Oilers Rumors
Posted 6:17 PM ET | Comments 2
I've recently heard speculations of the Columbus Blue Jackets trying to make a deal with the Oilers. In the deal....
The Oilers would acquire RJ Umberger and Mike Commodore
The Blue Jackets would obtain Cogliano and Souray
I believe that this deal would be beneficial for the Oilers only because they would be receiving Umberger. Umberger brings to the Oilers an arsenal of assets the Oilers desperately need. Umberger is a very good two-way center who can kill penalties and maybe even be on the power play for the Oilers. The Oilers would add depth on center in acquiring Umberger. Something they have been lacking since their epic playoff run in 2006. If the Oilers do receive Umberger, their third line might look something like this...
Brule Umberger Gagner
On the other hand, the Oilers should not bring in Commodore from Columbus. In my opinion, he would not be a good fit with the Oilers. Yes he does bring with him that physicality and grit the Oilers lack. However, he is not really a two-way player. Commodore is a very defensively minded defender. With Souray out of the picture, the Oilers only have 3 legitimate defenders that can play on the point during the powerplay. These players are Foster, Gilbert and Whitney. With the first powerplay pairing most likely being Gilbert and Whitney, the Oilers need a player to play with Foster. The remaining Oilers defenders, Vandermeer, Smid and Commodore are not players you would really want on your powerplay.
That being said, if I were Steve Tambellini I would make a push to try to acquire Kris Russell, instead of Mike Commodore. Kris Russell is more of a two-way player the Oilers need on the blue-line. He is a good special teams player who can play on both the power play and penalty-kill. One flaw that Russell has is height. Russell is only 5-10 and he is only 180Ibs. However, he is surrounded by other big bodies on the blue-line with the likes of Vandermeer, Foster, etc. To make this deal possible, the Oilers should add a second or third round draft pick with the addition of Cogliano and Souray for Umberger and Russell. If Columbus accepted this deal, the defensive pairings for the Oilers would look something like this...
Gilbert Whitney
Russell Foster
Vandermeer Smid
Strudwick
The Oilers would acquire RJ Umberger and Mike Commodore
The Blue Jackets would obtain Cogliano and Souray
I believe that this deal would be beneficial for the Oilers only because they would be receiving Umberger. Umberger brings to the Oilers an arsenal of assets the Oilers desperately need. Umberger is a very good two-way center who can kill penalties and maybe even be on the power play for the Oilers. The Oilers would add depth on center in acquiring Umberger. Something they have been lacking since their epic playoff run in 2006. If the Oilers do receive Umberger, their third line might look something like this...
Brule Umberger Gagner
On the other hand, the Oilers should not bring in Commodore from Columbus. In my opinion, he would not be a good fit with the Oilers. Yes he does bring with him that physicality and grit the Oilers lack. However, he is not really a two-way player. Commodore is a very defensively minded defender. With Souray out of the picture, the Oilers only have 3 legitimate defenders that can play on the point during the powerplay. These players are Foster, Gilbert and Whitney. With the first powerplay pairing most likely being Gilbert and Whitney, the Oilers need a player to play with Foster. The remaining Oilers defenders, Vandermeer, Smid and Commodore are not players you would really want on your powerplay.
That being said, if I were Steve Tambellini I would make a push to try to acquire Kris Russell, instead of Mike Commodore. Kris Russell is more of a two-way player the Oilers need on the blue-line. He is a good special teams player who can play on both the power play and penalty-kill. One flaw that Russell has is height. Russell is only 5-10 and he is only 180Ibs. However, he is surrounded by other big bodies on the blue-line with the likes of Vandermeer, Foster, etc. To make this deal possible, the Oilers should add a second or third round draft pick with the addition of Cogliano and Souray for Umberger and Russell. If Columbus accepted this deal, the defensive pairings for the Oilers would look something like this...
Gilbert Whitney
Russell Foster
Vandermeer Smid
Strudwick
July 25, 2010 7:33 PM ET
| Delete
July 25, 2010 9:13 PM ET
| Delete