Kevin Lowe Gambles with Oilers' Future...Again

During the months that lead up to the trade of Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders, Kevin Lowe and the Oilers organization's neglect to conduct negotiations until the last minute was hardly covered or spoken of—yet it ultimately led to the trading of the heart and soul of the Edmonton Oilers franchise. 

Despite the Oilers' picking up three young promising prospects, most Oiler fans would have preferred to have kept Smyth in Copper and Blue rather then see him play for another team. Granted Smyth is an aging star, and maybe he has seen his best years already—but that doesn't change the fact that Kevin Lowe had his hand forced when he left contract negotiations to the last minute. He was forced to make a move at the trade deadline rather than face the prospect of not getting anything in return for number 94. 

With that said, Oiler fans are once again crossing their fingers and wondering out loud as to why Lowe is waiting so long to sign the Oiler's restricted free agents. These include Joni Pitkanen, Jarret Stoll, and young stars Tom Gilbert—who has tied Paul Coffey's record for goals by a rookie defensemen—and Robert Nilsson, the key player obtained in the Ryan Smyth trade to the Islanders.  

Considering the anger generated around the league with Lowe's attempted signing of Thomas Vanek and then the Dustin Penner signing from the Ducks, one must think that the Oilers will be prime targets for teams looking to not only to pinch some of the Oilers' talent, but also to add a little payback while they are it.  

All four players are vulnerable to being plucked from the Oilers' line up. Although they would earn the Oilers draft picks as compensation, if a team such as the Ducks chose to go after the Oilers RFA's, and with their current roster will most likely finish near the top of the standings next season—those picks would not be all that valuable. Consider it this way, would the Oilers trade Jarret Stoll for the 28th, 56th and 84th draft picks next year?

The big difference for the Oilers is that their top three draft picks for this year were given as compensation to the Ducks, thanks to the Dustin Penner signing, which could very well end up as a number one pick in the draft lottery. As a team, the Oilers will need to have playoff success for years to come. Handing them a number one potential draft pick could come back to haunt the team's future in a big way.

The real question has to be asked: Why didn't Lowe learn from the Ryan Smyth situation and already have the Oilers' future protected from off season poaching, the same poaching he was guilty of last year?

This is a GM that has only made one minor trade during the season and failed to make any improvements at the trade deadline. It's not like he has been busy on the phone and unable to make the meeting with a player's agent. 

Maybe it's a case of Lowe not being sure how the season will pan out and what these players are worth. With only 20 games left after the trade deadline, how much more time does he need to make up his mind?

Needless to say, there are no fans in the league more used to seeing our stars moving out of town then those in Edmonton—and Kevin Lowe is once again poised to be at fault.