Magnus Paajarvi

[donions]

The Oilers will pick Hall 100%. Don't sweat it Oil fans

I always think that after hearing Oil management/scout interviews..but then some dumb article will pop-up in the newspaper or online telling me otherwise. I wont rest easy til the draft!

[elTIGREblanc]

I always think that after hearing Oil management/scout interviews..but then some dumb article will pop-up in the newspaper or online telling me otherwise. I wont rest easy til the draft!

That's how TSN / media capture our interest so that we actually watch the Draft. I hate that I fall for the trap too...

However all I hear is Oil fans complaining about their lack of centreman and there is the next Mike Modano available in the draft right now?! Hall may be the next Kovalchuk, but to win Stanley Cups you need an elite center.

Edm should take Seguin if they want to win a playoff series down the road.

Edm should take Hall if they want to win fans and sell tickets right now.

[Big Ev]

That's how TSN / media capture our interest so that we actually watch the Draft. I hate that I fall for the trap too...

However all I hear is Oil fans complaining about their lack of centreman and there is the next Mike Modano available in the draft right now?! Hall may be the next Kovalchuk, but to win Stanley Cups you need an elite center.

Edm should take Seguin if they want to win a playoff series down the road.

Edm should take Hall if they want to win fans and sell tickets right now.

Hall can play centre, and if you read the ramblings a week or two ago, Angus compared Hall to Modano.

[doulos]

I always think that after hearing Oil management/scout interviews..but then some dumb article will pop-up in the newspaper or online telling me otherwise. I wont rest easy til the draft!

I'm in the same boat. I think Seguin will be a fine pick as well, but Hall seems to be the obvious choice and I worry that Oilers management is overthinking things (a radical word choice, connecting thinking with the term 'Oilers management')

[Dean Youngblood]

That's how TSN / media capture our interest so that we actually watch the Draft. I hate that I fall for the trap too...

However all I hear is Oil fans complaining about their lack of centreman and there is the next Mike Modano available in the draft right now?! Hall may be the next Kovalchuk, but to win Stanley Cups you need an elite center.

Edm should take Seguin if they want to win a playoff series down the road.

Edm should take Hall if they want to win fans and sell tickets right now.

This doesnt make much sense to me.

- Hall is definitely NOT the next kovalchuk, way different players
- Positions don't determine stanley cups (C vs wingers is non-sense)
- Edmonton needs to take Hall. Seguin seems to only top the CSS Draft Rankings. Everyother Ranking/Mock Draft (real or fantasy) I have seen Hall @ #1. That is where he will be drafted.

If Daryl Sutter was drafting in the 1 slot, I wouldn't be confident saying that Hall will go first overall but I hope Edmonton uses more of their common sense than Sutter does.

[elTIGREblanc]

This doesnt make much sense to me.

- Hall is definitely NOT the next kovalchuk, way different players
- Positions don't determine stanley cups (C vs wingers is non-sense)
- Edmonton needs to take Hall. Seguin seems to only top the CSS Draft Rankings. Everyother Ranking/Mock Draft (real or fantasy) I have seen Hall @ #1. That is where he will be drafted.

My Hall to Kovy comparision may be off in terms of style, I was trying to point out the effect he may have on a game.

Historically, every recent Stanley Cup champion has 2 or 3 elite centermen with leadership on the roster (Detroit, Pitt, Carolina, Tampa Bay...) or has 1 good centerman and Chris Pronger on defense and a hot goalie.

Wingers are nice to have but when is the last winger that said, "hey boys, jump on my back I'm taking you to the Stanley Cup!" Here is a good search to do... when was the last time a winger was captain of his team and won a Stanley Cup?

Why are centerman their team's leader more so than wingers I can only guess, perhaps centermen have more responsibility on the ice as to have to win faceoffs and be the first man back and this added responsibility makes leadership in this position more effective. Wingers are there to finish off the passes from their centerman...

So it seems to me that if you are an organization with lots of good wingers and no centerman, no Hall of Fame defenseman and no hof goalie and free agents dont want to play in your town, then you need to stock up on centerman in the draft.

And really, I wouldn't you like to see a kid line in EDM of MPS, Seguin and Eberle?!

Hall, Osullivan/Gagner/Cogliano/Stone and Eberle doesnt have the same ring to it...

[donions]

My Hall to Kovy comparision may be off in terms of style, I was trying to point out the effect he may have on a game.

Historically, every recent Stanley Cup champion has 2 or 3 elite centermen with leadership on the roster (Detroit, Pitt, Carolina, Tampa Bay...) or has 1 good centerman and Chris Pronger on defense and a hot goalie.

Wingers are nice to have but when is the last winger that said, "hey boys, jump on my back I'm taking you to the Stanley Cup!" Here is a good search to do... when was the last time a winger was captain of his team and won a Stanley Cup?

Why are centerman their team's leader more so than wingers I can only guess, perhaps centermen have more responsibility on the ice as to have to win faceoffs and be the first man back and this added responsibility makes leadership in this position more effective. Wingers are there to finish off the passes from their centerman...

So it seems to me that if you are an organization with lots of good wingers and no centerman, no Hall of Fame defenseman and no hof goalie and free agents dont want to play in your town, then you need to stock up on centerman in the draft.

And really, I wouldn't you like to see a kid line in EDM of MPS, Seguin and Eberle?!

Hall, Osullivan/Gagner/Cogliano/Stone and Eberle doesnt have the same ring to it...

You have a good point....BUT i still want Hall. Gagner, Brule and Horcoff will be the teams centreman for the next few years if they take Hall. Im okay with that trio. 2 former top 6 picks that are still developing, and a responsible 2way center in Horcoff.
Gagner has future captain potential; I'd never compare him to some of the star C's that have led there teams to cups(Staal, Sid, Datsyuk, Toews/Richards etc...), but he's only 21 and still has 1st line potential.
Hall has played C before in junior and I'm sure the Oil would experiment; tho I'd prefer him at wing.

I absolutely hate the idea of drafting to fit your teams needs. This isnt the NFL where you draft 21 year olds; where if you need a lineman you take him, even if there's a running back that's a far better player. I say take the best player available! Obviously like most I havent seen much of Seguin, but I've seen a lot of Hall and he never dissapoints. Most of the professional opinions I've heard also endorse Hall as the better player.

And to answer your question, I think Dave Andreychuk was the last winger to captain his team to a cup. In 04 he captained Tampa. Tho that team just proves your point further considering Lecav and Richards were the stars.



Note: This is a crazy thread! I like it.

[Sovereign]

Yes, the Oilers are in a very funny situation with all their forwards. I'm betting Hemsky, Horcoff and Gagner are back. Don't think there's much doubt there.

Jordan Eberle will also make the team. If not this year, when?

That leaves Penner, Brule, O'Sullivan, Cogliano, Comrie, Nilsson, and possibly Paajarvi and Hall/Seguin to round out the top six.

The Oilers are the Oilers, so my guess is that they will run three scoring lines (like the Sabres did during their President's trophy year in 2007) and then have a fourth checking line.

Still, the list above shows 12 possible players for a scoring role, with only nine positions available at the most.

I'm wondering if this is how it might shake out:

Penner - Horcoff - Hemsky
Hall - Gagner - O'Sullivan
Paajarvi - Brule - Eberle

This would mean Nilsson, Comrie and Cogliano would be gone, which might be for the best. None of them were very consistent this past year (or have been over their careers).

MPS is making the Oilers. After last year they need to motivate thier fanbase. And no better way than to have 3 young stars emerge in one year.

I think something like this

Paajarvi - Horcoff - Hemsky
Hall - Gagner - Eberle
Penner- Brule -O'Sullivan

This way there is a little size and skill on each line, and players keep their natural positions.
Nobody is huge except for Penner So they may slide Hall or Eberle in the middle to get him on the linge and bump Gagner, but unless training camp shows other tandems with better chemistry Hall/Eberle will be kept together.

[doulos]

Iginla...Langenbrunner...Zetterberg (did he play wing 2 years ago when he was Conn Smythe winner?) Wingers can also be massive players in the playoffs,

Draft the best player and avoid overthinking. If the scouts think the best player is Hall then draft him, if Seguin then him.

[Princeton]

Historically, every recent Stanley Cup champion has 2 or 3 elite centerman with leadership on the roster (Detroit, Pitt, Carolina, Tampa Bay...) or has 1 good centerman and Chris Pronger on defense and a hot goalie.

I agree. Build up the middle. If Hall was much more dominant than Seguin then you have to choose him but that isn't the case. They are neck and neck. Hall has had way more exposure because of the Mem Cup runs and the World Juniors but when you dig a bit deeper, it is a toss-up.

Edmonton NEEDS Boston to trade with them so they (save face) can get Seguin and a little something extra. Maybe a defenceman.

[donions]

I want Johnny Boychuk! Oil need some bruisers on the blueline, and hes an Albertan boy that grew up cheering for the Oil, and he's an impending RFA.

If it is Seguin they truly want, they should be able to swap the 1st overall to Boston for a decent return.

[ccsitdown]

Might have some MPS news here, maybe not. According to the eliteprospects Timra page, MPS is no longer on the roster and is listed on their transfer page as being in Edmonton. For source, they link to this article:

http://st.nu/sport/timraik/1.2048077...r-nhl-kontrakt

I was hoping that someone might be able to read this and confirm/inform. Sentium, perhaps? Would be much appreciated.

[Dakkster]

Might have some MPS news here, maybe not. According to the eliteprospects Timra page, MPS is no longer on the roster and is listed on their transfer page as being in Edmonton. For source, they link to this article:

http://st.nu/sport/timraik/1.2048077...r-nhl-kontrakt

I was hoping that someone might be able to read this and confirm/inform. Sentium, perhaps? Would be much appreciated.

That article was published on May 24th, so keep that in mind.

The article writer asks Magnus about how Worlds was supposed to be a confirmation/proof that he's ready for the NHL, if he got that confirmation. Magnus replies:

"This was fairly solid confirmation. But I need to weigh everything together and I guess I will be sitting down with mom and dad this week to talk things over and make a decision. But the WC has definitely made the plan stronger, absolutely."

Then the article writer goes on, saying that Magnus' dad (and agent) was in Germany for the bronze game and that everything Edmonton would be taken care of after the tournament. Negotiations hadn't even started when the article was published, but things were leaning in one single direction. Dad says:

"If Edmonton has seen LG Hockey Games and the WC as some form of last confirmation, then they have that now. Looking at things that way, Magnus is going to Edmonton."

He can't say anything 100% but right now it looks like it's no use for Timra IK to count on MPS being on the roster next season. Dad goes on:

"Edmonton will most likely present a contract proposal before May is over and if they want him to come over to North America, he will head over."

[Shoeless]

Damn I was hoping for another development year for him - looking unlikely that is going to happen. Sigh - Plan B.

[Princeton]

Damn I was hoping for another development year for him - looking unlikely that is going to happen. Sigh - Plan B.

I'm always confused by this. Why? Is it because you need to drop a player for him?

The Oilers forum had the same sentiment as you before the WC. Maybe they still do. They seem to want Eberle in the lineup no matter what, but they don't want MPS there for 1 more year.

I only see this as good news.