The Silence Is Killing Me / The Edmonton Oilers RFA's

As this off season trickles by, one has to wonder what is up with the Oilers and the restricted free agents.

Has Sam Gagner's agent been talking to Tambellini? What about Gilbert Brule? Did he get an offer yet? What about Andrew Cogliano? Do the Oilers sign him before/if he gets traded? Do both Deslauriers and Dubnyk get a tendered offer? Is only one coming back? Are both coming back? Lot's of questions that need answering.

Like I said in the title, the silence is killing me.

I would hope that Gagner receives an offer before July 1st as I'm sure at least one other team will throw out an offer sheet for him. I like Gagner too much to lose him because the Oilers didn't try hard enough before it's too late. If another team offers $5 million +, the Oilers will be in tough to sign him to that deal. I should point out that Gagner isn't worth $5+, but another team will do what it takes to get him. He is a key cog for the Oilers moving forward.

Vanek, Kessler, Penner and Kessel all were over paid for this reason. Big offer sheets. Let's not have this happen to Gagner. $3.5 million over 5 years is fair and let's move on and get to signing some of the other young players.

I would also hope that they can sign both goalies. I personally would take the chance and send JDD down to OKC. It is possible that they could lose him on waivers, but if he clears, that provides one heck of a goalie for the OKC Barons.

I would keep Dubnyk with the Oilers and have him backup Khabibulin (and Khabibulin's replacement once he gets hurt.) So if I'm the GM and I'm going to try and send down JDD, he only gets a one year deal with no signing bonus (just in case).

I really hope that Marc Pouliot doesn't elect to go to arbitration. I just can't see him making a good enough case to get big dollars. He should just resign to whatever the Oilers offer. He needs to play well this year and make a strong case for himself next year.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

2010 KHL Draft

The KHL held their draft Friday, and there were some players of note that were drafted.

Oilers Prospects
Olivier Roy 88th Overall by Barys
Anton Lander 149th Overall by Spartak

Other NHL Prospects
Sami Vatanen, 2nd Overall, Ducks prospect
David Musil, 12th Overall, Blue Jackets prospect
Andrej Nestrasil, 30th Overall, Red Wings prospect
David Rundblad, 43th Overall, Blues prospect
Jakob Silfverberg, 46th Overall, Senators prospect
Roman Horak, 63rd Overall, Rangers prospect
Marek Viedensky, 80th Overall, Sharks prospect
Roman Josi, 95th Overall, Predators prospect
Mattias Ekholm, 108th Overall, Predators prospect
Niclas Lucenius, 122nd Overall, Thrashers prospect
Marcus Johansson, 133rd Overall, Capitals prospect
Jerry D'Amigo, 155th Overall, Maple Leafs prospect
Rasmus Rissanen, 159th Overall, Hurricanes prospect
Erik Haula, 160th Overall, Wild prospect
Eero Elo, 164th Overall, Wild prospect

John Tavares, Philip Larsen, and Mickael Backlund were also drafted, but those were voided as they currently have NHL contracts.
-Written by Eric Rodgers-

NHL Equivalence Numbers

I enjoy stats, so I figured I'd take Behind the Net's Gabriel Desjardins' NHLE on my day off and come up with what we could expect to see next year if they were to play the full season in one league.  I highly doubt that will happen, but it gives a good idea. Keep in mind that I just used the regular seasons for these numbers. Math isn't exactly my strong suit, so if I messed up, please call me out on it.

Linus Omark
2009-10 KHL: 36 points in 56 games = .643 Points per game
2010-11 AHL Projected: 97 points in 80 games = 1.21 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 44 points in 82 games = .533 PPG

Magnus Pääjärvi-Svenson
2009-10 Elitserien: 29 points in 49 games = .591 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 83 points in 80 games = 1.04 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 38 points in 82 games = .461 PPG

Teemu Hartikainen
2009-10 SM-Liiga: 33 points in 53 games = .623 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 61 points in 80 games = .764 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 28 points in 82 games = .337 PPG

Jordan Eberle
2009-10 WHL: 106 points in 57 games = 1.86 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 64 points in 80 games = .800 PPG*
2010-11 NHL Projected: 46 points in 82 games = .558 PPG*
(*Question you probably have right here is, why does Eberle have a lower projection in the AHL but a higher in the NHL than MPS and Omark have. The NHLE numbers have a specific conversion rate for the CHL leagues that skewed the numbers a little bit.)

Toni Rajala
2009-10 WHL: 63 points in 60 games = 1.05 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 36 points in 80 games = .452 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 26 points in 82 games = .315 PPG

Like I said, let me know if I messed something up please.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Jason Spezza Isn't The Answer, Maybe Nathan Horton Is

With all the talk about the Edmonton Oilers acquiring Jason Spezza, I tend to sit here and shudder at the thought of Spezza being an Oiler. I don't think he's a great guy to have around for a rebuild and I think he's not the right guy for the Oilers.

The only reason I would even want him here... well, watch the video's below. He would be a funny interview. But for hockey reasons (soft), I don't want him.






Well who, if any player(s), should the Oilers try and acquire?

The only reasonable player in my mind is Nathan Horton. He's a great choice if I'm Steve Tambellini. 

Horton has put up decent numbers on a mediocre Panthers team and is still young enough so he can be part of the Oilers rebuild for the future. He can play Center or Right Wing and has decent size (which the Oilers need). He's definitely a guy that I would look at trading for, if I was making a trade.



-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Paajarvi-Svensson coming to America

From the Oilers Website: General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the Edmonton Oilers have signed Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson to a three-year NHL entry level contract.

Paajarvi-Svensson, the Oilers 1st round choice, 10th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, recently completed his third season with Timra IK of the Swedish Elite League. The 6’2”, 201-pound left-winger from Norrkoping, Sweden, finished third in team scoring with 29 points (12G, 17A) in 49 games.

"This is an exciting day for the Oilers organization,” said Tambellini. “In signing his first NHL contract, Magnus has demonstrated through his junior and pro career with Team Sweden that he is an explosive player who exhibits great determination going to the net. We look forward to seeing him at his first NHL training camp this fall.”

The 19-year-old has also seen considerable action internationally, most recently winning the bronze medal at the 2010 World Championship in Germany with Team Sweden. He led the team in scoring with nine points (5G, 4A) in nine games, was third in tournament scoring and was selected to the tournament all-star team, all at just 19-years-old. Paajarvi-Svensson also has won two silver medals at the 2008 and 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship. In 2008, Paajarvi-Svensson became the youngest player ever to play with Sweden when he was just 16 years and 8 months old.


Update:Paajarvi could play in Oklahoma City, if he doesn't make it with the Oilers this season.