I'm not ignorant to the fact that there are a number of writers, bloggers, fans and you name its writing tidbits about every inch of the first three days of training camp thus far. I find, like them; that it's more entertaining to watch specific players as they show their stuff in a setting that allows them the opportunity to shine. Unfortunately, skill alone won't be the main element that allows some of these players to make this team.

The way Quinn has been public in his ideas of what will make this a successful team, leads me to believe we might see a few surprises when the final roster for the Edmonton Oilers is announced for October 3rd. It won't have much to do with the skill level of the players in that game, but how they demonstrated their ability to match that skill with an understanding of a few keys words that Pat Quinn made perfectly clear were important for this team.

Systems

It was immediately evident that Quinn, Renney, Fleming and Buchberger have a system they'd like the Oilers to play. One that involves getting the puck out of the defensive zone as quickly as possible, quick passes and possibly even quicker shots on net. A system that emphasizes the importance of puck retrieval and puck possession.

It's a new system for this team and one that some players admitted was the focus of their first couple days. They understood as the coaches do, that the players best able to showcase their skills within the confines of the system set before them will have the best chance to make the starting 23 man roster.

Balance

It is well understood that the coaches here, while not yet completely familiar with all the players and faces, know damn well what they have to work with. They've been surprised in a few cases, but reaffirmed in their belief that they won't necessarily have that superstar number one line that some teams do. A balance of scoring depth in the form of three, maybe even four balanced depth lines will be how the Oilers succeed.

They'll be looking to four or five 20 goal scorers over creating one or two 30 to 40 goal guys and the way they plan to sort this line-up of forwards will likely mean we aren't looking at creating a point a game type player. Not a big surprise to anyone since it's likely we don't have that level of skill on this roster anyways.

Pairings

Much of the first two on ice days were spent looking at possible pairings for the season. Quinn is a firm believer in the "there's two guys you always remember" theory of line creation. The Gretzky/Kurri and the other guy line. Or the Messier/Anderson and the third man out there unit. They'll be spending some time trying to see which pairings make the most sense.

Thus far, it seems that Hemsky and Horcoff will be one and Gagner and Penner another, rotating the third man to find the best match for those pairings. It might be important for some of the players on the cusp of making this team to see how they can fit themselves into a pairing, instead of that 3rd man type role. After all, while you want to be flexible to the coaches; nobody wants to be that easy to move or replace on the line type player.

First Impressions

You never get a second chance to make a first impression isn't exactly true when you're at a tryout camp for the Edmonton Oilers in 2009. There are at least 5-6 players currently at camp that have a shot at working their way into the line-up if they can demonstrate their understanding of the above mentioned words Quinn has uttered frequently.

Players like Brule, Schremp, Potulny, Reddox, Eberle, Pouliot, Nilsson and others who are part of the constant debate as final cuts truly have a chance to make a strong case for their place on the Oilers roster. Proving they can be complimentary players in the system set out by the coaches, providing balance on any line and perhaps finding the right home with a player that makes you hard to cut, could be the secret to pushing them over that final hump.

More now than in a long time, I expect to see a few surprises announced when they introduce the starting lines for the first game of the year and that the team won't be made up of pure skill, but players who were able to think the game and understand the style and system of play better and faster than the rest.

There's a lot of new information being thrown around at camp and it will take fast learners to get this team off to a good start.

Jason Gregor did some great work over at Oilersnation keeping us up to date on what was happening at training camp on Day 1. A few of the notes, with some observations thrown in:

The Good

Patrick O'Sullivan looks to be getting a good crack at the 1st LW spot and is excited about the opportunity. That said, an interview with Quinn today stressed that the Oilers might be able to run 3, possibly 4 balanced lines thanks to some unexpected size he wasn't aware the team possessed. "Pairings" was the word of the day for Quinn and the spot O'Sullivan holds after Day 1 seems flexible.

The net result means a possible separation of Horcoff and Hemsky, while they look for the best possible "pairing" that helps the team. Day 2 should see a different set of players together to test that theory.

The Somewhat Surprising but Positive

Dustin Penner and Zack Stortini looked a step faster. That's nice to see considering they'll be asked not only to be more physical but keep up offensively. This is likely an easier thing for Penner to do and he showed some evidence of his soft hands for a big man, but I see a big year for Stortini under Quinn's guidance. Stortini has proven to be a coach's type player and eager to not only follow instructions, but execute them beyond what is expected by a player of his skill level. He's got the size Quinn wants and more of an ability to score and produce offensively than I think many give him credit for.

Rob Schremp did a good job of getting noticed, when it's of critical importance he do just that. Based on the opinion of a lot of experts and many of the readers of this site, Schremp is currently among the forwards on the outside looking in and getting off to a good start is huge. His 5 on 5, wasn't the greatest which supports many of the negative comments about his game, but in odd-man situations and in sheer areas of skill he was better than almost anyone on the ice on Day 1. He'll need to keep that up if he has a prayer of staying put.

The Not So Good

Both Gilbert Brule and Oliver Roy left Sundays session a bit early due to what might be slight injury. Roy is expected among the first cuts on the roster and is really only going to be here for any length of time as will some others because Quinn stressed the importance of the team being an "organization" off the bat. Any injury, which we hear is minor won't affect the Oilers.

For Brule, this would be a bad sign for a forward really needing to make this team based on what he shows in camp. If he doesn't get the chance to, he's in tough and any spot he had a chance to earn could go to a Pouliot or another forward.

While not exactly having to compete for a roster spot, news on Lubomir Visnovsky's injury isn't terrible, but it isn't terrific either. Visnovsky could miss close to, if not all of camp thanks to his shoulder not quite being ready for contact and lacking full rotation. He's skating, running drills and learning the new system, but major competition isn't in the cards for him quite yet. He says it's a matter of a week, but the Oilers will most likely play it safe and only give him non-physical action for the next little while.

Mike Comrie didn't really have a chance to get noticed on Day 1, but I expect that to change on Day 2 as he'll get a much closer look in a top pairing. I wouldn't be surprised to see him lined up with Hemsky on Monday.

Under The Excellent News Section

Robert Nilsson. If you look around this site and many others, you'll notice a recurring theme. Nilsson seems to be the forward least likely to stick on the Edmonton roster when last year he was handed a spot. That said, both Nilsson and Quinn seem to have a different read on the situation and Nilsson could shock a few fans.

Pat Quinn was more than positive in his comments on Nilsson and what was showed on the first day of camp. Nilsson to his credit looked fantastic and Quinn's high hopes for the forward, considering his lack of experience with him could be warranted and from the tone of Quinns comments, Nilsson is only a few pieces shy of being one of Edmonton's better players.

An interview after Day 1 revealed that Quinn is very high on Nilsson's skill level and considers last years dissappointing season to be odd, more than a reflection of the player himself. Reading between the lines suggests Nilsson just needs to find that extra gear to stay competitive and remain the type of player he's capable of. Quinn did admit that Nilsson will be challenged for a roster spot thanks to the sheer number of forwards trying out, but something tells me Nilsson will rise to that challenge and continue to impress the coach.

For fans, that's not news. We know of Nilsson's ability. What might be news is that Quinn seems to feel he can really get that out of Nilsson and it sounds like he's going to give opportunities for Nilsson to make it work.

Where he'll fit and for that matter a lot of other's on the roster is still yet to be determined. For the most part even Quinn admits to not knowing fully, although he did comment that the line-up, while being tweaked, is set for the first two pre-season games.

If Day 1, tells us anything, which it shouldn't completely yet; it's that Nilsson, O'Sullivan and a couple others have made good first impressions.

Tomorrow, the Edmonton Oilers will open Rexall Place to the fans who can witness the first scrimmage sessions of training camp for the year. The Oilers have put some interesting combinations together to start camp off, and while we can't hold too much weight on the lineups, one might be able to tell a few things from the combinations, since they were the first to be thought of by the coaching staff.

Here is how the lines shape up to start off the Oilers training camp, and for many team tryouts...

TEAM A

O’Sullivan- Horcoff -Hemsky
Reddox -Potulny -Fretter
Stone – Schremp – Linglet
Brennan – Comrie – Bates
Souray – Visnovsky
Aresene – Taylor
Wild – Bendfeld
Khabibulin
Pitton
Perugini

Team B

Penner – Gagner – Eberle
Jacques – Pouliot – Stortini
Trukhno – O’Marra – McDonald
Emmerson – Lerg – MacMurchy
Grebeshkov – Gilbert
Chorney – Plante
Nickerson – Young
Deslauriers
Roy

Team C

Moreau – Cogliano – Pisani
Nilsson – Brule – Minard
Cornet – Paukovich – MacIntyre
Czuy – Kytnar – Lazo
Smid – Staios
Motin – Strudwick
Prout – Dudas
Peckham
Dubnyk
Sorochan
Mucha

So if we're going to examine these combinations with far more detail than we probably should, here is what I take these line match-ups to mean.

O'Sullivan is going to get a good look at the 1st line LW. The Oilers must feel he's going to submit a boat load of shots on net, (or at least are hoping to) so putting him with Hemsky, coaches must hope a little spark of chemistry ignites.

Penner and Gagner is a combination that showed real signs of life over the last two years and perhaps the Oilers want to see if they can recreate some magic on the same line. Eberle is an odd choice here, but maybe the Oilers want to give him a good hard look right off the bat with some higher level NHL'ers before they write him off as a non-factor this year.

Souray and Visnovsky are paired together, which is not a huge surprise, but an interesting combo when you think about the powerplay. When they often put these two together last season, it was a bit too much shooting on the same side and wasn't all that effective. Gilbert and Grebeshov and Smid and Staois means the Oilers are looking to see if the same pairings from last year are going to be how they start the season and it won't surprise me one bit.

Brule and Nilsson kind of look like they are in nowhere's land, so it'll be interesting to see if this line-ups means anything in terms of where they sit on the team, but Pouliot with Jacques and Stortini sounds like the type of fourth line many expected the Oilers to start with.

Comrie is slated way down, but that could be his officially signing after these line-ups were made or what we stated when we started this article... that it's quite likely these lines don't mean a thing and we really just kind of like to read into things. After all they have Cogliano slated to play 3rd line centre between Moreau and Pisani, and we know how badly we hope that doesn't happen in order for Cogs to have a big year.

Sources tell TSN, Dany Heatley has been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick. This ends what seemed to be a never ending storyline involving Dany Heatley.

It's no surprise that San Jose winds up as the final destination for Heatley and Ottawa has landed an impressive forward in Michalek along with a player who is either a) going to be immediately moved to another destination (perhaps Edmonton) or b) will step up from his previous two seasons and find a welcome change in Ottawa.

For everyone involved this is probably a huge blessing. The Senators, while for the most part remaining professional about it, were not at all thrilled with the prospect of a returning Heatley. Heatley had no desire to go back, although he would have, and The Oilers having officially pulled their offer, were never really considered out of play should the Senators have made a call, so at the very least Edmonton fans have closure.

San Jose has now obtained one of the hottest one-two punches in Heatley/Thornton and if Heatley doesn't get 50 goals with Joe Thornton feeding him saucers all year, Shark fans should be shocked.

Considering how weak a position the Senators were in, this is not a bad trade for them. Michalek was signed to a nice number long term, should get the Senators 30 goals playing along side Jason Spezza and convinced San Jose to give up on young potential for a LW sniper everyone knows is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, who also but carries some interesting baggage.

Cheechoo is the interesting piece here as Ottawa never really expressed much interest. They'll etiher give Cheechoo a chance to rebound, or a possible trade is already in the works to move Cheechoo to another destination. In either case, Cheechoo has a chance to be the sleeper surprise in this trade and make it a win/loss deal for the Senators.

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.

The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is, there are a lot of things that have to happen first before Heatley or the Ottawa Senators come back and ask Edmonton to re-table their offer.

The rumored Heatley to San Jose trade is not accurate. Possible, but not accurate. Marleau has confirmed he has not been asked nor intends to waive his no trade clause. His plan is to stay
in San Jose and he was the Sharks piece that was to be moving in this three way deal between Ottawa, San Jose and LA. So too, all three GM's have denied the rumor, which means they're working together to keep it secret, or it simply isn't a correct rumor.

As a result, Heatley is expected to report to training camp on Saturday for the Senators. Thus enter in from left field the snag. While unlikely, Edmonton could find itself back in the fold if there are players in Ottawa that are steamed about Heatley's return. The professional thing to do would be to forgive or not forgive, but stay focused on hockey. Some may not be able to do so and if that's true, Heatley may find it far too uncomfortable to stay put. This goes too for the coaching staff who doesn't want to go down the Emery distraction type road again.

Edmonton, while not officially still holding an offer on the table, would field and take a call from Bryan Murray if Heatley had a change of heart. How can Edmonton not? They wanted Heatley, they waited and when they finally left, it wasn't out of anger, but public relations and timing that they felt a Heatley deal just wasn't going to happen and they needed to focus their attentions elsewhere.

Heatley solves a lot of problems for Edmonton. Sure it creates some new ones and the Oilers would have an interesting dichotomy between players and fans (ie. Comrie and Heatley on the Oilers can go either way in fans eyes), but the lines are a lot more solidified and the players involved in the earlier rumors are expendable in terms of the Oilers depth chart.

I write this knowing, that just as easily as it is to say Edmonton may have a part of future conversations with the Senators, other suitors of different variables from the San Jose side are just as viable an option. I don't know that I necessarily want to see the Oilers back in the fold, even if it were to happen; but long ago we said how complicated it would be for San Jose to get a deal done. We're now starting to really see it, as there just isn't any time before the NHL starts and there simply won't be a whole pile of new options open up for Heatley.

On Thursday, in just a mere few hours, it became one of the busiest days in NHL rumors throughout the summer. From Comrie signing with the Oilers to Heatley headed to San Jose, to a Kessel contract RFA offer and Sundin to Vancouver, all of a sudden, we have plenty to talk about.

Here is what to expect over the next few days:

Heatley

Despite the rumors, the Heatley trade is still 50/50 at best. It looks like the front runner in a deal is what is now being rumored as a three-way between Ottawa, LA and San Jose, but there are many problems or hurdles if you will, that if this rumor is true need to be addressed. Marleau would need to waive his no trade to go to LA (possible but he hasn't waived yet if even asked to which has been denied by Wilson at every turn). Secondly Ottawa would need to feel good about Frolov and Stoll knowing Frolov is a rental. Finally, all three GM's would need to stop saying things like the following...

"It's simply not true," Murray told ESPN.com Thursday night . "I've had conversations with teams today but still I'm not close to a deal [involving Heatley]."

Lombardi told ESPN.com via text message: "It is complete bull."

"It is an absolute fabrication," Wilson told ESPN.com via text message Thursday night.

Doesn't sound much to me like this trade is happening. I still expect a rocky road back to Ottawa for Heatley.

Kessel

Kessel will be moved from Boston --it's only a matter of time. He's stopped negotiating with the Bruins and Toronto is miles ahead of other teams in having the tools to maneuver here now that Burke has picked up his extra bargaining chip in the form of a 2nd round draft pick next year. Don't expect an offer sheet, but do expect that Burke will squeeze every inch out of his bluffing hand. He'll poker face his way through Boston's cap space issues and make Chiarelli pay for not giving him a viable trade option for Kessel that is better than what he'd give up by extending an RFA offer for a player at around $4 million. There are a few interested teams in Kessel which is the only real bargaining chip Boston has, but if I had to guess, Kessel will be in Toronto by the start of October.

Comrie

He's officially an Oiler, which means some of the current Oilers will officially be on there way out. Players like Nilsson, Pouliot, Brule and even to a lesser extent Cogliano have only weeks of the training camp to show they are going to rebound from last years mess, or they'll all be considered trade bait or moveable. Players like Schremp can start packing his bags as he'll be moved quickly if an even remotely acceptable offer from the Flyers comes to Tambellini and players like Eberle, (even though he's played exceptionally thus far) are in tighter to make the team.

Expect Tambellini to look around the league for opportunities to make a 2 or 3 for 1 type trade for some bottom six toughness. We've been wanting it, but now it looks as though it has to happen.

Fleury
He's been officially reinstated by the NHL and looking for an invitation to an NHL camp. Expect a team with much needed help in publicity to be the one to invite Fleury if anyone does. These teams include Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa, Atlanta or the Islanders. The Oilers will not be one of those teams.

Sundin

Look for Sundin to be a Canuck by early October. The deal is proposed at around $2 million so that Gillis has less work to do to move the additional salary needed to get the Canucks back under the cap. Expect a few players on the blueline namely Kevin Bieksa or Willie Mitchell to be shopped in order to make room. Rumors out of left field are that Minnesota might have interest, but to Sundin likely not much of an option as he's looking at Vancouver at not much else.

Anton Babchuk

Should be moved by Monday and likely to Columbus, who've been trying to land a puck moving defenceman all summer.

I have a feeling this might be just the beginning as we're starting to get too close to the season to let many questions go unanswered .

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.