by Greg

In the last few minutes, there's been a flurry of reports, and now-- TSN is saying Ryan Smyth joins the Avalanche, five years/$31.25 million.

Presuming that this isn't all some great cosmic joke, and the Avalanche actually used the money to bring back Pierre Turgeon, I'm pretty damn happy with the team's performance in the free agent frenzy. Smyth was one of the forwards that I found most appealing (along with Drury), and Hannan will eat up minutes on the back end. Both great pickups.

This is kind of foreign territory for me -- the Avalanche have never been big UFA players. There was the Kariya/Selanne debacle in 2003 -- prior to that, the team's biggest-ever UFA pickup was probably... Dave Reid. Then post-lockout came Andrew Brunette and Ian Laperriere (hooray!) and Pierre Turgeon and Patrice Brisebois (boo!). At least at this point, Smyth and Hannan look pretty good.

And there's still enough money for the Avalanche to pick up Tomas Kloucek! As insurance, you understand.

Labels: avalanche, Ryan Smyth, tomas kloucek, UFA

This just doesn't seem right, does it?


Well, we know the feeling...

Labels: Linden, Ryan Smyth

by Jes

What is it with the Canucks playing poorly against lower echelon teams? The Canucks continued sucktitude against the St. Louis Blues is just boggling, to say the least.

Last night's 3-1 loss was another fine example of the Canucks apparently not taking a lesser opponent seriously. Where was the fire, brimstone, and enthusiasm?

Brent Sopel - Had a pretty shaky debut defensively. He seemed to be a step behind his check and I hope it was just a bit of nerves in a new situation.

Smoke and Mirrors - He was alright. He worked hard and seemed to show some decent amount of skill. I think him and Markus Naslund could do more damage together if they weren't stuck with Jan Useless all game. :(

Alex Burrows - I think he needs to be scratched. He's an offensive zero and hasn't been nearly as disciplined as he should. I like his work ethic, but this shouldn't make him bulletproof from the press box. The Canucks need some goals, and Burrows is a negative offensive producer.

---

I am sometimes guilty of not keeping close enough tabs on the (l)Eastern Conference, so I was a bit taken aback to see the New York Rangers a whole 7 points out of the playoffs. I didn't figure they were doing so poorly.

Then again, check out their top 6 d-men sans Aaron Ward...
Michal Rozsival, Karel Rachunek, Fedor Tyutin, Marek Malik, Thomas Pock, and Daniel Girardi.

Enough said!

Now, I've seen a few tidbits that Ward was dealt because of apparently in-fighting with Herr Jagr.

From The Hockey Rodent:

The most popular question today is whether Aaron Ward was exiled from MSG by edict of Jaromir Jagr and just who is it who's running this team?

I admit to having an unbalanced perspective on this given that my sole source lives on the other side of the Atlantic Puddle. But word in Prague is that Jagr accepted the context of things said on the bench during the heat of a competitive moment against Tampa and JJ did not hold any grudge against Ward. Jaromir claims to respect players who are as intense about winning as he wishes them to be.

The bitterness appeared to be more harbored by Ward over issues with the team captain. Whether those objections Ward has were justified or not... JJ was disappointed with how Ward handled subsequent exchanges with the press over what went on February 9. If either antagonist was pushing for a trade, it may well have been the defenseman wanting out of what he perceived to be an uncomfortable situation in the Gotham locker room.

This wouldn't be the first time, nor the last, that a teammate has ended up having problems with Jaromir and his attitude.

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Reaction from Oilers fans re: Ryan Smyth

I don’t exactly feel sorry for Oilers fans (and who would?), but I know exactly how they feel. Canucks fans had the exact same feeling when Mike Keenan traded Trevor Linden to the Islanders years ago. Sure, the Canucks got the better end of that bargain, but the trade still hurt a whole lot. Few players have ever had the connection to a city like Linden did with the Canucks.

On the other hand, Ryan Smyth is demanding more money than he is really worth, and his agent is Don Meehan, who is basically the Scott Boras of hockey agents. Given Smyth's age and playing style, he's not the guy to give a huge long-term deal to. Remember John "Chocolate" LeClair?

Covered in Oil:

today's deal is clearly a case of throwing the 30-goal scoring golden baby out with the bath water. I wouldn't call Lowe cheap (how else can you explain the loyalty contracts to Staios or Pisani?) but we're talking a difference of a million dollars: a couple of Toby Petersons, really.

This is Ryan Smyth. The man, who, for the record [tears of pure oil welling up in my eye], I've always felt was a much more important player to the Oilers than Mark Messier.

He was our last shot at a real Stevie Y type: a true blue Oiler with a special failure of imagination to think of playing anywhere else. At one time, I thought things like institutional memory were important, that we weren't just cheering for laundry, the idea that teams could have distinct identities that could span decades.

But alas, the salary cap era has only made players even more expendable. I'm under no illusion that hockey isn't a business, but it's an increasingly cap-fixated, mercenary one, which totally sucks, especially today.

If I close my eyes, I can see Ryan Smyth's ferrety face; his slinky, durable body slipping past a check on the boards; and of course, that small pile of blood and teeth left on the ice during the 2006 playoffs.

Battle of Alberta:

In that sense, it's extremely unlikely that the organization will be haunted by this move. However, if you sense my nodding approval, you are incorrect, as this is precisely my criticism of Lowe. I actually laughed out loud this afternoon when I heard Flames radio guy Rob Kerr say that this took cojones by Kevin Lowe. No. This is the common thread through virtually every move (or, not trivially, non-move) that Kevin Lowe makes.

mc79hockey:

I honestly don’t know what to say right now but I’ll try and spit out a few things. Eight months removed from nearly winning their sixth stanley cup the Edmonton Oilers traded the face of their franchise for yet another first round pick, that makes three first rounder’s in total in the less then stellar ‘07 crop, a kid who impresses no one in Robert Nilsson and a 19 year old kid pivot in Ryan O’Marra.

There were more than just a few reasons why most people thought Lowe would never deal Smyth. Reasons like optics first and foremost given just how bad things looked in Edm this past summer when Chris Pronger was dealt. But there was an excuse there given that Pronger demanded a trade. Granted the return seems worse by the game and Lowe would’ve been better off making Pronger take a seat but at least he had an excuse for that horrible deal.

No excuses this time. Lowe f**ked up. Large

Ramen to that!

Labels: Aaron Ward, blues, Brent Sopel, Canucks, Jagr, musings, oilers, Rangers, Ryan Smyth

by Jes

A few more Deadline Day musings...

To St. Louis: Brad Boyes
To Boston: Dennis Wideman

So, the Blues gave up on a young, offensively talented blue-liner quite quickly. Still, I like Boyes and he's the safer bet to perform well in the future. Wideman's future is 'wide open', as he could become the next Peter Ratchuk or a Jason Woolley-lite.

To NYI: Ryan Smyth
To Edmonton: Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra, 1st round pick

Few things surprise me in the hockey world, but Ryan Smyth being traded today is one of them. I never figured "Captain Canada" would be dealt, but I guess the Oilers see the writing on the wall and the price they extracted from the Islanders was too good to pass up. Does this burn the bridge between Smyth and the Oilers?

To Anaheim: Brad May
To Colorado: Michael Wall

What is with Brian Burke's obsession with Brad May? The guy can't score, defend, or even fight well any longer. If this was 10 years ago, it might make sense, but May hasn't been a useful contributor in many years. Sure, the price paid was small, but methinks Burke has an unhealthy like for the guy.

To Boston: Aaron Ward
To NYR: Paul Mara

Wow, Aaron Ward didn't last long. What a steal for the Ruins, though, as they dump a soft lump of lard in Mara and get something useful.

Why did the Rangers want Mara, anyway? Do they miss the softness they used to have in Tom Poti and Sandis Ozolinsh??

Mara has a career -104 in 483 games, which really does help tell the story about his 'defensive' skill.

To Detroit: Kyle Calder
To Chicago: Jason Williams
To Philly: Lasse Kukkonen, 3rd round pick

Wow, that Handzus trade really turned out great for the Flyers *chuckle*. Now, am I missing something here?

Sure, Williams' production has slowed down to just 26 points this year, but why Kyle Calder? D00d's been a complete bust with Philly (21 points and a -31) and has been a lumbering oaf of complacency all season long. A bit of a headscratcher.

Labels: Aaron Ward, Brad Boyes, Brad May, Brian Burke, Deadline Day, Dennis Wideman, Jason Williams, Kyle Calder, musings, Ryan Smyth, trades

As we saw in Part I of my look at past first round pick of the Oilers, it was the Oilers inability to get useful talent in the first round, rather than the small market economics, that really caused the Oilers franchise to turn into a sludgepool of mediocrity.

From 1984 to 1993, the Oilers drafted 12 times in the first round.
Out of those 12 players, the Oilers netted just 2 GOOD regulars (Arnott, Rucinsky), 1 fourth-line 'role player' (Wright), one fringe goon (Leroux), and 8 complete busts!

According to Simon Richard, a freelance author who has done statistical studies on the NHL draft...

33% of all first round picks since 1979 turn into regular players.
29.0% of all first round picks play less than 200 NHL games.
13.3% of all first round picks produce 'superstars'

Looking at the Oilers to date
25% of their first round picks (3 of 12) turned into 'regular' players
66.67% of their first round picks played less than 200 games. (Wow!)
and if you consider Arnott a 'superstar', then the Oilers werent 1 for 12, which is a lovely 8.3% score.

Pretty ugly numbers. Now let's look at 1994 and onward:

1994 (4th) - Jason Bonsignore, C (79GP 3-16-16 34PIM) and...
(6th) - Ryan Smyth, W (642 198-232-430 511PIM)

Talk about your night and day draft, in which the Oilers netted one of their franchise keystones and one of the biggest dissappointments in their draft history.

Both are big strapping guys, but that's what the similaries end.

Smyth: Heart of a champion, excels in heavy traffic areas, works hard to succeed. He was a great junior player and carried his team.

Bonsignore: Heart of a Tin Man, shys away from traffic, more interested in dirt bike racing. He wasn't even the best player on his team in junior, and found himself traded twice during his OHL career. He always had a habit of driving his coaches batty, and he never showed much in his brief NHL career.

The other picks in the top 6? Ed Jovanovski, Oleg Tverdovsky, Radek Bonk, and Jeff O'Neill. Typical Oiler luck that they were end up with the only bust of that bunch.

1995 (6th)- Steve Kelly, C (147 9-12-21 83PIM)

If you ever want to raise the ire of a smart Oilers fan, just mention the 1995 draft, and they'll be reduced to tears within minutes.

Picture this scene: The Oilers fans have the draft held in their hometown, their team has the 6th overall pick, and Shane Doan a local boy from nearby Halkirk, Alberta, is still available at #6.

The crowd chants "Doan, Doan, Doan, Doan!". Unlike the Calgary Flames, the Oilers don't bow to the hometown pressure. Nope...they don't pick Doan...they pick Steve frickin' Kelly!!

Barry Fraser's famous quote: "YOU CAN'T TEACH SPEED!!!"

Of course, this after years of saying "YOU CAN'T TEACH SIZE!!!"

Despite all of his SPEED(!), Steve Kelly hasn't even been able to stick in the NHL as a servicable defensive player. Shane Doan, on the other hand...well, he's just the cornerstone of the current Phoenix Coyotes.

1996 (6th)- Boyd Devereaux, C (431 38-71-109 123PIM) and...
(19th) - Matthieu Descoteaux, D (5 1-1-2 4PIM)

To be fair to the Oilers, 1996 was, perhaps, the most craptacular draft in NHL history since the entry age was reduced from 20 to 18.

Good thing the Oilers had, yet again, two first round picks in which to throw away.

Devereaux became, and is still, a decent 4th liner in the NHL. A poor return on a 6th overall pick, but he's actually one of the better picks from that first round!
Descoteaux, another big 6'4" defenseman, flopped badly. The Oilers should just stay away from big defensemen. (Good thing they didn't draft Boris Valabik, or he'd probably end up a pylon on some highway)

1997 (14th) - Michel Riesen, R (12 0-1-1 4PIM)

The 1997 first round had some very strong picks in the top half of the first round (Thornton, Samsonov, Luongo, Hossa, Jokinen, Brewer, Mara, and Boynton). Leave it to the Oilers to pick up the "Swiss Miss", Michel Riesen.

Like most Swiss draft picks, Riesen did not have the passion or incentive to work very hard for an NHL career. He's now back in Switzerland, where he pays far less taxes, and has a much easier life as a hometown hero.

I love Swiss cheese, Swiss Army Knives, and Swiss watches, but I'd stay the hell away from any Swiss draft picks.

1998 (13th) - Michael Henrich, R (0 0-0-0 0PIM)

Only one player from the 1998 first round hasn't played a single NHL game, and he's an Oiler, of course! :)

Based on his AHL career to date, he may never see an NHL game, either.

1999 (13th) - Jani Rita, L (15 3-1-4 0PIM)

It's been five years, so it's fairly safe to say that Jani Rita is turning to be a bust for the Oilers.

Despite some decent play at the AHL level, he hasn't even been able to parlay that into a regular job with the Oilers. Rita won't be a high scorer, but he should be able to play some kind of role on the bottom 2 lines. Rita has questionable work habits and hockey sense, and unless he is struck by lightning, it's safe to call him a bust right now. He may yet turn into an NHL regular, but time is running out.

2000 (17th) - Alexei Mikhnov, ? (0 0-0-0 0PIM)

With the last pick during the Barry Fraser era, he certainly went out in style with one of his usual craptacular picks.

Just call Mikhnov the mystery man, because hardly anyone knows who the hell he is or what the hell he has done since he was drafted.

This past April, the Oilers brought Mikhnov over for their first good look at the big Ukey. The Oilers really hoped to sign Mikhnov and get him playing in the AHL.

Unfortunately for the Oilers, that won't likely happen.

For one thing, Mikhnov makes about U$300,000 in the Russian League, and he wouldn't want to play for peanuts in the AHL. Add to that the expiring IIHF/NHL transfer agreement and the Russian teams demanding more compensation for their players, and despite whatever talent Mikhnov may have, he probably won't be of any value to the Oilers.

We can't say he's a bust with any certainty yet, but it doesn't look good for Oilers fans.

---

So, out the dark years of the Barry Fraser era, 1984-2000, 21 Oilers first round picks produced

• 3 'GOOD' NHL Players: Smyth, Rucinsky, Arnott (14.2%)
  
• 6 'REGULAR' NHL Players (28.5% compared to league average of 33%)
  
• 13 complete busts and 2 likely busts (71.4% compared to 29%)
  

We can see that the Oilers hit a couple of home runs, but all too often came up with COMPLETE and utter draft busts, which left the Oilers system depleted and hindered their ability to develop their own players or develop quality assets for trading.

So, the next time some Oilers fanboy whines about Edmonton's small market economy hurting their NHL chances, just point them to their team's draft record, and tell them 'It's their own damn fault!'

Labels: Entry Draft, Jason Bonsignore, oilers, Ryan Smyth, Shane Doan, Steve Kelly