As of today, the Oiler's centre depth is in shambles. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recovering from a summer shoulder surgery, the loss of Sam Gagner indefinitely to a broken jaw comes as a huge hit. Gagner and RNH were Edmonton's top two centres, and without them the only legitimate NHL middleman left on the roster is Boyd Gordon, who is best suited for the third line. The success of the Taylor Hall-to-centre experiment just became all the more imperative. Right now, the depth chart looks like Hall as your number one, Gordon at number two, and then Will Acton, Anton Lander and Mark Arcobello battling for the other two slots. Personally I feel it's necessary to bring in another pivot, either through trade or free agency. let's take a look at who's out there.
Free Agents
Jerred Smithson- This one isn't too likely, as the Smithson experiment last year didn't satisfy anyone.
Jeff Halpern- He could likely be had cheep, and his veteran savvy and face off skill would be a welcomed addition to the fourth line.
David Steckel- My favourite of the free agent options, Steckel is massive and an ace in the dot. He plays solid two way hockey and is very underrated overall. A guy like Steckel would be a great add even if everyone in Edmonton was healthy.
Kyle Wellwood- Wellwood would bring the most scoring punch of this bunch. I'm not sure how he fits in, but for 2 million on a one year deal he would bring some nice versatility and a little bit of production.
Trade
Derek MacKenzie, Columbus- The perfect fourth line centre. Good on draws, great defense and a motor that never quits.
Zack Smith, Ottawa- I'm not sure what it would take to get him out of Ottawa, but he'd be a nice fit in the bottom six. Smith is as gritty as they get, and he even has a little bit of upside to his name.
Dustin Jeffrey, Pittsburgh- Jeffrey hasn't ever really been given an opportunity in Pittsburgh, what with all the depth they possess. Jeffrey has proven to be a solid power play option and, given the opportunity, he could surprise.
Joe Colborne, Toronto- He's big, young and has the potential to be the perfect number 2 centre we all crave in Edmonton. (No disrespect to Gags.) Toronto may want a fair amount in return for him, so I'm not quite sure what it would take to acquire him either.
Mathieu Perreault, Washington- Perreault is another one of those guys that hasn't nailed down a specific role for himself. In Washington, he's been used in a variety of ways and hasn't quite found a niche. He has the skill set to be a prototypical second/third line tweener. He can produce from the third spot, but in case of injury (Hint, hint.) he can also step up into a bigger role.
Others- Brandon Pirri, Mark McNeill, (CHI) Mark Letestu, (CBJ) Cory Emmerton, (DET) Jacob Josefson, (NJ) Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, (NYI) Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore, (NYR) Stephane Da Costa, (OTT) Jordan Schroeder. (VAN)
So who do you think helps Edmonton the most? Thanks for reading! -Johannes
Tonight at 8:10 PM mountain time in Edmonton, the Oilers will face off against the Vancouver Canucks in preseason action. The Oiler's training camp roster is beginning to narrow down and give us an idea of what the actual team will look like come opening night, but there are still several questions to be addressed. First, let's take a look at tonights line up.
At forward, most of the big guns are dressed and ready to go. Line one, centred by Mr. Hall, is one that I could see getting some time together in the regular season. A nice mix of veteran grit, skill and youthful fire. (Ahem, guess who brings that?!) I'm a big fan of line number two. Perron has been showing Edmontonians what he's made of, displaying nice hands, solid board play and a great head for the game. To me, Perron seems mature beyond his years on the ice and he'll be a great influence for a young Oilers squad. Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle will be looking to continue shaking of the rust, even though Eberle already has 4 points in the preseason.
Line three of Ryan Hamilton, Jujhar Khaira and Nail Yakupov is a bit of a mixed bag. Obviously Yakupov is a lock for the team. Khaira would be greatly benefitted by some more seasoning in the WHL, but the preseason experience is none the less good for him, although I view him more as a winger long term. Hamilton is a guy I've been pulling for for several years now, and if he has a big game tonight it would be a great step towards locking up a bottom six role on the big club. The fourth line consists of Will Acton and Mike Brown, both vying for legitimate fourth line spots, and Ryan Jones, who is refining his game after suffering from a brutal eye injury last year.
On D, we have Darnell Nurse lining up with Jeff Petry. I like this pair because it gives Nurse a chance to play with the Oilers current top defenseman and Nurse's possible D partner of the future. I see Nurse and Petry as somewhat similar players in style, both are good skaters, tall and rangy with a bite to their game, and good at moving the puck. Look for this pair to handle a lot of minutes.
Pair two features the two Russians. Grebeshkov will be suiting up again, only this time next to the new comer Anton Belov. It's clear these two were paired together to give Belov a sense of comfort, but the big Russian is definitely one to watch tonight. Look for him wearing number 77 tonight as he tries to impress the Oilers brass enough to earn a permanent spot. On the third pairing we have two players, both long shots for a roster spot. Brad Hunt has shown to be an excellent puck handler and Taylor Fedun continues to display a great mind for the game, but it's unlikely that either spends much more time with the big squad due to the depth of Edmonton's blue line.
And finally, in net! Jason LaBarbera will get the start and work the first half of the game, and from there Ty Rimmer will take over. Rimmer is an intriguing guy to keep an eye on. He's in camp on a PTO, but if he impresses enough he could earn a contract due to the lack of prospect depth in Edmonton's crease. I've been told that Rimmer is an excellent goalie, able to make the big saves when necessary and take over games. I'm very hopeful that Rimmer has a good showing, as we could really use another solid goaltending prospect in the system.
At the other end of the rink, Eddie Lack and Joe Cannata will likely be the goaltending tandem tonight. Alex Edler and Chris Tanev are the only two defensemen I've heard will be in the line up for sure. At forward, Hunter Shinkaruk, Bo Horvat, Brendan Gaunce and Mike Santorelli will all be on the ice looking to prove themselves while Chris Higgins, Jordan Schroeder and Jannik Hansen are also likely to dress tonight.
With 10 days until the start of the season, it's an exciting time of the year with many things for hockey fans to look forward to. Let me know what you guys think of the game tonight, I'll be watching, will you? As always, thanks for reading! -Johannes
It's been awhile since I've posted, and now it's finally time to get back to hockey. The season is coming to life; NHL training camps have begun, CHL preseason and the QMJHL even had it's season opener tonight. It's an exciting time of year, and one we've all been waiting for. Now this brings me to one team in particular, the Carolina Hurricanes.
When the Hurricanes found out defenseman Joni Pitkanen would be sidelined for the whole season, most hockey fans new it was just a matter of time before they brought in some reinforcements. Well, the cavalry is none other than former Winnipeg Jet, Ron Hainsey. Hainsey is a solid, veteran presence who brings to the table a stay at home game and some strong intangibles. For 2 million dollars over the next year, the Hainsey deal is a great hockey move that fills a need in the 'canes organization.
Carolina needed another top four option, and Hainsey has the ability to fill that role admirably. Now coach Kirk Muller can tinker with a core D group that also features young work horse Justin Faulk, toolsy Jay Harrison, the all around Andrej Sekera, and grizzled vets Tim Gleason and Mike Komisarek. Rookie Ryan Murphy could crack the roster as an offensive specialist, but that's yet to be seen. Not an incredible group, but none the less an improvement on a Pitkanen-less team.
The fact that Hainsey wasn't signed to a contract by any team prior has been linked to his role in representing the players during the lockout, and personally I find this embarassing to hockey. Apparently GM's around the league were shying away from Hainsey because of how outspoken he was for the players. When heading into the off season, things like that shouldn't matter in regards to whether a player deserves a contract or not. In fact, Hainsey's ability and willingness to step to the fore front and take a leadership role for the players should have been heralded by the league's general managers. In the end, signing a free agent should come down to whether the player is a good fit in the organization or not. That's why the Hainsey deal is such a solid aquisition, it clearly fills a hole in Carolina and for a bargain price too. Ron Hainsey is a very capable defensive defenseman and a strog voice in the locker room, both traits any team should covet.
Well that's my rant for the day, thanks to all of you who have stuck around to read my stuff! I can't wait for the season! -Johannes
As we creep ever closer to the start of the season, more and more questions drift into our heads. At this time of the year, the burning question for most teams fan base is what will the roster look like on opening day? For the Edmonton Oilers, there are several spots up for grabs as we know. One player vying for the chance to grace the forward ranks is none other than Jesse Joensuu. Signed to a one way, two year deal worth 950K, there's a good chance we see the massive winger in Edmonton come October 1st. The Pori, Finland native stands at 6'4 and 209 pounds and is capable of playing both the left and right side, making him a likely addition to the third or fourth line. Joensuu began playing against men in the SM-Liiga, Finlands' top league, when he was 16 years old. In 2006, the New York Islanders selected him 60th overall and since then he has seen stops in the AHL, SEL, NHL and SM-Liiga. At the age of 25, Jesse is young enough to fit with the youthful core in Edmonton, and he's already experienced 67 regular season games with the Islanders in which he collected 8 goals and 7 assists to go along with 47 penalty minutes.
The Past Year-
This past year, Joensuu started with his hometown club Assat-Pori of the SM-Liiga due to the lockout. Jesse contributed at over a point per game rate, notching 25 points (11 of which were goals) in 24 games played, as well as registering with a solid 83 penalty minutes and plus 9 rating. He played 18:32 minutes a game in Finland and contributed in all situations, with two of his goals coming on the power play, and one short handed. Once the lockout ended, Joensuu suffered from a sports hernia and missed most of the abbreviated NHL season, catching only 7 games in the regular season. The big Fin only scored 2 assists but used his size well in his 7 game stint, clocking 12 hits. He also managed to get into one playoff game with the Isles but went pointless.
Scouting Report- From what I've seen and heard about Joensuu, he is solid on his skates and not afraid to throw the body around on the forecheck. He has greatly improved his shot since his draft day, and now can be credited with having a quick release. His skating is a little sluggish and his stride a little awkward, but he finds a way to play a responsible two-way game and get to the front of the net. Joensuu could end up being a useful net front presence on the power play. The big issue with him is inconsistency.
Expectations- Best Case Scenario- Joensuu comes in and runs away with a spot on the third line. I would be thrilled if he scored 15 goals and 30-40 points while proving that he can play with and complement skilled players. If he can do all of this while being a physical, two-way presence, that's the dream. Joensuu has the opportunity to be a bigger and better version of Teemu Hartikainen for the Oilers. If all of this happens, Joensuu is a steal of a power forward at 950K for the next two years.
Worst Case Scenario- Joensuu struggles to earn ice time and ends up on the fourth line and in the press box for a month or two before being placed on waivers. He lets inconsistency get the best of him and is invisible most nights, not playing physical and being a defensive liability. Either another team picks him up on waivers or he spends the next two seasons as a good veteran scorer for Oklahoma City.
Middle Ground- Joensuu plays well on the penalty kill and plays a solid physical game while rotating between the third and fourth lines. Maybe he pops in 20-30 points if things work out and he adds depth to an Edmonton squad desperate for it. If he can play some hard minutes and insulate the youth in oil country, then his contract is a win for Craig MacTavish.
All in all, this contract is a very good example of low risk and high reward. It was really a no brainer for MacTavish to make the deal because even if it doesn't work out, the 950K cap hit isn't going to hurt anything. Jesse Joensuu could end up being a very useful player for coach Dallas Eakins, and maybe, just maybe, he turns into the mystical power forward that is so elusive to capture. HAH, we didn't want you anyways, Teemu.