Just a quick hit here on some news that might be of interest to Oilers fans. It sounds like the Oilers and Florida have had more than a few talks about the #15 pick. Those discussions have gotten stronger and the Oilers plus a few other teams have sent out a few more feelers and a name that has popped up more than once is Keith Ballard.

Ballard is a veteran d-man that the Oilers could use and doesn't get enough credit. Could Penner be moved for #15 and Keith Ballard?

It has also been reported that Steve Tambellini phoned Boston GM Peter Chiarelli and made a pitch for the 2nd overall pick. We've heard that the offer was nothing to scoff at and Chiarelli quickly said no.

That tells me two things. Nothing will get Boston to move the 2nd pick and Edmonton is drafting Taylor Hall. If Edmonton is going to the Bruins and not the other way around, both teams are now settled and know who they're taking.

If the Oilers were taking Seguin, Edmonton wouldn't be making a call for #2. They'd be expecting Boston to call them.

TSN is reporting that as many as four first round picks are available in trade leading up to the draft today. The Edmonton Oilers are sure to take advantage of one of them.

* Update: Dreger has added the New York Islanders #5 overall to the list of available first rounders. This will get interesting.

According to sources, the Atlanta Thrashers are looking to move the 8th overall pick. I'm a bit surprised by this seeing as Atlanta moved a couple of picks in the Byfuglien trade, but TSN reports this is general manager Rick Dudley's sixth draft as a GM and he has traded a first round pick five times. He's already moved the 24th pick in tonight's draft, so I suppose adding one more to the list wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

My guess is the Oilers kick tires here, but this isn't a realistic option. The draft prospects really start to move and NHL GM's will start to go off the board around this spot, thus giving up what the Oilers would have to give to obtain this pick just isn't likely.

Hockey Insider Darren Dreger is also reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets are open to dealing the 4th overall pick. If the Oilers are trying to move up and in a big way, I would suggest the #4 is more likely than the #8. The problem as Dreger reports is that Columbus doesn't want to exit the first round and the Oilers would have to obtain a higher pick to get #4.

Would Edmonton love to add a #4 and pick up a franchise defenceman? Yes, but the cost would be Ales Hemsky and some additional moves before this trade could happen. That's a lot to consider if moving an Andrew Cogliano, Riley Nash and #31 gets you #8instead of moving argueably your best forward and other peices first to get into the first round twice so to speak.

In addition, the Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon is having a lot of discussion with teams for 15th overall pick. One of those teams we know is the Oilers and the Oilers are focusing a lot of their energy here.

Florida has said that their goal is to move that pick and another forward (likely Steven Weiss) for a younger and proven scoring forward. The only thing that makes sense here is Dustin Penner and again, that's a tougher decision for the Oilers to make as Penner was Edmonton's deadliest weapon and all around star last season. Should the Oilers be able to obtain this pick without moving Penner they'd like to, but with Weiss coming back, it makes Penner a bit more moveable.

Edmonton's interest in obtaining the #15 pick is more than likely to obtain big tough guy Dylan McIlrath who should be around and still available in the draft at that position. It's not a guarantee however because McIlrath is a draft climber, but Edmonton is considering things.

The Phoenix Coyotes are also said to be shopping the 22nd overall pick and Phoenix is looking for either a young player and a lower pick in return or a package with multiple picks. This is a settle pick for Edmonton if all other options fall through, but Edmonton has contacted Phoenix about this pick. Something like Cogliano and a second rounder could do it and I won't be surprised if this happens should all other discussions fall through.

Edmonton badly wants to be in the first round again. With four legit chances to do so, expect some trade announcements later this afternoon by a few teams. I'd bet a beer that one of them is Edmonton.

For any doubters out there that thought Taylor Hall would be the type of player to mad tail it out of Edmonton the first chance he gets if drafted by the Oilers, watch the 'Oil Change' documentary that aired on TSN tonight.

I have no doubt at all now that Hall and Edmonton are a perfect match and that Taylor Hall excudes everything the Oilers could want in a kid joining their team. Edmonton has obviously made character a key criteria in whomever they choose to draft first overall and Taylor Hall passed all tests with flying colors.

It leaves little doubt in my mind, that unless a deal gets done between Boston and Edmonton mere minutes before the draft, Edmonton will be taking Taylor Hall and Taylor Hall will be as excited as any draftee on draft day to be going to Edmonton.

I was like many that tried to figure out what these kids might be thinking. I assumed that with Bobby Orr as Hall's agent, Taylor fitting in depth chart wise better with the Bruins than with Edmonton and of course Edmonton...being well Edmonton, that Hall wouldn't welcome the city as his new home. In terms of who I thought might stick it out as an Oiler, I was on Seguin's side.

The documentary changed everything for me and one sentence (the title of this article) and the way in which Taylor Hall said it gave me goose bumps as an Oiler fan. This kid is going to be exciting, he wants to be one of the best players in the NHL and he loves the spotlight that will come with this city's fans. Taylor Hall and Edmonton just seem to make sense.

Having said all of the above, I won't be upset should the Oilers choose Seguin. After all, I was always of the thought he'd welcome being drafted here. I also think he's a great player and a tremendous prospect who much like Hall, the Oilers can build around.

But something about how Taylor Hall wanted so badly to have impressed the Oilers after his scouts meeting has put me more clearly on Hall's side than at anytime leading up to Friday. With the character of both Hall and Seguin, I'm not at all surprised that rumblings exist that Tambellini might make a pitch to Boston for the #2 pick to draft both kids.

Spend this much time with and following anyone and you're bound to find reasons to want them both on your side.

Darren Dreger reports that the Florida Panthers who now have three picks in the first round are shopping that #15 pick and Edmonton, who already had eyes on that pick, is interested.

Florida despite moving Nathan Horton out, would like to bring some scoring in and speculation is that Dustin Penner could be a name involved.

If I'm Edmonton, Dustin Penner for the 15th overall is too much for Edmonton to give and I don't suspect those to be the only two parts involved in that kind of trade. If it were, the Oilers and Bruins might have already done some wheeling and dealing. That said, I also think Dustin Penner is enough to get the 3rd overall.

Perhaps making the trade a tad bigger and including other names from Florida like Steven Weiss with the #15 pick for Dustin Penner and Riley Nash or Patrick O'Sullivan is a bit more realistic? That is of course if Florida was actually thinking about moving both Horton and Weiss.

What could be interesting is the news just coming down. Rumblings are the questions about the possible availability of Edmonton forward Gilbert Brule. Jason Gregor reports that Brule is going to be qualified as an RFA by Edmonton, but possibly headed for arbitration as the two sides aren't finding common ground and Brule wants somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2 million per year for more than one year.

Gregor sites the mistake of signing Nilsson as something the Oilers would never repeat, but I don't see Brule and Nilsson as compareable. Brule is just more of what Edmonton is hoping to become in terms of in your face offense, while Nilsson is what the Oilers want to move away from.

Oiler fans were wondering when Edmonton might start to sign some of its many RFA's, but it doesn't look like Brule is going to be one that happens anytime soon. This could make Brule an asset that is available to other teams in trade and because Brule has the potential to be a 20 goal scorer, could Florida be interested?

What about Penner, Brule and the #31 pick for the #3 pick and Steven Weiss? Pure speculation on my part, but something both teams might consider. That still gives Florida two first rounders but also allows them to add a possible 40-50 goals to their lineup and a high second round pick. At the same time, it gives Edmonton a 50 point forward and a franchise d-man who can be part of the Oiler rebuild.

I would hope however, that the #15 straight across for Dustin Penner isn't the crux of the conversation between the two GM's. That's simply an overpayment for the Oilers.

The Edmonton Oilers made the first of what I hope is many great depth trades by picking up Colin Fraser from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. I won't go into a ton of detail about Fraser as there are some great reviews here and here.

Fraser does a lot of things for this organization that they haven't been able to do since Kyle Brodziak left. An even better comparison might be elements he brings since Jarret Stoll left.

No, he won't score like Stoll can, but Fraser is just hitting his prime and his potential could be fantastic considering he was buried under a huge depth pool at center in Chicago. Fraser seems to be taking steps in the right direction to already improving on what he does well -- faceoffs, penalty killing, crashing and banging and forechecking -- but he also looks as though he might be adding an element of scoring touch.

As is, this trade gives the Oilers a much more viable depth option at 4th line center. Pouliot and Potulny were taking turns trying to fill that role, but neither were the crasher/banger type that meshed well with the like of a Ryan Jones or Zack Stortini. Fraser should do well here and get plenty of chances to move up the depth chart.

Fraser is an RFA, which means something in the neighborhood of $900,000 for two years ought to get a deal done, but time will tell, and a 6th round draft choice to pick up a 25 yr old with veteran and winning qualities is a great pickup.

We're wondering if this means either Pouliot or Potulny won't be returning or that a trade for Andrew Cogliano is imminent.

Marleau and Pavelski Remain Sharks

Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski will remain San Jose Sharks. These were two players that would have fetched some interest come July 1st, which leaves very little left outside of what happens with Ilya Kovalchuk to get excited about.

Marleau signs a 4yr deal for $6.9 million per season. This is an interesting one as the trend was to hand out longer terms to decrease the cap hit per year, but Marleau's deal does nothing of the kind. At almost $7 million, that leaves the Sharks with Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle all dancing in and around that $7 million mark.

The Sharks will free up some space when they choose not to bring back goalie Evgeni Nabokov, but this is a lot of money tied up in 4 players. Could Joe Thornton be on the move? If not, does Wilson do this deal knowing that the increase cap for this season and Thornton a UFA next season still gives him some options?

I have a feeling the Sharks will still do a lot before the start of the season.

Souray Gone?

It is being reported that Sheldon Souray is about to be shipped to either Dallas or the New York Rangers.

Souray flew from L.A. to Edmonton yesterday to get a final examination done on his hand to clear him for a trade. I don't expect the Oilers to do something like that unless their is a trade proposal on the table and it's a matter of the final steps to complete it in the NHL's eyes.

Jim Kerr from New 880 in Calgary is reporting that Tambellini is hoping to deal Souray by the weekend.

Here's to hoping its to Dallas who has far less crappy high end contracts to send back and the Oilers might actually get something of value besides Rosival or Redden.

Kaberle Trade Odds Go Up

I reported about 60/40 that Kaberle gets traded on Friday. I think those odds went up to about 80/20 as TSN is reporting that Brian Burke has as many as five offers on the table for Kaberle's services.

At this point the offers are not packed enough to make the trade happen, but one or two of those teams will throw in a draft pick or prospect to get it done.

Montreal Deciding Who To Keep?

The Montreal Canadiens have made qualifying offers to forwards Maxim Lapierre, Tom Pyatt and Sergei Kostitsyn, as well as goaltender Carey Price; all of which are set to become restricted free agents on July 1.

The only name surprisingly absent from the list is Benoit Pouliot who played extremely well for the Canadiens after coming over from Minnesota part way through last season.

Ales Hemsky To Columbus?

This is nothing more than a rumor right now, but Robin Brownlee is reporting that Tambellini made a call to Scott Howsen about what it might take to get the 4th overall pick in this years draft. The name that came back was Ales Hemsky.

I wouldn't do it, but Tambellini might and I could see his argument if he does.

The Oilers with that pick will obtain a franchise defenceman. They need one, far more than they need a winger who may or may not stay with the Oilers after the next two seasons. When Hemsky is ready to make his decision, the Oilers should have a group of talented young wingers ready to step in and at that point, perhaps Hemsky becomes a bit more of a luxury than the need he currently is for the Oilers.

I would like to see what Hemsky can do with whomever the Oilers draft first overall, but that's just me. The other option that is still out there is Jason Spezza to Columbus for the 4th, but my guess, is that Howsen chooses Hemmer over Spezza.

Hemsky brings a smaller cap hit, less term and a familiarity with the Blue Jackets GM. I've also read that Ottawa GM Murray has stated only one team has expressed interest in Spezza and that if not traded before July 1st, when Spezza gets his $4 million dollar bonus, Spezza won't be traded period.

Savard about 50/50

TSN's Darren Dreger reports he does have confirmation that Marc Savard has been discussed in trade possibilities with other teams, but that Chiarelli isn't pushing a trade thanks to Savard's respectable cap hit.

I can see that Boston gets a ton of offers for Savard, which is why I placed the odds around 50/50. Toronto is kicking tires I'm sure, and I would hope so is Edmonton. A $4 million dollar cap hit for a 90 point player signed long term is a great player to have.

The only downside to Savard, is his age and how old he'll be when his contract expires in 2016. Injuries and lack of production will catch up to him and he'll be a far greater bargain during the first half of his deal than the second half.

More to come... I have a feeling this is just getting started.

Tuesday was busy. Ok, busy is an understatement, especially for the Oilers who made the biggest change they'll make all year.

Head coach Pat Quinn was moved out of his role as bench boss and Tom Renney was moved in. A slightly jumbled up presser took place and an obviously disappointed Pat Quinn said he didn't really see it coming, but the end result, is that the Oilers players and likely many of the younger soon to be Oilers players will benefit from this move.

In other news, the Boston Bruins landed Nathan Horton while shipping out the #15 overall pick. This was the very same #15 overall pick that was in play as Boston and Edmonton talked about swapping the 1st and 2nd overall picks for Friday. With that #15 now in Florida, a trade between the Bruins and Oilers seems less likely and I believe the Bruins move of Dennis Wideman has made bringing a Tomas Kaberle and very real possibility, while the subtle hint that Taylor Hall will soon be an Oiler is out there.

Scott Neidermayer announced his retirement which leads me to believe that Bobby Ryan is days away from signing a long term deal with Anaheim and Tomas Plekanec made July 1st a little less exciting by signing an overpriced six year $30 million dollar extension with the Habs.

The Hockey Hall of Fame let us know that female players Angela James and Cammi Granato were among those elected to the Hall of Fame. They were joined in the players category by former star NHL forward Dino Ciccarelli, longtime Red Wings executive Jimmy Devellano and the late Daryl (Doc) Seaman as builders.

San Jose has informed Evgeni Nabokov that he won't be returning to the Sharks and I think we can add Tampa, Ottawa and Washington to list of possible destinations for Nabokov's services and oh yeah, did I say the Oilers have a new coach?

In an interview yesterday, Tambellini all but squashed rumors that the Oilers would be adding any new players with big tickets. Whether through trade or free agency, if the Oilers are going to move anyone on this current roster, it looks like it will be to get the team another 1st round draft choice and focusing on #3 and #4 defencemen and bottom six forwards who can play more defined roles.

Does this mean that Spezza or Carter are out of the question? Sounds like it, but never say never if the right deal presents itself.

Wednesday Can't Be as Busy Can It?

Wednesday has started off strong, but it's not bound to keep up with Tuesdays pace. Darren Dreger reports that the Bruins are so interested in Kaberle, that Marc Savards name has been tossed around. I'm thinking that Burke would sell his left nut to reunite Kessel and Savard if this is true.

McKenzie said this would be a busy two weeks. If Tuesday is any indication, he wasn't kidding..

Pat Quinn has been moved onwards and upwards. Tom Renney has been named the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

This really comes as little surprise. The two headed monster was rearing it's head last season and many thought a change would be made where one voice, that of Tom Renney would be the voice to lead this new Oilers team through a rebuild.

Pat Quinn wasn't likely to be fired as he was a personal hire of Steve Tambellini, so moving him into the organization in other areas where his vast NHL experience will be greatly used makes sense.

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In other news, the Florida Panthers have traded Nathan Horton to the Boston Bruins for Dennis Wiedman the 15th overall pick and a 2011 3rd round draft selection. We knew Boston had Horton on their radar, but we thought it might come after the draft selection of one and two.

This could be a possible hint.

Either Boston has settled on drafting Seguin and there won't be a trade happening with Edmonton, or that trade just got a whole lot bigger than the 1st for the 2nd and 15th overall.

With Wideman gone, does this open things up for a discussion about Souray? Perhaps. Could Souray staying away from Hall and something else equal out to Seguin, Ryder and something else?

It's all wild speculation now, but its something to keep our eyes on.

Fans don't have to wait any longer for this coming seasons schedule.

In the past while we may have looked at the schedule and attempted to determine whether or not the team stood a fighting chance to get off to a good start or had a tough month here or there that could hurt them in the standings and their chances of making the playoffs, expectations aren't exactly that high this year.

The Oilers are rebuilding and with the NHL set to have one of its busiest 10 days or so, names like Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Sheldon Souray or Sam Gagner who had been counted on as the stars of this Oilers squad in previous seasons could all be gone in the face of some possible sweeping changes.

Instead, the Oilers will ice a young, inexperienced but high potential team that in all reality could be another lottery pick team in 2011. Names and faces like Hall/Seguin, Eberle, MPS, Gilbert, Whitney and Smid will usher in a new area and the Oilers will hope to simply build a bit of chemistry and eliminate major problems in the lockerroom and financially over the next season of NHL action.

But, for many fans, these sweeping changes bring as much interest in the team as a team that could battle for 8th and fans will get to see this new team and the rookies who make the final cut starting on Thursday Oct 7th when the Oilers face the Calgary Flames at home. That same month the Oilers will play three more games at Rexall Place and five games on the road.

All in all, the Oilers schedule isn't terrible. Their worst road trip consists of five games away over a span of seven days and their largest home stands come twice throughout the year when Edmonton plays six games in a row at Rexall.

The only other real areas of note are that the Oilers have 11 back-to-back games throughout the season. In addition, Edmonton won't host either the Penguins and Sidney Crosby nor the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin instead playing both teams in away games.

For fans who like to get riled up and relive negative history, the Oilers fans won't have a chance to boo Chris Pronger at all as the Flyers don't come to Edmonton and Heatley haters will only get satisfaction in jeering the Shark twice. Small victories perhaps, but when the team isn't expected to win much, it's those little battles that can get fans pumped for each game.

For me the release of the schedule is the first time of the year that hockey seems closer to happening than father away. Days after the schedule is released comes the draft. Days after the draft comes free agency which holds some intrigue for a couple weeks and then before you know it, pre-season is around the corner.

The schedule tells me hockey is coming. I always find that interesting considering hockey just ended.