I apologize if this blog is filled with mistakes...Doing this on the fly today. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @rdcloutier

The rumor mill is working overtime today. The good, the bad, and the truly ridiculous. Here's some of the stuff I've heard/read via Twitter, emails, sports radio, and so on.

- Jay Bouwmeester is being shopped by the Calgary Flames. But wait...you haven't heard the punchline to the joke yet. You ready? The Oilers are very interested.

Before you say things like, "OMG, but he's a Flame," or, "OMG, he's incredibly overpaid," you need to realize a few things. For one, the only way a deal gets made is if the Oilers send a bad contract back to Calgary as part of the package. The other important factor is, by the time UFA season starts, there will be no decent UFA defensemen left for the Oilers to pick up. Options are disappearing left and right, and if Steve Tambellini doesn't improve the Oilers next season, he's unemployed. JayBo is actually one of the better options available at this point.

Could Shawn Horcoff be dumped off on the Flames? Someone told me yesterday the Oilers are trying to move Horcs. Do I believe it? Sorta. It's not that they just decided to move Horcoff...truth is, they've been trying to move his ugly contract since five minutes after they signed it. Horcoff+ for JayBo could happen just because the Flames suck at center, and obtaining crazy contracts for under-performing players is a Calgary thing to do.

Obviously, the "catch" here is the player the Oilers would need to send with Horcoff to make it happen. The Flames are so desperate depth-wise, just about any promising youngster would help. Maybe one of Martin Marincin, Martin Gernat, Brandon Davidson or David Musil? If this was NHL 2012, I'd put Colten Teubert or Alex Plante's name instead of those kids, and hit the "trade" button over and over until something happens.

Bouwmeester is not nearly as bad as everyone makes him out to be. But damn, the boy is overpaid for what he brings. I'm certain the Flames will be asking the moon for him. Luckily, at the speed Steve Tambellini moves, a different team will overpay for JayBo before Tambellini is finished dialing the phone.

- Heard Jeff Marek speaking on Oilers Now a few minutes ago. He said very clearly and specifically that the Hurricanes 1st round pick (8th overall) is in play. He also said very clearly and specifically that he believes the 'Canes would deal the pick "straight up" for Sam Gagner. For all of you who think Gagner is not worth a Top 10 pick, allow me to say this: Suck it Trebek.

But hold on here, ladies and gentlemen...before we all start losing our minds, let's think about this. Like I said before, a person who considers himself directly connected to the Oilers told me last night the Oilers are looking for a way to move Shawn Horcoff. It could be through trade; it could be through an amnesty clause in the new CBA. I won't get into the reasons I was told the team wants him gone. They just, apparently, want him gone.

We also know Eric Belanger has asked to be traded, and the Oilers want to move him just as badly as he wants to leave. Add to that dealing Sam Gagner? Three centers gone in one summer? Is that possible? Ummm, no.

So here's what I think is gonna happen:

- The Oilers won't do anything with Gagner until Carolina's number is called at the draft. If a player the Oilers want is still available, they could move him, straight up, for the pick. Which players could motivate the Oilers to make the swap? Griffin Reinhart is an absolute yes. Ryan Murray will be drafted by then, so he's not an option. Morgan Rielly is a possibility, and he might be around at #8. If the Oilers draft Nail Yakupov and either Mikhail Grigorenko or Alex Galchenyuk are still available, then I think the pin will be pulled on a Gagner deal. But if either of those guys are around, why wouldn't the Hurricanes just draft one of them instead of making a deal?

- As much as the Oilers would love to dump Shawn Horcoff, there's no way they can deal him, especially if Sam Gagner is dealt.

- Eric Belanger sucks.

- The Oilers could dump off a different contract on Calgary instead for JayBo: Nikolai Khabibulin. But the chances of the Flames dealing Bouwmeester to Edmonton is pretty remote. Aside from the fact that the Flames will want too much for him, and Tambellini is too slow to use a phone, there is the whole "Edmonton vs Calgary" factor to consider. Making a deal with the Flames would be worse than showering with a Leafs fan and a Canucks fan at the same time.

In Other News...

- Rumors about the Blackhawks wanting Ryan Smyth. Perhaps they do. But the question is, does Smyth want the Blackhawks? Keep in mind he came back to Edmonton for "family reasons". At the time of his return, the info was out there suggesting Smyth was only interested in playing for the Oilers, Flames, or perhaps the Jets. A year later, I don't see why things would be any different.

- Rumors all over the place suggesting Ralph Kreuger will be the new Head Coach of the Edmonton Oilers, and the announcement will come the week after the NHL Draft.

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