[Signing] Oilers sign Bryzgalov. (1yr, $2.266mil)

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Is there any chance the guy plays the Flames on Saturday?

Doubtful, if Friday is going to be his first AHL game.

[Resolute 14]

Almost nil if he's playing in the AHL on Friday. Also, Dubnyk tends to play the Flames fairly well, relative to Edmonton's standards.

[Table 5]

Yeah, you guys are right.... I guess I was just hoping the Oilers would make an exception in the name of awesomeness.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Is there any chance the guy plays the Flames on Saturday?

Baby flames is good enough to start

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

Bryz is an above average goalie still IMO. The flames should have signed him, philly was the worst possible market he could've went to but he got $$$.

I wouldn't be laughing at this deal if I were a die hard flames fan. Flames missed out.

Haha! On what?

Damn, if we'd signed Bryzgalov we'd have........made the playoffs? Won the cup? Gained insight on existentialism??

The Flames are rebuilding, buying rental goaltenders is not the name of the game.

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

While I agree its not a bold move, it is actually a low risk high reward signing. The likely hood of it paying off, agreed is low, but the fact of the matter is the best case scenario in his signing is the Oilers get an elite level NHL goalie for the remainder of this season. Bryz has proven he can be elite in this league, he hasn't proven he can do it consistently and not be a disaster at some points either. But there is tones of POTENTIAL upside here.

Ultimately I think it was all-risk/no-reward. Completely stupid.

Do you think Bryzgalov will re-sign with the Oilers next season? Long term?

Probably not.

In exchange, the Flames acquired and, consequently the Oilers lost, Ladislav Smid, arguably their steadiest defenceman.

What is the Endgame? Whats the goal?

The Flames are starting a rebuild and need steadying and experienced guys. Check.

Signed for a few years? Check.

The Oilers are contending for a playoff spot, or at least should be. Check?

This season is basically a write-off, will Bryzgalov help them this year? No.
Next year? No.
Will Smid help the Oilers this year? No.
Next year? No.
Will Broissoit help the Oilers in the next 2-3 years? No.
Will Horak help the Oilers in the Next 2-3 years? Maybe, but not enough.

So what was the point? If the Oilers' endgame is to make the playoffs they have in no way advanced their cause by this series of moves.

And I'll reiterate, the Oilers are no longer rebuilding. The 'rebuild' is over. They're up against the salary cap and dumping an asset to buy a UFA. Ergo, their goal must be to make the playoffs. ASAP.

[sureLoss]

Just thought I would post this article again:
http://www.broadstreethockey.com/201...delphia-flyers

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Locke

Haha! On what?

Damn, if we'd signed Bryzgalov we'd have........made the playoffs? Won the cup? Gained insight on existentialism??

The Flames are rebuilding, buying rental goaltenders is not the name of the game.



Ultimately I think it was all-risk/no-reward. Completely stupid.

Do you think Bryzgalov will re-sign with the Oilers next season? Long term?

Probably not.

In exchange, the Flames acquired and, consequently the Oilers lost, Ladislav Smid, arguably their steadiest defenceman.

What is the Endgame? Whats the goal?

The Flames are starting a rebuild and need steadying and experienced guys. Check.

Signed for a few years? Check.

The Oilers are contending for a playoff spot, or at least should be. Check?

This season is basically a write-off, will Bryzgalov help them this year? No.
Next year? No.
Will Smid help the Oilers this year? No.
Next year? No.
Will Broissoit help the Oilers in the next 2-3 years? No.
Will Horak help the Oilers in the Next 2-3 years? Maybe, but not enough.

So what was the point? If the Oilers' endgame is to make the playoffs they have in no way advanced their cause by this series of moves.

And I'll reiterate, the Oilers are no longer rebuilding. The 'rebuild' is over. They're up against the salary cap and dumping an asset to buy a UFA. Ergo, their goal must be to make the playoffs. ASAP.

You kind of answered your own question. Oilers, while likely have dug themselves a hole they can't get out of, at the very least need to be competitive for a playoff spot this year. They absolutely will not with their goaltending situation. So they acquired someone who COULD give them the chance to do that.

I agree with everything else you said, having to give up Smid, terrible asset management IMO. But in isolation, spending what they spenton Bryz, given it's a short contract has the potential to pay off big. It likely won't, but the upside to Bryz his definetely high reward, even though I agree he likely won't pay off. But that's the definition of low risk / high reward.

[Resolute 14]

There has been a lot of commentary in Oilers circles around the fact that Smid had dropped to 5th defenceman status in Edmonton. If he was viewed as being only fifth on that defence, then there are several arguments to be made, any or all of which may apply to varying degrees: 1. Eakins is an idiot who can't manage his players well. 2. Fans over/underrate defencemen horribly (he's not their guy anymore, so he sucks. He is our guy now, so he's going to be great), 3. Smid really did fall off.

If point three is viewed as the most accurate - particularly given they expect Nurse will be more than the next Plante starting next year and push him down further -then the trade makes sense from the Oilers long-term perspective. Problem is, it definitely made Edmonton worse in the short term, and if point 1 is the most accurate, worse in the long term as well.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

You kind of answered your own question. Oilers, while likely have dug themselves a hole they can't get out of, at the very least need to be competitive for a playoff spot this year. They absolutely will not with their goaltending situation. So they acquired someone who COULD give them the chance to do that.

I agree with everything else you said, having to give up Smid, terrible asset management IMO. But in isolation, spending what they spenton Bryz, given it's a short contract has the potential to pay off big. It likely won't, but the upside to Bryz his definetely high reward, even though I agree he likely won't pay off. But that's the definition of low risk / high reward.

Right. But thats also sort of my point. They traded a decent player for optics.

Its like Kevin Lowe press conferences all over again:

"See!! See!! We're TRYING!!!"

Optics dont get you into the playoffs.

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

There has been a lot of commentary in Oilers circles around the fact that Smid had dropped to 5th defenceman status in Edmonton. If he was viewed as being only fifth on that defence, then there are several arguments to be made, any or all of which may apply to varying degrees: 1. Eakins is an idiot who can't manage his players well. 2. Fans over/underrate defencemen horribly (he's not their guy anymore, so he sucks. He is our guy now, so he's going to be great), 3. Smid really did fall off.

If point three is viewed as the most accurate - particularly given they expect Nurse will be more than the next Plante starting next year and push him down further -then the trade makes sense from the Oilers long-term perspective. Problem is, it definitely made Edmonton worse in the short term, and if point 1 is the most accurate, worse in the long term as well.

I have a hard time believing that. Smid is no Pronger or anything, but hes a serviceable Top 4 defenceman.

Andrew Ference
Nick Schultz
Justin Schultz
Jeff Petry
Philip Larsen
Anton Belov
Taylor Fedun

Smid is paid more than all of them, the same as Nick Schultz, shudder at that concept. I cant pick 4 guys on that list I'd take over Smid. I might be able to pick one. And then I remember that Andy Ference is 34 and I'm back to zero.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

I agree with everything else you said, having to give up Smid, terrible asset management IMO. But in isolation, spending what they spenton Bryz, given it's a short contract has the potential to pay off big. It likely won't, but the upside to Bryz his definetely high reward, even though I agree he likely won't pay off. But that's the definition of low risk / high reward.

How will it pay off though?

The Oilers are 14 points out, they play in the toughest division in hockey, and nearly half of their remaining games are in-division.

They are abysmal defensively, and have only subtracted on defence.

Lets face it. If one is being realistic, the best case scenario for the Oilers with Bryzgalov is that they pass Calgary and finish 6th in the division. I have made my opinion absolutely clear that teams should always strive to be better, even if only one position better, so I cannot fault the intent.

The problem is, I do not think Bryzgalov makes the Oilers better. He's been regressing rapidly and he is walking into a team that is a complete disaster defensively. I think simple adrenaline may give both him and the Oilers a short term boost. But until they start adding pieces on defence, rather than subtracting, and until the forwards begin to give a damn about supporting their goalies, Edmonton is going to flounder.


tl;dr: They are doing this pretty much only to pass the Flames, a team that many expected to be 29th best or worse.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

How will it pay off though?

The Oilers are 14 points out, they play in the toughest division in hockey, and nearly half of their remaining games are in-division.

They are abysmal defensively, and have only subtracted on defence.

Lets face it. If one is being realistic, the best case scenario for the Oilers with Bryzgalov is that they pass Calgary and finish 6th in the division. I have made my opinion absolutely clear that teams should always strive to be better, even if only one position better, so I cannot fault the intent.

The problem is, I do not think Bryzgalov makes the Oilers better. He's been regressing rapidly and he is walking into a team that is a complete disaster defensively. I think simple adrenaline may give both him and the Oilers a short term boost. But until they start adding pieces on defence, rather than subtracting, and until the forwards begin to give a damn about supporting their goalies, Edmonton is going to flounder.


tl;dr: They are doing this pretty much only to pass the Flames, a team that many expected to be 29th best or worse.

Thats a good point, and I'll agree with that. I guess I see the situation a little differently.

This season is done for the Oilers. The statistics are beyond absurd. You could ask the 4 best teams in the league to put together a run that the Oilers would need to even sniff the playoffs and they couldnt do it, so the Oilers dont have a snowball's chance in hell.

I also think that Bryzgalov is showcasing himself to play elsewhere next season and that its highly unlikely he signs in Edmonton.

So now lets take Bryzgalov and Smid out of the equation.

Do Horak and Brossoit help the Oilers make the playoffs next year? I dont see their impact as being that significant.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

You kind of answered your own question. Oilers, while likely have dug themselves a hole they can't get out of, at the very least need to be competitive for a playoff spot this year. They absolutely will not with their goaltending situation. So they acquired someone who COULD give them the chance to do that.

I agree with everything else you said, having to give up Smid, terrible asset management IMO. But in isolation, spending what they spenton Bryz, given it's a short contract has the potential to pay off big. It likely won't, but the upside to Bryz his definetely high reward, even though I agree he likely won't pay off. But that's the definition of low risk / high reward.

I can't consider it low risk for two reasons:

1) they gave up Smid to get him

2) he is a potential dressing room disaster

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Locke

Thats a good point, and I'll agree with that. I guess I see the situation a little differently.

This season is done for the Oilers. The statistics are beyond absurd. You could ask the 4 best teams in the league to put together a run that the Oilers would need to even sniff the playoffs and they couldnt do it, so the Oilers dont have a snowball's chance in hell.

I also think that Bryzgalov is showcasing himself to play elsewhere next season and that its highly unlikely he signs in Edmonton.

So now lets take Bryzgalov and Smid out of the equation.

Do Horak and Brossoit help the Oilers make the playoffs next year? I dont see their impact as being that significant.

I agree and this is another reason why it is a HUGE risk.

Dubnyk and Labarbera are both UFAs. No way that the Oilers sign more than one of the three.

But if you're Dubnyk, would you re-sign? They have essentially thrown him under the bus instead of trying to address their real problems.

So if Bryz either a) fails or b) uses the Oilers as a stepping stone, they will likely find themselves without either of them for next year.

They could be looking at Bunz and Brossoit next year.

When you go through the scenarios that might play out for that team, it only looks worse and worse.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I agree and this is another reason why it is a HUGE risk.

Dubnyk and Labarbera are both UFAs. No way that the Oilers sign more than one of the three.

But if you're Dubnyk, would you re-sign? They have essentially thrown him under the bus instead of trying to address their real problems.

So if Bryz either a) fails or b) uses the Oilers as a stepping stone, they will likely find themselves without either of them for next year.

They could be looking at Bunz and Brossoit next year.

When you go through the scenarios that might play out for that team, it only looks worse and worse.

In fairness, I dont think 29 other teams are going to be breaking Dubnyk's door down at the opportunity. I see him staying in Edmonton for around the same amount of money due to lack of other options if nothing else.

The thing is, of all the goaltenders to court, Bryzgalov was the worst.

- Questionable work ethic
- Nutcase in the room
- Unreliable on-ice performance
- 1 year deal that cost a good defender

And then, even if you wanted to keep him, what can Edmonton give him? The guy just got a dumptruck full of cash, so presumably his goal now would be to win. Edmonton likely cant even overpay to keep him.

[CaptainCrunch]

The Oilers are in a hole they can't get out of. they need to play nearly .700 hockey to get to 96 points which seems to be a playoff barrier. I think they need to play .550 hockey to come close to matching their extrapolated points totals from last year. That figure is unlikely

So signing a one year guy who was an absolute disaster in Philly, who couldn't stop a wrist shot from the face off circle to save his life, who quit on his team, fell apart in the face of media pressure, and was pretty much hated in his dressing room and equivalent to Mike Vaderjandt the idiot kicker in Indy is a high risk low reward.

At this point the Oilers need to readjust their goals for this year. They're pretty much out of the playoff race. trading assets at shots in the dark so they can say to the fans that they're trying is idiotic, especially for a team with a putrid blue line, still putrid goaltending, a top 6 that looks like it doesn't give a crap behind their blueline and a bottom 6 that's subpar. On top of that they're in cap hell with a bad team, and trading Smid to grab Bryz doesn't address it.

Now on top of that their number 1 draft pick in Nail seems to be regressing rapidly and his manager is on the way to Edmonton to punch Mac-T in the sack and maybe demand a trade.

so lets summarize

Presidency - Kevin Lowe, utter disaster in setting the direction of the club, utter disaster on the public relations side of things. Pissed off season ticket owners, is the laughing stock of the league

Mac-T - Got completely fleeced, didn't address the teams greatest weakness in the off season. paid to much in my opinion for Boyd Gordon. Over paid and overtermed on Ferrence who is a great guy but he's 34 and isn't much more then a bottom pairing guy.

Scott Howson - Bought back even though he's regarded as a huge failure in Columbus, but he's friends with Katz and Lowe.

Dallas Eakins - A utter disaster as a coach. He doesn't know how to line match. His defensive system looks to be borderline ######ed, Nail looks utterly confused and is getting massively punished and looks to have given up. Even when he does something good, ie his goal in the last game, never see's the ice again.

The big 4 Hall, Eberle, RNH Yakupov. While they score pretty goals they are pretty much a disaster in every other aspect of the game. Hall has some nice skills but beyond his incredible string of sloppy hockey continually tried to junior up the NHL. Eberle has scored some nice goals but he's terrible without the puck as in RNH, Yakupov is well documented.

Hemsky and Gagner - Suppossed to be the next level of Oiler hockey, but neither have been good. Hemsky while he tries is regressing and no team seems all that interested in him. Gagner should have been traded over the summer, he puts up some nice numbers but he's not a great skater, he's small and he sucks defensively but the Oilers rewarded him with a big contract and a ntc.

David Perron has been good but not great, but he wasn't a bad move.

The rest of the forward group is just bad.

On the blueline. I would argue that Smid is a 5th defenseman in Eakins system, which is brutal and terrible. But if you look at that blueline. Justin Schultz is utterly brutal, he's MAB not coffey. He might put up numbers offensively but he destroy your team defensively. Petry is decent but I think he's heavily over rated and a 2nd pairing guy at best. Belov has done a decent job but he's limited. Ference looks old, Larson looks like garbage, Schultz is what he is, a bottom pairing guy.

In goal we've covered it, but its terrible.

For all of the high draft picks. The Oilers are talent shallow and badly designed and that is utterly the fault of the guy with the vision who keeps hiring and firing GM's. Mac-T did nothing to really address the weaknesses of the club and made them weaker on the blueline.

I would argue that even if Lowe and Mac-T and Howson and Eakns were shown the door that this Oilers club is probably 5 years from competing due to cap and due to a terrible organizational design.

I would expect that the Oilers are either going to continue to panic and move someone like Yak for little significant help now, or deal Eberle or RNH reducing skill in favor of grit and size.

For all of the gong show comments about the Flames. The Oilers are literally India in the path of a Hurricane. The whole flimsy building is going to come down soon.

I would be very surprised if the Oilers passed 20 wins this year with that lineup.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I agree and this is another reason why it is a HUGE risk.

Dubnyk and Labarbera are both UFAs. No way that the Oilers sign more than one of the three...

Here are the highest profile pending UFA goaltenders ranked according to their current cap hit heading into next season:

Lundqvist, Henrik $6,875,000
Miller, Ryan $6,250,000
Hiller, Jonas $4,500,000
Brodeur, Martin $4,500,000
Halak, Jaroslav $3,750,000
Thomas, Tim $3,750,000
Dubnyk, Devan $3,500,000
Nabokov, Evgeni $3,250,000
Bryzgalov, Ilya $2,266,234
Khabibulin, Nikolai $2,000,000
Vokoun, Tomas $2,000,000
Elliott, Brian $1,800,000
Emery, Ray $1,650,000
Gustavsson, Jonas $1,500,000

Lundqvist, Hiller, and Halak are probably the best of the bunch, and I have little doubt that all of them will re-sign with their current teams. Miller will almost certainly be traded at the deadline, and will also probably either re-sign with his new team, or will command top billing on the open market.

That leaves the head cases: Thomas, Bryzgalov and Emery
· A couple of goalies in or nearing their twilight: Brodeur, Nabokov, Khabibulin, Vokoun.
· A handful of 1A /1B tweeners: Dubnyk, Elliot, Gustavsson.

So, what are the Oilers to do?

I have no doubt that they will be completely out of the running for one of the high-end players, and three of the goalies on this list, Khabibulin, Dubnyk, and Bryzgalov, have all played for Edmonton before, and it is likely that Edmonton will want to go in a different direction. They may wish to re-sign Bryzgalov, but as already noted, he will probably want to test the market. Brodeur will either retire or re-sign in NJ; in the very unlikely situation that he does move on, it will likely be to play for a team that is on the cusp of winning him another Stanley Cup.

The choice then becomes one between a player at the tail end of his career, a mad-man, or an unproven goalie that has not managed to yet seize and hold the starters job for any team.

Good luck with that.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Locke

In fairness, I dont think 29 other teams are going to be breaking Dubnyk's door down at the opportunity. I see him staying in Edmonton for around the same amount of money due to lack of other options if nothing else.

The thing is, of all the goaltenders to court, Bryzgalov was the worst.

- Questionable work ethic
- Nutcase in the room
- Unreliable on-ice performance
- 1 year deal that cost a good defender

And then, even if you wanted to keep him, what can Edmonton give him? The guy just got a dumptruck full of cash, so presumably his goal now would be to win. Edmonton likely cant even overpay to keep him.

I can't see him getting $3.5M/year again. That's just too high for a back up

[Locke]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I can't see him getting $3.5M/year again. That's just too high for a back up

I wholeheartedly agree. However, I think this is the bed that the Oilers have made. Hes going to be a UFA and the Oilers cant get anyone else.

They're going to be stuck with each other.

[Jacks]

The sad thing is I think that Dubnyk could be a starting goalie on a team that has a reasonable defense. He makes some great saves most games even with his confidence totally shot at this point. Everyone points to his GAA but if you look at the quality of chances he is facing there isn't a goalie in the league that would let a couple in a game. Seems like half the time he has someone parked in his crease and nobody is clearing the front of the net or picking up rebounds. A lot of the time he is totally screened. I've seen a bunch of times when one or two of the oiler players are on the wrong side of the blueline waiting for a pass out of the defensive zone leaving Dubnyk to face what is basically a power play. Not saying he is an elite goalie but I think he isn't as bad as it seems.

[CaptainCrunch]

If you look at the shot charts from Oiler games there's no goalie on this great green earth of ours that's going to have a .900 plus save percentage.

Oppossing players always have this surprised look on their face when they get the puck in the slot and there's no Oiler for yards except for the goalie.

Dubynk might not be great, but the Oilers aren't giving him much of a chance to settle in and get confident.