Sunday, May 30, 2010

Coaching staff 2010-2011

I was just reading how Kelly Buchbuger and Wayne Fleming contracts were up at the end of the year. I'd like to see a coaching staff of Pat Quinn, Tom Renney and wait for it, Jason Smith, with Rob Daum holding court in OKC.

Pat Quinn - I would want him to be in charge of the players as a whole. Kind of a human resources type officer, make sure they stay aggressive and stay sharp. Rub his own attitude on how the game of hockey should be played. Pat Quinn is an even keel kind of guy and I would like to have him excude that attitude on the players. He has a wealth of knowledge and the Oilers brass can benefit from that.

Tom Renney - Would like to have him be the x's and o's guy. Running both the PP and PK as well as running the forward lines. Tom Renney, in the past, has shown some good special teams systems and I would like the Oilers to benefit from this. I didn't like the fact Tom Renney was running the defense this year. I don't think it used him to his strengths, which is x's and o's type play.

Jason Smith - Would like to be in charge of the defense. Teach how to play positionally, as well as use the individual strengths of each and every player. If a player is a waterbug, teach him how to read and react, when to jump in a play, when not to. Teach stay at home Dmen how to use their reach and size to their advantage. The Oilers need to get back to basic 101 type teaching for the Dmen as it has had quite the turnover recently. Most important as a defenseman, learning how to pass and read the play is vital. Defenseman are like QBs in football, they set up the breakout play.

Pat Quinn had a quote early in his tenure that stuck with me. He said that he didn't want his coaching staff to "get too fat", meaning he didn't want a large coaching staff. I think getting back to the generic 3 coaches with "an eye in the sky" type would help this team going forward. Just from sheer heresay, it sounded at times that their were too many chefs in the kitchen. I think this would go a long way to helping that problem.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

UFAs & RFAs For 2010-2011 Season

UFAs

- Fernando Pisani - re-sign 1 yr/$1,000,000
- Mike Comrie - Do not re-sign
- John Scott - sign 2 yr/700,000/yr
- Aaron Johnson - re-sign 2 yr/$800,000/yr
- Matt Cullen - sign 2 yr/$3,500,000/yr
- Dean Arsene - sign 1 yr/$500,000 Two way deal.
- Joey MacDonald - sign 1 yr/$500,000 Two way deal.
- Chris Minard - re-sign 1y r/550,000 Two way deal.
- Charles Linglet - re-sign 1 yr/550,000 Two way deal.
- Danny Syvret - Sign 1 yr/$500,000 Two way deal.

RFAs

- Sam Gagner - re-sign 3 yr/$2,500,000/yr
- Andrew Cogliano - Not re-sign - To be traded
- Marc Pouliot - re-sign 1 yr/$900,000
- Gilbert Brule - re-sign 2 yr/$1,500,000/yr
- Ryan Potulny - re-sign 1 yr/$800,000 Two way deal.
- JF Jacques - re-sign 1yr/$500,000 Two way deal.
- Devan Dubnyk - re-sign 2 yr/$900,000/yr Two way deal.
- Jeff Deslauriers - re-sign 2 yr/$900,000/yr Two way deal.
- Ryan O'Marra - re-sign 1 yr/$500,000 Two way deal.
- Bryan Lerg - Do not re-sign.
- Slava Trukhno - Do not re-sign.
- Geoff Paukovich - Do not re-sign.
- Theo Peckham - re-sign 2 yr deal/$700,000/yr Two way deal.
- Liam Reddox - re-sign 1yr/$550,000 Two way deal.
- Colin McDonald - Do not re-sign.
- Ryan Stone - re-sign 1yr/550,000 Two way deal.

OKC Lineup
Linglet Cornet Minard
Omark Vandevelde Reddox
Jacques O'Marra Stone
Hartikainen Kytnar Marquardt

Syvret Petry
Arsene Chorney
Motin Plante

Deslauriers
MacDonald

Sunday, May 16, 2010

My Personal Edmonton Oilers Mock Draft May Edition 2010

1st Round - 1st Overall - Taylor Hall - LW - Windsor - Very dynamic player. Will be whatever you want him to be and do it at a very high level, shooter, playmaker, net-crasher, skater, he does it all. A franchise player that one could build a team around.

2nd Round - 31st Overall - Alex Petrovic - D - Red Deer - Petrovic is solid stay at home Dman. He's big, tough, skates well and positional sound. Not afraid to drop the mitts but not the best fighter around. Kind of projecting to be a Ladislav Smid type Dman. I'd like to say we get Dylan McIlrath here, but I think we'd have to trade up to get a chance at him.

2nd Round - 50ish Overall - Brad Ross - LW - Portland - Agitator Extraordinaire. Skates well, hits well, and has a decent nose for the net. Projecting to be a Steve Downie type player.

3rd Round - 61st Overall - Kevin Sundher - C - Chilliwack - Two way center, versatile type player, excels in a lot of roles, doesn't dominate in anyone of them, but plays a feisty game. The talent at center for the Oilers is getting a little thin, good way to start restocking with this pick. Reminds me of Scott Gomez.

4th Round - 91st Overall - Philipp Grubauer - G - Windsor - Flexible goaltender with excellant leg strength going side to side. Won the starting goaltending job in Windsor in the OHL playoffs. Not a big sample size from him, but he has been a difference maker for Windsor in the playoffs. Reminds me a lot of Jeff Deslauriers in that he seems to be all legs in the net.

5th overall - 121st Overall - John Ramage - D - U of Wisconsin - Good value pick if he falls this far as projected. He's a slightly undersized defensive Dman, block shots and positional sound, very good at anticipating, cerebral player. At 6' 195 lbs, if he can fill out a bit, he could have a long career in the NHL. Plays like a younger Steve Staios.

6th overall - 151st Overall - Darren Archibald - LW - Barrie - Here's the coke machine everyone has been waiting for, but he can play. You either love him or hate him. He plays a very in your face style and loves body contact. Some say he might even be a cheap player. Is going to need a lot of work on his game to make it to the next level otherwise he'll just end up being a punching bag. but he skates well for a big man. A very raw Dustin Byfuglien.

6th overall - 162st Overall - Taylor Carnivale - C - Barrie - Back to back Barrie picks. Unheralded center that plays on a strong Barrie team. Undersized waterbug type center that knows his role on the Barrie squad. Kinda Todd Marchant with a better shot.

6th overall - 170th Overall - Craig Cunningham - LW - Vancouver - Undersized offensive wizard. Him or Brendon Gallagher would be fine picks here. Can hope for the best and say that they might be one day NHLers, but they are projecting to be career AHLers at this point. Kind of in the same category that Brendon Kozun found himself in last year.

7th Overall - 181st Overall - Peter Hrasko - D - Slovakia - Undersized Dman at 5'9 175 lbs, that likes to play a lot bigger than that. Is a PP QB for Slovakia Jr team. CSB doesn't even have him rated which is kind of surprising, he could be the very hidden gem of the draft. I would like to say he plays like Lubomir Visnovsky, but he's probably closer to Marc-Andre Bergeron.

Thats my rundown, we'll see how close I get it come draft day.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

May edition of Opening Day lineup 2010-2011

- Drafting Talyor Hall.
- Signing Matt Cullen as a UFA.
- Trading Sheldon Souray to NYR for Michal Roszival.
- Trade Andrew Cogliano for draft pick(s).
- Resign Fernando Pisani and Aaron Johnson.
- Sign RFAs Sam Gagner, Gilbert Brule, Ryan Potulny, Devan Dubnyk, and Marc Pouliot.
- Sign draft picks Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Taylor Hall.
- Signing John Scott as a UFA.
- Buyout Patrick O'Sullivan, Robert Nilsson, and Ethan Moreau if they cannot be traded for pick(s) or prospect(s).
Hall Cullen Hemsky
Penner Gagner Eberle
MPS Horcoff Pisani
Jones Brule Stortini
Potulny Pouliot

Whitney Gilbert
Smid Roszival
Peckham Johnson
Scott

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

I think this is about as realistic as this team can look going into next year. While its not proven, it has some kids on the upswing, to go with a checking line anchored by Horcoff and Pisani and a shutdown pair of Whitney and Gilbert. The key is to have the 2 top lines battle for 1st line supremacy, nothing wrong with healthy competition. The kids will have their ups and downs, just hopefully more ups then downs. Brule on the 4th line is merely for depth in case top 6 injuries inevitably happen, but he brings enough sandpaper to play on the 4th line, it would be wise to have him dabble in the PK during training camp. If MPS or Eberle have a dreadful TC than by all means send them to OKC, but right now I'm pencilling them in, as I see nothing that says they won't make the team.

Looking at the D, while Whitney was a hard sell for me initially, I'm sold. Whitney and Gilbert have the makings of a real solid pairing, something potentially rivaling Keith and Seabrook out of Chicago. The key is trying to figure out what the #4 Dman will be. I've heard more often than not the media slamdunking the thought it should be a defensive Dman. I say, hold on. I think he should be a Visnovsky type, reasons being other than Whitney and Gilbert they don't have any other Dman that can piss a drop offensively, and if Whitney and Gilbert are playing big minutes which I expect, I'd rather have them play on the defensive side of the puck than river boat gambling. Players that come mind are John-Michael Liles out of Colorado or even Lubo Visnovsky himself, I'd even settle for Michal Roszival if absolute need be. Peckham and Johnson are passable as the 5/6 Dmen, you get see if they have a shutdown side to them, if not, its really nothing ventured, nothing gained, as there are more Dmen coming through the pipeline that will get a shot. But its their time to step up and show what they have and what they can bring. John Scott will bring nuclear toughness at forward and play some D in a pinch.

Khabibulin is likely to be the starter unless something drastic happens where he cannot fulfill his contractual obligation. I'm fine with that, he's here, we may as well hope for the best. I'd bring in a 4th G to battle with Dubnyk and Deslauriers, a Dany Sabourin, Curtis Sanford type, therefore when it comes to sending down goaltenders in TC, you send 2 down, hope at least one makes it through, so OKC can function as a normal AHL team. All goalies will have to end up clearing waivers. The Oilers kind of made their bed with this by going so long between drafting goaltenders, Bryon Pitton hasn't shown anything that he is even an AHL goaltender at this point.

Those are my thoughts as of May 15 2010.