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Shark Bait! + Luongo Trade Watch |
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I can't decided which topic to cover first. Okay, I'll start with the Sharks/Oilers game.
The Oilers have brilliant young players, so it's easy to forget this is a group of kids who haven't really learned how to play like NHL professionals yet. When you have a roster filled with young'ins, there's going to be regrettable games along the way. Don't be fooled by the 6-3 score: the Sharks stopped trying after it was 6-1. They deserved 10 goals in this game, and completely out-classed the Oilers in every zone on the ice. It all happened before, and it will all happen again. Burn the negatives.
If I must, I'll comment on a few specific Oilers players...
Devan Dubnyk
The jury is still out on Dubnyk, as he's let in shots he needs to stop in both Oilers games this season. But this being said, the boy isn't a miracle worker. The Oilers skaters gave him absolutely no help on Tuesday. I mentioned to Tanner (I was sitting in the Tanner Gordon and the Unfortunates row for some reason) during the warm-ups that Dubnyk looked completely off. Pressure getting to him, maybe?
Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz
I was thrilled to be there to see their 1st NHL goals, but both players have plenty to learn. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here - Both are brilliant prospects - But both Yakupov and Schultz made numerous mistakes during the game. Yakupov looked like he didn't know where to go without the puck. Schultz left his defensive partner stranded a number of times during the game. Give them time, folks...They'll get it. Yakupov's release is the most insane one I've seen on the Oilers since Jari Kurri.
Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff
They can't keep up. Smyth suddenly looks very old and warn out to me. Horcoff is Horcoff; plays just seem to die on his stick. I'm not sure why the Oilers kept sticking him out on the 1st power-play unit either, as he contributed little to it.
Corey Potter and Ryan Whitney
I hate to do this to you both after my comments from the Vancouver game caused a reaction, but you sucked again. Maybe it's just a bad pairing? Fistric will absolutely be in the line-up for the Oilers on Thursday.
Sam Gagner
Uggg. I don't like how things are shaping up for Gagner so far this season. Yes, his face-off numbers have been good thru the first two games. And yes, he has points in both games too. But he's...Oh, how can I put this? Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, Eberle, Yakupov and Hemsky all have one thing in common: They all rush down the ice with the puck and do things with it that can make your jaw drop. At their best, all five can control the tempo of games. Gagner seems over his head out there. That's been the MO of Gagner ever since he started here. It's not that he's a bad player, but he's just not a commanding presence.
I wouldn't over-analyze this game too much, friends. The Oilers played terrible and lost, but I can remember the 80's Oilers losing 11-0 to the Hartford Whalers once. In the NHL, when you're not winning, you're losing.
A note about the Sharks before I move on to the next topic: If they can play like that all season, they'll be a threat in the playoffs. It's the size of the team more than anything else...The Oilers bounced off the bigger and more physical Sharks. It was very kind of them to stop playing after the 6th goal, not making the Oilers look even worse than they did during their home opener.
Moving on, the Luongo-to-Edmonton rumors from Tuesday...
Just a recap: Canucks GM Mike Gillis said in an interview on Tuesday that a team no one suspects has worked out a deal with the Canucks for Luongo, but a certain player needed to be moved first before the deal could take place. Later in the day, XM Radio's Josh Rimer and Billy "Muddy" Waters said that the Oilers were the team, and Sam Gagner would be the player going to Vancouver. That still doesn't explain the "player need to be moved first" bit. Allow me to attempt to fill in the blanks.
If the Oilers are dealing for Luongo, it means they're dealing Dubnyk. They can't afford to spend $9mil per season of cap money on goalies. There won't be a Luongo-to-Edmonton deal until Dubnyk is moved. If Gagner is the player going the other way to Vancouver, the Oilers will need to find a 2nd line center to replace him. When I heard Dan Tencer tonight on his post-game show suggest Horcoff could end up on a line with Hemsky and Yakupov, and I threw up in my mouth a little. I also heard on Tencer's show a post-game interview with Horcoff, and I'd like to say the boy is completely out to lunch. No wonder Oilers coaches are bringing the kids into the leadership roles...Horcoff is way too casual about losing. He said some junk about a game like that being a learning opportunity? He should be in the dressing room pulling a Messier, threatening to take away player's lunch money if they don't get it going. Just because Horcoff is fine with half-assing his career ever since he received his big contract it doesn't mean that's how team captains are suppose to act.
Anyway, back to Luongo.
I'll throw a couple ideas at you. First is, the Oilers deal Dubnyk away for the best return possible (regardless of position) and then sign UFA Jason Arnott for a couple seasons. Doing so would give the team time to draft and/or develop a 2nd line center for the future. If you look at the Oilers prospect roster, they completely lack centers of quality...so either Dubnyk would get dealt for a young center with promise, or he gets dealt for an immediate, age 26 or younger #2 center. I need to include in the second option that perhaps the Oilers would need to give up more than just Dubnyk to acquire the player they are looking for.
Potential teams?
1. New Jersey. Sooner or later they need to find a replacement for Brodeur.
2. Columbus. The Oilers and Blue Jackets like to deal with each other. I think Jackets GM Scott Howson was part of the Oilers management team when they drafted Dubnyk.
3. Philadelphia. They will need a goalie after they buyout Bryzgalov this summer.
4. Washington. Although with them, they have two decent kids in place for the future.
5. Florida. They have two goalies that won't be there much longer.
6. NY Islanders. Actually, doesn't Nino Niederreiter want out of there? Can he play center? The Islanders are moronic for not having this guy on their roster.
7. Toronto. Would Tyler Bozak for Dubnyk make sense to anyone?
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that Rimer and Waters know what they are talking about. I get the feeling Daryl Katz...The guy who looks like Bono and is asking Edmonton City Council for a new, beautiful, rink on Wednesday...is no longer willing to see his team be more bad than good. Luongo's contract is a risk to take on, but we're talking about a Top 10 in the NHL, world-class, proven starting goaltender. If Rimer and Waters are right, I actually like the idea, provided the Oilers take steps to acquire a legitimate 2nd line center to replace Gagner.
A move for Luongo would pretty much indicate Oilers management are prepared to do what it takes now to have a winning team. So coughing up Dubnyk and a prospect or pick for, oh, let's say...Brandon Dubinsky or Steven Weiss...These are just random names I'm throwing out there, as I know both are players that have been linked to potential Oilers deals before. Weiss makes plenty of sense to me with respect to the level of talent he has, although he has a NMC and his UFA summer is in 2013. Dubinsky is younger, has a longer-term contract, and he's a bigger body who brings two-way skill.
So here's the rumor, if you insist I offer one:
The Oilers to deal Sam Gagner and a second asset to Vancouver for Roberto Luongo. Likely a draft pick. At the same time this deal takes place, the Oilers move Dubnyk to, what the hell, I'll say Columbus...Dubnyk for Dubinsky.
But all of this being said...
Goaltenders are not impossible to acquire. I still like the idea of acquiring Bishop from Ottawa more than dealing for Luongo. That way, the Oilers would have a 1a and 1b goaltender situation to work with until one true starter emerges.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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