Buds Board Keepers League

Just curious to see the research people have done on there own players and how closely they have followed there pre season progress. This should be a given from every GM in this league so I am curious to here some of your team reports on bubble players. For me:

Anthony Stewart looks to crack Atlanta lineup (#25 overall, 2003)
Mark Letestu looks to have locked up a position with Pittsburgh. Third line center probable, will change when Staal returns.
Frederik Pettersen is looking to be a second line fixture in ATL with top PP minutes. He has been lighting up the preseason.
Jordan Caron for Boston has a high probability of making the team. His main competition is Brad Marchand for a permanent spot.
Nikita Nikitin was going to make the team but he broke his wrist so that looks unlikely at the moment.
Mathieu Darche will be a 4th line fixture in Montreal this season.
Kyle Wilson is still in the fold for 4th line duties in Columbus. Nothing official yet.

Spoke too soon Morin was sent down today.

P.A. Parenteau - With the Okposo injury he looks to be a fixture on the top 6, potentially even top line. Isles management has compared his acquisition to that of Matt Moulson, which is to say he is a darkhorse for the season.

Peter Schaefer - Was at the Canucks camp on a tryout, all indications are that he will sign with the team on a two-way deal and play on the third line at least until Burrows is back, and possibly even longer.

Magnus Paajarvi - Dominated pre-season compeition and impressed the Oilers brass, last I heard he was practing on the Oilers top line.

Teddy Purcell - Shown glimpses of offensive brilliance, and using his size to get into good scoring positions, will start the season on the third line, and possibly higher if Malone's play falters or an injury occurs.

Davis Drewiske - Virtual lock for a spot on the defence coming into camp, could start as high as the top 4 with the injury to Matt Greene.

Almost every prospect on my farm that had a chance to make the team failed, but it gets worse..
the ones penciled to be on my startin lineup failed as well lol. Add a couple of injuries to regulars, plus Thoresen&Wellwood signing overseas after rejecting 2 way contracts (rightfully so btw), and my team is thin and in pretty bad shape to start the season.

The only questionable guy that has made his NHL team so far is Holos.
Omark, Goncharov and Johansson are still on the bubble though.
The latter's destiny looks pivotal for my team at this point.. he is supposed to make the Caps, but i wouldn't be surprised to see him going back to Sweden in a few days considering how things have been unfolding so far.

Oh, and Santorelli made it, but i traded his ass a couple of days before so it doesn't count for me

kyuss wroteCOLONAlmost every prospect on my farm that had a chance to make the team failed, but it gets worse..
the ones penciled to be on my startin lineup failed as well lol. Add a couple of injuries to regulars, plus Thoresen&Wellwood signing overseas after rejecting 2 way contracts (rightfully so btw), and my team is thin and in pretty bad shape to start the season.

The only questionable guy that has made his NHL team so far is Holos.
Omark, Goncharov and Johansson are still on the bubble though.
The latter's destiny looks pivotal for my team at this point.. he is supposed to make the Caps, but i wouldn't be surprised to see him going back to Sweden in a few days considering how things have been unfolding so far.

Oh, and Santorelli made it, but i traded his ass a couple of days before so it doesn't count for me

Sorry to add to the bad news but Omark has been cut according to his facebook status. Oilers just confirmed it.

Habber wroteCOLON Sorry to add to the bad news but Omark has been cut according to his facebook status. Oilers just confirmed it.

That doesn't surprise me (albeit he was already better than others who made the team).. Johansson is the one i need the most to make the team, especially since i'm not sure he would stay in the N.A. if demoted.

kyuss wroteCOLON

Habber wroteCOLON Sorry to add to the bad news but Omark has been cut according to his facebook status. Oilers just confirmed it.

That doesn't surprise me (albeit he was already better than others who made the team).. Johansson is the one i need the most to make the team, especially since i'm not sure he would stay in the N.A. if demoted.

Better than who exactly? Gagner, Penner, Hemsky, Cogliano, MSP, Hall, Eberle, Horcoff, and Brule are all superior players at the moment, and can play in multiple roles, something Omark cannot at the NHL level.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

Habber wroteCOLON Sorry to add to the bad news but Omark has been cut according to his facebook status. Oilers just confirmed it.

That doesn't surprise me (albeit he was already better than others who made the team).. Johansson is the one i need the most to make the team, especially since i'm not sure he would stay in the N.A. if demoted.

Better than who exactly? Gagner, Penner, Hemsky, Cogliano, MSP, Hall, Eberle, Horcoff, and Brule are all superior players at the moment, and can play in multiple roles, something Omark cannot at the NHL level.

i see at least 3 of those players not being superior at all, but anyway, don't want to go into and that's not the point.. i didn't even say it was necessarily a bad decision, but the fact is it was made because of his 2 way contract and him being waiver exempt.

LOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

None?

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

Well its only pointless because your wrong lol

bills09 wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

Well its only pointless because your wrong lol

no way of persuading you otherwise right now.. (not that you have any proof of your truth either, but whatever)

MSPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

Well its only pointless because your wrong lol

no way of persuading you otherwise right now.. (not that you have any proof of your truth either, but whatever)

Sure he does, the afformentioned players made the team, Omark didn't...MSP, Eberle and Hall all had options in the AHL, yet they made the team, Omark didn't. The remaining three veterans (Penner, Hemsky, Brule) are unquestionably more talented. After that it's pointless to argue, because Omark isn't going to make the NHL as a third liner, for the same reason Kadri won't make the NHL as a third liner.

kyuss wroteCOLON

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

Habber wroteCOLON Sorry to add to the bad news but Omark has been cut according to his facebook status. Oilers just confirmed it.

That doesn't surprise me (albeit he was already better than others who made the team).. Johansson is the one i need the most to make the team, especially since i'm not sure he would stay in the N.A. if demoted.

Better than who exactly? Gagner, Penner, Hemsky, Cogliano, MSP, Hall, Eberle, Horcoff, and Brule are all superior players at the moment, and can play in multiple roles, something Omark cannot at the NHL level.

i see at least 3 of those players not being superior at all, but anyway, don't want to go into and that's not the point.. i didn't even say it was necessarily a bad decision, but the fact is it was made because of his 2 way contract and him being waiver exempt.

All of the above are better, Horcoff and Cogs may not be "superior", but at this point in time they are better, and do more for the big club. Edmonton had a ton of young players vying for spots, many with options similar to Omark, and yet they made it...So clearly this is not just a case of Omark being the scape goat for contractual reasons.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

Well its only pointless because your wrong lol

no way of persuading you otherwise right now.. (not that you have any proof of your truth either, but whatever)

Sure he does, the afformentioned players made the team, Omark didn't...MSP, Eberle and Hall all had options in the AHL, yet they made the team, Omark didn't. The remaining three veterans (Penner, Hemsky, Brule) are unquestionably more talented. After that it's pointless to argue, because Omark isn't going to make the NHL as a third liner, for the same reason Kadri won't make the NHL as a third liner.

Nope, Hall would not have been able to go to the AHL. Your point, however, is valid. Omark had no shot. Most of us, Omark included, knew this.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLON

kyuss wroteCOLON

bills09 wroteCOLONLOL who of those players is Omark better then.
he might be better in the shootout but thats it.

i said i didn't want to go into that because i knew it was going to be a pointless argument here

Well its only pointless because your wrong lol

no way of persuading you otherwise right now.. (not that you have any proof of your truth either, but whatever)

Sure he does, the afformentioned players made the team, Omark didn't...

and?
1-Oilers management can make mistakes
2-Omark cut was a business decision..

MSP, Eberle and Hall all had options in the AHL, yet they made the team, Omark didn't.

The fact Hall made the team (and i'm NOT saying he shouldn't have) and Omark didn't is just a confirmation.. those who watched EDM's pre-season games know Omark outplayed Hall despite the latter being given all chances to succeed and Omark playing all games but one with lesser players and receiving few minutes of ice. But again, i'm not saying he should have made the team over Hall; and everyone knew Hall had a spot on the team even before training camp.

The remaining three veterans (Penner, Hemsky, Brule) are unquestionably more talented.

to me Brule doesn't look better than Omark.

After that it's pointless to argue, because Omark isn't going to make the NHL as a third liner, for the same reason Kadri won't make the NHL as a third liner.

the reason being: shortsighted N.A. theory according to which is better having worse players on the 3rd and 4th line, like those players didnt' still have to play the same game (ice hockey) on the same rink lol.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON All of the above are better, Horcoff and Cogs may not be "superior", but at this point in time they are better, and do more for the big club.

the only thing that Cogliano does better is running up the ice..

Edmonton had a ton of young players vying for spots, many with options similar to Omark, and yet they made it...So clearly this is not just a case of Omark being the scape goat for contractual reasons.

to consider Omark in competition only with those 3 guys is only your (and EDM management's) choice.. they didn't want to have too many rookies up for several reasons.. not because all the players kept on the roster are better.

Starpainter wroteCOLON. Your point, however, is valid. Omark had no shot. Most of us, Omark included, knew this.

if you mean the Oilers management was set on that decision from the start you're probably right, as the way Omark was used in this pre-season suggests.
Omark didn't look aware of that during his interview though...

kyuss wroteCOLONand?
1-Oilers management can make mistakes
2-Omark cut was a business decision..

1. The more likely scenario is that you are wrong.

2. The Edmonton Oilers are a business, therefore every decision they make is a business decision, but that does not preclude them from also making hockey decisions, Omark was one such case.

kyuss wroteCOLONThe fact Hall made the team (and i'm NOT saying he shouldn't have) and Omark didn't is just a confirmation.. those who watched EDM's pre-season games know Omark outplayed Hall despite the latter being given all chances to succeed and Omark playing all games but one with lesser players and receiving few minutes of ice. But again, i'm not saying he should have made the team over Hall; and everyone knew Hall had a spot on the team even before training camp.

If you don't dispute that Hall should have made the team over Omark what is your argument?

kyuss wroteCOLONto me Brule doesn't look better than Omark.

Well he is...Just as skilled, better skater, better on the dot, more experienced, stronger defensive awareness, stronger shot, and more physical. There is a reason this kid was thought to be a franchise player a few years ago, granted he doesn't look to be that now but he is showing he can be a very good and useful player.

kyuss wroteCOLONthe reason being: shortsighted N.A. theory according to which is better having worse players on the 3rd and 4th line, like those players didnt' still have to play the same game (ice hockey) on the same rink lol.

The reasoning is actually rather simple and easy to understand, but I'm not surprised you fail to grasp it.

In the NHL you need to score goals, and defend against them. Your top, which plays anywhere between 15-20 minutes is designated the responsibility to provide offense, play the pp, and preferably some defensive awareness as well. When they come off the ice, you need two lines who can bring energy, generate the forecheck, and play the pk in their limited toi (4-14 minutes). Some lineups roll three strong, but in such cases they either have a very responsible top 9, or a shutdown 4th. The Oiler have neither, therefore it stands to reason that they stick with the third line who bests contributes defensively, and to a lesser extent offensively. Even still, Omark wasn't as good as anyone on the third line (Cogliano, MSP, Brule).

kyuss wroteCOLONthe only thing that Cogliano does better is running up the ice..

Cogliano is a superior skater, defender, forechecker, and shooter. The only thing Omark does better is stickhandle, and that skill is relatively useless on the third line.

kyuss wroteCOLONto consider Omark in competition only with those 3 guys is only your (and EDM management's) choice.. they didn't want to have too many rookies up for several reasons.. not because all the players kept on the roster are better.

That's not true at all, Edmonton management has made it known that they are going with a more youthful lineup, they traded off several veterans and brought on a myriad of youngsters at every position. In fact they are one of, if not the youngest teams in the NHL.

I seen something said by Kyuss that they didn't want to many rookies up for a reason or something like that, every team in the NHL keep players right now that they feel help improve their team and can make a difference if they felt someone was good enough or could make a difference they would keep them the didn't get rid of someone because they didn't want to many rookies, that is a horrible opinion. In the NHL the point is to always do what is best for your chance to win because the point of playing the sport is to win so clearly this guy did not give them that shot over other players.