm not saying Larsson's a bad pick, just that for defenseman, it seems like a better option to get 2-3 picks in the top 20 then try your luck with the lotto pick.
Dennis: And here I thought K-Lowe was the Bob Pulford of the Oilers.
ReplyDeleteI've been curious for a while now: Where does a person go to find the NHLE ratios?
ReplyDeleteI've been curious for a while now: Where does a person go to find the NHLE ratios?
ReplyDeleteHere, I think.
House?
ReplyDeleteThey should be bringing in Quincey.
Thanks for the link. I knew it was on BTN but not exactly where.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the NCAA difficulty of 0.41, is House's NHLE then 10-24-34 ? That looks to be a solid contribution for a responsible, PKing 4C.
From the Oilers season ticket holders Hot Stove at Rexall today Tambo gave the following list of top prospects. This is based on memory and my buddy and I couldn`t decide if he said 6 top players and provided 5 names or said these group of 5 or 6 or something like that.
ReplyDeleteThe list was RNH, Landeskog, Larsson, Dougie Hamilton and Strome. I think that was the order he gave, but don`t quote me.
Anyone else that was there, care to chime in and confirm the list.
Both RNH and Larsson got big cheers from the crowd.
Also, note that no Couturier in that list.
Also, note that no Couturier in that list.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that too, it was quite a glaring omission.
That hotstove was the most sanitized thing I've ever seen. They might as well have asked him whether he felt he was doing a terrific job, or merely a great one.
The list was RNH, Landeskog, Larsson, Dougie Hamilton and Strome. I think that was the order he gave, but don`t quote me.
ReplyDeletehow do you guys feel about the oilers offer this years overal first round pick and a 1st round prospect such as plante for bostons Tyler Seguin? It would keep our fans happy I think and I think boston would be crazy not to accept that one.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel like we know enough about Seguin yet to make that deal. No guarantee at all he's better than the guy we'd be giving up via the pick. Still, I wouldn't hate the deal.
ReplyDeleteThe prospect list and Couturier omission is interesting to be sure. Maybe the new Redline Report has The Braintrust thinking they can get Larsson and Couturier if they join in the bashing and he has a Fowler-esque fall.
Even if they trade up to around 10 somehow, I don't see it happening.
woogr - what Swedish Johnny Fever got fired for saying.
HappyTaylor
ReplyDeleteMarincin 14 42 -12
ReplyDeleteDavidson 8 44 -05
Blain 2 35 in 40 games +17
@Ribs: Are those eyes for real or did they get them at the teddy bear factory or something?
ReplyDeleteCreepy to the verge of epaqu.
LT, I just started a hockey blog - would you mind if I post the link?
ReplyDeletePeter: Go for it.
ReplyDeleteFans were applauding and cheering Tambellini every time he gave an answer.
ReplyDeleteThere's no accountability in Edmonton because the fans don't request any. Seems most have them fully bought into ''the rebuild.''
@PJO - Must have been the free food.
ReplyDeleteDid anybody ask anything resembling a tough question?
Did anybody ask anything resembling a tough question?
ReplyDeleteNot really. It was pretty short short by all accounts.
5-10 minutes each to LaForge and Watt, another 10-15 with picture renderings of the new arena project, another 10-15 on prizes/give-aways, and you're left with with little time for questions, let alone tough ones.
The closer you get to the inner circle of an organization like that, the higher the percentage of hacks. While the sort of folks who applauded Tambellini's every word obviously aren't an accurate representation of Oiler fans, they are the ones he's hearing from most. Perception's a bitch when you want change from afar.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary how few "fans" actually spend time considering just how poorly this team has been managed to get where they are now.
ReplyDeleteI've got a good friend who is a big Oilers fan - used to work for the team in fact. We play on the same team and argue constantly about the job that Lowe and The Puppet are doing. It's like as soon as they uttered the word "rebuild" for the first time, every bad decision they had made to get the team to that point just magically got wiped from people's minds. Last nights discussion centred around whether or not the Khabibulin signing was a good deal, and this guy, who is a knowledgeable Oilers fan, insists that it was a good deal, despite what the stats, his eyes and the police blotter tell him. Unfreakingbelieveable.
A couple weeks ago we talked about the offer sheet fiasco from a couple seasons back and where this team would be if Darcy Regier had momentarily lost his marbles and matched the offer sheet for Vanek. I love having that conversation with people and the scary thing is that very few people who claim to follow this team have any clue that if Regier had just walked away from the chance to match that offer sheet that he would have had the Oilers first round picks for the next four years. I think you can make a pretty good argument that the Oilers wouldn't have been any better with Vanek instead of Penner, so those picks likely would have been #12 in the 2008 draft (which we lost to Anaheim for signing Penner and which eventually was moved to Buffalo and which they used to select Tyler Myers), #10 in 2009 with which we selected Pajaarvi, the #1 overall in 2010 with which we selected Hall and the #1 in this upcoming draft. You think it's bleak around here now, Lowe was saved from perhaps his biggest mistake by Regier's lunacy.
But nobody in the media has ever written an article pointing out how this team has been run into the ground and most fans don't have the energy to think about it themselves, and so they just go along for the ride.
It's really quite sad actually.
cunzedle - who someone with a speech impediment might pronounce the name of Dennis' favorite team.
For God sakes. It's sports.
ReplyDeleteWe all go about being ignorant of far more important things.
Rider Guy - I don't think you will find many fans defending Lowe's work from that period. However, he fired himself and admitted that he was screwing up. He then went on to try and screw up more (Heatley), but since that fiasco, a lot of good things have happened on this team including the decision to let the team suck when Khabibulin went down instead of signing someone.
ReplyDeleteit hasn't been perfect, but drafting has been exceptional and the AHL situation has gone from pathetic to being above average for the league.
SB: Well if they do it with sports, doesn't it tend to say they do it with other things?
ReplyDeleteAs for the post-rebuild, it's been okay so far. Good decisions (Jones waiver pickup, signing Omark, getting Dubby up front) and bad decisions (Khabby, Strudwick, Grabner) were made, but it's not a tragic job. Summer's crunchtime.
Boy does Grabner ever make EDM and FLA look bad. 30 goals and 4 on the PK.
As for Omark (Racing for highest assist/point ratio ever for a F), I still think he'l get lynched like Nilsson at some point. Looking at the boxcars there's not much of a difference.
I guess he will stay alive, as long as he's trying. (Don't get me wrong I love him, I just think he's susceptible to getting eaten alive by the mob)
Katz is the owner, he's the one who talked about a rebuild and his generals are executing the plan.
ReplyDeleteSteve Tambellini/Kevin Lowe ARE poor GM's, but this period of the Oilers history is more about the learning curve of the owner than it is about establishing subpar management.
The two questions I submitted were:
ReplyDeleteSteve: Since being hired in 2008, you've managed to prove you can accidentally build the worst team in hockey, and intentioanlly build the worst team in hockey. Why are you qualified to lead a rebuid?
and
Steve: Sneak preview for the fans, what will the excuse be when we trade Hall for picks in 6 more years?
Shockingly, neither was chosen :D
@Ribs: Are those eyes for real or did they get them at the teddy bear factory or something?
ReplyDeleteCreepy, indeed. There is a few pics on the Oilers site from the season ticket holders event with the Octane wax figures that would give toddlers nightmares.
Larsson is being used as a shutdown defenseman this season. He's apparently doing a good job since his coach continues to rely on him as such.
ReplyDeleteLarsson is fully 2 years younger than Rundblad, yet his coach trusts him more, and I believe he's leading his team in ice-time for the playoffs.
Rundblad is a terrific prospect, and his numbers are reflective of him getting the prime buttered offensive minutes (PP for sure, possibly zonestarts as well). Not to take away from Rundblad, he's killing it and doing exactly what he should with the opportunities he gets.
I still maintain Larsson is the de facto best prospect available at 1st overall, both now and based on future potential.
In Stu we trust, here's hoping he gets the best one with his pick of the litter.
Boy does Grabner ever make EDM and FLA look bad. 30 goals and 4 on the PK.
ReplyDeleteBoy do you ever look good with that 20/20 hindsight :-)
Lets throw VCR in there as making a mistake as well. ~They are well know as a team that makes bad personel moves all the time~
I doubt Garth Snow had some sort of knowledge that everyone else in the league didn't. He just trolls the beach for players set adrfit by others. See Rob Schremp. Sometimes he gets lucky.
Grabner is Bobby Nilsson. A first rounder with great skills, little grit, and a reputation for disappearing at times.
He is at a 15.2% shooting percentage and playing the 7th hardest quality of competition among NYI forwards. He is 170 lbs and doesn't play good defence.
No doubt he is having a good season but it was not foreseeable. The last thing the Oilers needed in Sept was another small finesse forward like Nilsson or POS. To call letting him float by on waivers a mistake is not fair.
Maybe Grabner will rack up a great career of mulitiple 30 goal seasons and just needed to be waived to get the message. More likely is that he is a one hit wonder.
LT: colour me unconvinced.
ReplyDeleteI think Katz is an easy scapegoat because he never opens his mouth to defend himself.
But let's say you're right and this all comes from him. The onus is still on Lowe and Tambo to make good decisions as part of the rebuild.
so, in that regard, you can still blame management.
PJO etc all: Oilers fans have had the threat of a move hung over them so long that they are afraid to cast an dissenting votes by being absent from the rink. That's really the only reason I can figure out why people continue to tolerate such a shitty product.
I have a feeling Stu will have his work cut out for him if he wants to convince Tambellini and Lowe to pick Larsson. Forwards are just so much sexier at draft time. I"m guessing The Nuge gets the call if he puts up some numbers in the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteFor God sakes. It's sports.
ReplyDeleteWe all go about being ignorant of far more important things.
Agreed.
I get that we're all fans and we think that the GM and Presidente should be held accountable like every other job in the world, but the notion that Oil fans are "ignorant' because they're not boycotting their favorite team or because they want a new rink is ridiculous. This is entertainment, it's OK for it to be escapist.
Maybe some people just want to watch hockey?
Not sure how this got out of hand but the OKC Barons Are NOT a top notch AHL franchise. They are fighting for there lives to make the playoffs. They look absolutely stellar compared to what garbage we used to run down in the AHL, but do not make them into a perennial powerhouse.
ReplyDeleteDo not try the injuries card either. Their key players have played most of the year down there. All other organizations make raids on their farm teams when they need to.
Freak I was thinking the 1984 Oilers were playing in OKC till I looked at the standings. Big improvement, powerhouse, not at all
Decisions by this management group: Souray, Khabby, JDD, Stortini contracts......all AHL worthy! Fraser....... The only man that can do NONE of what you wanted out of him. Foster.......he has an 80 year olds hips.....good thing he NEVER has to pivot...wait, you're kidding he does, oh!
Faceoffs........ Freaking horrible!! PP & PK as bad or worse than face offs. GF, GA terrible. Nope other than HOPE there is f**k all to congratulate this management group about.
Duce
Way to defend Oilers for not being so stupid on Grabner......would not have cost us anything and he could not make the Canucks roster which can be said for 17 other guys on the Oilers NHL roster. But the central part of your thesis is that Grabner has a high shooting percentage. Isn't that the only reason Ryan Jones is scoring so if we take he and Grabner back to more normal shooting % then, then they are both bad players......got it now
Ian
ReplyDeleteAgreed completely. I pay for and would like to see an NHL calibre team no one going to Rexall is getting our wish
I guess he will stay alive, as long as he's trying. (Don't get me wrong I love him, I just think he's susceptible to getting eaten alive by the mob)
ReplyDeleteSmall sample size so far but Omark doesn't float through 3 or 4 games in a row and show effort only after sometime in the pressbox like Nilsson did. I don't think anyone doubts that Robert Nilsson has all of the tools to be a NHL player but his effort level just isn't there consistently and since his talent isn't that much over the curve, he can't survive at this level. Same goes for Patrick O'Sullivan.
The fact that no one in the MSM holds Lowe's or V.03's feet to the fire about what happened before that lead to this total tear down and rebuild absolutely blows my mind. If those guys weren't in the organization when this went down, that would be altogether different but these are the two primary architects (Lowe mostly).
ReplyDeleteNew Oil Change on at 6 on TSN tonight.
ReplyDeleteOttawa signed Craig Anderson for 4yr-$12.76 deal.
ReplyDelete3.19 mill a year
What's Khabby signed for again?
FML
Like the House sign though I think he is more AHL than NHL - it all builds the foundation.
ReplyDeleteThere are no quick turnarounds, too much rot in the whole system to fix it all at once even if the execution was flawless (and clearly it isn't, nor was it ever going to be).
As for the draft - place me firmly in the Larsson camp.
Like Seguin last year, I think that RNH may prove to be very good but he is not the swing for the fences type talent that Larsson (potentially) is. As much as I think RNH (or even RC) may prove to be solid first line centers, I don't think I had ever had it suggested that they were going to be elite centers in the league. Larsson is talked about in that way and has been since he was 16.
Is it overbolown hype - perhaps - but there is a reason that some players (like Hall, like Crosby) are spoken of as 16 year olds. That glimmer of greatness that goes beyond very good.
It does always come to pass but when you get the chance to take a player like that you have to do it.
Oh, as for Grabner. Yes I did call for the Oil to make the claim on this very blog but did not expect him to pot 30.
Rahter it does NOT always come to pass...
ReplyDeleteEach of us has our own experience as a fan, and each of those experiences are valid.
ReplyDeleteFor the escapists, by all means escape. For those looking for entertaining hockey, well I'm sorry to say it but Hemsky and Hall are injured. For those who feel like change is necessary, get inside the organization you are trying to exact change on - well worded e-mails from a stranger don't exactly hit home when your office and your fan events are filled with sycophants. Decide for yourself if the juice is worth that sort of squeeze.
I crave the days when dangerous rushes into the Oilers zone will consistently be stopped dead to rights by a perfectly positioned Larsson.
ReplyDeleteI also look forward to a calm and cool Larsson with the same ease that diffused the developing chance against, firing a hard pinpoint pass tape to tape onto the stick of a streaking Hall, Paajaarvi, Eberle, Omark, Hemsky, Horcoff, Lander et al as they blaze up the ice.
My fantasy world of half dreams and wistful wish fulfillment are lovely. The current Oilers management though, is just putrid. It seems from the accounts of the 'hot-stove' that Oilers management's current world view is similar to my fantastical hopes for the Oilers, and that doesn't bode well.
uni: Lowe and his bozos had one saving grace - they could ice cheap teams that battled for the playoffs year after year, occasionally winning a round normally getting bouced 4-5 straight.
ReplyDeleteThen the lockout came and Lowe shot his wad - and didn't win the cup - now he's basically insane, and we're all stuck with this fool for the next 5 years, while Katz according to Lowetide learns about hockey.
Tambellini's nothing more than a mouthpiece for Lowe, everyone knows this especially Flames fans(currently in their own form of hell lol), no idea what the fans think at the Place du Drugs(Rexall).
While certainly in hindsight, the whole Grabner issue brings to mind my biggest gripe about the current Oilers "braintrust":
ReplyDeleteWaiver claims aren't an option, even if they fill a drastic need.
This has to change at some point.
Highlander,
ReplyDeleteCouturier was talked about at 16 too.
Cougga: what you call a 30+ woman after you've finished drinking the six cocktails you ordered at happy hour prices and the glow has you feeling all urban, jive and hip.
Rick:
ReplyDeleteJones?
Jones for Grebs and a 2nd?
ReplyDeleteFeting - Bonne annee, mes amis
Ducey: Too bad I called that shot at the beginning of the season.
ReplyDeleteSure I didn't expect 30 goals, but a solid skater with some hands and potential, and mainly, someone who cost absolutely nothing and was surely less of a waste than Jason Strudwick.
As for the SH% I guess we'll know later on if he can keep it up. 15,5% is maybe a bit high, but something like 13,5% could be sustainable by a guy with a good shot, as Grabner appears to have.
He did seem to be able to score in VAN anyway.
As for the Comp, he's still young and that's his rookie season.
They just missed the bus on something free, and with no flag outside of the disapproval of Florida's management, which isn't exactly the safest thing.
@SpOILer,
ReplyDeleteYes RC was and that combination of size and skill is always tempting but I never got the sense that he was talked about in the same terms then (or now) as Larsson was.
I know that is horribly subjective but Larsson has been raved about for years as a shade below "generational talent" while Couturier is talked about as a shade below that.
The old BPA arguement is a fools errand, I know, and is even more so when you are comparing players at such different positions (with much more different) development curves but with the needs so glaring at both D and down the middle Stu has to make a choice.
I suspect that the plan is to get a D and a C with the first round picks (presumably packaging LA's pick with something to move up). If so than it isn't simply the choice between Larsson and RC but what the difference is between what might remain on the board with the second pick.
The drop off from Larsson to Hamilton, Murphy and or Siemens is greater (IMHO) than the drop off from RNH or Couturier to Strome and Huberdeau.
Highlander: But Larsson has regressed tremendously in terms of boxcars, and his injury.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but I think if a kid lost 50% of his scoring off his rookie year in NA we wouldn't even talk about him.
FPB
ReplyDeleteEven if he were playing 24 minutes a game in the playoffs, despite being the youngest defensemen on the team?
Marc: Even if. He still has shown significant regression.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a red flag a lot of teams would pass on if he was playing CHL, USHL or NCAA
Highlander - I'm confused...Why is Couturier called RC?
ReplyDelete@Ribs. Because I am in error.
ReplyDeleteDucey: Too bad I called that shot at the beginning of the season.
ReplyDeleteYou have called a lot of shots. Any you'd like to have back?
I recall everyone was yelling for the Oilers to take Ritola off waivers from DET too. The yelling has stopped since he he has 8 pts in 31 games and is -5 with TB.
I chalk the criticism of Tambo on Grabner to the crowd that figures since the Oilers suck, and Tambo/Lowe managed them while they sucked, that every move they have ever made, not made, ever make, or ever not make, will suck.
Thats simly not a fair standard to apply.
I did not, do not, and will never want Grabner on my team. Based on the scouting report on him he had a bad reputation for not competing every night. With a lineup of Hall, Eberle, MPS, Omark, Horcoff, Penner, Hemsky, Gagner, and Cogs, he was/is not a good fit for the Oilers.
Snow can ride him all the way to a 27th finish and then watch him turn back into a pumpkin once he signs him to a decent contract.
Cripes.
ReplyDeleteCook gets 10 games and the first round of the playoffs.
Highlander - Hah, okay. I guess I wasn't missing something there then.
ReplyDeleteJesus. League finally puts some pants on.
ReplyDeleteFPB, remember that SK fans said Larsson got 2nd toughs and some sweet offensive minutes on the PP etc. last season.
ReplyDeleteThis season his coach has put Rundblad in the offensive role, and Larsson has been asked to become the shutdown defenceman. So he's taking on the toughs this season, and currently leading his team in ice time as a teenager in the playoffs, while the others get easier minutes.
Couple this with the injury that he seems to finally be well clear of (as his ice-time jump seems to indicate) and I don't really see a regression.