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Russ, Amy and Danny DeKeyser Walk Into a Bar... |
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Twitter me: @rdcloutier
Shout out to Russ Chysyk and Amy Janko. You meet so many nice people at Oilers games. Section 116, Row 8 represent! There was an addition female with this duo but she didn't add me on Twitter yet...or if she did, I didn't catch her name...so no soup for you.
It's almost 4am. Ah, the life of a life-long insomniac. I envy people who can sleep for more than three hours a day without assistance.
I had a crazy day on Thursday and really had very little time to follow the Danny DeKeyser situation. However, I've been told DeKeyser will announce whichever team he's selected by Noon EST on Friday.
What I can tell you is at this time, the Oilers are absolutely in the mix. It sounds like to me this is between Detroit and Edmonton. The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs made serious pitches as well, but I'm not sure anyone can top what the Wings and Oilers can offer. Well, maybe the Pittsburgh Penguins, but whatever...that whole Iginla thing is going to look stupid a month from now when the Penguins get knocked out of the playoffs by Ottawa.
What the Wings can offer DeKeyser is perhaps the best-run franchise in the NHL. They can also offer him immediate ice time and keep him close to home. What the Oilers can offer DeKeyser is immediate ice time and a young core that will dominate in the NHL in a few seasons. The Oilers brought out all the big guns to try and win DeKeyser over: Lowe, MacT, Justin Schultz, Ralph Krueger, the Hamburglar, Fillet 'o Fish, Mayor McCheese...I wouldn't be surprised at all if they also had Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky calling him, like they did with Schultz.
Did you all watch that Oilers/Jackets game on Thursday? Playoff hockey. Seriously. That was a playoff game. It was a war between the two most unlikely teams to be playing meaningful games at this point in the season. If I didn't know any better, I'd suggest the Oilers actually want to make the playoffs.
Look, if the Oilers actually win the DeKeyser lottery, and I'm thinking it's about a 50% chance that they do, people first need to understand he's not another Justin Schultz. Maybe he's a Jay Bouwmeester-type player? DeKeyser plays a strong defensive game, but can skate and move the puck when required. Schultz is going to be a 60pts per season at some point, and he takes risks in a Coffey-sort of way in an effort to generate offense. He's a rover more than a defenseman. DeKeyser is a defenseman, and most likely, he projects as a 3/4 pairing guy. No one is going to be blown away at what he does on the ice necessarily. He's just going to be solid, and the Oilers need more "solid" players as they continue to develop. The future Oilers Top 4...and when I say "future" I mean two or three years from now, will be Klefbom/Schultz and DeKeyser/Petry...provided he joins us, of course.
If the Oilers acquire DeKeyser on Friday, they don't need to make an immediate deal. They currently have 22 active players on their roster and 49 contracts that count against the 50 contract limit. Some people on Twitter are suggesting the Oilers need to make an immediate move, but as long as Eric Belanger remains injured and on the IR, there's room for DeKeyser...and the Oilers will keep winning. Belanger is to wins what gravity is to a well-endowed 80 year old woman, but that's a different matter entirely.
The Oilers will most certainly move a defenseman if DeKeyser is added, but it won't necessarily be Ryan Whitney as everyone seems to be suggesting. It actually could be anyone other than Justin Schultz and Jeff Petry. Ladislav Smid and Mark Fistric have yet to settle on contract extensions, so they're vulnerable to being dealt. Unlike Whitney, who perhaps has a completely debatable trade value, Smid is someone teams would actually give up a real asset for, especially if the re-signs immediately with his new team. This being said, the Oilers are probably a better team with Smid than without him, at least until DeKeyser and Klefbom are ready for prime time in the NHL.
Actually, the guy I think who will be gone is Theo Peckham, and it might not even be a trade. The Oilers simply could send him to the AHL, allowing teams to pick him off the waiver wire if they want to. I almost feel for Peckham at this point because he's really got no opportunity with the Oilers. He's the 8th guy on a team that can't really play defense, so that tells you something. The Oilers should really do him a favor and move him one way or another.
If the Oilers are in the playoff mix and DeKeyser is added, maybe it isn't Whitney, or Smid, or Fistric who goes. Maybe DeKeyser stays up with the Oilers so he can spend time participating with an NHL team without actually playing, while the current group continues to do their best to make the playoffs. The entire trade deadline takes on a different shape for the Oilers if owner Daryl Katz decides the playoffs are a priority. Maybe the Oilers will freak everyone out and become BUYERS at the deadline instead of SELLERS. Hey, the Oilers have two more games remaining between now and the deadline: The Canucks, who aren't unbeatable this season, and the Flames, who might have moved half their vets by Monday. Oh, the full rebuild is on in Calgary...Iggy was Step 1. JayBo, Calamari and Kipper are steps 2, 3 and 4. The Feast with Two Backs is going to look even stupider in a few days when it becomes obvious to everyone the team has finally relented and will finally go full rebuild.
If you're asking me just what exactly the Oilers as BUYERS at the deadline looks like, here's my thoughts...and this is all opinion. There's no sources here, it's just my thoughts on the situation.
- Rumors are swirling that the Hurricanes will move Jussi Jokinen in the next day or two. The Oilers could absolutely deal for Jokinen sending Ben Eager in return. Jokinen would provide scoring depth, and if the Oilers hate him they can simply use one of their compliance buyouts on him at the end of the season.
- The Oilers 1st round pick in 2013, should they be looking at a rare playoff appearance (be optimistic here people), isn't a "can't miss" player. The "can't miss" guys all go in the Top 5-10. So perhaps Steve Tambellini takes a risk for the first time and leaves the bathroom without washing his hands first. Oh, and he deals the Oilers pick for a real, legitimate immediate player. Hmmm...what would help the Oilers now? I wish I was listening to Oilers Now, because they'd tell me whom the Oilers could use now. I'll throw some random names at you to end my blog...
- Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames
- Drew Stafford, Buffalo Sabres
- Steve Ott, Buffalo Sabres
- Troy Brouwer, Washington Capitals
- Karl Alzner, Washington Capitals
- David Legwand, Nashville Predators
- Finally, Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes...although acquiring him would require more than just the Oilers 1st round pick.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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