The Future Looks Promising for the Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have been dreadful on the ice for the last few seasons, but what was more disheartening was the way the team was being run off the ice. Unnecessary free agent signings, terrible contract extensions, turmoil in the locker room, no AHL affiliate, and the list keeps going on.

However, let’s put that all behind us, as what we need to do is start looking forward, and think about the future instead.

It sure looks promising now, doesn’t it? I guess finishing last in the entire league last season, and picking up the first overall pick at last month’s draft ended up making all the difference.

Last week’s development camp allowed the club to put on display the great young talent that the team now has in the system. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson are the big trio, with a few more youngsters also expected to crack the roster within the next couple of years.

Forget about management chasing the likes of Jaromir Jagr, or Marian Hossa, to put fans in the seats. If there is anything that Steve Tambellini’s gang has now learned, it’s that building from within is the way to go. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have won the last two Stanley Cups, and the core of both teams was built from within.

It’s the way to truly be successful in the new NHL, and the Oilers are definitely on the right track.

Fanball Mock Draft: Oilers, 1st Round, 1st Pick Overall

“With the 1st pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers organization is proud to select….from the Windsor Spitfires, forward Taylor Hall”

Even though this could be  a toss-up selection between Hall and Tyler Seguin, and either would be a great addition for the club, the popularity of Hall would provide the team with a great marketing tool, a pure goalscoring threat, and would create some fabulous buzz and excitement among the hockey fans in the city of Edmonton.

Hall is a proven scorer, a two-time Memorial Cup champion, and he has done well in pressure-packed situations. Although Seguin would address the club’s depth down the middle, the team still does have Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Gilbert Brule to play in the C position.

That would allow Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Jordan Eberle and Hall the chance to play on the wings, and give the team two solid scoring lines, with a fallback option with any of Brule, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Linus Omark to plug into a top six role during the upcoming season. Eventually, MPS, Eberle and Hall will be the top line for Edmonton, and will become one of the more dominant scoring lines in the entire league.

For now, the club would also have Robert Nilsson, Patrick O’Sullivan and Ryan Jones as well, not to mention captain Ethan Moreau. A few of these players are candidates to be bought out, but if not, they will still provide decent scoring presence on the third or fourth lines.

Buyouts on the way?

According to a report in the Edmonton Journal the other day, the Oilers are probably looking into buying out a trio of players on their roster, and let them become free agents.

The three mentioned include captain Ethan Moreau, and young forwards Patrick O’Sullivan and Robert Nilsson.

Now, call me crazy, but the best option might just be to let these three play out the year in Edmonton. They all have only one year remaining on their contracts, and it’s probably best to have them around, as that way it could limit the ice time of such talents as Jordan Eberle, and Tyler Seguin/Taylor Hall, by not putting too much pressure on the kids.

All three could also most likely be moved at the trade deadline next season for at least pick or something decent. However, don’t be surprised to hear some sort of announcement in the next week or so from Oil Country involving this trio in some sort of fashion.

Oil officially lock up MPS

Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, Edmonton’s first round pick from the 2009 entry draft, has officially signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the club.

MPS is expected to report to the team’s rookie camp during the first week of July, and then training camp in the fall.

The 19-year-old is willing to spend some time in the AHL if necessary, but he does have an out clause to return to Sweden if he doesn’t make the team. However, Paajarvi-Svensson is confident that he can make the big club.

How interesting will it be to see the make up of the club next season, with MPS playing alongside Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle, or either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin?

If you are an Oilers fan that has been waiting for a bright light at the end of the tunnel, just hold a few months…we are almost there.

Also, there have been talks that the Oilers and Bruins have been discussing a deal, which would allow the B’s to move up to the top spot, while names like Sheldon Souray and Blake Wheeler are being bandied about. With the Stanley Cup Finals wrapping up in another week or so, the league’s attention will turn to the Entry Draft, which takes place on June 25th. Look for more tidbits to be thrown out over the next few weeks regarding the Oilers and Boston.

Oilers Retain #1 Pick

After all of this hoopla for the last week or so, the Draft Lottery on TSN last night was all hype, with a big letdown in the end, when the draft order stayed the same. Of course, for Oiler fans, that was the perfect scenario.

All top 5 picks stayed exactly the same, as Edmonton will draft 1st overall at the Entry Draft in June, followed by the Bruins, Panthers, Blue Jackets and Islanders.

The top two, as everybody knows, are expected to be Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. The order in which they get selected is what nobody really knows. The media and fans have been making their own guesses as to who it will be, but not until GM Steve Tambellini announces “With the 1st overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers proudly select….”, will the guessing game end.

There have been rumblings that Edmonton might try to make a move for the 2nd pick as well, so the team could land both talents. However, that might be far-fetched at this point in time, but you never know.

Souray wants out of Edmonton

So, the Sportsnet news station out of Ontario broke a story this morning that Sheldon Souray has asked for a trade out of Edmonton. According to Souray, the reason he wants out has nothing to do with the players, fans or the city, but has everything to do with the management group.

He feels that he has been treated unfairly, and said that he hasn’t spoken to GM Steve Tambellini since the middle of January.  The veteran blueliner also goes on to say that he wasn’t treated fairly from the moment that he signed with the club, as he wasn’t fully healthy when he signed, but was asked to go out and play because the club had signed him to do exactly that.

He also says that he was happy to be a part of the club, and passed on other opportunities that had more financial gain. So, after reading this, what do you think? Is it Souray who is the rotten apple that needs to go…..or is it the management group, which includes Tambellini and President Kevin Lowe?

Personally, I would think that both sides have issues. Souray is no Chris Pronger by any means, and basically he has handcuffed the club into making a deal that wasn’t going to be that great to begin with. With two years still remaining on his five-year, $27 million contract, who is going to take on a cap hit for over $5 million for a player who has a checkered injury history, and will be 34 in July? The market wasn’t that great to begin with, and now the club is really caught between a rock and a hard place, as it tries to move an immovable contract.

As for the management group, it seems like things keep turning sour for any players that come to the city, and somehow, it seems like Lowe is always the name that pops up. There must be something to what Souray said, isn’t there? Why else would you make such a bold claim in the media, unless you were really peeved about something.

Hopefully, we all find out very soon…..

Finally…..Oilers come out on right side of the score

The Edmonton Oilers are going to finish 30th overall in the National Hockey League this season. Dead last. That much we all know for sure. We also know that in the worst-case scenario, the club will be picking 2nd overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and realistically, will land one of Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin.

However, that does not mean that the team isn’t going to play for pride. The last few weeks has seen the club play its best hockey all year. The team is 4-4-1 in its last 9 games, and that includes three straight wins over strong playoff teams in San Jose, Detroit and Vancouver.  It also includes two huge comebacks of 4-goal and 3-goal deficits against Detroit and Dallas respectively, only to lose those games.

Dustin Penner has scored in three straight games, cracking the 30-goal barrier in the process, while also hitting the 60-point plateau. Tom Gilbert has produced at a point-per-game pace, while Shawn Horcoff and Ethan Moreau have also played well of late.

So what does this mean for Oiler fans? Nothing really, except that the young guys that will be coming in next year will learn to play hard by watching some of the veteran talent still giving a 110% effort, regardless of the outcome.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please meet the Edmonton Spoilers!”

It’s interesting how things work in March for a lot of different reasons.

Everybody is in the mood for the season to change and the sun to come out; students can’t wait to party with spring break approaching; NCAA’s March Madness is in full swing; Cadbury Easter eggs are all over the place; MLB spring training is in full effect…..and of course, the Oilers are playing an extreme brand of hockey, whether it be good or bad.

There was that run several seasons ago in 2003-04, when Petr Nedved was acquired at the trade deadline, and the club made a mad run to make the playoffs, only to fall short by two points in the end. The team had lost only two of its final 19 games in regulation, but it’s apparent that the team had not played well at all, as it had fallen so far behind to begin with.

There was also that pathetic performance in 2006-07, when then GM Kevin Lowe traded away franchise player Ryan Smyth, only to see his squad go 2-17-1 down the stretch to have one of the most embarrassing stretches in team history.

That was followed up by a 14-5-1 run in 2007-08, when Sam Gagner and the rest of the young kids looked to be pumped up and ready to make a difference. Of course, there still was no playoff action.

This season has been anything but dreadful. However, the last several days have been the best for this Oilers squad in regards to this season. Three straight wins, over quality opponents in Detroit, San Jose and Vancouver. With only a handful of games to go, it wouldn’t hurt to string together a few more victories, and provide optimism for next season. Especially since 30th overall is already wrapped up, and Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be in training camp come September. Nothing wrong with being spoilers…….

Hall or Seguin: Who will it be for the Oilers?

At this point, it is safe to say that the Oilers are going to get a high lottery pick, and will land a possible franchise player to turn their club around.

The question is, who will that franchise player be? The majority of fans are betting on Taylor Hall being the guy. However, in the recent mid-March rankings from the International Scouting Services, Tyler Seguin has jumped back into the number one slot. The 18-year-old was in this position last year, but had been overtaken by Hall.

It is clear to see at this point that both are considered to be great talents, but based on what the Oilers are trying to do, who should they select at the draft? If any other team wins the lottery, then it’s a moot point, because GM Steve Tambellini will select whichever guy is on the board at the second spot. However, it will be interesting to see who the Oilers go with if they land the first overall pick in the lottery.

Don’t forget last season that John Tavares went #1, but Matt Duchene was being hyped up by some as a possible selection in the top spot, but ended up going to Colorado with the #3 pick. It is hard to disagree at this point in time that Duchene has done a lot more than Tavares. However, don’t forget that the Avs also have a stronger supporting cast than the talent that is on Long Island.

We will look at this scenario in a little more detail next month, when the playoffs are in high gear, and the Oilers are golfing…and just waiting to see what will unfold at the draft.

Battle of the Cellar Dwellars

The Edmonton Oilers are taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of a national audience today. This should be quite interesting, but not because of the actual matchup.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli will probably keep a close eye on the proceedings, considering that he owns Toronto’s 1st round pick for the Entry Draft in June. Unless something drastic happens between now and the end of the season, it seems like Boston will be making a high pick at the draft.

Also, a majority of the players on the Oilers will get to play against their old friend, ex-Calgary Flame Dion Phaneuf. Should be fun to see if Dion ends up dropping the gloves with the likes of Zach Stortini, Jason Strudwick or Ethan Moreau.

Finally, despite missing the last game, it seems like Ryan Whitney thinks that he will be able to go tonight. I bet you CBC wasn’t hoping for this kind of game this late in the season, but hey, what can you do?