The Oilers have officially announced Rod Phillips replacement for Edmonton Oilers play-by-play radio broadcasts -- Jack Michales of the Alaska Aces in the ECHL.

A tidbit from the Alaska Sports Broadcast Network tells us the following about Michaels. "Last season, Michaels was selected to do the play-by-play for the NHL Network's broadcast of the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, his third such honor. Jack won "Goldie" Awards, issued by the Alaska Broadcasters Association for "best live play-by-play" in each of the last three years (2006, '07, and '08)."

This was no easy selection for the Oilers. A plethora of who's-who applied and a number of qualified candidates turned away. The Oilers franchise must feel as though Michael's voice is the new voice to move a new Oilers team into the future. I can't imagine this job being one that Michael's won't be keeping for years.

This clip has been posted by others, but in case you haven't heard it yet, here is a sample of some of his work.

Congrats to Jack Michaels. I wasn't familiar with him, but after listening to this clip, I won't mind getting a lot more familiar with it. I can see why the Oilers made this choice.

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.

Were a ways away from talking on-ice product, but the NHL isn't exactly quiet these days. Even the Oilers have given us some news worth taking a look at:

PPV

No more PPV's? I'm all for it.

According to a press release by the Edmonton Oilers, a new agreement between the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Rogers Sportsnet means fans can watch the remaining games on the Oilers schedule not normally broadcast on TSN or CBC without having to purchase a Pay-Per-View broadcast.

In order to view games, fans will need to purchase the newly launching Sportsnet One, but at a fraction of the price of some 13 games on PPV. Word is that somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2-$3 per month the channel will offer all the games we couldn't otherwise watch. For me, I couldn't think of a better birthday present. The channel launches on the same day and not having to buy PPV's all year is a nice treat.


Kovalchuk is a no-go, but so are others?

After the NHL struck down the ridiculous 17 year contract built to obviously circumvent the NHL salary cap, TSN is now reporting that at least two NHL GM's -- Peter Chiarelli and Mike Gillis -- have confirmed the NHL is examining the validity of contracts like Marc Savard, Roberto Luongo, Marian Hossa and Chris Pronger.

There is little doubt these contracts were also set to lower the cap of each respective player. Evidence suggests neither the team nor the player expected the full length of the term to be honored and with Kovalchuk having been denied, could we see others voided?

If so, what happens? Do players like Robert Luongo become free agents again? If so, this can't be great news for the players, who with the new trend in salary signings, likely won't receive the same cushy contracts. Would Gillis really sign Luongo to another contract in the neighbourhood of 7 million per year deal if that was the cap hit? I doubt it. Would Pronger get the same lengthy term he got before at his age? Unlikely.

Using Roberto as an example, starting in 2019, Luongo's salary drops more than 50% from the previous year and 90% from the first year of the deal. In the case of Marc Savard and Chris Pronger, the cases are even more telling as both players last couple years will be paid what could be at that time less than the league minimum.

It will be interesting to see if a trend has started with the Kovalchuk ruling and how messy this gets. Could it have a factor on the new CBA and a possible lockout? We all know the NHL can't afford another one, but the players can't be happy about this new information.

Oilers Sign Liam Reddox

Is this a minor league signing? Or as Jason Gregor suggests, is Reddox the answer the Oilers are hoping to find to the questions about the penalty kill?

There is no doubt that Reddox's game is built around hustle and effort. He lacks both the size and skill not to work his butt off. Can he be the 3rd line checker to replace Fernando Pisani or Ethan Moreau the Oilers need are seem to be missing?

I would suggest yes, but I might wonder if now is that time. Reddox could become that player. I see the same type of skill set and he lies somewhere in the middle ground between a Pisani and a Moreau style of player. That said, starting the season with him there is a huge question mark and unreliable at best. I'm not sure Reddox is more than a signing to start with the Barons right now. He'll get a chance at camp to prove otherwise.

Gagner and Cogliano Still Un-signed?

Some are starting to wonder what the delay is here. Does the fact that neither contract has been signed yet mean money is an issue?

I would suggest no. I see this more as a timeline issue and something that wasn't high on the immediate priority list of Steve Tambellini because he was well aware of how much time he had to get these signings done.

Fans shouldn't worry. Players like Bobby Ryan are RFA's still available. It's unlikely Gagner or Cogs will receive offersheets. Even if they do, not ones that make the Oilers hard-pressed to choose to match.

At first this looks like an odd signing. The Oilers have 3 goalies. Two of these in Deslauriers and Dubnyk are young and fit the mold on a kids getting the majority of the time style team. To boot, both also have newly and barely dry inked deals.

The Oilers also have a veteran in Nikolai Khabibulin, who to say the least, has a future that is somewhat up in the air. It's not so much that the Oilers are 50/50 on getting rid of Bulin (if onl it were that easy). It's that his court dates continue to be pushed back and the only way Edmonton can move his contract off the books, is if the result of those court rulings result in some time behind bars for the former Stanley Cup winning netminder. Even the specifics on that are foggy.

So with three goalies, all of whom are likely to see time with the Oilers this season, why would Edmonton sign another aging veteran for $500,00 dollars? Simple. The uncertainty of the situation.

Gerber comes from the KHL where he spent that last season after some time in Ottawa and Carolina. His track record is shaky at best and he's not by any stretch, a number one goalie. His age, his past performance and his cache around the league make him a good fit in Edmonton only at this time and on this team.

Gerber signed a two-way deal. Meaning he can move up and down between the NHL and the AHL. Waivers play somewhat of a role here, but what other NHL team, with a number of more suitable options still on the UFA market, would claim Gerber off waivers? Even if by some stretch they did, how much would it really impact Edmonton's future? None.

Gerber brings a much better option the AHL than the unproven goalies currently in the system. It was an area Tambellini needed to address after taking care of many other holes on the Barons roster. If Gerber sees time in the NHL, he's motivated to perform. He brings enough game action and experience that in the event Bulin is gone or hurt (both possibilites) and Deslauriers and Dubnyk crap the bed (also both possibilites), Gerber can be called up and is a reliable option.

No, Gerber is not the ideal situation when all else fails. But, all else shouldn't fail at the same time, thus Gerber becomes a piece of a tandum puzzle.

With the uncertainty in Edmonton and Oklahoma, Geber makes some sense. He has a name to back him for kids who need to be comfortable that their goalie can handle the job. He has a Stanley Cup finals run in his back pocket (even though he wasn't the key factor in that run), and he knows the game well. At $500,000 dollars, he also doesn't create any kind of financial cap burden.

Those viewing this signing as writing on the wall in the Khabibulin situation are likely off. Moreso, this tells us the Oilers don't know what's happening here. Because they don't know and their other options are young and younger, Gerber makes sense.

Big day for the Edmonton Oilers. The franchise has inked a key part of this coming season and a real problem come arbitration if things went off the board a bit, by signing forward Gilbert Brule to a 2 yr deal worth $1.85 million per.

Edmonton wanted to get to a situation where trading Brule wasn't going to be a "have-to" scenario. With the recent rulings in arbitration, it became critical to get pen to paper on Brule if the Oilers wanted to avoid going higher than $2 million per season.

$1.85 for a player who should be getting better by the season is a very respectable allocation for Steve Tambellini and this should be considered another strong move in a summer of good moves by the Oilers GM.

Brule will play a number of roles on the club, likely starting in the 3rd line center position. He's gritty, he's not a faceoff liability, he's strong in 5-on-5 situations and he should be a character guy for this team if his recent off-ice news is any indication as to the type of person he'll be for this franchise.

I'm a real fan of this move.

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This should be the start of a few key RFA signings, with Sam Gagner now high on the priority list. Brule had to get done first. Deslauriers if the Oilers choose to keep him may be next and Gagner won't be far behind.

If what Tambellini has managed to keep his players around for is an indication, expect $2.25-$3 million per for 2-3 years for Sam Gagner. If the Oilers see him as a player who can outplay that value, he may get a longer deal.

Inking Sam Gagner will give the Oilers 14 signed forwards. Brule and Gagner the last two integral pieces. The fact that Brule got done today, won't be major news around the NHL as a whole, but it's a big peice of the Oilers pie.

This has been a slow week in hockey if you're a hockey fan. Outside of the fiasco that is Ilya Kovalchuk, not a lot of newsworthy items have been available for us "need to know" hockey fans to chew on.

A few items came to us over the past couple of days. They've been all about former Oilers, getting second chances.

Robert Nilsson Signs in Russia and Kent Nilsson Is No Longer With the Oilers

No one seems too sure on the reason that Kent is no longer with the organization. There was word that Edmonton was going to keep Nilsson on in a scouting capacity.

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone however that both Nilsson's departures took place not long after each other. With Robert one of the last thing the Oilers franchise wanted to promote, that can't leave a yummy taste in a father's mouth. Kent was one of the first people to suggest that Robert needed to put in more time and had made mistakes, but being waived by Edmonton and then moving on from the Dad is likely connected just to sever the ties completely and eliminate any possible tension (like we said, we don't know this for a fact).

Robert Nilsson will get a chance to show he has the gumption to play in the NHL. A one year contract in Russia where he performs well may mean another shot here in North America.

Marc Pouliot Signs with Tampa Bay

Pouliot was bound to find a home. He didn't do much when he was in the Edmonton, largely thanks to injury, but a team was bound to give him a chance.

Tampa is that team and Pouliot, depending on where he plays in the lineup could make Steve Yzerman look like a very smart man. Pouliot's deal is a two-way contract so his playing in Tampa isn't a lock, but I'd bet Pouliot has his best year in the NHL with the Lightning.

Wayne Fleming Goes to Tampa

The Oilers hired some coaching in Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger. Some thought and still think another coach is going to be added. That coach isn't Wayne Fleming.

The extremely experienced bench boss has been added as an assistant coach with the Lightning giving some much needed NHL experience to a rookie head coach.

Khabibulin Held Off Again

Bulin's court date in Arizona on a severe DUI charge has been again pushed back. While it doesn't change what could happen with Khabibulin and the Oilers, it definitely could change how many goalies the Oilers bring to camp.

Deslauriers was looking like the odd goalie out, but the Oilers may have to bring two for sure if no one knows what is going to happen with Khabibulin. Should Edmonton not sign Deslauriers which is still a possibility, there are a number of goalie options still available on the UFA market.

With the summer here and plenty of action involving new faces, rookies, trades, signings and future plans, whenever one needs to get a reaction from a veteran of any team involved in said maneuver/transaction, where does one head? To the golf course.

It never ceases to amaze me that in almost every interview with an already proven hockey player, that interview takes place on a golf course. I tell you, that's the life. When you suck, your reward is one of the best games in the world. If I could be a professional hockey player I'd do it for two reasons. First, to be involved in a game I love to watch as a fan which is hockey. Second, to spend my off time doing something I love almost as much, which is golf.

I said today, when I spent the morning golfing with my Dad that if someone offered me enough cash to buy my business from me, the first thing I'd do is purchase a membership at about three different courses and play everyday. My Dad's reaction? "That's nice son, anything good happening with the Oilers?"

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With my dreams dashed just a little, I replied to my Dad, "just when you think it's slow, hockey gives you something to talk about." That was very true today as officially a few things happened.

Tom Renney and the Oilers Hire Steve Smith

The reactions I've been reading are about 50/50. Some people think it's a great move, others kind of meh. When you subtract the morons who site this as a bad move because Steve Smith is often remembered as the Oiler who scored on his own team in the 1986 Battle of Alberta versus the Flames, you quickly realize it's more like 65/35 for.

I'm in the 65% group. I think Steve Smith was an extremely good defenceman. He made a lot of other defence partners appear better than they were nd that says something about one's knowledge of his game and position.

Steve Smith has been in the game a long time after his playing days were done (even some as a coach before his playing days officially ended) and while perhaps his coaching experience is a good decade old, Smith has been in an argueably better position as a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks. Smith knows the game, he knows young talent and he was a leader for the Oilers. All good things for this young group

Tom Renney and the Oilers Keep Buchberger

Talk about your cat with nine lives. Buchberger has just about sped them all and he's still here. He was rumored as a name to go back to the Barons, but it looks like Todd Nelson gets the job and Bucky stays with the big club. I'm not totally disappointed as Kelly is a leader and defines quite nicely the attitude management and coaches want the "new Oilers" to have.

I'm sure they'll be at least one more coach added.

Oilers Bring Back J.F. Jacques

If you're a stats geek, there are probably a million reasons why you're saddened by this news. Jacques has been largely unhealthy, he's been given almost as many chances as Pouliot who was shown the door but produced more offensively, and he's not anything more than a 14th forward which the Oilers already have.

Still, there's something about Jacques I like. He learned last year what it was that he'd be needed for. When he was healthy, something about his presence on the ice made me notice him. He took no guff from opposition, he was willing to drop the gloves on a dime to stand up for someone and he was a hitting machine.

Jacques may never be a stats favorite, but that whole "saw him good" thing really applies here.

I think he can change a game and I think if he's healthy he'll change it more for the positive than the negative.

Oilers Sign Dubnyk

Is this the end of Deslauriers? I doubt it and we'll know more on the 22nd when Khabibulin goes to trial, but I think if JDD is done, Dubnyk was the right choice for the Oilers.

His potential for growth seems much higher for me and of the two he's bound to become a NHL goalie and produce far greater results for his value contract than Deslauriers ever will.

Nelson and the Farm

OKC has a new coach in Todd Nelson. They also have what looks like the start of a good team. Shawn Belle is the latest and greatest of the group. He ranks up there with Giroux for me, but I see Belle as a potential for more with the Oilers than anyone Edmonton or the Barons have signed so far.

The Oilers are set to name a new head coach for the Oklahoma City Barons. From the sounds of it Todd Nelson is the man who'll take the reigns.

Nelson has some experience in both the AHL and the NHL (as an assitant coach with the Thrashers) and from all accounts while he seems qualified for the role, isn't likely the first choice of Oilers GM Steve Tambellini. I have no good authority on this mind you, but it seems as though a bigger fish was on the radar and wasn't landed.

Who that bigger fish is or was we may never know, but according to the Edmonton Journal, Todd Nelson, who most recently was known in Edmonton for not getting hired for the coaching job with the Edmonton Oil Kings, will now be named as the first head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons tomorrow. I guess when you can't land your first or second choice, go with a backup plan for another team?

The end result is that Todd Nelson is about to inherit a much more quality team than any of his predecessors. The squads coached by Rob Daum, Jeff Truitt or Kelly Buchberger were just not very good. The way Steve Tambellini has been adding talent to this roster almost daily, Nelson may have fallen into a terrific situation.

Contrary to how it may sound, I have nothing against Todd Nelson. In all honesty, I know so little about him it would be unfair to pass judgement. What I do know is that it seems odd to me that if hiring for OKC wasn't a priority (it took quite some time to finally land a coach) or it was a priority and obtaining a viable head coach who was willing to relocate to OKC was going to be tough, why not give Daum one more season with the fresh new faces the Oilers have added to their minor league affiliate? It was bound to be that the team would see more success.

The only answer is that the Oilers saw Rob Daum as a problem and that no matter what team was iced and what coach was brought in to coach them, the Oilers wanted out. Adding the likes of defenceman Shawn Belle, Ben Ondrus who is a big AHL winger, Jake Taylor a solid minor league blueliner, and an abundance of minor league skill in Brad Moran and Alexandre Giroux, meant Daum and anyone else, including Nelson, would actually have the talent to give the Oilers AHL team a fighting chance.

Instead, it leaves Daum in a tricky place. He was let go too late to likely find a job to replace the one he though he'd be keeping and he's sitting at home watching his former club stack itself for a season in which the head coach, who likely wasn't the first choice, will have a long long leash.

Great for the Oilers, their farm team and Oklahoma fans. Probably not a great summer to say the least for former coach Rob Daum.