Prospect Info: Toni Rajala

[McVespa99]

Realistically he has little chance of making the team unless we move one or more of our small top 6 guys. Rajala is not a 3rd or 4th liner. That having been said he would not be the first player to force managements hand into making a trade to make room for him. Size is an issue also but I would take T Fleury over a bunch of coke machines any day. You can be small and tough and gritty.

 

[The Perfect Human*]

I HIGHLY doubt it. And trading a good player for a good player with size and grit isn't really a good example

Kessy has the greatest scoring stretch of his career in the playoffs this year and still finishes below Rieder in point/game production in the playoffs. Meanwhile no one is hyping up Rieder for his numbers.

 

[nabob]

I take the better player every time, regardless of height, weight, position, sex, ethnicity.
Its what Detroit does and their rolling out One Brunner after another Filppula and another Zetterberg..draft skill, deal with size and grit via free agency(B.Prust was available), or waivee wire(How we got Glencross or later Jones)..
If you want a Lucic type dont draft a million coke machines, draft skill and talent use them to trade for the next Lucic, Clowe, or Dubinsky type.

Brunner was a free agent. So they lucked out on a few later Euro picks in the last 15 - 20 years, yay for them.

The Oilers have drafted plenty of skilled players in the last 10-15 years. Schremp, Heinrich, Riesen, niniimaki... While teams like LA, San Jose, Boston have drafted and developed big players.

We got Glencross in a trade. No one ever thought he would be more than a fringe NHLer.

How has drafting skill and trading it for size worked out so far for the Oilers? Tambellini did that in the Reider trade and fans like you roasted him for days for it.

Stu has been drafting a lot of big players and so far most of them are progressing nicely. That's only half the battle. These guys need to be developed , and the Oilers have a terrible track record when it comes to player development.

 

[nabob]

Kessy has the greatest scoring stretch of his career in the playoffs this year and still finishes below Rieder in point/game production in the playoffs. Meanwhile no one is hyping up Rieder for his numbers.

Kessey had 11 goals, Rieder had 2. Rieder's playoff performsnce was a disappointment, Kessey's was much more impressive.

You sound like Luongo, complaining that Tim Thomas never pumped his tires lol

 

[Fourier]

Kessy has the greatest scoring stretch of his career in the playoffs this year and still finishes below Rieder in point/game production in the playoffs. Meanwhile no one is hyping up Rieder for his numbers.

I think I have been one of the biggest Rieder fan's on here but I actually have no problem with this trade.

The local play-by-play guy suggested that Rieder and the Oilers were not on the same page as far as a contract was concerned and that the Rieder camp was happy with the move. It is just speculation on my part but I would not have been surprised to see Rieder go back into the draft had the deal not been made.

Rieder was not really in the cards for the Oilers. They simply had too many players ahaead of him that were similar on the big club. And with the play of Rajala it was even mor elikely that he would end up getting dealt at some point.

Kessey is a high risk high reward type player. But the cost was a 4th round pick that did not appear to have a future in your organization. Deals like this make sense.

 

[Seedling]

I disagree. We need size to our top 6 but we have size in our bottom 6. So we need 2 players to our bottom who can score regardless their size and I am not speaking about scoring marginally. Let's have Omark next season Rajala 2014 tradeline (when Smyth and Hemsky will be traded to the contender since we will not make the playoffs but having season of 82-92 pts).

Did you just endorse our bottom six? This is especially where we need big guys who can play and you want to put Omark and Rajala there? Oh my.

As for not needing size in our top six, you must enjoy watching them get plastered every game. If we can flip a small guy who can play for a big guy who can play, it makes us tougher to play against.

Also, Hemsky will get dealt this summer, same with Gagner IMHO, for bigger guys....

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Kessy has the greatest scoring stretch of his career in the playoffs this year and still finishes below Rieder in point/game production in the playoffs. Meanwhile no one is hyping up Rieder for his numbers.

Why are you still on this?

 

[The Nuge]

Kessy has the greatest scoring stretch of his career in the playoffs this year and still finishes below Rieder in point/game production in the playoffs. Meanwhile no one is hyping up Rieder for his numbers.

Maybe if Rieder hit, fought, and created havoc in front of the net... Kessy brings a lot more than points. Rieder doesn't. Give it a rest

 

[Alberta]

Amen brother. I don't know why this is coming back... we tried the "WE NEED SIZE EVEN IF THEY CANT DO ANYTHING ELSE" route and look what happened. We wouldnt draft anyone under 6 feet and look what happened, we ended up with Pouliot over Parise. Size doesnt mean anything on its own. I swear if we can draft Lindholm and pass because of size I will LOSE MY SH**!! No more coke machines!!

I don't think the size blinders are on. I could see the Oilers drafting Lazar over Lindholm.

 

[Senor Catface]

Why are you still on this?

Because that whole Sequin>Hall thing sounds even sillier than before?

 

[Alberta]

Maybe if Rieder hit, fought, and created havoc in front of the net... Kessy brings a lot more than points. Rieder doesn't. Give it a rest

Off topic, I know, but Kessy is terrible. He's a poor man's Dane Byers. I would be surprised if he gets more than 20 points next season in the ECHL (which is where he will play).

 

[Up the Irons]

Realistically he has little chance of making the team unless we move one or more of our small top 6 guys. Rajala is not a 3rd or 4th liner. That having been said he would not be the first player to force managements hand into making a trade to make room for him. Size is an issue also but I would take T Fleury over a bunch of coke machines any day. You can be small and tough and gritty.

Firstly, fleury was a rare example. St. Louis is another... IOW, one a decade. And u still only want one or maximum two on your team.

Many of u are falling victim to tamboitis. Comparing player to player.. is rajala better then coke machine X? Maybe. But u r forgetting the make up of the Oilers... A team with 5+ rajalas, 1 coke machine, 0 coke machines that play in top 6.

The last, LAST, thing the Oilers need is toni rajala. If u can't see that then u probably think Tambo was doing a good job.

If rajala makes the team, guaranteed lottery pick next year. U wanna see him at TC fine, but he can't be in the plans.

 

[The Nuge]

Off topic, I know, but Kessy is terrible. He's a poor man's Dane Byers. I would be surprised if he gets more than 20 points next season in the ECHL (which is where he will play).

Right...

 

[BleedingOil]

Check out detriots 3rd line..i dont see any "coke machines"

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Off topic, I know, but Kessy is terrible. He's a poor man's Dane Byers. I would be surprised if he gets more than 20 points next season in the ECHL (which is where he will play).

If so, then why do you think that we traded for him? Was Stu really high on him in his draft year? And if so and he bombs horribly how many lives will Stu have with this organization?

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

they should find out what happened to scott glennie and reunite the troops.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
Glennie-Schenn-Rajala
Hartikainen-Horcoff-Paajarvi

wait...nevermind.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Is it pronounced Toh-Neeh, Ra-hya-La?

 

[Oan]

The last, LAST, thing the Oilers need is toni rajala. If u can't see that then u probably think Tambo was doing a good job.

If rajala makes the team, guaranteed lottery pick next year. U wanna see him at TC fine, but he can't be in the plans.

You should go tell Rajala all this, then he could stop playing good in AHL too since it doesn't seem to matter to you.

 

[Seedling]

Check out detriots 3rd line..i dont see any "coke machines"

You will see lots next year, pounding our team, when we change divisions. LA, SJ, Anaheim, Van....won't be pretty unless we get a few.

 

[Seedling]

Is it pronounced Toh-Neeh, Ra-hya-La?

 

[The Nuge]

Is it pronounced Toh-Neeh, Ra-hya-La?

I always thought it was Rhy-ala

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Crazy thought... but hear me out. Why don't we just let the kid come to camp next year and see what he can do, and not compare him to other players his size, because he is not the same player.

 

[Brewster]

they should find out what happened to scott glennie and reunite the troops.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
Glennie-Schenn-Rajala
Hartikainen-Horcoff-Paajarvi

wait...nevermind.

Absolutely. Wheat Kings assemble!

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

Crazy thought... but hear me out. Why don't we just let the kid come to camp next year and see what he can do, and not compare him to other players his size, because he is not the same player.

Lies and slander.

 

[nando2392]

Rajala is producing at more than a point per game in the playoff, i think is 13 pts in 10 games