Heatley To Be An Oiler?
Dany Heatley is probably the perfect candidate to play with Ales Hemsky and its just too good of an opportunity for the Oilers to let pass by. The Oilers are in desperate need of some top end scoring and have an abundance of skilled puck moving defensmen which just happens to be what the Ottawa Senators will be looking for. The question is which D-man will the Oilers be offering and which will Ottawa be looking for.
I think Ottawa will be asking for either Tom Gilbert or Denis Grebeshkov and Edmonton is probably offering Sheldon Souray. There has been so much talk of Tom Gilbert being traded it makes me sick, he has a great contract and will still be in his prime when this team becomes a cup contender unlike Souray or Vishnovsky.
If the Oilers are smart enough to protect the future and keep both Gilbert and Grebeshkov and still want to bring Heatley into the mix they will most likely need to move Vishnovsky.
Now follow that trade with a deal that would send Nilsson to the Wild for Josh Harding then sign Grebeshkov and Strudwick.
It seems to be popular opinion that the Oilers should try to deal forward Dustin Penner but he has little to no value right now with his contract and I actually expect that he will have a great bounce back season with Pat Quinn showing him the way. Look for Penner to be the most improved Oiler next season.
The team also has a hole at the 3rd line center position where they should have a physical 2 way player who can win lots of faceoffs and shut down the opposition. Cogliano certainly isn’t a good fit here and should be playing on the 2nd line with Gagner and O’sullivan. If the Oilers can’t fill this spot through free agency or trade I think that both Kyle Brodziak and Ryan Potulny will have the opportunity to step up.
Another player I think is important to keep that gets little to no consideration is Mark Pouliot. He may not be in line for a regular spot on the team right now but he can fill in on any of the forward lines if there is an injury.
This would be a pretty good lineup going into training camp:
| Heatley | Horcoff | Hemsky |
| O’sullivan | Gagner | Cogliano |
| Penner | Potulny | Pisani |
| Moreau | Brodziak | Stortini |
| Souray | Grebeshkov |
| Gilbert | Smid |
| Staios | Strudwick |
| Harding |
| Deslaurier |
Press box: Pouliot Peckham
This lineup should get the Oilers get into the playoffs but also give them the cap space if they need to make changes during the season or add at the trade deadline.
Thoughts?
The Voice
I really like that setup although i would kinda like to see Pisani gone and Kotalik in his place just a thought. I also have mixed feelings about Heatly. He could be a great star player for the Oilers but only if he is willing to put out the effort in all aspects of the game.
I have to agree with most of your points. However
Trading our #1 defensemen away will hurt our chances to be cup contenders. We NEED Vish/Gilbert/Grebs to be a cup contender. That’s why Souray or either Staios must be the only dmen going the other way. If Murray rejects then we don’t go ahead with the deal and find another alternative.
Remember, Murray is dealing from weakness. It hurts him even more when a 4 million dollar signing bonus kicks in. Heatley should be moved by Draft Day, no later than July 1 and I hope it’s to E-Town.
Potulny is too unexperienced to take over as the 3rd line C. We need a veteran which is highly consistent on the PK and faceoffs. Horcoff cannot handle it all himself (obviously). I recommend Pahlson.
@The Voice #1 Fan
You want to trade the only big named UFA the Oilers have ever signed? If Souray is traded you can forget about signing another UFA.
I don’t know if I like the idea of bringing in Heatley with all the question of his character. I do agree though that the Oilers need to keep Tom Gilbert, most fans may not realize that he actually finished 9th in the NHL for assists by a d-man and thats playing on the 2nd pairing for over half the season.
So if we trade Souray then no UFA will ever want to sign in EDM? I highly doubt that. This is a business. Now that Katz is the owner, new coaching staff etc.. EDM is WAY more appealling to players.