Well once Hall, RNH, and Eberle's ELC's expire that'll be anywhere from $15-$20M gone.

Assuming cap doesn't increase exponentially, that's going to be at least 25% of our total cap. Horcoff being impossible to trade makes that $20-$25M and thus 35-40% of our cap... That leaves around $2M per roster player to fill out the roster and that's not factoring in the large raise Smid will likely get, etc, etc...

And as far as our talent I was referring to if we landed first overall again this year or whatever... we'd be like Atlanta all over again with Kovalchuk, Heatley, Hossa, etc. and unable to keep them.

But they only ever had two of those guys at any given time. Heatley was traded for Hossa.

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Yea, that's true. But thing is they were stars in a losing environment and they got out once they got a chance (well Kovy stayed for a bit).

Yeah, but it was also a losing environment without fans.

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No arguing that one.

Rumours bubbling that Tambellini is on the verge of a 4 year extension. Pure insanity if true.

I'll be holding to my word to give this team through to the end of the next season to see if there is hope on the horizon, but the prospects of the Oiler franchise being anything other than a joke and an embarassment any time soon are dimming by the day.

I am all in favour of making the lottery in the draft become much less in favour of the team in dead last - something like all of the top 5 get an equal 20% chance of getting the top pick. I feel nothing but pity for the young guys dying on the ice right now while guys like Horcoff make wads of cash and basically contribute 4th line value to the team.

After watching the last 4 games I have really been impressed with Doobie. I think the guy can be good enough to give this team a good push. He has the consistency to be a number 1 IMO. He always seems to be there when we need him and he gives us a chance to win every night. I feel that goaltending is starting to look like a non issue at this point. It wouldnt hurt to have a guy like Rask, Bernier or Scheinder but who wouldnt want one of them.

Peckham on the other hand is a guy that shouldnt be in the NHL at all. Every time i see him he single handily gives the opposing team chances. He is a big reason why IMO this defence is this bad. He cant make a pass and he is always out of position from going for the big hit.

Also Whitney is slowly looking better and better. Sure he still doesnt look like a top pairing guy but I think he could turn out to be a decent 2nd paring guy with a guy like Smid.

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20 team sim keeper leauge
fowards-taveres,callahan,marchand,ryan,ennis, laich,eberle,lieno,nyquist,toffoli,bartschi,puempe l,rnh
defencmen-edler,staal,gilbert,keith,suter,oleksiak,schultz,c lendening,sproul,gragani
goalies-rask, campbell, holtby
16 team h2h keeper league daily lineups g,a,+/,hits,FOW,PIM,PPP,SHP,SO,SOG,W
F-H Sedin,Nash,Selanne,Pavelski,Ott,Kunitz,Roy,Thornto n,Heatley,Lecavalier
D-Edler,Kronwall,Goligoski,Timonen,Campbell,Potter
G-Howard,Vokun
Farm-Petterson,Jarnkrok,Saad,Baberio,Diaz,McNeill,Merri ll,Dekanich,Markstrom,Gallagher

I haven't felt like goaltending has been an issue all season. Dubnyk didn't have a great start but has turned it on of late and Khabibulin was solid all year although he did cool off after that wicked October he posted.

I maintain that injuries are what did the team in. I really did not start seeing a lack of competitiveness until everyone went down. Maybe the wins weren't there but they were playing a competitive game.

The big key for me and this is where having more veterans would help, is performing better on the road. This team simply does not know how to compete on the road. That is symptomatic of a young team but it is something that must be improved.

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Taylor Hall looked awful last night. He got a goal, but aside from that he was really reallt struggling all over the ice, but particularly in the defensive zone. Thankfully games like that are rare, and even still he got the GWG.

It's still painfully clear how badly the team needs defensemen who can get the puck up to the forwards with crisp passes on a regular basis though. After watching the Hawks/Canucks last night, you can see how incredibly freeing it is for their forwards when they can exit their own zone with speed and let the creative offensive players spend time doing what they are good at instead of constantly having to fight for pucks along the boards in their own zone for long periods of time.

On a somewhat similar note I thought this article posted yesterday had some intriguing (though difficult to interpret) points regarding defensemen and how they affect forwards (in this case RNH).

http://www.coppernblue.com/2012/1/31...nugent-hopkins

This team needs to find themselves a new Whitney who can do what he was doing last year. The fact that Oiler fans are celebrating Sutton's play is sort of sad.

Would be great to have a team where the name Theo Peckham (at least the one we see this year) was not mentioned.

Gilbert - Smid were looking great this season.

Potter has been fine but should be a third pairing guy

Whitney ... no idea. Great passer still, but can't skate any more.

It will be interesting to see how Eberle finishes the year off. You can really tell D's are focusing in on him and not giving him any space at all. He's such a smart and good player though I dont think we should see a drop off that is too significant. He is so smart with the puck and hardly turns it over.

Nice to see Barker back and having issues pivoting in his own zone.

__________________
20 team sim keeper leauge
fowards-taveres,callahan,marchand,ryan,ennis, laich,eberle,lieno,nyquist,toffoli,bartschi,puempe l,rnh
defencmen-edler,staal,gilbert,keith,suter,oleksiak,schultz,c lendening,sproul,gragani
goalies-rask, campbell, holtby
16 team h2h keeper league daily lineups g,a,+/,hits,FOW,PIM,PPP,SHP,SO,SOG,W
F-H Sedin,Nash,Selanne,Pavelski,Ott,Kunitz,Roy,Thornto n,Heatley,Lecavalier
D-Edler,Kronwall,Goligoski,Timonen,Campbell,Potter
G-Howard,Vokun
Farm-Petterson,Jarnkrok,Saad,Baberio,Diaz,McNeill,Merri ll,Dekanich,Markstrom,Gallagher