I wouldn't say Pitkanen is overvalued at all. If anything, I think he gets greatly undervalued on HF, at least lately.
People do ask for a lot when his name comes up in trade talks, but how many young, top pairing, puck moving defencemen are ever aquired for less without the team trading them being forced to in some way (trade demands, salary dump, etc)?
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I wouldn't say Pitkanen is overvalued at all. If anything, I think he gets greatly undervalued on HF, at least lately.
People do ask for a lot when his name comes up in trade talks, but how many young, top pairing, puck moving defencemen are ever aquired for less without the team trading them being forced to in some way (trade demands, salary dump, etc)?
Are you sure that's not what's going on right now?
I think that the people here who love Hemsky should be at least be open to the idea of acquiring Cammalleri, he's from Al's draft year with pretty near the same ppg (.76 vs .72).
I just don't see the Oilers needing him in their top 6 at all and never at the expense of Pitkanen.
I think that the people here who love Hemsky should be at least be open to the idea of acquiring Cammalleri, he's from Al's draft year with pretty near the same ppg (.76 vs .72).
Hemsky and Cammalleri are two very different players. To start, Hemsky is a playmaker, and Cammalleri is a sniper. Hemsky makes people better because of his vision and passing; Cammalleri capitalizes on good passes from players like Hemsky. Hemsky is locked up for another 4 years at an awesome contract; Cammalleri has one more year before UFA and is reportedly looking for big money. Hemsky is also younger than Cammalleri, tougher than Cammalleri, and bigger than Cammalleri. I'm not saying that Cammi is not a good player, but he is quite different from Hemsky. He just doesn't fit with our current team.
Hemsky and Cammalleri are two very different players. To start, Hemsky is a playmaker, and Cammalleri is a sniper. Hemsky makes people better because of his vision and passing; Cammalleri capitalizes on good passes from players like Hemsky. Hemsky is locked up for another 4 years at an awesome contract; Cammalleri has one more year before UFA and is reportedly looking for big money. Hemsky is also younger than Cammalleri, tougher than Cammalleri, and bigger than Cammalleri. I'm not saying that Cammi is not a good player, but he is quite different from Hemsky. He just doesn't fit with our current team.
The difference between the two isn't as black and white as "Hemsky is a playmaker and Squid is a sniper" and the comment about Hemsky making people better and Cammalleri capitalizing on good passes from his linemates is a joke dude. In 2006/07 Cammalleri lead his team by 9 points (with a higher point total than Ales has ever had) and he was a plus while the two closest players to him in points were both hefty minuses.
He's not just riding on someone else's coattails like you are suggesting and the fact that he scores goals doesn't mean that he can't make plays.
Hemsky is "tougher" and "bigger"? Is he the guy on the left or the right? I honestly can't tell.
Hemsky is "tougher" and "bigger"? Is he the guy on the left or the right? I honestly can't tell.
Hemsky takes a bigger beating every night then I've seen from any Oiler player ever, and he does it without complaint. To even imply that Hemsky is a "soft" player... it completely contradicts reality, IMO.
Hemsky takes a bigger beating every night then I've seen from any Oiler player ever, and he does it without complaint. To even imply that Hemsky is a "soft" player... it completely contradicts reality, IMO.
Well, there's getting your ass kicked every night because you play above your weight class and then there's getting tailed, slashed, and cheap-shotted every time you step on the ice by guys like Regehr and Kesler. Fact is, Hemsky is the only one I haven't heard complain about it.
The difference between the two isn't as black and white as "Hemsky is a playmaker and Squid is a sniper" and the comment about Hemsky making people better and Cammalleri capitalizing on good passes from his linemates is a joke dude. In 2006/07 Cammalleri lead his team by 9 points (with a higher point total than Ales has ever had) and he was a plus while the two closest players to him in points were both hefty minuses.
He's not just riding on someone else's coattails like you are suggesting and the fact that he scores goals doesn't mean that he can't make plays.
Hemsky is "tougher" and "bigger"? Is he the guy on the left or the right? I honestly can't tell.
True, I was unfair. But the basic point still stands, the point that Hemsky is a much better fit on this team than Cammalleri is and that the two players are quite different despite their similar point production. We already have too many small forwards here, and with Nilsson recently re-signed and Gagner and Cogliano all but untouchable, our others aren't available in a trade for Cammi. Our salary cap situation is also not conducive to acquiring Cammi. So while I may be a big Hemsky fan, I have little-to-no interest in acquiring Cammalleri at this time.
Darren Dreger does not expect Pitkanen to be back in Edmonton next season. At least two eastern teams have shown interest, one even asking Dreger what he thought of him. More fuel to the fire....
Darren Dreger does not expect Pitkanen to be back in Edmonton next season. At least two eastern teams have shown interest, one even asking Dreger what he thought of him. More fuel to the fire....
I'm not saying it isn't a possibility, but Darren Dreger doesn't know his ******* from a hole in the wall. When has he ever been right about anything? Ever?
There are some simple things that lead one to believe Pits will be moved. First, our defense:
Souray-Gilbert
Grebeshkov-Smid
Staios-Greene
The Oilers could also make a move to add another piece, I suggest Kubina who makes $5M for the next two years but is a very solid player.
Second, we don't know what Pitkanen is asking for, but if it is in the 5-6M per season range, based on his first year in Edmonton, it's not worth it. He may also be unwilling to commit any of his UFA years...basically we don't know what he's looking for.
And the Oilers could use another front line scorer. I like the mix right now, but it could be even better with a true gamebreaking goal scorer on the team. If you go with Cammeleri I would see the top 3 lines being:
Darren Dreger does not expect Pitkanen to be back in Edmonton next season. At least two eastern teams have shown interest, one even asking Dreger what he thought of him. More fuel to the fire....
Sweet. Dreger is like Eklund with a suit. This solidifies it that Joni will be back here next season.
