Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Cogliano or Pisani? Or Both??

So I had a lively debate with another Oiler fan the other day. He is convinced that Cogliano has no place on this team and that Pisani would be a better fit on the 3rd line. We debated the merits for quite some time, and came to no solid conclusion.

For Pisani, the argument is made that he is already better suited as a shutdown forward and he can be relied upon in any situation.
Against Pisani, the argument is made that he cant be relied upon at all to be healthy, and what good is a player that ~can~ help shut a line down, when he will only play half the season?

For Cogliano, the argument is made that with his speed and stick skills he will fit along side Horcoff and MPS nicely. As long as he embraced the role as a shutdown winger, he could excel AND he has the potential to play on the top 6 if there are injuries.
Against Cogliano, the argument is made that he is NOT willing to embrace that role, and the team has to stop putting players in positions that they will not succeed.
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Now what I would do as GM, is sign them both. There is nothing better than depth on any team, especially a team that is going to have a fair bit of growing pains moving forward. I would propose that they use both Pisani AND Cogliano as a 3rd line winger. They would alternate drawing in. This could actually work well for the Oilers. Better than keeping either one of them over the other. Let me explain.

While at home, because of the matchups, the third line tends to be the defacto "shut down" line. Usually faced against the top line of the visiting team and given one job. STOP THE PLAY. Those are hard minutes to play and Pisani best fits the bill as a guy that can handle them.

However, on the road there is a different dynamic. The third line needs to chip in some goals because the top line is being matched up against the home teams checkers. This is a role best suited for a speedy Cogliano. Especially since he can ease into the role as a checker, while being able to use his ability to put some numbers up.

So what I would preferably see, is Pisani playing at home and Cogliano playing on the road. Over the course of the year, Cogliano would draw in anyway and more than likely it would be in the top 6 as there are bound to be some injuries or players that simply arent pulling their weight. So it's not like we would only see 41 games out of either of them. But the main focus for Cogliano would be the 3rd line wing position. If given a year to focus on this role, he could very well become a speedy version of Pisani. A medium level goal scorer with good positioning and stick skills, and another gear when it counts. Also a player that can be slotted into the top 6 in a pinch.

And for the Cogliano suporters out there that feel he should be slotted along side Gagner on the top 6 right now. First, he has proven nothing as of yet. And second, this is his opportunity to show that he not only can grow as a player, but that he is a team oriented guy. Something the oilers desperatly need.

I would give both players a two year deal. Pisani would be a much reduced rate, and Cogliano would get a modest raise. It would basicly amount to a washout in the "cap hit" department. Pisani should be on board with this role simply because there arent too many teams beating down the door for a guy that may or may not play the season based on how his disease is going. And Cogliano should jump on this as a way to finally prove himself. IF he really takes off he can either move up the depth chart somewhat and take a second line role, or he will finally have some leverage when going onto the free agent market. Either signing with the Oilers for another term or peddling himself as a two way winger that puts the team first.