Weird.

K, so on Monday, the Oilers have a press conference. Was it to announce contract extensions for Tom Renney or Steve Tambellini? No. Was it to announce a player signing (or re-signing)? No. Was it to announce that Renney, Tambellini, or perhaps other people would be gone from the organization next season. Ummm, no.

Derp. What was the point?

The Oilers are a touchy-feely organization now, and Monday's presser was to talk about feelings. Whoa, whoa, whoa, feelings. How did the players feel? How did the coaches feel? I didn't hear anyone ask how the fans feel. What's that? Nobody cares? You noticed that, too?

Here's what we learned: Tom Renney hasn't been offered an extension, nor has he been told to hit the bricks. Apparently, management is going to evaluate how the season went before they make any decisions. Management made Renney get up before the press today to answer for his club, even though he has no idea if he's in the Oilers future or not. It was classless and embarrassing that the Oilers did that to him. I mean, if he's not back, why put him through today's media grilling? Shockingly ignorant.

In typical Oilers fashion, the players who worked their asses off took responsibility for the bad season. Hall, Eberle, Horcoff, Hemsky, Nuge, Dubnyk, Gagner...the good players faced the music. The problem children? Didn't hear a word from them. Sometimes silence speaks volumes. I was very impressed with what Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky had to say, and I hope both continue to be Oilers next October. They aren't the problem.

Steve Tambellini will be in TO today for the Draft Lotto, so we can all rest easy...his job, at least, is safe. Thank the Maker.

Other Oilers Stuff...

- Rumors around Twitter that Ryan Smyth has been signed to a two year contract extension, but there is no confirmation from the team.

- The NHL Central Scouting final report came out on Monday, and there were some surprises. Provided the lotto keeps the draft order intact, the Gods seem to think the Oilers will draft defenseman Ryan Murray 2nd overall. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they did.

What did I tell you folks about Matt Dumba? Dumba's stock dropped significantly in the final rankings. Down to 11th for North American skaters, and he will have at least one European (Filip Forsberg) drafted ahead of him.

- Ales Hemsky will be playing for the Czech Republic in the World Championships. That means he's healthy, which is good news for us. Jordan Eberle will be on Team Canada.

- One player who might not be on Team Canada, even though he'll get an invite, is Devan Dubnyk. Getting married this summer? Oh.

Next blog I post will be after the draft lotto. Stay tuned.

Join the Discussion: » 180 Comments » Post New Comment

» Goodbye and Good Luck

» Ranking Top 5 Roster Groups - Blog #1

» Mods and Rockers

» The Reverse Psychology Blog

» The 10 Least Interesting Teams in the NHL