Edmonton Oilers

Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos is raising the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers trading their 7th overall pick in return for a Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman.

-Last week I summarized all the draft related interviews we've done on The Pipeline Show during the first half of Season 8. If you missed it, you can find that post, and all the interviews that are linked within it, by clicking HERE.Today I'm tackling the second half of Season 8, what we refer to in our media archive as Season 8.5, which includes the months of January-June. Once again it's the players we speak with on just about every edition of the show in the Draft Spotlight segment. But we also speak with scouts, coaches and have the regular feature segments like the ISS Draft Countdown and The School of Block as well. The second half of Season 8 after the jump...JanuaryPhoto: WHLThe first ISS Draft Countdown of 2013 came immediately following the 2013 WJC in Russia. Ross MacLean discussed the plethora of draft eligible players who were in the event. (Jan 5th) He's small but puts up big numbers; Taylor Cammarata of the Waterloo Black Hawks who would go on to win the USHL scoring race. (Jan 7th)Phil Housley coached USA to a gold medal and then shared the experience with us. (Jan 7th)Guelph Storm forward Jason Dickinson. (Jan 12th)Somewhat unheralded defenceman Jared Hauf of the Seattle Thunderbirds. (Jan 15th)Sam Cosentino previewed the CHL Top Prospects Game. (Jan 15th)Kevin Forbes from Hockey's Future reviewed the CHL Top Prospects Game. (Jan 19th)The ISS Draft Countdown also focused on the Top Prospects Game and in particular Chris Bigras, Tristan Jarry, Samuel Morin, Laurent Dauphin, Curtis Lazar and Nic Petan. (Jan 19th)Huge blueliner Keegan Kanzig of the Victoria Royals. (Jan 21st)Sam Cosentino with his thoughts on the CHL Top Prospects Game. (Jan 21st)The voice of the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, Bart Logan, comments on the team including, Sean Romeo, Sam Anas and Australian Nathan Walker. (Jan 21st)Windsor Spitfires forward Kerby Rychel. (Jan 26th)Justin Goldman explains why he believes Eric Comrie will be better after the hip injury that ended his year. (Jan 26th)Dan Fremuth, voice of the Omaha Lancers, reviews the USHL Top Prospects Game. (Jan 26th)Jay Merkley spoke with us shortly after being acquired by Swift Current at the trade deadline. (Jan 29th) FebruaryPhoto: USA HockeyI spoke with Dillon Heatherington of the Swift Current Broncos before a WHL game in Edmonton. (Feb 2nd) The ISS Draft Countdown focused on Mason Geertsen, Jesse Lees, Madison Bowey, Mitch Wheaton, Keegan Kanzig, Josh Morrissey, Ryan Pulock and Eric Roy. (Feb 2nd)London Knights center Bo Horvat joined us mid-season. (Feb 4th) Injured Cape Breton star William Carrier. (Feb 9th)Tristan Jarry vs Zach Fucale was debated with Justin Goldman. (Feb 9th)Another big defenceman out of the WHL, Mitch Wheaton of the Kelowna Rockets. (Feb 12th) Power forward Michael McCarron from the US-NTDP and future member of the Western Michigan Broncos. (Feb 16th)The ISS Draft Countdown on J.T. Compher, Jusso Ikonen, Keaton Thompson and Lucas Wallmark. (Feb 16th) Everett goaltender Austin Lotz checked in as well. (Feb 19th) Headed back into the draft now after not being signed by the Islanders, Brenden Kichton spoke about being in the organization and seeing them draft multiple d-men last year. (Feb 19th) Erie Otters forward Stephen Harper. (Feb 25th)Sam Cosentino shared his thoughts on Halifax star Jonathan Drouin. (Feb 25th) MarchPhoto: QMJHLSwiss import Mirco Mueller of the Everett Silvertips and the 2013 WJC. (Mar 2nd)ISS Draft Countdown profiles Greg Chase, Eetu Laurikainen, Colby Cave, Jusse Saros, Matthew Murphy and Spenser Jensen. (Mar 2nd)Waterloo Black Hawks defenceman Ian McCoshen who is headed to Boston College next year. (Mar 4th)MacKinnon vs Drouin with Sam Cosentino. (Mar 4th)Halifax Mooseheads winger and potential top 3 pick, Jonathan Drouin. (Mar 9th)Forward J.T. Compher of the US-NTDP. (Mar 11th)Kevin Prendergast previews the World U18 team for Canada. (Mar 11th)Australian Nathan Walker of the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL. (Mar 16th)ISS Draft Coun

Photo: SimonP/WikimediaEverybody knows the Toronto Star. It bills itself as Canada’s largest daily (and carefully doesn’t mention it has lost more readers over the last four years than anyone else). Still, seeing Oilers Nation in one of the big national giants on Wednesday was kind of cool. Did You Miss It?Listen to Toronto Star tech reporter Raju Mudhar regale Oilers Nation’s Robin Brownlee with praise for catching comments made by radio jockey Dean Blundell and then transcribing them to the site:Without the explosion of social media, these things might just die in the ether. Blundell was first called out by an Edmonton Oilers blogger who transcribed the comments, which were subsequently picked up by sports reporters.That is not how I would have done it, personally. I might have said “a blogger at Oilers Nation” or “sportswriter Robin Brownlee” or ideally, “Robin Brownlee of the Edmonton website Oilers Nation.” Then I might link to it. The bar for linking isn’t very high. The Star linked to a guest-written story by Steve Gleason, who was the unfortunate victim of similar foolishness by radio people in Atlanta (who were subsequently fired). They linked to a piece in the Ryerson Review of Journalism about reporting on suicide, though the death of Pelss has not been ruled a suicide at this time and the circumstances surrounding it remain unclear. They also include the obligatory links to other pieces in theStar - much like we do at this site, including at the bottom of this piece.Instead, the only reference to Brownlee by name is a Storify board in the online edition that includes his original piece in a group of 21 other Tweets.So what?Why does this matter? To some degree it doesn’t. Oilers Nation is paid for by internet traffic, so from a financial perspective it’s a little galling. From a pride point of view, it’s also irritating – I’m not Robin Brownlee but I’m well aware of his distinguished career, so to see him credited as a nameless blogger while other sportswriters (such as Steve Simmons) are referenced by name because they commented about the story later on bothers me.More than that, what bugs me about the Star’s casual dismissal of this site is the way it fits a pattern.Back in 2010, Tyler Dellow wrote a piece revealing highly unprofessional emails written by then-NHL disciplinary czar Colin Campbell. What made his story interesting was the investigative work Dellow did, revealing that Campbell saw Marc Savard as “a little fake artist” and routinely watched his son’s games and complained when calls went against him.The Toronto Star had run a story based on the same emails – from a different angle, with none of that information. Further, the Star story wasn’t Dellow’s source, something he made clear in his piece. That didn’t stop Star sports columnist Damien Cox from angrily complaining that the Star hadn’t received the attention it deserved for its work on the story.The Star also – much more recently and more publicly – did something similar with the allegations of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine, claiming an exclusive and referring to Gawker – the outlet which actually broke the story – as a “U.S. website.”The Larger PictureFor newspaper types who feel angry and threatened by online media – this certainly isn’t all of them, and some papers have done a significantly better job of adapting to the new paradigm than others – there’s a list of blogger putdowns. Generally, those insults run along the lines that these are nameless, faceless people who rip off legitimate reporting, and aren’t accountable for what they publish.The trouble is, that even when there is a name, a face, an original story, and a long track record of accountability at mainstream publications, in some cases (such as this one) the story will be treated like it’s coming from some corner of the internet that must not be named.That’s irritating for the site that’s being so cavalierly dismissed, but it’s also a sign of bigger problems in the way some new

According to Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz and ChicagoBusiness.com, despite going to the Stanley Cup Finals in one of the league’s best markets, the Blackhawks will lose money this season.

We all know the Oilers are looking for a top 6 big forward with experience to play on the first or second line. Question we have is, is their one on the UFA radar? There is some confusion out there on certain players being a Center when they are really a winger and vice versa. Also moving a player from LW to RW or vice versa is not always a good choice. Sometimes because of their shooting angles a player is better moving up a specific side. i.e: Eric Cole moved to his off side on wing during his spell. Even Yakupov on LW to start the year. Yakupov is much better and more comfortable on the RW. Having said that currently our top wingers are....LW; Hall, PaajarviRW; Eberle, Yakupov(assuming Hemsky is moved out) Truth is, Paajarvi as much as I love what he brings is a 3rd line LW at this point in his career and can fill in on the 2nd line with injury for a short spell. We really are in need of a LW player. So, let's see what is out there on the Left Wing UFA Market.Brenden MorrowRyane CloweSimon GagneClark MacArthurDustin PennerValtteri FilppulaDanny ClearyVinny ProspalMason RaymondMatt CookeRaffi TorresVictor StalbergBryan BickellThere are some others but not ones that I would even think the Oilers would consider. Do any of these players stand out to you. Remember this player just needs to be a fill gap for 2 or 3 years. After that they should be more developed in their system or trading for a upgrade. Whats your thoughts?I personally like the idea of one of Morrow, Filppula, Stalberg or Bickell. Anyone else only for bottom 2 lines to round out what we will need. Not much out there for left wing on the UFA market. BTW...Clarkson in NJ is a natural RW and the experiment on LW did not have positive results in NJ so I do not think you can move him there.Looking at whats out there, I would prefer to make Gagner our second line LW and bring in a big Center. Our lines would look to be adjusted from here...Hall/RNH/EberleGagner/ ? /YakupovPaajarvi/ ? / ?Brown/ ? / ?What are your thought? Going to be a interesting next 4 weeks. I expect by July 15th we will know where this team is sitting player wise going into next year.

The next three weeks will be extremely exciting for hockey fans. Compliance buyouts could start as early as Monday, June 24th, or as last as Friday, June 28th, the 2013 NHL entry draft happens Sunday, June 30th and the free agent signings occur July 5th.Between now and then we will hear some juicy rumours, witness some interesting trades, debatable draft selections and some horrendous UFA signings.I can't wait, and thankfully we won't have to with copious speculation already circulating around the hockey world. Here's some of the big stories already floating around.Beat writer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Yohe, had a strong piece on why the Penguins will trade Kris Letang. Shero is fairly confident Letang has become a must-move player.  That is true because Letang is not the consensus best defenseman on the Penguins, at least in the eyes of management and coaches. That is true because the Penguins are deepest on defense among top prospects, including a couple of first-round picks from last summer (Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta). That is true even though terms of Malkin's new contract will provide the Penguins with more cap room to keep good players around him and Crosby — if the cap increases annually under this labor contract, as it did during the last one. The Penguins are set up for Letang to count around $6 million against the cap and to continue paying Crosby ($8.7 million), Malkin ($9.5 million), right winger James Neal, Martin and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury ($5 million apiece). Evidence of that was their offer to Staal, who would have counted about $5.75 million annually against the cap had he stayed — and that was with Letang taking up $3.5 million in space. Letang, 26, a first-time Norris Trophy (top defenseman) finalist, aims to at least double his current salary on any new deal. He was the only NHL defenseman to average a point per game during the regular season. He is in his prime.  According to Yohe the Pens are prepared to pay Letang $6 mill/year, but nothing more. Letang is very good offensively, more physical than some think, but some question his defensive zone play. The Penguins have the luxury of having the best offensive one-two punch (Crosby and Malkin) in the NHL, so they can risk moving a proven puck moving D-man.I suspect playing with Crosby and Malkin might hurt Letang, because some wonder if they make his stats (points and advanced) look better than he is. I'd guess they do to an extent, but I still believe many teams would be interested, and I'd put the San Jose Sharks near the top of that list. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle have one year remaining on their contracts, ( a combined $20.56 million), and Doug Wilson loves puck movers and he isn't afraid to make major trades.Before you scream Letang doesn't deserve to be paid like Shea Weber, keep in mind Brian Campbell makes $7.14 million.LETANG IN EDMONTONLetang would be the #1 pairing D-man the Oilers desperately need, but what is the asking price?Would the #7 pick in this year's draft, Jeff Petry (#4 D-man) and a young forward get it done?The Canes gave up the #8 and Brandon Sutter (3rd line C) to get Jordan Staal last year. Letang is worth more, but how much? Pens might ask for Paajarvi, but would they settle for something less? I don't know, but I'm curious to see if the Pens and Letang can't reach a new deal what is asking price would be.AVS PASSING ON JONES?"If we do pick first, we're leaning more toward one of those three forwards," Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said in Adrian Dater's article yesterday.Is this a bluff by Joe Sakic, or is Colorado seriously looking at one of Nathan Mackinnon, Jonathon Drouin or Alexander Barkov? In 2009 there was talk the Islanders might take Matt Duchene instead of John Tavares, in 2010 it was Taylor vs. Tyler, in 2011 there were rumours the Oilers would trade down and last year it was Nail Yakupov or Ryan Murray.In every case the pr

The Wayne Gretzky of Wayne Gretzky collectors has netted some big bucks in an auction of many of his choicest memorabilia pieces.

EDMONTON - As part of an exclusive luncheon Monday at the Chateau Louis Convention Center, Oilers Season Seat Holders were given an exclusive update on the new Downtown Arena. According to President & COO Patrick LaForge, progress is ongoing an...

A look at which players performed similarly to Bo Horvat in the CHL before being drafted.

The free agent frenzy officially began yesterday with reports the Flyers had signed Mark Streit to a four-year, $21 million contract. The Flyers can't officially announce the signing until they shed some salary, which should happen when they buyout Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov.Briere is an easy buyout. His cap hit is $6.5 million for the next two seasons, but he's only owed $5 million in cash over both years. The Flyers can buy him out for only $3.33 million, while Brzgalov is a much larger hit at $23 million. Despite the massive payment to Bryzgalov you can expect the Flyers to eat that since they desperately need some cap space.Briere will garner a lot of interest, but will Bryzgalov get another NHL deal? I think a lot of teams will give Briere a two-year deal, and if Mike Smith doesn't re-sign in Phoenix I could see Bryzgalov return to the desert.Prior to his entertaining and not overly productive seasons in Philly, Bryzgalov was very good for the Coyotes. His SV% in his four seasons was .921, .906, .920 and .921. Bryzgalov is only 32, and while a KHL team could offer him more money, I suspect he feels he has something to prove in the NHL.If Smith leaves Phoenix and Mikka Kiprusoff officially retires, would the Flames or Coyotes offer him a contract? The Flames are high on Kari Rammo, but would they enter the season with Rammo and Joey Macdonald?QUICK HITS Streit is 35 years old and not a great defender, but he can move the puck and his contract illustrates that free agents will still get paid this summer. I suspect the most sought after guys will still get large contracts, but I'm curious to see if teams can show some restraint/patience and sign lesser-lights to more reasonalbe contracts?   With Teemu Hartikainen signing in the KHL would the Oilers re-sign Ryan Jones? The two sides are expected to talk again next week, but at this point it seems like the Oilers will look elsewhere. The Oilers will be hard-pressed to find a guy who will score 17/18 goals for the same price point as Jones.    Could Jones turn out to be the next Curtis Glencross? Glencross signed for $1.3 million/year for three years while the Oilers failed to sway Marian Hossa to sign in Edmonton. I'm not saying Jones will score 25, but considering the solid 3rd line players the Oilers have let leave Edmonton (or traded away) in the past five years it is a concern.   David Krejci is one of the most underrated passers in the NHL. Watch him closely, his passing skills are incredible.   Solid deal for the LA Kings. They signed Slava Voynov for $25 million over six years. Would you rather have Streit for the next four years at $5.25 or the 23-year-old Voynov. The Voynov and Roman Josi ($28 million over 7 years) could be good comparables for the Oilers and Justin Schultz.   I don't see any reason that Schultz should get much more than Voynov, unless Schultz has a huge season. Voynov's two-way game is better than Schultz's at this point.   The Oilers need at least two significant upgrades on their blueline if they want to compete next year. At this point I wouldn't put Oscar Klefbom in the "significant" category, mainly because it would be a big risk to have two players in your top-four with fewer than 50 combined NHL games.   The Oilers haven't had any luck landing UFA goalies. They've tried to sign Eric Hartzell (signed with Penguins), Antti Raanta (Chicago) and Joacim Eriksson (Vancouver), but couldn't land one. They are looking to sign a #2 and #3 to build some organizational depth. Anton Khudobin, Tukka Rask's backup is unrestricted and he'd be a great fit for the Oilers.   Dallas Eakins wanted to spend last week talking with Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses and decide if they would be part of his staff. I'd be surprised if both were on his staff. He will add an associate coach with NHL experience, and most likely one assis