SB Nation - Edmonton Oilers

Jordan Staal Trade Rumors Begin

Pat O'Mahony — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:47:28 -0000

I knew the rumors and speculation would start eventually, but so soon? The Pittsburgh Penguins barely had a skate off the ice after the Game 6 loss before the offseason questions began. The Sidney Crosby negotiations and the future of the defense are sure to bring some intrigue. However, the most hotly-debated topic will be the future of Jordan Staal.

The summer circus began early with the Edmonton Journal releasing a blog piece about the Oilers acquiring Staal. Staal will be an unrestricted free agent after next season, as will Sidney Crosby. Crosby will certainly get whatever he wants from the Pens. Staal is a different story. After early exits from the playoffs in the last three seasons, the Pens and GM Ray Shero may decide it's time to make changes. The Penguins will have a hard time trying to justify trading Art Ross and soon to be Hart winner Evgeni Malkin, especially since Malkin is signed long-term.

Staal is a supremely talented center, both offensively and defensively. He works hard, kills penalties, and is, by all accounts, a great locker room guy. If there is a way to keep Staal and remain flexible under the cap, the Pens should do it. I would see the Penguins trade from an area of strength, like defense (strength being a debatable term here). The Pens are deep and have many good young players like Simon Despres waiting for a chance. I would like the Pens to try to at least move either Paul Martin's or Zbynek Michalek's contract, and possibly even Brooks Orpik, before trading Staal.

Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review believes the team will keep Staal and offers an even more in-depth and somewhat sobering look at the depth of the Penguins. Arguments can be made for and against trading Staal, but I'd rather see all options explored first. Its not even May, and the discussion is heating up. Buckle up for a long and drama-filled offseason, Pens fans.

For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.

Flames Apologize For Accidentally Mocking Oilers' Ales Hemsky Contract

Matt Watson — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:14:39 -0000

The Calgary Flames apologized Friday for an inadvertent tweet earlier in the day from the club's official Twitter account (@NHLFlames) criticizing Ales Hemsky's two-year, $10 million extension with the rival Edmonton Oilers.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, read: "$10 million over two years for Hemsky is the funniest thing I've heard in a long, long time. I hope it happens. #whatajoke"

The Flames released the following explanation on their website:

Earlier today an inappropriate tweet was sent from our @NHLFlames account by a staff member. The below tweet was meant to come from a personal account, which we do not condone either, but mistakenly made its way onto our timeline.

The tweet was deemed inappropriate and immediately deleted; however we do acknowledge its existence. We quickly followed up on our account with the following tweet:

We apologize for a tweet that was sent out from our account inadvertently. We are looking into the matter.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 24, 2012

It is an internal issue that will be dealt with and it does not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the Calgary Flames organization.

hat-tip: Calgary Herald.

The Flames had no choice but to apologize, but it's fun to imagine a world in which team staffers are allowed to troll opposing teams like a boxing promoter. Rivalries are what make sports fun, not polite PR-speak.

Calgary Flames Twitter Account Not Fond Of Ales Hemsky

Travis Hughes — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:51:25 -0000

The Edmonton Oilers hold a long-standing rivalry with the Calgary Flames. Ales Hemsky is a member of the Oilers -- although who knows if that'll be the case by Monday's NHL trade deadline -- and in an Edmonton Journal story Friday, it was speculated that the forward could receive up to $5 million per season on a new contract.

Judging by Tuomo Ruutu's staggering four-year, $19-million US deal to stay with the Carolina Hurricanes, Hemsky is worth at least $5 million a year in Edmonton. He's considerably better offensively than Ruutu, with three seasons of 60 or more points.

Somebody in Calgary thought this was laughable, and it seems that person also happens to run the Flames' official Twitter account. They inadvertently shared their opinion on the wrong account, and it was utterly hilarious.

Click to enlarge. It's been deleted so we can't link to the Tweet directly.

The tweet read: "$10 Million over two years for Hemsky is the funniest thing I've heard in a long, long time. I hope it happens. #whatajoke"

It's since been deleted, of course, but not before it became the laughing stock of the Internet for a good 20 minutes.

#whatajoke is now trending in #Calgary trendsmap.com/ca/calgary
— Trendsmap Calgary (@TrendsCalgary) February 24, 2012

Don't worry: the Flames are looking into the matter, which is just code for "Hey, we're hiring for this position again!"

PHOTO: This Is What 'Feeling Better' Looks Like For Taylor Hall

Travis Hughes — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:53:06 -0000

Taylor Hall took a hockey skate to the forehead on Tuesday night in Columbus. Back in Edmonton on Thursday, the Oilers forward finally caught up with the team's friendly public relations staff. So, Taylor, how are you feeling?

"I'm feeling better. I'd like to thank our trainers & the Columbus medical staff."

Unfortunately for Hall and his once-boyish good looks, "feeling better" and "looking better" aren't the same thing. Don't click below the jump if you're eating lunch.

If that doesn't make you cringe, a quick thought of the possibilities surely does. What if that skate caught his nose? Or his ear? Or his eye? Or his neck? 30 stitches on the forehead and a pretty crazy scar are nothing compared to what could have happened to the guy.

For more on Taylor Hall's injury, check in with our StoryStream. For more on everything involving the Edmonton Oilers, check in with our blog, The Copper & Blue.

VIDEO: Taylor Hall Injured After Taking Skate To Face In Warmups

Travis Hughes — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:35:48 -0000

Taylor Hall isn't having a good day.

The second-year Edmonton Oiler was just going about his business in warmups at Nationwide Arena in Columbus when he lost an edge, fell into the legs of a teammate and tumbled to the corner. The collision started a chain reaction, and that chain reaction ended with Hall taking a skate blade to the face.

Warning: This is as you'd expect when clicking play on a video titled "... cut in the face by a skate..." There's no blood, but it'll make your face hurt at the very least. Watch at your own risk.

The teammate was Corey Potter, and he no doubt has to feel horrible about the accident. Hall was held out of the game in Columbus and the Oilers were forced to play with one fewer skater. The total damage isn't yet known, but according to TSN, it could be extensive.

Hall really has to feel lucky here. It could have been much worse, depending on where the skate blade came down on his face. One shudders to think what could have happened if it came down on his neck. Let's all hope that he's okay and that it's nothing a few -- okay, a lot -- of stitches can't fix.

NHL Realignment: Kings, Ducks In One Of Four New Conferences Beginning Next Season

Eric Stephen — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:40:35 -0000

Starting next season, the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will be part of the same eight-team conference, one of four yet-unnamed conferences in the new realignment plan adopted by the NHL Board of Governors on Monday. The new four-conference alignment will replace the current six-division alignment beginning with the 2012-2013 season.

The Kings and Ducks will be in the same conference with current division mates the Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks, along with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche. This is one of two eight-team divisions, with the other seven-team divisions in the east. As Dan Rosen said on NHL.com, "The four conferences are designed to alleviate geographic concerns among several current Western Conference teams that had been unhappy about their extensive travel through one, two, and sometimes even three time zones."

Under the new alignment, teams would play teams outside of their conference two times per year, one at home and one on the road, and play teams within their division either five or six times.

Where it can get unbalanced, or a tad unfair, is the playoff format. The top four teams from each conference will make the playoffs, and the first two rounds will consist of games against the same conference. It is easier for the teams in the east, in the seven-team conferences, to make the playoffs since they have one fewer team with which to contend.

For more news and information on the NHL and its radical realignment, be sure to read Jewels From The Crown and Anaheim Calling.

Brian Burke, Kevin Lowe And The Lake Placid Rumble That Never Happened

Travis Hughes — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:06:11 -0000

So here's a story: Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe almost got in a real, legitimate fight. Like, a fist fight.

The two had a falling out over the Dustin Penner offer sheet signed by Lowe and his Edmonton Oilers back in the summer of 2007. Burke, then the general manager of Anaheim Ducks, accused Lowe of driving up the price for Penner that offseason, and ultimately, the Ducks didn't match the offer and Penner became an Oiler.

The two, once friends, became huge enemies, and the grudge was something that Burke's son Brendan wanted his father to quash. How could he hold that kind of grudge, anyway? "It's easy, I'm Irish." So he continued to hold that grudge, and it got to the point where the two had actually set up dates to fight. In a barn. In Lake Placid, N.Y.

It got to the point where Kevin challenged me to a fight on a radio interview. So I'm like, that's not really how you challenge a guy to a fight. If you want to challenge a guy to a fight, you pick a place and a time and you show up.

So I call Glen Sather and I say look, this guy went on the radio and challenged me to a fight. I'm gonna be in Lake Placid at the U.S. Junior camp. I gave him three dates. I told him I'd rent a barn and I picked the address and the time and I'd fight Kevin Lowe.

Dead serious. It got to the point where Gary Bettman called me and said 'I heard you guys were thinking about having a fight and if you do, I'm going to suspend you both indefinitely.'

That's how crazy it got between me and Kevin. He's as stubborn as I am. There's no doubt in my mind that if we bumped into each other right around then, we would've fought. No question. He's not afraid of me. We would've fought for sure.

The fight never happened, apparently after Burke's wife talked some sense into him after overhearing a phone call. And I'm sure the threat from the Commissioner helped ease things a bit too. The real moral of the story is that Brian fulfilled Brendan's wish after his son passed away in 2010, patching things up with the Oilers former GM and current President of Hockey Ops.

But that doesn't change the fact that Kevin Lowe and Brian Burke almost fought. In a barn. In Lake Placid.

H/T: Backhand Shelf and theScore for the video

VIDEO: Stefan Elliott Scores Goal For Colorado Avalanche In NHL Debut

Russ Oates — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:01:31 -0000

The Colorado Avalanche called up rookie defenseman Stefan Elliott on Friday night in order for him to make his debut for the team on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers. He's already made an instant impact by scoring the game-winning goal against the Oilers in the 5-2 victory. Check out out below

Ryan O'Reilly wins the faceoff and gets the puck to Elliott. Skating across the blue line, Elliott finds a path to the net and fires off a 55-foot wristshot, which finds its way past Devan Dubnyk for the 3-2 Avalanche lead.

Elliott is an offensive defenseman, something the Avalanche have been lacking. He was among the final players cut during training camp and will now look to continue to make an impact this season. While this one game certainly provides plenty of hope for that, expectations should be tempered.

After all, the Avalanche looked awesome to start the season and then dropped dramatically in performance after that amazing start on the road.

Kings Schedule 2011: Kings Host Penguins At Staples Center This Weekend

Shmuckreport — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:56:35 -0000

Coming off of a tough home shutout by the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings will look to rebound with a W this weekend as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins this Saturday at the Staples Center.

The Kings are 1-3-1 over their last five games after taking their show to the East Coast last week, with their lone win on the trip coming against the Dallas Stars by the score of 5-3. The Penguins come into this game as winners of three of their last five, though lost on Thursday up in San Jose by the score of 4-3 in a shootout. Both teams need to get some wins strung together, should be a good one downtown this Saturday.

Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday with coverage on Fox Sports West.

For more discussion and analysis of the Kings, head over to Jewels From The Crown to get in on the action.