Over the Weekend Elliotte Friedman, CBC’s greatest asset (IMO), suggested that the next Oiler to be on the move would be farm-hand Linus Omark. It’s obvious that Omark has offensive flash, he’s 4th in AHL scoring, but he’s never translated that minor league success to NHL production of a similar level. He is also buried behind a wealth of smaller offensive forwards with greater upside in the Oiler organization.

Apparently the diminutive forward is even considering going back to Europe if he cannot be placed in another NHL club. I see this less the threats of a disgruntled player and more the last play that this young man has to realize his dream of being an NHL player. By all accounts MacT is doing his best to oblige Omark of his request. So where does he fit and what should Oilers fans expect in return?

Well for starters, don’t expect much in return. This is a career minor leaguer who clearly has some game but hasn’t cracked one of the worst squads in the NHL. Mitigating circumstances or not, the optics aren’t good around the league. Who would give up a quality asset for him? As Bob McKenzie stated this morning on TSN 1260, Future Considerations will be the likely return. If you’re looking for a pick then don’t expect anything higher than the 6th round. It just isn’t likely to happen.

As for where he fits, well there might be a few places that could use his services but I’ll focus really on just one. The number one club that comes to mind is the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has scored a league worst 51 goals for this season. To put that into perspective, the second worst Florida Panthers have scored 74, and Edmonton has 91. Omark comes cheap at 600k and is a UFA at the end of the year. The Cap is tight for many clubs but the Sabres aren’t one of them. That said, the Sabres aren’t looking to add a lot of Salary.

Buffalo is the worst team in the NHL, their fans have little to cheer for, Omark for all his problems can be an exciting player. He is relentless on the puck for such a small man, but most importantly he is creative in a way that can keep you on the edge of your seat. For a team with an internal budget who needs to find reasons for their fans to keep coming to the rink, Linus Omark can be your guy.

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

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