Looking Beyond The Deadline 2012

Hall-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Paajarvi-Lander-AAAAAAA
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Eager-Belanger-BBBBBBB
CCCCCCC DDDDDDD

Whitney-EEEEEEE
Smid-Petry
Schultz-Potter
Sutton

FFFFFFF
Dubnyk

Trade Bait - Hemsky, Gagner, Peckham, Omark, Plante, Khabibulin.

Do not retain - Barker, Petrell, Hordichuk

Another name that could potentially be in play is Ryan Smyth, all depending on his feelings to stay in Edmonton at a highly reduced price and his desires to chase the Stanley Cup. I'd like to move out one of Horcoff or Belanger and take a Grigorenko or Galchenyuk in the upcoming draft but I'm not sure running with 3 young centers will make the Oilers better anytime soon. But they are not any good right now, so changes need to be made.

Some of these holes can be filled at the deadline or in the offseason depending on the return of the trade bait nominees.

AAAAAAA - Needs to be a hulking power forward that shoots right so not to affect the power play much. Needs to bring offense at a 20 goal/year level.

1) Shane Doan (5 mil/yr)
2) David Jones (3.5 mil/yr)
3) David Moss (2.5 mil/yr)
4) Brandon Yip (1.5 mil/yr)
5) Byron Bitz (1.0 mil/yr)

Doan would be a godsend here. Physicality, secondary scoring, leadership all wrapped up into one nice package. Jones and Moss would be plan B. A little unproven but you can see something is there with those two in terms of offense. Yip and Bitz are Plan C, potential for something to be there but would be a longshot.

BBBBBBB - Fast physical demon on the forecheck, finishes hits and an all around pest. Some offense would be nice, so would the ability to PK but not essential.

1) Jordan Tootoo (1.8 mil/yr)
2) Brandon Prust (1.5 mil/yr)
3) Arron Asham (1.3 mil/yr)
4) Tom Kostopolous (900K/yr)
5) Greg Mauldin (600K/yr)

Tootoo would be ideal here, skates, hits and plays in your face. Prust and Asham would be Plan B. Kostopolous and Mauldin would be the bare minimum we need here.


CCCC + DDDD - Benchwarmer types that will push the players in the top 12. All around role players here. Brings a bit of everything to te table here.

1) Adam Burish (1.8 mil/yr)
2) Joey Crabb (1.3 mil/yr)
3) Daniel Winnik (1.1 mil/yr)
4) John Mitchell (900K/yr)
5) Mathieu Darche (800K/yr)

Burish would be an ideal 13th forward would likely play 70+ games on the Oilers, tenacious weasel type, love the way he plays. Crabb, Winnik, Mitchell and Darche are versatile types that can play up and down the lineup in a pinch. Players that have played in the pros for awhile also help.

EEEEEEE - I'd love a Shea Weber or a Tyler Myers or a Ryan Suter, even a Zach Bogosian, perhaps take a gamble on Mike Green, but I don't think those guys are coming. In the meantime the Oilers are going to need some more stop gaps until the Oilers can either groom one or find one on the trade market.

1) Dennis Wideman (4.75 mil/yr)
2) Sami Salo (3.5 mil/yr)
3) Pavel Kubina (3.5 mil/yr)
4) Joe Corvo (2.25 mil/yr)
5) Matt Gilroy (1.5 mil/yr)

Wideman is the best option at this point now that Johnny Boychuk re-signed in Boston. Salo seems to be a lifer in Vancouver. Kubina will be a tough sell to move up to Edmonton, you'll likely have to overpay for him. Corvo and Gilroy are likely bottom pairing Dmen that will force Petry and Potter up the lineup.

FFFFFFF - Goaltending will be an issue shortly once all the other pieces get addressed. Khabibulin and Dubnyk are likely backups at this stage. I'm hoping one will get moved out before the beginning of next year. I'm more hoping its Khabibulin, but it maybe Dubnyk if Khabibulin's contract is totally immovable. May even have to buyout Khabibulin's contract at years end to get him to move along.

1) Josh Harding (3.5 mil/yr)
2) Al Montoya (1 mil/yr)
3) Yann Danis (600 K/yr)

As long as he remains healthy for the rest of this year, Josh Harding will likely get a starting gig next year for some team. He'll be hotly coveted but only a few teams are looking for a starting goaltender. Al Montoya, after a very slow start to his pro career seems to be gaining traction as a NHLer. Yann Danis has had a solid year in OKC but his smaller stature should be questioned.