possibly Monahan, the others aren't realistic.
- Dirte

absolutely, but if he's mentioning those names trading up may not be out of the picture

EDIT: I think even monahan is gone at 6

Well Mac t has discussed moving up so it is realistic, although may not be probable.

I hope trade up.
- ystoil

The price would be huge to get one of those guys. Top 3 or 4, both of them. When was the last time a team successfully traded into that on drat day?

Rags = Rangers. They're talking Marc Staal. And they're bang on. If The Rangers were willing to trade Marc Staal for Sam Gagner, then the Oilers should have done it already. (but, no way they're willing to do it)
- Dirte

also NYR basically already has Gagner in Brassard

EDIT: I think even monahan is gone at 6
- TheNugeIsHuge

depends on how people feel about Nichushkin's KHL ties I guess. I doubt Lindholm gets up ahead of them

Richard you are good to read for hell of it but think before you comment Gagner equal 2 spots up for an unproven. Your getting that complex "FIGJAM"

depends on how people feel about Nichushkin's KHL ties I guess. I doubt Lindholm gets up ahead of them
- Dirte

I doubt Nichushkin goes before 5. I predict Lindholm'll be there by 7.
1. Jones 2. Mackinnon 3. Drouin 4. Barkov 5. Nichushkin/Nurse 6. Monahan 7.???

MacT says centre at the draft is priority 1. Says Mackinnon, barkov, Monahan is what he wants and has had talks about moving up and down.

Says re-upping Gagner is highest priority.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKES SOMEONE ELSE SAY SOMETHING
- TheNugeIsHuge

Th draft is NOT the answer to what ails the Oilers:
1. Let Stu pick the best guy available at number 7 and leave him in the minors to develop.
2. We need experiance, size and grit. So lets start by shedding some salary: Trade Hemsky to Phoenix for Rundblad
3. Trade Belanger to Phoenix (He played well there before) for a bag of pucks.
4. Trade Nick Schultz for a pick or whatever
5. We need a new big guy to play with Nuge and Ebs. Sign UFA Bryan (>150 hits) Bickle 6'4" 223lbs. He should good for 50 pts playing with Gretz and Kurri er sorry I mean Nug and Ebs.
6. We need an experienced big guy to play between Hall and Yaks. Sign Nik (>100 hits) Antropov 6'6" 240lbs. Remember how Blair McDonald had 46 goals and 48 assists playing with Gretz in 79/80? Well let Hall and Yaks bounce pucks off this fire hydrant!
7. Resign Paajarvi, he is just beginning to hit his stride
8. Resign Gags, he bleeds coppernblue
9. We need a gritty guy to play on our 3rd line with Paajarvi and Gags so sign Nathan Horton 6'2' 229lbs. From time to time double shift Hall to play on the third line with Gags and Horton. That way Horton is guaranteed to be good for >40 pts.
10. Symtty, Horc and Brown are our 4th line with Harti and Lander as extras.
11. We need a big L shot Dman so sign Robyn (>150 hits) Regehr 6'3" 225lbs. Pair him with Justin Schultz. Smid and Petry are the 2nd pairing. Rundblad/Klefbom/Potter round out the defense.
12. Bring in some guest coaches: Michael Peca to teach our forwards on how to win faceoffs; Isa Tikkanen to teach on being a pest; Scotty Bowman to teach Krueger and the staff on coaching!

There that was easy.

I doubt Nichushkin goes before 5. I predict Lindholm'll be there by 7.
1. Jones 2. Mackinnon 3. Drouin 4. Barkov 5. Nichushkin/Nurse 6. Monahan 7.???
- TheNugeIsHuge

I think you got Nurse a little high. I think Drouin might be the one who drops out of the top 3 or 4.

Th draft is NOT the answer to what ails the Oilers:
1. Let Stu pick the best guy available at number 7 and leave him in the minors to develop.
2. We need experiance, size and grit. So lets start by shedding some salary: Trade Hemsky to Phoenix for Rundblad
3. Trade Belanger to Phoenix (He played well there before) for a bag of pucks.
4. Trade Nick Schultz for a pick or whatever
5. We need a new big guy to play with Nuge and Ebs. Sign UFA Bryan (>150 hits) Bickle 6'4" 223lbs. He should good for 50 pts playing with Gretz and Kurri er sorry I mean Nug and Ebs.
6. We need an experienced big guy to play between Hall and Yaks. Sign Nik (>100 hits) Antropov 6'6" 240lbs. Remember how Blair McDonald had 46 goals and 48 assists playing with Gretz in 79/80? Well let Hall and Yaks bounce pucks off this fire hydrant!
7. Resign Paajarvi, he is just beginning to hit his stride
8. Resign Gags, he bleeds coppernblue
9. We need a gritty guy to play on our 3rd line with Paajarvi and Gags so sign Nathan Horton 6'2' 229lbs. From time to time double shift Hall to play on the third line with Gags and Horton. That way Horton is guaranteed to be good for >40 pts.
10. Symtty, Horc and Brown are our 4th line with Harti and Lander as extras.
11. We need a big L shot Dman so sign Robyn (>150 hits) Regehr 6'3" 225lbs. Pair him with Justin Schultz. Smid and Petry are the 2nd pairing. Rundblad/Klefbom/Potter round out the defense.
12. Bring in some guest coaches: Michael Peca to teach our forwards on how to win faceoffs; Isa Tikkanen to teach on being a pest; Scotty Bowman to teach Krueger and the staff on coaching!

There that was easy.
- redwolf

sounds like your day dreaming a little too much.

A) EDM couldn't trade Belanger if they tried
B)LA just acquired Regehr and not as a rental. They won't let him walk.
C) Hemsky does not get you Rundblad. Maybe Rundblad's jockstrap
D)Horton won't sign in EDM
E)N Schultz will be a fine #5 and partner for Klefbom. Priority is 1LD.
F)Antropov is past his prime. Bickell will not get over 50P. Lucky to get 40. Nuge, hall, yak, ebs are not gretz, mess, tikannen, kurri

I think you got Nurse a little high. I think Drouin might be the one who drops out of the top 3 or 4.
- Dirte

no way. Drouin's got a decent chance at 1 or 2. A lot of rankings have him at 1. I doubt he slips out of top 3 unless TB loves Valeri.

Nurse that high because CAR needs a D man, hence my suggestion for the skinner/5th for M Staal swap

if EDM got a 1LD, the D would actually look pretty decent. Say for some reason, Sather gets roofied and deals Mcdonagh or staal to EDM
Mcdonagh/staal-J Schultz
Smid-Petry
klefbom/fistric-N Schultz/Potter

doesn't look too shabby. One can dream

sounds like your day dreaming a little too much.

A) EDM couldn't trade Belanger if they tried
B)LA just acquired Regehr and not as a rental. They won't let him walk.
C) Hemsky does not get you Rundblad. Maybe Rundblad's jockstrap
D)Horton won't sign in EDM
E)N Schultz will be a fine #5 and partner for Klefbom. Priority is 1LD.
F)Antropov is past his prime. Bickell will not get over 50P. Lucky to get 40. Nuge, hall, yak, ebs are not gretz, mess, tikannen, kurri
- TheNugeIsHuge

A) For a bag of pucks??
B) Well if LA wants Regehr so much then we could go after Scuderi.
C) Hemsky playing in Phoenix makes Phoenix better than Rundblad playing in the minors.
D) Remind me why Horton won't sign in Edmonton?
E) I like N Schultz but we need to improve on D and he costs $3.5M
F)I think you miss my point. It's not how good these individuals are by themselves its who they play with that elevates their game. So I'll say again we don't need more stars. We need size experience and grit= guys like Bickell, Antropov and Horton.

For the record, I know I'm dreamin, but hoping another draft pick will bring us closer to the promised land is even bigger dreamin.

A) For a bag of pucks??
B) Well if LA wants Regehr so much then we could go after Scuderi.
C) Hemsky playing in Phoenix makes Phoenix better than Rundblad playing in the minors.
D) Remind me why Horton won't sign in Edmonton?
E) I like N Schultz but we need to improve on D and he costs $3.5M
F)I think you miss my point. It's not how good these individuals are by themselves its who they play with that elevates their game. So I'll say again we don't need more stars. We need size experience and grit= guys like Bickell, Antropov and Horton.

For the record, I know I'm dreamin, but hoping another draft pick will bring us closer to the promised land is even bigger dreamin.
- redwolf

My ideal off season would be
-Package the pick for a 1LD
-Sign a backup goalie capable of challenging Dubey (khudobin possibly)
-Sign a big 2LW that can play (possibly bickell)
-Sign a 4th line C that can break near even in scoring chances for and against (maybe boyd gordon)

EDM has no cap issues yet. N Schultz's contract is not a problem and he is a decent mentor for a future shut down guy in Klefbom.

Horton won't sign in EDM for the same reason Pronger, Heatley, Hossa, Nylander didn't want to be in EDM. Why live in a cold place with high taxes?

I'm sorry but Hall and Yak will not elevate Antropov's game to over 50 points, I think he will bring their games down.

Also. No one wants to pay belanger 1.5M to sit in the press box. it'd have to be like Belanger+3rd for a 7th and only if they liked him

Here is the top 6 picks of the draft...

Colorado - Seth Jones
Florida - Nate MacKinnon
Tampa Bay - Valeri Nishushkin
Nashville - Aleksander Barkov
Carolina - Jon Drouin(Most likely to trade pick)
Calgary - Sean Monahan

Yes Nishushkin is going to Tampa, they absolutely love the kid & when they sit down with him at the combine, if everything checks out with him opting out of his contract & coming to the NHL, he's Tampa's guy.

Which makes the 5th & 6th picks interesting because Carolina doesn't really need a forward however drafting the best available is still the smartest way to go about the draft & rumors are out there that Jeff Skinner could be available to bring back a top 4 d-man. Which is why they'll take Drouin at 5.

Calgary needs a big centre & Monahan is their guy & it's been the talk around Calgary & the Flames for more than 2 months already how much they love this kid. Is Lindholm more skilled, yes but they want big centres & he'll be there for the taking at 6.

Which leaves the Oilers - they would love Barkov or Monahan but unless they move up via trade, it isn't happening & I can't see any of the top 5 teams moving down unless the trade is very enticing. Barkov is not slipping past 4 & if he does, it's a steal for any team grabbing him at that point.

And no the Hurricanes don't want Gagner in any deal to switch positions with the Oilers. It's time the Oilers traded that pick for immediate help instead of always thinking there's another keeper to add to an already young, inexperienced lineup that clearly lacks muscle & grit up front. Why not dangle the pick for a Simmonds type player instead of adding another 18yr old kid. I think MacT could very well trade this pick, he's a big talker, let's see if he can walk the walk & move the pick for immediate help.
- newmy

That was the best post i have ever read of yours. I agree 100%. We shouldn't be discussing who we will draft, we should be discussing who we can trade for with that pick.

We need help now not 2-3 years down the road. this might be our best chance to really make a splash and dramatically improve this team. No one we can draft can give us the boost we need.

I don't see CAR wanting Sam Gagner. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see where he would fit. Suggesting that CAR could move him later is silly as well. If that is the plan I think EDM would have to facilitate a 3 way trade. Why take the responsibilty of trying to move a player you don't really want?
- TandA4Flames

Why wouldn't they want him? They would be getting something for nothing if they were cool with taking Nurse, which odds are they might be anyways.

Still Barkov is not as good as Nich or Monahan. Nor is he better than Gagner. People always think that bigger is an improvement. You still need talent. Who got the most points this year in the league? A good old short guy.

Barkov MAY someday be better than Gagner, I doubt it, because I don't think much of the games I have watched him play. Monahan on the other hand probably will be a number one center. Still Gagner is better than both next year.

I think a top 6 player at the age of 22 like gagner would move you up nicely in this draft. I think Nashville might be biting at that offer but I don't think we need to go that high. I think our third round pick will do it. All we really need to do is trade with Calgary. 1 spot and we get Barkov, Monahan or Nich. From worst to best in that order. All wins. Calgary is obviously looking to rebuild. Rumor is they like Lind. Also talk of them trading their picks around to grab a later first round to make it 4 firsts. Grab someone like Horvat. Plenty of options for them to stack their team this year if they are smart.

Edmonton on the other hand, we need 1 good top 6 man. We can use our second round picks for gambles.

That was the best post i have ever read of yours. I agree 100%. We shouldn't be discussing who we will draft, we should be discussing who we can trade for with that pick.

We need help now not 2-3 years down the road. this might be our best chance to really make a splash and dramatically improve this team. No one we can draft can give us the boost we need.
- crazywolf

We need a top 6 forward and a 1-2 dman. Those are our needs. How are we going to get them with our assets including our 7th overall pick? We need to get rid of Hemsky and he could bring in something. His value is subjective but probably worth more to the Oilers than he is as trade bait.

You know MacT is not trading Gagner, he has already as much as said it. However, every player has a price but Gagner is incredibly underrated. Especially by Oiler fans which I don't get. We love horcoff but Gagner should be on the next bus? It is almost like no one is watching the games anymore or looking at stats.

I don't believe we could trade this years first round pick and next years first round pick for a top 6 forward or a 1-2 dman. We might be able to get Brad Richards, Vinny or one of the other likely players to be bought out. I can see, MAYBE getting Lucic, who was in the doghouse this year, for our first this year, next year and our two seconds. Maybe.

Face it. We are not picking a prospect to develop because we want to. We have no choice. We have nothing to trade except our young stars and they are not going to give us the return they are worth after the way we have finished the last 4 years.

Well Mac t has discussed moving up so it is realistic, although may not be probable.

I hope trade up.
- ystoil

The Oilers will have to give up a lot if there going to move up into the 3 or 4. It's not going to be Gagner but GM's are not going to give up a chance to draft MacKinnon(who's been the best player at the Mem Cup) or Barkov(who's maybe the most ready to play next year in the NHL) without getting exactly what they want.

Centres are hard to find, that's what makes it next to impossible to trade up - Monahan isn't slipping past the Flames so if the Oilers truly want a centre, there only hope is Carolina moving down and grabbing the d-man at 7 but again, what's the cost & you can't say some of these minor league players the Oilers have, it won't cut it.

then buyout richards at the end of the year because he'll be terrible!! 5M are you kidding? 3.5 as high as I'd go. Never sign a buyout candidate, I thought we learned that with barker.
- TheNugeIsHuge

The guy was in the top 20 for points by a center this year, 11th last year, and 3rd the year before. Even if he continues to trend down he probably still produces as a top line center this year.

Might be in TB's best interest to see what a new coach does for him and buy him out next summer if need be.

The Oilers will have to give up a lot if there going to move up into the 3 or 4. It's not going to be Gagner but GM's are not going to give up a chance to draft MacKinnon(who's been the best player at the Mem Cup) or Barkov(who's maybe the most ready to play next year in the NHL) without getting exactly what they want.

Centres are hard to find, that's what makes it next to impossible to trade up - Monahan isn't slipping past the Flames so if the Oilers truly want a centre, there only hope is Carolina moving down and grabbing the d-man at 7 but again, what's the cost & you can't say some of these minor league players the Oilers have, it won't cut it.
- newmy

Maybe he only wants to move up to 5?

The Oilers will have to give up a lot if there going to move up into the 3 or 4. It's not going to be Gagner but GM's are not going to give up a chance to draft MacKinnon(who's been the best player at the Mem Cup) or Barkov(who's maybe the most ready to play next year in the NHL) without getting exactly what they want.

Centres are hard to find, that's what makes it next to impossible to trade up - Monahan isn't slipping past the Flames so if the Oilers truly want a centre, there only hope is Carolina moving down and grabbing the d-man at 7 but again, what's the cost & you can't say some of these minor league players the Oilers have, it won't cut it.
- newmy

You are correct it would be difficult, damn difficult. I'm wondering if those teams in the top 4 would prefer having more picks deeper in the draft and still get a good pick at 7. Say the oilers give Nashville 7, 37 and anaheims second to move to 4. I'd say in the past few drafts that's a big price and doable, but this draft is different because of the top heaviness.

But from Mac t seat holder meeting last night, sounds like barkov, Monahan, and Mackinnon are on his wish list. He said they are looking at dmen. He also mentioned teams ahead of the oilers are inclined to take a dman. Maybe Carolina.

sounds like your day dreaming a little too much.

A) EDM couldn't trade Belanger if they tried
B)LA just acquired Regehr and not as a rental. They won't let him walk.
C) Hemsky does not get you Rundblad. Maybe Rundblad's jockstrap
D)Horton won't sign in EDM
E)N Schultz will be a fine #5 and partner for Klefbom. Priority is 1LD.
F)Antropov is past his prime. Bickell will not get over 50P. Lucky to get 40. Nuge, hall, yak, ebs are not gretz, mess, tikannen, kurri
- TheNugeIsHuge

I'm going to punch you in the scrotum...

My ideal off season would be
-Package the pick for a 1LD
-Sign a backup goalie capable of challenging Dubey (khudobin possibly)
-Sign a big 2LW that can play (possibly bickell)
-Sign a 4th line C that can break near even in scoring chances for and against (maybe boyd gordon)

EDM has no cap issues yet. N Schultz's contract is not a problem and he is a decent mentor for a future shut down guy in Klefbom.

Horton won't sign in EDM for the same reason Pronger, Heatley, Hossa, Nylander didn't want to be in EDM. Why live in a cold place with high taxes?

I'm sorry but Hall and Yak will not elevate Antropov's game to over 50 points, I think he will bring their games down.

Also. No one wants to pay belanger 1.5M to sit in the press box. it'd have to be like Belanger+3rd for a 7th and only if they liked him
- TheNugeIsHuge

Albertans have the sweetest deal in Canada when it comes to taxes. You know who has the worst? Quebec.... and that doesn't stop players from signing with the Habs.

Albertans have the sweetest deal in Canada when it comes to taxes. You know who has the worst? Quebec.... and that doesn't stop players from signing with the Habs.
- Reveen

Sure it does. They sign useless players.

Albertans have the sweetest deal in Canada when it comes to taxes. You know who has the worst? Quebec.... and that doesn't stop players from signing with the Habs.
- Reveen

yea it does. You think Brandon Prust is worth 2.5M?

yea it does. You think Brandon Prust is worth 2.5M?
- TheNugeIsHuge

He might have made 2.5 million dollars worth of difference to their team's attitude this year.

Although in essence I agree with you we'll overpay with free agents until the team improves in the standings