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Tyler Bunz Will Prove to Be the Starter of the Future |
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Sorry about the title of this blog. Some asshat in the comments section of my last blog put some sort of over/under joke about me bringing up Tyler Bunz. Simple minds...I thought I'd give him a thrill my using his ignorance as the title for this blog.
Tyler Bunz is going to be amazing though. Best goalie in the WHL last season. He's had a tough first season as a pro, but goalies take more time than anyone else. By the time he's 24 or 25, Dubnyk will be out, and Bunz will be the starter. If Cory Schneider can be dealt for a 1st round pick and a Top 6 forward, Dubnyk should be worth twice as much.
Now that I'm done with the sarcastic portion my blog, where should we start: Goaltending situation, Hawks/Oilers game or Brandon Dubinsky? Ummm...
Oilers/Hawks Game Was the Best of the Season
This game had everything: Goals, and, ummm, more goals. Hey, it beats the hell out of LA/Phoenix in the middle of May. It's like last year's Pittsburgh vs Philly series - It was perhaps the sloppiest hockey I've ever seen, but damn, that was fun. So much offense, so many brilliant offensive plays, and so little D. 1984 all over again. You remember, back when hockey was fun?
I find it both tragic and wonderful that the 1st place team and the last place team in the Western Conference could create a game as entertaining as this one. It says good things about the NHL and how even the league is. Us Oilers fans...well, me at least...one day, I think this is a playoff team; the next, I think they're the worst in the league. In truth, all 30 teams are pretty much equal and can beat each other whenever. Look at the Columbus Blue Jackets and what they're doing right now: Five wins in a row. The "worst" team in hockey shouldn't be able to do that, should they? It's great that they are.
Some dummy is going to spend a bunch of time in their blog or newspaper article talking about how bad Sam Gagner was defensively, or how much difference Shawn Horcoff made in his return. Who really cares? It was a great hockey game, and fans of both teams should feel entertained and happy with the result. Don't cry for me Argentina about the loss, Hawks fans; the Oilers needed the W more than you folks did.
BTW when did Marian Hossa become the best player in the league? Mind-blowing game from him.
Starting in Goal for the Oilers on Tuesday Will Be...
Well, it won't be Tyler Bunz, that's the good news. The bad news is, I'm not sure it will be Devan Dubnyk, Nikolai Khabibulin or Yann Danis. All three might be on the shelf. From what I've heard/read, Dubey and Danis both have neck injuries? Devan and Yann sitting in a tree, N-E-C-K-I-N-G? Khabibulin still has a nagging groin injury. I'll skip making a childish joke about that.
If Dubnyk, Khabibulin or Danis can't play, Niko Hovinen will get the start. It sounds like Dubnyk might be out a while, which might force the Oilers into making a depth trade. We're not talking about picking up someone actually good here, so you can relax. Just some random guy we've likely never heard of. Is the SEL season over yet? They could sign and bring over some random goalie from Europe to fill the void. I'm pretty sure it won't be Bunz or Olivier Roy getting the start for the Oilers. Even if Danis is healthy enough to play, this is a tricky situation if you're the Oilers and if you actually want to pursue wins.
The Dubinsky Iggy
I know, I know, I know...I keep mentioning this guy. There's a reason for it: He'd be a perfect 3rd line center for the Edmonton Oilers. I don't care how much people try to convince me Shawn Horcoff is all of that and a bag of chips, I've cried in my beer too much over the last four years watching Horcoff muff things up to think he's sticking around. Horcoff will certainly be bought out for the last year of his contract, but the process could happen sooner if the Oilers find a better alternative.
Here's a shameful stat from today's game: Nail Yakupov by the 3rd period was on the 4th line, and he had only 11:40 of ice time the entire game. I like Ralph Krueger but I absolutely hate the way he's using (or not using) Yakupov. The truth is, regardless if people choose to accept it or not, Ales Hemsky won't be here much longer than Horcoff will. Jordan Eberle will be the Oilers #1 RW for the next 10 seasons, and Yakupov will be the #2 center for just as long. Sometime between now and the 2014 trade deadline Ales Hemsky will be moved by the Oilers.
There was a story put out there on Sunday by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that the Blue Jackets are attempting to deal Dubinsky. Reason being is a log-jam at center. New Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen is of the belief that $4mil per season is too much to pay a 3rd or 4th line center. I say Dubinsky is a good version of Horcoff at a lower price point, so it makes absolute sense for the Oilers to go after him. Wait for it...Hemsky for Dubinsky. Didn't see that coming, did you?
The Jackets have a pretty decent defensive group. Ryan Murray isn't even there yet, and they already have a better Top 4D than the Oilers. And as I've said, the Jackets are deep at center. What they need is a Top 6 winger, and Hemsky is a Top 6 winger. This is a deal that would help both clubs tremendously, and those are my favorite type of deals.
I posted this all on Twitter earlier, and I got a hilarious reaction. Some people said it was a huge overpayment from the Oilers. Some said it would need to be Hemsky+. To be honest with you, this is apples and oranges. The Jackets don't really have a creative offensive player on their roster anything like Hemsky. The Oilers don't really have a bigger and better two-way center than Dubinsky. If Hemsky stays healthy, it's a pretty decent deal; Hemsky's the better talent, but Dubinsky is younger, bigger, and is locked into a contract longer.
Of course, the Oilers aren't going to make this deal because they have some sort of sick Hemsky fetish. And, oh yeah, it makes too much sense. Besides, if the Jackets are truly trying to deal Dubinsky, there will be plenty of offers to choose from. Decent two-way centers with size are hard to find, and the Jackets need one thing the Oilers can't offer them: A legit #1 goalie.
Hmmm...Schneider for Dubinsky? Luongo for Dubinsky? There's a trade in there somewhere.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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