They didn’t actually sign him for his talent, but for the faces he makes while he’s showcasing it. Obviously. (photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

It’s true. Edmonton Oilers right-winger Jordan Eberle has signed a six-year, thirty-six million dollar deal. For those of you who aren’t that good at math, or think that banana is spelled ‘bananna’, that averages out to six million a year. In a perfect world, at least. Just a week and a bit after fellow teammate-and-best-friend Taylor Hall signed his seven-year, forty-two million dollar contract, Eberle has his name on a deal that locks him down along with Hall as two of the Oilers core.

“Obviously, I’m pretty excited,” said Eberle on his new contract. “With Taylor getting his done last week, I was pretty anxious.”

“I’m happy to be an Oiler,” he added. While his deal was long, “it was a term that states that I want to be here for a while.”

Oilers GM Steve Tambellini is just as excited as Eberle (and me) about this new deal.

“I’m happy for the organization and I’m proud of Jordan because he deserves it,” Tambellini said. “He’s a young player, a young man that’s totally committed to what we’re trying to accomplish here. Now to have Taylor and Jordan both locked in for some time here with the Oilers, it feels pretty good.”

And they’re both going to be rollin’ in the dough.

He’s got the idea.

So while this is another step in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it if it all started working out positively really soon.

Don’t we all?

C’mon. Just one smile? (photo: Benjamin Reed/flickr)

If you ask me, the fact that a rookie who’s first two seasons, while great stats-wise, were both cut short due to injury can get his name on a 42 million-dollar contract is quite impressive. 20-year-old Taylor Hall has got himself a deal that has him sticking around in Edmonton for the next seven years. I say this because Edmonton has more of a tendency to actually keep their long-term contract guys than say, Philadelphia – where if Hall was signing a similar deal he’d probably already know where he was going in February.
He’s excited as can be about the deal; Hall’s looking forward to the rest of the – wait for it – rebuild to take place during his time in Edmonton.

“I obviously wanted to be here and I’m extremely thrilled that it worked out,” Hall said on sticking around for the long haul. ”I’m only 20-years-old, and I think that shows the commitment that I have here. When they said seven years, I didn’t blink — I’m comfortable being here for that long. By that time, we’re going to be a perennial threat and that was my main goal and mindset when I signed my deal.”

Best-friend-and-roommate Jordan Eberle is almost as excited as Hall himself.

That’s how I see it, at least.

It’s not like he was just gonna not say anything…

“It all worked out, I’m very happy — so are the Oilers. It’s been a good relationship for the last two years and I hope that continues.”

If you asked, he’d probably say that by ‘relationship’, he meant with him and the organization.

Maybe.

“We’ve had some good dialogue throughout this whole thing,” Hall said on Eberle’s current situation. “His should [be signed] be pretty soon — I can’t say for sure, but he’s along the same path, he wants to be here. With everything that’s been going on lately, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that we can keep all the young guys together long-term.”

No. Not at all. I promise.

After a concussion that had him out for a while at the end of the season and the actual season-ending shoulder surgery he had for an injury he’s been nursing for years, Hall is back on track and in the middle of a speedy recovery.

“It’s good,” Hall said of his new robot arm. “It felt really good today. I’m four-and-a-half months through a six-month process. I’m really positive about it; I’m not going to say that I’m going to be perfect on Day 1, but it feels really good now I’m excited about the process of being healthy again.”

With rehab coming to an end and the 2012-2013 season just around the corner (or, so I hope…), this is just what the Oilers need in terms of locking down their key guys and figuring out the ever frustrating ‘rebuild’ puzzle.

I bet he’s picturing himself rolling around in money. Or something. (photo: screenshot/edmontonoilers.com)

First-overall NHL Draft pick Nail Yakupov is well on his way to becoming a real solid part of the Edmonton Oilers organization. His brand-spankin’-new three-year, entry-level contract is set up to earn him 925,000 dollars a year with a nice little cap hit of 3.755 million dollars.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to meet the guys, meet the team and start practicing. I’m very, very excited.”

“It’s an exciting day for the Oilers and an exciting day for Nail and his family,” added Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini. “Considering the work that goes into being drafted, never mind No. 1 overall in the NHL is quite an accomplishment.”

When it comes to getting his guys NHL-ready, Tambellini is no stranger to dealing with number-one picks.

“Just like with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, our approach will be the same,” he added. “He’ll go through the process of learning the feel of the National (Hockey) League and picking up on the speed, strength and things like that. You saw it with Nuge and with Taylor (Hall) and Jordan (Eberle). Everybody has a break-in period, so it’ll be something that I know he’ll be able to accomplish. There was no question that he has a goal and he wants to make sure that he can secure a full-time spot on the roster. That will be a pretty big accomplishment in itself.”

Now that he’s secured, what’s next?

The Canada-Russia Challenge, naturally. In Yaroslavl, Russia, on August 9th and 10th, Team Russia hosts Team Canada in the first two games of the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge. The four-game tourney between the Canadian and Russian junior teams is happening this year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series and to honour the memory of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl disaster. The second two games will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

When Yakupov played at the 2012 World Juniors, he had a team-best nine assists and +5 rating during his team’s silver-medal run. A run during which the Russians dealt the Canadians their only loss – the one during the relegation round that sent them to the bronze medal game.

So, it should be interesting.

“We’re not warriors, right? It’s hockey and we don’t want to kill somebody and they don’t want to kill us too,” he said, laughing. “We want to play hockey, show great hockey and play for the fans. We get to play in Yaroslavl where the Lokomotiv play — I remember that team and know a couple guys there, so it will be a good experience and something really special.”

Almost as special as playing in the NHL, right?

Same. (photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Salary arbitration: It’s not an Oilers thing.

Not since Jason Smith went that far back in 2002.

Sam Gagner was yet another Oiler who avoided his hearing when he signed a one-year, 3.2 million-dollar contract just minutes before the start time.

In three hundred and sixty-six games as a pro, Gagner has tacked 220 points to his name. While matching and passing the 49 points he tallied back in his rookie season has been a problem for Gagner, he’s proud of what he did last year.

“I think it was good,” Gagner said. “There were some real high times,” he added, probably thinking about the eighteen goals (four of which happened all at once, might I add) and +5 rating – both career bests – he had last season.

“I still need to continue to work on ironing out the low times and making sure they’re not happening as often,” he said.

If that’s code for ‘scoring eight points a night, every night’, I could definitely get on board. After that memorable night against Chicago, Gagner went on a hot streak, collecting a total of fourteen points in four games.

“I’m working on balancing that consistency and helping the team reach another level,” Gagner said. “If I’m at the top of my game all year, it’s going to help our group.”

Here’s hoping that a good season can flip the cards in his favour when he gets to the end of this contract. An extension instead of an expiration, perhaps?

“There’s still an opportunity to stay in Edmonton long-term. I need to have another good year and continue to solidify myself as a good NHL player and reach new levels. I’m excited about that opportunity and excited to get going next year.”

Since he got his start at age eighteen, Gagner is now technically a veteran. He’s only twenty-two, but he’s heading into his sixth (!!) NHL season.

“It’s something that not a lot of players get a chance to do,” he said (about starting when he was 18). “I can help out the younger players because of that and I feel like I’ve learned a lot — and I’m going to continue to learn and probably learn a lot from them, too.”

Consider this: Over half of the Oilers are in their twenties. Add in 19-year-old Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and you’ve only got six guys who are 30+.

“It’s an exciting time to be an Oiler. It’s important for us to grow together and learn how to win together.”

“We haven’t done as well as we would have hoped in the past couple years, so we have to add that internal pressure where we’re trying to get better every day and push each other to new heights. We need to be pushing for a playoff spot and getting back to that level that we should be at.”

“That has to be our goal. We can’t be in a situation where if things go wrong this year where saying, ‘There’s always next year.’ It’s happened too much and it has to be a case where we put pressure on ourselves every day to avoid it.”

“You need to be all in.”

The 2012-2013 season will be looked at as an opportunity for Gagner to stick his feet in and set his roles in stone in the Oilers organization. The idea is for him to use this year to take him that extra mile, to that extra level.

All in, all the way.

Another year, another contract. (photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

When it comes to Theo Peckham’s career, saying last season was a bit of a disappointment would be somewhat of an understatement.

So would be saying that was only somewhat of an understatement.

However, after a season salted with injuries and peppered with trips to the press box, Peckham has been invited back for another year. He’s recently signed his name to a one-year, 1.075 million-dollar contract just like the one he put his name on last offseason.

The 6’2”, 235-pound 24-year-old is thankful that he and the Oilers management were able to work something out for him, even though his 2011-2012 season was far from what was expected after a standout 2010-2011 run. The year before last, Peckham suited up for 71 games – a career high – and tallied three goals and thirteen points, all the while working that much harder to cement his spot in the Oilers lineup. Then just this past season, Peckham missed over twenty games due to injury… and being a healthy scratch.

“If you miss as many games as I did, it certainly takes you some time to get back into a rhythm. Then you have a couple bad games and you’re back out and in the press box again. It’s a tough thing to do. You want to a chance to play your way through your struggles, but I needed to make the most of my opportunities and I didn’t.”

“It’s a relief,” he said about being asked to return to the Oilers organization for another year. “I understood I was coming off not the greatest year, so — it wasn’t necessarily ‘take what you can get,’ but both sides are happy. There was a little discussion back and forth, but I think for the most part it worked out best for both sides.”

He even talked about what kind of attitude he needs to have come training camp time.

“On Day One, I need to understand that there are a lot of defenceman that can play for this team,” he said. “I need to put my best foot forward to make sure that I can come in and earn my spot. Most importantly, I can’t leave any unanswered questions; ‘Is he going to fit here or fit there?’ I need to make sure that what I bring to the lineup is something the Oilers can’t live without.”

Not a bad way to look at things.

He’s got to get through the other seven defencemen who are signed to the Oilers and interested in the top spots, but Peckham thinks that if anything, that’s a pro, rather than a con.

“It’s competition that brings out the best in everybody,” he said. “There’s almost no room for error that way. You’re either going to be there or you aren’t. I understand that and am prepared to work for it.”

“100 percent,” Peckham agreed when it came to the question of this season being his chance for a do-over. “You’ve got to go there and show them why you’re better than the three other players trying out for that one spot. That’s how I approached it in my rookie year and this season is the same. I need to show them why I deserve it more.”

Another table that’s turned in the favour of Peckham is the promotion of new Head Coach Ralph Krueger. Under a new coach, Peckham has even more of an opportunity to start anew this upcoming season.

“He knows a ton about the game, is very smart and is a great coach,” he said of Krueger. “He’ll always do what’s best for the team — and when it comes time to drop the hammer on you and have that guy that will give you a kick in the butt when you’re not playing well, he’s a great guy to have around and help us through it. It’s good for me and good for everyone to have that kind of motivator on staff.”

With a can’t-stop-won’t-stop attitude and a determined coaching staff, Peckham’s rookie re-birth might not be so hard to accomplish, after all.

Nelson just after re-signing with the Barons. He’s practically vibrating with excitement. (photo: screencap/edmontonoilers.com)

Head Coach Todd Nelson and Assistant Coaches Gerry Fleming and Rocky Thompson have all re-signed with the Oklahoma City Barons. The trio will all be with the Barons for the third season this fall, and were all part of the 2012 Calder Cup Western Conference Finals run.

With the 2012 Western Conference regular season title came a 45-22-4-5 record for the Barons, as well as 99 points and a second-overall placement in the AHL.

Nelson, who was drafted by the Penguins in 1989, played only a few games in the NHL and spent the vast majority of his pro career in the minors, and is even in the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame. Fleming has been an assistant coach for the Oilers’ farm team for four seasons. Before coaching the ECHL’s Florida Everblades for eight seasons and the AHL’s Fredericton Canadiens, he himself played in the Montreal Canadiens organization for years. However, he only played eleven games in the NHL. Thompson became an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oil Kings back in 2007 and remained there for three seasons before joining the OKC Barons. Thompson played 25 games in the NHL with the Flames and the Panthers after being drafted by Calgary in 1995.

“We are very excited to have Todd, Gerry and Rocky return to the Oklahoma City Barons,” says Oilers GM Steve Tambellini. “Under their leadership the Barons have excelled each season and they continue to play a critical role in developing our young talent.”

Can I call you Peaches? (photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Goaltender Devan Dubnyk and defenceman Jeff Petry have both been signed to two-year contracts by the Edmonton Oilers.

Dubnyk’s two-year deal has an annual average value of $3.5 million dollars; Petry’s AAV is $1.75 million.

Forty-seven times in net gave Dubnyk the opportunity to go 20-20-3 and rack up a 2.67 GAA – both career bests for the 26-year-old – and .914 save percentage. Petry suited up in the copper and blue 73 times last season and posted 25 points – two goals and twenty-three assists – making him the top-scoring Oiler on the blueline. Those were all career highs for him.

Another deal that was made today was left-winger Dane Byers’ one-year contract. The twenty-six year old split the 2011-2012 season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and their farm team, the Springfield Falcons.

In 61 games with the Falcons, he scored sixteen goals, helped on twenty-three, and spent one hundred and eight minutes in the penalty box. In eight with Columbus, he recorded 29 penalty minutes. He was drafted 48th overall by the Rangers in 2004, and played 255 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (now Connecticut Whale). Throughout that time, he managed 163 points – 72 goals and 91 assists – and spent over nine hours in the penalty box.

Darcy Hordichuk and Yann Danis were also secured by the Oilers on July first.

Hordichuk was set to become a free agent after signing a one-year deal with the Oilers last summer. In 43 games, the thirty-one year old Saskatchewan native tallied one goal and two assists, spending 64 minutes in the sin bin. In 538 career games with the Coyotes, Panthers, Predators, Canucks and Oilers, Hordichuk has gone 20-21-41 and racked up 1138 penalty minutes.

Danis signed the dotted line on his one-year deal after spending almost all of last season with the OKC Barons, the Edmonton Oilers’ farm team. He made 43 appearances and went 26-14-2, posting a 2.07 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He broke records with his five shutouts last season and holds the ‘most consecutive shutout minutes’ title at 173 minutes and 16 seconds. To add to that, the thirty-one year old was given the Aldege ‘Baz’ Bastien Memorial Award for being the AHL’s most outstanding goalie of the 2011-2012 season and was named to the First Team All-Star Team. On February 29th, Danis played 32 minutes and 26 seconds against the St. Louis Blues after relieving Dubnyk. He let in two goals and the Oilers ultimately lost to St. Louis 5-2.

Today, it was announced that Sam Gagner has filed for salary arbitration (and on the deadline, no less).

If there’s any disagreement, maybe they could just start paying him per point. I’m sure he’d be able to get by.

He looks best in the copper and blue, if you ask me. (photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Back in 1994, the Edmonton Oilers selected Ryan Smyth 6th overall in the Draft. Since then, he’s also laced ‘em up for the Islanders, Avs and Kings, but has now decided to remain with the Oilers for a while longer.

His new two-year, $4.5 million contract was inked right before Smyth was set to become a UFA on Free Agent Frenzy day. It took a few days, but the Oilers organization and Smyth are both happy with the deal.

“It still happened pretty quick and negotiations are always quick processes to some degree,” Smyth said. “There are always things you deal with on the business side and it’s nice to get that over and done with.”

“Now it’s time to go out and play. It’s a great opportunity to go out and get ourselves back in the post-season.”

Smyth, 36, scored 19 goals and 46 points in all 82 games last season. However, 26 of them were recorded at a point-per-game pace to start the campaign, giving him only 20 points in the remaining 56 games.

What kind of role will he play next season? It could certainly be a more unique one than he’s used to considering the Oilers’ loaded Top 6, particularly with the addition of Nail Yakupov on the wing.

“We had discussions about all that,” Smyth said. “Wherever the coaches feel I fit in, it’s just nice to be a piece of the puzzle. That’s all you want. Eventually the puzzle will be completed and it’s because of all the pieces that go into it.

“Every time you step on the ice, it’s all about opportunity. Everybody has an opportunity to have success as a team in the NHL — and as a group of individuals, we have a great opportunity to not only establish the youth, energy and excitement on a day-to-day basis, but to take it to another level and reach the common goal together.

“That’s about making a return to the post-season and then winning the Stanley Cup.”

Heading into the season, it’s possible that Smyth, Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky will compose the team’s third line. Sprinkled with power-play and shorthanded time, Smyth will still be expected to bring his game to another level. He noticed the slowdown late last year, but is ready to re-discover the pace that made him one of the Oilers’ leading goal-scorers early on.

36-year-old Smyth was the only Oiler to play in all 82 games for Edmonton, and isn’t looking to slow down any time soon.

“I want to play as long as I can,” he said. “I felt really good last year; I was strong, confident and that goes back to the year before in LA. My body still feels good and I want to play. I played in all 82 games last year, I want to do the same this year and build on the success I had.

In 17 years – 1151 games – in the NHL, Smyth has posted 374 goals and 432 assists.

Happy yet? (photo: WisconsinAthletics/youtube.com)

Everybody wanted him, we got him. 21-year-old defenseman Justin Schultz was one of the most sought-after free agents coming into the NHL this season; now he’s decided to come to Edmonton on a two year, entry level contract that’s worth $925,000. The signing bonus will be $92,500 and his bonuses can get him a cap hit of $3.755 million US dollars.

Not bad.

Head Coach Ralph Krueger, President of Hockey Ops Kevin Lowe, Senior VP of Hockey Ops Craig MacTavish and Taylor Hall all met with Schultz on Thursday to discuss him coming to Edmonton. In case he wasn’t already pretty sold on the idea, they brought along Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey to help them convince Schultz. I mean really, how do you say no to that? It certainly made them stand out against the rest of the League.

“Going into that process, I didn’t expect that and it’s obviously pretty neat to get calls from guys that are legends in the game,” Schultz said. “[Gretzky and Coffey were] very nice guys and really shed light on the city of Edmonton and what it’s like to play there.”

Schultz has played with the WCHA’s University of Wisconsin Badgers for the past three seasons. In 37 regular-season games last year, he managed 16 goals and 44 points. Back in 2008, he was drafted 43rd overall to the Anaheim Ducks, but opted out of signing in favour of playing at the university level, opening up the young d-man to the rest of the NHL.

“It’s been a long process for me and a lot of tension that I didn’t think was going to get involved in it, but I’m glad it’s over and am really glad to be a part of the Edmonton Oilers organization,” Schultz said about making the decision. “It’s a team I grew up always liking and I’m really excited right now. You look at the team they have right now with all those young guys that are turning into superstars,” he added. “They have a good, solid core of young prospects and that’s intriguing to me.”

The Oilers have won the lottery yet again in signing Schultz, as he looks to be a perfect fit amongst the rest of their young guns.

“All teams could pitch the same contract and he had a chance to select his team and where he wanted to grow as a National League player, and he chose the Edmonton Oilers,” GM Steve Tambellini said. “It speaks volumes to the work that a lot of people have been doing in our organization.

Tomorrow, Schultz will sign the dotted line and make the contract – and him being added to the organization – official.

While there was controversy (and rumours) surrounding his leaving Anaheim, including one rumour about him requesting guaranteed ice time, Schultz was quick to clear it all up.
“I made it clear and [the Oilers] did as well, that there are no guarantees in this game. I don’t want to be the guy that has a guaranteed spot, I want to earn my spot — I have to earn it,” he said. Which is good, because really, when not even NHL superstars can guarantee their ice time (whether they’d like to be able to or not) it would be practically obscene for a rookie to do it.

“I have nothing bad to say about the Ducks organization,” he added. “It was great to be part of an organization with such classy people and I enjoyed my time at all the prospect camps. It basically came down to me having the option to choose where I wanted to play.”

“It was a long summer and I’ve still got to make the team, if I’m fortunate enough to make the team.”

“We believe he can step in right away and contribute,” Tambellini said. “How we mix and match, we’ll have to see how that works.

Schultz is optimistic:

“I thought there couldn’t be a better fit.”

GM Steve Tambellini welcoming Ralph Krueger to the team. That he was already on. (photo: screenshot/edmontonoilers.com)

Edmonton Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini has decided on a new head coach to replace former bench boss Tom Renney. Ralph Krueger, the former Associate Head Coach under Renney, has been bumped up to Head Coach.

Krueger will be spending his third season with the Oilers as a head coach for the first time. Last season, he was the one behind the Oilers top-notch power play. Now, it’s to take on the responsibility of making sure the Oilers never have another first overall Draft pick. We have enough, and I love them all, but it needs to stop.

“A winning culture grows out of a culture of excellence,” he said. “We’re going to be extremely detail-focused. From the summer training that’s going on right now, we’ll communicate with the players as much as possible to support them. We want to be known as a hard-working team on and off the ice — a very disciplined team. The winning will come as a byproduct of that.”

“You speak with people that have worked with Ralph and players that have been coached by him, they talk about leadership, clarity and motivation,” added General Manager Steve Tambellini. “He’s a person that they want to play for. He has a reputation that people will play for him and want to win for him.”

The two assistant coaches, Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith, will remain in their positions.

Krueger’s been a head coach before, just not in the NHL. He coached the Swiss national team for three years, over the course of which they jumped eight spots (landing at seventh overall) in the IIHF World Hockey Rankings and came sixth at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was also the GM and head coach of VEU Feldkirch over in Austria’s First Division from 1991 to 1998.

The Oilers thought about Marc Crawford, who coached for 15 years in the NHL and is now a TSN analyst, as well as Todd Nelson, who coaches the Oilers’ farm team, the OKC Barons.
“There were some (candidates interviewed) internally, some externally.” Tambellini said. You know, it’s kind of like Twitter – when divulging information, NHL GM’s are required to make statements of 140 characters or less.

Back when Renney was out with a concussion and Krueger was his replacement, the Oilers pounded the Calgary Flames 6-1 in the middle of the Flames’ playoff push. After two seasons as an Associate Head Coach, he’s 2-5 when he drops the ‘Associate’ part.

“We’re going to work,” Krueger said. “The surreal feeling is not there at all. It’s been a natural, healthy 23 years of growth as a coach and I’m ready for this situation.”

I’m just going to cross my fingers.