Rob Schremp Had Better Be Getting His Stuff Together This Offseason

The last few months have been very kind to Rob Schremp outside of the AHL, first Patrick O'Sullivan his longtime friend was traded to Edmonton, then Linus Omark decided to take a $uperior offer from the KHL, and lastly the man that some felt stood in his way as an Oiler was fired.

The kid had a horrible year, I'm talking putrid, pathetic, disgustingly bad. I truly felt that once he was called up and he felt that he did well and was still sent down, it was the last straw for him mentally, he seemed to have given up on his hopes of living his dream in Edmonton.

While that certainly isn't the best outlook on life to have, it happens. It most certainly doesn't make him a better person, and for the most part it doesn't do anything positive for him and his status league wide.

But above all else, he was a young man that had reached the end of his patience. The danger in going into "sleep mode" is that it's hard to get yourself back into a situation where you can simply get back on track without skipping a beat.

If he lost his motivation, these last few months and more specifically these last few weeks should have him pumped and ready to give it one last shot with theOilers and the NHL.

One more problem, he is now at the end of his entry level contract and has clearly spent more time toiling in the minors than he'd like, he said just that lastoff season, and with the way that the year went in Springfield last year, I couldn't imagine him wanting to be there any less.

So now is where it gets tricky, everything except for his poor season seems to be aligned in his favor, BUT he's a restricted free agent andTambellini wants a tougher and bigger team, Schremp fits neither of those bills. One thing at a time, the RFA status is a biggie, will Schremp be willing to trust the Oilers enough to not demand a one way contract?

Sure MacT is gone, but after his '08-09 season it would be easy to see why the team wouldn't want to go that route unless they knew the whole story and sympathized with Rob or at least don't view him as a complete and utter selfish jackass.

Schremp will undoubtedly toss out the European card just like Linus Omark did, and while his stats were terrible, his style of play and flair for the game would still make him very marketable there. Do theOilers throw him a bone and give him a one way deal regardless of whether they feel that he makes the team next year just to keep him from getting claimed on the waiver wire?

Brule is in the same spot, and is another player that the team shouldn't lose for nothing. Very interesting off season indeed. My take is that unless the Oilers are willing to offer a one way deal, he will tuck tail and go to Europe. That may not necessarily be a bad thing for the Oilers if they don't view him as an NHLer next season, however IMO they do.

Nilsson will probably be traded to make room for Schremp IMO. Not because he's necessarily better, but because he's a cheap replacement that should replace Nilsson's production while freeing up cap space.

IMO the Oilers should offer him a 1 year one way deal for a 10% pay cut of his base salary from last year and let him sink or swim, if he sinks let him go to Europe and maybe one day he'd be ready to return, if he swims, then he will either be part of the team going forward or trade bait.

Any way that you look at it, if he's under contract with the Oilers next season, it should be his very last chance to float or sink. No more excuses, no more pouting, nothing but hard work, confidence, and success.

Bust your tail kid, because if you want it, this could be your last chance on this side of the Atlantic as anything other than a flashyAHLer.