Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Oilers Update - Jan 11, 2013

January 11, 2013, 12:51 AM ET [46 Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
A few random comments for ya'll on this wonderful, cold Friday:

- The Michael Del Zotto rumor I mentioned yesterday...People covering the Rangers are reporting the team is attempting to negotiate a new deal with Del Zotto over the next 48 hours. It's not all bad news, Oilers fans. I'm not sure Del Zotto is the solution we're looking for. I'm not saying he's bad (because he's not). The Oilers will have plenty of offense. What's needed is a D man with some serious toughness. Someone who is strong defensively. Del Zotto is neither.

- I have a whale of a blog for you people containing not one, but two BLOCKBUSTER Oilers rumors. I'll post it sometime over the next few days...Why there's no rush is that both moves concern the 2013/2014 season; not now. The rumors it contains include the biggest deal the Oilers have made since Gretzky.

- It looks like Nikolai Khabibulin has a role with the Oilers after all. Nail Yakupov arrives, Uncle Nicky takes the kid under his wing. Glove. Blocker. Whatever. I know the Oilers love Yakupov's talent, but everyone is concerned about how he'll turn out attitude-wise. Best thing to do is surround him with support and positive influences. As much has Khabibulin has been the target of many, many jokes, in truth he's always one of hockey's best conditioned athletes (finished 2nd last season, I believe, in Oilers pre-season conditioning tests).

- Sounds like Oilers Head Coach Ralph Krueger plans on using Yakupov on both wings. So how does that work? He'll play the left wing on a line with Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner, but on the powerplay, he'll shift to the right wing to utilize his ability to one-time the puck. The PP units are shaping up to be Hall, Eberle, Nuge, Hartikainen and Justin Schultz as group one, and Yakupov, Hemsky, Gagner, Whitney and Petry as group two.

- Lots talk about potential defensive pairings. Oilers coaches want to try different matchups during camp to see what works best, but one suggestion I have heard is that Ladislav Smid could be paired with Justin Schultz. This would mean Ryan Whitney would be with Jeff Petry, and Nick Schultz would be with Corey Potter. Theo Peckham would be the 7th defenseman, and Colten Teubert would remain in OKC.

- Speaking of OKC and call-ups, sounds like Teemu Hartikainen will make the Oilers, but Magnus Paajarvi and Anton Lander will likely return to farm after Oilers mini-camp. I'm not sure if Lander will even be brought up for it.

- I had a chuckle at pictures/video of Nail Yakupov coming off the plane and to the rink the next day. He was carrying around 20 sticks. I'm always confused by hockey players who travel 1,000's of miles bringing a pile of sticks. Couldn't we just buy him some new ones from Sport Chek? Do players need to purchase an extra First Class ticket so the sticks have somewhere to sit?

- Sounds like Oilers will start the season at home on January 19th, but it's possible the Flames won't be the opposition. No one will know for certain until the schedule is released sometime on Saturday. The players have 24 hours left to vote on the new CBA, with results expected Saturday morning. Camps will begin on Sunday with physicals, and on-ice on Monday. Sounds like the Oilers will only have 25 players at camp.

- Ryan Jones received surgery on his eye in Minnesota and is expected to miss four to six weeks. He took a puck in the eye during practice 10 days ago. Good news is, the eye is expected to heal fully with no long-term damage.

- Jeff Petry changed his number, apparently, just to make anyone who bought his jersey previously do it over again. He's gone from #58 to #2. The Oilers have yet to announce Nail Yakupov switching from #64 to #10. That news will come sometime around September.
Join the Discussion: » 46 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Richard Cloutier
» 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