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Oilers/Hurricanes Talking Trade

November 19, 2011, 2:31 PM ET [ Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Since this is a rumor website, I might as well throw out a rumor.

The Oilers were talking trade with the Maple Leafs but two things screwed that up: Linus Omark and Mike Komisarek both got injured. Omark has a broken ankle, Komisarek has a broken arm, and both should be on the shelf for the next couple of months. With the injury to Komisarek, the player the Oilers were trying to acquire from the Leafs (Cory Franson) suddenly finds himself needed in TO. Too bad.

It should go without saying that the teams most likely to deal Edmonton a player are teams that are currently suffering in the standings. Trouble is, a number of these teams need the same sort of player as the Oilers do. An example? The 29th placed New York Islanders desperately need more mobility and size on their defense. While both the Islanders and Oilers have plenty of potential players they could move, they really can't scratch each other's itch too effectively.

One team that is doing poorly and has a bit of what the Oilers need is the Carolina Hurricanes. Their shutout loss last night against the Buffalo Sabres demonstrates how much the offense is struggling in Carolina. Jeff Skinner is the only 'Canes forward who is putting up big numbers. Trusted star forward Eric Staal is having a terrible year, and currently has only eight points and is -18 over 20 games. I've heard some suggest his weak numbers have more to do with the lack of talent around him than his actual play.

The deal I am going to suggest involves Ales Hemsky coming from the Oilers. While Sam Gagner might be the player the Oilers are more interested in moving at this time, Hemsky represents a better possible solution to the needs of the Hurricanes. He's a slick playmaking right winger who could compliment Staal extremely well. Hemsky has always been more of a passer than shooter, and Staal at times during his career has looked like a sniper.

What's the asking price for Hemsky? He's healthy now, so that increases the value. He's not playing great currently, but he didn't have much of a training camp. The quality of his play should be improving soon. On the downside, he's a UFA in less than a year unless the 'Canes can re-sign him. The Oilers haven't demonstrated much interest yet in keeping Hemsky around past 2011/2012, although that might have more to do with a wait-and-see attitude with respect to if Hemsky can ever get healthy.

The primary player the Oilers would like to acquire from Carolina is defenseman Jaime McBain, but I've pointed that out before. At 23 he's young; he's known to be a quality puck-mover and he can skate. He can play powerplay minutes...he's somewhat comparable I'd say to a Corey Potter, but he's younger and has more potential.

The rub in all of this is the Oilers see Hemsky as a better player than Dustin Penner, and when they dealt him, they received a quality prospect and a 1st round pick. The ask from Carolina would be similar. For Hemsky, the Oilers would want McBain and a second asset. Since McBain is already an established player, his value is higher than Teubert's was in the Penner deal. Asking for Carolina's 1st in 2012 would be too much, as it will likely happen in the Top 15 of the draft. So perhaps we're looking at McBain, a 2nd, and a conditional pick (based on Hemsky signing a new deal in Carolina) for Ales Hemsky? I don't mind it.

Oilers next action is against the Chicago Blackhawks. It's impossible to predict an Oilers victory in this one, in part because of how bad the Oil's defensive group is, and in part because the Hawks are a million times better as a team. The Oilers have shuffled the lines in an attempt to wake some players up:

The Points Line: Ryan Smyth - Nuge - Jordan Eberle
The Trade Audition Line: Magnus Paajarvi - Sam Gagner - Ales Hemsky
The No-Hands Line: Taylor Hall - Shawn Horcoff - Ryan Jones
The Random Line: Anton Lander - Eric Belanger - Ben Eager

Darcy Hordichuk is almost back in game shape, and if Eager doesn't start being the grumpy SOB the Oilers acquired him to be, Hordi will replace Eager soon. If Lander on the wing doesn't work out too badly, we could see both Eager and Hordichuk in the pressbox with Lennart Petrell instead playing. The Oilers have unwisely given Petrell the night off, but he's almost the perfect Bottom 6 forward for the NHL, so he won't be gone long.

The defense is a mess tonight. Tom Gilbert and Ladislav Smid will play half the game, because they are the only pairing that belongs in the NHL. Jeff Petry and Theo Peckham will likely contribute bad passes, bad positioning, and bad penalties. The third pairing will be Taylor Chorney and Colten Teubert, and I believe they easily could get more minutes than Petry and Peckham by the end of the game. Yes, I have more faith in Chorney and Teubert than I do in Petry and Peckham.

It sounds like Nikolai Khabibulin will get the start, and if this is the case, I hate it. Khabby isn't playing well anymore and he might need a game or two on the bench to refocus. In case you don't know about Khabby's history, he's always been extremely streaky, and his game goes down in quality when he's overplayed. He's always been a 50 games per year starter, and the Hawks beating the crap out of him tonight might do damage to his confidence.
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