Edmonton Sports Talk

[Rocket252]

Hey the Oilers lost but it could be worse - we could be Washington fans.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Rocket252

Hey the Oilers lost but it could be worse - we could be Washington fans.

True. At least the Oilers have been tested in the playoffs now and adjustments can be made, namely 14 and 67. The Caps have plenty of playoff experience and top drawer talent. No excuses there.

A very enjoyable season

[hilman]

That was a fantastic season, kudos to Chia, Todd and the rest of the management group on a quick turnaround in the last two years. Chia has done wonders considering the horrible contracts that handcuffed him, looking forward to seeing what he can do once all these are done.

I think that was Ebs last game as an Oiler, he needs a change in scenery, his $6 million salary can be used for much better things. I don't see Hendricks coming back, or Desharnais for that matter, Russel is a maybe (I would offer him $3-3.5 million if an alternate can't be found). Hopefully we can strike up a deal with Vegas to take Pouliot off our hands, should be an interesting off season!!!

Go Esks Go!!!

[s4.audios]

Very sad tried to get the day off work due to a broken heart but my boss wasn't having it.

Hope Russel stays put, he was key to the team.

[Rocket252]

Russell can stay - he was solid. I would sign him up to a few years.

The basic building blocks are in place just need some tweaks- the elusive right offensive defenseman , moving some guys out with big contracts etc.

Oiler management had a great opportunity to evaluate their players under the stress of playoffs so they know what they need and who needs to go.

Good job guys it was a lot of fun watching you this year

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Handy page for keeping track of Oiler contracts
https://capfriendly.com/teams/oilers

RFAs:
Kassian - has arbitration rights, so it would be interesting how that plays out
Draisaitl - due for a hefty raise
Khaira
Pakarinen - I doubt they'll keep him
Reinhart - an expensive acquisition because of management's misguided "keep Oil Kings in the family" philosophy but has potential still
Lander - has arbitration rights, can't really see them re-signing him.
several Condors

UFAs:
Desharnais - can't see them keeping him
Hendricks - done
Pitlick - with all his injuries, tough call
Russell - a keeper
Gryba - only keep him if they can't get someone better
Ference - unofficially retired
Gustavsson - NHL career is toast
Oesterle - whatever

Trade/Expansion bait:
Eberle - I also think last night we saw Eberle's last game as an Oiler
Nuge - is he really worth $6M now?
Pouliot - is he really worth $4M now?

Needs?
Wingers that can keep up with McJesus if Puljujarvi still isn't ready and Maroon continues to tail off
More goalie depth wouldn't hurt
More depth at C wouldn't hurt either
More right-side defensemen also wouldn't hurt

[McBoo]

Try as I might, just can't get upset (other than yet-another ex-Oiler - Cogliano - killing us)

Really, really, really pleased at the new management team and what they've done to / for this franchise. To borrow a Telus phrase (sorry Rogers), the future is indeed friendly.

Just don't think Eberle is part of that future. Feel bad for him, but seems that we have solid first and second lines, and at $6 million cap space, we could have an even better third and fourth lines w/o him.

Nuge? A keeper.

Overall - look out western conference, there's a new kid on the block.

[Coldrsx]

Happiest loss in a while. Proud of them, but man o man how it could have been different if a few others stepped up.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

https://twitter.com/northsidechad/st...37088618307585

Chad Huculak‏@northsidechad
Had a lot of fun putting together this illustrated look back at the #Oilers 2017 playoffs. http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/ho...the-meme-ories … #yeg #OrangeCrush

[hilman]

Very clever and tells a lot of stories from each character/set of characters.

[hilman]

Terry Jones: Edmonton to host 2018 Grey Cup

A press conference to announce Edmonton as the site for the 106th Grey Cup, your correspondent has learned, will be held next week.

The fifth Grey Cup hosting in Edmonton’s history, the 2018 event will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Commonwealth Stadium and the completion of 70 seasons of Edmonton Eskimos football.

Previous Grey Cups were held here in 1984, 1997, 2002 and 2010, drawing crowds of 60,081, 60,431, 62,531 and 63,317, respectively.

Edmonton followed Calgary 2009 in back-to-back Grey Cups held in the province. Like Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg have previously hosted the game four times. Regina has held three.

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/fo...-2018-grey-cup

[EdmTrekker]

Number of times Grey Cup held in these cities:

Toronto 48
Vancouver 16
Hamilton 10
Montreal 8
Ottawa 7
Calgary 4
Edmonton 4
Winnipeg 4
Regina 3
Kingston 1
Sarnia 1

[hilman]

That's crazy, good thing football is such a huge draw in Toronto

[Coldrsx]

Please tell me there will be a zip-line once again!

[hilman]

Dan Barnes: Next wave of National Lacrosse League expansion won't include Edmonton

Dan Barnes, Edmonton Journal

The National Lacrosse League, which just wrapped up a successful 2017 campaign, will be making more news this off-season by rolling out at least two, likely three, and possibly even four expansion franchises.

Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz said they will all have National Hockey League and/or National Basketball Association ownership ties.

But Edmonton, which lost its NLL franchise to Saskatoon, won’t be one of them.

“They really wanted us to get in (on phase one of expansion) but we had to tell them we’re not ready,” said Oilers Entertainment Group chair Bob Nicholson. “We do want to make it part of our business, but not yet.”

The NLL hasn’t added teams since 2007, and is taking a deliberate approach to expansion, seeking out NHL and NBA ownership groups because of their financial wherewithal, franchise management expertise and building access. The newest franchises will be announced this summer but won’t hit the floor until 2018-19.

“Gone are the days when NLL teams launched in four months,” said the commissioner. “You need 12 to 18 months lead time to do it right.”

A timeline for phase two of expansion hasn’t been set, but it could happen as early as 2020, as the NLL is intent on bumping membership from the current nine franchises to 14 or 16 after this phased-in approach to expansion. Longer-term, Sakiewicz envisions a 30-team league.

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/lo...clude-edmonton

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Legendary CFL coach Don Matthews dead at age 77
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cf...160687?cmp=rss

[McBoo]

Legendary both as a character and for his record.

Sad loss for the CFL, but the Don lived a pretty rough life.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Lots of trade chatter re: Eberle. The Bobfather speculates he'll be traded by this Saturday.

[lubicon]

I fully expect him to be gone by next season. Oilers need the salary space and his performance has not justified his contract.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Another NHL trade deadline day because of the expansion draft.
Mike Smith traded to Calgary for defenseman Brandon Hickey, goaltender Chad Johnson and a conditional third-round draft choice.
Montreal Canadiens traded defenceman Nathan Beaulieu to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft
Couple of days ago, Jonathan Drouin from Tampa to Montreal in exchange for defenceman Mikhail Sergachev.