Kevin Lowe, Steve Tambellini, and the Oilers organization have their thoroughbred in Taylor Hall.
They have some horses for next year’s run, some horses for the farm and a few more for future fantasies.
But now it’s time to come home and muck out the stalls.
The Oilers did what appears to be a great job when it came to gathering at this NHL Entry Draft, but a miserable job when it came to dispersing.
They didn’t manage to make anybody disappear. None of the players who have no place here for the future went away.
While July 1 is generally regarded as the next big day in hockey with the free-agent frenzy, in Edmonton the next big day is actually June 30.
That’s the day the buyout window closes.
Growing their own
Edmonton’s decision to grow their own and get out of chasing the July 1 mercenaries is one which the populace has embraced.
But unless they’re going to grow them all in Oklahoma City for a year or two, while forcing fans to watch the likes of Patrick O’Sullivan until their contracts expire, Tambellini has to put on his hip waders now and start shovelling out the stalls.
But give the Oilers credit for what we watched this weekend. They drafted hockey players. Not fancy skaters. Not giant marshmallows.
Actual hockey players.
OK. There appears to be one giant marshmallow in there — six-foot-three, 183-lb Ryan Martindale (Ottawa 67s, 61st overall), a player scouting reports say has size and skill, but is seriously short on will.
The players picked before that, if they hadn’t invented mouth guards, would be missing teeth.
Guys with grit.
Guys with guts.
Guys who like to get greasy.
Guys who go to the net.
It started with Hall. But it continued into the second day with the players they picked as they followed Lowe’s words to the scouts at the Predator Ridge meetings where the Oilers created their draft list ...
“We’ve gathered some top-six forwards. Now we’ve got to find some bottom-six forwards.
“Guys with some might, character and leadership, go-through-the-end-boards type of guys.”
The Oilers stocked the cupboard with several picks fitting that general description.
All but their final pick in the seventh round are six-foot-one or taller.
Seven of those first nine picks are Canadians and the two who aren’t are planning on playing in the WHL this coming season.
The first pick of the second round is a six-foot-two, 195-lb centre (Tyler Pitlik signed on by the Medicine Hat Tigers for next year), who scouting reports indicate is aggressive, goes into the corners, goes to the net and is described as “having farm-boy strength” by one scout, and by another as “having an intriguing combination of brawn and skill.”
Another second-rounder (Martin Marincin, 46th overall from Slovakia in a trade with Carolina for Riley Nash, a Kevin Prendergast first-round pick in 2007) is a six-foot-four 180-lb defenceman.
Another is a six-foot-two, 211-lb centre (Curtis Hamilton, 48th overall) from the Saskatoon Blades, who missed most of his draft year with a broken collarbone.
A power skater
Scouting reports list him as being a power skater who plays both ends of the rink and appears to be interested in using his size.
And don’t forget Stanley Cup winner Colin Fraser, 25, obtained for a sixth pick, a six-foot-one fourth line energy guy with guts and grit who plays centre, kills penalties and wins faceoffs.
As an organization, the Oilers gave their fans reason to have hope for the future.
But the concept of changing the culture of the team is pointless unless you move out the poison players and throw away the empties.
There’s no sense in replacing the head coach, the assistant GM and former head scout, the minor league coach, the trainers and equipment men, a scout (with more to come now that the draft is over?), possibly an assistant coach or two and the play-by-play broadcaster unless you replace unwanted players.
Hockey season isn’t over here now that the Oilers have Taylor Hall.
It’s just started.
terry.jones@sunmedia.ca
