Response to David Staples

Being a regular reader to his blog, I'm going to choose to respond to his thoughts in his most recent entry. The reason being, the lack of desire to register an account on the CanWest Website.

DAVID STAPLES BLOG

That said, I have no problem with critics looking at Joffrey Lupul and Ladislav Smid and stating that the Oilers didn't get much for Pronger. That is a fair enough opinion, though not one I hold myself.

Why not David? Lupul is now on his 3rd NHL team in his young career - even though he's improved offensively, he's still not outscoring. Kevin Lowe massively overrated Joffrey Lupul because:

a) He's from Edmonton
b) He had a strong playoffs. 16 GP, 9G, 2A, 11 points. What was forgotten was the fact he was a minus player on a strong Even-strength team in Anaheim in the regular season.

Smid while good and may turn out, has little offense to speak of. He could be an effective mid pairing defenceman in 3-4 years, but when you have the league's 2nd best defenceman (behind Lidstrom) who carried your team to the SCF, locked up for another 4 years at a bargain price ($6.25M), you simply have to get more proven players, or at the very least, high end prospects.

I've heard many, many people say the Oilers should have got more for Pronger, but do any of us really know how this might have been done? What were the other offers?

Simple, wait it out. After teams went on a spending spree in the UFA market (Ed Jovonovski obtained a 32.5M/5 year contract, Chara received 37.5/5 years), that would have left empty-handed desperate teams that lost out on the UFA signings, an opportunity to send offers for Pronger.

Instead, Lowe insisted to trade him quickly (July 3rd), just a mere few days after the UFA period began. On top of that, he insisted on getting quantity (5 assets) over quality.

You know, I wonder if Lowe really had so many options as his critics imagine he did. Is it possible, for instance, that Chris and Lauren Pronger gave the Oilers a very, very short list of teams he would play for, and thus greatly limited Lowe's trading options?

Lowe had the leverage and upper hand. What could he simply have told Prongers (an individual who the Oilers had given long term security in good faith) if they had given him a short list?

Fuck off.

From your article in February, Cal Nichols seems in favor of that strategy.

Nichols says he wouldn’t have traded Pronger so quickly. “To a hockey person, their first mindset is: ‘I’ve been dealt this blow, I’ve got to get the best possible assets in return, to try to keep being competitive and entertaining.’ The business side of me says, ‘Balderdash! As a matter of principle, we had a deal in good faith.’

“I would have said, ‘Ah, sorry, we got a contractual arrangement. Go sit in the corner.’ ”

Another criticism of Lowe is that he could have made Pronger sit, then hold out for a really sweet trade offer from another team. But was this really possible?

Yes David. Yes it was.

Even your colleague, Jim Matheson, was reported on the record saying the Oilers should have "waited it out a bit longer."

See Yashin, Alexei. Ottawa.

The return for a hockey player who sat out a full year?

2nd overall pick (Jason Spezza), Zdeno Chara, and Bill Muckalt.

But even if such a commitment was not made, does it really make sense for Edmonton to be seen as a place that screws around star players?

No, no no no no, No David.

Fuck No.

It was Pronger who "screwed" Edmonton. He had signed a deal in good faith - a long term deal (something he was seeking). The Oilers paid him the money and gave him the security. It was initially Pronger's desire to play in Canada, if you believe his agent. He mentioned that he had discussed it with his wife, and they then made a 5 year commitment in a span of 10 minutes. If he's an idiot to make such a decision that hastily, so be it - you simply don't reward stupidity.

Because making Pronger sit for weeks and months, waiting for the right deal to come up for the Oilers, would have got that unhappy message across to other players and their agents.

And again. See Yashin, Alexei. Ottawa.

Or a more local example. Comrie, Mike. Edmonton.

People move on - this is a "me" generation. I simply don't think a guy like Petr Sykora or Dustin Penner's personal signing decisions depend on what happened to a player who decided to break a 5 year signed, written contract.

In a league where players have increasing freedom to choose their team, did Edmonton want a reputation for treating star players in that manner?

So how is our reputation now? Or the past summer?

I'd argue that by not receiving adequate return, and by losing hockey games, our reputation took a larger hit than it would have had Kevin Lowe received proper return on the trade. In other words, players that would have helped this hockey club win games.

Nobody wants to play for a loser, all else equal.

Questions, questions, questions, and we on the Oilogosphere don't have the most of the answers, and we never will have many of them, because a good deal of confidentiality is crucial to Lowe's business dealings.

No, but we don't need them to measure his results. The mere fact is, the Oilers simply didn't get enough in return. Pronger was a difference maker - Lupul (the center piece of the deal) was not - in fact, such a disappointment that he got traded away within 1 calender year of the Pronger deal.

Kevin Lowe mentioned that he began scouting for opposition players since February of 2006.

What we do know is:

Roberto Luongo (who grew up as an Oilers fan) was on the market by Mike Keenan, who loves Pronger.

Alex Tanguay was on the market, and was also traded in the divison.

Martin Havlat, a disgruntled player, had also asked for a trade.

That's not even considering other players who WOULD have been made available on the market, as the summer progressed.

In the end, scouting since February, and you end up with only Joffrey Lupul and Ladislav Smid? Oh, and a few late round draft picks? Not enough David.

It just isn't.

David, you're a good guy. In the end we're both cheering for the Oilers. However, the mere fact of the matter is - the MSM in Edmonton simply doesn't challenge or question decisions, save a Dan Barnes here or there. Any fan knows Sheldon Souray was strictly a PR signing - and nothing more - but why isn't the MSM questioning that? Why didn't Lowe opt for the less sexy signing in Jan Hedja (who is leading the CBJ in +/-, logging up minutes) over Sheldon Souray? Why didn't Lowe leave 5.5M of cap space over the next 5 summers? Why the sudden urge to be in a win-now mode, with the league's youngest team? Why not sign a bunch of veteran hockey players on short term deals, while rebuilding, the way the NYI did (Guerin, Sillinger, Fedotenko, Comrie) enough to win hockey games while maintaining cap flexibility? Why are some smart bloggers able to uncover the Oilers profitability and revenue gate receipts, well before the Katz offer, which subsequently forced the EIG to spill some beans? Why does it take a National Post writer (Mark Spector) to uncover the fact that Dustin Penner is out of shape? Why does it take a Nashville newspaper to reveal a quote from Cal Nichols that the Oilers were 7th in league revenues the past year?

Is the MSM in Edmonton just lazy? Or do the Oilers simply control what is printed in the newspapers? Or are members of the MSM all homers like Bryan Hall, and operate under the label of, "If it's not good news, I don't wanna hear about it?"

There obviously is a problem with the MSM in this city.

There certainly is.

There is some hope in the 'Sphere that you can play a role in changing that. Now that doesn't mean being negative - that means being willing to challenge and ask questions.

Robbie Schremp

I admit I've never been much of a fan of Robbie Schremp. However, his recent streak of 15 points in the past 11 games raises some eyebrows and warrants a closer look.

He had put up strong numbers in junior:

17 year old 60 28 41 69
17 year old (playoffs) 15 7 6 13
18 year old 62 41 49 90
18 year old (playoffs) 18 13 16 19
19 year old 57 57 88 145
19 year old (playoffs) 19 10 37 47

The talent was there. No question about it. Obviously not to the Sam Gagner level:

Sam's 17 year old 53 35 83 118
Sam's 17 year old (playoffs) 16 7 22 29

But talent, nonetheless.

However, there were warning bells surrounding him that lead to him dropping to 25th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

They were:
1) Poor attitude
2) Poor skating, which would hurt his ability 5 on 5
3) High % of points on the PP, questioning his ability to outscore at EV

Number 1: We found, was clearly a myth. He's demonstrated ability and desire to become an NHL player. He worked hard this summer, recovering from a season ending lower body injury incurred late last season. He didn't impress at training camp or pre-season play this year, like he somewhat did a few years ago - but the attitude problems were clearly fabricated.

Number 2: He still has an awkward stride, last I saw of him in person at the U of A conditioning camps. Improved over the previous year? I'm not a hockey scout, so despite
the fact that I "saw him good," I'm in no position to make an assessment. However, every man or turtle has his limits. It's very unlikely he'll be a seasoned skater in the NHL - that's simply means he has to improve in other areas of his game to compensate for his weakness.

The AHL numbers are certainly there:

As a 20 year old: 69 17 36 53 (After a slow start) 0.77 PPG
As a 21 year old: 25 6 20 26 = 1.04 PPG

Also mentioned (Credit BBO) is that 15 out of his 20 assists have been of the 1st assist variety.

He sits 13th in the AHL in scoring, a mere 1 point away from 7th, and 2 points away from 5th.

But...

He's -3.

and...

His PP production is 3-11-14. Thus, 54% of his points have come with the man advantage.

Which is, warning bell number 3.

After he was briefly called up to the big league in October (2 games), Oilers coach Craig MacTavish explained why exactly Schremp's ass was stapled to the bench (Quote - Credit Lowetide):

He needs the strength base and quickness. He's got to be strong enough to battle at a standstill because he's not going to outskate many guys...."

Will Robbie Schremp carve a career in the NHL? Could he help his team win hockey games by making a difference on the PP? I believe so. At the same time, I'm not going to expect him to be a guy that will handle tougher minutes. I believe he'll either be a player handling the soft minutes on the 2nd line, while bulking up and not hurting his team like Nilsson has demonstrated in his brief career with the Edmonton Oilers - or, he'll be on the 4th line, limited minutes on ES while logging up time on the PP.

Of course, what I think and what will actually happen is a mystery itself.

Just exactly who are you, Robbie? Who are you?

Early Free Agent Busts

Players who are clearly overperforming their contracts. In many cases, clearly underperforming their contracts.

Handzus, Michal 16M/4 years.
25 1 3 4 -10

Preissing, Tom 11M/4 years.
22 1 5 6 -2

Nagy, Ladislav 3.750M/1 year
22 4 7 11 2

Gomez, Scott 51.5M/7 years
26 5 14 19 2

Drury, Chris 36.25M/5 years
26 6 11 17 -1

Bertuzzi, Todd 8M/2 years
14 1 5 6 -3

Sometimes, you just have to resist the temptation of purchasing that shiny piece of candy.

Hits and Winning Hockey Games

I did a very basic preliminary Analysis, just for the hell of it.

Bold indicates a game in which the outhitting team ending up losing the hockey game.

G1: W3-2 Outhit by SJ 14-12
G2: W5-3 Outhit by PHIL 24-14
G3: L4-2 Outhit by DET 19-13
G4: L2-0 Outhit by MIN 10-4
G5: L 5-2 Outhit by VAN 34-17
G6: L 4-1 Outhit VAN 14-9
G7: W4-2 Outhit PHX 18-17
G8: L 4-1 Outhit by CGY 22-9
G9: L 4-2 Outhit COL 20-4
G10: W 5-4 Outhit MIN 15-11
G11: L 4-1 Outhit by LA 21-17
G12: W 3-2 Outhit by ANA 15-11
G13: L 2-1 TIED DET 13-13
G14: L 4-1 Outhit NSH 10-8
G15: L 5-2 Outhit MIN 10-9
G16: L 4-3 Outhit COL 12-6
G17: W 4-2 Outhit by CAL 25-12
G18: W 1-0 Outhit by VAN 15-13
G19: L 4-2 Outhit by MIN 13-12
G20: L 3-1 Outhit CAL 20-16
G21: W 5-4 TIED VAN 10-10
G22: L 3-2 Outhit Col 9-8
G23: W 3-2 Outhit by CHI 13-9
G24: W 3-1 TIED CLB 12-12
G25: L 4-2 Outhit COL 14-11
G26: W5-1 Outhit by ANA 22-8
G27: W4-0 Outhit by ANA 17-8

End result: 16 games in which the outhitting team lost the hockey game. 3 games resulted in ties in the hits battle, so should be filtered out if anyone chooses to take this data into excel. 8 games in which the outhitting team won the hockey game.

Very preliminary (and quite possibly ignoring certain details), but indicates to some extent, hits aren't a good predictor of winning hockey games. Perhaps even a negative correlation relationship exists. Sample size is closing near 30, drawing out the luck element. I will update this at the end of the year, and perhaps look at more teams.

Next time the masses argue that losing Matt Greene leaves the Edmonton Oilers soft on the back end, perhaps the counter-argument should then be, so what?

30 NHL games, 30 consecutive nights, 30 cities

Steve Williamson, who embarked on a journey to see all 30 NHL teams in 30 nights, sheds some light in a recent interview with David Amber from ESPN.

Some noteworthy excerpts:

INTERVIEW

Q: So give us the stats. How many plane rides did you take? How many miles did you travel?

A: I just calculated that I traveled 30,530 miles, including three trips across the country. I took 35 flights total, a few train rides, used a lot of rental cars and took one bus in Vancouver from the airport to the arena.

Q: So which was the best arena?

A: The nicest physical arena was the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. I was surprised to see people dressed up for the game. It had sort of a swanky feel to it. The arena was beautiful, kind of like a hotel lobby with the way it was shaped. It was rectangular, not oval, and the sightlines were amazing.

As far as atmosphere, Montreal was the best, without a doubt. It was unbelievable. It was a Tuesday night game against a last-place team, and the fans were still really into it. Ten minutes before the game, the seats were filled and the place was loud.

Q: Which arena had the best food?

A: The United Center in Chicago had the best selection. You could get Mexican or ribs or pretty much anything you wanted. I ate a hot dog at every arena, and the best by far were in Montreal, where the bun is slit on the top and they lightly butter it. Also, in Dallas, they have something called the "knife and fork" dog, which is a hot dog smothered in chili, cheese and onions. And yes, you do have to eat it with a knife and fork. It was great. The worst food was in Edmonton, where I got food poisoning. Not sure if it was at the arena or at a restaurant, but my flight the next morning to Toronto wasn't pleasant.

Q: What was the biggest disappointment?

A: The atmospheres in some of the Canadian rinks, especially Vancouver and Calgary, were surprisingly bad. The fans seemed indifferent during the game: not a lot of cheering, not a lot of excitement. I was expecting the Canadian rinks to be the best, but it was pretty dead in those two cities.

Q: What was the best moment from the games?

A: A couple of great moments stand out. In Carolina, against the Lightning, Vincent Lecavalier scored an amazing goal. He broke through the defense, and with Bret Hedican draped on his back, he just shrugged him off and scored. It was an incredible show of strength and skill. I saw a total of 158 goals. That one and a Sam Gagner shootout goal were the two beauties I remember best.

Heritage Classic

Came across this pic of streaker from the Heritage Classic.

Not even sure why I'm posting it.

A man of Reason

Refreshing to read article regarding the lack of scoring and solutions to improve it.

STORY

Buffalo Sabres president Larry Quinn made a presentation to the governors Friday which passionately asked for the league to consider spending more time and money on research and development to try and figure out ways to improve the game.

"We didn't propose any rule changes either," said Quinn. "What we said is, goal scoring is going down, we don't think the zone trap is what our fans want to see, and we've got to find a way to get it out of the game without damaging the game. And that requires a lot of research and development in my opinion. So it was a good discussion.".

Quinn would like to see the league's head office adding way more staff in order to tackle these issues more effectively.

"If somebody wants to go to a bigger net or a smaller catching glove or anything, we have the desired outcome at the end by researching it before we do it," said Quinn.

"For instance, there's a theory that bigger nets would get rid of the trap and improve goal scoring," added Quinn. "Who knows if that's true? I don't. So ideas like that need to be tested thoroughly so that if we decide to do something like that, it has the desired result. You'd hate to do it and not have it work."

Battle of Alberta

12. Calgary

25

10

12

3

23

14. Edmonton

24

10

13

1

21

"Gee, I expected the Battle of Alberta to be a little more battling than this"

Lessons Learned from the 2003-2004 Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club

The Edmonton Oilers highest scorer, Shawn Horcoff, is 47th in the league with 20 points (24 Games). Is it a problem that they don't have enough high end depth? Somewhat. In the sense a top scorers typically posts strong numbers on the PP, which in turn helps win hockey games. That being said, there are two examples in recent history that illustrate a club doesn't necessarily need a 80+ point player in order to win hockey games.

2003-2004 Edmonton Oilers

TEAM STATS

While they didn't qualify for the playoffs, which can mostly be attributed to the special teams, they won more hockey games than not. Despite the fact the PP (29th ranked in league) and PK (27th) were both among the bottom 5 in the league, the team ended up 7 games over .500, just 2 points out of 7th and 8th place in the Conference.

The key? Everybody contributing offensively while playing strong even-strength hockey. 14 players posted at least 20 points. The leading scorers were Ryan Smyth (59), Radek Dvorak (50), and Michael York (42). Only Ales Hemsky (-7), Eric Brewer (-6), Scott Fergueson (-5), Brad Isbister (-2) and Jason Chimera (-1) were on the wrong side of the ledger. On the good Side, Ulanov (+19), Dvorak & York (+18), Staios (+17), and Pisani (+14) among many others.

The team was 9th in GF (221), and 16th in GA (208)

The 2007-2008 team has only one thing in common with the 2003-2004 club - an inefficient powerplay (30th in league). While the PK is stronger (10th in league), EV play is a problem. 74 GA are a pitiful 29th in league rankings, most of them scored against at EV strength. Outscorers gone (or not playing this year due to injury) from the 2003-2004 club include Dvorak, Moreau, Pisani, Reasoner. The Oilers had a solid second line in Torres-York-Dvorak who simply put, took on the soft minutes and murdered opponents. Stoll isn't Mike York yet. And Dvorak never found his offensive touch again. On the back end, Staios was a better defenceman those days, as was Jason Smith. Cory Cross was effective as a bottom pairing, and seemed to have a career year. Igor Ulanov was a pleasant surprise, signed mid-season.

To be fair, that club was largely out of the playoff hunt until it's late surge in late February and March. They acquired Petr Nedved at the trade deadline who put up career-esque numbers clipping 15 points in 16 gaves. On the flip side, one can argue that a top scorer (i.e. One that posts results on the PP) like Nedved was proof enough that a top scorer is required to win hockey games, despite how good the team is on even-strength. The 2006-2007 Dallas Stars certainly seem to support that theory.

What we learned from the 2003-2004 club?

- Veteran hockey players are required to establish a strong 5-on-5 system

- Craig MacTavish is a good hockey coach, who currently can only do so much with the youngest team in the league that has 3 veteran hockey players (Souray, Pisani, Moreau) out with injuries much of the year.

- Perhaps the Oilers strong EV play made goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkannen appear better than they actually were/are.

- If the Oilers had better goaltending from Tommy Salo (See Turco, Marty 2006-2007 Dallas Stars), the Oilers would have contended for the division

- PP and PK, like it or not, do matter. Perhaps even more so under the new NHL rules. That's why, when Ray "FUCKING" Whitney, who has over the course of his career demonstrated exceptional PP skills and results, publicly states he wants to play for the Oilers (and he went for only 1.5M), you don't pass up the opportunity. Carolina got a gem - one that certainly overperformed his contract and helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the 2006 Stanley Cup. Too bad, he could have been on our side.

- The West was certainly not as competitive as it is now. Going forward, you hope the NHL Western Conference doesn't imitate the NBA Western Conference of recent years

- The 2007-2008 Oilers squad lacks a 2nd line that can murder soft opponents, the way Torres-York-Dvorak did

- Future Oiler clubs, once the younger players gain experience, should attempt to imitate the 2003-2004 club's EV play, with more success on the PP. Perhaps Craig MacTavish is after all the right man to take them to the promised land.

Oilers on the Skids - December 5, 1993

VIDEO

What a hottie in the opening 5 second.

Ryan Smyth Struggling in Colorado

Ryan Smyth is my favourite player. He's one of the few NHL players in my life that I've met.

I wasn't a fan of the trade, but I'm also not the most objective party.

20 games into the season with Colorado, he's posted these numbers:

20 6 7 13 -6

5th in team scoring, 6th in PPG.

Of course he's doing the heavy lifting in Colorado, but those simply aren't good numbers. The minus 6 is tied for 2nd in the team worst category, only "Behind" Scott Hannan who is -11. Of course the plus/minus numbers should always be used on context (Sakic is -4, Wolski is +9).

So, the ultimate questions to the 'sphere - what is wrong with Ryan Smyth? Did the Oilers make the right move taking a stand over $100,000/year?

Of course even if the Oilers had made the right decision - they followed it up by acquiring for PR purposes, Sheldon Souray, negating any possible future benefit of the decision.

Ryan O'Marra Struggling

During training camp, I had written this piece on O'Marra. Now is a follow up on this prospect.




Above is a picture illustrating Ryan O'Marra as a Champion.

These days, he is anything but one

20 year old Ryan O'Marra, the central piece of the Ryan Smyth deal is struggling.

In the ECHL.

After playing only 3 games and going pointless with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, he was demoted to a lower tier league in the ECHL. He has posted 6G, 1A, 7 PTS in 11 games, 8th on his team in scoring.

For a 15th overall pick, it's a disappointment, especially considering he went 4G, 1A, 5PTS in 8 games as an 18 year old kid in the AHL. In the past, he's received rave reviews of his play and style:

Ken Morrow on his play in the AHL as an 18 year old kid

"I watched (O'Marra) in the World Junior tournament this year and he's just a steady two-way guy who shows up to play every shift," said Ken Morrow, the Islanders' Director of Pro Scouting.

"As you saw, he can score you some goals, he can kill penalties, he can check, and he can hit...he does a little bit of everything," explained Morrow, adding that O'Marra "doesn't look out of place (at the AHL-level)."

"He looks like a ten-year pro the way he handled himself...he's 18-years-old but he plays like a 25 or 26-year-old," said Morrow.

"I think we have a good one," pronounced Baseggio.

Is it just a confidence issue, or did his 2 major injuries kill his career as a professional hockey league player?

David Staples Article on the Oilogosphere

In case you missed it, a great article written by David Staples in today's Edmonton Journal.

ARTICLE

That being said, there's another guy that deserves some mention. He's smart, original, and hammers his points home.

YK OIL

Have to say he's one of the top bloggers out there. He hasn't posted recently, but make sure to check out his archives.

Mr. Glass still serving a purpose

After the PR work for the "Cash Is King" Lottery, Ethan Moreau doing his latest PR work for the the Oilers.

Loweapologists Arguments

Term is coined by Dennis.

Here are the most often arguments given by Loweapologists, trying to convince the majority that Kevin Lowe is the man with a plan.

Argument 1: "Smyth isn't worth 5 YEARS! Guys break down at 34 and 35! Just look at Amonte and Naslund!!!"
Fact 1: Lowe obviously though otherwise, considering he offered Smyth a 5 year, 27M deal. A deal that would keep Ryan around until 36.

________

Argument 2: "Smyth is injury prone. Kevin Lowe made the right choice to pass on Smyth."
Fact 2: Compare with Souray's GP totals, and tell me who exactly is injury prone
Souray
Smyth

And again, Kevin Lowe didn't pass on Smyth by offering him a 5 year contract. Therefore, the injury prone line is bogus, even if it was true that Smyth fit in that category.
________

Argument 3: "Kevin Lowe is thinking about the Oilers in long run. Thus, the Dustin Penner contract fits in with Kevin's long term vision as Penner will be earning his money in years 3, 4, and 5 of the contract."
Fact 3: If that were the case, why would Kevin Lowe offer a 4 year contract to a 35 year old Michael Nylander, whom is likely to decline in years 3 and 4 of the contract

________
Argument 4: "Ryan Smyth is Greedy. He is the only reason why Kevin Lowe could not sign him. Ryan should have taken a hometown discount. The truth is, Ryan Smyth didn't want to stay in Edmonton, while Sheldon Souray did."
Fact 4: Sheldon Souray took the best offer (in monetary figures, signing bonus, and length of contract). That is the only reason he signed here. In fact, according to this piece in the Montreal Gazette, the Oilers came out of nowhere to sign him:

ARTICLE

A day later, the Canadiens offered Souray a four-year deal commonly reported to be worth $22 million, numbers he says “are close.”

By then, he had similar or better offers elsewhere – eventually a half-dozen or so serious offers, Souray says, before Edmonton came out of nowhere, “not even kicking the tires” until July 11 – and felt he had slipped well down the Canadiens’ list of priorities.

It is also to important to note, none of the guys in Moreau, Pisani, Staios, Horcoff, Lupul, and Roloson, at the times during their negotiations, took a hometown discount. But Ryan Smyth should have!

________

Argument 5: "Kevin Lowe is put at a huge disadvantage! Nobody wants to play in Edmonton!!!"
Fact 5: Players do want to play in Edmonton, as proven by the numerous guys that have signed long term contracts here. Typically, they go where the money is. While it may be a little more difficult for Lowe to compete in the UFA market when players have the choice, that doesn't mean every guy out there is a Pronger.

Detroit isn't exactly a tropical paradise either.

When given a choice, who would want to go to a place where the team has sold off every damn good player over the years, and won one game in regluation (one that cost us Patrick Kane) in the final 20 games? Last time I checked, celler dwellers teams like LA and Chicago also have had trouble attracting the marquee free agents.

Not to the endless drama within the organization, comparable to an episode of "Days of Our lives"

________

Argument 6: "Dustin Penner was a GREAT MOVE BY LOWE!!! Draft picks and prospects are massively overrated!"
Fact 6: If they are overrated, then why were you defending the return on:

The Pronger deal (An unproven Smid with little offensive game, a Lupul who had raw tools but poor ES numbers, a 1st, a 2nd, and another conditional 1st)

The Smyth deal (Nilsson, a 22 year old that had yet to crack the NHL on a full-time basis, O'Marra who had just come off a major injury and barely cracked the PPG as a 19 year old in the OHL, and is now doing only OK in the ECHL. Topped with another 1st round draft pick).

________

It's downright funny sometimes.

Before the ''You're a Basher Crew'' gets on me, hopefully the Oilers win against Minnesota tonight.

Revenue sharing and the Canadian Dollar

A great article by ALLAN MAKI AND ERIC DUHATSCHEK from the Globe and Mail, on the issue of revenue sharing and the appreciating Canadian dollar.

Below are some interesting excerpts from the article.

The Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes and Florida Panthers will soon feel the strain of a robust Canadian hockey economy, which is generating money for the NHL and increasing its hockey-related revenue. In turn, that could raise the NHL's salary cap. The high end of the cap, $50.3-million (all currency U.S. unless otherwise noted), isn't the issue. It's the low end, which is $34.3-million and could go up. For this season, the Predators and Washington Capitals had to spend upward of $4-million to $6-million just to reach the cap minimum. Now, there are questions surrounding the revenue-sharing aspects of the NHL's collective labour agreement.

According to published reports, the bottom-ranked clubs that receive revenue sharing "must generate a year-to-year growth rate in excess of the league average revenue growth rate." With the financial success of the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers, the NHL's weakest clubs may not be able to better the league average in revenue growth, and that would mean a deduction in the money they'd get from their partners.

In other words, the weak clubs would be weakened a little more, which wasn't supposed to happen in the new NHL. Of all the loopholes the league tried to close with its new collective agreement, this one was left unsecured.

"It's possible," Cal Nichols, the head of the Edmonton Oilers' Investors Group, said when asked whether small-market U.S. clubs could be damaged. "I can say that as our revenues grow, so increases what we pay into revenue sharing. I'm not going to say everything's wonderful [in Edmonton] until we find out what we have to pay. We don't know yet."

Playing the RFA Game

Based on 2007-2008 NHL Salary Cap of 50.3M, the RFA Offer sheet compensation was as follows:

Amount	Compensation Due
$773,442 or less	None
$773,442 - $1,171,882	3rd round pick
$1,171,882 - $2,343,764	2nd round pick
$2,343,764 - $3,515,645	1st and 3rd round pick
$3,515,645 - $4,687,527	1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick
$4,687,527 - $5,859,412	Two 1st's, one 2nd, one 3rd round pick
$5,859,412 or more	Four 1st round picks

As the cap goes up, these figures adjust.

The Edmonton Oilers have the following Restricted Free Agents in the summer of 2008:

Jarret Stoll
Robert Nilsson
Joni Pitkanen
Tom Gilbert
Denis Grebeshkov
Marc Pouliot
JF Jacques
Zach Stortini

FILTERING OUT THE DATA
Stortini is extremely unlikely to receive an RFA offer sheet.

JF Jacques is another guy that is unlikely to garner much interest.

MAP, although possibly will become a regular NHLer one day, has yet to prove himself in the NHL

That leaves us with:

Jarret Stoll
Robert Nilsson
Joni Pitkanen
Tom Gilbert
Denis Grebeshkov

SOME CONCERN

Say Jarett Stoll gets a 3.5M offersheet. Do you take the 1st and the 3rd?

Assume Robert Nilsson is really a full time player, and he receives a 2.2M offersheet. 2.2M is too much coin, but at the same time a 2nd round pick is insufficient compensation. Do you really want to lose the center piece of the Ryan Smyth deal over 1M?

Joni Pitkanen, meanwhile is recipient of a 4.6M offersheet. Is a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd suffient for a guy who was a top 5 pick?

Tom Gilbert gets his well earned, 2.3M offersheet? Any choice but to match?

Denis Grebeshkov - 1.5M. Is a 2nd rounder enough?

So why the concern? You end up with guys on the lower end of the chart ripe for picking, at salaries beyond their value towards the hockey club. In other words, you won't be receiving the same ''bang-for-your-buck" as you initially anticipated. At the same time, the compensation is insufficient, forcing you to reluctantly cough up the money.

PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS

Just like players can take advantage of negotiating with other teams, GMs can essentially protect their assets (RFA's) by taking them into arbitration. The kicker is that a player can only be taken to arbitration once in his career (which makes Pitkanen ineligible for team-applied arbitration), and the player must have 4 years or professional hockey experience. Using Mike Cammalleri's 3.1M and 3.6M arbitration award (despite posting 55 and 80 points in the past 2 years) for the next two years, perhaps Kevin Lowe should be thinking hard about taking Jarrett Stoll to arbitration. Especially if he ends up with 30-40 points.*

*Assumption made that he's not packaged in a trade by the summer of '08

I'm not sure what the deal is with Tom Gilbert, a guy who played a full 4 years in the NCAA, followed up with a season in the AHL and currently in the NHL.

Dennis Grebeshkov can be taken into arbitration as well.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

I'm not really sure what will happen.

Since the lock-out, there have been only 3 RFA offersheets, 2 of them by Kevin Lowe. History, therefore suggests there isn't much to worry about. On the flip side of the coin, we've seen numerous clubs lock up their top young players on long term deals, post-Vanek offer sheet. It will be an interesting summer - will the GM's break the ''old boys network'' or carry on the illegal activity in the name of collusion?

Perhaps, like every summer, UFA's will dominate the market, some at prices or terms that are clearly beyond logic.

OR

Perhaps a guy like Dion Phaneuf will receive an offersheet in the range below:

$4,687,527 - $5,859,412

Two 1st's, one 2nd, one 3rd round pick

Perhaps a guy like Ovechkin will receive an offersheet in the range below:

$5,859,412 or more

Four 1st round picks

Perhaps Buffalo does indeed seek revenge against the Oilers and throw an offer at Nilsson or Pitkanen.

Not that I have a problem with it - it's a legal tool available for GM's to improve their hockey team. Why teams allowed the NJ Devils in the summer of 2005 to sign 3 UFA's, pressed at the cap, without consequences (i.e. Paul Martin, an RFA possibly available for only a 2nd round pick) is beyond me.

RFA offersheets - they really are fair game. Aside from rookies coming off their entry level contracts, a smart GM will make sure he that he protects his most valuable young assets or locks up good young players for the long run.

It will be interesting to see where Kevin Lowe falls, going forward.

New Coyotes Marketing Promotion - "All You Can Eat"

PROMOTION

COYOTES ANNOUNCE "ALL YOU CAN EAT" PACKAGE

The Phoenix Coyotes announced that they are now offering an “All You Can Eat” ticket package. Fans purchasing the package receive five (5) premier weekend games plus they can enjoy unlimited hot dogs, soft drinks, popcorn, peanuts and nachos each time they visit Jobing.com Arena.

“The Coyotes are committed to making National Hockey League action affordable for our fans” said John Browne, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales Officer for the Phoenix Coyotes. “This package provides cost certainty for our guests and represents a great value when you consider the regular price of just the ticket and then add on the value of the food and beverages.”

The package is available in both the upper and lower seating levels. The “All You Can Eat” upper level package is priced at $150 ($30 per game) and includes an upper level ticket regularly priced at $28. A lower level package is also available at $275 ($55 per game) and includes a lower level ticket regularly priced at $55.

_______

Pretty self-explanatory.

One of the few good things of a market that have consistently told the world that they don't want NHL hockey, are value-based promotions for fans.


______________________
Relocated from Winnipeg in 1996, with little hockey history behind the market, Phoenix has been an ultimate failure. Dubbed early on as a non-traditional market, it has done little to shed away from the label. After arriving in Phoenix, the team posted six consecutive .500 or better seasons, making the playoffs in every year but one. Attendance, however, regularly flirted in the bottom 10 category, never topping the 15,604 mark hit in the first year. Despite a new state-of-art facility constructed in 2003, attendance spike was temporary and the team finished 24^th in 2006-2007 at 14,988 average attendance (including 1,580 complimentary tickets) per game.

---

Schedule Breakdown - A reason to be optimistic

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Pacific Division
San Jose Sharks (1/2H, 0/2A)
Los Angeles Kings (0/2H, 1/2A)
Anaheim Ducks (0/2H, 1/2A)
Phoenix Coyotes (0/2H, 1/2A)

Northwest Division
Vancouver Canucks (1/4H, 1/4 A)
Minnesota Wild (1/4H, 2/4A)
Colorado Avalanche (1/4H, 1/4A)
Calgary Flames (0/4H, 2/4A)


Central Division
Detroit Red Wings (1/2 H, 1/2 A)
Nashville Predators (1/2H, 0/2A)

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Philadelphia Flyers (1/1 H)

NOTES
*The injury-depleted Edmonton Oilers have only only played 7 out of the 17 games games this year on home ice.

Divisional comparison:
Calgary Flames - 11/17
Colorado Avalanche - 10/17
Vancouver Canucks - 8/16
Minnesota Wild - 7/15
Edmonton Oilers - 7/17

*Western Conference teams the Oilers have not played this year include: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, and St. Louis

*Phoenix, Anaheim, and Calgary are the only teams the Oilers have played that have a current record as of NOV 12 below .500

*7 out of the remaining 9 games in November will be on home-ice. Souray is expected back next game, and Pitkanen shortly after. Moreau is a complete unknown, and there have been hints that Pisani could be back as early as the end of this month. December follows a 6:8 ratio for home and away games.

* 2 out of the 8 back-to-backs have been completed. 6 more remaining.

*4/15 PPV games have been broadcasted. 11 remain on the schedule.

Sam Gagner

Sam Gagner officially played his 10th NHL game Saturday night at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, thus stapling his stay in the NHL for the rest of the season. There has been some concern on the Oilogosphere and by Oiler fans in general, that the Oilers are burning a year of his entry-level contract by keeping him up with the men. This side feels that Gagner should spend another year developing in Junior, thus helping the Oilers in his most productive, most salary-restricted years (19-22) in his entry-level contract. In other words, ''milk every production out of him before he gets the big bucks.'' Fair enough. I completely understand the reasoning behind this argument.

On to another issue...

Regarding the development, some feel Gagner would better develop playing against men at an earlier age. It's difficult to say. Guys like Eric Staal and Patrice Bergeron gained valuable experience as 18 year olds in the NHL. On the flip side of the coin, Wotej Wolski's 9 game stint with the Colorado Avalanche in 2005-2006 (6 points) before being sent back down to the junior certainly didn't seem to hurt his development. He came back to the NHL at 19, and posted 50 points in 76 games. 10 games into this year, he has posted 8 points. Some point out to Schremp's years as an 18 & 19 year old in Junior were a waste of time since he didn't develop the defensive side of the game. Perhaps the argument has merit. Or perhaps he just wasn't a very good hockey player. It's truly difficult to say.

Another concern among these skeptics however, is not as understandable.

Another concern is one of which that stems from the possibility of Gagner being signed to an RFA offersheet. Under the current CBA, arbitration rights do not exist for both the player and the team, should a player have less than 4 years of professional hockey experience. This means Gagner will have full unrestricted ability to sign an RFA offersheet after his entry level contract expires. Of course that is irrelevant to the decision to send him down to the juniors or not, but noteworthy to discuss.

So far, two years removed from the new CBA, we've only seen 3 RFA offer-sheets in the NHL. Two of them were by a very desperate Kevin Lowe. However, it is under my opinion the recent influx of longer term contracts to young players have little to do with the RFA Game. Players such as Nash, Staal, Cheechoo, Hemsky, and Beregeron, etc. all received long term contracts well before Lowe's RFA offersheets. It's a solid tool for teams to lock up their rising stars. For players, they receive the comfort and security of longterm guaranteed money, enough so to feed their dogs and their grandchildren. The key is, both sides bear the risk of the contract. That is, teams overpay in the earlier years of the contract with the hope that the player will elevate on the ice, while the players give up a few of their UFA years.

So, based on the brief post-CBA history, why the concern of Sam Gagner getting raided by a GM? Will he be the only young player in the league who will have posted solid numbers? Will he be the most attractive target to raid? Will all GMs be even in a position of holding the necessary draft picks to sign him? Do all GMs even believe in the RFA game? I'm not so inclined to believe that RFA offersheets are set to become a common theme.

Then, above all, is the "human element." The Oilers developed loyalty with Sam Gagner by keeping him up in the Majors. Is he, going to take the first opportunity available to sign an RFA offersheet? Or will he give the Oilers a chance to make a fair offer before considering external influences? A bit difficult to say, but the trend of younger players signing 6 year contracts with their only organization inclines me to believe the latter.

On to another issue...

After the draft, Lowe was quoted as saying he believed that Gagner could be in the NHL in 1 or 2 years. Some have accused the Oilers as keeping him up for PR reasons. In other words, "A reason for Oilers fans to believe in the future."

I can't share that assessment. I believe Sam Gagner earned his way to the NHL. He spent the summer in intense workouts. He posted 15 points in 8 games in the 2007 Super Series (next closest was John Tavares with 9 points, followed by Kyle Turris with 8). He followed that up by a strong training camp and pre-season, surpassing the likes of Pouliot and Schremp in the depth chart. The just-turned 18 year old didn't stop their either - he went on to post 7 points in his first 9 NHL games. I don't believe the Oilers kept him up for PR reasons - Sam Gagner left the Oilers with no choice but to keep him in the big leagues.

Perhaps the best Oiler draft pick since Captain Canada, Ryan Smyth. Sam Gagner will develop and grow in Edmonton.

What Type of Fan Are You?

Hunt, Bristol, & Bradshaw’s (1999) classification scheme:

1) Temporary
- “fan” not part of self-identification
- time constrained
- BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory) motivation
- CORFing

2) Local
- identifies with geographic area
- devotion leaves with displacement

3) Devoted
- increased degree of attachment
- “fan” a closer part of sense of self
- not most critical or central part of self-definition

4) Fanatical
-being a fan an important part of self-identification
-has other means of self-identification that are more important
-engages in behaviour beyond normal devoted fan-behaviour accepted by significant others

5) Dysfunctional
-being a fan primary method of self-identification
-may engage in violent or disruptive behaviour
-identification interferes with normal life

I consider myself number 3.

Big Foot

Alexei Mikhnov is like Big Foot.

You hear about him. There are occasional reported sightings of him. But despite that, you still can't verify that he exists.

The latest rumbling suggest that he has put up 18 points in 17 games in the RSL. Just 4 points behind his career high.

Is this the case of actually progressing his game? Or do the numbers merely reflect his experience (at-bats)? The time is running out before he becomes a UFA in 2008. There are really only 3 options for the Oilers next summer:

1) Trade him if a market exists for him.
2) Sign him to a 1 way contract, and hope he improved his 2 way game.
3) Sign him to a 1 way contract with an opt clause to Russia if he doesn't crack the team.

Personally, I'm a fan of Mikhnov. Soft hands, fairly good skating for a big guy, protects the puck well down low. I believe he can play at least on the 4th line in the NHL. Option 3 makes sense in my opinion - you find room for him.

What Kevin Lowe and MacT will do is a different story.

Have we seen the last of Big Foot?

Getting It Done On The Powerplay

Before I begin for my valuable readers - sorry, just so busy. So please excuse this half-hearted piece.
_________

6 games - 18 goals, 9 on the powerplay.

1 of the ES goal just as the penalty expired

Yes, that is the early edition of the Vancouver Canucks 2006-2007 NHL club, which sit at 3-3.

Don't expect that trend to continue.

At the same time, it gives Oilers fans reason to believe it can improve in the standings (2-4) once the PP starts gelling and starts getting results.

Just some food for thought.

Prediction: Raffi Torres will be traded

Joffrey Lupul's 3 year contract was structured at 1.5M year 1, 2.535M in year 2, and 2.9M in year 3.

The benefit of an contract with escalating dollars is clear. You can move a player with question marks after deriving the most value-per-dollar in earlier years. For the receiving (higher budget) team, the cap hit is less than the actual dollars being paid out.

Looking at Torres's contract structure:
Year 1 - 1.6M
Year 2 - 2.4M
Year 3 - 2.75M

With the dollar being high, you'd have expected the Oilers to front-load the contract. Or even a clear-cut 2.25M across the board.

Not so.

With his salary rising by 800,000 next year, Penner making him somewhat redundant, unless he takes the next step in his career with regards to consistency, I think he's a prime candidate to being moved either at the trade deadline (if the Oilers are out and Lowe wants to stockpile yet even more assets) or in the summer.

Smid and Grebeshkov to get a bird's eye view of the season opener

STORY

While Ladislav Smid and Denis Grebeshkov were a little risky in their own end in training camp, Tom Gilbert picked up right where he left off late last season, when he stood out in an emergency relief effort.

That's why Gilbert is skating with Dick Tarnstrom as Edmonton's third defence pair, while Smid and Grebeshkov will likely start the season as Nos. 7 and 8.

"You have to say that Gilbert deserves an opportunity," said MacTavish.

"And he'll likely get that Thursday night."

_________

I understand Grebeshkov, who will get better as the season progresses, but I just don't understand what the bag of suck (as a player, not as a person) in Matt Greene is doing over Ladislav Smid on the depth chart.

Size in hockey is akin to left handed pitchers in baseball, it seems. Opportunities, sometimes undeserving.

Or perhaps Greene is being showcased for trade?

New Kid On The Block

Punjabi Oil has underwent successful expansion.

PDO will now bring his insights to the blog.

Why?

To make a long story short, PDO fit in the organization's budget

Anyone else wishing to join the organization, drop a PM on HF or post here. We are "Willing To Overpay" and will throw out some "pretty lucrative offers."

Cheers,

PunjabiOil

Opening Season Roster

Haven't had the time, nor the desire to watch or listen to the pre-season games.

Just been reading newspaper articles, glancing at boxscores, and catching the highlights on Sportscentre.

Not exactly in-depth analysis and ''eyeball observations,'' but who is paying me?

Without further ado, below is my informal hypothesis on the Oilers opening roster against SJ.

Penner Horcoff Hemsky
Torres Stoll Nilsson
Moreau Gagner Pouliot
Sanderson Reasoner Cogliano
EXT: Brodziak

*Thorosen sent to the AHL
*Storini Sent to the AHL
*Pisani on the IR

Staios Pitkanen
Souray Greene
Smid Tarnstrom
EXT: Grebeshkov, Gilbert

*Note - Trade Greene + Schremp (both overvalued) for a decent goaltender prospect.
*Roy on the IR

Roloson
Garon

Playoff bound roster?

Lets just say I'd be much more comfortable if Pisani comes back earlier than expected, or Mike Johnson is signed upfront. The defence looks like a mess - collection of bottom pairing defencemen that need sheltered minutes. The defence also needs another shut-down defenceman (I'm looking at your, Danny Markov) who can kill penalties and play on ES. Simply put, Matt Greene just doesn't have it in him at this point of his career to log top 4 minutes.

Media takes a shot at the Oilogosphere

STORY

"If Edmonton Oilers hockey is a fishbowl, it's never had more fighting fish in it, with far more sports coverage than ever on radio, TV and in print, not to mention the blogosphere, where every wannabe Oilers general manager can have his or her say."

How many of these wannabe Oilers GM's could do a better job handling the Smyth and Pronger situations?

Vito Corleone steps down; Younger, fresher blood in Michael takes over

Ryan Smyth?

Gone.

Jason Smith?

Gone.

Petr Sykora?

Gone.

3 Veteran hockey players were cut loose or traded this past summer. Perhaps the dollars and cents didn't match. Or perhaps, the organization was set on going in a different direction and the above names didn't align properly.

Kevin Lowe long has been discussing the young blood - public comments of ''Not mortgaging the future'' and the alike.

Now the time has come.

Call it the youth movement - With names like Gagner (18), Cogliano (20), Nilsson (22), Stortini (22), Pouliot (22), Thorosen (24), and Brodziak (24) upfront, all expected to crack the opening roster, there is no shortage of reliance on the young members of the Edmonton Oilers.

Penner (25), Hemsky (25), Stoll (25), and Torres (26) have yet to peak either.

The veterans up front is a short list: Horcoff (29), Reasoner (30), Moreau (32), and Sanderson (35)

Defence is sailing in the same boat.

Smid (21), Greene (24), Pitkanen (24), Gilbert (24), Grebeshkov (24), and Roy (24) round up the old-boys-network-junior.

Souray (31), Tarnstrom (32), and Staios (34) are the veterans on the blue line that will be heavily counted on.

Goaltending is an exception to the rule

Garon (29), and Roloson (38) are expected to share the load.

CAN THIS TEAM REALISTICALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR?
*I'd like to say so. I'd like to believe Gagner and Cogliano will carry their point production to the games that count. Mikhnov, Lupul's and Schremp's pre-season performances last year though, have kept me honest. A wait-and-see approach if you may.

*Young defenceman will make mistakes. Matt Greene's development has stagnated. MacT doesn't think Grebeshkov has a lot to offer defensively, but they'll work on it. Pitkanen came off a year with hot and cold games. Gilbert needs another 100AB in the NHL before he can find his comfort zone. Smid is still a boy amoung men.

*The veteran's don't provide that much of stability either. Souray is 31, and Huddy will STILL have to work to improve his game. Tarnstrom is a bottom pairing, PP Specialist, who wasn't in the NHL last year. Staios is the only calming presence surrounded by chaos.

* Souray was strictly a PR transaction, inconsistent with the organization's youth movement philosophy. Souray, who reported in AUG 21's Edmonton Journal, "The Oilers came out of nowhere, and I told my agent to get it quickly done." However, that's history, and I'm looking forward to see him put the POW in the POWERPLAY.

*The defence can certainly use a veteran to calm things down. YK Oil is a big fan of Tanabe. I was a fan of Hedja, or even Tjarnqvist at lesser money. Hey, Danny Markov is still looking for a dance partner. What say you, Kevin?

*Upfront, Mike Johnson replaces Pisani. Pisani ridiculously had only a -1 on a poor ES 2006-2007 Oilers team. Mike Johnson, meanwhile was +6 (31 pts) on a similar poor ES team. He's a guy who went 16G, 38A, 54 points in 2005-2006 and Montreal only paid the price of a 4th rounder (which is effectively ~nothing) to acquire him. Latest rumblings suggest that he was at the Blues camp on a try-out basis. Poor guy, just can't get a break. If Billy Beane shared his philosophy to the ''Naked-eye observation NHL GMs," he'd be courted by 30 NHL teams. Perhaps things will change in the future. Perhaps not.

I don't believe we're a playoff team, based on the roster thus far. At the same time, we're going on an embarking journey to watch the youth grow and mature. For the first time in organization's history, I can confidently say and truly mean it: "Just watch. Just watch us next year."

He shoots....He SCORES!

STORY

Hilary Duff's expectations were low when her hockey player boyfriend, Mike Comrie, called recently to say he'd picked out an early 20th birthday present for her and that "I hope you like them."

"Okay, it's shoes or something," Duff recalled thinking as she went to her sister's house, where Comrie had said he left the present in the garage. "I opened the garage, and I was just like shocked, just standing there."

Before her, with a big red bow on top, was a Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV (retail price: more than $100,000).

The Wise Man Speaks

Another more informing, less opinionated blog entry.

STORY

On Grebeshkov

"The balancing act is what you're going to have to pay for the offence, in terms of what you're going to give up defensively," MacTavish said. "And it's not only just with the forwards, but with the defencemen, as well.
"It's a situation where, yeah, we're going to move the puck better, but can we defend as well?"

On Cogliano

"Well, speed is obviously a huge element in the game of hockey," MacTavish said. "It's something that (Cogliano) possesses.

"But I really caution guys like him in particular. Your days of getting the puck and completely outskating everybody are gone. It does happen, at times. It happened (Tuesday night) where he beat a Toronto defenceman wide. But you've got to play the game with your head here.

"It's the combination of the speed and the hockey sense and the head that will really determine how much success he has at this level."

Sabres still not happy with the Oilers

LINK

Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn was asked if the Sabres will elicit advice from the Oilers, who staged the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game.

"We're not real happy with Edmonton right now," Quinn said, referring to the Oilers' attempt to hijack Sabres winger Thomas Vanek through restricted free agency with a seven-year, $50 million contract offer. "We won't be talking to Edmonton."

EIG pumps in 3.5M in dressing room upgrades

Have to give credit to these guys.

It's only fair

STORY

...but it is another event supporting the suspicions that the EIG were making money hands over fist. Would the EIG be engaging in these renovations if they were ''close to breaking even'' territory?

Not likely.

On an semi-unrelated note...

Another tidbit in the article worth mentioning (see bold).

Edmonton's reputation as a place to play is stellar among players who've actually played here, but not so much among those who haven't. This is another step in trying to change the misconception.

"It's impressive to see the way guys are treated here," said Marty Reasoner. "It's an extension of the organization. It's a pretty big message saying the team is committed to the guys and treats them first class."

Besides, said Moreau, the Nobody Wants to Play in Edmonton angle is dead.

"There are too many good examples (of players who do)," he said. "Sheldon (Souray) came here. I signed an extension, Stevie (Staios) signed an extension. Hemmer (Ales Hemsky) signed a long term deal. Horcoff signed a long term deal. Raffi (Torres) signed a long term deal. Jarret Stoll probably will. Dwayne Roloson could have gone somewhere else. Dick Tarnstrom is back.

"All those guys could have gone somewhere else."

Buffalo Suspends Teppo Numminen - Are the Oilers next?

STORY

Teppo Numminen wasn’t prepared for what his doctors told him this week at his annual, routine heart checkup. The Buffalo Sabres defensemen, already having endured two cardiac procedures, needs to have another right away.

He claimed he could play again by late October, but his career could be in the balance.

To make matters worse, Numminen learned Thursday night the Sabres had suspended him for failing to report to camp in good physical condition, a move the team declined to announce publicly.

“The NHLPA was notified today that the Buffalo Sabres have elected to suspend Teppo Numminen without pay,” NHL Players Association spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon told The Buffalo News. “We are currently reviewing this matter.”

Numminen this summer signed a one-year contract worth $2.6 million. Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said the guaranteed contract was not insured, meaning the club would be on the hook for the whole amount had it not suspended him

_____


Is it right? Is it just a business? Should non-hockey related medical issues be responsibility of the club? Or should Buffalo handled it with more class? Where do the Oilers stand with regards to Pisani?

Your opinion is encouraged

EIG Must be smiling

XE

US $ 0.97077 / 1 CDN $ as of 1:43 PM MST

In good shape boys.

In good shape.

Ryan O'Marra

Born in Toyko, Japan - raised in Canada - 20 year old, 6.02, 200 lbs, Ryan O'Marra is hoping to crack the Edmonton Oilers 2007 lineup.

A character center perceived to have strong hockey intelligence and two-way play. In other words, a guy that can help your hockey club win games.

But he is a center.

And the Edmonton Oilers have plenty of them.

So where does O'Marra fit in with a group that includes Horcoff, Stoll, Pouliot, Reasoner, Gagner, Cogliano, Schremp, Nash, Brodziak, Almtrop?

Or does he? Should he be moved to wing, based on GUY FLAMING's synopsis :
O'Marra is a natural center but has shown the ability and the comfort to play on the right wing as well

The ease of transition is critical on a team that is deep at center. But hold that thought for a second...

George Bachul writes:
He was also recognized in the annual OHL Coaches poll as the best faceoff man in his conference

Conveniently, Andrew Cogliano isn't as strong on faceoffs, and perhaps his burning speed may be better utilized on the wing.

Craig MacTavish has a difficult task and decision lying ahead of him.

TAKE A BREAK FROM READING - VIDEO INTERVIEW

So what kind of a game does O'Marra bring?

Guy Flaming writes:
He is a very skilled center with a good set of wheels. He handles the puck well and has a very good shot. He can score from many areas of the ice and doesn’t shy away from playing in traffic.

O'Marra is at his best when he is playing with a physical edge to his game. Banging bodies, creating turnovers and playing toughin the corners or in fornt of the net.

The Islanders were also a fan of him.

"I watched (O'Marra) in the World Junior tournament this year and he's just a steady two-way guy who shows up to play every shift," said Ken Morrow, the Islanders' Director of Pro Scouting.

"As you saw, he can score you some goals, he can kill penalties, he can check, and he can hit...he does a little bit of everything," explained Morrow, adding that O'Marra "doesn't look out of place (at the AHL-level)."

"He looks like a ten-year pro the way he handled himself...he's 18-years-old but he plays like a 25 or 26-year-old," said Morrow.

Robert Tychkowski gets a quote out of Ryan at the Oilers development camp

"I'm itching to skate," said O'Marra, who tore up his knee about five weeks after the trade. "Just to see the boys out there in the Oilers jerseys... it's tough to watch."

Reading the descriptions, it can be all summed up in two words:

Complete player

Lets take a peek at his numbers

16 year old - 63 GP, 16G, 16A, 32 PTS - 0.51 PPG - 0.25 GPG
16 year old (playoffs) - 9 GP, 5G, 5A, 10 PTS, 1.11PPG, 0.555 GPG
17 year old - 64 GP, 25G, 38A, 63 PTS - 0.98 PPG - 0.39 GPG
17 year old (plaoyffs) - 6GP, 4G, 1A, 5 PTS - 0. 833 PPG, 0.667 GPG
18 year old - 61 GP, 27G, 50A, 77 PTS - 1.26 PPG - 0.44 GPG
18 year old (AHL) - 8 GP, 4G, 1A, 5 PTS, 0.625 PPG - 0.5 GPG
18 year old (AHL Playoffs) - 3 GP, 0G, 1A, 1 PT, 0.33 PPG, 0 GPG
19 year old (injury season on two different OHL teams) - 46 GP, 26G, 25A, 51 PTS, 1.10 PPG, 0.57 GPG
19 year old (playoffs) 3 GP, 2G, 1A, 3 PTS, 1 PPG, 0.67 GPG

PPG (playoffs excluded) chronologically - 0.51, 0.98, 1.26, 1.10
GPG (playoffs excluded) chronologically - 0.25, 0.39, 0.44, 0.67

What can we derive from these numbers?

- He is a strong playoff performer
- He can put the puck in the net
- His numbers improved with age
- He may certainly have 2nd line upside. He claimed on Guy's pipeline show that people are falsely projecting him as a 3rd liner, and he's going to prove them wrong. Character.
- There is some concern regarding injuries (GP). You'd hope the knee injury suffered last year does not impact him in the long run
- Those are some very nice numbers as an 18 year old in the AHL.

Will he make the team this year?
There has been little talk on O'Marra making the team. Rather, MacTavish seems to be counting on one of Gagner, Schremp, or Cogliano to make the 23 man roster on opening day. Perhaps O'Marra needs another year of development to fine-tune his game. Or it may just be that these interviews mean dick in the grand scheme of things.

Be it in 2007 , 2008 or 2009, all indications thus far point out that Ryan O'Marra will help the Edmonton Oilers hockey club win games. Kevin Lowe most certainly fumbled the ball during the Ryan Smyth negotiations, but he most certainly made sure the organization didn't come away empty handed.

"I think we have a good one," pronounced Baseggio.

You did.

Now he is ours.

The Ice Breaks

Identification
Official name 10406 98 Avenue
Emporis Building Number 307090

Location
Address *
City Edmonton
State Alberta
Country Canada

Technical Data
Floors (OG) 25


Building in General
Type of construction high-rise building
Main usages
*
Status proposed

101st / Jasper ave
Dundee's Office Tower Proposal




Identification
Official name The Edmontonian
Emporis Building Number 307088

Location
Address *
City Edmonton
State Alberta
Country Canada

Technical Data
Height (struct.) 136 m 447 ft
Floors (OG) 44


Building in General
Type of construction high-rise building
Main usages
*
Status proposed

Craig MacTavish Sheds some light RE: Training Camp

Article 1

Article 2

YELLOWKNIFE -- With five goals and six assists through the first six games of the Canada-Russia Super Series

Considering the article was published today, an update including game 7 totals would be present in any *real* newspaper. But who is quibbling?

NUMBERS

13 points, 7 of them coming on the PP. The next highest is Giroux at 8, followed by Perron (a guy the Oilers liked) at 7. Turris has put up 6.

Sam Gagner is making the Edmonton Oilers scouts look awfully good.

Lets be honest here. When you're picking in the top 6, it's difficult to screw up. The true test will be to measure how Plante and Nash turn out (15th and 21st overall) compared to the picks in surrounding territory.

It was a pretty heavy price in terms of what we had to pay and what we had to endure (to get that high a pick), but it looks like money well spent," said head coach Craig MacTavish, who can't wait to see Gagner at the Oilers main camp next week.

Am I looking too much into it? What money spent?

"Mactavish who can't wait" - a nice rosy, cheerleading, writer's interpretation.

"We need (Andrew) Cogliano, we need Gagner or (Rob) Schremp, one of those three guys for sure to step up and fill a spot. It would be a disappointment if one of them didn't stay."

Center is getting awfully crowded.

Horcoff
Stoll
Pouliot
Reasoner

Who do you move to wing if one of them makes the team?

Robert Nilsson, acquired in the Ryan Smyth trade with the Islanders, is being counted on to make the team.

"We have him pencilled in right now," said MacTavish. "It's up to him what he does with it, but we do have a spot for him. We saw him play last year in the playoffs in Wilkes-Barre. We need some power play help and he has the ability to do that.

"He needs a chance at the NHL level. He has to be deserving of that chance ... We feel like it's his spot to lose, for sure."

Combining all these quotes together, along with Lowe stating he'd like to fill in the loss of Pisani internally, it appears to be a rebuild year. Is MacTavish buying into the youth-movement plan? Was the talk of a "win-now" mode just nonsense? Were Souray and Penner just moves to keep the tickets selling and the Oilers from a bottom 5 finish?

What about the PP? Can Nilsson, primarily a passer, play on the 1st line PP? I could see a Hemsky-Nilsson-Penner-Souray-Stoll group. Horcoff-Sanderson-Pouliot-Pitkanen-Tarnstrom as the secondary.

"It's a good beginning to their professional careers," said Lowe. "That they know if they play for the Edmonton Oilers there is a community responsibility.

Chris Pronger obviously missed the memo.

"You always hear it's going to be a competitive camp and all jobs are open, but we're telling the truth this year. There really is great opportunity and we're hopeful the guys are confident enough against NHL players to compete with them.

I found that part amusing

"Plus, Bucky (Springfield Falcons coach Kelly Buchberger) was coaching, so they wanted to impress him, as well.

Nothing like an old-boys network.

Edmonton Oil Kings - Ticket Prices illogical Greed or Smart Business?

The above mascot illustrates a family-friendly atmosphere sports organization.

Which may be.

What isn't family-friendly is the ticket prices.

The Oil Kings announced their single game ticket prices in recent weeks. $29 and $25, the highest in the CHL. Add in ticketmaster fees ($5-$6/ticket), Parking ($8), and the likely NHL-Priced concessions, and families are left wondering whether to just stick with the U of A Golden Bears ($10 adult tickets).

Yes, higher than Vancouver and Calgary, both solid comparables with established WHL franchises. Only the 100 level will be open to limit capacity/supply (~6750), improve a hockey atmosphere, avoid employee payroll in the 200 level, and most importantly prevent leakage from higher ticket prices to lower ticket prices.

Too much you say?

Oil Kings VP Nick Wilson disagrees. He claims that those prices are in line with the cost of other entertainment in Edmonton.

What are the comparables? Movie Theaters? Eskimos games? Rush? Gateway Bowling? U of A Golden Bears? A quote left up to the reader's interpretion - but finding a decent comparable is difficult.

The WHL has the potential to be a profitable venture for the EIG. Market size is one of the largest in the league, with small towns such as Swift Current (population: 16,000) competitors. Players also don't receive salary either, just a modest diem (~$200/week). Bus rides are more common than airfares, and these guys aren't staying in world class hotels like the NHL guys. At the same time, the EIG cannot afford price themselves out of the Edmonton Junior Hockey market leaving only 2,000 fans in a 17,000 Rexall Place.


The major questions arises among Edmontonians - are the current ticket prices too much to build up a fan base? Or are they reasonable enough to attract the targeted 5000-6750 needed in order to generate extremely high annual returns? Is the current pricing sustainable over the long run (i.e. Will the novelty wear off after the 1st year)?

You'd think the EIG researched their market well. The success of the Oil Kings founder Club (3 year season tickets) likely aided them in finding the price point. These guys aren't a charity. They didn't donate tickets to the Troops themselves (rather, the season ticket holders were asked), and they aren't interested in subsidizing lower income or single parent families either. This isn't about Edmonton or the community, no matter how many times Patrick LaForge leads us to believe so. The "Family" demographic talk is nonsense. The intent is to find the price point in order to fill the lower bowl with higher income families or commerce related workers that are willing to pay $8.00 for a Molson. If it keeps the ''Family'' demographic away from the games - so be it. Opening the 200's and 300's could definitely help out the "Family" demographic - but it comes at a major cost. The cost being leakage. The upper levels would require lower ticket prices, and this would remove the certainty of the higher ticket prices. This is the same reason Ken King, president of the Calgary Shames, indicated a short while back, an ideal capacity for an NHL rink is in the 16,000's. This is a business gentlemen. These are smart business guys folks, as much as it pains me to admit it. They already know how to fuck a city over and still come out as public heroes with the taxpayers of Edmonton subsidizing the Rexall lease.

Will the strategy work?

For those in the "Family" demographic that vocally raised objections - take your money to a better quality of hockey in the U of A - you were a never the targeted market. For those a little more wealthier, the eyebrows that were raised when the ticket prices were announced, will seamlessly fall back down without further objections. After all, aren't the Oil Kings ticket prices comparable to other entertainment options in Edmonton? With the Oilers tickets becoming more scarce every year, the EIG know they will be able to get away with charging the highest ticket prices in the CHL.

And they will.

EDIT: After blog entry release, the Edmonton Oil Kings introduced more family-friendly pricing. $10 single tickets, $17 ATB tickets, and $88/4 tickets + 4 Sodas/Hot Dogs packs.