shadow47 1 Report post Posted July 12, 2007 Who's LOLing at Roloson?...he is great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hemmers 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2007 Who's LOLing at Roloson?...he is great. People forget that last year's Oilers D was a sad, sad place to play. Roloson is also not exactly a young man anymore and when you don't have a backup that can be relied on to shoulder part of the load, you get overplayed. He still managed to put up .909 SV% and a 2.75 GAA. With Garon as a backup, he won't be played nearly as much and the Oilers D is a marked improvement over last year. As for Souray, I think he's a good fit for Edmonton. He's a guy who's not afraid to play physical, and considering that Charlie Huddy is probably the only good coach the Oilers have I imagine his +/- will improve and he will become more responsible defensively. Desperation signing? A little bit, but I do believe the Oilers just got better with Souray on the team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yzerfan1999 81 Report post Posted July 13, 2007 This makes the Pitkanen deal look horrible. Smith and Souray wouldve been good together. Wrong. They would have been horrible together. 2 D-men who aren't particularly strong in there own end? Smith had a TERRIBLE year last year - any deal involving him leaving Edmonton was a good deal. Souray is an offensive defenseman and the Oilers PP just got a huge boost. Congrats to them for finally signing someone. P.S. Why is this a 'desperation signing'? Souray said they had been talking since July 1st. They didnt overpay for him (considering some of the contracts being handed out this offseason), and they already got Pitkanen from the Flyers. If they were looking for a desperation signing they would have gone after a forward..like Lindros or O'Neil. Thats where the Oilers are weak now, up front. I'd rather have Smith. Do you watch Oilers hockey much? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted July 13, 2007 Do you watch Oilers hockey much? More then I'd like to. So Smith had an off year , everyone on there team did. He was great in 05-06 , and I'd take him on the wings anyday , a really tough guy and lots of leadership/expeirence. Pitkanens young and a decent Top 4 guy , but im not sold him on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hemmers 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2007 More then I'd like to. So Smith had an off year , everyone on there team did. He was great in 05-06 , and I'd take him on the wings anyday , a really tough guy and lots of leadership/expeirence. Pitkanens young and a decent Top 4 guy , but im not sold him on. Take it from an Oilers fan who actually knows hockey (unlike the usual 'OMG it's a name I don't know, they must suck!' fan); Smith was in a severe decline. Anyone who has watched this team consistently could see that Smith was only going to get worse from this point on. Sure, he may have recovered a little next year, but I think he's in the twilight of his career. As for Lupul, well, there's no way he was going to hit his potential in Edmonton. Psychologically he was a mess for this team, and so you're trading an unproven young winger with good upside for an unproven young defenceman with great upside. Sanderson cancels out Smith, both are solid players in decline, but I think that Edmonton ended up with the better defenceman. Let's revisit this deal in 3 years (if Pitkanen stays in Edmonton) and see how it looks then. When a player is said to have the same kind of potential upside as some of the greats, it's probably not a bad idea to pick him up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted July 13, 2007 Didn't expect Souray to the Oil. Also didn't expect him to go for under 6m. And regarding Pitkanen...I have wanted to pick him up since before he was drafted. He's the total package, he's already damn good, and he's only going to get better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
