And the oilers are proud to................

[rzrgade]

Well who`s it gonna be..............???? Yakupov at #1 and trading gags to carolina for a #8 pick to get G Rienhart .....
Other suggestions...............????

 

[Bogger]

I'd go Yakupov but it sounds like Murray might be thier guy....

I'm more curious as to whether schnider will end up here.....

 

[MACHINE]

i would trade the pick to Pittsburg and try to land Staal

 

[Bogger]

Stall only averages 3-5 points per year more than Gagner (and plays on a much better team), so why is everyone so willing to let a first overall pick go for stall yet willing to take a #8 for Gags????

And stall only has 1 year left to RFA status....

i would trade the pick to Pittsburg and try to land Staal

 

[takethebounce]

Staal plays much less of a role on a very top loaded team. He would be on one of the top two lines in Edmonton. Would I trade the #1 away for him? Hells no! But I would take him over Gagner any day of the week, including Gags 8 point night. Staal might only average a few points more each year, but again playing a lesser role with lesser talent beside him. Stick him between Hall and Yakupov. Plus he is a big body, 6'4 220. How many 6'4 forwards does Edmonton have currently?

It would cost too much to get him for the one year. He would have to be willing to sign an extension, only then would he be worth, say the 2013 First round pick plus a top prospect. Gagner is over rated.


First overall, Edmonton has to take Yakupov in order to keep the fans happy. If they trade down, trade it away, take Murray, they better have something brewing in terms of UFA signings or other trades as the fan base will go nuts. You don't get talent like that available everyday.

Draft day is going to be quiet for Edmonton after they take their first overall. There isn't enough tradeable assets to take another first rounder. Someone would have to over pay big time. If there was any chance someone in the top ten picks wanted to trade their pick for Gagner, he would be as good as gone.

Edmonton still has some significant holes to fill....hmmm a coach? Goaltending, Top 1-2 pairing D's, any scoring forwards with size, a true checking line,

Heck go find 2 more Ryan Jones type players and play Ryan Jones with 2 Ryan Jones clones. Even he can score as many points as Gag's.

Their cupboards maybe full as well, but they are full of prospects. Their is no guaranty any of them become elite players. Cogliano, Nilsson, Pouliot, Schremp ring a bell? All talented first rounders that never did much of anything. Heck Ryan Whitney was a first rounder, Pittsburgh and Anahiem did the right thing dumping him.

So if this is year 3 of a 5 year rebuild, taking Hall, Nuge and (Yakupov most likely), they have alot of work to do in the following 2 years to be challenging for a cup.

A rumour of Jay Bouwmeester coming to Edmonton isn't terrible, but he has a NTC and only two years remaining on a stupid contract. Doesn't help in the long run.

Find a Milan Lucic and a Scott Hartnell, guys who bring heart to every game. Ben Eager needs to step up this year big time. I still say a bringing a guy like Jochen Hecht back for next to nothing for 2 years is better than letting young prospects get beat up on. Even Brodziak coming back to Edmonton wouldn't be a bad thing. He played way harder against Edmonton once he was in Minny. Maybe he can play that way playing with Edmonton.

If you could get Semin for a bargin basement deal for 20 million over 4 years, would you?

Semin/Nuge/Ebs
Hall/Staal/Yakupov
Jones/Jones/Jones (which translates into Jones/Horcoff/Hemsky)
Eager/Brodziak/Hecht

 

[gforce]

Stall rejects 10 year deal with the pens!!

 

[Summitric]

Oiler's selected nail yakupov as the #1 draft pick ........... Go oil go!!!

 

[Rneddel]

Oiler's selected nail yakupov as the #1 draft pick ........... Go oil go!!!

our luck there will be a lock out next year....

 

[storm1972]

our luck there will be a lock out next year....

the next move if the management was smart would be to ink Nail to a contract immediatly, that way if there is a lockout, they are covered, he can still go play in the KHL or Oklahoma, but he is inked in the books for the Oil, they did the right thing by taking this kid, ive watched him this year, he is very much like Pavel Bure

 

[rzrgade]

That is a powerful young group,holy crap........and they are not done yet..........I see Bobby Ryan here and Jeff Shultz soon !!!

 

[snopro]

Oilers better start winning soon. Just sayn'....

 

[signedge]

I see another 2 loosing seasons for oilers before they realize they actually need a Goalie and defencemen. They are trying to revert to those high scoring 80"s teams. Not going to happen. And me flames suck just as bad with no upside. Alberta teams don't care as long as the seats are full they won't spend to win. Hope to place 8th and make there golf tournaments. Alberta pride is gone in hockey. Russian players are exciting to watch until play offs and then by by have to go home. Maybe the Leafs should move out here ther are bad enough to play in this province. Fire all the management on both teams and lets start winning or we'll be talking this crap for 2 more years. Sorry just vented because Flames are trying to get a few players out of retirement to come play for us. Is Lafleur available

 

[rzrgade]

I don`t think we are two years away. They are working on a defenceman as we speak..........Justin Shultz,IF we get him look out.Our upside is pretty high. While it was fun kickin the oilers when they were down,i think those days are over soon.....The system is full of good defencemen in the minors and with Ebbs,Hall,Hopkins,Yak ,Hemsky, etc the front end wil be a force to be reckoned with..........

We are going up,meanwhile Calgary has a little ways to go to hit bottom,YET..............Good luck,you will need it............

 

[snopro]

The Flames have completely lost my interest. Now they are trying to entice Jagr over here? Cmon! They won't see any of my money next season. I can watch them play half heartedly on TV for free. The Oilers look like a thunderstorm just starting to build, problem is we haven't seen any rain yet. They need to rain down on other teams this coming season or they will be dealing with contracts and nothing to show for it.Signedge is right. They need a goalie and they need defenceman. Justin Schultz? Never heard of him. Sorry?

 

[Bogger]

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are the two most talked about unrestricted free agents, but the player drawing the most attention from teams is a 21-year-old college kid who has yet to play a professional game.
Most fans might not know the name Justin Schultz, but you can be sure 30 NHL teams have the young man on speed dial.
A defenseman drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2007, Schultz has blossomed into what some scouts regard as the best player not currently in the NHL.
"His foundation of skating is excellent," NHL Network analyst Craig Button told NHL.com. "He has speed, quickness and agility and is able to use his abilities to beat pressure defensively and to move into advantageous positions and be a threat offensively. He can speed up the game or slow it down and is very elusive. He has great awareness and poise with the puck and is able to make plays on the move or when stationary. He doesn't panic under pressure and is always aware and can adapt to changing circumstances instantly. He has a calming influence when he has the puck and while he can quickly strike, he doesn't force plays. He's an excellent passer and he has that panoramic vision that allows him to 'spread the ice,' so to speak, and to be able to attack opponents with multiple options. That makes it extremely difficult to shut him down. He has a very good shot, and along with his passing, it keeps goalies and defenders on their heels. He is unique in that he seems to play the game just ahead of the pressure and not in a hurried manner, but with tremendous confidence and an assuredness that is intimidating.
"Overall, he's a player who is capable of controlling the pace and tempo of play when he has the puck. He's a player who wants to make a difference in the game

The Flames have completely lost my interest. Now they are trying to entice Jagr over here? Cmon! They won't see any of my money next season. I can watch them play half heartedly on TV for free. The Oilers look like a thunderstorm just starting to build, problem is we haven't seen any rain yet. They need to rain down on other teams this coming season or they will be dealing with contracts and nothing to show for it.Signedge is right. They need a goalie and they need defenceman. Justin Schultz? Never heard of him. Sorry?

 

[Bogger]

I think he would have the best opportunity to play big minutes and rack up points playing with the kids in Edmonton but he also has strong ties to players in the Toronto and Vancouver organizations.

He could be the difference between playoffs this year and a 1-2 season longer wait....

 

[snopro]

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are the two most talked about unrestricted free agents, but the player drawing the most attention from teams is a 21-year-old college kid who has yet to play a professional game.
Most fans might not know the name Justin Schultz, but you can be sure 30 NHL teams have the young man on speed dial.
A defenseman drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2007, Schultz has blossomed into what some scouts regard as the best player not currently in the NHL.
"His foundation of skating is excellent," NHL Network analyst Craig Button told NHL.com. "He has speed, quickness and agility and is able to use his abilities to beat pressure defensively and to move into advantageous positions and be a threat offensively. He can speed up the game or slow it down and is very elusive. He has great awareness and poise with the puck and is able to make plays on the move or when stationary. He doesn't panic under pressure and is always aware and can adapt to changing circumstances instantly. He has a calming influence when he has the puck and while he can quickly strike, he doesn't force plays. He's an excellent passer and he has that panoramic vision that allows him to 'spread the ice,' so to speak, and to be able to attack opponents with multiple options. That makes it extremely difficult to shut him down. He has a very good shot, and along with his passing, it keeps goalies and defenders on their heels. He is unique in that he seems to play the game just ahead of the pressure and not in a hurried manner, but with tremendous confidence and an assuredness that is intimidating.
"Overall, he's a player who is capable of controlling the pace and tempo of play when he has the puck. He's a player who wants to make a difference in the game

Sounds good on paper. Could be the Paul Coffey type they need to finish the puzzle. But and there is always that big but Bog. Do those skills in the college ranks translate to the bigger,faster NHL game?

 

[rzrgade]

If he does not,there are others...........lol. Who would not want to quarterback the oilers power play with that kinda skill up front !! With the kids clicking along at a point a game pace,imagine the paycheck a young offensive defenceman could garner with that foursome......It would be pretty easy to rack up points on the power play with those four. ALSO,as i said the Oilers have a few standout prospects knocking on the door on the back end.....
I remember the same being said about Chicago,Pittsburg, etc,etc, ...........The young guys have WON everywhere they have played,they will win in the NHL sooner rather than later................

 

[snopro]

If he does not,there are others...........lol. Who would not want to quarterback the oilers power play with that kinda skill up front !! With the kids clicking along at a point a game pace,imagine the paycheck a young offensive defenceman could garner with that foursome......It would be pretty easy to rack up points on the power play with those four. ALSO,as i said the Oilers have a few standout prospects knocking on the door on the back end.....
I remember the same being said about Chicago,Pittsburg, etc,etc, ...........The young guys have WON everywhere they have played,they will win in the NHL sooner rather than later................

In todays NHL there are so many variables in play. The key is to win before these young stars want to get paid more and the salary cap comes into play. The days of dynasty's are over I'm afraid. Unless its Duck Dynasty. Lol.

 

[takethebounce]

I have heard about Justin Schultz more than I care to. Having never played one NHL game he has nothing but question marks all over him. Why wouldn't he want to play in Anahiem? His attitude is a huge question mark. Would you really want a young, unproven, RFA set to become a UFA with an attitude problem in the same dressing room as a bunch of other young up and comers who you are trying to mold as a group?

Like Snopro said, sounds good on paper. When I hear the name Justin Schultz, I think Cam Barker. "Big, highly mobile defender has easily the most offensive upside of any blue-liner in the draft. Hardly had to break a sweat this year while putting up outstanding numbers. Is most effective when he forcefully takes the puck and heads up ice, leading the break and creating dangerous odd-man rushes. Has the ability to undress opponents as he goes end-to-end. Excellent vision and can make plays at top speed. A top notch PP quarterback with a hard shot who makes good decisions in puck distribution" Yeah that Cam Barker. Don't read into analyst's oppions. There is a reason the word "anal" is a portion of their job description name. Everything they spew comes out of their ass.

Could Schultz be the next coming of Lidstrom? Maybe. Every team in the league will be making the phone call, all will have the same offer as its an entry level contract. I doubt he would have Edmonton at the top of his list.

Forget about Schultz, go after Dennis Wideman or Matt Carle. Guys who are still young enough and healthy enough to be around for a few years and don't command 4-5 Million a year.