A few Oilers-specific random comments now:
- Still no official word as to what Linus Omark was doing in Edmonton the other day, and if he's been able to negotiate a deal for himself. As much as many doubt his ability to play NHL-caliber hockey, if I was a GM with scoring issues, I'd be willing to give up a draft pick to acquire him. What's the success rate for 5th round picks? Maybe 5% or 10%? Sounds like a risk worth taking if you're Nashville, Florida or New Jersey...A team with a low goals for per game last season.
- Dan Tencer, who is still relevant to the Oilers by the looks of it, interviewed Craig MacTavish...was it yesterday? MacT said it's fair to assume the roster the Oilers have now is the roster the team will bring into training camp. So there's no Hemsky trade, no impending UFA signings, and no big magical roster changes set to be happening in the near future. Brutal news if you're me and you write for a hockey rumor website.
- I like the wording from MacT though...Going into training camp with...Oh, there will be competition for jobs in Edmonton this year, and more deals will come, but they will happen during camp, likely right before the start of the season. The gut of defensemen situation will definitely be addressed. And if there are no deals out there, the Oilers will most likely keep Schultz x 2, Ference, Smid, Petry, Belov and Grebeshkov with the big club, will keep Fedun, Marincin and Klefbom in the minors, and will waive Potter and Larsen.
- Could be an interesting AHL roster this year. Some people are suggesting newly acquired Will Acton and Ryan Hamilton could be with the Oilers big club, but I don't see how, as the Oilers have too many contracts and too many bodies. The Oilers Bottom 6 will definitely contain Gordon, Joensuu, Jones, Smyth and Lander. It will likely contain Ales Hemsky if the Oilers can't deal him before the start of the season. Those are your six players, leaving Brown, Eager, Acton and Hamilton competing for the #13 and #14 jobs. I'm guessing Brown and Eager have the inside track.
So for forwards, the AHL Barons will have Ryan Hamilton, Will Acton, Tyler Pitlick, Curtis Hamilton, Toni Rajala, Ryan Martindale, Travis Ewanyk, Andrew Miller, Kale Kessy, Marc Arcobello, Cameron Abney, Nicholas Tremblay, Austin Fyten, Derek Nesbitt, Erick Lizon, and CJ Stretch. 16 guys, so a few will likely be sent to the ECHL. Tremblay, Fyten, Nesbitt, Lizon and Stretch are not "Oilers", they are signed by the Barons, so they can't be called up without an NHL contract first.
- For those of you keeping track, the Oilers have 49 contracts currently, only one away from the cap of 50. However, under the new CBA, certain contracts don't count against the number...Because I'm not smart and I'm too lazy to read the new CBA, I can't tell you which Oilers contracts wouldn't count against the cap number. I'm guessing players who are not playing pro hockey don't count. So guys like Darnell Nurse and Jujhar Khaira who will likely play in junior this season would not count. Regardless if they do or don't, the Oilers might need to off-load a contract or two at some point, hence why I believe Potter and Larsen are on the way out.
- Interesting Oilers hiring of Bob Green to be the Director of Amateur Free Agent Scouting. Apparently, there are four quality NCAA prospects coming up this Spring, and the Oilers want to obtain at least one of them.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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