Bang For The Buck

The Oilers turned some good results in the entry draft this summer. They are as follows:

1. 6th Overall:

Sam Gagner- Center/Forward
2006-07 London OHL 53GP 35G 83A 118P 36PIM

Gagner is small, quick, smart with the puck, and very, very agile. However highly acclaimed this prospect comes, however, I will believe nothing until I see the production to match the minor league stats and the buzz surrounding anyone from the OHL, expecially without Rob Schremp doing anything to speak of. However cynical I am, however, Gagner certainly will not hurt the Oilers' lineup. I'm not really sure who could after the abysmal season last year.

2. 15th Overall

Alex Plante- Defense
2006-07 Calgary WHL 58GP 8G 30A 38P +18 81PIM

The Oilers went off the radar a bit to grab Plante, as he wasn't ranked to go until the early second round. This may pay off for the struggling oil, though, in more ways than one;
1. The Oilers have lacked physical strength since the Pronger departure. Plante certainly boasts some, at 6'5" and 220lbs.
2. The Oilers now have the future quarterback of their powerplay unit for years to come
3. 38 Points in 58 games in the competitive WHL is nothing to sneeze at. We may be looking at the next Chris Pronger... one who will stay in Edmonton for years to come, hopefully.

3. 21st Overall

Riley Nash- Forward
2006-07 Salmon Arm BCHL 55GP 38G 46A 84P 87PIM

Nash does, in fact, boast impressive numbers. However, coming from a more obscure minor league (BCHL) those numbers may be a little bit inflated. Nash's entry onto the Oiler's roster will depend on his performance when he is given a chance to test himself on the ice in Rexall place. Nash may be a little bit more of a project to develop, but the Oilers' efforts will be handsomely rewarded if and when they do.

Just A Rumor...

I had a source tip me off yesterday that Kevin Lowe has speculated on who he would like to draft come this off-season. Its just a rumor, but here goes:

Oilers' Pick (4th Overall): D Karl Alzner
Islanders' Pick (11th Overall): D Keaton Ellerby

I will make a point of posting the statistics for these two players within the next 2 or 3 days

John

Prospect Watch: Rob Schremp

Rob Schremp has proven everything left to prove in the minor leagues. He decimated OHL records in the 2005/2006 season (57GP, 57G, 88A, 145P) and totalled 10G, 37A, 47P in 19 playoff games to spearhead the London Knights to league champion status. Gifted with good feet, and the ability to score LITERALLY at will, the 20 year old American still has not laced up a pair of skates for the Oilers on any occasion. Has he not earned it? His continuous stint in the minor leagues has been commonly attributed to his lack of defensive prowess. While this is a valid point, a man who scores like he does deserves a chance in the lineup, defensive capabilities or not. Schremp is the only player that will ever be able to make Jussi Jokinen look like a toddler in a shootout scenario. Need evidence? Check the link below, but make sure you do so on an empty bladder.

Schremp's Lacrosse-Style Goal

Edmonton Goal By Number 4...

This has been the only season following their cup win in '04 that the Tampa Bay Lightning have displayed a level of competency that could be considered "Stanley Cup Caliber." With that being said, the Lightning do have a very big problem: very big salaries. The Lightning have surrendered a considerable chunk of their salary cap space for their top 3 players: Martin St. Louis (6M), Brad Richards (7.8M), and Vincent Lecavalier (7.2M). Lighting GM Jay Feaster, recently stated in a press conference that the Lightning will cut their team payroll down to 37M over the course of the summer to start next season. This raises red flags in the minds of anyone looking for a high-caliber player, especially since the Lightning have given their top three men an accumulated 21M per season. All signs point to Feaster being forced to move one of his top three.

So here is where things get interested for the Oil. Kevin Lowe, needing desperately to save his skin after dealing the Edmonton beloved, Ryan Smyth, and is looking to scoop Lecavalier out of Tampa Bay to supplement the heinous offence of his team. The Oilers could very well manage to pay the salary of the current Rocket Richard Trophy candidate, but it would leave the need for some serious adjustment. First, the Oilers would have to piece together a solid team in the off-season and basically stick to it through the course of the season past the deadline, due to lack of cap space. Second, the Oilers would have to find someone to anchor the left wing on their top line, someone who could keep up with Lecav. Third, last but perhaps most important of all, the Oil would not have multitude of dollars to find a quality, puck-moving D-Man in the off-season. If the Oilers manage to get someone out of Tampa, it almost certainly won't be Lecavalier. Says who? Jay Feaster. If the Oilers can get someone, it would likely be St. Louis, being the oldest of the bunch, but Brad Richards is an option as well, not living up to the expectations of his contract. The only deal that I can figure Feaster would accept is as follows:

Edmonton:
Horcoff
'08 First Rounder
Schremp
Cogliano

Tampa Bay:
Lecavalier

So ultimately that would be us getting fleeced. I say pursue Richards or St. Louis, leave Lecav alone, because not only would Feaster rather piss on a spark plug than buy Lecav a plane ticket, but Schremp is going to be the greatest American hockey player off all time. Grap Richards to anchor first line center, and scoop 2-3 UFA's this off-season. However, Kevin Lowe does tend to do things that make the fans lose hair and sleep, so don't be too surprised if we send Schremp to the Islanders for a beach towel and a half-empty bag of hockey pucks.

John

Welcome

Welcome to The Oilers Report, the blog where everything Oilers-related will be posted. This is the second of two sites operated by my friend Chris and I, the first being the Center Ice Report (check the links board at the bottom right of the sidebar). Feel free to e-mail us should you have any questions, concerns, requests, etc. We encourage you to show these sites to everyone possible, and hope that the word of what we are doing will spread quickly. We hope to have the podcast section of our report running as soon as possible, and are planning on beginning a fantasy hockey league at the beginning of the 2007/2008 hockey draft. Feel free to leave comments on the page, and check back regularly as we will do our best to put up a new post daily. Enjoy the site.

E-Mail: center.ice.report@gmail.com

John