The trade deadline is tomorrow and the Oilers are trying their absolute best to maximize the return they can get for Jeff Petry. Yes, I would rather just have Jeff Petry, but that ship has sailed and now its about minimizing the damage done by failing to sign him long term (regardless of blame).
Here is the list of ever-growing rumours and speculation surrounding the Oilers today as well as some actual news about things that even happened in real life. KEITH AULIE
Keith Aulie has been placed on Waivers by the Oilers today. This could be a few things. It could be that the Oilers are simply giving other teams a chance to claim Aulie for free because no trade could be made for him. It seems obvious to me that Aulie doesn’t factor into Todd Nelson’s plans but he wasn’t entirely terrible all season either. If this were the case then this move is almost a favor to the player. A chance to get out and find ice time anywhere else.
There is no requirement to send him to the AHL if he clears waivers so it doesn’t mean that he’s going anywhere.
If the team actually plans to assign him to the AHL then this move could signal that the Oilers are close to a deal involving an NHL (or near NHL) body coming back the other way. With Oesterle up and Player X from the trade the Oil would have enough defensemen.
WAIVER SNUB
The Oilers passed on Schlemko and Erixon who were on waivers and selected by teams further down the list than Edmonton. This is a move I don’t necessarily support. I think either is probably a better player than Oesterle, for example, and the team is about to be down Jeff Petry for sure and maybe even more defensemen.
If the Petry trade doesn’t include Defensemen coming back to Edmonton who can play this year then I will come back to this choice more harshly. For now we just don’t know enough.
FUCALE
The Hockey Night in Canada panel discussed Jeff Petry last night and the first place Nick Kypreos went was that he was hearing the Montreal Canadiens were offering goaltender Zach Fucale. Contrary to what you might have guessed based on my post from the other day, I would rather the Oilers take a lousy pick than pick up Zach Fucale for Petry.
If the trade actually happens I will go more in depth on why that would have been a horrible mistake, but essentially it boils down to the fact that this guy has had an .890 and .872 with both of the QMJHL clubs he’s played for this year and that is not the numbers you want your future goalie to post.
SOBOTKA
The other name discussed was St Louis property Vladimir Sobotka. My initial reaction was a little worry about a 27 year old player who bolted to the KHL. A little deeper looking into his numbers and situation reveals a guy who should be in the NHL but isn’t because the Blues were in a Cap crunch and who has a good history of possession. I have time for that.
Since there’s no guarantee he would return to the NHL to play with the Oilers it’s almost certain the club would get more from St Louis for Petry. If my choice is Fucale or Sobotka, I’m passing on the bad QMJHL goalie. FERENCE
Oilers getting calls on their captain, Andrew Ference. Ference has no-move clause and hasn't been asked (yet) if he would waive. Still early
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 1, 2015Do it. Do it now.
I will add more if more talk surfaces.
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