This is what I am getting at. Stop the stock piling already.You have great pieces in place NOW.There are some very good D men on the UFA this year. Make the move now.Tim Thomas will probably be available this year.Why not take him a for a year or two.Weber Suter Allen Wideman Jackman Gill Salo. Why not trade Yakipov Gangner + for Perry. His name was on the market.
- VANTEL

We have too many roster holes and our needs are too specific. The more specifically you target a player, the more you generally have to overpay. Our depth prospects do not have enough trade value to fetch the calibre of players we need, so we would have to open up other holes by trading players we don't want to trade.
Or we'd have to live in some magical wonderland where teams trade us their best young players for our mishandled prospects and mid-range draft picks. Or where 3 Sam Gagners = 1 Sidney Crosby.

Ottawa won't part with him. He's a Norris candidate.
- ystoil

(also with like +3 so I guess I'm really dreaming here)
*heavy sigh* too bad. I'd enter that trade knowing I had to overpay. Hemsky + Nail, straight up.

We have too many roster holes and our needs are too specific. The more specifically you target a player, the more you generally have to overpay. Our depth prospects do not have enough trade value to fetch the calibre of players we need, so we would have to open up other holes by trading players we don't want to trade.
Or we'd have to live in some magical wonderland where teams trade us their best young players for our mishandled prospects and mid-range draft picks. Or where 3 Sam Gagners = 1 Sidney Crosby.
- thefullnelson

We do have players coming up that can and will fill those holes. Guys like Lander, Pitlick, Paajarvi and VandVelde are close to being ready.

We also need to get out of that mindset that all players need to be big hulking he-men.

lol.... wut
- Starbuck

Sorry - I've heard lots lately (mostly elsewhere but also here) about how the Oilers should emulate this or that model (Pittsburgh and Colorado being most common). The more I think about how Colorado got great, the less I think it is a repeatable process.

Sorry - I've heard lots lately (mostly elsewhere but also here) about how the Oilers should emulate this or that model (Pittsburgh and Colorado being most common). The more I think about how Colorado got great, the less I think it is a repeatable process.
- thefullnelson

I was more or less pointing out that you can win with smaller skilled forwards as long as you surround them with gritty roll players.

Myers for Yakupov would be an interesting deal for both sides. I really like the fact that he is signed long term.
- Starbuck

+1
Now this would be a hockey trade! Take balls on both sides and could take 10 years to be sure which side came away the winner.
This trade does round both rosters out. I'd do it. I'd even sweeten the pot just a bit... say a 2nd rounder or mid-range prospect. If we are saying Myers=Yakupov then Edmonton has to expect to pay Myers+finder's fee+1 season's development.

We do have players coming up that can and will fill those holes. Guys like Lander, Pitlick, Paajarvi and VandVelde are close to being ready.

We also need to get out of that mindset that all players need to be big hulking he-men.
- Starbuck

St.Louis Nashville Phoenix and LA say hello.

I was more or less pointing out that you can win with smaller skilled forwards as long as you surround them with gritty roll players.
- Starbuck

OH! ...I was kinda like that kid who comes into the room halfway through the movie and wants to know what's going on... sorry...
(everyone feel free to shout "YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT, DONNY!")
I don't remember CO really getting pushed around much (granted a bulldozer couldn't knock Forsberg off the puck). I assume they had some big, mean lads in the bottom 6 and on D? I'd look it up myself, but, you know... lazy...

St.Louis Nashville Phoenix and LA say hello.
- VANTEL

Boston and Vancouver said "heyyyyyyyy"

Boston and Vancouver said "heyyyyyyyy"
- Starbuck

Vancouver is not a big team.

The 4 remaining teams in the west are bigger teams that clog up the middle.

The smaller more skilled teams are golfing.

OH! ...I was kinda like that kid who comes into the room halfway through the movie and wants to know what's going on... sorry...
(everyone feel free to shout "YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT, DONNY!")
I don't remember CO really getting pushed around much (granted a bulldozer couldn't knock Forsberg off the puck). I assume they had some big, mean lads in the bottom 6 and on D? I'd look it up myself, but, you know... lazy...
- thefullnelson

Claude Lemieux, Chris Dingman, Scott Parker, Ville Niemenen

Vancouver is not a big team.
- VANTEL

They're a physical team.

They're a physical team.
- Starbuck

Who is our physical player?

We do have players coming up that can and will fill those holes. Guys like Lander, Pitlick, Paajarvi and VandVelde are close to being ready.

We also need to get out of that mindset that all players need to be big hulking he-men.
- Starbuck

lol I promise to drop my "he-man fixation" when I can watch Edmonton compete in a must-win game without looking like copper and blue pinballs. I am a bigger fan of skill than muscle, but we have had a serious dearth of muscle for a long, long time. In the desert, weight is better than wisdom...
Note I'm looking for more than just size... compete level, grit, durability, toughness... and we're really going to need a superpest or two. Wouldn't it be nice if the other team was trying harder to turn our 4th line RW into paste than our 1st line RW?
We seriously, absolutely must do more to protect our glass cannons. I don't want Sean Avery, but I'd rather have Sean Avery than spend all season long with 2 of our top 6 injured. If the league can't or won't protect these types of players then individual teams must and that is where players like Raffi Torres are invaluable.

Who is our physical player?
- VANTEL

Kesler, Burrows, Lapiere, Hansen and Bieksa.... Just off the top of my head.

Claude Lemieux, Chris Dingman, Scott Parker, Ville Niemenen
- Starbuck

ah, yes... Claude Lemiux is a name that is particularly memorable. Nobody wins Cups unless they can bring the beef when it's needed!

lol I promise to drop my "he-man fixation" when I can watch Edmonton compete in a must-win game without looking like copper and blue pinballs. I am a bigger fan of skill than muscle, but we have had a serious dearth of muscle for a long, long time. In the desert, weight is better than wisdom...
Note I'm looking for more than just size... compete level, grit, durability, toughness... and we're really going to need a superpest or two. Wouldn't it be nice if the other team was trying harder to turn our 4th line RW into paste than our 1st line RW?
We seriously, absolutely must do more to protect our glass cannons. I don't want Sean Avery, but I'd rather have Sean Avery than spend all season long with 2 of our top 6 injured. If the league can't or won't protect these types of players then individual teams must and that is where players like Raffi Torres are invaluable.
- thefullnelson

Jordin Tootoo

Jordin Tootoo
- Starbuck

Thank you - I'd way rather have Tootoo than either of the players I mentioned. I'm generally not a fan of thugs, goons or pests, but I don't think that you can call yourself a Cup contender if you don't have guys who can handle your thuggery, goonery and pestiness.

St.Louis Nashville Phoenix and LA say hello.
- VANTEL

we were against these teams w/o adding a another potentially star player to the mix:
Edm vrs Nash 3-1
Edm vrs Phoniex 0-3-1
Edm vrs St.Louis 1-3
Edm vs LA 2-2

If you add in the fact Khabi is prolly gonna play less, we add a defenseman I like our chances against them TY.

Kesler, Burrows, Lapiere, Hansen and Bieksa.... Just off the top of my head.
- Starbuck

OK I am surprised.I never looked at them as physical players only Bieksa.

Lapierre has become a scrapper .

we were against these teams w/o adding a another potentially star player to the mix:
Edm vrs Nash 3-1
Edm vrs Phoniex 0-3-1
Edm vrs St.Louis 1-3
Edm vs LA 2-2

If you add in the fact Khabi is prolly gonna play less, we add a defenseman I like our chances against them TY.
- longbottom

What was the record after Feb.Thats when the game seemed to have changed.

we were against these teams w/o adding a another potentially star player to the mix:
Edm vrs Nash 3-1
Edm vrs Phoniex 0-3-1
Edm vrs St.Louis 1-3
Edm vs LA 2-2

If you add in the fact Khabi is prolly gonna play less, we add a defenseman I like our chances against them TY.
- longbottom

Yeah, but we weren't regarded as serious competition for most of the season. I don't know if we benefited from being taken for granted by any of these teams specifically, but I do know that teams that weren't desperate for points took a game vs the Oil as a great chance to rest starting goalies and borderline injured players.
Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with you though - I'm just more a +.8 than a +1

What was the record after Feb.Thats when the game seemed to have changed.
- VANTEL

Not to sure to be honest, I only looked up the overall record against these teams. I am not to worried as Edm fared well after February except the last coupl 10 games. I for one do believe smaller skill teams will win out against bigger crash and bash teams as it has been done in the past with teams like Detroit.

Not last year. He is a very solid cheap D that offers experience and has a very good winning pct when in the line up.
- VANTEL

The guy has not played 70+ games since before the lockout...he doesn't hit, doesn't block shots. Is 37.

He is a middle pairing Dman, even in Edm. Rather get someone younger and more durable.

Richard Cloutier: Nail Biter
- Maxbone

just keep the pikkkkk and take Nail!!!!!

The top 6 would be outstanding Hemmer/Hall/Ebs/Yak/Nuge/Gaga... They just need a power forward. Don't forget PRV too. Then they could focus on signing Schultz