FACING OFF: Madden or Wellwood could be good fits

The Oilers might be a much younger and somewhat grittier team with the deals Steve Tambellini has swung in recent weeks, but he needs to track someone down to play centre.

The Oilers still have problem down the middle with the lack of reliable centremen, especially when it comes to special teams and the third and fourth lines.

Newly acquired Colin Fraser was 47.8 per cent (376 out of 787) on the faceoff circle two seasons ago with Chicago and he is the right pick-up for the Oilers. Fraser does offer a lot of defensive upside, which is why he’s ideal for the team’s second penalty killing unit.

And then there’s obviously Shawn Horcoff who won 53.9 per cent of his faceoffs back in 2008-09, but he slid a bit last season mostly because of a bad shoulder.

Horcoff was 46.4 per cent (621 out of 1337) on the circle and that’s slightly less than Sam Gagner (336 out of 709) and Ryan Potulny (389 out of 820) who were both 47.4 per cent on the dot.

As far as the stats are concerned, the Oilers are in desperate need of a reliable centreman.

And if Tambellini is looking to make another splash this summer, it might not be a bad idea to pick up John Madden to a Mike Comrie-like contract.

The 37-year-old made $2.75 million with the Blackhawks last season, and he could sign to an extremely cheaper contract based on his age.

Adding Madden, who scored 23 points and had a winning faceoff percentage of 53 last season, could also provide some much-needed leadership to a very youthful hockey team.

But if Tambellini is looking long term, there’s also Kyle Wellwood who was a reliable faceoff guy for the Canucks at 53.8 per cent.

The 27-year-old scored 14 goals and 11 assists in 75 games last season, and given his past history with his lack of conditioning, Wellwood could agree to a longer contract somewhere around the $1.5-million mark.

Wellwood is a risk, but he’s an ideal third-line centreman who doesn’t take a lot of dumb penalties.

BY THE WAY…

A team that wins in the NHL must consistently win faceoffs, as far as last season’s stats are concerned.

The West Division-leading San Jose Sharks had the best faceoff team in the league at 55.6 per cent. Boston was second at 52.6, followed by the Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks at 52.4.

The worst faceoff team was the worst team in the NHL last season. The Edmonton Oilers were dead last at 46.4 per cent, followed by the Colorado Avalanche at 47.7, and the Calgary Flames at 48 per cent.

A buyout or two will happen before June 30

Daryl Katz will soon have a lot in common with American TV network NBC. 

The network spent tens of millions in cash — wastefully, I might add — to buyout TV talk show star Conan O’Brien and his Team Coco. Possibly, it was a polite way to replace him with old-school late-night host Jay Leno, but it wasn’t the right move.

Yup, O’Brien got screwed, and Leno is, well, Leno. But good things did happen for Team Coco. O’Brien is hosting a late-night talk show on another network and everyone lived happily ever after.

The story, on the other hand for the Edmonton Oilers, will take a new twist beginning tomorrow for a two-week long drama.

Sometime between tomorrow and June 30, Steve Tambellini could go to Daryl Katz and beg him to sign off three gigantic cheques to buyout a trio of forwards who have been absolutely dismal. That trio is none other than captain Ethan Moreau, Patrick O’Sullivan and Robert Nilsson.

And just like NBC, a big buyout is a waste of money for the Oilers because it was management who agreed to sign Patrick O’Sullivan to $2.95 million, or signing Nilsson to $2 million after being hot for one half of a season. Thank you, Kevin Lowe.

Expect a buyout or two to happen during or after the NHL Entry Draft June 25. Tambo will try to make a trade to dump O’Sullivan or Nilsson at the draft, but that won’t happen.

On the other hand, Toronto might bite on O’Sullivan simply because the Leafs are in dire need of forwards, but that’s a very, very long shot.

OH CAPTAIN, BYE CAPTAIN

Keep in mind, buying out both of those contracts will shave close to $5 million off the cap and odds are Moreau and his $2 million salary will be traded for a third or fourth round draft pick to a contending team that’s desperate for some grit. Now there’s an easy salary dump.

A team like the Boston Bruins might consider taking on a player like Moreau, especially after blowing a three game series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Final.

The Flyers physically dominated the injury-plagued Bruins, and a player like Moreau could have been a difference, especially on the penalty kill. 

And after Boston drafts Taylor Hall (yup, that’s a blog post I’m working on for tomorrow), Moreau would be a great third or fourth line addition in Beantown.

Or there’s the Washington Capitals, a team that was in dire need of leadership in Game 7 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Montreal Canadians.

With the three contracts gone, the Oilers have plenty of cushion room when it comes to next season’s salary cap, so long term, they can afford to keep their young stars by signing them to long-term contracts. That’s if Tambo and Katz are smart about it.

By the way, go Team Coco.

-AR-

Losing Tambo and Lowe answers everything

For those who keep logging on here wondering why I haven’t typed anything on this blog since the first game of the season, I have news for you: Who cares?

The Oilers are bottom-feeders in the NHL, their farm team (the Springfield Falcons) is in the basement, and the farm team’s farm team (the Stockton Thunder) is in second last place in its league.

These are, indeed, bad times in Edmonton.

But the sad thing is many saw this coming. As soon as training camp began, many players were on the payroll with hefty contracts.

There were talks and rumours about players needing to be shaved off the roster even before training camp, but Oilers GM Steve Tambellini opted to keep all of them while adding Mike Comrie for $1 million.

With the amount of payroll, the Oilers should be a first place team on paper or a Stanley Cup contender, but this is a team Kevin Lowe wanted to keep together since 2006 and now the results come with a record of 16-25-5.

To those that look and the glass half full, last place in the NHL is good enough for a lottery pick, but having Taylor Hall playing with bright prospects like Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Anton Lander won’t be a big enough fix for this team.

Once this long and horrific season is said and done, Tambellini will have to work hard in signing coveted restricted free agents like Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano. That won’t be easy since this team is so close to the cap.

And there is someone running a team in Toronto who still has a grudge about how Dustin Penner was taken from the Anaheim Ducks.

Tambellini can’t just get rid of players for cap space simply because no one wants them.

Patrick O’Sullivan, who is really struggling this season, comes with a $2.95 million cap hit. Then there’s Tom Gilbert with his $4 million cap hit, and same thing with Steve Staios at $2.7 million. No GM in the league wants these players with those kinds of contracts.

The team’s blueline alone comes with a $22 million cap hit, and I won’t bother talking about Shawn Horcoff’s contract. That’s like beating a dead horse.

The only thing that’s going to be a solid fix for this team is a major shake up in upper management. Tambellini and Lowe must resign after promising to build a team destined for the playoffs.

But as long as Daryl Katz owns this team, fans can expect to see Lowe for a long time as the team’s president of hockey operations, and the same can be said about Tambellini.

Katz and Lowe are longtime buddies. Their friendship is full of bro-mance, but fans won’t be putting up with it much longer. They will be mad as hell and they won't take it anymore.

Preds interested in Nilsson, Pisani

Something is brewing in Edmonton, or should I say Winnipeg.

As the Oilers only dress a handful of veterans in tonight’s lineup against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Winterpeg, two players could be wearing different colours when the first puck is dropped in the regular season.

The Nashville Predators, which has plenty of cap room, are very interested in players like Robert Nilsson, Fernando Pisani, and, maybe Marc Pouliot for some draft picks.

Word is the Preds are interested in one or two of the mentioned players and the Oilers need to make this kind of deal only because it would give them some breathing room going into the cap, especially if Pisani and Nilsson are dealt.

If the Oilers traded the pair away for one or two draft picks, it could give Oilers GM Steve Tambellini $5 million in breathing room when it comes to swing a deal before the trade deadline.

The move would be an ideal one since both Nilsson and Pisani have each had a less-than-stellar pre-season so far.

Not a smart move by the Oilers, but Hilary Duff could be playing more shows in E-town!

Kevin Lowe and, lately, Steve Tambellini were both always able to swing a deal or two on Trade Deadline Day simply because they both played it safe by giving themselves plenty of wiggle room in salary cap space.

With Mike Comrie now inked, and some other large contracts, the Oilers are now automatic sellers when it comes to this season’s trade deadline.

Picture this: The Oilers are fighting with Nashville, Vancouver, and maybe, say Calgary for a playoff spot and Team X is looking for it’s long term interests as it struggles all season.

Team X has a star forward who can score goals and that player wants out of town to play for a playoff bound team, but he’s a cap hit at $5 million.

While Comrie does come cheap at a cap hit of $1.125 million, the Oilers are now, officially, $800,000 over the $56.8 million salary cap.

Tambellini can’t pull off a deal with Team X even if he axed a player in his roster — something that he must do before Oct. 1.

Scuttlebutt says Robert Nilsson is the player Tambellini is looking to ship out of town, but Nilsson is only a $2 million cap hit. It’s still not enough to make an impact trade during the season.

And forget about Dustin Penner, Penner haters. You can’t ship out a big-sized player from a team that lacks size.

Yes, I’m happy for Comrie. He did a lot of growing up since he parted ways with the City of Champions. It’s nice to see he’s home and the fans will forgive him.

They won’t forgive Tambellini and Lowe, however, because Comrie just adds to a giant mess for the Oilers coaching staff.

Tambellini said it himself after firing Craig MacTavish. He told a packed room of reporters that this team lacks size and grit — a reason why this Comrie deal doesn’t make sense.

Now the Oilers have a bunch of small, 30 to 50-point players (Ales Hemsky, Comrie, Patrick O’Sullivan) and other players who are known for their speed (Gilbert Brule, Rob Schremp, etc.).

To make four solid lines out of what the roster is now would be like digging through a rain forest for Patt Quinn. You won’t have one or two solid checking lines with this team — the Oilers are too small.

With Comrie’s addition, here’s what Pat Quinn might do to:

LINE 1 : Comrie, Horcoff, Hemsky

LINE 2 : O’Sullivan, Gagner, Penner

LINE 3: Moreau, Cogliano, Pisani

LINE 4: Nilsson, Brule, Pouliot

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Schremp, Jacques, Stortini, Eberle, MacIntyre, and many, many more prospect forwards.

Comrie is a good news story for the Oilers after its struggles with the Dany Heatley saga, but fans and hockey pundits are wondering how Comrie will fit in the roster.

Makes you wonder why Tambo inked Comrie in the first place?

Mike Comrie an Oiler again?

The Oilers are too close to the cap, but Oilers Nation blogger Robin Brownlee tonight says Mike Comrie and Steve Tambellini will work out a new contract before Friday at noon.

Stay tuned...

The silence is over, but the questions continue

Dany Heatley has spoken and as expected, his words didn’t move mountains.

The City of Champions was not an option for Heatley because “it was the only option,” he said during a teleconference call today.

Are you scratching your head right now after reading that? Edmonton wasn’t an option because it was the only option? What?

That’s like an airplane pilot opting to sit in his chair and give up, even though pressing the eject button is his only option before it crashes.

“This has nothing to do with Edmonton, this has everything to do with options,” said Heatley who refused to answer why Edmonton wasn’t a good enough fit.

Heatley confirmed Edmonton wasn’t on his list of his preferred teams even though Edmonton was the only team publicly interested in the 50-plus-goal scorer.

“I thought we has some good talks with (Steve Tambellini and Kevin Lowe), but we (Heatley and his two agents) wanted options, said Heatley.

“I needed options in order to make the right decision.”

Heatley says he maintained his silence since news broke about his trade request from Ottawa because he never wanted to make his request public.

(Actually he was told to talk to the media before he laces up at the Hockey Canada Olympic orientation camp in Calgary Monday)

And Heatley says he wanted out of Ottawa because he wants to be an “integral” part of the Ottawa Senators, something he feels has “diminished” since he inked his name to a contract two years ago.

“I regret the way it’s been this summer. It’s been a tough summer. It hasn’t been fair, especially to Edmonton and Ottawa but that’s the way it went,” said Heatley.

No it hasn’t, especially in Edmonton.

Fans here still don’t know why Edmonton is not a destination for superstars. It’s a city where hockey fans have had their hearts broken over and over again every summer.

They’re tired of the Prongers, the Nylanders, and now the Heatleys.

If a player doesn’t want to be in Edmonton, or wants out of Edmonton, he should show some balls and explain why the city isn’t the right place. Or why the team is not the right fit.

That’s all we want to hear. Be honest. Tell us Edmonton is a shithole if that's the reason you don't want to stay or come here.

Cogliano's days are numbered in Edmonton

Andrew Cogliano has the potential to be a future star in this league, but he won't be shining in Edmonton, suggests Oilers Nation blogger Jonathan Willis this week.

It’s a pretty damn good argument about a great draft pick by the Oilers.

Willis says Cogs has a gift when it comes to his offensive skills and speed. Cogs also has some work to do on the defensive side of the game, but he’s still young.

The only thing that is holding Cogliano back from turning into a power player for the Oil, says Willis, is his lousy stats when it comes to face-offs and the centre position is absolutely flooded right now with depth. This is a strong reason why Cogliano isn't a strong fit in Edmonton, suggests Willis.

Willis is very accurate. Shawn Horcoff is going to be around for the next six seasons as Edmonton’s top line or second line centre. And Sam Gagner is going to be a future top line centre within a year or two.

Cogliano, with all of his talent, is not an ideal candidate for a third or fourth line player up the middle.

Putting Cogliano on the right wing position would also cause some challenges for head coach Pat Quinn, but forget about left wing — it’s been reported that Cogs feels too uncomfortable with the position.

And let’s not forget about the other future guys up the middle like Gilbert Brule, Rob Schremp if he actually has a good training camp this season, Marc Pouliot, and Ryan Potulny.

Then there’s Anton Lander who the Oilers picked in the second round during the draft this summer. The Swedish centre played for Tirma in the Swedish Elite League where he scored 10 points in 47 games as a teenager with his younger linemate and fellow Oilers first round pick, Magnus Paarjvi-Svensson.

As Willis suggests, Cogliano is a good player for the Oilers only on a short-term basis, but he’s ideal for trade bait and that’s exactly what Steve Tambellini did by using Cogs to lure Dany Heatley from Ottawa.

It’s too bad for such a player that has such promise in the NHL, but it must happen. Staying in Edmonton would only hinder Cogliano’s development.

The Heatley saga is over, Tambo. Now go and enjoy your summer

Say it ain’t so, Steve.

You say it’s finally over between the Edmonton Oilers, the Ottawa Senators, and disgruntled hockey star Dany Heatley in working out a deal.

But, Steve, why give up now?

You and Kevin Lowe only paid Heatley a visit at his summer home once in Kelowna to convince him to play for the copper and blue. That wasn’t so successful.

Your rich boss paid cash to send someone to his summer home a few weeks later to deliver him a special video package of how great the Oilers really are.

Now all of a sudden you announce your decision to throw in the towel yesterday.

Why not keep trying? Why not send some Edmonton women his way? You know — those women that you see along 118 Avenue.

Your boss has a lot of cash. Why not send a Hummer or a high priced vehicle his way?

Heck. Why not put on a French maid dress and clean up his summer home? That right there would convince him to come to Edmonton.

Give me a break.

Trying to swing a trade for a guy who wants out of his town because he doesn’t like his ice-time is one thing. Trying to play desperate to get him is another.

Meanwhile, the only thing that has been upgraded with this team is your coaching staff and your goaltending situation so far this off-season. Kudos to you on that.

While you were begging, you and your crew lost one of your only two players who was over 50 per cent on the faceoff circle in Kyle Brodziak. Then you lost Ales Kotalik to the Rangers.

The offence really didn’t upgrade, in fact, it's a step backwards. Don't forget, this is the same team that has missed the playoffs three years in a row and it's the same offence that produced little on the faceoff circle, which led to an atrocious powerplay and penalty kill last season.

We also remember that "culture change" speech the day you announced Craig MacTavish was no longer head coach for the copper and blue. What you have done so far this summer isn't much of a culture change when it comes to your offence.

Now, here we are in August — the peak when it comes to the dog days of summer. You more than likely don’t want to be by your phone. You probably want to hang out in your summer cottage somewhere, like everyone else does in the league.

Enjoy your summer, Steve. Relax and take it easy.

After all, your going to need it come October, or later in the year when the Oilers miss another round of playoffs.

You were screwed by Heatley. Now show some balls!

Getting a massive coaching team assembled was a step in the right direction this summer for the Oilers and so was the move to solidify its goaltending situation for at least the next three to five years.

Locking Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year $3 million contract was also a smart move.

But acting desperate to lure a malcontent hockey star all summer long is embarrassing.

Dany Heatley obviously doesn’t want to play here, nor does he want to play with his teammates in Ottawa.

Heatley wants to be with a contending hockey team, a team like the San Jose Sharks where GM Doug Wilson wants to make a major shakeup with his roster.

His mind is set and his silence says it all. Heatley hasn’t gone public about his actions up to this point because he’s scared about pissing off Canadian hockey fans, especially in Alberta.

But Kevin Lowe, Steve Tambellini and company are obviously not good at taking any hints and they should have bruises on their knees with the amount of begging they have done this summer.

Flying to Kelowna to Heatley’s summer home was fine to avoid a looming deadline back in July 1, but to pay someone money to deliver a video package last week to his agent is absolutely absurd.

The video was supposed to show off players like Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner, according to Dan Barnes with the Edmonton Journal last week.

That same DVD is more than likely unopened as it continues to sit on Heatley’s kitchen counter.

He probably hasn’t had time to watch it. He’s too busy riding his motorboat in the Okanagan or he’s too busy shooting hockey pucks into an empty net in his backyard.

They would have been better off sending the 40-plus goal scorer a soother with an Oilers logo on it.

(Sigh.)

Instead of begging, Tambellini should ring him out in front of the press. Show some balls for Pete’s sake.

This player has strung along two NHL teams. He demanded a trade, but he has a list of preferred teams like a six-year-old’s Christmas wish list for Santa.

And guess what? Edmonton is not on his list.

Fans are fed up about the saga, so after trying to please a spoiled rotten NHL superstar, it’s time Tambellini should go to the fans and say “we’re sorry we couldn’t lure Heatley, and here’s why…”

There are other teams out there looking to unload talent because of the salary cap and the economic situation. Why focus on one player this whole time?

Time to move on.

Time to stop the shit from hitting the fan

Things haven’t been brewing that much at all in the Oil Patch and, quite frankly, there’s a bunch of cobwebs still inside the patch ever since Pat Quinn and company were hired. That was a long time ago.

A lot — and I mean a lot — has happened to me personally in the last little while, however.

My wife and I lost our condo to a flood three months ago and we are still trying to get back into it.

I lost my media job, I am contemplating another career path and I feel like shit is really starting to hit the fan in my life. And when I mean shit, I mean elephant shit.

I haven’t been interested in tapping anything on my computer or publishing anything since I was let go from Metro in their last wave of downsizing — it’s been tough.

And just when Steve Tambellini might cheer me up in luring a superstar in Danny Heatley, another selfish player decides the City of Champions is not a destination to play hockey. Same old story over and over again.

Sigh.

I feel like I have just been shit-rolled on Whyte Avenue or kicked in the groin continuously by a group of angry teens.

But now it’s now time to get on my feet and I have just decided to do just that tonight. Maybe this blog will go somewhere or it will take me in a new path? Who knows?

I just hope you read it and maybe telling others about it.

A coaching decision is made and wow, what a deal!

There’s a lot to chew on after today, and there’s a lot of Oiler fans that more than likely feel the same way.

And so it begins.

Hiring Pat Quinn as head coach is a step in the right direction for all the right reasons. The World Junior Hockey Tournament this year proved he can lead a team with young players and he has enough experience to get job done in making sure his veteran players are at the top of their game, no matter what the score is.

Quinn, who began his hockey career during the late 1960s as a junior in Edmonton, demands a sense of respect in the dressing room and he gets it with every team he has coached.

When he calls the shots, the players will listen — something that didn’t happen this season under Craig MacTavish all because players like Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky gave up on him.

There has never been a season where a captain has called so many player-only meetings until now, but with this shocking announcement, that’s now all in the past.

However, with a guy like Quinn, who is desperately wanting to win a Stanley Cup before he retires, he will change a player’s work ethic.

And while Quinn demands respect and enforces work ethic, he will get the help from another great hire — Tom Renney.

Renney is a technical coach, an Xs and Os bench boss who spends a lot of time with his key players to set them straight, just ask Sean Avery this season.

The New York Rangers never should have fired him in the first place, but he’s decided to take up an assistant position with the Oilers for at least a few seasons before Quinn retires. You would have to be a pretty humble guy to do something like that.

Overall, it’s obviously a one-two coaching punch for the Oil, but a big move was promoting Kelly Buchburger as an assistant. Bucky is respected around the league for working with young and talented players.

Charlie Huddy and Bill Moores are out as assistant coaches and that shouldn’t be surprise considering how awful the Oilers were on the powerplay and the penalty kill.

But GM Steve Tambellini has said the two could be offered position within the organization, possibly as scouts.

When it’s all said and done, Tambellini has assembled a massive coaching staff and he’s already proved that he alone calls the shots — not Kevin Lowe.

Now he has to focus on the draft and free-agency, but with the revamped coaching staff, don’t expect to see star players coming to Edmonton in July.

Tambellini told the Oil Patch that it will nearly be status quo on that front, and there will be more details about it in this blog tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Forget Ales, trade Horcoff!

Trade Ales Hemsky? Fuggetaboutit.

Trade Shawn Horcoff, a player set to make an astounding $6.5 million this season? Now you’re talking.

But any owner with a strong business sense would ignore any pitch from Steve Tambellini to ditch the Oilers top-line forward and his big contract.

That is, unless you’re in Tampa Bay where there are two financially-strapped owners dealing with a much larger contract and they need to do it in an awful hurry if they don’t find any more investors.

OK Hockey, led by businessmen Oren Koules and Len Barrie, bought the Lightning back in June for $206 million and $100 million of that cash was backed by the previous owner, Palace Sports Entertainment and Galatioto Sports Partners.

And since the deal, there’s been a lot of talk that things are not going well in the Bay.

For starters, the club, allegedly, began charging its workers to park at the St. Pete Times Forum and 30 employees were let go over a “restructuring process,” reports the Tampa Bay Tribune.

The team also owes at least more than $210,000 in realty taxes over a parking lot that was due since April 1, and the financial problems have created a ton of rumours, especially around the team’s star forward, Vinny Lecavalier.

Lecavalier will make $10 million for the next seven years as part of his $85 million contract extension that will kick in after July 1, complete with a no trade clause.

Now we all heard what Tambellini said about making drastic changes in the dressing room and about holding players accountable as he made his announcement about losing Craig MacTavish as head coach.

Why not make a statement by getting rid of your heart-and-soul player for a superstar, or at least just make an attempt at the NHL Draft? That’s roughly the same time after Tambellini hires a head coach.

Horcoff’s leadership could be an attractive deal in Tampa Bay where leadership is needed in that dressing room, and it could payoff for the forward who could make a difference in a new city. That’s especially after a mediocre season in Edmonton.

Lecavalier, who has been rumoured to arrive in Edmonton before, would add a lot to an offence that hasn’t existed in three seasons.

It’s obvious he would make Hemsky a better player, possibly a superstar.

Let the games begin!

TSN has their prognosticators, but here at the Oil Patch, we have hard-nosed and intellectual rigpigs who’ve devised a list of the top five trade possibilities for the Oilers going into the deadline.

Sources, meanwhile, say GM Steve Tambellini is making some calls there is a chance we could hear about something in terms of a deal by the end of the weekend.

Enjoy the list.


NUMBER FIVE: Marty Reasoner and Boris Valabik from the Atlanta Thrashers.

This trade does seem like small potatoes, but it addresses two key issues with the Edmonton Oilers: face-off productivity and depth on defence.

Coach Craig MacTavish had urged Tambellini and Kevin Lowe to keep Reasoner before the player signed with Atlanta for a $1 million contract last summer.

And there’s a reason why MacT wanted Reasoner, and it shows this season on special teams simply because the Oilers can’t win a face-off. Reasoner was a tough penalty killer and consistent player in the circle.

Valabik is a six-foot-seven gritty and young defenseman on a weak Eastern Conference team. The addition of Valabik would answer the Oilers’ depth issue on the blueline after losing Lubomir Vishnovsky and Denis Grebeshkov to injury.

ASSETS TO GIVE UP: Marc Pouliot, a second round draft pick, and maybe Liam Reddox


NUMBER FOUR: Alex Kovalev from the Montreal Canadians

There’s a train wreck brewing in Montreal and GM Bob Gainey might be busy during the trade deadline because of it.

Not only is he dealing with a public backlash over making Kovalev sit at home for two games, he’s now dealing with a criminal scandal that links Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn and Roman Hamrlik.

With the mess, Gainey could be desperate in shipping out his slumping star forward, and there is some scuttlebutt that Tambellini is interested, says TSN.

Taking Kovalev is a risk, but with Ales Hemsky finding ways to pass him the puck, he might work well in Edmonton.

ASSETS TO GIVE UP: Dustin Penner, or Eric Cole.


NUMBER THREE: Ryan Whitney from the Pittsburg Penguins

The Pittsburg Penguins have a stockpile of defensemen — the Edmonton Oilers, on the other hand, don’t.

Sergei Gonchar is now back on the blueline and the Penguins are out looking to make a deal for some grit to get them back in the hunt.

Don't be surprise if Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero has already called Tambellini a few times in shipping Whitney who happens to be a young and promising blueliner on pace to reach 24 points this season in 49 games.

ASSETS TO GIVE UP: Kyle Brodziak or Marc Pouliot, Steve MacIntyre and a conditional draft pick.


NUMBER TWO: Scott Niedermayer from the Anaheim Ducks

With the economic downturn and the Ducks finally hitting reality with their overpriced talent, it will be sell, sell, sell in Disneyland.

Niedermayer as a rental player will add a potent offence on the blueline that will include a one-two punch with Sheldon Souray. That could be one hell of a powerplay.

Niedermayer’s one-two punch with Oiler nemesis Chris Pronger has turned a little stale as of late. Niedermayer has also struggled offensively in his last seven games all because the team is a mess.

There is no word or info out there that says Niedermayer has a trade clause in his contract, however.

ASSETS TO GIVE UP: The Ducks can have Dustin Penner back and a conditional draft pick or two. If not, they can take Eric Cole and a few draft picks.


NUMBER ONE: Ryan Smyth from the Colorado Avalanche

No, I’m not kidding.

The Colorado Avalanche is another team looking to unload because of the global recession. The problem is GM Francois Giguere has his hands tied because of the clause in Smyth’s contract.

Smyth will choose where he will get traded to and with a different ownership situation in Edmonton now with Daryl Katz as the owner, the City of Champions is suddenly more attractive than when he first left.

Fans saw Smyth when he was traded from Edmonton, especially that infamous teary news conference in the Edmonton International Airport.

It was tough pill to swallow, but with the Oilers on the verge of making the playoffs this season, Smyth might be looking for redemption after helping the Oil in that 2006 playoff run.

And if Tambellini does manage to make a deal, you can guarantee it will have Katz written all over it

The top line will be that much better, especially with Smyth’s skills in front of the net combined with Souray’s slap shot.

ASSETS TO GIVE UP: The Avs can’t take much salary, but they can take Eric Cole or prospect players like Rob Schrempf and/or Robert Nilsson, Marc Pouliot and/or Liam Reddox, along with a first round draft pick.