Track record picking at this spot runs gamut -- from Coffey to Bonsignore
Jim Matheson, CanWest News Service
Published: Sunday, April 01, 2007
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers could play the last quarter of their season and only win one game to finish with the NHL's sixth-worst record.
If the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks don't catch them and they stay at that spot for the NHL draft in late June, then what? There would be no moving up to No. 1 in the lottery for the Oilers because they're not in the bottom five teams -- at least not at this point in time.
The Oilers' track record at picking No. 6 runs the gamut from home run to strikeout, with a triple and a single thrown in. They've had four picks at that spot since 1980.
Edmonton got Paul Coffey, who went on to become a Hall of Famer, at No. 6 in 1980, right after Washington took Darren Veitch, another defenceman, at No. 5.
They got Ryan Smyth at No. 6 in 1994, two spots after they took the "What we're we thinking?" Jason Bonsignore at No. 4.
But they also took Steve Kelly, who had 100 points and 200 penalty minutes in Prince Albert in 1995, and he was a bust. Kelly played 147 games (21 points) with the Oilers, but managed to win a Stanley Cup ring with the New Jersey Devils as a fourth-line player. He has been in Europe for the last four years.
And Boyd Devereaux had a strong work ethic, but was never really the same after he suffered a horrific concussion when Dallas Drake nailed him at Rexall Place one night. He later won a Cup in Detroit, but he has only managed to garner 146 NHL points in 535 games, although he's been very useful in Toronto this season.
The top three players in the 2007 draft are Pat Kane, Kyle Turris and Jakub Voracek, not necessarily in that order. The Oilers probably won't get a shot at them: Kane is a winger and OHL scoring champ from London; Turris is a junior A centre from Burnaby, who one scout said "is like Ales Hemsky, but shoots more"; and Voracek is a bigger Czech winger playing in Halifax who had 15 points in his first five playoff games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The others who could fall into the Oilers' lap include James VanRiemsdyk, a six-foot-three, 190-pound forward; Calgary Hitmen blue-liner Karl Alzner; Dave Gagner's son, Sam, who plays with Kane; two Russians, Alexei Cherepanov and Maxim Mayorov; and Ottawa centre Logan Couture.
"I'd say this draft crop is a lot like 2002 (from a depth standpoint) only the top three that year -- Rick Nash, Kari Lehtonen and Jay Bouwmeester -- are better than anybody this year," said Kevin Prendergast, who heads up the Oilers scouting roster.
In 2002, Pierre-Marc Bouchard was selected eighth, Keith Ballard went 11th, Alexander Semin 13th, Chris Higgins 14th, Alex Steen 24th and Cam Ward was the No. 25 pick.
Scouting is still an inexact science.
"When teams look at the draft, it should be 50-per-cent talent, 50-percent character. Are players mentally strong? All teams have to do is walk into a (junior) locker-room (before the draft) and ask three of his teammates what they think. If they say he's not a very good player, then, boom, they'd save themselves a million bucks (in later salary)," said Oilers winger Ethan Moreau, a first-round pick in 1994 by Chicago.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Oilers No. 2 in fighting
If you talk to NHL pro scouts, the Edmonton Oilers have been easy to play against this season, usually a euphemism for being passive.
But they're second in the league in fighting majors with 43. The Anaheim Ducks lead with 68.
Seven of the top nine pugilistic teams, mind you, aren't going to make the playoffs, so maybe being able to win a punch-out isn't as important as winning a shootout.
The Phoenix Coyotes (42), Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues (both 39) as well as the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets (38) are also there.
Only the playoff-bound Nashville Predators (40) break the mould.
The Detroit Red Wings are dead-last with nine fighting majors.
Oilers defenceman Matt Greene, who's willing but admits he's no threat to Minnesota Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard, has as many fights as the entire Detroit team.
Brad Winchester has eight and Jason Smith, J.F. Jacques and Zack Stortini have five majors apiece.
Anaheim's George Parros and Andrew Peters of the Buffalo Sabres lead the NHL with 17 apiece.
Don't get mad, get even
In a recent Minnesota Wild-Los Angeles Kings game, Wild coach Jacques Lemaire had Boogaard bolted to the bench.
But in the dying minutes, the Kings put out their slugger, Raitis Ivanans, so Lemaire countered with Boogaard, even though players getting instigator penalties in the last five minutes of a game get suspended for a game and the coach gets fined $10,000 US.
"He wrote me a cheque (in advance) but I still told him to be careful," said Lemaire.
Boogaard managed to hold on to his gloves until both parties were ready to drop 'em. No harm, no foul.
Panthers were robbed
Maybe I'm wrong, but has there ever been a worse trade than the Florida Panthers sending Roberto Luongo to the Vancouver Canucks for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld? Luongo could win the MVP this season.
Auld had knee problems this past season, but even when he's healthy couldn't beat out Ed Belfour for the starting job in the Panthers net.
This trade was more one-sided than Joe Thornton going from the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks for Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau, months before Thornton won the Hart Trophy and the scoring race. OK, maybe the Phil Esposito trade, who went on to score 700 goals, for Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gilles Marotte, in 1968 turned out worse.
This 'n' that
If the Red Wings give Pavel Datsyuk a bump in pay from $3.9 million US to $6 million in a new deal, what's worrying them is that they'll have to do the same for Henrik Zetterberg after next season. Datsyuk scores more points, but Zetterberg is a better all-round player ... The Predators should be getting a little nervous with Steve Sullivan (back) not being ready to play in Nashville and out of the for the last five weeks. "It is worrisome," admitted GM David Poile. Sullivan's their third-best forward after Peter Forsberg and Paul Kariya ... The Oilers thought they had a shot at free agent Sami Salo as a Plan B puck-moving defenceman, a little less expensive than Kimmo Timonen or Brian Rafalski, but realistically they have no shot at Timonen.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Lewis still has a job
Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has told embattled coach Dave Lewis that he's not firing him after one year (the optics of that aren't very nice), even if owner Jeremy Jacobs is on record as saying the coaching is under "intense review."
Lewis, one of the game's good guys, might be on a poodle's leash, however. If the Bruins start badly next October, then Chiarelli may yank Lewis, who signed a four-year contract last summer.
The Bruins have had 10 coaches since they were last in the Stanley Cup final in 1990 and 14 since the 1979-80 season when the Edmonton Oilers began play in the NHL. The Oilers have had Glen Sather, John Muckler, Ted Green, George Burnett, Ron Low, Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish behind the bench as head coach.
Ooops, forgot Bryan Watson's 18 games in 1979.
Who wants a goalie?
The Florida Panthers might not want to bring back either of their goalies next season.
Ed Belfour turns 42 next month, and Alex Auld's last win was Dec. 7 before his knee problems occurred.
Belfour is an unrestricted free agent, while Auld is a restricted free agent who has to be qualified to keep his rights.
The Panthers might want to investigate trading for Manny Fernandez or Jean-Sebastien Giguere, instead.
Fernandez is locked into a contract with the Minnesota Wild ($4.33 million against the salary cap the next two seasons, but he's out with a sprained knee), but he has lost the No. 1 job to rookie Nicklas Backstrom, who's an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Giguere is an unrestricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks.
Net effect for Lightning
Applaud Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella for guaranteeing his club will make the playoffs. But when he has to change his goalies on the fly, I don't see the Lightning going very deep in the playoffs with either Johan Holmqvist or Marc Denis in net.
They just can't win in the post-season with average netminding.
Tortorella gave Denis his shot, but now it looks like Holmqvist is his man. Denis ($2.8-million contract) has the 42nd-best save percentage (.884) and the 36th-best goals-against average (3.17) in the NHL, although the Lightning give up the second-fewest shots in the league.
Holmqvist did beat Carolina in a huge game on Friday, however.
This 'n' that
The New Jersey Devils must have had their hearts in their throat when star goaltender Martin Brodeur was down on the ice for a minute or so against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night.
FULL STORY
Will Oilers get lucky at No. 6?
Will Oilers get lucky at No. 6?
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