Things have gone from bad to worse in Edmonton with the recent loss for the season of Ales Hemsky. Bright spots have been few and far between for the Oilers, who enter Monday's action with just four wins in their last 18 games. There are all kinds of legitimate reasons for their problems, starting with an incredible run of the flu that sapped the club as they were off to a good start and injuries to defencemen Sheldon Souray, Denis Grebeshkov, Steve Staios and lately goalie Nikolai Khabibulin among others.
However, the problems run much deeper in Edmonton.
The biggest red flag for the non-playoff team last year was a group of forwards that were pretty much all the same size and the same skill set. They wouldn't or couldn't win loose puck battles and seemed lost as to how to create offence. This screamed for a make over up front, with the obvious need for some bigger people. Pat Quinn told me in the pre-season that small people can win puck battles, but they have to be willing, and he pointed out Igor Larionov as a great example of a small man who used body position and intelligence to win more than his share.
The fact that the Oilers have only out shot their opponents six of 27 games tells me they don't win enough battles to own the puck frequently enough. Ryan Stone made the team out of camp, but he too has been injured and in fairness, is trying to prove that he is an NHL regular.
Their pursuit of Dany Heatley fell flat, and their only free agent signing was another small forward in Mike Comrie. Sometimes the story is pretty easy to see. Almost everything had to go right for the Oilers to be a playoff team, and almost nothing has. Tom Gilbert makes $4.5 million, has five points and is minus five. It might be the best option to find a struggling forward, or a pair of players that combined are in the same price range, and make a deal.
Just be sure the player isn't 5'9.''
In the "someone always has it worse" category, let me introduce the Carolina Hurricanes.
It is stunning to me that they are this bad. A final-four team last year, they look lottery bound just six months later. Winless on the road, they are last in the league by eight points, have been outscored by 37 goals in 27 games, and you really have to look hard to find a bright spot.
I had a note a couple of weeks ago about the Hurricanes' struggles, but this past weekend vaulted them to a new low. It is really hard to give up five goals in one period, but Carolina managed to do just that in back-to-back games. A 4-1 lead versus Atlanta on Friday turned into a 6-4 defeat, and the next night in Buffalo, a 1-0 lead after 40 minutes ended ugly in a 5-1 loss.
I played on a 14 win expansion team in Atlanta in 1999-2000, and we couldn't accomplish this mess. Are there any quick answers? I'm afraid not, but the 'Canes may have to make a tough decision on Rod Brind'Amour. Last year, he had 51 points and was -27. Already this year, Brind'Amour has two goals and is -17 in 26 games. I hate giving up on anything, but Carolina needs to get their young people in the lineup, play them significant minutes and see what exactly they have going forward.
Razor Cuts
1) Gotta love Ian Laperriere. I played with Lappy in New York and was traded with him to Los Angeles. Energetic, team-first, tough. He has carved out an excellent career with those earmarks. So this week, he blocks a Jason Pominville shot, but in his words ''was stupid, I was too far away.'' Ok, maybe but he took somewhere between 50-100 stitches, lost a handful of teeth, and returned in the 3rd period with a cage. Warrior.
2) Impressed with New Jersey racking up wins with a boatload of regulars out of the lineup long term. Patrick Elias has returned and has 10 points in 10 games. Marty Brodeur just went past 60,000 minutes played - incredible. Unbelievably, the other goalies in Devils history have combined for 67,000 minutes.
Question:
Something has got me stumped lately regarding Benn Ferriero, Jamie Mcginn and Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have sent these players back and forth between the minors and the NHL over 5-plus times. How can the Sharks keep doing this without having to put them on waivers? Why doesn't the Players' Association step in and say something? I hope you can clear this up for me.
Thanks,
Kevin
Waivers are a process that doesn't allow teams to hide players in the minors forever. There is a set of rather involved rules, but in the case of these three young players, they do not have the requisite number of games or years to be subjected to waivers, so unfortunately for them, as of now, this is their lot.
Got a question or comment for Ray? Send him an email at razorsedge@tsn.ca!