So I have had alot of conversations with a friend of mine that have revolved around (aside from simply the Oilers future) the skillsets of individual players. So I thought it might be fun to do a semi scouting report on the players the Oilers employ at the moment. I'll include some of the expected prospects the team ~should~ have in the lineup next year.
Now assming that the Oilers buy out or trade Nilsson, Moreau and O'Sullivan, they will still have a healthy set of players. Not spectacular. But I think there will be more than a few role players that can be used effectivly.
Starting at the top (based off my own lines I put out there a few weeks ago)
::::::Forwards::::::
Gagner: (top 3)
Pro's:
1: Better than average vision for the play. With the ability to score goals.
2: Willingness to battle. (even if being smaller means he loses most of those battles)
3: Displays leadership qualities.
Cons:
1: Faceoffs needs emense work. (mostly due to size and overall strength)
2: Footspeed is an issue.
3: Size is a big factor in winning battles, and at 5' 11" and 190lbs he isnt winning against the big defencemen out there.
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Summary: I was surprised to realize just how far down the totem pole I felt our first line center stacked against the others in the league. If the faceoffs can improve and he can learn to battle more effectively, he could eventually turn into a 1st line center. As for now, he realisticly shouldnt be anywhere but the 2nd line.
Penner: (top 3)
Pro's:
1: Power forward with a natural born ability to drive to the net and stay there.
2: Foot speed is actually pretty good for a big man.
3: Very effective when digging out of the corners.
Cons:
1: For a big man, the physical play is sorely lacking.
2: Hand eye coordination in regards to tips, redirects, and picking up garbage around the net needs work.
3: Consistency is a huge factor. there isnt much of it in Penner.
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Summary: Penner has alot of untapped ability yet He refuses to be the physical presence the Oilers need. With a healthy dose of toughness, Penner could be a very dominating force. Servicable first line player. Preferably 2nd line material on a good team.
Eberle: (top 3)
Pro's:
1: Premium hand eye coodination in regards to tips, redirects and picking up garbage around the net.
2: Ability to have a high compete level when faced with larger players. (a la St Louis)
3: Neither buckles under pressure, nor backs down from challenges.
Cons:
1: Size will be an issue against the larger defencemen. The AHL may have large players, but its not the NHL.
2: Foot speed isnt great. Eberle is mobile and can find seams quickly, but the north south action needs work.
3: His ability to guard the puck is suspect.
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Summary: Eberle has a very large ceiling. he has the skill to over come many of the obstacles that face a kid moving up into the NHL. He has a bit of Ryan Smyth in him when it comes to the greasyness around the net. Has a natural ability to put the puck in the net.
Hemsky: (top 3)
Pro's:
1: Speed is a definate plus.
2: Stick handling is top notch
3: Wilingness to go into the hard/tough areas
Cons:
1: Turnovers are a consistant problem
2: Hockey sense is lacking
3: Playing on the off wing forces everyone else on his line to play a funny style that most players cannot adapt to.
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Summary: Hemsky has all the makings of an all star player. He's fast, exciting, has well above average passing ability and is willing to bleed to make a play. If he was to gain a bit of hockey sense (the ability to understand when its right to put it all on the line and when he has to simply "dump it in" he could finally turn into the star the Oilers are looking for.
Hall: (top 3)
Seguin: (top 3)
player X:
MPS: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Blazing Speed
2: Choppy yet surprisingly effective stick handling ability
3: Defensively reliable
Con's
1: Unproven in the NHL
2: Must adapt to the North American sized rinks
3: Has yet to have a dominant role on his team.
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Summary: MPS is ready to play. There is no question about that. He has an inate ability to cut to the net and make things happen on the fly. In theory he will bring a fair amount of the defensive qualities that were bred into him in Europe and combined with an unflinching shot and a great ability to break away from the play he will become a force over time.
Horcoff: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Has a good faceoff precentage (pre shoulder injury)
2: Defensively responsible (the speed he can achieve from a standstill helps greatly)
3: A decent shot in close to the net
Con's
1: Not enough offensive skill to be ever live up to the contract he signed.
2: Injury has kept him in the dumps for two years and counting. That shoulder needs time to heal
3: Takes too much time to adapt to a new system
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Summary: Horcoff is a good soldier. He can play in any situation and he wont hurt the team, and he has decent enough skill on both offence and defense to be a worth while player on any team. His contract is much to high for what he brings and will never live up to it. But an Oiler through and through and that means alot to an organization looking to build a new identity (sp)
Pisani: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Defensivily reliable in most if not all situations.
2: PK ability really shines
3: Bleeds Copper & Blue. Willing to do what ever is asked of him to better the team
Con's
1: Colitis has been an honest issue for too long. May not be worth paying for the simple fact that he plays less and less every year.
2: Does not have enough offensive skill to live up to his contract.
3: Not quite big enough to "muck it up" during play.
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Summary: Pisani is one of those players that Gm's would salivate over as a 3rd line player IF he was healthy. He can chip in goals, shut down the best in the league and he is a team player. His colitis is a damper though and if he is lucky enough to sign another contract it will be at the league min or close to it. The upside is that he is enough of a player that he can be used to help guide the new players as they come in and he doesnt seem the type to complain about his role.
Cogliano: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Speed is an asset Cogliano owns in bunches
2: Slick hands, especially in close
3: Willingness to battle along the boards.
Con's
1: Still belives he is an offensive force
2: Has yet to develop a good sense for the NHL game
3: Doesnt seem to be a very coachable player.
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Summary: Great hands and poor judgement do not make a good offensive player. Cogliano has the stick work skills to be a decent Pisani clone and his speed is a huge asset. Once he embraces the idea that he is not the offensive forward he thought he was, he will eventually make a great 3rd line player.
Stortini: (top 3)
Pro's
1: More than willing to do what ever it takes to make the team better
2: A physical presense.
3: Has a little bit of Laraque in him in regards to how he can protect the puck along the boards
Con's
1: Not a true heavyweight
2: Very little offensive upside
3: Hockey sense is lacking
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Summary: What can be said for a guy that has made the most with every opportunity thrown at him. Everything he lacks he tries to make up in tenacity. A big hitter when the sights are lined up. Speed is an issue but again he makes that up in his ability to forecheck hard when the puck is dumped in. Works harder than most to keep his job.
Brule: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Good accurate shot from all angles
2: Not afraid to go into open areas when finishing plays.
3: What he loses in speed and size, he makes up for in tenacity
Con's
1: A bit delayed in reaching his NHL potential
2: PP & PK are still weak points. If he wants to fit as a regular he has to hone one of those skills.
3: For a guy the "can" play center, he needs alot of work in the faceoffs
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Summary: Finally starting to come into his own. There is a bit of a shooter in this kid and he is just now realizing that his shot is just as good in the NHL as it was in junior. Speed is more than adequate for him And when keeping the game plan simple he is strong.
Player X:
::::::Defencemen::::::
Gilbert: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Above average first pass.
2: Defencively sound
3: Able to jump into a play and score goals
Con's
1: Not nearly as physical as a player of his size should be
2: Board work needs to be improved
3: Shot blocking could be better
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Summary: A big minute eater that has alot of offensive upside while still staying defensively sound. Has looked great since being paired with Whitney. Big frame means that he isn't pushed around easily, but the physical play is still lacking. Top pairing defenceman on this team. and possibly on most other teams too.
Whitney: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Good head for he defensive game
2: Can eat up alot of minutes
3: Very calm under pressure
Con's
1: Outlet pass could use some work. (It's good, but with that poise a GREAT pass would help alot)
2: Not as consistantly physical as he could be
3: Offence could be improved. PP time for a BIG minute eater needs to be more effective.
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Summary: Very similar to Gilbert in the size AND aggression aspects of the game. The calmness he enjoys is something the defence has needed since Pronger left and being able to play big minutes is a huge plus. Has also looked better since being traded and once paired with Gilbert has been a top end player. Offence is ok, defence is better.
Smid: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Learning to be physical
2: defensive game is coming along nicely
3: Under rated board work
Con's
1: Foot speed is an issue
2: Hockey sense is lacking. Needs to be phyical BEFORE the play dies rather than just after the whistle
3: Very little offence. His first pass sense is sorely lacking
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Summary: Coming into town he was highly touted but being part of the Pronger trade seemed to break him down a little. Now that he is simply trying to play his game, he is doing alot better. The physical end of the game is coming along, and as long as he continues to develop his hockey sense, he will make a 3-4 pairing on any team.
Johnson: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Big body that can fill a role on a lower pairing
2: A natural inclination to jump into the play (although timing needs to be honed)
3: Has a decent shot
Con's
1: Timing when jumping into the play has left him flat footed more than a couple times
2: Not enough defensive skill to ever crack the top pairing
3: Board work could use some work
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Summary: Still new to the team, and not even a guarantee that he will stick. Has decent ability to jump into the play and with work on his overall vision he will make for a poor mans Gilbert.
Peckham: (top 3)
Pro's
1: Toughness oozes from this guy
2: Board work needs polish but the ability is there
3: Agitator style that can get under almost anyones skin
Con's
1: Not enough actual defensive quality to his game
2: Not big enough size to make the heavy weights of the league think twice
3: Foot speed is lacking
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Summary: Peckham is the epitomy of bad luck lately. He's the only prospect I can remember that has been ready to make the jump into the big league but has been hampered by this much injury. This is a bit of a worry, considering his style of play he doesnt seem to be very durable. If he can make it in training camp this year, he will be a valuable asset as he brings a lot of toughness to the back end and right now the defence REALLY needs it.
Now what Tambelini needs to figure out is what he wants his team to do. Of course "win" is high on the list, but HOW exactly is he going to accomplish that? Is he going to employ a speedy-score on the fly type team? Or maybe a grind it out, "system" based team? Or how about a boring- trap them and take advantage of the turn over type team? Maybe a - broadstreet bullies clone?
Its easy for people to say "player X" isnt worth keeping, or doesnt fill his contract. But rarely do people look at the role a specific player is supposed to fill unless its a scoring role. So hence they value players completely different than a good GM should. A good GM needs to understand how the entire system is going to work, then he needs to bring in the players needed to execute that system.
What would the Blackhawks look like if they had only a small puck moving set of D men? Or what if Toews was just a shooter? How would the dymamic of that team change? I can guarantee they wouldnt be hoisting lord Stanley in parade after public event this year. Even on the Stanley cup championship team, there are upgrades that can be made, sure. The point is, there are role players on the team, worth a whole lot more to the overall system that the simple boxcars dictate. Yes, Toews is a great player. and based on his box scores he would be worth keeping on any team. but aside from his skill level, he fills a role on the team that helps enact a system.
Now there is a reason I left out goalies. I think that it is a bad model to base a team around the goalies. If anything, it is best to get/draft goalies that fit the style you want your team to be, rather than build the team around the goaltender. As an example, if a team has a glutton of defencemen that are good at picking up rebounds and clearing the crease, the only thing the goalie has to be good at is the first shot. (a la Roloson) If a team is good at keeping the shots to the outside, then a flopper goalie will work out good as they are more likely to be over active on the chances the puck IS close to the net. If a team has very a speedy lineup, a puck mover with a willingness to go into the open to make a play is a big bonus. Over all though, the goalie isnt what count's. A system that each player on the team fits into is what makes a good team.
Right now Tambellini needs to understand what he is going to keep based on the style he wants the team to play, and then start filling holes with players that match the same format.
Now onto my last point. I left out both Hall and Seguin aswell as two "Player X" players. These are the first decisions Tambellini has to make. Does he have a need for a playmaking cerebral center? Or a high flying goal scoring winger? Once that decision is made, make the draft choice. And then there are a couple holes to fill in the lineup in the "Player X" slots. He needs to target players that will have a specific role on the team and try to fill those positions accordingly.
Until next time.
