There are going to be battles though, and most of the interest will be at center. The club has three "locks" for the roster, including Sam Gagner, Shawn Horcoff and Eric Belanger. There is a small chance Gagner moves off center at some point but one doubts it will be this early.
After that comes Gilbert Brule, #1 overall selection Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Anton Lander. We've talked all summer about RNH or Lander making the team, but is it possible both could make it?
Louise has suggested several times in the comments section that RNH might be best served by having a mentor (read Horcoff) on his line ala Hall and Eberle a year ago.
It makes sense. Horcoff centering RNH and (perhaps) Eberle at least early in the season. Although the kid is a pure center surely he can play the wing (it's like going from centerfield to first base in baseball) and it would take away all kinds of responsibility.
What might the lines look like?
- Gagner-Hall-Hemsky
- Horcoff-RNH-Eberle
- Belanger-Smyth-Paajarvi
- Lander-Eager-Omark
Sure is an interesting prospect. I had thought that if made the team it would have to be at centre, simply because the team wants him to be a #1 Centre. I want to question whether there is enough creativity on the part of team management to allow it, but then again they did try that overly complicated diamond penalty kill... so maybe it could happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the kid is well served no matter where he plays. It's pretty clear he'll kill the WHL this year, so unless you're wanting him to go back and work on his shot some more, I don't see a lot of value there. Yet would getting (potentially) overrun in the NHL be any better? or worse?
re: Lander
definitely has more than the rookies, but not convinced he's NHL ready. Want to see how he performs in game situations through training camp first.
Why not let Horcoff play wing with RNH?
ReplyDeleteFirst though re: RNH w/Horcoff and Eberle is that Eberle's goal scoring could really benefit.
ReplyDeleteIt's only a couple of rookie games but you can already see RNH has great vision and giving him someone with better finishing skills (Eberle) would help.
Long term though, RNH might flourish with Hall. Why not put Horcoff w/Hall and RNH, move Gagner to Hemsky and Smyth and then MPS w/Omark and Belanger?
Well, its a huge amount of talent, but that set of lines has six of twelve guys in their first or second year. Fully half the forwards. Paajarvi will be in a new position. Omark won't be in a position to succeed. RNH will be hidden, but also out of position. It isn't moving forward with the build, more like diagonally.
ReplyDeleteWill the fanbase tolerate 30th place again?
It would be nice for Lander to press guys to play well, but ultimately get sent down to rip up the AHL. Even Omark admitted in a Swedish interview that his apprenticeship in OKC was good for him. I favour RNH ripping up the WHL and developing physically over trying to keep him safe in the NHL. Would be fun to watch him play this year though
Oilers draft centre.
ReplyDeleteOilers convert centre into winger.
Oilers need centres.
Oilrs draft centre.
Oilers convert centre into winger.
Repeat.
Even if Lander is good enough to make the team as the 4th line C, it's worth asking if that's the best way to develop the player?
ReplyDeletePlaying 8-10 min per game in the NHL, maybe a minute per game on the PK, or 20 min a night in the AHL, with 3-4 minutes on both the PP and the PK?
It's a similar argument for Petry.
Three years ago, hell, even two years ago, the thought that there would be a legitimate discussion about how the Oilers have more young skilled forwards than roster spots seemed laughable.
ReplyDeleteThere is light at the end of the tunnel. Still a long way down there, but it's visible.
I have to agree with Hunter's assessment of the idea of moving RNH to the wing (even if he was pessimistic and flippant about it). Throughout his junior career, RNH has played as a #1 C and he was draft to (eventually) fulfill that role on the Oilers. Any time playing off position is one more minute/shift/game that he's not spending perfecting the art of playing centre.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, let's add a dash of realism into the speculation. As much as the underlying numbers for Jones are quite poor (that scoring percentage number is just tragic), the Oilers didn't give him $1.5M to sit in the pressbox at the start of the season. I know LT and others here are not big fans of Jones (I'm indifferent, myself), but barring an injury or a Gretzky-like TC performance from a rookie, he will be on the opening night roster and get a few months before he's "pressboxed" for more than the odd game.
No to moving RNH onto a line with Horcoff. First of all we have yet to see RNH dominate. Last year Hall was head and shoulders above the competition at both the rookie tournament and on the world junior team. Its too early to give up on Brule (he needs at least another kick at the can) and our top 3 centres are set. I don't see how sending RNH back to junior and at least starting Lander in OKC does any harm.
ReplyDeleteAlso as a side note with RNH, in watching his interviews I really don't see the bullet proof confidence/borderline cockiness Hall has. If RNH went through an early year slump like Hall did last year, I'm not sure he would handle the pressure as well. That is one more small reason I want to see RNH in Red Deer and at the World Juniors.
I think moving Gagner to RW could be huge, as this would allow him to focus on his offensive strenghts, while lessening his responsibilities of FO's and defending, which are his obvious weaknesses.
That Jones contract is the gift that just keeps on giving.
ReplyDelete4C is a good spot for Lander (after getting used to large players on small ice in OKC) as he's not a "pure skill" player who needs other top 6 type guys to play with.
He's a future high end defensive C with good skating and some offensive ability. 4C won't hurt him, but get him into the NHL when he's ready and he'll earn more ice time from there.
Having a guy like Lander as 4C when young is a great luxury (as he'll PK as well and can spot in on other lines as needed)
I'm still of the opinion that they should send RNH back to the WHL. As stupid as it sounds, it would take away from the continued development of Hall, Eberle, and PRV (and possibly Lander, depending how the chips fall). Let RNH rip up the W for another year and then next year let the three of them show RNH the ropes in the bigs.
ReplyDeleteRNH will be a big part of the future, but lets make sure that the kids on the team now get another year under their belt before we throw yet another kid in there.
I think its better to have Lander play a half year in the AHL, playing 20 min/night then to play on the 4th line. Confidence is hard to manage for young kids. Wait till he is ready. If he forces the issue I see him with 91 and 23 though.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd be better off doing
Gagner-Hall-Eberle
RHN-Smyth-Hemksy
Horcoff-Paajarvi-Omark
Belanger-Eager-Brule
I would think Horcoff and Gagner are interchangeable. The other item would be that maybe if RNH makes it and Lander is close then maybe you trade one of Hemsky and Gagner for a top 2 dman when the right deal shows up.
The decision on RNH is a big one. We've seen Gagner stall by being in the NHL too early but #1 picks tend to fair quite well in the NHL and its better for their development.
Woodguy:
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where Lander's development is best assisted.
Ordinarily, I'm a believer in moving a player to higher levels of competition when they are ready for it*. But, in Lander's case, it's worth asking if you run the risk of limiting his offense by starting him in the NHL too early. Sure, everyone thinks he projects out as a 3rd line C, but is there a chance he can provide more offense if that's cultivated? I don't know, but I do strongly suspect he'd get very little NHL PP time, while there's no reason you couldn't give him a bunch of PP time in the AHL.
* this is a different issue from sending Hall/Paajarvi/RNH down to retain service years.
doubt that Antti Tyrväinen makes the team out of camp, but this is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Oilers future is best served by first resolving the issues at the big club level left over from the last season. That is, let the new kids take a time out for now.
ReplyDeleteLander should start in the minors no matter what. RNH is best served by allowing him an opportunity to succeed at all possible levels. That is let him go back to the Juniors, play in the WJC, and then after that bring him up for his 9 games for the year. He will be more mature (he is so young!), coming back from having won the gold (hope!), and will benefit more from this little side track before the play-offs.
We need to discover how, or whether Gagner and Brule fit into our future plans.
Gagner Smyth Hemsky
Horcoff Hall Eberle
Belanger Paajarvi Omark
Brule Eager Jones
If we started with this, I bet this line-up would not last a full month! But, we will surely know whether Gagner is a number 1 Centre and whether Brule has any future value for this team.
Reason #492 why signing Jones was foolish
ReplyDeletePerry: Your lineup looks about right to me. I'd switch Smyth and Hall though. Hall will score a bunch with Gagner and Hemsky. Each will want the puck a lot though. Smyth Horc and Eberle may be clever enough to neutralize some tough opposition and score some too.
ReplyDeleteI still don't get the hate for the Jones signing. If it's an overpay it's small potatoes. It's also a two-year deal, meaning it expires right when H.O.P.E.'s ELCs do.
ReplyDeleteJones has his weaknesses to be sure, but he's got a few things going for him. Like LT, I like my team to be balanced, and one thing this team hasn't had near enough of for years is guys in the age 26-29 range, it's been kids and veterans and a great gulf in between.
In my (admittedly warped) view, Jones has replaced thecaptainethanmoreau on the roster. Does much of the same role, bottom six, PK, no PP, except with very few of the stupid penalties and zero of the entitlement. He's got no letter, but from this distance he seems like a team leader, and an inclusive, gregarious guy. Very different from Ethan especially during his "C" years.
The parallel between them is not exact (and that's a good thing!) but it's interesting that Jones was acquired by waivers and Moreau departed by the same route a few months later. So not exactly a trade, but the only two meaningful waiver transactions this club has been involved in since forever it seems like.
Anyway, when I look at Jones through my "minus Moreau" tinted glasses I like him just fine. For now. Younger, cheaper, better attitude. Not to mention that he scored 18 goals in his first full NHL season. I don't see how his presence for the next two years hurts the team in any way.
Let's put it this way: any youngster who can't beat out Ryan Jones for a job, isn't ready yet.
Let's put it this way: any youngster who can't beat out Ryan Jones for a job, isn't ready yet.
ReplyDeleteWell put, Bruce. I don't get the hate-on for this guy either. If the team was a contender his contract could be an issue, but as is, it's not a problem.
I thought we thought that Gagner and Hemsky weren't right for each other or something.
ReplyDeleteSmyth-Horcoff-Hemsky
Hall-Gagner-Eberle
MPS-Belanger-Omark
Eager-Lander-Jones
You keep RNH up for 9 games in Lander's roster spot and see how it goes, maybe trading an F for a D or sending RNH down.
Am excited again, one way or another.
Gary B:
ReplyDeleteI had to replay that clip. It's awesome to watch men yell in Finnish.
On RNH: Yeah, the organization got a shiny new toy to play with this offseason, but there's too many wingers that just came out of their packaging recently. We don't know how good they're capable of being yet so I'm very hesitant to put another wunderkid in their way to block any advancement. Omark on the 4th line is a joke. His talents are useless there, and putting RNH on the wing bumps him (or Paajarvi) to 4th line duty.
If RNH bumps anyone's playing time, it should be Gagner. I don't want to take anything away from Gagner, but his level of ability in the NHL has kind of been established at this point. He's a good 2-3 center but we've got three of those now. His youth makes him the best trade bait to acquire what we really need; a young offensive blueliner to develop alongside Petry.
I was cheering hard for RNH as the first overall pick as far back as this time last year. I'm thrilled the Oilers picked him, but I feel that for the continued development of both himself and the Oilers as a young up-and-coming team, he's best served playing in the WHL this year.
@ Perry K
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure if RNH goes back to Jr. to start the year he can only be called up on an emergency basis.
But the way this team suffers injury is more then likely.
@kris
ReplyDeletecopper and blue did a couple WOWY analyses that make a case for 89 and 83 working well together.
Without the benefit of seeing all these players at camp this is how I would start the season.
ReplyDeleteMy top 3 centers are Horcoff, Gagner and Belanger. Line combos and ice time are variable.
4th line center is RNH for home games, Gilbert Brule for road games. At home RNH can be spotted and protected. Put him in a position to be successful. After RNH plays 9 games, he goes to the W and plays in the WJHC. We don't see him again until TC next year. This avoids burning a year of his ELC.
Now, bring up Lander from the AHL. He has 18 - 20 games under his belt of pro hockey on the small ice. He does the road / home split with Brule.
At the halfway point of the season you can make a call on Brule. Keep or flip at the deadline. Lander goes back down or stays.
I've said it for months now, and after the rookie tourney it makes even more sense to me. Lander should be with the big club and play with his Swedish buddies. RNH will not be hurt to dominate junior, play in the WJC and get a good memorial cup run. You also delay his rookie deal, which gives the team some time for the 2nd contract (which after this week should scare everyone. Tavares $5 mill plus, Weber $5 mill plus).
ReplyDeleteSmyth-Gagner-Hemsky (tough minutes)
Hall-Horcoff-Eberle (1B line)
MPS-Lander-Omark (wildcard line)
Eager-Belanger-Jones (checking line
Renney said he wants a responsible 4th line, and that 4th line is almost a 3rd line. Belanger can move up or down the lineup to help out and you can sit the Swedish line if it is struggling.
LT, I like the players in your lineup, but that may be the softest lineup ever assembled, even with Eager. That lineup might be ok versus Colorado and Minny, but Calgary and Van's D will send Christmas cards to Renney if that's what they're facing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of Jones, but I'm also not as down on him as most around here. I think he needs to be in that lineup somewhere to provide some resemblance of initiating contact with the opposition.
Trade a forward for a real D-man and alot of the lineup questions go away.
Let's see how these guys do in camp. If they should obviously be on the team then its probably best to have them there.
ReplyDeleteI lean towards sending Hopkins back to junior, but if he is ready for top 9 ice time(say beats out Omark), and the Oilers are serious about trying to improve in the standings then maybe you should keep him up. Playing some wing would not hurt RNH at all. Crosby started on the wing in Pittsburgh.
I have no problems seeing Lander play the season on the 4th line in Edmonton. He's not the type of player that needs to play with talent to succeed. he's not a guy that is going to get his points by out skilling the opposition.
Like a Kesler, or Horcoff, etc, Lander will get his points from being solid enough in all three zones to get a bunch of icetime. He'll score points by having good anticipation and positioning, by controlling puck possession, by driving the play forward.
I think he'll learn all those skills just fine on NHL ice if he's one of the 4 best centres in camp.
Bank Shot: I see what you are saying about Lander's player type. Does anyone know how he has been used in Sweden though? He's essentially been in the SEL for his junior career and I would think it probable that he hasn't been exposed to all the situations he might have by playing as an good/great player at his age level. Not that the SEL was bad to develop him, but it might be good for him to play PP and PK and all sort of opposition in OKC this year so the Oilers can really see what they have.
ReplyDeleteI think moving Gagner to RW could be huge, as this would allow him to focus on his offensive strenghts, while lessening his responsibilities of FO's and defending, which are his obvious weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteGood points but his weaknesses include not being great in the corners or doing the spade work along the boards.
He seems to be the best fit at C.
Its not like there is a ton of room on the wings either. You have H.O.P.E., Hemsky, Smyth and a bunch of up and comers (Harsky, Hamilton, Pitlick) all fighting for the same top 9 minutes.
SK Oiler Fan: It's not so much a question about whether Jones NEEDS to be in the lineup or not, the fact is he WILL be regardless of our analysis of his skill, both pro and con.
ReplyDeleteAny projection without Jones in a 4th line slot is like doing a defensive lineup with an unnamed top-4 defenceman who will soon be acquired via a trade. It may make sense on paper, but given the moves of Oilers management, it's nothing more than interesting speculation.
Let lander cut his teeth at centre first while RNH stays in RD. lander is much more prepared for bottom six minutes than the nuge is for top six.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need skill forwards like we did last year when hall got to play right off the bat. plus RNH is not even in the ballpark size and strength wise.
Let RNH play nine while bru and hemsky heal up and send him back no matter what
Speeds,
ReplyDeleteI don't want to pigeon hole the guy either.
I've never heard PP being discussed in regards to him, although I'm sure he'd see some time in OKC.
Given who is in the Oilers's top 9, its going to be a bitch to break into the PP unless some guys are cleared out.
The Oilers are short of PP C's, but if both Gagner and RNH play for the Oilers next year, those spots are locked up.
Bruce,
Jones' contract is bad because he's not good at NHL level hockey and at his age, he probably will never be.
He's probably a great guy, but how is that contract going to look when Hartikainen, Pitlick and Hamilton are better than him next year? (they are all probably better now actually)
Let's put it this way: any youngster who can't beat out Ryan Jones for a job, isn't ready yet.
Harski probably beats him in camp this year anyhow (I know he's LW, but Eager or Harski could play 4RW)
The Oilers have a loooooong history of keeping the player who has to clear waivers on the big club vs the guy who doesn't and it will be the same when Harski gets cut and Jones doesn't.
Then you have next year where Pitlick and Hamilton are up for spots after spending the year in OKC.
If Petry makes the team this year and they send Chorney down, then I won't bring this up again, but the Oilers I know ALWAYS cut the guy who doesn't have to clear waivers instead of the guys who deserves to be cut (see JFJ vs the world for the last 4 years)
All the talk about competition for roster spots is pablum for public consumption.
Tonight Liam Reddox scored his first goal in SEL it was also Växjös first goal ever in SEL so he made some nice history there.
ReplyDeleteGerber had a nice game in goal and recorded Växjös first ever victory.
Klefbom played played in his SEl game today. 16 seconds on the ice total. Music!
ReplyDelete16 seconds is a very short song.
ReplyDeleteWoodguy,
Wowy seems like a pretty lousy measure of a players value. The only forwards that played with Jones enough to be statistically useful are 13, 16, 85, 89, 91. His numbers are not that bad with a lot of these guys. Further, whoever he is being measured with and Jones would be on the line with one other guy. If that 3rd person was 22 or 46 or 16 or SMac, this is not likely to help either.
RelCorsi doesn't help Jones at 5 x 5. On the other hand 4 x 5 he is one of the best PK's left standing after everyone ahead of him was systematically gased.
Jones will be of some use this year on the PK and third and four lines and allow the Oilers to keep their young players in OKL until they are ready. Next year he can be the 13th forward.
Every team needs a utility infielder. They never seem to hit well, but nevertheless have value.
Ducey,
ReplyDeleteAnything under .450 is considered below replacement.
Also, almost every single Oiler is worse playing with him than without him. (except for 91)
Think of that.
He makes everyone around him worse.
If he's your utility infielder he can't field worth a shit.
I'm sure the Jays could have kept Brett Lawrie in AAA and have some utility guys rotate through 3rd base too.
Lawrie only played 69 games in AAA this year, I'm sure he could have benefited from staying there and have some plug play for the Jays (when Bautista wasn't playing 3rd).
The Jays are rebuilding much like the Oilers.
Keeping someone like Harski down for a plug is like keeping Lawrie down for a plug.
Ducey: Especially a utility IF who hit 18 dingers last year, eh. But yeah, that's what he is.
ReplyDeleteI like scoring chances as a stat quite a lot, but as with Any stat I refuse to get drawn into thinking it alone establishes definitively whether a guy is "good at hockey". (**Unless you're talking about a goalie with an .890 Sv% or something.:)
For one thing, creating scoring chances is not the same thing as finishing scoring chances. I'd rather have a plumber like Ryan Jones driving to the net looking to create mayhem than have Patrick O'Sullivan sift in a muffin while sliding to the outside.
You may think it's unsustainable, but I note that Jones scored 60 goals his last 2 years of college and 20, 12 and 18 his first three as a pro. (In the middle year he got moved to the Oilers and marked the occasion by immediately suffering his first and only significant injury.)
So I'm prepared to wait and see how unsustainable it is. He;s been scoring fairly regularly for six years now. A two-year deal, nearing his prime, and he had the UFA hammer and the GlenX nail in his toolbox.
I respect your opinion as always, Woodguy, but we'll just have to disagree on this guy. I think he has his uses within the current structure of this team.
Ducey: Especially a utility IF who hit 18 dingers last year, eh. But yeah, that's what he is.
ReplyDeleteYou forget the part where he hit 18 dingers but committed 37 eerrors in 90 games.
I respectfully agree to disagree Bruce.
Also,
ReplyDeleteButterflies and moonbeams.....and fairytails.....all she ever talks about....riding with the wind
Stevie Ray Vaughn does Jimmy proud with his rendition as well.
Woodguy: we might want to wait and see how Harski is looking in camp and the preseason before anointing him as a lock to make the team. I'm a big fan of him, but we're still dealing with small sample sizes at the NHL level. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteBesides, it's probably only about 5 games until he's an injury callup anyways.
@Woodguy: yeah I was going to add an errors caveat but forgot. Well done.
ReplyDeleteLT, who was that guy who played some short for the Expos who had a range factor of about 0.0 but could launch the odd big fly? I know you'll know who I'm talking about, I just can't put a handle on him.
Hubie Brooks?
ReplyDeleteLT: yeah, that name came to me just after I posted. But I'm thinking of someone a little later, a Latin American fellow as I recall (like that helps, eh). He was so bad at short that he didn't play much, they just couldn't figure out where to hide him in the line-up. But when he played he might bat fourth.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers track team scoring chance numbers.
ReplyDeleteSo the club is very well aware that Ryan Jones was out on the ice last season with Colin Fraser, Kurtis Foster, JFJ, Jim Vandermeer and Jason Strudwick for many, many, many scoring chances against.
But having signed Jones, while getting rid of the rest of them, it's apparent the Oilers don't fully blame Jones for all those scoring chances against, even as some determined Oilers bloggers and posters do so.
Fancy that.
@ staples.
ReplyDeleteAll those players were also on the ice with Jones.
Fancy that.
I didn't realize that Jones was such a controversial player. I don't think he's terrible, to me he's a guy that gets his shots and gets his chances, but he's taking those away from his teammates, not the opposition.
ReplyDeleteA lot like Moreau that way. I know Ethan is near the end of his career, but the Blue Jackets got shelled when he was on the ice last year. His Corsi was a staggering -24.4 per hour. Not the easiest of ice time, but Jeebus, that's incredible.
Yet he still managed to personally fire an impressive 10.6 shots/hour on net at 5v5. One of the highest rates on the team.
So whatever was going on there with the Blue Jackets getting wildly outshot (and surely outchanced) when Moreau was on the ice ... the only thing we know for sure is that it wasn't Ethan's fault. Right?
Jim Matheson had line predictions something like this today in the journal (note lowetide's layout with center on left):
ReplyDeleteHorcoff - Hall - Hemsky (Triple H)
RNH - Smyth - Eberle
Belanger - PRV - Gagner
Brule - Eager - Jones
Obviously this leaves out the wonder swede, Omark. Can't see it from my perspective.
It also shows the problem with moving Gagner to RW. All of a sudden we have some ridiculous depth or a glut of playing making skilled right wingers.
I somehow don't hate the idea of Brule centering the 4rth line if he's got his head back in the game.
Lines 1,3, and 4 look like quality. RNH is the question and not finding a spot for YouTube makes no sense.
"All of a sudden we have some ridiculous depth or a glut of playing making skilled right wingers."
ReplyDeleteObviously to clarify, I wasn't including Jones. :P
Hemsky/Eberle/Omark/Gagner is way too much skill for RW obviously.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGood day.
ReplyDeleteLouise has suggested several times in the comments section...
Links?
I think you need to prove yourself, sir.
:-)
I have no interest in Lander starting the year with the Oilers, as I think he should make his adjustments to the NA game in the AHL.
Ideally, Nugent-Hopkins would take the same step to the NHL, but that's not an option. So, because the kid is another "big brain", he should show quickly that he's champing at the bit for a higher level game. And since coaches love sponges, especially the highly skilled ones, I doubt he goes back to junior.
In my opinion, the best training wheels that the Oilers have to offer is playing with Horcoff. I could be wrong, but I don't know of a single centre who has been harmed by spending some time on the wing, and I suggest that there are a number of NHL coaches who would agree with me.
Now... a few words on Hemsky and Gagner.
For years I've watched players adjust to playing with Ales Hemsky. Rightly so. Pronger said it best way back when... "I give the puck to Hemsky".
Last year I watched Hemsky adjust to Gagner. Early in the season he made a comment about Sam creating offense with his defense, and appeared to commit to playing a 200 foot game WITH the 21 year old, right-handed, centre. Anyone paying attention could have seen that they were working together and rarely tried to occupy the same ice.
If the powers that be screw away either Hemsky or Gagner now, I will be supremely pissed. Give them the best left handed shooter and some competence behind them and they could be a formidable force for years to come.
Hmmm... Hemsky said that Gagner creates offense from his defensive play. Renney said that Gagner reminds him of Doug Gilmour, and that he uses Sam's video as examples of what he wants from his centres in the d-zone.
I suggest that the defensive responsibilities of a centre aren't what many of you think they are.
Now I must go read a bedtime story to my grandson.
L8r
Louise
ok I was at the bottom of the replies on this subject after reading them all!
ReplyDeletemy response is directed at many posts I do believe that the wild card in training camp is Gilbert Brule I hope he makes a full recovery and he returns to where he was on and just before draft day.
I also think that Jones will be a very useful player this year as management thinks also. Players get hurt but Ryan Jones is there to play.
I think the Oil would be smart to keep RNH up on the team our D can play in this league not great but I know people wanted forwards so shush up and let the D do what they can. ( can't fix it all in 1 year) I think you keep Lander as a back up option you also keep RNH up till he gets hurt and you also keep Jones ready each day
my ideal line up to start the season is
Gagner(Nugent-Hopkins)Hall-Eberle
Nugent-Hopkins(Gagner)Paaravi- Omark
Horcoff-Smyth- Hemsky
Belanger-Jones Hordichuk, Brule
3 scoring lines with Lander as a call up to cover a position