This current road trip and to date the Oilers season has a lot of fans worried. Expectations were that Edmonton would at least be competing for a playoff spot and playing meaningful games in April and May. The way the season has progressed has the appearance that may not happen -- yet again.

Fans and media suggest the Oilers aren't gritty enough, don't have the will and desire, lack experience, are too young, need a better blue-line... you name it and people have suggested these are the problems. All of them may be right.

An area Edmonton wasn't supposed to be lacking in was skill and goal scoring, but they've struggled their too and failed to get shots on the opposing goalies net. Not a good sign.

So, how does GM Steve Tambellini improve this club now, but not panic in the process. Should Tambellini look to make trades, I'm sure many a General Manager would take his calls, but they'd all be asking for the same returns. Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, RNH, Justin Schultz and Klefbom, are likely not going anywhere.

The reality is, Edmonton's best players are young. They're extremely skilled, but they lack the experience and ability on many nights to compete with talent at a level of their opposition in the NHL. They may be able to keep up in terms of pure skill; but get pushed around, out-chanced and often outplayed a lot of the time. That's going to happen with a team this young. A team who's highest on-ice time players are all under 23 years old.

The real problem is that these skilled players need a mix of veteran talent to play with. To have RNH, Eberle and Hall on the ice together consistently looks great on paper, but in reality can be a dangerous game defensively. The Oilers veterans are older, coming to the end of their careers and play on the bottom-six lines where they might have a good shift or two, but don't help the young guys when they make mistakes.

That is the downside to consistently drafting in the top three spots in the draft. You can't not play the kids, but the kids aren't always ready.

Here's a few cast members that could play with these young guys and may be available in the NHL right now.

Ryane Clowe 

Clowe is a bonafide top six forward. He plays big, he can score and he's on a team right now rumored to be heavily involved in the trade market.

Some people may see this and say, "no way, the Sharks won't trade Clowe". But the Sharks do make big trades including Heatley for Havlat, Burns for Setoguchi and so forth. They aren't afraid to make a trade, even if it means they lose it long-term.

Clowe for Hemsky plus a pick? Clowe is a free agent at the end of the season, so that makes his value a bit lower and also a slight risk for Edmonton. Clowe has had a bad year offensively with only six assists and no goals in twenty games, but he's consistently a close to or over twenty goal fifty point player. He's the type of grit Edmonton needs and a change of scenery could be good for him.

Imagine Clowe out there with Yakupov (who would get to move back to RW) and Gagner? That could be a pretty good combination of grit, skill and determination.

John-Michael Liles

He's an experience d-man and just isn't getting the time in Toronto who may look to move him for an asset. I don't think the return would need to be significant and Edmonton shouldn't be looking to collect more draft picks, but move some of what they have for help that can improve this team right now.

Liles has one goal and five assists in fifteen games with the Leafs and he's locked in at a decent and not damaging contract for three more seasons after this one at $3.875 million. By today's NHL standards that's a going rate for a 3rd or 4th pairing guy.

The trick is making sure that Liles is a 3rd or 4th pairing blue-liner and an upgrade over Ryan Whitney who is on his last year at $4 million per.

Paul Stastny

He's a big cap hit and having somewhat of a down year, but he's a perfect second to first line center that can exchange ice time with a player like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If RNH is hurting or struggling the two can be interchanged easily to keep good skill on both lines.

Stastny has been rumored to be on the market - although I doubt there is a ton a validity to that - and with Colorado now having to pay Ryan O'Reilly big bucks on a matched offer sheet, could be on the move if the Avs can pick up a couple assets in return.

I'm not an advocate of moving Sam Gagner as I believe he's finally coming into his own in the NHL, but if you're going to, and the Oilers always seem to be rumored to, Edmonton needs to maintain a strong one-two punch and a bonafide center coming back is an absolute must.

Wayne Simmonds

I know, I know... I wouldn't move him either, but the Flyers may not have a choice. Their cap situation is going to cause them huge problems in the next couple of years. I would have said Jakub Voracek would have been the obvious move, but not after the year he's putting together. I don't see Voracek getting traded and the Flyers can't move Hartnell or Briere without their ok.

Yes, Gagne, Fedotenko and Jody Shelley come off the books, but that's not going to do much to help the Flyers long term who may be close to or over the new cap that kicks in next season. Simmonds has a new contract worth almost $4 million per starting next season and The Flyers could use picks, Edmonton can spare them. Would a package of Paajarvi, Marincin, 1st round pick and conditional 3rd rounder could get it done?

Edmonton could move an Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth to clear space to another team or on waivers (in Smyth's case) to make room for another right winger and I would do that if I'm the Oilers GM to get a guy like Simmonds who has skill and plays with the grit Edmonton is missing.

These guys are hard to get from other teams and despite the Flyers cap trouble, won't let him leave without a good to great return. He's young enough and locked up long term too so any team receiving him knows what they're getting for a long time.

If I had my wish, Edmonton's team would look something like:

Hall / Eberle / RNH
Clowe/Yakupov/Gagner
Jones/Paajarvi/Horcoff
Hartikannen/Brown/Belanger

J. Schultz / N. Schultz
Petry/Smid
Liles/Fistric

Roman Hamrlik was placed on waivers today by the Washington Capitals. A healthy scratch more than not this season, Hamrlik has played in only four games, has one assist and is a plus-minus -1.

Hamrlik is no stranger to the Oilers, having played here three seasons starting in '97 and was a respectable blue-liner for the club. That said he's 38 now and definitely on the down-side of his career. He's also been the topic of some off-ice news when he made public comments about the NHLPA and wanting to get back to playing while the players were sitting out. He may have been a bit of an outsider on his own team thanks to those comments.

Should Edmonton consider Hamrlik as an option? He is in the final year of a $3.5 million dollar per year contract. Pro-rated over the next couple months, it's a small price to pay doesn't really hurt the Oilers cap and while older, might be an improvement over a Cory Potter or Theo Peckham.

The question is, is Hamrlik a better option than Ryan Whitney?

It appears as though Whitney is being shopped by Edmonton. If so, he might only get the Oilers a 3rd round pick. So essentially, one would be trading Whitney for a 3rd, Hamrlik and a bit of cap space. The age difference is a factor, but apparently so is Whitney's ability to keep up with the speed of today's NHL and the requests being made by current Oilers coaching staff.

Or, do you demote a Theo Peckham and keep Whitney if you choose to, adding Hamrlik to your defence corp which would the consist of N. Schultz, J. Schultz, Smid, Petry, Potter and Fistric? Potter and Fistric are both out of the line-up with injuries.

Hamrlik is a bit long in the tooth, but could be a stability that Edmonton needs while not sure what to do with Whitney and nursing a few injuries. He's a big body, not easily pushed around and on the short-term, which his contract is, couldn't be worse than a Cam Barker or Kurtis Foster, which the Oilers have unsuccessfully tried to implement into their roster.

His ticket may scare a few teams off, but who knows. Hamrlik might be worth one last look.

It was pretty obvious that Edmonton was lacking heart in their losses to St. Louis and Minnesota. Only four times in franchise history did the Oilers fail to register a shot on net in a period of play. Sundays loss to the Wild made for five.

For most teams, when they lack that level of compete, teams call upon that one player who will make an attempt to jump start play with a big hit, a fight or a gritty shift. Edmonton didn't have that player, so they took steps to rectify the situation.

Enter Mike Brown, a character player for the Leafs who was on the wrong end of a numbers game. Toronto had an over abundance of tough guys, so Brown, who is third in the NHL in penalty minutes and not shy about dropping the mitts with anyone, became an Oiler for a conditional fourth round draft pick.

Leafs fans and players took to Twitter with a myriad of emotion. From disappointment that Brown was leaving to well wishes, it was clear the Leafs thought they were losing someone truly meaningful to their team. This is the type of player Edmonton needs and according to manager Steve Tambellini, someone Edmonton has had their eye on for a while.

Brown coming in creates a few questions on the current Oilers roster. Who goes down to make room for the grit? Paajarvi has had strong performances despite being a healthy scratch. His numbers and eligibility to go down to Oklahoma make him the odds on favorite. Petrell has had a rough go and while he's useful on the penalty kill, Brown is known widely for his ability to not only fight, but be reliable when a man down.

The question becomes, how willing will coach Ralph Krueger be to play him? Krueger has been reluctant to play toughness for the sake of playing a tough guy. Thankfully, and for Brown sake who has been a scratch in some of Toronto's games, Krueger was more upset in the Oilers last contest than at any other time in the season.

This may be the opportunity Mike Brown needs to make an impact and impact is exactly why Edmonton wanted him in the first place.

Going In

Tonight at 6pm, the Oilers take on the Wild in what will be deemed a must win. Really, isn't every game on this road trip a must win? Perhaps not, but while the Oilers sit outside the cut-line looking in, all of these games are of critical importance if Edmonton wants not to slip too far away from recovery. The Oilers have three of a possible six points on this road trip. Five of eight is much much better than three of eight points.

Who's In and Who's Out?

Taylor Hall will not play. As Krueger explains it, "Taylor's still feeling a strain in his leg that we want to err on the cautious side of with this type of injury. It's day-to-day where we expect him back really soon."

As a result, the top lines for Edmonton will see the Nuge with Hemsky and Yakupov, while Gagner will centre Eberle and Paajarvi. Paajarvi is rested and looking to get into a more offensive role with Edmonton. I see him having a big game and being a force with his speed all night.

Potter and Fistric still look to be out so Ryan Whitney will get a chance to reprise his strong performance against St. Louis and for a regular top minutes man in Nick Schultz, this will be the first time the Oilers assistant captain returns to Minnesota to play his former team. He's looking forward to it. Schultz spent ten years with the Wild and still leads them in all times games played.

Dubnyk will get the start as will Backstrom for the Wild. If Edmonton hopes to beat Minnesota, they're going to need to get more shots to the net. Their display against St. Louis was a big step down from their road win in Dallas and the Oilers will need to return to that type of play to have any success against a team that traditionally has Edmonton's number. Minnesota is 6-3-1 in their last ten, so they host the Oil as the hotter of the two teams.

Big Game Players

I have my eyes on three Oilers tonight.

First is Jordan Eberle. He's been quiet in the last few and hasn't had much chemistry with his usual mates. He needs a jump-start and perhaps moving down a line and playing with Gagner and Paajarvi might be good for him. He needs to shoot more and not every play needs to be a TSN highlight of the night. If he can keep himself playing a simple game, he should have a good outing.

As mentioned before, I see Paajarvi playing well. He'll get good linemates five-on-five and play some short-handed minutes.

I also see Yakupov trying to do the most with his first line time promotion. He wants to shoot and if he's playing with Hemsky and Nugent-Hopkins, two pass first type players, he's likely got the green light to shoot and shoot often.

On Deck

If Edmonton can come out of Minnesota with a win, they get the Blue Jackets next in a game they should win. Most people didn't give the Oilers a chance to make nine or ten points on this nine-game road trip. If they can get two tonight, that gives them seven. A win against Columbus would put them at nine and make the rest of the road trip points that should move them up the standings.

The Oilers won a hard fought contest against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. For the team, it was a coming out of sorts in 5-on-5 play -- an area the Oilers were awful and dead last in the NHL.

In the first 18 games of the season, the Oilers had something like sixteen 5-on-5 goals. In the last two games - Dallas and St. Louis, the Oilers have six 5-on-5 goals in four periods. A welcome change.

Yet, in the process of increasing production at even-strength, the Oilers power play, 6th in the league as of last nights game versus St. Louis, has been dreadful. Edmonton had three two-man advantage opportunities in Dallas and failed to score on any of them. They went zero for three on the power play in St. Louis as well.

With a team so loaded in skill, the power play, especially when two players up should be an area almost guaranteed a goal for the club. That is, unless you put the wrong people on the ice.

Nail Yakupov, Edmonton's number one draft pick and super-rookie, has excelled on the man-advantage. Of his six goals, four have been on the power play; but in the last couple games, Yakupov has seen very little time when a man up.

Not too many can or should argue with Ralph Krueger's stance of moving Yakupov up and down the line-up, switching him back and forth between the second and fourth lines throughout his short career as an NHL'er. However, it's shocking to see a player with such offensive talent, and one willing to shoot the puck, sitting when the Oilers aren't in a defensive situation that could see the opposition come back and either tie or win a game against Edmonton.

In Dallas, the Oilers were up by three and four goals, yet Yakupov was on the bench. If the Oilers got the set-up they wanted, the team appeared to settle for passing the puck, getting very little going. However, the culprits stayed on the ice for most of the 5 on 3 time and Yakupov, who when given a chance just a bit later, hit the post on a shot which eventually led to an Ales Hemsky goal, had to ride it out.

I'm wondering, why is Yakupov not being given a chance?

Yakupov has been prone to some untimely turn-overs. Rookie mistakes come with the territory, but when 5 on 5 and in a shortened season, mistakes like these are not the kind of plays a coach wants or likes to see. To Yakupov's credit, he has busted his butt to get back in the play when he makes a mistake, but Krueger must feel it's a risk he's not willing to take.

This may be a situation where the coach feels it's necessary to teach the rookie a lesson. That defensive smarts will get him offensive opportunities. If that's what's happening here, I understand the rationale, but as a fan, I can't stand not seeing the best offensive players on the ice when a real opportunity for the Oilers presents itself to score a goal.

All that said, Yakupov has a great amount of respect and liking for his coach. In an article with Andrey Osadchenko, Nail Yakupov covered a lot of topics some of which revolved around his power-play time and his coach.

"Besides, we have got an excellent coach. He's great not only as a coach but on a personal level too. I have never met a coach like him. He's always there for us. You want to go out there and win games just because of him."  says Yakupov. 

Here's to hoping with the change in limited ice-time and less power play opportunities, Krueger continues to keep a good relationship with his team including Yakupov. I believe Yakupov to be a true talent, but an interesting personality -- one that could quickly change the way it feels about any given situation.

From one extreme to another.

The Edmonton Oilers played a wonderful road game against the Dallas Stars to snap a very long and glaring losing streak on Thursday; only to come back and be embarrassed by the Blues on Friday.

Needing two points, that could have moved the Oilers back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Oilers fell flat, were outplayed and simply didn't show up ready to play. Perhaps it was the score at the end of the first when the Oilers led 2-0 on goals by Taylor Hall and the re-inserted Ryan Whitney that made Edmonton believe things were on their way to sunnier days, but the Oilers were lucky to have that lead and didn't realize it.

St. Louis was the tougher team, the faster team and the play was heavily in the Oilers zone for all sixty minutes of play. The Oilers powerplay was again woeful and the penalty kill couldn't save them as St. Louis capitalized on their chances.

So, the Oilers sit 12th in the West and on the outside looking in. Worse, yet, Taylor Hall went down to injury in the second period with what the team is calling a leg concern that they want to watch for precautionary reasons. They expect him to be back in the line-up Sunday against Minnesota, but things didn't sound too concrete after their match-up against the Blues.

Taylor Hall blocked a shot with his arm and then not a couple plays later, went awkwardly into the end boards after losing his balance. Whether Edmonton knew the game was out of reach of just felt Hall's injury too much to chance, Edmonton's most effective forward left and didn't return to the game.

---

The sky isn't falling however. The Oilers have 3 of a possible 5 points already earned on this road trip. They've earned these points in games few expected them to walk away with anything and as a result, while not in the playoff spot, they sit only two points out and four points away from division leaders Vancouver for third in the West. Vancouver just so happens to be on a bit of a skid, having lost two in a row and set to take on the red-hot Kings tonight on CBC.

The Oilers will face the Wild on Sunday in a game they need to win. If Edmonton doesn't leave this season-long nine game road trip with at least ten or eleven points, the shortened season may be too little too late for the Oilers to salvage.

Well the Oilers have done something that since Chris Pronger, they haven't been successfully able to do -- that is sign a potential superstar player to a long-term deal to play in Edmonton. Granted Taylor Hall may yet be a superstar, but the arrows are pointed in the right direction with this young man.  The Oilers realize the ceiling for Hall versus what he's shown to date (which is fairly spectacular) is a "skies the limit scenario" and have attached $6 million per and seven years to Taylor Hall starting the season after this next.

Most fans in Edmonton are happy. Based on comparable contracts, Hall's isn't out of whack. Term is fair, price is fair, and while injuries may be a slight concern, there is plenty of space for Hall to outplay his dollar value and his attitude and pedigree suggests he'll do just that.

This does pose some interesting questions going forward for a young team with more than just a Taylor Hall who will be looking at similar contracts.

Jordan Eberle is next on the docket and there is no reason to suggest he sees much less money than Hall did. That's $12 million per season in two forwards. Expect that Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov might be in the same range, and $24 million per season goes out the window fairly quickly. It's a pretty potent offensive core on the team for many years, but in net and on the blue, the Oilers will have to figure out where to allocate the other $30 million or so available should the cap drop to $54 or $58 million after the new CBA.

The question becomes, is it possible? Should the Oilers use Taylor Hall as a baseline for what to expect with the other stud young players on this team, how many times can Edmonton hand out these types of contracts before running into a problem?

The answer is, it all depends on the new CBA. There shouldn't be a problem if the cap starts at $55 and goes up each year. Should it not, the Oilers will have issues.

Let's look at what could happen (we're going to make some general assumptions to keep things simple).

At forward (the core):

Taylor Hall - $6 mill
Jordan Eberle - $6 mill
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - $6 mill
Nail Yakupov - $6 mill

Total: $24 million

On the blue (the core):

If we assume that Justin Schultz is everything he sounds like he could be, $5-$6 million per might not be a stretch after his first two seasons. Petry could round into shape as a legit top four and Smid could be that stud stay-at-home d-man every team needs. Klefbom is a wild-card, but we're predicting two-seasons from now, so we'll aim on the side of glass is half full thinking.

Justin Schultz - $6 million
Jeff Petry - $5 million
Ladi Smid - $4 million
Oscar Klefbom - $4 million

Total: $18 million

In Goal:

If all goes well and Devan Dubnyk does become the starter Edmonton is banking on, he'll likely receive a $5 million multi-year deal. A notable back-up should be available for $2 million a season or less.

Dubnyk - $5 million
Backup: $2 million

Total: $7 million

So far, that's $49 million tied up out of a potential and estimated $55 million cap coming out of the CBA. We have to assume that over time regardless of the new CBA, the cap will rise proportionately over the years as revenues grow. In three seasons $62 to $63 million would be a very reasonable expectation of team salary at that time. That leaves $13-$15 million in space to fill out the rosters. (this is if the players take a lower-ball offer than they are likely seeking).

Rounding out the forwards:

A Horcoff similar at $2.5 instead of $5.5, a Ryan Smyth type at $2.5. a second line center (Sam Gagner or the like) at $3.5 or $4. That's 7 of your 12 forwards at a total of $ 9 million more. Puts us at $58 million. Six more players at $6-$7 million dollar total means a $64 million payroll.

Rounding out the blue:

Allocate $2.5 for a 6 and 7 defenseman and you have your roster at $66.5 million. Well below the current cap with some room to add a few contracts to put you over the top on your third and fourth lines.

It's fair to guess that after this CBA, $70 million dollar cap hits may be a thing of the past. But $65 million? Maybe. And to have seven major proven commodities making $5-$6 million in that range within that cap is exceptional.

It means that the Oilers will have to convince the Nuge and Nail to stay in that $6 million a season range. Winning may depend on it. Can it be done without a total team shake-up? I believe so.

Edmonton will need to ensure however that these $6 million dollar deals are communicated to the players as the potential ceiling of where their salaries will extend. If a Nail Yakupov or Justin Schultz demands $7-$8 million, they'll need to be moved.

Sam Gagner was set to go through what is often an ugly process. Arbitration hearings are two sides getting together and pointing out all the faults of the other side in hopes that a private third party will agree one way or the other. The player tends to get the better deal financially, but in the process, takes a crap kicking in terms of his ego. Sam Gagner's hearing was set for today.

Arbitration is not a process anyone likes -- unless maybe you're a hockey team with a lesson to teach and your player is Sean Avery.

For Gagner, not wanting to go through the line up and bash me proceedings, was enough to convince him to sign with the Edmonton Oilers just hours before his hearing on a one-year $3.2 million deal. Very reasonable money for a player who by almost every measure is a legit second line center in the NHL.

It is the one-year term that we're hearing was the sticking point for the Oilers. Sam Gagner is a hard working NHL'er. He has consistently proven he can get you 15-18 goals and 40-45 points, but the Oilers aren't sure he can do more than that. Their concern in locking him up long term is that they've seen the finish line with this player and not the starting point.

Edmonton getting Gagner on a one year terms means they'll know for sure by the end of this coming NHL season when Gagner plays with a mix of Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ales Hemsky, Nail Yaupov and perhaps Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If one can't get 50 points with these line mates, they probably never will.

For Edmonton, this is very much a win and Gagner takes much of the risk. The ball is in Sam's court now and he'll have to prove with a solid two-way likely 20 goal and 55 point season, he is worth what he and his agent think he is. He'll have to do so all while avoiding major injury and he'll have to do so in a potentially shortened lock-out season, with a new CBA looming that could greatly affect his next deal.

The best part for the Oilers, is that at the end of this year Gagner will still be an restricted free agent. This means Edmonton will have a lot of control in their next negotiation and should they lose Gagner to an offer sheet, will pick up Dustin Penner like compensation.

The Oilers aren't risk free however. Edmonton's is taking a chance that this is the season Sam Gagner breaks out with line mates that should make anyone look offensively gifted. Should that happen, the Oilers will need to reward Gagner with a four to five year, $4 million plus type contract. They'll have to do so at the same time as allocating cap money to Eberle and Hall who will also be ready for new deals.

The pressure is solely on Sam Gagner. The reward is also potentially very great if he not only handles that pressure well, but thrives under it.