The Oilers absolutely stunk up the joint in Calgary...again.

For a change, I'm not going to say the Oilers beat themselves. The Flames completely owned them. They played a perfect game and completely deserved the win. If the Flames can play like this for the rest of the season, they'll be a playoff team and the Oilers won't.

I've seen enough of this season to say the Oilers aren't a good team yet. This is not a big, surprising statement. One of the reasons they aren't good is because the core of the team is really young and inexperienced. The other reason is that the roster still has holes.

The defense is in really bad shape. Right now the Oilers are playing with half a Ryan Whitney (he has looked terrible since he returned from injury) and they are missing three veteran defensemen: Cam Barker, Corey Potter and Andy Sutton. Considering the Oilers defensive squad should be considered one of the weaker ones in the league if everyone was healthy and playing, it's amazing the team can win games at all with the six players they currently have on the roster.

Up front the Oilers have shown they need Taylor Hall in order to be successful. They also need scoring contributions from all lines, and most importantly, a demonstrated willingness to play well from the players. They aren't getting that right now from Ales Hemsky.

While Hemsky has yet to do something like ask for a trade, his lack of work ethic and enthusiasm suggests he wants out. Or at the very least, his lame effort tells us he's accepted he will be dealt at some point during this season. While Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Hall can all be mentioned in the same sentence as Hemsky with respect to talent, considering the age and level of experience of all three, Hemsky should still be the top forward on the team. He should be leading the offense. The fact he isn't is extremely concerning. It isn't his health that is holding him back. It's his brain.

Of course, I've explained the how's and why's about Hemsky being moved. This next week might answer the question of "when". The conditions needed to make a deal all currently exist.

- The Oilers are not playing again until next Thursday, so they have time to make adjustments to the roster should a deal occur.

- The Oilers will not have a veteran defenseman returning to the line-up in time for the Thursday game. Corey Potter is perhaps the player closest to returning, and he's on a one-to-two week timeline. Sutton is out for six more games, and Cam Barker is a couple of months away.

- Aside from Potter, Barker and Sutton being out, Whitney (as mentioned) is playing hurt and Ladislav Smid is banged up as well. The Oilers need immediate help on D, as Tom Gilbert might be their only player who is healthy and experienced enough to play at an NHL-level right now. The quality of play from all other healthy defensemen is suspect, and the Oilers will continue to lose games because of it.

- Hall will be returning to the Oilers on Thursday, meaning a forward will need to come out of the line-up. The Oilers have 14 healthy forwards with the team, which is perhaps one too many. They could send Magnus Paajarvi down to the minors instead of moving someone, but there are risks involved in taking a second year player who has spent his whole career in the NHL and demoting him. Paajarvi is highly regarded by the Oilers, and they don't want to demoralize him. It's in their best interest to try and get him going without a demotion being needed. Doing so requires ice time. The problem there is, the Oilers also need more size and physical play...so it's in their best interest to be playing both Darcy Hordichuk and Ben Eager. Something has to give with the roster.

- Hemsky is pouting, and Oilers coaches know how the young stars on the team are impressionable. It has been demonstrated that there is just as much focus in Edmonton on skill development as there is on attitude development. It might not be in the best interest of the team to expose the kids to someone who is developing and/or demonstrating bad habits and a lack of motivation or belief in the team.

Certainly, the Oilers aren't going to get great value in moving Hemsky, as he's in the final year of his deal, and he's coming back from serious injury. Problem is, there is a certain "move it or lose it" factor to consider. Waiting till the trade deadline might not increase his value if he continues to have a tough season. The longer the Oilers wait to re-sign him to a contract extention (if the Oilers wanted to re-sign him), the less chance there is he actually would re-sign. Hemsky looks like a player who has a bruised ego, and as I said, he looks like he wants out. His value in trade might actually go lower if the Oilers wait and if other teams notice Hemsky struggling on the ice and with his attitude.

I've read lots of comments from people suggesting no teams would deal for Hemsky. I think plenty of teams would deal for him. The Oilers have enough depth and prospects that they could survive moving two or three assets (including Hemsky) to acquire the right player. This is not the time for Steve Tambellini to demonstrate his usual caution and patience. He needs to be aggressive in seeking a deal, and he needs to be willing to take a bit of a risk. I am not suggesting he should deal a Hall, Eberle, Nuge, or even Paajarvi. But perhaps the Oilers could survive the loss of a draft pick in 2012 or a mid-range prospect if doing so helps bring in the right player.

Here's a few random comments to amuse you:

- I wonder what the Oilers would need to give the Kings to reacquire Dustin Penner? Wouldn't that be hilarious if the Oilers completely stroked the Kings again in a deal with Penner's name attached to it? Would you deal Hemsky and Peckham to the Kings for Penner and Voynov? I would. At least Penner on the third line makes more sense than Hemsky on the third line.

- Colten Teubert looked better to me against the Flames than Peckham and Petry. In saying this, I'll also remind you how terrible the entire Oilers team played, so it's not like Teubert was tremendous or anything.

- Why does Ryan Smyth look so out-of-gas? Hopefully the next few days will help him rest up.

- When Hall returns, where do you put him? I'd like to see Gagner playing center and Hall and Hemsky with him. I'd also like to see Ryan Smyth return to a line with Horcoff and Jones. Perhaps that makes the left winger with Eberle and Nuge Magnus Paajarvi? At least Maggy could skate with them.

- If I ran the Oilers, Eric Belanger would be the fourth line center. He has no offensive skill whatsoever. If this happens and Hemsky isn't dealt, perhaps the player making the trip to OKC is Anton Lander.

- In all of this, we haven't even discussed what the Oilers could/should do with Linus Omark when he is back from injury. The Oilers haven't been fair with Omark and need to give him a real look...10 games or so. I'm just sayin'.

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