With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, this week we'll take a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Edmonton Oilers have slipped into our hot seat on Tuesday.
With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, this week we'll take a look at the situations with each of the seven Canadian clubs. The Edmonton Oilers have slipped into our hot seat on Tuesday.
The Situation: The Oilers haven't been in the playoffs since they lost Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2005-06 Stanley Cup final and they will miss the post-season for the sixth consecutive year ... Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini and head coach Tom Renney hoped that their young club would at least improve enough this season to play some meaningful games at his time of the year. But injuries to a thin blue-line hurt Edmonton's chances ... Now that the Oilers are healthy again, they have played much better. They have gone 5-2-1 in their past eight outings ... The Oilers have been in contract talks with pending unrestricted free agent Ales Hemsky. He has been the most often mentioned Edmonton player to be on the move in exchange for blue-line help. But how much will the right wing fetch with only four goals in 42 games? (Editor's note: Hemsky was signed to a two-year deal on Feb. 24) ... Tambellini has taken a wait-and-see approach with Hemsky ... The Oilers GM also has confirmed that Ryan Smyth will stay put and said that he hopes to keep Sam Gagner as part of Edmonton's future .. Tambellini also expects to field calls on goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.
Playoff hopes: 14th in the West, 14 points behind eighth-place Phoenix. The Oilers appear destined for another lottery pick, but at 49 points with 27 games left, can they better the 62 points they have put up the past two seasons?
Schedule: 27 games remaining (15 home, 12 road)
At Home: Toronto, Colorado, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Dallas, Montreal, San Jose, Columbus, Calgary, Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, Anaheim.
On the Road: Calgary, Winnipeg, Anaheim, San Jose, Colorado, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Columbus, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Vancouver.
Restricted free agents: Sam Gagner, Cam Barker, Theo Peckham, Jeff Petry, Devan Dubnyk.
Unrestricted free agents: Ryan Smyth, Lennart Petrell, Darcy Hordichuk.
No-trade clauses: Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Whitney.
Cap space: $16.7 million US
On the farm: There are those who have seen time in the NHL, like Josh Green, Teemu Hartikainen, Ryan O'Marra, Alex Plante, Taylor Chorney, Linus Omark and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, and then there is Ryan Keller. The Oilers don't need forwards, but the 28-year-old Keller deserves a look. The right wing from Saskatoon leads the Oilers farm team in scoring and helped the Binghamton Senators win the Calder Cup last spring.
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The Edmonton Oilers could use some blue-line help and with a plethora of forwards, like Ales Hemsky, left, and Sam Gagner, GM Steve Tambellini has some options on trade deadline day. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
