An article by the Prof...

Niccolo Machiavelli was a Renaissance philosopher, whose works is more than 500 years old. Some see him as evil, encouraging people to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Indeed, the phrase "the ends justify the means" is attributed to him and Machiavellian (a term from his famour work, The Prince) has come to mean cunning, deceitful, and manipulative. Others see him as a realist whose insights influence modern political ideas.

Few however have sought Machiavelli's advice about hockey. That said, perhaps many of his ideas for achieving political succes and power translate into hockey's climate of intense competition. In this blgo, we take seven of Machiavelli's ideas and translate them into the needs of hiring the perfect coach for the Edmonton Oilers. 

Here are his ideas, with our added thoughts. 

Machiavelli Idea #1: “Good leaders understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.”

A good coach’s most important job is to find innovative solutions to the issues that face the team. No team will go unscathed throughout the entire season. Each team faces obstacles – game after game, and practice after practice. What separates good coaches from poor coaches is how they deal with these obstacles. Because, to a good coach, no obstacle, no opportunity. Teams face similar obstacles and face similar barriers: it is the team that rose to the challenge that eventually wins over the long haul.

Machiavelli Idea #2: “Nothing great was achieved without danger.” and “Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.”

Arguably, Tom Renney was a good coach and helped provide a calm space for the young Oilers’ players to grow and develop. But, with a young team, big risks often lead to great rewards. Few risks lead to mediocre performance: it is the risk-taker who holds the promise to lead the Oilers to great times. We believe the willingness to take risks is a critical success factor for future Oiler success. “The coach should take big risks and encourage players to do so as well – that is what we see as Oiler Hockey! Furthermore, it gets harder as you get older and begin to 'acquire' things you don't want to risk losing.” Recently departed Apple CEO Steve Jobs reminds us, “Time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Machiavelli Idea #3: “Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.”

A good hockey coach must be able to adapt quickly to change. His mind must be flexible. This might be especially true when dealing with young hockey players – a nagging injury, a prolonged slump, a young player getting “down on himself,” youthful exuberance off the ice, the stress and grind of a long season, momentary mental lapses from another team. All these events call for the ability to see the times and change proactively to meet the possibilities that the times present. We believe it would be a mistake to get someone set in his ways – with an unchangeable “system” that must be followed, or else.

Machiavelli Idea #4: “I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.”

There is tradition and there is status quo. In Edmonton, our tradition is what we call Oiler’s Hockey. It relies on speed, grit, quick turnarounds, and attack. We tolerate on-ice mistakes – actually hoping to trade mistake for mistake, because we are faster and quicker than our opponents. That is Oiler Hockey. But, we also seem mired in a status quo that accepts finishing out of the playoffs – way down in the standings. And, this status quo must change. We need a coach who will simply overthrow it. We need a coach who will question common wisdom that we are willing to wait. We need a coach so NOT OKAY with the status quo that he seeks a better way to do things – one that crushes the recent molds. Machiavelli also said, “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Bringing change takes guts. The Oilers need a coach with pucks.

Machiavelli Idea #5: “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a leader is to look at the men he has around him.”

Weak coaches surround themselves with weak assistant coaches. Strong coaches always hire the best people they can find. Weakness leads to dysfunction and gets stuck in a lower stage of development. Who are the co-coaches the new coach will bring in? Will they act like adults, or more like children? Will they work as a team? Will they act decisively? Machiavelli also noted, “The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.” We need coaches who act decisively without over-planning.

Machiavelli Idea #6: “The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.”

Finally, it would be nice if the coach were older. Let’s call it the “Darryl Sutter Syndrome.” Sutter will be 54 in August. That is an age that brings with it wisdom. The perfect Edmonton Oiler coach should be someone who has guts, can think on the fly, can act decisively, and who has wisdom gained from experience.

The Oilers have been seizing opportunities over the past two days. Questions might arise now that Tomas Vokoun has signed in Washington for $1.5 million for one year, is did the Oilers miss their first opportunity?

Word is that Vokoun and the Oilers went as far as discussing not only the possibility of signing but the terms. It's here they couldn't agree. We've heard Vokoun was asking for 5 years and the Oilers were willing to offer a two year deal. When Vokoun couldn't get the duration he wanted, he turned to a Stanley Cup contender and signed a one year contract that is all the buzz around the NHL right now.

What comes if this we'll never know, but we can assume now that Dubnyk will get ample chance to prove himself as a number one tender in the NHL.

One opportunity the Oilers didn't miss was signing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to his three year entry level contract. Before throwing the first pitch at the Edmonton Capitals game, Hopkins signed to be an Oiler. More and more as Nugent-Hopkins gets closer to the ice, people seem to think we'll be seeing him all season after making the Oilers roster. Time will tell, but if this trend holds true, come prospect camp in Sherwood Park July 4-9th, people will really be buzzing.

Surprising many, especially after GM Steve Tambellini said it would be a slow day on July 1st, the Edmonton Oilers did a lot to change aspects of their team. Addressing holes in the toughness, face-off and penalty kill, they also added a sink or swim reclamation project on defense.

For the most part, Oilers management are getting good grades from media and fans on the moves they made and it's starting to look as though Edmonton is no longer the last place on a free agents list.

The real question is what's next? The Oilers have too many bodies and have placed some prospects who were likely looking to make a jump now on the backburner until space can be cleared to play them. In our view, the following are possible scenarios:

1) Cogliano is moved.

The signing of Eric Belanger has virtually guaranteed that either Cogs or Gagner go. Gagner has much bigger upside and a fair contract. The Oilers will likely keep Gagner unless a top 4 d-man is part of any return. Renney likes Cogliano and he's found a new way to define himself as a player, but it might be too little too late as the 40 point two-way veteran in Belanger makes more sense.

Word is, the Rangers had some interest which leads me to our next possibility.

2) Tom Gilbert is traded.

The Rangers also had interest, but a deal that was to include Gilbert and Cogliano for Brandon Dubinsky fell apart. May be as well since the Oilers can't really afford to move Gilbert until they replace him. Some say Jeff Petry is that guy, but he's still very unproven.

3) Oilers look for possible goaltending assistance.

There is some word that the Oilers briefly called the Vokoun camp and were told "not interested". That is until Vokoun was passed over by a number of other teams for either costing too much or having other options. The Vokoun camp called the Oilers back as they did a few other teams and there are 2-3 teams potentially interested in Tomas Vokoun including Edmonton.

If the Oilers land him, if will have to be to overpay for one year or give term. If they give term what becomes of Khabibulin? At least with a term Bulin's unmoveable cap hit becomes somewhat manageable.

4) Oilers send feelers out on some top four defencemen.

Kaberle, McCabe, White and others are still out there. Of more possible interest might be a Keith Yandle or Mike Green from Washington. Oilers would have to move some significant pieces the other way, but with the extra bodies might be prepared to do so.


5) Oilers move two for one.

Could a player like Scott Hartnell and a pick work if the Oilers can send Cogs and Omark? There is no indication something like this is in the works, but it might make sense. Flyers keep making waves which mean they'll keep needing to clear space. Oilers have too many bodies. Maybe a deal like this or another player like a Hartnell works for both sides.

All I can say is, thank goodness this year, a year in which the Oilers finally have a top tier draft pick, that both Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall are in the same draft at spots number one and two.

All over the net today, I've found items like this Oilers draft lottery simulator. While the Oilers stand a 48.2% chance of maintaining the first overall pick in this years draft, they stand a 51.8% chance that someone else moves up, thus moving the Oilers down to number two.

The Oilers as well as all of their fans who eagerly await the arrival of either Seguin or Hall will find out on Tuesday where exactly the Oilers will draft.

The good news? The Oilers can't draft worse than 2nd. That guarantees either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, who continue to go back and forth in NHL scouting as to who should be the clear cut number one.

The bad news? I refreshed that simulator over 9 times before the Oilers finally retained the pick.

Give it a shot. See how many times it takes you before your Edmonton Oilers are drafting first overall?

The math is pretty simple if you understand how the draft lottery works.

No team can win and move up more than a certain amount. No team can also drop more than one spot. That means, if the Oilers were to finish 30th in the NHL standings at the end of the season, they have a 48% chance of staying put or worst case scenario, if another team wins the lottery and moves to draft number one, the Oilers are guaranteed draft spot number 2.

The Oilers would be fine if they drafted 30th or 29th. Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are the consensus number one and two picks in the this years draft and the Oilers along with a number of other experts are having trouble determining who should be the clear cut number one.

If the Oilers were to somehow string a run of final wins together, as it looked like they might do for a second when they beat both New Jersey and Minnesota, they would stand the chance that Toronto could swoop in and place 30th, thus giving the first pick to the Boston Bruins.

This could, if the Oilers lose the draft, mean they draft third where a respectable defenceman Cam Fowler sits. Most would agree though, Fowler while good, isn't Hall or Seguin.

In the two wins, the Oilers actually looked a better team than their record suggested. That is, until they completely fell apart against the Senators and showed everyone why they sit in last place in the NHL.

The buzz among fans regarding the draft in Edmonton isn't a quiet one. It's hard, when the team is so unsuccessful, to draw anything but a silver lining knowing as a team in rebuild mode, you'll get to draft the number one overall pick simply by losing a few more games. It's no surprise, fans who went to see the Senators trounce Edmonton 4-1 weren't upset. A coveted spot like the first pick in the draft has produced players like Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Steven Stamkos; who will no doubt be superstars if they aren't already.

The noise however isn't sitting well with the Oilers. "You can't just pack it in. We all do this because we love it. You don't just stop trying. The last thing on your mind is how you're going to do in a lottery pick." said Mike Comrie. When he said as much, he understood the talk, but was not pleased that he had to address it. Not coincidentally, Comrie is fighting for a job next season.

Sam Gagner reitterated the sentiment. "You play to win games," Gagner said. "There's pride in that. You want to feel good about yourself. Funny, Gagner is set to earn good money with a productive season.

Or, Tom Gilbert may have said it best. "If you go out there and you want to get that first or second pick and you want to lose, that's a loser mentality. As a player, you don't want that to sink into you. You play to win regardless of what place you're in. Anything else is a loser mentality." Odd, that Gilbert, who has had an extremely poor season and taking up a large portion of the Oilers cap space discusses the loser mentality. It wasn't a few days ago that Gilbert was nearly traded to the New York Rangers.

While we as fans see the bonus in finishing last, there are a number of players on this current Oilers roster playing for more than wins and losses. Fernando Pisani, Mike Comrie, Andrew Cogliano, Sam Gagner, Gilbert Brule, Marc Pouliot, Ryan Potulny and JF Jacques along with defencemen Jason Strudwick, Theo Peckham and newcomer Aaron Johnson need to show there's a place for them on this team going forward. Furthermore, both goalies Deslauriers and Dubnyk are trying to earn a spot in the NHL on a consistent basis.

Whether they see it as a better pay day, a continued stance of employment in the NHL or simply pride as a professional, you can bet these guys aren't just calling it quits with the hope someone will be here to save the team.

In fact, with word that the Oilers will consider but be careful with Jordan Eberle's introduction to the NHL, along side managements plan to bring Magnus Svennson from Sweden; the players on this current Oilers roster already know they'll be competing for jobs. They'll be no time to rest for guys that have had anything but a stellar season.

My guess, is that this team is much more frustrated than the simple fact they are in last place. Many will be unemployed or no longer in the NHL when all is said and done. That's enough to put anyone on edge.

The Oilers lost a stinker on Tuesday night. And despite Jeff Deslauriers efforts, who by the way was fantastically good for 40 minutes, as has happened so often this year, the score caught up to the many chances the Oilers gave their opponents.

Fans don't seem too bothered by another loss. In fact, as I left the building after a 4-1 routing by the Senators, many fans were kind of relieved a two game winning streak had come to an end for their Oilers, who they are now hoping obtain the #1 pick in this years NHL entry draft.

With the #30 spot, the worst the Oilers could do, even if they lost the lottery, is obtain either Tyler Seguin or Taylor Hall. Both players look to be great NHL'ers in the not so distant future.

The problem, was that the Toronto Maple Leafs were inching ever so closely to contending for the 30th spot and thus should the Oilers place 29th and lose the lottery, could obtain neither of the two previously mentioned names.

For Oiler fans looking to rebuild and putting up with a Visnovsky trade, that kind of failure is simply unacceptable.

The loss didn't stop Pat Quinn from placing all the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Oilers forwards who left the defence (and a young one at that) out to dry, by playing most of the game in the Oilers own zone.

From start to finish Edmonton was outshot, outplayed and outchanced by a wide margin. The defence had to be better than they should be, and Deslauriers had to be better than good for 40 minutes. The Oiler goalie stood no chance, and even a weak goal that opened the flood gates could hardly be blamed on Deslauriers, who must have been gassed after standing on his head.

To boot, the Oilers lost Patrick O'Sullivan 5 minutes in to a nasty slash, which immediately required a "procedure" and O'Sullivan will be out for a undetermined time.

Who gets called up will be interesting. More interesting, will be if fans and management hope it's just someone good enough to keep this team in a lock for 30th place.

Understand that as I write this, I am well aware that Ilya Kovalchuk, or many players before and after of the same ilk have turned down and will continue to turn down the Edmonton Oilers until this franchise is a winning one.


In much the same way, the Atlanta Thrashers who released a statement today that Kovalchuk turned down a $101 million contract over 12 years, will have trouble attracting big ticket players because as a team they aren't one synonymous with winning.

A question we often find ourselves asking in Edmonton, is which should come first -- the big ticket player or the competitive team? If it's the competitive team, is the big ticket player a key ingredient?

The Oilers should hope that building a winning team, doesn't require as a starting point a big time, big money superstar to turn things around, because one isn't coming and the Oilers don't currently have one. News familiar to fans, but one the team is finally starting to grasp the concept of.

One would only have to look so far as the total lack of the Edmonton Oilers to show any interest in getting involved in a bidding and trading frenzy for Kovalchuk to see that the Oilers management team has finally decided to build through the draft.

But, should the Oilers successfully build through the draft for the next two years and have made the right decisions in the previous two drafts, ultimately resulting in a team which is doing more than scraping into a playoff spot; will the big ticket items add Edmonton to their short list? One would logically think so.

You almost would have to imagine that's the thought process behind Kovalchuk's decision. The contract he's been stated to have turned down, would have made his the highest contract ever given out to a pending UFA.

Possibly, a contract the Oilers would have given out in an attempt to attract a player like Kovalchuk.

I wonder now, if you had the chance in Edmonton and Kovalchuk had said to you, I'll play here you just need to match the Atlanta offer, would you do it?

Now that the Oilers have headed down the direction of a full blow rebuild, I'm not sure I would..

With Edmonton's 1-0 win over the Flyers, the Oilers allow themselves a little dignity and a sense of confidence as they try to take something positive out of anotherwise not so positive year.

Hidden in the victory was the fact that captain Ethan Moreau was not sitting on the sidelines, waiting for news about his future, but playing a role in the outcome of a tight, gritty 1-0 victory over a team that clearly out-matched the Oilers in terms of on-ice skill.

Surprisingly, Moreau played a number of shifts as if there was no indication he was on the trading block. Such a situation isn't often the case when a player is about to be moved since no GM wants to risk injury if a trade is imminent. While just days ago, it seemed a move was not if, but when; moving Moreau has hit a slight snag in negotiations.

The Maple Leafs, who are believed to be the front-runners for Moreau's services have a mandate from Brian Burke. That mandate, is to obtain as many draft picks as possible since most were moved to obtain Phil Kessel earlier in the season.

Since Toroto is in the unenviable position of being a bottom five NHL squad, but having no silver lining with a top five draft pick, Burke needs to restock picks to take something away from a year that didn't quite go as planned.

As such, they are insisting that the Oilers include at least a 3rd rounder, in turn for taking on an extra year of Ethan Moreau's cap hit and the Oilers are not sure yet that doing so is a wise choice.

Ethan Moreau's contract is a downward one. Yes, he is overpaid now for what he brings, thanks mostly to his age and diminshing skill level. Obviously, the Oilers would like to clear it from the books. That said, in the bigger picture, Edmonton doesn't see Moreau's contract as detrimental to the success of their franchise moving forward since after this next year Moreau becomes a UFA.

The Oilers understand that a rebuild doesn't last one year, but is more a five to six year process, to which they see themselves in the second or third year of. Winning is something they want the team to strive for next season, but it's understood that wins might be few and far between.

The Oilers have set themselves a few rules for the end of this season. All contracts, including Moreau's that come off in a year or two are ones they'd like to move, but won't sell the farm to move. Plain and simple.

If Brian Burke is insistent on Moreau and a decent pick for nothing in return, the Oilers will need to find another taker.

With the Olympic break around the corner, time is running out. So too, the Oilers are running out of injury free assets with value they can move to solidify their future progress. In a game of the better negotiator wins, who budges first will be interesting to see.

In the end, the Oilers feel value takes many shapes and forms, but must be a part of every deal they choose to make this season. It's whether they are able to correctly evaluate that value that counts.

You go to work one day and think there isn't much going on in the NHL, except the continued stinkery of your Edmonton Oilers. You come back and see that the Calgary Flames have traded half their team.

Put aside for a second what the actual trades themselves do for Calgary, I'm wondering, what is it Sutter knows that Tambellini doesn't? How is it, in an NHL, where trades or so hard to come by, one team can literallly move 5 or 6 players in less than 24 hours. I mean, it's not as though Calgary moved it's best assets.

Sure Phaneuf is good and Jokinen is struggling but can be an offensive weapon, but; Sutter made a move. That move created holes in the depth and role positions of his team, so he made additional moves to correct it. Seems logical, yet the Oilers can't do it.

Imagine what goes on in Calgary when Darryl Sutter decides losing 9 in a row before beating lowly Edmonton, isn't enough to make his team successful. He says to himself he'll make some moves. He gets on the phone equipped only with a roster of players, a tight to the cap team and some big time contracts for players that many teams might not have interest in at their high long-term salaries.

First, he moves Dion Phaneuf to Toronto along with Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom. What it does, is relieve of him major cap space on the blueline (when after the Bouwmeester signing the salaries were obvious and unevenly distributed) and a creates a hole where Phaneuf once was in terms of a powerplay bomb.

Sutter says, ok, I've got to get a blueline shot, I can afford to move some offence cause I just picked up Stajan and Hagman and I kind of have too many of the third/fourth line grittier guys now that Mayers is back and Proust was in that role.

Sutter picks up the phone again, moves a big overpaid contract in Jokinen, who after two seasons can't find a spark in Calgary and lands his powerplay shot in Ales Kotalik. At the same time, Sutter moves the excess in Proust, while adding a bit more offensive depth with Chris Higgins.

The crazy thing to me, is while it sounds like a lot, it makes total sense and seems like the logical easier decisions a GM would make.

Why then, do I feel as though the Oilers lack the skill, drive or whatever to pull of these kinds of moves? As fans in Edmonton, we still wait. And while we do, Souray fractures his hand which means a Visznovsky trade is almost a certainty. (you decide who you'd rather have kept, but it would have been nice to have a choice to see who earns the better return).

In addition, other teams that had interest in some of our assets like Anaheim did in Ethan Moreau, now no longer need them thanks to their trades with Toronto. The whole time Edmonton watched and while they watch the Oilers ability to make moves gets harder than they already claimed they were.

I suppose you gotta love it when the good news just keeps piling up.

It's only a matter of time before players start making their way out of Edmonton to other teams. If Darren Dreger of TSN is correct, Ethan Moreau, Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Visnovsky are the most likely of options.

The reality is, even with a healthy roster, the Oilers won't be a contending team for at least two more years.

At that time, Ethan Moreau's contract would have expired, Sheldon Souray's would have too (or if the Oilers are better than they showed this season by 2011, will be on the last year of his deal), and only Visnovsky would be an Oiler long enough to really grow with whatever new nucleus is a part of this Oilers roster.

As such, all are expendable when you consider the bigger picture that exists in two to three years time. Add Steve Staios, Fernando Pisani, Patrick O'Sullivan and Mike Comrie to that list and you could see a lot of action before the deadline in March.

Then you examine the few players making some strides in different areas, but reaching RFA status at the end of this year; and you realize, the Oilers will also have to try and get Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Potulny, Denis Grebeshkov and Gilbert Brule re-signed at fair dollar value.

Edmonton won't likely keep all of them as they are of similar size and skill set, but these names are forwards I see Edmonton feeling have a place on this team down the road. They've showed effort even in the face of defeat and bring elements to this roster that the Oilers would like to use a defining image in the years to come. Only Grebeshkov to me is a question mark, but the Oilers for some reason, have grown an attachment to him.

If TSN's Darren Dreger is right, Edmonton will be in full rebuild mode and a much different team in the next one to two years.

Should they successfully clear out as much salary as TSN expects them to, which is over $12 million in cap space, they'll have plenty of room to add the RFA contracts they consider important, replace the ones that hold out with prospects in the system, and add a few key elements they've been missing through free agency at bargain prices.

It's the idea of the combination of moves that could happen that are finally bringing some excitement to Edmonton in the face of such a horrible losing skid.

Who will be the next to go? What will they bring back in return? What will prospects like Eberle, Svennson and whomever the Oilers draft do with current players ike Hemsky and Penner?

Whether these moves all happen or not, (they likely all won't), Oiler fans don't need much to perk their excitement for hockey. It's what makes Edmonton fans so unique. Win or lose, they love the Oilers. They simply want action. If Moreau, Souray, and Visnovsky all go, action is definitely what Oilers fans will receive.

One thing about the Nashville game was different, somehow, from other games I have seen. It was the crowd’s reaction. Recalling that Nashville scored two goals, less than a minute apart, and the crowd who attended – like I did at home – must have thought, “Here we go again!” And, of course, they were right – the Oilers could not recover.


But, then an odd thing happened – Edmonton Oiler goalie Jeff Deslauriers made an easy save. Any other time, the crowd would have given an ironic cheer – a cat call of sorts – to let the team feel the crowd’s disappointment. “One minute left in the First Period” – cheers for the team down 3-0. But, nothing. No ironic jeering – no attitude – nothing at all. I had never seen such a reaction.

My first reaction was: “Well, good for them. Leave the poor guys alone – they must feel bad enough anyway, without all of us adding fuel to their internal fires.” I have often, during this recent losing streak – though, in the Oiler’s case, it has been less of a streak than a slow letting the air out of the balloon – thought about my own limited sports background.

Although I wanted badly to play sports past high school, I was never good enough: ergo, my football and basketball “careers” either ended in high school or became relegated to “the guys” regularly getting together at the university for a pick up game of b-ball.

But I know of losing. And, I hated it. I recalled, during high school football, when you were losing and you knew you would not win, players began to care less about the score and more about “settling the score” – hurting the guy on the other team. Kneeing him in a pile – the extra push off his helmet as you used him to lift yourself up from the ground.

All these things seem stupid now, but in the heat (and it was an angry space) of the battle – you were so upset you really didn’t care. And, this not for any reasons of strategy – as the sports analysts would offer – as in, we want them to know next time things will be different. No. It was really more about taking out your frustrations in some painful way on the “other guy.”

So, in some small way, I can identify with how the Oiler’s players are feeling about losing. They must hate it. And, anyone thinking that the money of being a professional makes up for the losing is foolish – it doesn’t. Being older than 60 years of age provides one with a great deal of experiential insight and a good measure of understanding of others. These Edmonton Oilers’ players, basically, are kids who want to do well and, for some reason no one seems able to fathom, cannot. Honestly, I cannot even imagine their own frustrations with their playing and how sensitive they must be to all the criticism they get from the fans and the media.

And so, here we are, back to the fans. Why the fan’s reaction? Why no jeering? Honestly, I don’t know. Perhaps, as I speculate here, the fans are showing that they care and are considerate about the feelings of the players who, the fans understand, must feel really horrible. And, the fans don’t want to add to those feelings. Perhaps the fans understand how deeply embarrassing – after four days of serious attempts (the mini camp) to fix the problems – that the problems are obviously not fixed at all. And, perhaps the fans came to see that these young players had two more entire periods of being completely exposed as failures in front of thousands of their fans.

Of course, there is another explanation. Perhaps, the fans don’t care anymore – they have completely given up. But, I still think the fans care. There is something about being an Oiler fan – something filial (we are family – we belong to each other, the team and fans). We are painfully loyal.

No, I think the fans are showing lots of class, lots of consideration for the state of affairs, and lots of empathy for the young people who play on this exceedingly unsuccessful Oiler’s team. I think we are starting to treat these young hockey players less as professionals and more like we would our own kids who are playing Pee Wee AA. No caring family member would ever yell at young hockey players when things got really tough; and, when you saw these young hockey players were suffering you would not add to that suffering. You would try to encourage and support.

I have no idea the outcome of the Oiler’s season, but my guess it will be one of continued losing and frustration. Perhaps this losing will go on for another year past this one.

I will remain an Oiler fan and, should they lose every game, I will still keep watching. I will savor the wins, and ignore the newspaper descriptions of their ineptness the day after they lose. I care about this Oilers’ team and the players who play in it. And, I think the fans’ uncharacteristic reaction to the on-ice frustrations of the team during the Nashville game is proof that the fans care as well.

I was heartened by the fans’ display of good sportsmanship and consideration, and I hope it lasts – even though it is frustrating and we will continue to live and die with our team. Sadly, we will probably need all the sportsmanship we can get. It seems as if it is gonna be a long year for Oilers’ fans.

These days in the NHL, there are all sorts of people making mistakes. Mistakes, that if the person claiming the mistake was made had their way, would likely cost the offender their job.


Take referee Stephane Auger for example. Alex Burrows was so upset and found Auger's actions so unacceptable, he felt real NHL punishment was warranted. To Burrows credit, he had a lot of people believing him. All of course except the NHL, who decided there wasn't enough proof to remove Auger from his role as an NHL referee; which would have likely been the only real option should he have been found guilty.

Others will contend that what Auger did (if he in fact did it) was something that likely often happens and that in the end doesn't affect a referees overall ability to be objective over the course of their career.

What does this have to do with the Edmonton Oilers?

I bring up Auger and Burrows only as an example as to the extremes that fans will side on an issue. Some find no other option but to fire Auger citing the credibility of the refs in the NHL from this day forward, while others think its so small that its silly to have gotten this much attention.

Right here at home, the Oilers might have a similar issue.

After it was announced today that Nikolai Khabibulin would undergo surgery that will likely put him out for the remainder of the season, one would have to say signing Khabibulin was not just a mistake, but one so big, it could theoretically set the Oilers back two to three years.

Others might suggest that the sky has not yet fallen.

What's your take?

Everyone knew signing Khabibulin was a risk. He was not much younger than Dwayne Roloson, who of course the Oilers weren't shy about suggesting was too old for a two year contract. Bulin has a history of injury, and even if none of that were a factor, has one Stanley Cup run that seems to have outweighed the less than stellar career numbers he has attached to his name in the NHL. At most, he's a better than average veteran goaltender.

As is, the Oilers sit 15th in the western conference. They're not just a bad team, they're a team that can't compete in a lot of cases and while it's hard or unfair to lay blame on two near rookie goaltenders in Deslauriers and Dubnyk, not having a number one goalie is a huge part of the problem.

The Oilers will now be without one for a while. Khabibulin's injury will remove him from action for at least 12 weeks. Not good news, but also not unexpected.

The problem is, they'll be paying him, and while they can use injury to delegate that money elsewhere this year should they choose to, have another three years of the same type of worry to look forward to. Should this be an ongoing issue, the Oilers have $15 million nad four years locked up in a goalie who while in and out of the lineup will cost Edmonton every penny of that deal whether Khabibulin chooses to retire or not.

When a mistake like this is made, what does an organization do? It's hardly a mistake one should overlook. To some, the error is so large, it warrants removing the man responsible even if that person has only had a small run in their current position.

Is it a mistake that can be compared to trading Roberto Luongo for Todd Bertuzzi? Probably not. But it's no small potatoes either.

If Tambellini is behind this move, it says a lot about what he finds is a priority for this club moving forward. It also says a lot about how he handles his business and begs the question; for an Oilers team that badly needs improvement, is the way in which Tambellini makes decisions, the best option for this franchise?

The Khabibulin signing was a quick, rash and impulse decision. The Oilers didn't think he was available. They were suprised by his interest and scooped him without clearly thinking it through, simply because they had the chance to land "the most proven goaltender in free agency". They were competing, (or least led to believe they were), got pulled in and bit hard.

As a result, do the Edmonton Oilers as an organazation allow Tambellini to make this kind of mistake again?

On the contrary, if Kevin Lowe was behind it, some will suggest the time is now clearly obvious that Lowe did more harm than good as a man pulling the strings for the Oilers franchise during his tenure. Something like this after a series of three years of poor decisions demonstrates that he should gracefully walk away from his role and allow someone with a better grasp on the salary cap, the state of the NHL, and control over their emotions to make decisions.

On the other side, some will argue that Khabibulin's injury, like any other before him, was as much luck (or unlucky in this case) as it was something predictable. That the Oilers signed the best option available to them and if given the chance should always make that kind of decision, even though this one didn't pan out as many had hoped.

What would you do? Are you of the mind that Tambellini can still be the right person for the job? His track record thus far isn't glowing. Is it a clean house before it gets any worse attitude in your eyes?

For me, I'm not certain, but if I were Daryl Katz, I can't imagine overlooking a mistake this big. A decision that the minute it was made, was questionable even if Khabibulin could have stayed healthy and considering the other options available to Edmonton at that time.

For this season, we know it doesn't matter. The Oilers will deal with the news as best they can. It could mean a lottery pick, so silver lining is there. For the final three years of Kahbibulin's deal?

That's possibly another story.

The Oilers lose another one on Tuesday to the Nashville Predators. Apparently, a four-day mini-camp isn't enough to change the fortunes of this Oilers team for this season.

For many fans, that might be considered good news as a Oiler team that all of a sudden starts to win a few games in a row, takes the Oilers ever further away from a lottery pick in this coming NHL entry draft.

What hurts though, is when former players, who could have easily been current Oilers remind us that the Edmonton Oilers may be chalked full of more than just on-ice mistakes.

Take Rob Schremp and Dwayne Roloson for example. If you look at the Islanders game on Tuesday, you see a couple interesting stats staring back at you. Former Oilers cast-offs (and that really is the best term to describe them) are once again making Edmonton look like they may be on the wrong end of a welcome back or goodbye decision from the past.

Nikolai Khabibulin was brought in to replace the aging Roloson, who wanted to stay in Edmonton for two more years. The Oilers, in their infinite wisdom, decided Roloson was too old and instead of offering a very fair (and likely lower than value)contract, which Roloson would accepted, overpaid for an almost equally as old Khabibulin for four years. Khabibulin, as we all know is now likely done for the year and the Oilers as a result are in salary cap hell.

To boot, Roloson has a shut-out, is by far the best of three proven NHL goalies in New York and has a healthy 2.77 GAA on a still unproven Islanders team. To me and even more impressive Roloson continues to show his hockey smarts.

In a recent NYI game against Phoenix, how much veteran presence he brings to a team becomes quite evident. Did anyone else notice the over eight minutes he kept Phoenix short-handed when they chose to not put a player in the penalty box to start the period?

In NHL rules, if the time on the penalty expires, but no player is in the box, the team must continue short until a whistle. Roloson made about three great plays to keep the referee from calling icing, which would then allow Phoenix to bring a man back on the ice. Talk about hockey smarts from a player who didn't need a coach to let him know the situation presenting itself.

Hindsight is of course 20/20, and no one could have forseen Khabibulin's injury (well, maybe we could have considering his age and history of injuries), but Roloson has made a career of being just a tad smarter than most goalies. A team like Edmonton could have used that this season.

Meanwhile, Rob Schremp has 14 points in 25 games for the Isles. He scored two on Tuesday and is on pace for 33 points. Sadly, he's going to out-produce a player like Andrew Cogliano in a fraction of the time and likely tie the production of a Robert Nilsson. Both players of course are making much more money than Schremp, who simply wanted a chance in an Oiler uniform for more than five games to show what he could do.

To the Oilers defence, Schremp started slow in NYI, but has since found a groove this season. The Oilers gave those opportunities to other players, yet for some reason not to Schremp, who if successful will have stuck it to the Oilers as many players have done before him.

Curtis Glencross, Raffi Torres, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene and Joni Pitkanen to name a few are all having better seasons after leaving Edmonton than they have in some time.

What is it about leaving that makes these players better?

I'd suggest that on every coin, there are two sides, but how many players can you name currently with the Oilers that are having a better season in Edmonton than they have anywhere else they've played?

Perhaps only Dustin Penner and Gilbert Brule. Penner's production versus his break-out year in Anaheim, could be a marginal improvement and Brule was touted as a hopeful reboot after leaving Columbus. No one knew if Brule was going to ever make a NHL career of his potential and he's yet to prove he's anything more than a third liner.

For me, it's not the losing that bothers me. I can see the silver lining on the cloud with a top three draft pick. What bothers me, is that this losing could have been avoided if the Oilers had made some different decisions.

Are Schremp and Roloson the answer to all of Edmonton's problems? Of course not. But a long history of over-evaluating what never turns out and under-evaluating what has real potential, haunts this Oilers team.

It makes a losing streak like this, at a time I watch of lot of hockey besides Edmonton losing, even more unbareable.

It's becoming ever increasingly clear that the Oilers will not make the playoffs. Just by taking a quick glance at what their record would need to be these last 40 games or so, one would logically suggest a top three draft pick is more likely than a playoff birth.

Thus, the Oilers organization will likely not go on record with a plan of action (seeing as that plan would involve not improving the team this season). Doing so would risk a bad reaction from fans who paid good money and Oilers players who need to go into every game with the feeling the team is behind them.

Behind closed doors however is another story.

The Oilers should be evaluating their situation constantly. The recent four day "mini-camp" is one way to do so. What should they be evaluating? Who should they be grading and on what criteria? I don't think it's who is playing well right now and who's not. I don't even think it's who is your "best talent" and revolving the future roster of this team around them.

To me, the only route of success, besides of course drafting your way to a winning team, is to keep the players that understand and are willing to play Pat Quinn and Tom Renney style of hockey.

We don't know much about the Oilers. What we do know, is that the coaching staff is most likely here to stay for the forseeable future. The players will go long before the coaches will and if the players and coaches and how they expect a hockey game to be played don't match, wins won't come.

This is regardless of the talent, the willingness of individual players to score, and the "big names" you might be able to pluck from your roster or free agency.

Andrew Cogliano is a perfect example. Offensively, his numbers have been down. Not exactly the type of season fans and management had hoped for from the young forward. That said, Cogliano is quietly making a roster spot on this team in the future by adapting his game to suit more of a style Quinn would expect from the other 20 players on the Oilers who aren't playing that way.

Cogliano has become a more gritty, forechecking, two-way forward who is elements besides the 18-20 goals a season that were expected of him. Yes, we'd like the 20 goals and hope Cogliano can produce it, but while he isn't he's doing the other things he needs to, to stay out of the doghouse. Had he not been doing so, his days in Edmonton would have been over long ago.

If the type of players on this team that are unable to adapt are still here in the future, that will be a mistake. So, when management decides who to move at the deadline and who to keep, (of course besides the obvious question of who has value and who doesn't), moving pieces that do more than show you their talent is an error.

Take Curtis Glencross for example. The Oilers let him walk because offensively, they saw him as a 3rd liner at best and wanted to land a bigger fish. They forgot (or at least put a smaller emphasis on), the fact that he brings grit, two-way play, toughness and skill to any team he's on. A perfect way to look at it would be by examining the penalty kill. The Oilers have no short-handed goals this season, while Curtis Glencross has two.

This is not to suggest that players like a Shawn Horcoff, who is known more for the other elements he brings to a team besides offense and to this point has kept him in good graces for the Oilers aren't vulnerable. Horcoff is struggling mightily and at Horcoff's salary and the difficulty in moving his contract, Edmonton might be served well to trade Horcoff if the opportunity arose.

My point, is that there is a fine line between skill and ability and doing the necessary things required to be a team that plucks out wins when you lack skill or ability.

Players like Gilbert Brule, JF Jacques, Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner (when he's not on the first line), Sheldon Souray and as of late Robert Nillson; are players you don't blindly move unless you can replace them.

In the case of some of these names, consistency and value around the NHL is a question, so any rule is meant to be broken. All in all, suggesting the Oilers keep only the "best" players, won't help this team in the future.

Management learned this lesson the hard way and as a consequence sits 15th in the western conference. Why? Because they went and tried to sign only skill when they built this team and forgot players with the ability to adapt to the coaches way of thinking might actually help.

Sheldon Souray answered a number of questions in the first of two straight on-ice days that were originally scheduled to be days off for the Edmonton Oilers.

While many of the questions consisted of the natural frustration he feels as a member of a very poor and 15th place Oilers team, one answer created all sorts of buzz immediately after it became knowledge Souray had given it.

That was, that Souray would be willing to waive his no trade clause to play for another team.

Now, before fans to go too over the top with speculation, this in no way means that Souray has either asked for a trade, nor have the Oilers asked if they could move him.

From what we hear, neither actually wants Souray to play anywhere except Edmonton. The problem, and Souray knows it, is that he has trade value around the NHL and he could be in Edmonton at the wrong time in his career.

Souray makes a good dollar on a long term contract. The issue becomes, is his contract long enough that when the Oilers are finished their re-build and Souray's abilities to this team are beneficial, is it too late to make a difference?

The answer is likely yes.

Souray has two years after this one left on his current deal that pays him $5.4 million per season. The Oilers re-build will take 2-3 years. The two don't match, especially considering Souray will be 36 when any new contract starts.

As a result, the second question then becomes, does his abilities now as a player and a leader help those new young players trying to establish themselves as NHL players help the Oilers? Does that mean as much as his on-ice skill and, is it worth $5.4 million per season to find out?

Souray is obviously captain material. With Ethan Moreau very strongly rumoured as on his way out, Souray would be a natural replacement as team captain and doing so might do this Oilers team a world of good.

Captains aren't always your best players, yet more often than not though, they're close. Moreau is neither the best player nor the best leader this team has, and Souray is arguably the best defenseman and best voice of leadership. He can speak not only with his words, but his play. For a team bound to flood the floor before it scrapes the ceiling, a skill like this might be important for the team.

For a crop of new rookies, namely Jordan Eberle, Magnus Svennson and whomever the Oilers draft this year, who is the better suited person to lead these players into the NHL? Moreau or Souray?

Seeing as Moreau is not even close to the best forward on the team, many might suggest Souray. I'd agree. But for the same reasons, other NHL teams might be willing to add him to their playoff contending rosters. He brings skill, size, grit and leadership. That combination, if affordable is a trade deadline dream pick-up.

So which question holds more power? What is the return the Oilers could get if they move Souray? Or, What is the cost of sending out a natural leader who is one of our better players?

The answer is an obvious combination of both and before any move is just swiftly made to clear cap space, should be heavily thought-out.

Tambellini will need to weigh the pros of any return for the d-man, and the cons of moving such a natural leader who truly wants to be in Edmonton. Can he improve the team by moving Souray or is he just a money dump? Can the Oilers replace what he brings in trade or the offseason or do they create another large hole difficult to fill? Should Souray go, is there another person in our lockerroom that could lead this team to becoming a steadily improving threat in the NHL?

Even in the face of some news that could have gone devastatingly badly, Souray came out looking like a player who if moved, is thinking Oilers first, Souray second. Things like that shouldn't go unnoticed.

If Tamebellini is planning to move Souray because interest in the blue-liner exists, he should be darn careful in what he moves Souray for. I would hate to see another Ryan Smyth type trade, where in two years, fans are suggesting it was the worst trade deadline move the Oilers ever made.

It was a Western Conference battle between two teams that are looking at being strong favorites for lottery picks come this years NHL entry draft.

The Blue Jackets have won now just four games in their last 25 starts, their latest victory on Thursday over Edmonton being one of them. The Oilers have now lost eleven of their last twelve.

It's a pretty safe bet, that both GM's had a strong interest in how Taylor Hall performed at the World Juniors.

Thursday's win gives the Jackets still little to be excited about. Just beating a lowly Edmonton Oilers team and moving two points further in a very difficult conference isn't going to set their ships sailing. The game might have meant the most to Ken Hitchcock, who may have saved his job just a little while longer after rumors were he was looked as the next NHL coaching casualty.

Meanwhile, the Oilers will now take to a four day mini-camp to re-evaluate their situation. This is also going to be a four day meeting session between management and scouts to see which direction this team should go moving forward.

The Oilers will never come forward publicly with a plan, but subtle moves, or non-moves as it may go, should tell fans a lot about what to expect the rest of the year.

Do the Oilers make a move for a stronger presence in goal? Perhaps, but I contend only if it means successfully being able to move a contract the Oilers would like to get rid of.

Do the Oilers try to dump a few contracts now? My guess is not likely, unless someone comes knocking prior to the trade deadline. Only in that case, could Edmonton possibly obtain fair value for whatever is going the other way.

To me, it seems the only logical move is to quietly make the best push to win games that you can for the fans and the sale of future tickets, but to at the same time increase your odds of guaranteeing your spot in the draft.

There are three ways to do so.

1) Lose hockey games without changing a thing. With still half a season left, the Oilers could (not likely) turn it around. Their decimated with injuries and even without them are slightly better than what they seem to be producing now, but the team still puts forth the effort, and could squeak out a few wins, but it's likely just not enough.

2) Lose hockey games by relieving yourself of some of the pieces that will be attractive to other teams. Could you move Staios, Moreau, Pisani, Souray, Horcoff or someone with some cache to a playoff team? At any time it becomes available, make the move. Some like Horcoff and Souray may be tougher sells, but injuries to key players on contending teams could play a part.

3) Trade for a better draft position and try to improve your position in the standings now. This means getting improved goaltending, moving for a smaller trades that fill holes and talking to teams like the Boston Bruins who have a number of picks at this years draft and one really good one considering where Toronto is bound to end up.

I'm of the stance we go somewhere in between 1 and 2. The Oilers currently sit 29th in the NHL. It's likely not going to be stretch for them to stay there. That said no one really wants their team to lose.

What would you do?

At what point do fans who suggest blowing up this Oilers team become more than just those who follow the popular thing to say? The way the Oilers have successfully racked up a streak of 9 losses in their last 10 games, those who suggest this team is due for a change are only stating the obvious.

Now 29th in the NHL and Carolina looking more and more like they might grab that 29that spot within a matter of games, the Oilers are simply lousy.

It could be the missing players, it could be the horrid special teams, and it could be a feeling that the players have come to understand, this year isn't one where people should expect much.

Over halfway through the season, the Oilers would need to win close to 75% of their games to make the playoffs. At six games under .500, and without Hemsky, Khabibulin, Comrie and Visnovsky; the feat is next to impossible and fans, along side hopefully management realize it and are planning for the future.

This is the time that Oilers GM Steve Tambellini should be openly waving his white flag by calling the other GM's in the NHL and emphatically stating the Oilers are sellers. His exact words should be, "we're moving almost everything for picks and the future of this team, make us an offer or let's construct a plan now while the getting's good."

Let other teams know there are certain players available and what the Oilers are interested in return. Do it well before the Olympic break so that everyone knows who and what is feasible on their own teams and for their part, the Oilers should do what they can to clear space for players like Eberle, Svennson and spare parts they can get from free agency after they do everything in their power to get one of the top two draft spots.

It's taken Oilers management three long years to realize this team and anything close to it isn't going to be good enough to contend. Their current record can't even justify suggesting that missing Hemsky and Khabibulin would fix the problem. The same old "we can only judge our team when healthy" simply doesn't cut it and building a team that even if not as talented, but overall more efficient in every area of hockey is the way to go.

Everyone and their mother is starting to suggest who is likely an attractive commodity from the Edmonton Oilers before the deadline. The Oilers should be making calls about those players and frankly everyone else.

So the Oilers lose a stinker of a hockey game against the Flames on New Years Eve. A roster player or friend (were not 100% sure who yet) recommends a Calgary restaurant for the Oilers to ring in 2010, and the Oilers walk away looking like snobbish, elite, too good for the rules, ego driven bad guys.

Deservedly or not, Happy New Year Oilers and fans.

Sure, this situation in the grande scheme of things won't affect anyone too greatly. The players spent about $300-$400 each on New Year's Eve, the restaurant got less than it charged, but a ton of national free publicity and the fans aren't directly impacted.

Let me say though, it doesn't give a lot for already frustrated Oiler fans much to cheer about.

The Oilers made their way to a trendy Calgary restaurant. Between a total of about 45 players, the team rang up what the restaurant determined to be an $18,000 bill. The Oilers felt they were overcharged, including argueing they should have been charged per bottle not per shot (amongst which about $8,000 of the bill consisted of). There was a disagreement between the team (mainly Ethan Moreau and the restaurant manager), in which the outcome was the restaurant deducted the bill, the Oilers paid the reduced amount including adding an almost $2000 tip and leaving.

No police were involved, no violence and both sides left peacefully. Yet the restaurant called the media to share their story. Even going as far to say he's so dissappointed, he'll be donating the total revenue of the Oilers party to charity.

Hmmm... Hopefully that's true, but to me it sounds like the last thing someone might do when looking to steer this situation into good publicity.

There are elements of both angles of this story to which a person might logically choose a side. The restaurant is right in that when being served shots, you pay for the shots and not the total bottles those shots added up to.

The players may be right in that with 45 people and a restaurant that agreed to lower the price of the bill, the team isn't responsible for paying the original price.

The fans meanwhile are right in being frustrated that this is not the kind of publicity the team needs and in off all places Calgary after a bad loss, which seems like a frequent occurence for the team.

A few questions come to my mind:

* Is this a big deal partly because it took place in Calgary?
* Is this a bigger issue to us because the Oilers aren't winning?
* Was there an opportunity for all sides to avoid this issue?
* Do the Oilers players really care that this situation is in the media and only we feel the need to talk about it?

My guess, is to some degree all points except the last one are a yes in some way, shape or form.

I cannot say for certain what it is, but something is different about the Oilers these days. Even though they lost the Kings’ game, I didn’t despair. I don’t know what it is, but I think they are playing better. I think the goalie pulled a “Quick one” (I know – cheap) on them and stole the game, actually – as goalies sometimes do.

The Oilers played up tempo most of the night and perhaps the only glaring difference between the Oilers’ play and the Kings’ play was that the Oil didn’t seem as willing to throw the puck on the net from anywhere as the Kings did. They actually waited to have shots, which I am starting to think is not that wise a tactic. When someone scores the winning goal after being blanked for almost 160 games, you know lightning can strike. I half wanted Smid to score the tying goal – but, of course, he didn’t.

Here is what I saw. Cogliano was a water bug – everywhere. Nilsson looked as if he is a threat every shift he is on the ice. Souray can shoot – which is hardly news. Penner is a bull – so much stronger than anyone else I have seen. In his almost dust-up with long-time friend Matt Greene, he made Greene look tiny. And Gagner, while he needs to get stronger – he barely squeezed through the sideboards with the puck in the Third Period, can play. He looks like he is one smart kid. Brule and Penner really do have some chemistry – how many times did they “just miss?” And, Deslauriers seems to be gaining confidence every game. I am not that concerned if Khabibulin doesn’t come back – although I don’t want anyone to have a bad back, the money is an issue, and I suppose Deslauriers has to rest sometime.

Anyway, it was one of those games when you saw the Oilers dominating, but somehow just knew a goofy goal would decide it. And, Quick was really the difference.

Although I never played hockey myself, and can hardly serve as an expert, I seem to be seeing more lucky bounces score goals than I have ever seen before. Perhaps, this has always been the case – but, being an Oilers’ fan suggests that I watch mainly Oilers’ games. One difference I see between the Oil this year and last is that they are scoring more close-in goals – more shots that seem to not be as much set up by good plays as the result of lucky, untimely bounces for the other team. Certainly, that was true of Potulny’s goal.

I am thinking that perhaps the kids should start beating the puck to death towards the net – every time they can. If the average scoring percentage is 10% (actually it is 10.3 %) ten more shots per game will score one more goal per game. The puck has to bounce off someone for Cogliano one of these times. I hope it is twice or even three times the next game.

Here’s a daring prediction – Cogliano with at least 35 points. Right now, the season is almost half over and he has 8. Anyone else believe that Cogliano will end up with 15 goals this year?

Despite a few days off between games for the Edmonton Oilers, there's been no shortage of news.

Starting with the rumours surrounding the status of Nikolai Khabibulin, the news is anything but good. There has been no confirmation of any sort of scheduled surgery, but the rumblings at this mornings presser was the he was having a "procedure" to fix a "spinal" issue.

If you're an Oiler fan, a teammate and especially Steve Tambellini, this is about the last thing you wanted to hear outside of "Khabi is done for good".

Should a surgery take place and one that could end Khabibulin's career, the Oilers will be on the hook for every penny of Khabibulin's 4yr $15 million contract. With all the choices available during this past summer, this would prove to be the biggest gaff by Steve Tambellini and co.'s tenure as management and hurt the organization moving forward unless they can find a loop hole.

Denis Grebeshkov will make his return to Rexall Place against the Kings and speculation exists that Pat Quinn might choose to run seven d-men instead of six and let a forward sit.

Patrick O'Sullivan was moved down line and it sounds as though a message is being sent that while he's still getting his chances he needs to be more productive in burying them. It's obvious O'Sullivan misses Mike Comrie who he developed some chemistry with at the start of the season.

Speaking of Comrie, he still isn't skating with the team and a return isn't expected before Christmas. In fact, many seem to think he's out for possibly close to another month.

The L.A. Kings with their loss last night are tied at the top of the Pacific standings with San Jose and look to rebound against an Oiler team who was hot, but has a tradition of stumbling when returning home from longer road trips.

Edmonton had a team meeting to address the start they'd need to have to maintain their momentum against a much stronger team than any of the teams from which the Oiler took their last five victories.

Look too for the Oilers to rough-up one Michal Handzus or anyone defending him. After hitting Hemsky from behind and ending his season, Handzus has a few players looking to send a message. If Strudwick plays tonight, you may see early sparks as he had something to say the last time these two teams met.

It should be an interesting game and while the Oilers are coming off of five straight wins, a must win in terms of telling us exactly where this team sits against tougher competition and at home with a couple days rest.