Oilers Tail Spin

Happy Fans ?

It's painful to watch. Can the Oilers death spiral be rectified, quickly? Will Edmonton hockey fans, sit on their wallets, now that next year's season ticket campaign is on?Is there any pressure on Oilers brass? Have they delivered on the promise to produce a consistently contending team?

They're selling hard. The sell is commitment to excellence and community. A bold strategy when you think about it for more than a minute. Is the current sale pitch desparation, or stroke of genius? It's certainly bold. Enlisting players and season ticket holders, in television campaign, with the future is bright message. Looks pretty dim at the moment. Has the refrain worn thin? Perhaps not.

The GM has, consistently, stated he likes his team, likes the talent level, likes the development process. Gosh it could be considered to be in disarray. How come there are only 10 players available? The decision to abandon their American League franchise is embarrassing. One maybe coming soon, perhaps in Springfield Mass. Two years of player development is lost.

Business is Business

The minor pro team was abandoned in favor of the Junior Team and cash flow. Makes perfect business sense. Doesn't do much for pro player development. Hope is for marketing. It's tough to quantify, on the bottom line.

Hope is a tough sell, when it comes to free agents too. The free agent lottery this summer is unlikely to net a bevy of experienced talent. Free agent players want to win championships. The championship opportunity is one reason Jaroslav Spacek. chose the Sabres, over the Oilers

Free Agent Defencemen... a short list

• Brian Rafalski Free Agent
• Chris Philips Free Agent
• Scott Hannan Free Agent
• Dan Boyle Free Agent

... not a complete list

How many of these guys will consider the Oilers come July? Free agent perception of the Oilers talent level is a big issue. With cap room, Lowe was unable to acquire the skilled defenceman, he needed, this year. The prospects for a Pronger/Pecca acquisition, this summer, are, extremely, limited. What's the upside for a free agent, in Edmonton?

Managing the churn is the challenge, now. Can Lowe manufacture a trade for Jay Boumeester in Florida. Can he play the my town, my team card, again? Does Boumeester meet the defensive need? Would you trade Jason Smith, Raffi Torres, and a draft pick for Boumeester? Probably!

Would that be enough? What will it take to get him? How many roster players? How man draft picks? Restricted Free Agents is the target group for the Oilers talent upgrade.

NHL Players of Interest...

Joni Pitkanen $ 5 Million


31 goals 38 assists 69 points





Would you trade Sean Horcoff and Matt Green for him?

Short list ...
Michal Handzus Free Agent
Dainius Zubrus Free Agent
Nik Antropov Free Agent
Nathan Horton Restricted Free Agent

The key to building, consistently, contending teams is managing the core group, six forwards, 4 defencmen, and a goalie. Age is a factor. The key group needs to be 24 to 29 years old.

Oilers current key group:

• Dwayne Roloston $4.5
• Sean Horcoff $3.6
• Ales Hemsky $3.5
• Jarret Stoll $2.2
• Jason Smith $2.0
• Ethan Morreau $2.2
• Steve Statios $2.2
• Fernando Pisani $2.5

Total cost, this year, for the core group is $22.7, just over 55% of the payroll. Assuming the player salary budget is $40 million, there's capacity to beef up the talent level. Can money buy talent. Normally yes, perhaps not so much, in our town these days.

Welcome your thoughts on rebuilding the Oilers.

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