kliq

Lidstrom was also one of the top 2 d-men of all time. You take that away from any roster and you are going to be f***ed. If you have a good D (ie. not elite D), I do think you can win if you are elite down the middle. See Pittsburgh as an example of that, wasn't Letang out when they won the cup a few years back?

Oh I didn’t say it was smart lol. I really do think they are banking on an injury, or of course there could be a move in the works. Like Kip said above, I could see a Dermott trade.

You don’t have to have a 21 man roster. I’ve seen teams over the years start the season with a 19 or 20 man roster. My guess is that this is what they will do, or they are banking on an injury.

I think they have a bit more as they can still send down Robertson & Sandin. If they do that, then they are looking at around 3.2mil in space. Still tight though. They are probably banking on a injury, and based on probability, they will probably get one.

I've had my moments with Blashill, but you're right. You can only do so much with the rosters he's been given, if he get make us at least competitive this season, Ill be happy. Didnt Yzerman say they were going to play Fabbri at C this season?

Keep in mind everyone, name one season where we didn’t start the year off with at least 1 injury. Someone, or multiple people will be put on IR.

I see what you are saying, but it all about probability. If we have 2 picks in the 4th/5th round, chances are that we go 0 for 2. If we have 6 picks in the 4th/5th round, while we still very well go 0-6, the chances of us going 1 for 6 are significantly better then us going 1 for 2 in scenario one. Its like we are in a raffle and we just got ourselves some more tickets, buy no stretch a sure thing, but our odds went up and sometimes to land your Point/Kucherov or Datsyuk/Zetterberg you need as many tickets as you can get.

Exactly! I think the biggest knock on him is that he’s small. I’d love to be able to give him a shot. I’ll take him over Erne any day on this roster.

You are probably right, but I'm telling you, kid is an amazing skater. Buddy of mine asked him if he figured skated as a kid (based on his technique), and he said he did. I'd like to see him get a shot.

Would anyone here consider us signing Jeremy Bracco? Leafs let him walk, I remember watching him play on the Spits, kid is an amazing skater. He's a bit small, but often these types of players just take a bit of time to develop (think Martin St. Louis/Tyler Johnson). Not saying Bracco has anything near that type of upside, but could it hurt to sign him to a two way deal?

I was actually happy with Holland for the most part post Smith trade. With that said, he was too tied to some of his players. I worry that had he stuck around guys like E, Howard etc. all get 1 year ext. Holland is in a perfect scenario for his skill set, building a contender. Looks like he just got Tyson Barrie at a discount, Oilers fans seem to be pumped right now on the HOF boards.

I mean, if the Oilers sign him to a league minimum 1 year deal, not the worst decision in the world. I loved Jimmy, but it was time for us to part ways with him.

Ya, I meant if they could retain 1.5.

Initially I thought the same thing, but then I saw he has 4 years and 20mil left on his contract. Plus he's 30, not old by any stretch, but in a couple years when we are hopefully good, I could see that contract coming back to haunt us. Now if TB traded him to us for a 7th and at 1.5mil, then I'd be open to it.