Oilers Going About the Rebuild the Right Way

While the trade return for Dustin Penner may seem to be underwhelming to many fans (and it could very well turn out to be that way) it shows that GM Steve Tambellini has faith in his scouting department. By the sounds of it the scouting department wanted Teubert as well as more opportunities to stock the cupboard.

The Oilers are in a very good position draft wise this upcoming June.

A high 1st round pick
mid-late 1st
high 2nd
high 3rd
mid 3rd
high 4th
mid-late 4th
high 5th
high 7th

Three of the top 32 or so picks, five of the top 90 picks, seven of the top 120 picks, lots of depth to be gained in this draft as well as at least one more core building block. Going back to last years draft we will have had 5 picks in the top 90 of each draft class for two years. That is setting yourself up for future success even if we had barely adequate scouting. If Stu MacGregor is close to the head scout that some of us feel that he is, he should have us well stocked in no time flat.

Also as part of the Penner deal we acquired another top 90 pick for 2012's draft. With some luck and a lot of quality scouting in 3-4 years time we will be in the Kings current position, dealing for pieces to the playoff puzzle from a position of strength because our cupboard is bursting with quality prospects. There is a method to the madness and from where I sit Tambellini is building this team from the ground up in rather impressive fashion.

Full On Rebuild Likely To Continue Into Next Season As Well

At this rate the Oilers are probably two strong drafts and two putrid seasons away from looking to ice a contender. The veteran core here is quite frankly rotten to the core. Hemsky, Penner, and Horcoff are all wearing the stink of a perennial loser and chances are that this team will be better off without them long term. This team needs to be built around players that show up every game and guys that have fire in their bellies.

The best thing the Oilers could do would be to deal Hemsky and Penner at the deadline for picks/prospects/young NHL players, and look to move both Horcoff and Nikolai Khabibulin if possible. Then look to inking guys close to being taken out to pasture that have one last season in them to big one year contracts to keep pressure off the kids without getting stuck with long term commitments with guys that might not have a place here in short order. The Oilers are missing a number one defenseman and a true first line center. Once they get at least one of these players they can't start to fill the holes around them.

Maybe dealing Hemsky for Nicklas Bergfors and Carl Klingberg would do both teams a world of good? Penner for Kassian + and a salary dump? One thing is for sure this does not look like a quick fix, and unless all three of our rookies really take off and the rest of the team follows suit, this is a mess that won't be cleaned up with just one paper towel, and just one draft. Buckle up everyone, this is going to be a long drive, hopefully it leads us to the promised land.

Tambellini's Plan Working So Far

The team has glaring weaknesses and a number of guys that don't belong in the NHL, and our GM and I would have it no other way. While the big three go through growing pains, the supporting cast has been far from stellar. Besides the goaltending of Nikolai Khabibulin, this has been a predictably rough start for the Oilers.

Once the kids hit their strides we will need players like Fraser, Jones, Stortini, Vandermeer, Cogliano, etc. to "keep up the good work". Once the big three get going we could see one of Hemsky or Penner on the outs at the deadline or even sooner depending on the offers coming our way. Maybe a deal with Buffalo for Zack Kassian and a pick would satisfy both teams needs at the deadline? The Oilers would add a player with skill and toughness as well as a pick while Buffalo would gain a consistent scoring threat and a player that would work great down low with Vanek.

With any luck the Oilers will see themselves as a bottom 3 club at the end of the year and drafting one of Larsson, Couturier, or Nugent-Hopkins. So far so good, steady as she goes.

Oilers Rebuild Should Be In Full Swing

With the additions of Taylor Hall and Tyler Pitlick to the organization as well as 2 other 2nd round picks, the Oilers overall talent level from top to bottom should've gotten a much needed shot in the arm. That said with that shot the Oilers have likely become immunized from a case of the long term suck.

Having a core of Hall, Gagner, Paajarvi-Svensson, and Eberle should ensure that the Oilers won't be a last place team beyond next season. That said next year 3 of the 4 guys mentioned above will be Baptized into the NHL game and the odds of all 3 of them hitting the ground running out the gates next year is slim to none.

So we have an opportunity to break in these kids while also bolstering our chance next season to add another potential impact player in June. Not only that but another shot at a guy like Pitlick that was rated as a 1st round draft pick that falls into our lap in the early 2nd round. This gives our scouts a great opportunity to stockpile some serious organizational depth and show whether or not they are worth their salt. If they cannot produce a few solid NHLers from the '10 and '11 drafts when they get high picks in each round then quite frankly they need to get shit canned.

Successful drafting is one of the biggest components of team building, talent accumulation from within means that you have good assets to build around on the ice, good assets for trade, and that you can fill smaller holes in the free agent market instead of always having to go big game hunting with a pocket knife.

The Oilers have a few players standing in the way of a worst place or near worst place finish, they are a healthy Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, and possibly Taylor Hall if he hits the ground running out of camp. The Oilers defense as it stands is sub standard, the goaltending is a question mark, and unless Shawn Horcoff regains his '07-08 or '05-06 form and Sam Gagner finally looks like a 60+ point pivot that doesn't need to leach off of Hemsky and Penner for his points, there is a very good chance that we will once again be fighting for or against (depending on your idea of a rebuild) the worst record in the league.

Ideally the Oilers can keep one of Hemsky or Penner long term and move the other at the deadline this year which would both insure a higher draft pick next June as well as add even more depth to the team in the form of draft picks and prospects. The Oilers need to see this thing through properly and get another top pick next year, preferably one of Larsson, Couturier, and Nugent-Hopkins. The season leading up to the trade deadline and Tambellini's actions between now and then will tell the tale as to whether their talk of a rebuild in the traditional sense was legit, or if it was just more hollow words from management.