Speculation: So Who Should Stay And Who Should Go From The Current Roster?

dobiezeke*

Guest
I agree for the most part, but I disagree with lumping in Hemsky with that group. I think Hemsky is between Group 2 and Group 3.

Mr. Hemsky has earned without a doubt based on his tenure as a Oiler to be included in Group 4. Moments of brilliance followed by extended periods of not giving a s**t.
 

McDoused

Registered User
Feb 5, 2007
16,297
13,226
Katy <3
It really depends on who we can trade and what we can get back. As it stands right now though MacT has a lot to do.

Hall-RNH-Eberle
XXXX-Gagner-Yakupov
PRV-XXXX-XXXX
XXXX-Horcoff-Brown
Lander-Hartski

XXXX-XXXX
Smid-Petry
Klefbom-Schultz
Fistric

Dubnyk
 

dobiezeke*

Guest
Not true. He's a good leader. He's just not a 70+ point guy

Yes, his leadership was front and centre when the team was fighting for a playoff spot and proceeded to have their confidence crumble around them. His ability to lead by voice and example was deafening. Reminds me of those great leaders - Moreau and Smith - who lead their teams to massive losing streaks where the team looked like they had never played organized hockey in their lives.

If he is no longer the captain of this team, then there is no reason to retain his services.
 

Seedling

Tier 7 fan (ballcap)
Jul 16, 2009
6,226
30
Canada
He's really a bottom-pairing guy making middle- to top-pairing money, IMO. His defensive coverage was rather poor and his puck-moving/offensive skills are weak.

If MacT can move Horc and Hemmer for cheaper players I could live with him, but losing a guy like Nick isn't a concern for me at all.

For sure. He will likely get traded and I am fine with that because it hopefully means an upgrade. I just think he is a decent depth guy that we would be happier with at 2.5 mill.
 

Gret99zky

Worst Thread Ever
May 5, 2007
5,539
238
Gamma Quadrant
Ales Hemsky earned $555,555.56 per goal this year.

Shawn Horcoff earned $857,142.86 per goal this year.

Edit: Incorrect math. 42 game season is:

#83 $325.203.25

#10 $501,742.16
 
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misfit

5-14-6-1
Feb 2, 2004
16,307
2
just north of...everything
KEEPERS:

Hall/Yakupov/Eberle/Nuge/Schultz - No explaination necessary. These guys are the franchise.

Smid - Aside from being our best DFD and only 27, Smid is emerging as a leader, and definitely fits MacT's need for players who refuse to accept failure. He's also a player who was just signed to a long term extension that hasn't even kicked in yet. Hard to see him going anywhere.

Petry - A 25 year old RHD who can move the puck and has been playing against the opposition's best players for two years now isn't an easy thing to replace. He's not untouchable, but trading him away shouldn't be dealt with lightly. He's important.

Paajarvi - He's an underrated piece of the puzzle because so much emphasis is placed on point totals. He's an excellent compliment to the skill guys in that he's defensively responsible, and has enough offensive know-how to keep plays alive in the offensive zone. His size and attitude are also pluses in his favor. I also don't believe he would command the kind of return in a trade that would justify sending him away in the first place. He's an excellent fit in the 2/3 LW spot.

Horcoff - I should probably make it clear that I mean for this coming season only. He should (and likely will) be bought out in the 2014 offseason via compliance buyout. I like the player, but $5.5M is just too much cap space to commit to a player of his calibre. He plays important minutes for this team, and we should be looking for a capable replacement as soon as this offseason. Anton Lander is not going to be ready in a year (if ever), so Horcoff's replacement will probably have to come from outside the organization.

Dubnyk - An available upgrade on Dubnyk that makes sense for the team doesn't seem to exist.



POTENTIAL TRADE BAIT

Hemsky - He was back to his old self to start the year, and I truly believe a lot of why our powerplay stunk down the streatch had to do with Hemsky's absense. His injury explains the drop-off in production, but the fact remains that he just can't seem to stay healthy. I wouldn't move him just to get rid of him, but he can still be a game changer, and hopefully another team is willing to give up value to get him. If not, I'll be more than happy to see him stay an Oiler.

Gagner - I've been in one of Gagner's bigger cheerleaders on HF, and I'm definitely not in the "he's too small/we need to get bigger" camp. In fact, I feel dirty just putting his name in this category. But he's going to be in line for a big contract, and he probably carries the most trade value of all the non-untouchables on the roster.

N.Schultz - He definitely doesn't have to go, but I think they see Klefbom as his eventual successor. Eventual being the operative word, but if they can find an upgrade there, I could see him being shipped out for help elsewhere.



FREE AGENTS TO RE-SIGN:

Jones - If he comes cheap, then he still has a place on this team. I like him as the 4RW much more than Brown, because unlike Brown, you can actually play Jones on the 3rd line if need be. But this all depends on the contract. If he stays at the same price or lower, I keep him. Anything over $1.75M and he's outpricing his usefullness.



FREE AGENTS TO LET WALK:

Petrell - I love his PK abilities, but he's not good enough in other areas to bring him back.

Khabibulin - Goalie depth is needed badly, but Khabi is past his "best before" date. Being a good teammate is important, but you can't get by on that alone.

Smithson - He's big and wins faceoffs. That's pretty much it, and it's not enough. I'd rather keep Belanger, personally since I believe he's the better penalty killer and better offensively (scary, I know). I applaud the move to bring him in, but we should be able to do better.

Fistric - Fistric I could take or leave. He brings an element that we don't have anywhere else on the back end, but he is not a good enough defender to warrant a spot on the roster every game. If he comes with a contract that reflects that role, then I'm fine with it, but will he take less than he's currently making? I doubt it.

Whitney - Yeah...

Peckham - It seems like his ticket has been punched all season. Why we didn't just waive him during the year or trade him at the deadline, I'll never know. What was the plan with this kid? Because it certainly wasn't to play him.



THE REST:

Smyth - I keep him and let him play out his contract. I don't agree with the "Smyth is useless" mantra kept around here. Footspeed is a problem, but that's been true his entire career. With a normal shooting percentage he'd have been on pace for 30 points this year. Considering he was on the 4th line almost all year and playing out of position a great deal of that time, I'd say those are actually good numbers. Hartikainen should probably take over the 4LW spot afterwards

Brown - I get the appeal, but he's just a terrible hockey player. Talk about all flash and no substance. He skates fast in all directions and will fight, but I'm not sold on the idea that we're a better team with him than without. I'm ok with keeping him as long as he's in the pressbox as often as he's in the lineup, and that's mostly because he's got a sub-$750K cap hit. I'd just as well give his icetime to Jones and/or Hartikainen.

Belanger - Something seems to be up with him and if he was not to return, I'd be ok with it. This team needs a player who can do the things he does, but like Smithson, I'm not sure we can't do better.

Lander - I'd have him on the team as an extra forward for depth. He'll get 4th line time throughout the year due to inevitable injuries, and if he does well then give him the 4C spot the following year. He's got upside and the competative spirit MacTavish said he wants.

Potter - I think the combination of being a RHD and a $775M cap hit makes him a good candidate for the 7D position next year. We should have 6 superior defensemen to start the season, but I'd be ok with him waiting to step in if we need him. With that said, he's not a good defenseman, and I'd be much happier if he spend his final year under contract with the Oilers as a member of the OKC Barons.
 
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Muscles Glasses

Registered User
Jul 9, 2007
1,897
0
Edmonton
Yes, his leadership was front and centre when the team was fighting for a playoff spot and proceeded to have their confidence crumble around them. His ability to lead by voice and example was deafening. Reminds me of those great leaders - Moreau and Smith - who lead their teams to massive losing streaks where the team looked like they had never played organized hockey in their lives.

If he is no longer the captain of this team, then there is no reason to retain his services.

Blame Moreau all you want for being a bad captain, but...

smith1.jpg


Jason Smith was a great captain, and the team fell off the face of the earth after he was traded.
 

The Bored Man

5-14-6-1
Jul 2, 2009
7,010
1,236
Edmonton
Yes, his leadership was front and centre when the team was fighting for a playoff spot and proceeded to have their confidence crumble around them. His ability to lead by voice and example was deafening. Reminds me of those great leaders - Moreau and Smith - who lead their teams to massive losing streaks where the team looked like they had never played organized hockey in their lives.

If he is no longer the captain of this team, then there is no reason to retain his services.

You cannot seriously be trashing Jason Smith.
 

Trafalgar Sadge Law

Registered User
Nov 8, 2007
11,479
6,892
I agree for the most part, but I disagree with lumping in Hemsky with that group. I think Hemsky is between Group 2 and Group 3.

Absolutely not. Hemsky is one of the worst offenders of the "loser attitude" the past 2 seasons and like Smyth, Potter, and Whitney hurts our team just by being on it. Like those three, he takes away a roster spot from someone actually deserving, and like Whitney, the guy just seems to be a terrible example for the kids. Remember last season when there was the locker room divide because some veterans were complaining about their role with the team? We know full well that Hemsky was at the center of it, with the way he sulked game in game out because he wasn't on the 1st line anymore. We saw it again this season, he chose to show up only when he wanted to and completely mailed it in for the 2nd half. Whitney was the only one who came clean about it though. The guy is also last one on and first one off for every practice. With Whitney basically as good as gone, getting rid of Hemsky should be priority #2 after Smyth.

I am not a Smyth apologist and agree he needs to go, but he is our least lazy player.

Yeah but he seems lazy due to his speed.:laugh:

Douglas Murray would be a huge signing.

No point. We already have Fistric. Don't need another one skill wonder who does nothing but hit.
 
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ManByng

It's Me OilTastic
Aug 4, 2009
5,196
519
St. Albert, Alberta
^Murray has apparently lost a step, so i don't want the Oil overpaying this guy to bring him here...i'd rather just keep Potter around...when he plays phyical, he's quite good at it, he's big at 6'3" and 205, has good wheels, a great shot, and doesn't seem to get physically manhandled much.
 

McDoused

Registered User
Feb 5, 2007
16,297
13,226
Katy <3
Was letting Whitney play 10 games after the deadline really worth the 2 proposed seconds that he "could have fetched". I guess I can't get mad as we have a new GM.
 

Bobblehead

Registered User
Sep 30, 2006
872
14
List of available Defensemen this offseason:
Toni Lydman
Ben Lovejoy
Aaron Johnson
Wade Redden
Andrew Ference
Adam Pardy
Alexander Sulzer
Anton Babchuk
Brett Carson
Joe Corvo
Marc Andre-Bergeron
Michal Rozsival
Sean Sullivan
Adrian Aucoin
Ian White
Tyson Strachan
Rob Scuderi
Robyn Regehr
Brett Clark
Davis Drewiske
Marek Zidlicky
Peter Harrold
Mark Streit
Radek Martinek
Matt Gilroy
Roman Hamrlik
Steve Eminger
Andre Beniot
Sergei Gonchar
Mike Lundin
Matt Walker
Kurtis Foster
Kent Huskins
Andreas Lilja
Douglas Murray
Mark Eaton
Scott Hannan
Jordan Leopold
Matheiu Roy
Michael Kostka
Andrew Alberts
Ryan O'Byrne
Cam Barker
Tom Poti
Ron Hainsey
Grant Clitsome
Derek Meech






Very ugly offseason for available defensemen.


Doesn't really impact us. Some of these guys would help, but our pro scouting sucks. We'd wind up with the table scraps. Haven't been able to acquire any good UFAs .... Our best bet is to acquire through trades.
 

PumpkinBombX

Registered User
Jan 29, 2009
961
52
I could really care less about the group of forwards. A healthy Nuge and Eberle would have went a long way, and i expect them to be back strong next year, with even more improvements for Gagner, Paajarvi, and Yakupov.

The only thing that really needs fixing is the breakout.
I look at N. Schultz, his ES TOI/G was 16:04, #4 on the Oil. I wonder if he would do better as a #5/6 guy? Keept his minutes down a bit.

Petry was also our number 1 D. That can't happen. He needs to be #3 in minutes. (He will be much better as a #3.)

I'm wondering why they didn't try an ES pairing of smid and J schultz? (Smid shoots left and Schultz right)


Does anything think that Klefbom could come in and play a #4 role next year? Him and Petry as a pairing? Klefbom shoots left, Petry shoots right.

Is Marincin ready for a #6 role in the NHL?

I feel like a pairings of:
Smid J. Schultz
Petry Klefbom
N. Schultz Marincin

could actually fix a lot of our problems 5 on 5 (which sucks due to poor breakout).
 

Jumptheshark

Rebooting myself
Oct 12, 2003
99,868
13,851
Somewhere on Uranus
With the way Yakupov finished the season that could mean the end of Hemsky

That guy did a lot of damage when Hemsky was injured or some could take the point of view that he played better when the games meant nothing
 

Wheathead

Formally a McRib
Apr 4, 2008
4,635
5
Saskatoon
The only reason Smyth played so much this year is because of a lack of a better option. After this offseason, if Smyth is still our best option, we're in trouble.

I want to keep him around, but Smyth is getting to the point where he's more valuable to the team as a mentor/coach than he is a player. He cannot be playing a full slate of games next season. He needs to be that extra forward.
 

Koto

Registered User
May 3, 2011
4,404
0
Well I'm not going to comment on trade scenarios, generally speaking everyone has their price.

UFAs to be released:
Whitney
Jones
Petrell
Hordichuck
Khabby
Smithson

so That's 6 gone.

Buyouts:
Belanger
Eager
Smyth (or he can retire, either way gone)

So that's 9 Gone.

Notable retentions:
Peckham (Qualify)
Potter

I'd keep these two around, but only on the basis of planning to waive them, they would not be in the top-7 on the depth chart going into next season, but they are good insurance, and good ahlers (replace plante).


So before Trades the roster would be:

Hall
RNH
Eberle
Yakupov
Gagner
MPS
Horcoff
Hemsky
Brown
Hartikainen (Qualify)

So that's 10 forwards, i would look to acquire a net increase of 3 solid NHL forwards through Trades/UFA.

Smid
Petry
Schultz
Schultz

?? Fistric

So we have 4 D to go with, and we need to add 3 solid Dmen, Fistric could be one of the 3 "adds" but only as a 7. This is the biggest area of concern, we need to add two actual good NHL Dmen.


Dubnyk
UFA

Need to add a passable middle aged UFA backup on the cheap. No thanks to Smith.


So in total we have 15 roster spots taken (barring trade) and need to add 8 bodies, including at least 4, preferably 5-6 GOOD nhl players.
 

frag2

Registered User
Mar 8, 2006
19,244
7,426
With the way Yakupov finished the season that could mean the end of Hemsky

That guy did a lot of damage when Hemsky was injured or some could take the point of view that he played better when the games meant nothing

Regardless of how Yak played, Hemsky's tenure was over the season started. I'm starting to think Tambo just freaked out last year and had to sign him to a 2 year deal because no one wanted him. Probably was also afraid he'd walk away and get nothing.
 

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