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Zero Dark Dubey + #FreeGardiner |
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Have we all calmed down about the Oilers hiring Scott Howson as a Pro Scout yet? Because I'd like to have a conversation with you about tonight's hockey game.
Horcoffmania Continues
Shawn Horcoff scored on a breakaway tonight after Gabriel Landeskog tripped over his own feet and the Avs goalie got completely distracted by it. And for the second game in a row, Horcoff has been hailed by fans and the media as the best player in the history of the world. Sometimes I hate it when the Oilers win because it makes everyone act goofy. Worse than the helium beer in Rexall.
Apparently...and I didn't hear this for myself, so forgive me if I have this wrong...Oilers Radio Network peeps Bob Stauffer and Dan Tencer were talking about Shawn Horcoff not being bought out? Gee thanks guys; my Twitter lit up like a Christmas tree after those comments. If you said that just to punk me, it worked.
Okay, fine...Don't buyout Horcoff. See if I care. Everyone happy now? Horcoff with his 30pts and -25 rating can stay as long as he wants.
I've tried explaining this 781 times already, but people just think I hate Horcoff, and therefore don't read what I'm actually saying. I'll try again: Shawn Horcoff is a SOLID 3rd line center. The fact that the Oilers are way better when he plays says more about their lack of depth at center than it does about Horcoff himself. If Horcoff was a $2.5mil, or maybe even a $3mil cap hit, I'd be absolutely okay with him. Check my blogs...I've said this over and over. Horcoff is a good hockey player.
But Horcoff isn't a $2.5mil cap hit, he's a $5.5mil cap hit, and the cap is shrinking by $6mil next season. Also, Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall get big raises next season. Also, the way Sam Gagner is playing, he's going to cost $5mil+ per season too. I did a blog with a bunch of math in it a month or so ago. Look it up. In that blog I explained that not everyone is going to be here long-term, especially if the Oilers ever want to upgrade the defense or add a legit Top 6 player with size. If you had to choose between Ales Hemsky or Shawn Horcoff for financial reasons, who would you pick? Obviously Hemsky. Horcoff is a SOLID #3 center. Hemsky is a Top 6 forward with elite skill. There's no competition here as to which one is a better player. Every GM in the league would tell you that.
However, for now, Horcoff is more important. Why? Because the Oilers have two other Top 6 RW in Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov...meaning, Hemsky can be replaced without a deal. And neither Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Gagner are shut-down centers, so Horcoff has a reason to be here. You could easily see Hemsky dealt and Horcoff stick around until the Oilers find a less expensive and equally good replacement, just because they NEED him more. For now.
Did I mention Horcoff is 34 years old, and almost everyone in the Oilers Top 6 is 22 or younger? Time is not on his side. By the time Hall and Co. are ready to win cups, Horcoff will be drinking from a sippy cup and eating digestible cookies while watching Laugh-In reruns with Ryan Smyth.
People are losing their minds over a guy who has 4pts in 9 games this season, just because the Oilers have won their last two games. I'd hate to see the reaction if the Oilers can grow this winning "streak" to five or six. Fans would be tearing down the Gretzky statue to replace it with Horcoff's ugly mug.
What I said was going to happen is still going to happen: The Oilers will look for younger options. If they find one, Horcoff will be bought-out. If they don't find one, he'll stick around and someone else will go if cap room is needed. At the end of the day, it's guys like Hall, Eberle and Gagner who win the games for the Oilers, not Horcoff. He's a support player, and spending millions on those is bad asset management.
Shoutout for the Shutout
For having a bent neck, Devan Dubnyk played a helluva game. Colorado pounded the net at times, and nothing got past him. I wish Dubnyk would pick a direction and go with it, because the guy in net tonight is world-class, and I'd like to think he's the guy who will show up at least 75% of the time.
Global Warming?
How can a rink in Denver, which is built on 1795ft of frozen glacier, have the worst ice in the league? At one point I tonight I thought the Avs were going to switch to cleats. Seriously, blow the rink up and build a new one. Disgraceful.
Ramblellini
Oilers GM Steve Tambellini did an interview on SportsNet during the 1st Intermission, and said the Oilers would be aggressive at the deadline. Ummm, like they always are? Here's a recap of last season's deadline: They dealt Tom Gilbert, who is a pretty good defenseman, to the Minnesota Wild for Nick Schultz, who is a pretty good defenseman. If that's Tambellini being aggressive, I'd hate to be his wife.
Earlier in the day, there were more Tambellini words on the Oilers website, talking about how no kids will be harmed in the making of any trades. So keeping the two conversations in mind, I'll translate what "aggressive" means at this year's deadline:
1. Ryan Whitney will be dealt, unless the Oilers play out of their minds during the next 10 games (like, 7-3) and work themselves into a battle for a playoff spot. The better Whitney plays over the next 10 games, the more his value rises. I don't think the Oilers trust his play or his health enough to re-sign him, so dealing him is the only logical option. The way he's playing right now, there will be offers. Decent ones. 2nd round pick-type thing. The Oilers will eat it and like it.
2. Ryan Jones will be dealt, and you can thank Magnus Paajarvi for that. It seems like every season, it's an Oiler scoring the Goal of the Year. Usually it's Eberle doing it, but the one by Paajarvi tonight was as ridiculous of a goal as I've ever seen. Forget about Paajarvi being a 3rd line winger; he's Top 6 material. He's figured out that violence is always the answer...he's aggressively driving the net, and he's discovered he's physically bigger and faster than almost everyone else out there. Confidence is a very dangerous thing. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Paajarvi/Gagner/Yakupov is the Oilers 2nd line next season. So if the Oilers have Hall, Paajarvi, Smyth and Brown on the left side and Eberle, Yakupov, Petrell and Hartikainen on the right side (and that's assuming Hemsky is dealt, which he likely won't be), where does Jones fit? He doesn't. Sorry guy...It's been fun.
SIDENOTE!
The way the Edmonton media is begging the Oilers to re-sign Ladislav Smid is making me cry like an 9 year-old Girl Scout with a box of broken cookies. Why, oh why, aren't people clueing in to there being some sort of issue? I heard one logical guess that suggests Smid and his agent are asking for too much money, and the Oilers are ignoring them until they lower their expectations. Maybe this means Smid gets re-signed at the last minute, or maybe this means he gets dealt. Remember the Ryan Smyth incident? All this has happened before, and it will all happen again.
Note to Media: Beg the Oilers not to deal Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier, not Ladislav Smid. The Oilers have Theo Peckham, Colten Teubert and David Musil who all could do what Smid does with NHL experience and a little good luck. Smid is a warrior, and the Oilers don't have many of those, so there's all sorts of reasons to keep him. But Smid is like Horcoff: At $3mil per season or less, I like him. At $4mil per season or more, I don't and want him gone. Should the Oilers choose to deal him at the deadline, he'll bring a decent return. Late 1st round pick, or an actual player.
3. Linus Omark will be dealt. His season is over in the Swiss league and he wants to return to the NHL. He blew the doors off the Swiss league scoring a billion points, and apparently, his defensive game has improved greatly. Teams are interested, so I've been told. The Oilers don't want this kid within 100ft of the building, so forget what you're thinking about them bringing him back to Edmonton. But someone will take him...Detroit?
4. A bunch of various people could be dealt for various reasons: Mark Fistric is a rental, as is Smid and Petrell. If Shawn Horcoff is staying, the Oilers are going to shoot Eric Belanger from the biggest canon they can find. Mike Brown has only played...is it three...games with the Oilers, and I already never want to see Ben Eager play in Edmonton again. Like Tambellini said, he's not going to move youth, and Anton Lander makes more sense on the 4th line than Belanger. Bubbles the Chimp makes more sense on the 4th line than Belanger. Just get rid of him already. Oh, and guys like Theo Peckham, Colten Teubert or Corey Potter could go too...Obviously not everyone is going away, but one or two will. The Oilers have too many "meh" players to cope with.
5. Could Tambellini bring in a rental? I don't think so. He didn't sound too interested in that today. But that doesn't mean the Oilers will avoid making a big deal. Oh, have I got a big deal for you:
Richard Cloutier Presents: Jake Gardiner, Oiler
Gardiner's agent posted the Twitter message of the night: All it said? #FreeGardiner
Looks like the Leafs need to either play this guy or deal this guy. It might actually be past the point of no return now. They might need to deal him. Hello...Oilers team with bad defense over here.
Justin Schultz and Jake Gardiner are buddies. Everyone loves Buddy Movies. Eddy Murphy and Nick Nolte; Shrek and Donkey; Donny and Marie; Abigail and Brittany Hensel.
But obviously, this is a pricey situation. So, do something bold, Steve. Give the Oilers 1st round pick. We know it's going to be high and this is a great draft. So what? Gardiner added to the Oilers? Hey, this is an "everyone wins" deal. The Leafs get a shot at a great center with size, and the Oilers get an actual future Top 4 D man who's the right age to make a difference next season.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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