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Oilers vs. Canucks - Boxing Day Blowout

December 26, 2011, 12:20 AM ET [ Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Hope ya'll had a great Christmas. Mine was pretty great. Now let's talk some hockey.

The Oilers are back in action on Boxing Day against the Vancouver Canucks. Thanks to the World Junior Championships being held in Edmonton and Calgary over the next couple of weeks, the Oilers will play their next seven games on the road. A long, long trip. Do you remember how the last long road trip went? Yeah, me too. Talk about a mood killer. Things were going so well before the November six game road trip. The good news with this trip is, it can't go any worse than the last one.

Not a very friendly list of teams to go up against during the trip. It starts with the Canucks. Edmonton actually plays fairly well against Vancouver because they are similar types of teams. The big difference is, Canucks look like a team that is matured. Both teams have plenty of skilled guys, both teams can skate, and both don't exactly rely on size to win games. Even though I can't pick the Oilers to win, it should be close. Nuge and Eberle vs the Sedin brothers? Comparisons could be made with respect to the level of talent possessed.

The rest of the road trip isn't much happier. The Oilers will play against the injured but always annoying Minnesote Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders, the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues. My prediction for the trip? Edmonton wins 2, loses 4, and OTL's 1. I've accepted the fact that this season is more or less a write-off.

Since this is a hockey rumor site, here's a few "rumors" to keep you folks entertained.

- Rumor is, the St. Louis Blues are shopping Chris Stewart. If so, that exactly the sort of player the Oilers should attempt to acquire, even though the forwards are not the biggest issue in Edmonton. Stewart is a big power forward who hasn't really fit in this season after coming over from Colorado. But the Blues wouldn't exactly "gift" this guy, as plenty of teams would love him...if they do deal him, they will seek a significant return. Considering they are well in the middle of the playofff hunt, they'd want some immediate talent. Statistically speaking, the Blues have great D and so-so offense. Would Ales Hemsky get it done? I don't think so, but you never know. Maybe Hemsky and a pick? The Oilers don't have many players they could give up (or they'd be willing to give up) to make the Blues immediately better. Maybe the Blues would want Ryan Jones and a second asset? I, like most of Oilerville, would be heartbroken if Jones was dealt. He's been the Oilers most complete player this year. Heart and soul of the team.

- Speaking of Hemsky, if you believe what you read on the web, the Oilers are trying hard to deal him right now. I don't believe it. It's not that they won't deal him; the problem is with his immediate value. Hemsky is struggling tremendously to score points, and his shoulders are still bothering him. Teams know this, and know he's set to become a UFA this summer. The longer the Oilers wait to deal him, the more time Hemsky has to get going and get healthy...the return will be higher at the trade deadline than now. Hopefully.

If he's not hurt, I can pretty much guarantee the Oilers will move him at the deadline, because they have enough young talent to ensure the offense will survive without him. Hemsky looks like a player who wants to be dealt, and I've heard rumblings that he'd like to go to a contending team when moved. The Blues would be a fit, as would Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

- More Hemsky: I keep reading/hearing opinions that the Oilers are better without Hemsky in the line-up. That's stupid. The issue in Edmonton is the defense and the penalty killing, not the forwards. And aside from that, Hemsky isn't that bad defensively. He's a veteran player that knows how to play in his own end. Hemsky needs to go because his heart isn't with the Oilers anymore, not because he's costing the Oilers wins.

- I keep reading rumors that the Oilers are going after a defenseman in a deal as soon as possible. Not sure if I believe it.

Here's the thing...going into next season, Hemsky won't be here. His replacement on the second line right side will either be Sam Gagner or Linus Omark. If you follow my thinking, the first line is set: Nuge, Hall, and Eberle. That's gonna be the first line in Edmonton for the next 10-12 seasons. The second line is completely up for debate. Eventually I could see Magnus Paajarvi, Tyler Pitlick, maybe one of Gagner or Omark; maybe even Teemu Hartikainen. But no one outside of Gagner has shown "2nd line" talent. It could be two or three years before the Oilers sort out who will be on the second line. Keep two or three years in mind, as it's important to the defensive discussion.

So next season, the second and third lines could contain any mixture of the following players: Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth, Sam Gagner, Ryan Jones, Magnus Paajarvi, and Linus Omark. Perhaps the Oilers will pick up an additional person through trade or over the summer. Those six, and possibly Anton Lander and/or Teemu Hartikainen, will be on the 2nd and 3rd lines. Not a very encouraging group for next season, when you look at it. But over the long-term the Oilers aren't concerned, because they have pieces in the minors and in their system that will eventually and successfully fill in the holes.

Which brings us to the defense discussion. Pay no attention to who the Oilers have now on defense, because in three years it will be a completely different group. I could see Tom Gilbert and Ladislav Smid here. Maybe a more mature and responsible Jeff Petry as well. Ryan Whitney won't be around because of injuries. Theo Peckham isn't good enough; Andy Sutton, Cam Barker and Corey Potter are fill-ins and will be gone in three years. So who is going to be the Oilers defense? In three years, look for players named Gernat, Marincin, Musil, Klefbom...perhaps Davidson, Teubert, Fedun, and Simpson. In other words, the Oilers three years from now won't need to deal for defensemen, because they have plenty of talent coming along. What is currently a weakness in Edmonton will eventually become a strength.

Here's the painful part for me to accept as an Oilers fan. Let's say the Oilers finish in the Bottom 5 this season. It sounds terrible, but perhaps it's a blessing considering the other assets the Oilers have. Either they can draft a quality center prospect to play on the #2 line behind Nuge, or they draft a top defensive prospect. Think Ryan Murray. Murray would be golden for the Oilers to acquire.

Goaltending three years from now comes down to Tyler Bunz and Devan Dubnyk. Perhaps Olivier Roy sneaks in here somewhere, but I'm thinking Bunz will actually become the starter, because he's that good. Regardless who develops, the Oilers should be fine in net.

I think you see where I am going with this.

As completely painful as it is for me to watch the Oilers suck, the team, according to the prospects they have, is going to be good in three years. They could be better sooner if Management wanted it to be that way, but they already have assembled the prospectes needed to make the Oilers a winner in three years time. For the next season or two it will be patience, not a bunch of deals, that will be the pattern in Edmonton. Oilers fans need to brace themselves, because the playoffs are not only out of the picture for this season, but we could easily be out next season too.

Enjoy your Boxing Day, friends. Do yourself a favor, and stay out of the stores. You've got to be crazy to take part in Boxing Day madness.
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