I was hoping the delay was one of simple timing. That Comrie would eventually be signed.

He was-- just with the wrong team. This is great news for Mike Comrie, but I'm disappointed that Comrie will now be playing in Pittsburg instead of Edmonton as he signed a league minimum 1 yr deal worth $500,000.

Steve Tambellini did say that the likelihood the Oilers would sign more forwards was slim, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. I blindly assumed that list didn't include a veteran forward who would have been a great role model for the many rookies on the Oilers this season.

Good luck Mike. I suppse you don't need the money and your chances of winning a cup before the end of your career sure just went up 10-fold.

As was already reported today by a number of sites, Fernando Pisani is no longer a man waiting by the phone and waiting for a job. After reports that not a single team had called Pisani and not a single GM expressed interest in the somewhat healthy veteran --including Oilers GM Steve Tambellini -- that all changed on Wednesday.

In what took very little time to finalize, Pisani signed a one year, one-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks for $500,000. In many ways this makes sense for both parties and while it's understandable the Oilers have chosen to walk away from Pisani, Pisani could be a great surprise for the Hawks.

The chances were Fernando wouldn't be returning to Edmonton. Without him (or veterans like him) the Oilers are sorely lacking in veteran leadership.

Ryan Whitney, Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, Jim Vandermeer, Jason Strudwick, Sheldon Souray, Kurtis Foster and Nikolai Khabibulin are the only current roster players who have played more than five seasons in the NHL. Sounds at first like a decent assortment, but at closer look 5 of the 8 are defencemen, while Souray and Khabibulin may not be of much help if either doesn't return.

On a team greatly lacking in veteran leadership, one could have argued bringing back a veteran forward like Pisani could have been important in a transitioning Oilers team bound to have a few bumps in the road. To give the new young Oilers futures a chance to talk, follow and understand the game at their position instead of looking to each other as rookies and struggling through changes they've not yet faced, someone with experience has to be added to the top twelve to round this roster out.

Is that someone Mike Comrie? Comrie is patiently waiting. Recently married, he's had other things on his mind, but his goal has clearly been to stay with the Oilers. Pisani going could have increased his odds Comrie's doing so ever so slightly.

Comrie is the type of player who makes sense for the Oilers. He'll take a one year deal at around $1 million dollars so the money seems to make sense. He's seen and been through everything a hockey crazed city like Edmonton can throw at a skilled young forward. Offering a mentor to the Halls, Eberles and Pajjarvis on the team is a smart move. One who is similarly skilled, and been where they are now seems logical.

Comrie also provides a strong example of a desire to be in Edmonton, when in the past that desire hasn't been at it's height. The argument that a team like Edmonton only keep players who want to play here regardless of skill is an old and tired one. Comrie doesn't fit that category or into that argument.

Comrie can still score. If healthy, it shouldn't be hard to see 20-25 goals. Should the rookies struggle, Comrie can play anywhere in your top six and on the powerplay.

Most want to see the Gagner deal get done. I do too. I'd rather add Comrie first. It's not likely Comrie will keep waiting. Gagner has no choice.

The Oilers might not be as busy today as some other teams as it isn't expected that the Oilers make much of a pitch for major free agents. Instead they'll wait to see what the marketplace bears.

As tradition usually goes, the first day of free agency brings out the big players. We see which teams have chosen to overspend and which teams will focus on one or two guys at most to make a drastic difference for their franchises.

Will a team like the Canucks give Dan Hamhuis far too much money? Will the Kings go for Ilya Kovalchuk and blow their remaining cap space? Will the Rangers somehow find money from some pit in some bowel and give a drastic amount of cash to an undeserving free agent? The answer could be yes to all of the above.

The result is teams that hide in the shadows waiting to offer value deals to those valued free agents left on the outside looking in. 3rd and 4th defencemen, bottom six forwards, older veterans with something left to offer; all get pushed aside until teams who know exactly what needs filling come calling.

Phoenix did it last year and it worked wonders. The Oilers intend to do the same.

Edmonton has key spots open for rookies and prospects out of camp and the franchise needs are to fill veteran leadership roles, bottom end forward spots and 4 through 6 defencemen. The Oilers may not do any of that on the first day.

Instead, they'll wait and see what is available to them at a good price. They'll see who fits the needs of an overhaul in the dressing room and overall Oiler attitude as much as they'll look for skill. They'll look for toughness to protect the "kids" and sign the many RFA players still with the franchise but without new contracts.

All the while, they'll look to name a new team captain.

Ethan Moreau was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. It leaves the Oilers without a leader and prior to the season one will have to be named from a list of probably few candidates. This lack of players to select from is a reason the Oilers are overhauling their franchise.

Players like Sheldon Souray, who at one time had fans begging the Oilers take the "C" from Moreau, have shown fans anyone is more deserving (if he stays an Oiler). Players like Shawn Horcoff might seem a leading candidate, but the team might also want Horcoff to focus on rebounding in terms of on-ice production. Ryan Whitney quickly endeared himself to Edmonton and took no prisoners with his opinions, but he's still less than a one year Oiler. Ales Hemsky is the most talented player on the Oilers, but it might not always be best to automatically give the captaincy to the best player.

So the question becomes, who deserves the letter? IYou'll be surprised at my answer and I'm going out in left field on this one. It's also the reason I spouted a few paragraphs about value free agents, because this guy is one. My next captain would be Mike Comrie.

---

Some of you will have stopped reading after I dare say such a thing. No problem. For the rest of you, here is my argument.

While Mike Comrie doesn't even have a contract with the Oilers yet, I think Comrie will get one. If they didn't see it last year, the Oilers should now view Comrie's veteran presence, his willingness to be the voice (not the face, which is now Taylor Hall) of the franchise, and his skill level as critical moving forward.

The Oilers have spent the last couple of days collecting "hockey players". Guys who play because they love the game and have a passion to be professionals. This is Mike Comrie and his characteristics as a player and a person make sense in this role. Think about it. Who else personifies the new attitude better than Mike Comrie? He's lived both sides.

Comrie went from the most popular Oiler at one time (no disrespect to Doug Weight), to the most hated Oiler (no disrespect to Chris Pronger), to one of the more loved Oilers. He did so all by publicly admitting he had some growing up to do and understood now what it meant to be an Edmonton Oiler. This is what Edmonton is trying to again be known for.

The Oilers want players who work hard, who play with passion (Comrie showed lots of that last season with limited playing time), who bring their game up to the next level when the next level is required and who send the message above all else that being an Oiler is important. Comrie learned that lesson the hard way.

The rookies (many of whom are forwards) will look to a guy like Comrie for guidance both as professionals and as skilled players. Because Comrie is a well liked and respected guy in the dressing room, he'll have those players ears. He's older, but he's still cool enough to be looked at as a young guy. (dating a hot celeb will do that for you).

He's not your best player, but he'll get you 25 goals if he's healthy and he's not your biggest or toughest guy, but he plays like he's bigger than he is.

Mike Comrie has some clout around the NHL as a veteran of many years, he's at a point in his career where he's learning to make a career out of more than just being a goal scorer and he's already in the public eye quite frequently.

He's seen a variety of coaches in his time, he's played a variety of systems and he's produced year in a year out no matter what team (good or bad) he's played on.

The only downside? Comrie's time as an Oiler (if he's offered a new contract) is limited and likely shorter term. This isn't all that terrible though as I'm sure the Oilers are hoping someone from this team either re-signs long term (Penner or Hemsky) and has by then stepped out as a true leader or, one of the young guys have blossomed into a leader (a la Jonathan Toews). If not and Comrie is on the backend of his time in the NHL, why not make him the leader going out?

If Comrie isn't given a new deal, Horcoff is the logical choice. If Comrie is back, Comrie would be my Captain with Horcoff, Hemsky, Gilbert and Whitney my Assistant Captains.

I can't say I've ordered many Oilers PPV's of late. With a team that is more than likely on the losing end of the stick and scoring 1 or 2 goals, adding $15.99 to my cable bill doesn't make a lot of sense when the games are so not entertaining.

I was however inclined on this instance, with a few new faces, to open my ever so tightly gripped money clip and see what newly aquired Ryan Whitney, Aaron Johnson and Ryan Jones would look like as possible futures on a rebuilding Edmonton Oilers team.

My first notion was that Ryan Whitney sure knows how to say the right things for someone who has to be dissappointed to go from a playoff possible club to a 30th place basement dweller. That said, he's been there before with Pittsburg and became part of a great team. In short, he's got the patience to grow with a team in the rebuilding stages and he'll be looked to as top billing going forward.

My second notion was that Ryan Jones was now joining the ever growing list of done for the year Oilers after a more than obvious and dirty knee on knee collision with Boogard. I'm 100% certain that play will result in some form of suspension or disciplinary action by the NHL and Boogard continues to show why he really has no place in todays NHL.

To see Jones even attempt to come back into the game, tells me a lot about this kid and his will to compete. It's a great sign if these are the type of players the Oilers are looking to aquire, even if Jones lacks some of the skillset the Oilers have flocked to in the past.

All in all, Ryan Whitney looked good. He led the Oilers with over 26 minutes of ice-time and outside of a couple scrambles where he seemed out of position, I'd watched him closely through the entire game and his lack of positioning seemed to me more about his infamiliarity with his team than a defensive breakdown in his game.

Whitney made some great passes out of the zone, which he's known for. He took the body a few times and seemed fairly calm for his first game with his new team taking on pretty much anyone who attempted to park themselves infront of his new goalie. Not a bad start for a guy known as sometimes kind of falling asleep at the wheel.

I was really surprised by Aaron Johnson. Granted, I didn't pay as close attention to him as I did a few others, but from what I did see, he's not the throw away I expected him to be in the Staios trade. At least not if he plays this way consistently.

What really impressed me, was his physical play and grit, but knowing when to turn it off for the benefit of the team. Owen Nolan running into Deslauriers was a prime example.

This was golden opportunity for a new Oiler and young kid fighting for a job on this team to take on a legit tough guy in Owen Nolan. Other players in Johnson's position would likely try to fight Nolan, but not this time. Johnson had a quick conversation with Deslauriers, was told his goalie was alright and allowed his new team to go on a powerplay by cooling his jets and choosing a more appropriate time to lose his cool.

Considering Johnson logged over 21 minutes, he looked good. You could tell he was tired, not being used to that much time, but he battled until the end. Maybe the Oilers won't consider Johnson a throw away after all and see taking a look at him as a 6 or 7 blueliner worth while.

For faces that weren't so new, I liked the play of Mike Comrie and have liked it all season. For some reason he's been in and out of the lineup since returning from illness, but if you think about it, Comrie has 8 goals in 28 games. If he'd have been healthy, he'd have scored 24 goals this season which is a steal at just over $1 mill a season and exactly why the Oilers thought to give him a shot.

I hope the Oilers give Comrie another chance to do what he wanted to do this year, which is come back and prove himself in the NHL. The Oilers should still be able to get a good price for him and he provides good mentorship on a rebuilding team. The combination of the two is what the Oilers will look for in the next one to two seasons.

Finally, I thought Deslauriers was the best I've seen him in a long time with the Oilers.

Maybe it's just me and I'm now completely sold on the idea of a rebuild. I'm looking at different things and noticing different facets of the team and this game showed me that there are bright spots on this team going forward. Sure, Tambellini has work to do, but not as much as people might think to at least be competitive.

This sounds like a broken record. How much can one team add up missing man games due to injury? The Oilers are posed to shatter records in the NHL this year if this pace continues. Here is the latest in a new string of players missing from the roster at practice.

Quinn gave the media the following news:

Mike Comrie: "has got mono. He's not going to play or practice until he's through the full phase of it."

*Oilers Insider Note: this is something that could be much worse than what fans are joking around calling the "kissing disease". Comrie hasn't been healthy since the flu thanks to complications with his asthma. This is likely just an extension of what's been ailing him and we could see Comrie miss some lengthy game action.

Ethan Moreau: "When he came this morning to the rink, our medical staff wanted him to take the day off, so he did that."

*Oilers Insider Note: Moreau will likely play on Saturday, but the staff takes no chances with head shots. It was a pretty nasty elbow that knocked Moreau from the rest of the game on Wednesday. If he makes it to practice Friday, that will tell the Oilers a lot.

Shawn Horcoff: "He tried to practice but couldn't get through it, so he left."

*Oilers Insider Note: This reminds me of the year Horcoff was on pace for 80 points and went into the All-Star game only to miss the rest of the season for shoulder surgery. Horcoff's foot and shoulder are bugging him. He's been fighting through it, but it could be a real problem.

Robert Nilsson: "He's out [with a concussion]."

*Oilers Insider Note: Nilsson has been listed as day-to-day and was ready to go a couple games ago, only to be bothered again. It's hard to give a timeline to injuries like concussions, so who knows here.

Liam Reddox: "is gone. You saw him get hit by that one shot by a player, so he's gone for an x-ray on the ankle."

*Oilers Insider Note: I've never seen a player take so much abuse since being inserted into the lineup. Reddox keeps trucking and fighting his way through games, often looking like one of the most effective Oilers. He'll fight, but if his ankle is serious, what can the Oilers do?

Lubomir Visnovsky: "needed a day. He's still suffering from being banged about four or five days ago."

*Oilers Insider Note: Visnovsky shouldn't miss any action. This is likely more a rest move with an extra day between games.

Ales Hemsky: "He's still sore from upper body stuff that's been going on with him for a while."

*Oilers Insider Note: Hemsky seems to be a one night he's fine, the next night he's hurt kind of player. He should be in the lineup, and this is a rest move again, but Hemsky has that time in every year, where he misses some important games. Let's hope this isn't it.

Sam Gagner: "went to have his hip further looked at."

*Oilers Insider Note: He should be ok and one hopes this isn't a nagging injury that eventually requires lengthy time off and/or surgery. Let's keep thinking glass half full on this one.

Denis Grebeshkov: "is still out for a period of time."

*Oilers Insider Note: Add him to the long term IR. Some possible room for the Oilers to make a move to replace his salary? Hopefull in the form of a 3rd or 4th line faceoff center.

Fernando Pisani: is also out due to issues with colitis.

*Oilers Insider Note: One can just wish the most speedy recovery possible in Pisani's case.

Taylor Chorney: continues to suffer from an ankle injury.

*Oilers Insider Note: No word on how long this is going to keep him out of the lineup, but he's quickly becoming an important piece of the Oilers team, when just weeks ago, he wasn't even technically an Oiler.

We did a quick study of five players and how they've been as productive Oilers in our first edition of the quarter poll rankings yesterday. All five of those players have played all 21 Oiler games to start the season.

In this edition, we'll look at Oilers who have had a good record thus far against the Avalanche, who not coincidentally the Oilers face Wednesday on TSN.

Unfortunately, doing an examination in this way actually led me down a difficult path of deciding which five Oilers to examine as Edmonton has only scored 5 goals in the two contests against the Avs. In the first meeting, the Oilers were shut-out 3-0 and the second meeting saw the Oilers actually play a solid road game winning 5-3.

That said, I think I've come up with five viable candidates.

Thinking back, it was the first time I really noticed the effectiveness of Ryan Potulny in situations I'd never seen from him before. Potulny didn't have much time in the NHL with the Oilers under MacTavish, but when he did, it was always that fourth line, shut-down and grinder type role. I'm not so sure that role suits the type of player Potulny is.

In the last Oiler game against the Avalanche, Potulny was given some time in different situations and he capitalized. He played over 12 minutes (a lot for a call up), had two points, a powerplay goal, and was an even plus/minus on the night. Pretty good.

Since then, Potulny has been steady for the Oilers in what has to be considered a temporary position. He's only plus/minus -2 in a string of Oiler losses and he's been part of line combinations that have been good energy guys for the Oilers. He's not going to be your great offensive weapon, nor your #1 shut-down guy, but all around, he's been ok.

Ryan Potulny -- B-

I called Potulny's stop temporary because I think the one player of the two who made the leap at that time and might stick is Liam Reddox. Since coming up to the team, he's been full throttle and Quinn has to like that.

Reddox doesn't have a lot to show points wise for his efforts, but a few scoring chances and powerplay goals for the Oilers have come thanks to the hustle Reddox has provided. A real bonus since his arrival, is his averaging 3 hits per game -- an average higher than anyone on the team outside of JF Jacques who at one time was in the top three in the NHL in terms of hitting.

Reddox has killed penalties for the Oilers, he's crashed the net and he took a nasty hit that would have knocked a lot of other NHL'ers out for some serious time, yet he kept on truckin'.

Liam Reddox -- B+

Mike Comrie got a goal in the last contest versus the Avs, and ironically enough, it was the last game in which he's scored this season. Let's hope he can repeat his performance on Wednesday.

Mike Comrie is hard to assess thanks to his fight with the flu and the complications it's had with his asthma. Since going down with the flu, Comrie just hasn't been the same and his last few games haven't been at all an indication of what Oiler fans should expect.

When Comrie first came to Edmonton, he had a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove. He started strong, was a point a game player for a while, a great faceoff guy when the team needed one, and did other little things well. This after he led all NHL players in pre-season with 10 points.

Lately, Comrie's been in and out of action and when he's in, he's been slow and weaker than usual which tells us he's still not healthy.

Should Comrie get healthy, I think he'll start to pick things up, which in turn might help a player like O'Sullivan. The Oilers need it, as does Comrie still playing for a better contract. Should things not turn around, Edmonton fans can turn just as quickly as they cheer you when you get 4 points in one night and start a fight.

Mike Comrie -- C+

As of late, Lubomir Visnovsky has played well. The last game against the Avs, Visnovsky wasn't so hot, but this season, that's been a rarity as Lubomir has been the best all-around defenseman by far for the Oilers this season.

With 13 points in 19 games, a respectable plus/minus +3 and the quarter back for a ton of Edmonton's limited offense, Visnovsky has been terrific and was greatly missed in the two games for which he wasn't in the lineup.

It's no surprise as the Oilers nose-dived last season after Visnovsky went down with a shoulder injury. One he's done well to recover from.

When Visnovsky chooses to shoot he's doing so at the right time in the right situation with a cannon. It's led to a fantastic 17.2% shooting percentage, but he's been responsible for some of Edmonton's prettiest goals of the season too.

Lubomir Visnovksy -- A

Finally, Nikolai Khabibulin who made 34 saves in Edmonton's last trip to Colorado and 31 saves in their first meeting, did what he's done all season -- keep the Oilers close in a lot of games. You can't ask for much more from your goaltender.

Khabibulin came to Edmonton in a smoke cloud of controversy. He's old, he's signed long-term and he's being paid $15 million over that time. So far, he's also made Tambellini look good, which is no small feat considering how still full of holes this Oilers roster is.

If not for Khabibulin, the Oilers would be well below a .500 hockey club. Sure, he's had moments like opening night against the Flames, but he quickly picked himself back up and has been tremendous for the Oilers as of late.

The problem for Khabibulin, isn't Khabibulin. It's the rest of the team that can't score to help him, or the defense that can't get the puck out of the zone to relieve pressure.

We're starting to see more games where the Oilers are actually out-shooting their opponents, so hopefully that bodes well for Khabibulin, who despite his good play, has a pretty bad record to show for it.

Nikolai Khabibulin -- B +

As it stands right now, the Oilers haven't shown a lot in preseason. Ales Hemsky hasn't done much other than to suggest he's rusty. Penner has been a much slimmer, faster and more lively version of his former self, which is great but he still hasn't produced outside of one easy looking goal; and players like Gagner, Nilsson, Cogliano, Pouliot and others haven't given many signs that they've excelled past their disappointing showings last year. Even Horcoff who has been alright and relied upon as the only faceoff weapon the Oilers have, has seen most of his offense come thanks to the easy scraps left by the production of the following two players.

Patick O'Sullivan and Mike Comrie in one word have been magic. Their chemistry together so far is down right scary, with Comrie having produced 7 assists in 3 games and O'Sullivan 4 goals and 1 assist in the same time frame. It seemed obvious that O'Sullivan was going to bounce back from a poor end to his 2008/2009 NHL season after being traded to Edmonton, but if his pace so far suggests anything (and yes I know it's preseason) he could get 30 goals in his sleep if Comrie and O'Sullivan are pegged together for much of what's left in hockey for the Oilers in 2009/2010.

O'Sullivan in 3 games has taken an amazing 43 shots. 43! I thought I read it wrong and if so, I've wasted a few minutes of your time as the reader here; but when I first saw that, I couldn't help but find out just how many shots that is. 14.3 shots per game puts him at a pace which is more than twice Alexander Ovechkin's numbers from last season.

I know, I know... how can I compare the two? I'm really not trying to here, but if you think about the fact that Ovechkin's shooting percentage last season was 10.6% and O'Sullivan's is 9.3 so far this preseason; if O'Sullivan kept up this pace and shot 14 times a game (which he's doing right now), he'd have 1148 shots in an 82 game season. That's amazing! If I'm not reading or calculating incorrectly with the stats sheet, that's about 106 goals in 82 games.

Dropping his totals to 10 shots per game and 8%, he'd have 65 goals. Even further to 8 shots a game and a 5% shooting percentage, (which is kind of low for goal scorers), that's 32 goals, which the Oilers haven't had in years.

With that kind of production, I wouldn't split these two up with for any reason outside of a trade for Ovechkin himself, who seems to be able to produce similar numbers no matter who he plays with.

I'm more than interested to see just how much this production will drop and who the Oilers choose to put with these two to start the regular season.

I suppose at $1.125 million, Comrie isn't considered a big ticket item. If I had to guess though, a few tickets were sold to Fridays Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers match-up because Comrie looks to be in the line-up and will make his return to Edmonton home ice.

Whether those tickets get purchased to boo Comrie or cheer him remains to be seen, but Comrie is aware he has a lot to prove out on the ice tomorrow and I for one, would put money on him having a big game. I can't remember a time when a player has probably been more motivated to make a good showing infront of his home crowd as Comrie might be for Edmonton.

"There will probably be fans going both ways, hopefully some cheers, but some people will want me to play well to earn back that respect and I obviously know that" said Comrie after another hard practice at Millennium Place on Thursday. Words spoken by a guy who knows performing well is his only option. This won't be new for Comrie who was well are that when he chose to sign with Edmonton in the first place, he was going to be watched closely under the very vocal and sometimes unforgiving Oiler fans. For me, forgive and forget and help the team win; is a better option and with the focus shown by Comrie thus far I expect him to do just that.

Not to be outdone, a few more tickets will be sold Friday because new free agent goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin will also make his Edmonton Oiler debut and is anxious to get that first game this season with his new team underway. Unlike Comrie, who's had a chance to play a game in an Edmonton uniform this year; Khabibulin has yet to see game action and from the comments he's made about his start on Friday, he's understandably nervous.

Bulin really wanted to practice with the team a couple times before seeing real official game minutes. This tells me good things and bad. Good that he wants to win no matter what type of game it is and must really hold himself accountable when he might be the cause of a few goals against -- especially if he doesn't feel prepared with new teammates. Bad in that I'm a bit surprised that a goalie of his experience isn't just ready to go from the day training camp gets underway. Most goalies don't want to sit on the sidelines and take it in, they want the action and the pressure of being that man between the pipes.

Needless to say, I also expect Khabibulin to be sharp and if he is, that bodes well for the Oilers who will have had strong performances from all goalies looking at playing for this team in 2009/2010 and for fans who in some cases are still questioning the signing of Khabibulin at his age to a four year deal.

Oiler fans have something to really get behind at Fridays game. Sure it means nothing in the standings, it's against Florida and the team will be icing a plethora of players that won't see NHL action this year, but that won't matter because all eyes will be on numbers 91 and 35. I'm sure they won't dissappoint.

Game Predictions:

Comrie - 1 goal and 1 assist
Khabibulin - 16 saves for no goals allowed in about 30 minutes of game action.

The signing of Mike Comrie doesn't give the Oilers too many small forwards. At least not any more than they already had. Kevin Lowe went on record saying that the Comrie signing wouldn't be in addition to, but instead of a current NHL ready forward on the roster.

"Pat Quinn and his coaching staff are salivating at the thought of having 19 or 20 forwards and having to pick out a roster of 13 or 14." he goes on to add, that "One of the criticisms of the Mike Comrie signing is that we've added another small player, but in all likelyhood, if Mike does well and plays a part in the team this season, he will be replacing a smaller type player."

Interesting. We kind of knew that Comrie coming in meant someone going out, but who will that someone be? My guess, is that we'll have to wait at least two weeks or so and into camp and pre-season before we find out. That is unless of course a viable trade option presents itself.

Making a Case For Each Small Forward

O'Sullivan - He's yet to prove anything as an Oiler and despite what he did in LA, could be on shaky ground if he doesn't get off to a faster start. The Oilers see big things for him, hoping he'll be one of the main goal scoring contributors based simply on how frequently he likes to shoot the puck. He's versatile being able to play any forward spot. He's slated for top 6 forward minutes, but that spot is literally his to lose.

Nilsson - For most fans, he is the odd man out. I'm not sure that the Oilers totally agree as he's shown a lot of jazz this summer adding a ton of muscle (reminiscent of Smid last year) and is ready to play more physical knowing he has a lot to prove. His skill set is still considered amongst the best on the team, it's just his consistency that is in question. If Quinn and Renney see something in Nilsson's game to start things off, he may not be gone.

Cogliano - If given the minutes (and the Oilers want to), they expect as many as 30 goals from Cogliano this season. Scoring 18 on the third line last year and with very limited special teams time, that jump is not at all out of the question. The problem for Cogs is his flexibility. He's not wanting to play anything but centre, but is willing to - there's a big difference there. If he doesn't mesh on the wing, his spot could be in trouble and he has value around the league and may not be a good fit with the puzzle pieces on the Oilers roster.

Gagner - I can't imagine the Oilers looking or considering a move involving Sam Gagner, but stranger things have happened. Should an offer exist too good to pass up, anything is possible. It is very likely however that should Gagner have a strong start (which for the most part has been his downfall), he'll be slotted as the 1st line centre for much of the season.

Comrie - The odds are slim, but it's still possible he doesn't make this team. The Oilers signing Comrie at this price is almost a no risk move. Should Quinn and Renney simply not see what they need to out of Comrie, the Oilers could cut him lose or move him down our out. It makes little sense to do so after signing him mere days before, and I feel he's a lock because if he wasn't they'd have offered a tryout, not a contract, but Comrie still needs to prove something to stay here. By no means, will he get a free pass.

He does offer the most experience of the smaller forwards and has been that prolific scorer the Oilers need in the past. But what that means is only that his odds of not sticking are smaller and his leash longer; but Comrie has to play well and show the coaches where he slots into the lineup.

One thing is for certain and proves Kevin Lowe as accurate in that Quinn has choices. In fact a lot of them. He can put a line-up together of the players that show the most effort, and while the Oilers didn't address that need in a personelle change, healthy competition will and should go a long way to improving the effort of forwards looking to stay employed.

Well we've touched on it to death, so there isn't much left to say other than that the rumor is now official. Comrie is an Edmonton Oiler and for $1.125 million.

This is huge for Edmonton in terms of what's going to happen from this point on. Where will Comrie play in the line-up? Will Edmonton move bodies to compensate for his arrival?

Let the discussion and speculation begin., but I believe the Oilers better today than yesterday and at this price, it's a no risk moves for the Oilers.

It is being reported by Robin Brownlee over at oilersnation.com, that the Edmonton Oilers are mere days away from publicly announcing the signing of one Mike Comrie. The rumors have been circulating for about a week or two, but based on a 15 minute conversation Brownlee had with Mike Comrie, Brownlee is convinced he knows all he needs to, that this is as good as done.

While Mike Comrie is a good player and has more NHL experience than most of the similarly small forwards on the Oilers roster ie. Nilsson, Cogliano, Gagner, O'Sullivan and others who may have a chance to crack the NHL this year, where he plays on this roster is anyones guess. Here are a few possible scenarios:

Option 1

Comrie/Horcoff/Hemsky
O'Sullivan/Gagner/Nilsson
Penner/Cogliano/Pisani
Moreau/Pouliot/Stortini

The Upside

The first line has some proven NHL experience on it. Granted, Comrie is a stretch on the first line thanks to his last couple years of offensive production, but he's more offensively wired than anything else and his two-way and defensive style isn't exactly why the Oilers would be adding him. Keeping him close to Horcoff does for Comrie what is does for Hemsky -- gives an offensive skilled forward a chance to think more offensively with a defensively smart Horcoff on the line. Comrie can bounce back from his 27 points in 63 games of last season and is/was the only 30 goal scorer the Oilers would have, so it makes sense to put him in a position to contribute offensively and make him a real bargain at $1.3 million per year.

The Downside

Putting Comrie on the first line moves Penner, O'Sullivan or Cogliano (all potential 1st line LW) down the depth chart. It means both of the first two lines are extremely small in terms of size and physical play, so they can expect to be pushed around a lot.

Option 2

Penner/Horcoff/Hemsky
O'Sullivan/Gagner/Comrie
Nilsson/Cogliano/Pisani
Moreau/Pouliot/Stortini

The Upside

Your first line played well last year when kept together and the numbers have shown that when Penner, Horcs and Hemmer find chemistry, they can be very hard to play against, providing very good offensive numbers for each other. The second line is smaller, but more well rounded. I can't back it up, but I have a feeling Comrie and Gagner would click and are very interchangeable. I think Gagner gets significantly better at faceoffs this year and both players have a tendency to think pass first which works great for O'Sullivan who likes to shoot. The other option for me would be switching Nilsson and Comrie, just to get the passing ability of Nilsson on the same line as the shoot happy O'Sullivan.

The Downside

The lines are still small size wise and your second line as is looks weak to win important faceoffs and battles for the puck. Sure both Comrie and Gagner are the type of players who will fight just enough to let players know they're willing to drop em if need be, but overall their game is not physical and they'll absolutely need to out skill whatever line they are up against.

Option 3

O'Sullivan/Comrie/Hemsky
Cogliano/Gagner/Nilsson
Penner/Horcoff/Pisani
Moreau/Pouliot/Stortini

The Upside

While I think this is the weakest combination of the many possibles out there, but can see it as one that is given a look by the coaching staff. This third line is more physical and solves some of the glaring holes the Oilers had going into camp like a bigger and tougher bottom six. In fact the bottom six is terrific in terms of what they can contribute if they play the body along with be as offensively talented as we know they can be.

The Downside

The top six is small, weak and for the most part unproven. I think if O'Sullivan gets off to a good start, one similar to his point totals in LA, he's got a chance to pot 35 goals with Comrie and Hemsky as his feeders all year. That said, we've seen how inconsistent the "kid" line can be. Sure they're all a year further along and when they played well when lined together in the past were the reason the Oilers almost snuck into the playoffs in 2007, but that's a big if.

All in all, there are a lot more combinations out there and the above mentioned are just a few making the rounds in discussion. What do you suggest?

I for one think, that if Brownlee is correct and this signing is announced, that action is coming in terms of adding size. This is just too many smaller forwards on one team and a real opening to exit out a couple of smaller players, picks or prospects to land a more gritty style forward. Sure an argument can be made, that this is the same type of team that took Buffalo deep into the playoffs a few years back, only to get hampered by injuries down the stretch; but that more proves my point than anything.

This team will get beat on, night in and out physically and Stortini, Moreau, MacIntyre, Staois and Souray can only fight so many times without taking bad penalties before it hurts the team and the core of the lineup. The Oilers needs at least one forward who can help offensively, but is more about taking the body and freeing up space.

I'm not against Comrie, I just hope it leads to other action before opening night.

If you read, or in this case, listen between the lines there are a number of signs pointing towards Mike Comrie and the Edmonton Oilers coming to terms in a matter of days. The only reason that it's yet to be officially announced as a done deal publicly is that Steve Tambellini isn't 100% convinced, or hasn't made the necessary arragements to make moves after Comrie joins the team.

To bring in Comrie -- a player with a more proven track record, but similar style to a number of other Oiler players currently on the roster -- Tambellini needs to make trade arrangements with another team to ship someone out. Until he feels secure he's been able to do so, Tambellini isn't ready to make an offer to Mike Comrie to make everything official.

But that doesn't mean a number of people close to this situation aren't waiting both patiently and with excitement.

Management would like to make this move, not only because they think Comrie can help, but because he has something to prove. It's the perfect time to add a player like that. It doesn't hurt that they can effectively say to a number of other players who question Edmonton as a playing destination, that if one of the original problem children of the "let's bash the Oilers" years is returning, it can't be all that bad and the reputation is simply blown out of proportion. It also doesn't hurt that his asking price is at an all time bargain.

Some of the current Oilers want it to happen too, namely Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky. Both are interested in possibly playing with the type of player they know can produce when healthy and given the offensive minutes. They've spent the last couple years juggling linemates and feel Comrie gives them a chance to either build chemistry with him or other linemates when he finds a home on another line.

Even more, Comrie wants this too. A source who knows the Comrie family suggested today, that Mike Comrie has more than one team whose offered or close to have tabeled an offer and awaiting a decision from he and his agent. (something he all but confirmed in his media interview Friday, when he said it wouldn't be situation where he would be attending camp on a tryout basis).

That said, it is our guess that these other teams are not going to hear anything until Comrie knows for certain his future isn't with the Oilers, because this is where he wants to be andthis source in fact went so far to say isn't opposed to finishing his career. That's a pretty big statement considering his past with this organization, but he has friends on the team, he likes Edmonton and is more ready for the pressures of playing for the Oilers than he ever was before.

With all this said, it's still up in the air as to whether or not this gets done, since it hinges on so many other factors. Can the Oilers move bodies? If so, who? If not, where do they fit Comrie in under the cap?

As has now been reported on numerous sites, Mike Sillinger has been added to the Edmonton Oilers management crew as a mentor in the junior ranks.

“We are very excited to have Mike fill such an important role with us,” said Tambellini. “We know his experience of 1,000-plus NHL games will benefit our younger players and the development of their careers.”

There are going to be arguments on both sides for this move. Sillinger has no management experience on his resume. The only real professional coaching he's done is as a teammate to some hundred or so NHL players over the 11 teams in which he played in the NHL. That's a pretty good start.

As one reader on another forum put it and to which I agree, the Oilers are trying to develop a core with strong character and dedication. Mike has both of these qualities. Add to that his extensive career, his exposure to multiple teams with different playing styles, coaching philosophies and two way style of play over his long career and Sillinger should help in assessing players at both ends of the rink which is a valuable asset. Others have also pointed out his talent in the face-off circle which is an obvious weakness within the organization.

That leads us to another Mike, whose faceoff % is not quite as glowing. 37% in Ottawa last year and 41% in NYI. 46% the year before and you start to get an idea of the pattern that goes on.

I bring this up because Mike Comrie to Edmonton rumors just don't seem to be slowing down and I'm not sure why. If the contract term and numbers are as low as they say, then perhaps there is not a whole lot to lose, but whatever possessed the Oilers to even consider a player that offers the same if not less than a good five other forwards on the Oilers roster right now is beyond me. I'm guessing this has more to do with the Comrie camp calling Edmonton, than the other way around.

Regardless, the Oilers will struggle in the faceoff dot this year and Comrie doesn't address that need. That said, here's what I can see coming...

Comrie signs for 1 yr at $1.3 million, which provides the following advantages:

a) he has a bit more of a proven record than some of our current similar style forwards, but at less the cost.
b) he's been around longer with relationships to players the Oilers might have interest in aquiring (perhaps Dany Heatley)
c) he's looking to prove himself over this coming year to earn a better contract next season

The dominos:

One of the other forwards are traded possibly along with picks for grit or a bonafide 3rd line centre. I envision the former as I think the Oilers truly believe they have internally someone who can fill the 3rd line role. Names to look for might be Cheechoo out of San Jose, Ryan Johnson out of Vancouver, or even a player like Tomas Holmstrom out of Detroit.

We thought the summer was interesting before. We'll have lots more to talk about if both Mike's become a part of the Oilers in some way, shape or form.

Mad speculation is a buzz on the internet, that Daryl Katz has personally taken some time and facilitated a UFA signing this summer with of all people, Mike Comrie.

I can tell you for certain, this is untrue. Daryl Katz did not go out and sign Comrie. If it turns out that the Oilers and Mike Comrie have worked out this supposed deal for $1.3 million this season and Daryl Katz was somehow in on the coversation that finally tipped Comrie back to Edmonton, there will never be one peep, iota or inkling that this was a Katz signing. That would be a PR move worse than possibly the Dany Heatley trade that never happened.

Katz has spent a lot of money to "restructure" management ala Detroit and the collaborative systems he feels will eventually benefit the Oilers in their quest to get back on top. Only an idiot (and Katz is not an idiot) would over-step that structure. If he has, I recommend Tambellini and anyone else who was hired since Katz purchased the team, immediately tender their resignations.

Whether I or many fans agree with what Tambellini has done so far this summer (which we don't), he can't possibly work within a system that allows for an owner, who has no direct hockey knowledge other than that of a fan; to derail any plan of action a hired GM like Tambellini might have in place. Even if that plan show no chance of success. In those cases, the GM should be relieved of his duties and another put in his place.

On the contrary, if Tambellini and Lowe asked Katz for a second assist in convincing Comrie to give Edmonton another shot, there is a large difference. This by all measures is not only acceptable, but common (as was seen in the Hossa and Laraque negotiations). It's a team concept both on the ice and within management for the Oilers and it could have taken a conversation from Katz to daddy Comrie to get this finalized -- if in fact a deal has happened.

If it has two things are going to happen going forward:

1) Katz will be mentioned if at all as a wing-man on this deal. The Oilers would be fools to give credit to the owner.

2) Someone in the Top 6 is on their way out of town. Whether it's Nilsson going to the minors or Horcoff to the 3rd line centre position, Comrie doesn't have the size, stats or character needed to play a full season as a 3rd line centre.