I am bored. Go ahead...ask me how bored am I? I'm really, really bored. So bored, in fact, that it's 2am Sunday, and I've been making Magic the Gathering decks while watching The Matrix, which I've seen eleventy billion times.

Hmmm, Magic the Gathering? The Matrix? Blogging? Nerd, much?

Anyway, it's Sunday, which is one day closer to the NHL Entry Draft. I somewhat expect a choir of angels to descend from the heavens once the Oilers make their selection. Well, maybe not. But Gary Bettman will be there, and he's the closest thing to an angel on earth, right?

Oh, and did I mention before I started making Magic the Gathering decks that I was playing a six player game of Catan? I sure know how to live it up on a Saturday. In case you are curious, I lost.

This is going to be a very interesting and busy week in hockey. Yesterday already had some surprises, with Jason Arnott being dealt to the Devils and the rights to Dan Hamhuis being dealt to Philadelphia. As usual, Nashville is dumping people in the off-season. It must be horrifying to be the GM in Nashville, constantly needing to ship good players out. I suspect Philly will be able to sign Hamhuis, but they definitely will need to dump a salary when they do. Please send Jeff Carter to Edmonton for some magic beans. Thank you.

I am not sure how interesting the Oilers week is going to be, because I believe there is very little market for the players they need to move. The Oilers have enough young talent to be involved in a summer blockbuster deal, but I can't see it happening because there really is no need to. Stick with the youth, allow them to develop, and everything will be fine.

Someone posted a note on yesterday's blog explaning how I over-estimate the Oilers, and that they will suck again this season. Well, duh. I do not believe the strategy in Edmonton is to become good immediately. The Oilers are somewhat like a ship with many holes that is taking on water. The only way to save the boat is to fix the leaks one by one, done completely and correctly. If you try to only plug the holes, eventually the holes open again and the boat goes down. It is altogether possible that the Oilers will have the first draft pick next season too...I'm not banking on it, but it's more likely they will finish 30th than 1st, and that's completely okay.

The Oilers will fix two very important holes this season. The first is, eliminating the dead wood, even if it means buying out contracts. Everyone with a questionable attitude will be gone come training camp. The second issue to be solved is gathering a legitimate top 6 forwards. Hall or Seguin, Gagner, Hemsky, Penner, Paajarvi and Eberle will likely take a year or two to gel, but very few teams will be able to match these six when they mature. I do believe both Penner and Hemsky will sign contract extensions, the this group of forwards will lead the Oilers for several seasons.

I suspect the Oilers will try to get a second - first round draft selection. With it, they will either take a goaltender (Jack Campbell or Calvin Pickard), or a shut down defenseman. The obvious defenseman the Oilers could try for is 6' 5" 215 pound Dylan McIlrath from Moose Jaw of the WHL. He enjoys hitting and fighting, and the Oilers desperately need a couple D-men of that ilk. I suspect the Oilers will also use their second round picks to acquire hitters, be it defensemen or forwards. I wouldn't expect too many draftees to be under 6 feet and less than 180 pounds.

Hopefully in a day or two we'll start to get some hints as to where certain Oilers are going to end up. I am most interested in seeing if Sheldon Souray can be dealt, and if Steve Tambellini can achieve a return that won't somehow damage to franchise.

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