It's time for a little Oilers Q & A...I get a fair amount of emails from readers asking me my opinion on various hockey topics. Here's my responses to some of my favorite questions:
Q: Devan Dubnyk or Jeff DesLauriers?
A: The Oilers next season will likely need to choose between one of these goalies, provided Nikolai Khabibulin is back and able to play. This season, DesLauriers has been the better goalie, but Dubnyk is two years younger and Oilers management seem to like him. If I'd have to pick and let one go, I'd likely keep DesLauriers, but I'd also be realizing that the Oilers are going to need to find a new starter in a season or two (as Khabibulin is old with questionable health, and I doubt either other goalie will ever be a true NHL starter).
Q: Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin?
A: Big argument raging in the media about whether or not Hall is a center or left winger. The Edmonton Journal over the weekend indicated the Oilers see Hall as a power forward, not a center. The biggest hole in the Oilers line-up this season is the lack of a #1 centerman. With all the cap room the Oilers have been making, they could go after a big-time UFA center (think Patrick Marleau) to play on a line with Hall and Hemsky, should they, of course, draft Hall. In some ways, Seguin might be a better fit because of position. I still think the Oilers draft Hall though, if they have the chance.
Q: Do the Oilers keep Sheldon Souray now that they've moved Grebeshkov, Staios and Visnovsky?
A: If Sheldon is healthy going into next season, it might be in the Oilers best interest to keep him. Since the moves, the new call ups and acquired players have played okay, but not spectacular. Ryan Whitney and Tom Gilbert are not top pairing defensemen; a healthy Souray would be closer to that. If the Oilers are going to have a chance at respectability next season, they will need a decent top 4, and Souray, if healthy, is the best option they have.
Q: If the Oilers have money for UFA's, who will they go for?
A: The player available I like best for Edmonton is Colby Armstrong from Atlanta, as he brings physical play, leadership, and some scoring. Unfortunately, every team with UFA money to spend is going to offer Colby something. I wouldn't be spending any money on older UFA's...I actually hate the Jaromir Jagr idea, even if he still has some gas in the tank. He'd be a distraction to a rebuilding team. The Oilers could open the wallet for a player like Tomas Plekanec, Dan Hamhuis, Ilya Kovalchuk, Anton Volchenkov, Patrick Marleau, or Willie Mitchell (I'd like to see him be an Oiler, because I hate playing against him). The question isn't whether the Oilers will go after a UFA or two: The biggest question is if any of these would sign for a 30th place team.
Q: Should the Oilers not acquire UFA's and are doomed to have another failed season next year, why should I follow the team?
A: Because the Oilers are going to play crazy-exciting hockey. They will become the youngest team in the league next season, without a doubt. As many as six rookies will be in the line-up. And these aren't losers, folks. Jordan Eberle has shown at all levels of hockey he has played that he hates to lose and can score. Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson is a fast, strong power forward who is cocky but with reason. Linus Omark is pure magic with the puck, and is fast as all getout. Should the Oilers get Hall or Seguin, well, they are compared most often with Steven Stamkos (Hall) or Ryan Getzlaf (Seguin). Defenseman Jeff Petry is suppose to be an all-around blueline leader who is big, strong, and has a shot like a cannon. And a final rookie maybe is Anton Lander, a two-way center that some said was the MVP on the world junior team ahead of MPS. The Oilers next season might not have a great record, but wow, are they ever going to be fun to watch. Reminds me of the Oilers team in the early 80's, when you knew watching them that were a contender being born. And who knows? Sign one or two great UFA's, have Hemsky, Souray and Khabibulin all back healthy, and this Oiler team might not be that bad.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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