If we land Grigorenko, I would move Gagner for D help.
Would Carolina still consider Gagner + Peckham for McBain? Or Nashville or Phoenix, I think there could be a fit there.
Someone may be. They supposedly want to bring back Allen who has been playing on the right side all year. They also have several prospects who should be turning pro who play the right side. The right side depth chart for them looks something like this.
Allen, McBain, Faulk, Murphy, Biega, Alt. Dalpe hasn't taken the next step this season they may be open to trading for a more established 2nd line C with upside. It would allow them to keep Ruutu and Jokinen on the wings and drop Larose back to the third line. I would take any of Murphy, McBain or Faulk in a trade for Gagner.
If we land Grigorenko, I would move Gagner for D help.
Would Carolina still consider Gagner + Peckham for McBain? Or Nashville or Phoenix, I think there could be a fit there.
Gagner is going to have about as much value as a loaf of moldy bread. He might get us our next Foster. It might even be Foster himself? Wouldnt that be something.
Gagner is going to have about as much value as a loaf of moldy bread. He might get us our next Foster. It might even be Foster himself? Wouldnt that be something.
I think he has value. We're not going to get a superstar for him, but his increase in numbers, his break out night, his age and the fact that he's a center will get us a decent return for him.
I think you could pluck Ellis from Nashville or Gormley/Rundblad from Phoenix for him, teams that have too much on the back end and not enough up front.
I think he has value. We're not going to get a superstar for him, but his increase in numbers, his break out night, his age and the fact that he's a center will get us a decent return for him.
I think you could pluck Ellis from Nashville or Gormley/Rundblad from Phoenix for him, teams that have too much on the back end and not enough up front.
That opens the door to taking Grigorenko.
What makes you think Gagner is going anywhere, even if we take Grigorenko. They are going to want to keep Snowpants around for depth, maybe slide him over to wing, have him taking face offs for Grigorenko, playing RW on his line.
All the while marveling over the depth they now have on their way to a record fourth first overall pick in a row.
Btw, for all those trumpeting about our progress low these many weeks and months, a quick look at the calender shows we are four points ahead of where we were last year. I guess we really are making progress?
Even if they only win 5 of their last 15, that'd be a 12-point improvement, no?
What realistically did you want this season? 20 point improvement?
6 point improvement.
Yeah, provided that they stayed relatively healthy (which they have... so that destroys the theory that injuries sewered our seasons in 09/10 and 10/11) I had hope for 75-80 points.
Granted, Belanger (he of 40 points in 10/11) and Eager have been super busts and Whitney looks like Bambi on ice.
Belanger is a bust, Whitney's game has been killed by his injuries. Eager has been good IMO, just misused by the a coaching staff that plays favorites.
Horcoff, Belanger, Gagner, Jones, and Smyth are put into every position to succeed and giving all the ice time they can handle .... Eager, MPS, Omark are put in positions to fail.
I like the Eager signing, glad he'll be here next year as it's one less thing to worry about in the summer.
Best place for him. Why would you want him within a thousand miles of this gong show?
The problem I have is there are really two obvious options for MPS, especially when it was clear as day from pretty much game 1 that MPS + Belanger wasn't working ...
1.) Play MPS in the top six with any one of RNH/Eberle/Hall/Hemsky/whoever.
2.) Send him to OKC if you're not going to do that to let him develop and protect his confidence.
Yet somehow, our geniuses in our coaching staff created this option
3.) Play MPS on third line with Belanger with no results constantly until players' confidence is 100% shattered.
And stuck with it. You give this coaching staff two obvious, can't miss options and they somehow manage to **** it up.
Yeah, provided that they stayed relatively healthy (which they have... so that destroys the theory that injuries sewered our seasons in 09/10 and 10/11) I had hope for 75-80 points.
Granted, Belanger (he of 40 points in 10/11) and Eager have been super busts and Whitney looks like Bambi on ice.
Being out for the length of time that Whitney was, and coming back into the fray mid-season makes it a very difficult adjustment. I don't think that everyone appreciates how difficult it is--it's not the equivalent of being out for a couple of weeks, it's much more significant. Next year, I think that Whitney will return to form from training camp on outward.
Being out for the length of time that Whitney was, and coming back into the fray mid-season makes it a very difficult adjustment. I don't think that everyone appreciates how difficult it is--it's not the equivalent of being out for a couple of weeks, it's much more significant. Next year, I think that Whitney will return to form from training camp on outward.
I'd like to think that but I think the injuries have taken their toll. I don't believe he'll ever be the same player, this has now been almost a full calendar year since his surgery.
If he doesn't have close to 100% mobility by now, I don't think it's ever going to come back for him. I think he'll play out the last year of his deal here next season and the Oilers will let him walk after that.
Best place for him. Why would you want him within a thousand miles of this gong show?
I agree. OKC is precisely where Paajarvi needs to be, but I'm glad Omark is back with the Oilers, to evaluate where he stands. Omark earned the call up with his play with the Barons. Paajarvi should similarly earn the call up. He needs to start producing points at that level to regain some confidence for burying pucks in the net. A good playoff run with the Barons might do him a world of good.
The problem I have is there are really two obvious options for MPS, especially when it was clear as day from pretty much game 1 that MPS + Belanger wasn't working ...
1.) Play MPS in the top six with any one of RNH/Eberle/Hall/Hemsky/whoever.
2.) Send him to OKC if you're not going to do that to let him develop and protect his confidence.
Yet somehow, our geniuses in our coaching staff created this option
3.) Play MPS on third line with Belanger with no results constantly until players' confidence is 100% shattered.
And stuck with it. You give this coaching staff two obvious, can't miss options and they somehow manage to **** it up.
Yeah, this. For all the credit that the Oilers coaching staff gets for the development of their other young guns they ****ed Paajarvi up, royal.
Yeah, this. For all the credit that the Oilers coaching staff gets for the development of their other young guns they ****ed Paajarvi up, royal.
The damning thing about that is he's the one we really needed to develop carefully.
RNH, Hall, Eberle ... these kids would do fine pretty much anywhere, they are just that damn good.
MPS is one of those guys you have to actually develop carefully because he's not as much of a given as those three kids. If you can develop an MPS that really shows your organization knows what they're doing.
Yes, Eberle was drafted low, but honestly we probably fluked out a little in his case (karma for the Pronger deal) ... his development prior to coming to the Oilers was picture perfect and he had a ton of confidence before he ever put on an Oiler jersey.
Oh and for all the **** everyone was giving Paajarvi earlier in the year. A second year pro from overseas.
Mike Richards has zero goals in his last 21 games. And he has one goal in his last 31 games. And another nine years to go on his contract.
Honestly I don't know what to make of that at all. L.A. is really one strange team. I know even Penner has his lazy spells and a fondness for pancakes but he is not *that* bad of a player either.
I'd like to think that but I think the injuries have taken their toll. I don't believe he'll ever be the same player, this has now been almost a full calendar year since his surgery.
If he doesn't have close to 100% mobility by now, I don't think it's ever going to come back for him. I think he'll play out the last year of his deal here next season and the Oilers will let him walk after that.
He's been only a shade of his former self this season. It could be mobility as you say, or it could be that he hasn't found his stride. He's only been in about 36 games this season and 35 last season. It's hard to regain playing form in a position such as defense, when everyone else is already at peak form. Defense is a very easy position to look absolutely awful in.
According to thehockeywriters.com back in October:
Quote:
The injury bug has hit Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney once again, three games into his return to the line-up. Whitney played just 35 games last season before going down with an ankle injury, and had been back for about a week before sustaining a knee injury against the Canucks. Whitney got his skate tangeled with teammate Corey Potter and his knee twisted ackwardly. He returned briefly but would eventually leave the game. The Oilers are saying he may be gone 1-2 weeks with a right knee sprain. It’s just bad luck for the 28 year old who is considered the number one blueliner on the team. Before he made his return earlier this season, Whitney said of his recent injury troubles that “it’s been a tough road for (him) mentally.” (Vancouver Sun)
You may very well be right about Whitney and the nature of his injury. He was easily the no. 1 d-man, when he was playing well. I think we will know more about the situation coming out of next year's training camp, in determining how Whitney fares going forward. He's been through the wringer.
No discussion about the 1st line, they will all raise their games next year which means that they will be a force to be reckoned with next season. PRV is raising his game as we speak and will break-out next year with a 25-30G 30-35A season. 3rd line is will be part checking (Smyth, Horc) but also an offesive threat (offense run by Omark).
For the D's I am not so sure. I know I want Smid, Whitney, Petry and Schultz as top 4 but there should be room to give some of our D prospects a sniff at top 4 as well. Then I want Murray (2012 pick) + "veteran" as 3rd pair.
Horc stays C, we designate 3 alternative captains: Hemsky, Whitney and Hall. Whitney and Hemsky rotates, if Hall is on the ice he's always A.
Lander stays on OKC for a while but gets a couple of call-ups during the season, 13/14 he's 4th C.
