if he's still available, ill take bets the oilers draft nichushkin

Nurse
- HouseArrest187

That's who I would draft.... I'm warming up to Nichuskin

Nurse
- HouseArrest187

You don't need one anymore Hemsky is Gone!

Improving the roster to a point that we can compete for a playoff spot and blowing our wads on high end help are 2 different things,tho.

I want this team to win championships. I think "quick" fixes can result in short term success, but hurt the long term outlook of the teams future as well.
I admit, at seasons end I was a huge supporter of the idea that we should trade the #7 pick. Then I looked at what I think this team has currently for depth, the sadness that is this years UFA market and overall concluded that we have almost enough high end talent.

The biggest issue I have with trading roster players is the lack of depth in our system ready to move up. There will come a time when we can afford to trade some good guys away for upgrades in other areas, but not yet.
As soon as a year from now, I feel Klefbom and Marincin will both be NHL players. Right now? I doubt either of them can slot into the line up effectively, and we would be remiss to move any of our current top 4 (if you can call them that) D.
The situation is even more dire up front.Lander is the ONLY AHL forward capable of playing in the NHL, and even then it's hard to project him as anything more than a 4th liner.

I think this team can make the playoff's this year, but it's going to have to be done by adding depth players through free agency, or by accumulating assets through trade of our most expendable assets.

Seriously, all we have to do is upgrade on the 7 departing players. They are sh!t. It shouldn't be that hard.
- Jeropotato

I've brought you around to the dark side grasshopper....

Just to get back on the Oilers track, what is the consensus for the #7 pick, assuming it's not traded? From my perspective, it seems like it's whoever is leftover from Lindholm, Monahan, and Nichuskin. Is there a defenseman in the mix as well?
- rhornsburg

I think we should draft a Center. Our prospect depth is deepest on the Blueline with Klefbom and Marincin and possibly Simpson,Musil,Gernat,Fedun and Davidson. Wings are Okay as well with Pitlick,Moroz,Khari(?) and that big Rusky kid.
Center has Lander. Thats it.

If not even thinking about a player that can improve the 2013 roster (but if he can,he can.)

Monohan and Lindholm would both be fine picks.

That's who I would draft.... I'm warming up to Nichuskin
- Reveen

Nichuskin and all the tools to be the power forward we've been lusting for... Total boner material.

That's who I would draft.... I'm warming up to Nichuskin
- Reveen

More BBC

P.S. We're going to be RICH!!!!!!!!!!

You don't need one anymore Hemsky is Gone!
- Byfuglien Ate Me

Not yet

I saw some dudes throw nickles on the stage. Ever see a stripper stop the show to slap and dump drinks on a guys face. It's more entertaining than watching her flick the bean,I tell ya,
- Jeropotato

More BBC

P.S. We're going to be RICH!!!!!!!!!!
- laughs2907

Yes we are

I like the suggestion of drafting Nichuskin at #7 if he falls that far...

Hall / Gagner / Eberle
Nichushkin / RNH / Yakupov
- Reveen

I think that 2nd line is soft minutes parade. Also flip Gags and RNH

Hey Nuge
Just wondering, what are your thoughts about Gardiner and would you agree he is worth, say an arbitrary draft choice, the 7th overall? Plus something small?
- pbrsimps

I'll cut you

That's who I would draft.... I'm warming up to Nichuskin
- Reveen

I'm warming to trading with Dallas. 7th for 10th and 29th.

We get Horvat (or Lindholm or Monahan if they slip) and get an extra late pick.

With the 2 buyouts, they are several million under the cap, with only a couple spots to fill. And that's including Pronger's $5M that can be put on LTIR at any time during the season. They are plenty fine with money.

As for the defense, they have 7 defensemen. They are probably looking at trading Meszaros for whatever they can get, which adds another $4M to the cap space. (Want him?) The problem with our defense is the lack of top end skill, which obviously is an issue with which Edmonton cannot help us since you guys are looking for the same thing. As for the offense, the team is horribly thin at LW. Hartnell is really the only LW in the organization who can now or in the future play in the top 6. Sure Read can slide over, but he's a natural RW, along with Voracek and Simmonds. Hartnell's not the guy we can afford to trade right now, especially with his trade value at an all-time low due to last season. If you were still so inclined to trade for him, the cost would be that of a typical 1st line scoring winger because that is his value to the Flyers, and there is no reason to trade him for anything less.

You're probably talking MPS plus other assets. I would say MPS + 7th, citing the Carter trade as the basis, but I think we can all agree that the 7th in this draft is quite a bit more valuable than the 8th pick back in 2011, which means that comparison isn't quite right. MPS + 2014 1st + one of your defensive prospects not named Klefbom is probably around his value, but the Flyers wouldn't trade him for that when one of the main pieces is so far away from contributing.
- rhornsburg

Hartnell is 31 and coming off a 12 point season. Signed to 4.75M til he's 37. He's not worth 7th overall or 7th overall and some.

I've brought you around to the dark side grasshopper....


- Iggysbff

Well ,I am as impatient as a mother(frank)er, but that leads to stupid ideas and knee jerk trades that (frank) us in the long term. Mac T will figure out how to replace Jones, Petrel, belanger,Smithson etc no problem. We already replaced Hemsky a year ago, so any asset we get for him could be used for a depth forward position, Sh!tney has alreadt been replaced (and UPGRADED). The one area Mac T may have to sacrifice an okay roster player is if he strikes out with Boyd Gordon (or a comparable player) as our 3C in Free agency. The rest can be had.

Great point! You might get more at the trade deadline this season, especially if you're wanting picks. Every team over-values draft picks this time of year, but at the trade deadline, they throw them around like loonies at the peelers.
- unkydav

what people don't realize is macT didn't say he has to trade Hemmer and Horc. He said that sending them somewhere new would be the best thing for their careers. Media twisted his words and gave people the illusion he wants to run them out of town for scraps

I'm warming to trading with Dallas. 7th for 10th and 29th.

We get Horvat (or Lindholm or Monahan if they slip) and get an extra late pick.
- Iggysbff

As would I. Sometimes I wonder if the draft rankings project players most ready to play in the NHL or who will be the best overall in the long term. Eitherway, I would rather draft 2 players that 2-3 yrs away than 1 who might make the squad in October.

Those numbers are for 23 players, and only 1 of them is a goalie, which means there are not enough roster spots to fit everyone on the big squad. Just looking at it, there's McGinn and Akeson at 900K a piece (no way both are on the roster to start, if either make it), plus Bourdon at 600K+ (multiple major concussions, so he's either going on LTIR or to the minors), and Gervais, who at this point is the #8 defenseman and will makes little enough to bury in the minors without cap repercussions. That $4M in space is probably closer to $6M, even without Pronger's space. And that's under the assumption that Laughton makes the team, which is not a given since there really isn't a whole lot of space for him. The only roles to be filled are 2nd line winger (Gagne or 2nd tier UFA) and bottom 6 winger (Zubreus?) along with a 1b goalie (Theodore? Thomas? Emery?). In any case, all of those options can be filled with $6M. It'll be tight, but even if they do go over, they still have LTIR to dip into.
- rhornsburg

Sorry, sir. But Mason is not a 1A goalie. He was worth like -9M to CBJ or something in 2012

I'd say Darnell Nurse would be in the mix. I might even put him ahead of Lindholm in terms of how he'd help the team, but MacT is apparently interested in centres.

Obviously if something stupid happens like Jones or Barkov slips, we'd take them ecstatically. If Drouin slipped, we'd probably trade the pick.
- Morris

Lindholm has had a better PPG than backstrom did at the same age. He's 58% in the dot and apparently a pretty good 2 way guy. I'd take him if Monahan isn't there. He's better than Monahan just a lesser fit. Huge dropoff from Lindholm to Nurse

what people don't realize is macT didn't say he has to trade Hemmer and Horc. He said that sending them somewhere new would be the best thing for their careers. Media twisted his words and gave people the illusion he wants to run them out of town for scraps
- TheNugeIsHuge

I don't even think the media twisted it that bad. Mac T says what he says and a bum like Clouts and a bunch of posters hear "Horcoff and Hemsky have played their last games in Oiler uniforms".Retarded.

As would I. Sometimes I wonder if the draft rankings project players most ready to play in the NHL or who will be the best overall in the long term. Eitherway, I would rather draft 2 players that 2-3 yrs away than 1 who might make the squad in October.
- Jeropotato

They were saying on TSN the other night that even though this draft id very deep and has tons of skill, the majority of the players ranked top 50 were 2-3 years away from being NHL ready.

Those numbers are for 23 players, and only 1 of them is a goalie, which means there are not enough roster spots to fit everyone on the big squad. Just looking at it, there's McGinn and Akeson at 900K a piece (no way both are on the roster to start, if either make it), plus Bourdon at 600K+ (multiple major concussions, so he's either going on LTIR or to the minors), and Gervais, who at this point is the #8 defenseman and will makes little enough to bury in the minors without cap repercussions. That $4M in space is probably closer to $6M, even without Pronger's space. And that's under the assumption that Laughton makes the team, which is not a given since there really isn't a whole lot of space for him. The only roles to be filled are 2nd line winger (Gagne or 2nd tier UFA) and bottom 6 winger (Zubreus?) along with a 1b goalie (Theodore? Thomas? Emery?). In any case, all of those options can be filled with $6M. It'll be tight, but even if they do go over, they still have LTIR to dip into.
- rhornsburg

Well no.

Thos numbers are for :

13 forwards .

Hartnell, Scott »
Voracek, Jakub »
Simmonds, Wayne
Giroux, Claude »
Schenn, Brayden »
Talbot, Maxime »
Couturier, Sean »
Laughton, Scott »
Akeson, Jason »
Read, Matt »
McGinn, Tye »
Rinaldo, Zac »
Rosehill, Jay »

9 dmen

Timonen, Kimmo »
Streit, Mark »
Pronger, Chris »
Coburn, Braydon »
Meszaros, Andrej
Schenn, Luke »
Grossmann, N. »
Gervais, Bruno »
Bourdon, M. »

plus Mason

WE can take Pronger out and leave you with 8 Dmen, you say remove Gervais and Bourdon. Leaves you with 6 Dmen, while gaining about 1.5M on the back end. You need another Dman, which will take most of that money back again.

Lets say 1M. Your cap space is hovering at ~9.5M (we took Pronger off and the 4M you already had.

Lets tackle the forwards. You say McGinn and Akeson are not on the team...I will surmise that the players replacing them on the opening roster are at least 1M each also...more than likely closer to 2M each. So lets say that the extra cost after figuring you gained close to 2M by sending them down, is about 2M. You are down to 7.5, at best. And you yourself mention that you need to fill certain spots...which will eat into that 7.5, not the least of which is a starting goalie. All these figures are to the Flyers benefit.

I agree that it is doable, and you wont have much space left. Though I don't think your reliance on LTIR is a good plan. Remember Pronger is already used.

All told, I think the Flyers are gonna be is rough shape with no wiggle room to make themselves better.

They were saying on TSN the other night that even though this draft id very deep and has tons of skill, the majority of the players ranked top 50 were 2-3 years away from being NHL ready.
- Iggysbff

Is that a problem for the Oilers right now? I dont know about you but I dont think we should look to draft to fill current roster holes. Holes in the prospect depth chart,yes.

I don't even think the media twisted it that bad. Mac T says what he says and a bum like Clouts and a bunch of posters hear "Horcoff and Hemsky have played their last games in Oiler uniforms".Retarded.
- Jeropotato

I sure as hell hope we've seen the last of Hemmer in an Oil uni....

Is that a problem for the Oilers right now? I dont know about you but I dont think we should look to draft to fill current roster holes. Holes in the prospect depth chart,yes.
- Jeropotato

I want to restock the prospect cupboards and let a bunch of guys develop a while.