This has been an interesting year for Edmonton Oiler fans. What was supposed to be the season where it all turned worked out has become exactly the opposite. The Oilers currently sit 2nd to last in the NHL only ahead of the pitiful Buffalo Sabres. The poor result has caused rookie General Manager Craig MacTavish to make some peculiar deals. With Smid and Dubnyk now gone it seems the focus has turned to one time Oiler wonder-kid Sam Gagner. Lately Sam has been anything but wonderful, with a abysmal six goals and a -20 rating in 47 games back from a jaw injury suffered in the preseason. The stats are ugly this year but that doesn't seem to be scaring the LA Kings who need desperate help in the goal scoring department. Lets do a quick check of both teams.rnrnThe Kings have been on a scoring slump as of late. Heading into the Olympic break the LA Kings have only mustered a measly 6 goals in their last 5 games and are desperate for some help to regain their winning ways. Now when you look at the situation Gagner is in with Edmonton right now you can see why the Kings are interested. Gagner is a dynamic young forward that needs a bit more mentoring in the league, Im positive Darryl Sutter can help with that, and has shown glimpses of magic. Sam's value right now is lower than most other options on the market right now so it makes sense why the Kings want to grab him while its low. Looking at LA's roster I can clearly see that they do not see Gagner as a centermen. He will not replace the likes of Kopitar, Richards, Stoll or Trevor Lewis. So were talking about Sam moving to the wing, where he's arguably more effective. Say what you want but when I look at the Kings depth chart provided by CapGeek.com[url] I see that the Kings are in dire need of help on the left side. So I honestly dont see them trading Kyle Clifford as many have reported. Some players I could see the Kings parting with for Gagner could be centermen Jordan Nolan, RW prospect Linden Vey and Defencemen Jake Muzzin. All 3 of those player could be in play as the kings try to find a scoring answer. rnrnThe Oilers are on a completely different path than the LA kings. As described at the start of the blog, the Oilers are in a situation where all the years of rebuilding could be lost if the ship doesn't turn around soon. They have been, however, on somewhat of a roll going into the Olympic break with a solid record of 6-1-1 in their last 8 largely due to the goaltending of Ben Scrivens and Ilya Bryzgalov. Gagner on the other hand...has been close to invisable during this recent "hot" streak scoring only two assists during that time. Edmonton is in dire need of defensive help right now so moving a forward seems like the next move and with the sudden emergence of feisty rookie Mark Arcobello it seems Gagner has become the odd man out. The Oilers could maybe spare a draft pick or two to get sweeter deal if gagner alone isnt enough. Also another interesting name thats been brought up in rumors is Oiler prospect Anton Lander who has been alternating between the big club and OKC the last few seasons.rnrnIn the end I see the Oilers pushing hard to aquire both Jake Muzzin and Linden Vey and the Kings taking Gagner + either draft picks or Anton Lander. The deal makes sense for The kings as they ship out a bottom pairing guy, again correct me if I'm wrong there, and a prospect that they have no use for this season for a seasoned young player that when put in the right situation can do wonders for a team along with what could be some good picks based on where the Oilers currently rank. The Oilers also get a decent return as they make room for MArk Arcobello on the second line and get a developing young defencemen that could potentially bring a much needed physical element on the Oilers back end. They also improve there ever growing pool of prospect with Linden Vey. So there you have it, my two cents on the Gagner rumours. rnrnPlease Note that the next deal is simply me dreaming:rnrnPIPE DREAM DEAL: Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner for Drew Doughty, Draft picksrnrnFollow me on twitter @CrazyOilersFan
Please learn to use paragraphs...
Trust me I did over and over again and it would not put it into paragraphs instead it insereted the letters rnrn
LA is interested in Gagner as a Center. Mostly for his pp ability where they are struggling badly. In fact the vast majority of gms in the league said Gagner is best as a Center. And Muzzin is not a big physical presence. LA fans call him muffin. We would not get Muzzin straight across for Gagner let alone more. And no other teams have interest in Lander.
Its a story about Gagner and the Kings, NOT about paragraphs. Grow up kid
Holy shit. I tried to read this but without paragraphs I just said fuck it and went straight the comments. No idea if the blog sucked or not.
It sucked.
you dont want to throw in a old puck or a hat in on the DD deal?
there is no way gagner plays C for LA unles M.Richards or Stoll are part of the deal, Richards isnt going anywhere but stoll would be a good piece for EDM to acquire in my opinion but still Gagner as a 3C not happening he is a top 6 forward he would have to move to the wing in LA