I wrote version 1 of this blog last night at around 10pm. Zap! An hour long power failure, and the blog was lost.
Version 2 was written at 1:30am. Zap! A half-hour long power failure, and the blog was lost. Darn shame too, as that wasn't a bad blog.
So here's my attempt at version 3, and I don't even feel like writing it. One more power failure and the power supply on my computer is going to die. Maybe my blogs are cursed?
- The Oilers retained Shawn Horcoff as Captain, but named Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Nick Schultz Assistant Captains. Hall and Schultz will rotate the "A" but Eberle will wear it all the time. I love this move, as it acknowledges where the future is headed in Edmonton.
- The NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement today allowing teams to buyout players before the start of this season. Call this the "Scott Gomez" clause. Gomez was told a few days ago not to come to Habs camp at all...To stay home and keep his full salary. $7mil per season to sit on your ass? One can only dream. It's believed Gomez and Wade Redden will be bought out immediately by their clubs.
The Oilers will not buyout Shawn Horcoff at this time (in case you wondered). Why? Because there's no advantage to it. Owners need to buyout this season at 100% of contract value, and Horcs is a decent 3rd line center on a team that isn't great at the position. If he's going to get paid the full amount no matter where he is, he might as well be here playing.
- Why, oh why, do I keep getting messages that the Oilers should bring in Wade Redden? Yikes, come on people...Use your heads. There was a reason Redden was buried in the minors. Further to that, the Oilers D7 is as good as its ever been right now. Fine, bring in Redden. Who does he replace on the roster? Smid, no. Petry, no. Schultz #1, no. Schultz #2, no. Whitney, no. And Fistric, no. I'm not even sure I'd put Redden ahead of Corey Potter at this point. Bringing in Redden to be the #8 defenseman sounds completely pointless.
- It's possible the Oilers could go find a backup goalie before the season begins if Nikolai Khabibulin isn't healthy. He's suppose to be ready to play again, but his health is not 100% yet. With the short, compressed season, teams will make good use of both goalies frequently.
- Not hearing much else as far as Oilers trade rumors. Unless a serious injury occurs, it looks like this is the team the Oilers are going into the season with:
L1: Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
L2: Hemsky - Gagner - Yakupov
L3: Smyth - Horcoff - Hartikainen
L4: Eager - Belanger - Petrell
ex: Hordichuk, Vandevelde
D1: Smid - Petry
D2: Whitney - Justin Schultz
D3: Fistric - Nick Schultz
ex: Potter
G1: Dubnyk
G2: Khabibulin
- One last note: Yesterday Steve Tambellini was talking about how this is the year Corey Potter can turn himself into a full-time NHL'er. Hmmm...Not with that current Oilers D roster, he can't. Does Tambellini know something we don't? (Perhaps Ryan Whitney is about to be dealt?) The Oilers aren't going to move Petry, Smid, Schultz x 2, and they just acquired Fistric for a very specific reason...so that leaves Whitney, a player coming off bad injuries and set to become a UFA this summer.
Didn't Steve Tambellini say something by accident about the Oilers having 2 - 1st round picks this summer? Could a healthy rental Ryan Whitney be turned into a 1st round pick for Edmonton from a higher-end team (Whitney for a mid to low 1st round pick)?
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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