Bleacher Report - Articles by David Ponich

Offseason Changes in Store for Edmonton Oilers

David Ponich — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:01:44 -0400

Two days away from free agent season, Steve Tambellini and the Edmonton Oilers coaching staff are getting ready to make the big deals.

As of right now, the Oilers have 21 players under contract. There are still many issues that will have to be dealt with going into July such as finding one or perhaps even two big name goal scorers.

Also the Oilers need to get Dwayne Roloson under contract and even maybe make some room on the roster for up and coming prospects like Jordan Eberle and Alex Plante.

Last season, the leading scorer on the team was Ales Hemsky with 66 points in 72 games. This included only 23 goals which is much lower than what is needed. Certain big name goal scorers on the market include Marian Hossa, Dany Heatley, Alexei Kovalev, Mike Cammaleri, and Nik Antropov.

The Oilers have already shown a considerable interest in Dany Heatley. To acquire a player of this caliber the Oilers would most likely have to give up a first or second line player, a top four defense-man, and a prospect. A projected trade like this really is possible for Tambellini, it is just a matter of just who Brian Murray wants.

I also believe that Tambellini will give Marian Hossa a big offer again this year depending on exactly what is done with the salary cap.

Another possibility is Jaromir Jagr coming over to play sometime this season, if some sort of deal can be worked out between the Oilers and Avangard Omsk, his team in the KHL.

The Oilers have to land one of this big names this summer if they even want a hope of improving their play from the past few seasons.

The Oilers also have a few of their own players in free agency that they should not want to lose. The biggest name is surely Ales Kotalik who finished off a strong end to the season with his Czech buddy Ales Hemsky.

Another UFA is Jason Strudwick who won over the heart of Oiler fans with his outstanding effort and dominating force in the fight circle.

The Oilers also have a few defence man in the RFA column such as Denis Grebeshkov and Ladislav Smid. Both players started for the Oilers this past season and followed through the entire year. However it seems likely that one of these defence man will have to be let go to make room for the young talent of Alex Plante.

The goal-tending situation in Edmonton this year seems to be much better than it was around this time last year. Tambellini will mos likely work out a one year deal with Dwayne Roloson sometime soon.

It is though that Jeff Deslauriers will receive much more playing time this season so that perhaps he can take over the number one job in the 2010-2011 season. However for this season, that job will play host to Dwayne Roloson.

I am sure that there are a few free agents that the Oilers have that they will just let go. This needs to be done because of some of the aspiring young talent that the Oilers have. There are two prospects who have probably the best chance of making the team this season and they are Jordan Eberle and Alex Plante.

Eberle, the Canadian junior hero, finished off the season in the AHL with Springfield, showing a strong performance and demonstrating that he can play with the big boys. Edmonton Oiler fans would be very excited to see this extremely talented kid in an Oilers uniform this fall.

The Oilers other young talent is Alex Plante, drafted fifteenth overall in 2007. At six foot four inches, 225 pounds, Plante could become a dominant force on the blueline which is exactly what they need.

It is no doubt that this summer will be another exciting and packed event for the Edmonton Oilers. It seems to be that with Tambellini and the new coaching staff, by the end of the summer, the Oilers could be best that they have been, in a long time.

NHL Superskills in Montreal

David Ponich — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:46:42 -0500

This Saturday, the NHL all-star's will be taking part in the HONDA/NHL Superskills competition. During this event, there will be five different events. They are the hardest shot, fastest skater, breakaway challenge, most accurate shooter, Youngstars game, and the elimination shootout.

Here's a look ahead to see who's competing and which players I expect to win each event.

The first event in this competition is the fastest skater. Competing in this event is Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, Brian Campbell, and Jay Bouwmeester. While this is a group of extremely talented skaters, it is unlikely that anyone will be breaking Mike Gartner's record of 13.386.

Jeff Carter could be a heavy favorite with his long legs giving him tons of power. Zach Parise is a tremendously fast skater, however this is once he gets going. Brian Campbell finished second behind Shawn Horcoff at last year's all-star game.

Watching him put it on this year, I believe Brian Campbell will be the first defenceman to win this competition since 2004 when Scott Niedermayer accomplished it.

The second event is the Breakaway Challenge. This event will have a bit different format from last year. The player will get one minute in the offensive zone, and is allowed to do whatever he wants to get that puck in the net and win over the crowd.

Competing in this event is last year's winner Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Ryan Getzlaf, and Alexei Kovalev. Now Sidney Crosby has repeatedly said to the media that he has nothing really big planned because everything has been done. But is he being serious or tricking us so we are extra WOW'ed at the event?

We all know that Alex Ovechkin has something spectacular planned up his sleeve, and that he is the odds on favorite to win. Another interesting thing about this event is that the winner will be determined by text message. The voting will be done during the NHL Youngstars game.

Everyone in the building and watching at home can text theri choice for which player should win the Breakaway Challenge. Now this could work out for one of two ways: a) the fans really vote in on who brought the best move, or b) everyone in Montreal votes 10 times for Alexei Kovalev only because he is a Canadien.

No disrespect to Kovalev, because there still is a high possibility this Russian sniper could show us a stunning dangle and win the whole thing fairly. No matter the result, this event will most definitely be the highlight of all-star weekend.

Next is the NHL Youngstars taking to the ice. This year the format was changed again as it is now a Rookie .vs. Sophomore game. To me, this game will be not much of a competition as it will be just a blowout.

The Rookies have some grade-A talent in players like Drew Doughty, Luke Schenn, Chris Versteeg, and Blake Wheeler. Unfortunately, they will be without the man making an early run for the Calder cup, Steve Mason. The Sophomore's roster runs on and on with big names like speedster, Andrew Cogliano, giant Milan Lucic, and Devin Steoguchi.

The goaltender for the Sophomores is undetermined at the moment as Eric Ersberg has opted out of the event, looking like Carey Price might take the spotlight for the Sophomores, even though he is still in the real all-star game. So it is most favorable on the Sophomore side however it still should be an exciting event to watch.

After the announcement of the winner of the Breakaway Challenge, we bring out the snipers for the NHL Accuracy Shooting competition. Many players compete in this event such as last year's winner Tomas Kaberle, Jonathan Toews, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatly, Marc Savard, Mike Modano, and Evgeni Malkin.

All of these players are lethal on the scoresheet so it will most definitely be a close competition with many sudden death rounds I'm sure. Tomas Kaberle could easily take the win again but I believe it will be Jarome Iginla, and Marc Savard who give him a run for his money. Ultimately, I pick Savard to take this one home for the East.

And of course, the one everyone will be waiting for is the Hardest Shot competition. Showcasing the two heavy guns in Zdeno Chara and Sheldon Souray. Also competing in this event is Vinny Lecavalier, Mike Komisarek, Shea Weber, and Mark Streit.

We all know it will come down to Chara or Souray, but don't be too surprised if Weber or Lecavalier come on in and crash the party. For the past two years, Chara has claimed this title with shots coming in at 100.9 and 103.2.

However, this year at the Edmonton Oilers Skills Competition, Souray launched an amazing 106.7 mph shot unofficially beating the NHL record set by Al lafratete at 105.2 mph. This will be the closest competition of the night but I do believe that Souray will have the final say as he shatters the NHL record.

Lastly, every player will take part in the Elimination Shootout event. No crazy moves are needed to be put on here, just get the puck in the net and you move on. Many known snipers and danglers are at this all-star game, so it will be a long and intense event. The finals should come down to Jonathan Toews, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Evgeni Malkin.

This will be a very difficult competition with all the grade-A goaltending in this game. However, Dion Phaneuf did win it last year so it will be very interesting to see some guys shoot in this event, mainly the defence-man. Maybe if Souray just winds up for the slapshot the goalie will move out of the way so that he can have an empty net to shoot at.

This year's Superskills competition should be one of the best. Be sure to tune into it to see some amazing things happen such as Brian Campbell blowing our hats off as he competes for the fastest skater, or Alex Ovechkin making our jaws drop in the Breakaway Challenge.

We will witness the NHL Rookies get their butts handed to them by the Sophomores, and maybe Marc Savard going 4-for-4 on the accuracy shooting. If you watch only one event, it must be the hardest shot to see Chara go head to head with Souray for the title.

Perhaps another defenceman will win the Elimination Shootout, although its more likely for a sniper like Kovalchuk or Malkin to finish the job. No matter the results, this year's NHL Superskills competition will be one for the ages.

Oilers 2008-2009 Roster: Many New Faces, Few Open Spots

David Ponich — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:22:31 -0400

The Oilers have made a tremendous number of additions to their roster this off-season with only a minimal amount of players leaving. Some of the new faces joining the Oilers this season will be the likes of Ryan Potulny, Jason Strudwick, Lubomir Visnovsky, Gilburt Brule, and Erik Cole.

Now that is five names not to mention a few rookies coming into training camp this year like Taylor Chorey, Rob Schremp, and Jordan Eberle. With only four big names leaving the team this year, that does not leave many spots available. It is obvious to all that players like Lubomir Visnovsky and Erik Cole already have a guaranteed roster spot so now its time to decide who stays and who goes.

On the defensive end, there are six spots available. Now five of these are guaranteed to be given away to Tom Gilbert, Sheldon Souray, Lubomir Visnovsky, Ladislav Smid, and Steve Staios. That leaves one spot for names like Taylor Chorney, Dennis Grebeshkov, Jason Strudwick, Mathieu Roy, and perhaps a few others.

In my opinion for now Dennis Grebeshkov will be getting this job unless Taylor or Jason show something fantastic in training camp because Mathieu and others are not developed enough to have a regular spot in the NHL. However, this is the Oilers and we could very well see many cases of injury throughout the season, giving these guys many chances to play at the NHL level.

In addition, there are twelve offensive spots available. Most likely about 10 of these spots are taken by players like Erik Cole, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Robert Nilsson, Ethan Moreau, Dustin Penner, Kyle Brodziak, and Fernando Pisani. Now one of those two spots is on thin ice with Zach Stortini.

Its up to the coaching staff to decide if they need Stortini around or if they think that some of the other Oilers have enough Grit in them. So, leaving two spots open for now, who will fill them? Players like Ryan Potulny, Gilbert Brule, Rob Schremp, Marc Pouliot, and a few others have some NHL experience under their belts.

However, all of them have most definitely under achieved in the last year. Personally, I most definitely could see the spot going to Jordan Eberle if he comes into training camp with the right stuff. He needs to notice the pace of NHL and fast. Quite like how Sam Gagner performed last year.

As for the last I spot, i believe it should remain with Zach Stortini. No other Oilers let alone most of the NHLers have an attitude like Zach Stortini. He's what the Oilers need at the start of the season before they start to get pushed around again.

The only position remaining is goaltending. While everyone in Edmonton pretty well knows the starting job will be given to Mathieu Garon, it is the backup position that everyone is talking about. Lets face it. Dwayne Roloson is getting much too old to perform at a pace needed by the Oilers.

The backup position will most likely be given to Jeff Deslauriers. It is now his time to shine in the NHL. I doubt he will be given a large amount of games. Garon can handle probably handle 70 maybe even 75 games this year. This leaves around 30 to Deslauriers and for a limited time, Dwayne Roloson.

NHL Free Agency: Georges Laraque a Perfect Fit for Oilers

David Ponich — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:15:48 -0400

In the 2006-07 NHL season, Edmonton Oilers coach Craig Mactavish had been noticing that too many of his superstars were getting pushed around on the ice. This urged him to bring up a player by the name of Zach Stortini. He was near the top of the list for most penalty minutes in the AHL, and his face showed why.

Over the past two years, this man has truly made little difference to helping players like Ales Hemsky getting hit hard. He can't hit, he can't skate, he can't score, and, most importantly, he can't fight.

With the absence of a grit player, drastic things have happened. A good example is showing Ethan Moreau having to try and take on a fight for himself. This caused him to dislocate a shoulder and remain out of the Oilers lineup for almost a year.

On July 1, one unrestricted free agent will become available that I'm sure Kevin Lowe will have his eyes on. He goes by the name of Georges Laraque. The Penguins enforcer would be a perfect fit on a line with guys like Brodziak and, hopefully, Curtis Glencross, if he remains in Edmonton

Fans living in Edmonton know how much he means to our team. We know how much he wants to come back, as he was on the radio here all the time. The truth is that Georges Laraque has not even sold his home in Edmonton since he left for Phoenix.

With Laraque back in the Oilers lineup, I think the players, coaches, and fans will feel a whole lot better. I will be shocked if it doesn't happen. There will be no thought of opposing enforcers laying even a finger on players like Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, or Sam Gagner.

Edmonton Oilers' Offseason Recovery

David Ponich — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:52:20 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers finished the '07-'08 season with another less than average performance. For this team to bounce back in '08-'09, several different things need to happen.

On July 1, Kevin Lowe needs to be ready to make some deals that will change his roster only for the better. It is obvious that the Oilers need a couple more strong defensemen with some spares in case of injuries.

I don't believe that Wade Redden is the right guy to go after, because of the large amount of money he wants.

One guy Kevin Lowe should definitely be looking at is Jason Smith. He was traded away from the Oilers last year and would provide strong leadership for Edmonton. He would be an excellent man to put on the blue line.

Another thing that Edmonton needs is a strong enforcer. Right now Zach Stortini is just not getting the job done. I think everyone knows who Lowe will be going after, and that is Georges Laraque.

When he was with Edmonton a few years ago, no one even thought about going after the star players. With Stortini, Hemsky, Horcoff, Gagner, and others getting run at with no consequences, there needs to be someone able to stick up for them.

As of right now, the draft is not something that Edmonton needs to worry too much about.

The Oilers have a strong young group of core guys that will get the job done for a few years to come. The last thing Kevin Lowe needs to do is give up a valuable player to try and trade for a top pick even though there are several great young defensemen available.

The goaltending situation in Edmonton is absolutely fine. Mathieu Garon has proved himself to be a starting goaltender in the NHL. Most Oiler fans see that Dwayne Roloson's days are coming to an end in the NHL. It's time now for the Oilers to bring up some young goalies from Springfield like Devan Dubnyk or Jeff Deslauriers.

In the 2008-2009 NHL season, I believe that the Edmonton Oilers shall do just fine as long as they make a few minor changes and most importantly, stay healthy!

Rookies are Magical for the Edmonton Oilers

David Ponich — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:38:32 -0400

Over the past few summers, Kevin Lowe has lined up his draft picks perfectly to give his Edmonton Oilers a real future. In 2005 with the 25th overall pick, Lowe snagged Andrew Cogliano from Michigan University. He worked his magic again in 2007 with the 6th overall pick, taking Sam Gagner from the London Knights.

Coming into training camp last fall, Cogliano was a favorite to make the team but Sam Gagner was not taken seriously by many people. But as time progressed, it was obvious to Lowe and MacTavish that Sam was ready to make his NHL debut early.

Since October Andrew Cogliano has racked up 16 goals and 22 assists, good enough for sixth overall in rookies. Gagner has sparked late to produce eight goals and 32 assists, for fifth overall in rookie scoring.

In the early months of the season, the two rookies managed not too much ice time. Since then the two have been unstoppable playing on a line with fellow young gun, Robert Nillson. Gagner has even gotten some ice time with the loss of Shawn Horcoff, playing on the top line with the likes of Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner.

In the past three games the two have combined for nine points including Cogliano's three overtime winners.

The future of the Edmonton Oilers is Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner. They are a dinamic duo that will see much playing time come next season especially with Andrew's overtime touch and Sam's shootout magic.

The hockey world will most definitely hear of these two soon enough.

Team Canada 2008, Part 2: The Competition

David Ponich — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:03:04 -0500

At the 2007 IIHF World Championships, Canada had perfect dominance even against the toughest teams like the United States, Slokakia, Sweden, and finally Finland in the gold medal game.

This year, I believe the competition is slightly less-than-spectacular when it compares to Canada.

Canada's group consists of U.S.A., Latvia, and Slovenia. I think that it is quite obvious to everyone that the only competition for Canada is the U.S.

Teams like Latvia and Slovenia have very little NHL experience so they are seen as easy tune-up games. The look for these games will be to rack up some goals so we can stay ahead of the United States in the standings.

The United States team has always threatened Canada in international competition. Goaltending has usually been a problem for the country, but they might catch a break as the New York Islanders seem to be slipping in the standings, giving Rick DiPietro a chance to represent his country.

This would give a huge boost to the defensive side of their team.

The States' defense could be very well the same as many of the players from last year watch their teams falling to the ground of the standings. In the past few years, the U.S. has used many players from different American universities to boost their young talent.

This is a good thing, but you still need those veterans like Mike Modano or Jeremy Roenick—and it doesn't look like they will be available.

The Americans offensive side could dramatically change as a good majority of the players from last year's roster look to be playing in the NHL playoffs instead. The offense will have to rely much on young guns like Patrick Kane, Toby Petersen, and perhaps Rob Schremp who is still looking for his NHL debut in Edmonton.

Once we get to the medal round, the competition for Canada will definitely start to heat up from teams like Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Russia, and others.

Finland is a team that showed good promise last year and they look to do it again. Thier goaltending looks to stand strong with Atlanta drooping to the bottom of the East. I'm sure Finland will hope to have Kari Lehtonen playing on their back end.

Like last year, Finland's defense are not too strong, with most of their player coming from European leagues, not the NHL. Their offense is similar with the exception of a few NHL players like Niko Kapanen, Tuomo Ruutu, and Jere Lehtinen.

The NHL playoffs are another sad thing for teams like Sweden and Russia who have their stars of Markus Naslund, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin representing their NHL teams in the playoffs instead of their country's.

I believe that one of the underdog competitiors in this tournament will be Slovakia. They have strong NHL talent that they will be able to use in this tournament such as Jaroslav Halak, Zdeno Chara, Miroslav Satan, and Marian Hossa. They have strong players at all ends and I think it will surprise most people to see how well they will do.

With so many teams this year not being able to showcase their true NHL talent, it gives more hope to teams with not so much NHL talent like Belarus, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

This year's IIHF world championships will definitely be an exciting one, especially for Canadians having it in their home country.

Team Canada 2008, Part 1: Canada Goes for Two

David Ponich — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:48:58 -0500

Last year under the management of Steve Yzerman, Team Canada captured the gold medal against Finland. Yzerman has agreed to come back to manage Team Canada again and we can only hope it goes a well as last year did.

Many of the players from last year's roster look to be unavailable to Yzerman this year, however there are still many great stars who can play.

The NHL playoffs are around the corner so it is quite obvious who will be making it and who will not. Great Canadian players, both veterans and young guns, are looking to slip from the playoffs and this is only an advantage to Yzerman.

Goaltending for Team Canada has not been a problem for a while and it doesn't look to be any different this year. Last year Cam Ward and Dwayne Roloson represented Canada and it is possible for both of their teams to miss the playoffs again this year.

However, Roloson has been having quite a disappointing season. His front star, Mathieu Garon has come from right out of the blue having a tremendous season with a 2.40 GAA and a 0.920 save percentage. He could be the star goaltender for Yzerman this year.

A couple defenders should be able to return to the lineup, including Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman, and Cory Murphy. Other helpful defensemen would be players like Brian McCabe, Brian Campbell, Dan Boyle, and Steve Staios.

Im sure that Yzerman was looking forward to the Oilers not making the playoffs until he learned that Sheldon Souray would be out for the rest of the season. His shot could bring a huge boost to Canada's powerplay. None the less Canada should be able to manage a strong back end.

This year there is lots of offensive skill to be had for Team Canada. Teams not looking to make the playoffs like the Lightning, Oilers, Blackhawks, Blues, Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, have a lot to add to Canada's offense. Nothing is official with teams like Carolina and Columbus, but if they do make the playoffs it is not expected for them to make it far so players like Rick Nash could still join the quest.

The Lighting's frustrating year brings great hope to Team Canada. They are filled with snipers like Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards. Hopefully the trio from Tampa will make the trip up to Canada.

The Oilers have a few players to add in the form of Ethan Moreau, Geoff Sanderson, and Dustin Penner. Perhaps even some young guns would be added to the team like Jonathan Toews who won gold last year with Team Canada, or Oilers rookies Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner.

There is no doubt that Canada will have the strongest offense of the tournament.

There are names flying everywhere about who should be the Captain of the team—names like Rick Nash, Vincent Lecavalier, Ethan Moreau, and perhaps Shane Doan although we saw what happened last year with that. In my opinion Vincent Lecavalier would make a great captain because he already has leadership experience in Tampa Bay and has experience playing with Team Canada.

Edmonton Oilers: Shootout Sensation

David Ponich — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:22:35 -0500

Since the '05-'06 season when the shootout was brought into the NHL, the Dallas Stars have clinched the best shootout record. However this year, the Young Edmonton Oilers are on a hot streak to snap that streak by a long shot.
This season the Oilers are 11-2 in the shootout. The only teams to defeat them have been the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars.
The key shooters of the Oilers have been rookie Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky, and Shawn Horcoff. Both have five goals for the Oielrs. The eighteen-year-old has scored some amazing goals against the likes of J.S. Giguere, Jason LaBarbera, and Nikolai Khabibulin. He has had 12 shots of a possible 13.
The second shooter for the Oilers in Ales Hemsky who has also had twelve shots racking up five goals. While Hemsky hasn't scored quite as nice goals as Gagner, he has still gotten the job done.
The last star of the Oilers shootout season is assistant captain Shawn Horcoff. He has put away four of his five shots. Most of these goals have been the game deciding goals. Unlike Gagner and Hemsky, Horcoff has chosen the "just shoot" technique, and it seems to work.
The Oilers could not have won with just these sharp shooters but also with amazing goaltending. Dwayne Roloson is 4-2 in the shootout but the real story is with Mathieu Garon. Is a remarkable 7-0 stopping 21 of the 23 shots faced. This is the best start a goaltender has gotten of to a shootout and I am sure Garon will hold the new shootout record for a goaltender
So the Oilers season success (while minimal) has mainly come from the shootout. While this is not such a bad thing, it it just hard to give up that one point night after night, especially when playing a division opponent.
It is likely we won't be seeing much change when the Oilers come into the shootout. Only Garon in net and Gagner, Hemsky, and Horcoff shooting.

NHL Young Stars Game

David Ponich — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:48:01 -0500

The NHL Young Stars game includes all the best rookies from around the league. The game is played in similar fashion to the real All Star game, however the periods are only 10 minutes long with no brakes.

Last year was a slower game because of the lack of talented rookies playing. This year looks to be very exciting with lots of young talent in the Western and Eastern conferences.

The West most definately has the upper hand in the game with the up beat offence it provides. There are a few main rookies in the West especially from the young Edmonton Oilers team ans as well as the Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers have captured 20-year-old Andrew Cogliano from Michigan University where he managed to run the show. The other All Star rookie is 18-year-old Sam Gagner. He was taken sixth overall in the 2007 Entry Draft from the London Knights.

And of course the Chicago Blackhawks have a few key players hoping to show off their skills in this game. They are the 2007 first overall pcik, Patrick Kane and 2006 third overall, Jonathan Toews. Kane is the so far likely winner for the Calder trophy while Toews is his hardest competition. However at this time Toews is undergoing surgery so it is uncertain whether or not he will play.

These are not the only names making a statement. Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal of the Phoenix Coyotes have played key roles in the Coyotes turn around season.

The weakest point of the West team will be the defence. Many players have gotten too much attention in the West. There are a few obvious players like Erik Johnsan, Matt Niskanen, and perhaps another Oiler, Tom Gilbert. Goaltending should be decent in the West with Minnesota Wild star Josh Harding. Harding will likely be voted the starter of the West.

The West looks strong in offense, but the East may have something to say about it.

The East has the one star forward in the name of Nicklas Backstrom. As for the rest of the offense, not many have made a case. I believe some other forwards could be the Senator's Nick Foligno and the Ranger's Brandon Dubinsky.

The East defense have a few strong players, but are still not too amazing. There is the famous Thrasher Tobias Enstrom.The other defensemen showing off their talent have been Erik Johnson and Marc Staal.

The strongest point of the East Team has got to be their goaltending. Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens has been a key part of their success. The East appear to be strong on all ends so probability says they should take the game.

One point that I will make is what should happen if the game goes past regulation. What happens in the shootout? I believe that the West will take it. Carey Price has been golden in the shootout for Motreal this year. Other than Backstrom the East side does not have any real sharp shooters. On the other hand, the West have the NHL shootout star, Sam Gagner. He has scored some trumendous goals for Edmonton. Kane and Toews are a couple other snipers that won't disapoint in the shootout.

This will definitely be a game to tune into. There will be great goals, great saves, and great fun. Let's all keep in mind that it's not just about winning, but having fun and celebrating the achievements of these hard-working rookies.

A Rookie's Ride: Up and Down with Sam Gagner

David Ponich — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:33:47 -0500

Sam Gagner was taken sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. After a slow start to the season, he managed to pick up his game in November and December.

To date, Gagner has 16 points and three goals. In the last two months, he's earned a spot on the top line with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky.

Gagner helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2007 World U-20 Championships. He was also named the MVP of the Canada-Russia Super Series. Coming into training camp in September, nobody expected the youngster to compete for an NHL roster spot—but he proved the doubters wrong.

Come December, Team Canada officials hoped to recruit Gagner for another stint at the U-20 Championships. But GM Kevin Lowe rejected the idea, and made Gagner stick with the Oilers.

Sam seemed to have no problem with the decision—until coach Craig MacTavish pulled the rookie from the lineup.

While Canada was winning another gold medal, Gagner was watching the Oilers from the press box. He must have been quite disappointed to be see both teams play without him.

On January 5th, Gagner was back in the lineup against the New York Rangers. He responded with a shootout winner to seal the game.

In the two games Gagner sat out, the Oilers notched a narrow victory in St. Louis and suffered a difficult defeat to the Predators.

Could Gagner have made a difference? Would he have been the key to get those needed points?

Whatever the answer, you can bet Gagner will stay in the Oilers lineup for the foreseeable future.