Thanks to the 101 injuries the Oilers currently have, this morning they called up from the minors Magnus Paajarvi and Ryan O'Marra. They also placed forward Gilbert Brule on re-entry waivers, with the intention of calling him up tomorrow if he clears.

My instant-analysis is as follows:

Paajarvi - Rumor is, the Oilers will give him an opportunity to play on one of the top two lines. Perhaps Hemsky goes with Horcoff and Smyth, meaning Paajarvi plays with Hall and Gagner? I'm not sure what the exact line combinations will be. Paajarvi was scoring at a point-per-game pace during his brief stay in the AHL, so hopefully some of his confidence from last season has returned. We all know he has some serious wheels, and could keep up with Taylor Hall on a line. If Paajarvi can create chaos with his skating, it could be a successful line.

O'Marra - Not sure exactly why he's been called up. I've heard a few different rumors. One is that Shawn Horcoff is playing with a bad back right now, and really should be out, but is playing anyway because of how many other guys are hurt. Another theory? Perhaps if Brule clears re-entry waiver, the Oilers will send down Anton Lander and give O'Marra his fourth line center job. I love Lander, but sending him down is not a bad idea. If O'Marra plays, it won't be in anything more than a 4th line role.

Brule - The first trick with Brule is to get him through re-entry waivers. I'm guessing he won't make it. There are a bunch of teams who are experiencing severe injury issues, and Brule, don't forget, was a pretty good player two years ago. If picked up during re-entry, a team taking him gets him at half price, so he'd be a less than $1mil cap hit. Simply put, he's absolutely worth the risk. With the Penguins roster being devastated last week with injuries, I could see them taking Brule. I could also see the Flames or Kings giving it some thought.

If Brule comes up, he could be used at center or on the wing. A 3rd line of Brule-Belanger-Jones doesn't sound half bad to me.

A few other Oilers notes

- I am hearing Jordan Eberle's knee injury could keep him out two to four weeks, which is a similar length of time to Nuge.

- With all the Oilers injuries, don't expect Ales Hemsky to be dealt any time soon. If he's healthy, he'll definitely be dealt by the trade deadline, but the Oilers can't afford to move him right now with Ebs and Nuge out.

- I am also hearing the Ryan Whitney's season is over, and that he has foot issues that could be compared to Peter Forsberg. Which means surgeries and continued career chaos. I hope this information is wrong. Whitney is one of the Oilers good guys, and they need him.

- Don't expect Sam Gagner to be dealt before the trade deadline. His current quality of play is winning him fans both on and off the ice in Edmonton. He's back to being considered a quality #2 center option behind Nuge. Gagner's really improving at the face-off dot; so much so that he could make it easier for the Oilers to move Eric Belanger. Bags is too expensive to be the 4th line center, and Nuge, Gags and Horcs all possess better offensive skills, making them a decent 1-2-3 combination at center for next season.

- Rumor has it Oilers want to get a second first-round pick at the draft so they can take a forward and a D man like they did last year. Don't be surprised if with their first pick (if it's between 2nd or 4th overall) that they'll take big Swedish forward Filip Forsberg.

The Oilers as it stands now will have three - 2nd round picks. Their own, one from Anaheim (from Cogliano deal) and one from the Kings (from Penner deal). The Anaheim pick might be in the first few of the second round, as would their own pick. It wouldn't be impossible to deal two early seconds for a mid-to-late 1st. Or, the Oilers could always get a mid-to-late 1st from dealing Hemsky. Don't be surprised if a chain reaction of deals takes place, as the Oilers would absolutely love to take local product defenseman Griffin Reinhart. Reinhart should go during the draft somewhere between the 10th and 15th pick.

EDITED 11am Edmonton Time
There is some dispute over the draft picks Edmonton has received from the Cogliano and Penner deals. Even though the TSN website lists the Oilers as receiving a 2nd from Anaheim in 2012 for Cogs, people reading the blog insist the Oilers get Anaheim's 2nd in 2013. I do believe, when I think about it, the 2nd in 2013 is correct.

As far as Penner goes, TSN apparently again has this wrong. They say Edmonton gets a 2nd from LA in 2012, but it's actually a 3rd. LA dealt their second to Philly, I believe, and the condition on the 2nd/3rd round picks was whether or not the Kings won a cup with Penner. They didn't, so the Oilers get a #3 instead.

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