Follow me on Twitter
Or be my friend on Facebook
-------
Sorry for being a few hours late on the draw. I was distracted; watching a Deadliest Catch marathon on the Discovery Channel.
No big surprises in respect to the Oilers final roster cuts. Those close to the team started making noise about a week ago that Gilbert Brule could be placed on waivers, and if he survived the experience, would be sent to the Oilers farm team in Oklahoma City.
The final cuts were all forwards. It's hard to cut defensemen when they're injured. Who's gone as of now:
- Josh Green (f)...on waivers
- Gilbert Brule (f)...on waivers
- Ryan Keller (f)...on waivers
- Ryan O'Marra (f)...on waivers
- Teemu Hartikainen...did not need to be placed on waivers; sent directly to the Barons.
Remaining with the Oilers at this time...
L1: Ryan Smyth - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky
L2: Taylor Hall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle
L3: Magnus Paajarvi - Eric Belanger - Linus Omark
L4: Lennart Petrell - Anton Lander - Ryan Jones
extra: Darcy Hordichuk
injured: Ben Eager, Sam Gagner
Please note Ales Hemsky hurt his shoulder, but I have him listed on this roster for now. While Edmonton-area media have speculated Hemsky could miss some time, the Oilers organization has yet to comment on his current health situation.
It's nice to see the Oilers have given roster spots to Petrell and Lander, who legitimately won the competition during camp. Petrell and Belanger will tremendously improve the Oilers penalty killing this year, and Lander is a star in the making. What's impressive about this roster is that all four lines can contribute offensively and defensively.
The situation with the defense is fugly:
D1: Cam Barker - Tom Gilbert
D2: Theo Peckham - Jeff Petry
D3: Andy Sutton - Corey Potter
extras: None
Injured players: Ryan Whitney, Ladislav Smid, Taylor Chorney and Taylor Fedun
Whitney is gone for a while. Smid at least a month, if not two. Chorney is day-to-day, and Fedun is done for the season. It's a huge, huge mistake for the Oilers not to bring in a body before the season begins. Once Sam Gagner is health, and if Nuge and Lander are working out, he's most likely to be moved for a defenseman (as discussed earlier today).
Goalies: Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin. Dubnyk has won the starter's role, I believe.
Final Thoughts
- I am seeing speculation that Gilbert Brule will be picked off the waiver wire, but I doubt he will be. His contract is over-sized, and teams in the league understand what went wrong for him last season. No doubt Steve Tambellini has been trying to deal him for days, if not weeks, and there were no bites for even a low draft pick. He'd be gone already if a team was interested. Would a team take Brule if he was brought back through re-entry waivers and his cap hit was reduced?
- Don't feel bad about Teemu Hartikainen being sent down. The Oilers didn't want to place him in a situation where he'd be a #13 or 4th line forward. In OKC, he'll play top line minutes and the powerplay. His future is really bright in Edmonton, and I believe he'll be back this season.
- If anyone is going to be taken off the Oilers at the waiver wire, it will be Ryan O'Marra. His age and his small contract make him a decent risk for a team with depth issues to make.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»