Oilers Off Season Talk

The Edmonton Oilers, the worst team in the NHL, have at least some light at the end of the tunnel: Taylor or Tyler?

While you argue about it, I am sticking with Taylor, based on what he has said, and it is hard to argue against a back-to-back Memorial Cup and tournament MVP winner.

They currently have the following players as unrestricted and restricted free agents:



And there is talk that they will buy out captain Ethan Moreau, Patrick O'Sullivan, and Robert Nilsson.

They have some future potential stars to hopefully fill out their roster, with Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Linus Omark possibly all making the team full-time upfront, as well as a few promising defensive prospects.

In nets, they have the oft injured, legal troubled Khabibulin for a few more years, but RFA JD-D is likely their go to guy, unless they plan on signing or acquiring a goalie (Turco, Boucher, Leighton, Price, Halak, etc).

I think that while they will likely finish yet again at or near the bottom of the league next season, they should be a fun team to watch, so that should give Oil fans some reason to be positive. Plus they might end up with one of the best new stadiums in a few seasons if Katz gets his way. He is a owner who loves his team and city, which is a great plus for the team and its fans.

Perhaps they should bring Gretzky in on some level. Would help the team sell tickets.

I'm surprised they're thinking of buying out any of those guys. I'd bring them all to camp and hope one of them - or all of them - can have a positive impact. I'd also try the entire summer to deal them.

What is this magic that is buying someone out? It's 2/3rds of their salary spread out over double the length they had left. What's so good about that? That hurts a lot, I don't care if they're looking for a full rebuild, this is a waste of cap space. If they can afford cap space like that, they should put that out there that they'll take bad contracts for draft picks.

Secondly, O'Sullivan has struggled for sure, but he had 30+ points on the crappiest team out there - not to mention a team with Gagner/Horcoff as top line centers and Plump Penner as their top winger (unless Hemsky ever condescends to get off the IR).

I get what the Oilers are trying to do. Clean house and go with youth - and I agree, but you never, never waste cap space - and buying these three guys out really looks like you're wasting cap space.

Nope.

The more I think about it, the more ludicrous it seems. Why would you buy these guys out when you don't have a team to begin with. Why not let them play and raise their stock?

It's plain dumb.

I'll call right now that none of the three get bought out.

If I am Ethan Moreau, the captain, and I get bought out while wearing the C, I am not impressed.

And I don't understand why you'd buyout two 25 year olds? Too young to be given up on.

And they have to get Gagner and Cogliano going. Again, not too long ago, those guys were highly regarded and untouchable.

Edmonton needs to be careful though re-signing their RFAs and not overpaying them just to reach the floor - bad move.

It's fun playing with other people's money I guess.

Dash wrote:If I am Ethan Moreau, the captain, and I get bought out while wearing the C, I am not impressed.

And I don't understand why you'd buyout two 25 year olds? Too young to be given up on.

And they have to get Gagner and Cogliano going. Again, not too long ago, those guys were highly regarded and untouchable.

Edmonton needs to be careful though re-signing their RFAs and not overpaying them just to reach the floor - bad move.

Yeah exactly, no buyouts coming in Edmonton IMO.

Dash wrote:If I am Ethan Moreau, the captain, and I get bought out while wearing the C, I am not impressed.

And I don't understand why you'd buyout two 25 year olds? Too young to be given up on.

And they have to get Gagner and Cogliano going. Again, not too long ago, those guys were highly regarded and untouchable.

Edmonton needs to be careful though re-signing their RFAs and not overpaying them just to reach the floor - bad move.

Desperation.

That team has managed to be Dung AND in cap trouble.

Currently, according to capgeek, they have 9 forwards (including MPS), 5 defenceman, and 1 goalie (Khabibulin) with $14,248,333 in cap space to fill 3+1 forwards, 1+1 defenceman, and 1 goalie (the +1's give them an extra body in the box).

If you add in Eberle ($1,187,500), Hall/Seguin($3M+) and Omark ($875,000), you have 4 full lines. If you move Souray which will have to happen, you need two more defenceman to ice a team.

And they will probably re-sign J D-D.