Edmonton Oilers

[blayze]

He's a great story but he's a real longshot to keep it up, even if I'd love for him to do so.

What other players enter the league at 25, have never scored above a PPG in the AHL, and dont really have much of a pedigree, but end up making a productive (in a fantasy hockey sense) career for themselves?

Would be interested in any recent (say ... past 15 years) examples of these players.

I just think once bodies start getting shuffled around that he'll cool off considerably.

3 words: M-S-L
Also: Tim Thomas

[doulos]

St Louis is a pretty good example, but he was amazing at the NCAA level, and easily over a PPG at the AHL level as well. Just slow out of the gate in Calgary before they let him walk away. For some reason I had him pegged as younger when he first started with the Flames, but you could be right.

I dunno, maybe Arcobello beats all odds, but that's going to be awfully tough.

[metaldude26]

The more I watch, the more I think he's not given enough credit. Even when the team is recovered from injuries, he will stick. If he exceeds expectations, I could see a Gagner trade.

He's got a no-movement clause. It doesn't kick in until next year but promises were made. If the Oilers are at all concerned with their image they will not break that promise.

[MXHockey]

He's got a no-movement clause. It doesn't kick in until next year but promises were made. If the Oilers are at all concerned with their image they will not break that promise.

Huge long shot for sure that Arcobello over-achieves and they move Gagner. It's a one in a thousand.

I'm not sure about promises like that. If they truly mean it, why not give him the NTC for three years. They left their options open knowing Gagner is an asset they can move in either the first year (unlikely) or the third year of the contract. I believe only year two has a NTC.

[SeaDawg]

He's a great story but he's a real longshot to keep it up, even if I'd love for him to do so.

What other players enter the league at 25, have never scored above a PPG in the AHL, and dont really have much of a pedigree, but end up making a productive (in a fantasy hockey sense) career for themselves?

Would be interested in any recent (say ... past 15 years) examples of these players.

I just think once bodies start getting shuffled around that he'll cool off considerably.

Rich Peverley maybe? He's the best comparable I can think of.

[letnry]

I'm not sure about promises like that. If they truly mean it, why not give him the NTC for three years. They left their options open knowing Gagner is an asset they can move in either the first year (unlikely) or the third year of the contract. I believe only year two has a NTC.

I am unfamiliar with all the details of it, but I think you have to be a certain age, or with a certain amount of NHL experience to be give a NTC. Gagner hasn't hit that mark yet, so was not eligible for a NTC at the beginning of his contract.

[SeaDawg]

letnry is correct...Gagner won't be dealt because even though his NTC doesn't technically kick in right away, the team has given their word they won't trade him, and Edmonton has a hard enough time convincing players to sign with them without starting to go back on their word

[metaldude26]

Huge long shot for sure that Arcobello over-achieves and they move Gagner. It's a one in a thousand.

I'm not sure about promises like that. If they truly mean it, why not give him the NTC for three years. They left their options open knowing Gagner is an asset they can move in either the first year (unlikely) or the third year of the contract. I believe only year two has a NTC.

My understanding is that players are not eligible for no-trade/no-movement clauses until they reach group three unrestricted free agency. Since Gagner was still an RFA this summer with his rights held by the Oilers until at least after this season he wasn't eligible for a NMC until the summer of 2014. This is similar to how Richards and Carter had these clauses in Philadelphia. I don't know whether there were promises made there as well but this has clearly worked out for Richards and Carter so I'm sure something could be figured out to benefit both sides.

I don't know the specifics of Gagner's NMC but I'd bet it's one of those ones where he must provide a list of teams he would go to and then the Oilers move from there. They could conceivably offer him the same option even though his clause hasn't kicked in yet. That would be operating in good faith.

[MXHockey]

My understanding is that players are not eligible for no-trade/no-movement clauses until they reach group three unrestricted free agency. Since Gagner was still an RFA this summer with his rights held by the Oilers until at least after this season he wasn't eligible for a NMC until the summer of 2014. This is similar to how Richards and Carter had these clauses in Philadelphia. I don't know whether there were promises made there as well but this has clearly worked out for Richards and Carter so I'm sure something could be figured out to benefit both sides.

I don't know the specifics of Gagner's NMC but I'd bet it's one of those ones where he must provide a list of teams he would go to and then the Oilers move from there. They could conceivably offer him the same option even though his clause hasn't kicked in yet. That would be operating in good faith.

Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying MD. I agree the team will stick to their end of the bargain.

It's hard enough getting players to come to Edmonton. Broken promises would only make things worse.

[MXHockey]

It's hopeless, just saw the end of the Phoenix game, another game lost in the last half of the 3rd period.

Terrible.

[doulos]

3-4 games lost on horrific goaltending, and where did the team's awesome powerplay go from the past few seasons?

The strange thing is the Oilers are doing a lot of things right, but the things they do wrong they do SO wrong that it kills them.

[MXHockey]

3-4 games lost on horrific goaltending, and where did the team's awesome powerplay go from the past few seasons?

The strange thing is the Oilers are doing a lot of things right, but the things they do wrong they do SO wrong that it kills them.

That fluttering wrist shot from the point for the GWG was so weak.

Mac-T has no choice but to start shopping for a goalie, he's given both of those guys enough of a chance. We're already 12 games deep into the season. Do you give this tandem a quarter season? I don't know.


Cheers.

[metaldude26]

It gets better, right?

I never thought I'd find myself missing the days in the late 90's when the boys would grind out 8th or 9th place finishes. At least they had something to play for come spring. This is just sad.

[doulos]

They are pretty much out of the playoffs. I'll watch the games when I can but when I don't even really care about the outcome after 10 games into the season you know it's a new low.

The nice thing is I don't expect anything other than failure now so when the day comes that they are competitive again I'll really be excited about it.

Now I watch individual players (Nugent-Hopkins in particular is just a special player) and still hope they win, but I'm mostly emotional detached from the outcomes.

I literally have no idea what the team needs to do to get better either (though every non-Oiler fan thinks they have all the answers of course), so any move that gets made should be interesting from this point forward. The only person I wouldn't want the team to trade is Nugent-Hopkins, but beyond that, they could move Eberle, Hall, and Yakupov and I would be totally okay with it,

[MXHockey]

Richard Bachman getting the start tonight in LA.

Wow, boom!

Apparent ankle injury for Dubnyk.