Player News - Oilers

Date: Team: Pos:

Look for the Edmonton Oilers to make a big push to re-sign Sam Gagner to a long-term contract.

Gagner is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer and, if he inks a one-year deal, an unrestricted free agent in 2014. "Sam likes it here, he has been a valuable member of our team and is always trending up and he’ll be a guy that we’ll be looking to sign," Oilers GM Craig MacTavish said. Gagner took a step up this season with 14 goals and 38 points in 48 contests.
May 24 - 4:14 PM

The Edmonton Oilers haven't made a final determination regarding their plans for Shawn Horcoff.

Horcoff had just seven goals and 12 points in 31 games this season despite the fact that he comes with a team-high $5.5 million cap hit. That's led to some speculation that the Oilers might buyout Horcoff's contract. Oilers GM Craig MacTavish feels Horcoff has "gotta get energized as well and we’ll see what happens or what the summer has in store for Shawn and the Edmonton Oilers." In the meantime, MacTavish will be looking to acquire a big center.
May 24 - 4:10 PM

It doesn't sound like the Edmonton Oilers will re-sign Nikolai Khabibulin.

Khabibulin will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. "The problem with Nik, from our perspective, is that he’s a 40 year old body who wasn’t able to stay as healthy as what you need," Oilers GM Craig MacTavish said. He added that the Oilers would be looking for a couple goaltenders. Khabibulin had a 2.54 GAA and .923 save percentage in 12 games, so there's a chance he'll be able to find a backup gig elsewhere.
May 24 - 4:06 PM

Andy Sutton has decided to retire.

Sutton wasn't able to play in 2013 due to a knee injury. He had 38 goals and 150 points in 676 games with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, and Edmonton Oilers. "My NHL career enabled me to not only play the game I love, but to also be a part of something that so many kids dream about growing up," Sutton said. "Throughout my 15 years in the league, I have played for some exceptional hockey teams and have met quality people and friends along the way. None of what I accomplished on the ice would have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, friends, teammates and fans who made playing hockey even more enjoyable."
May 22 - 10:53 AM

Detroit Red Wings forward Damien Brunner has a lot of respect for what Edmonton Oilers coach Ralph Krueger did for hockey in Switzerland.

Krueger coached the Swiss national team before becoming the Oilers' bench boss. "With Krueger we got pretty consistent making the quarterfinals, he did a great job," Brunner said. "For Switzerland he made them believe we could take the next step. Then when he left, Sean Simpson took over and he’s been able to take the next step by winning a quarterfinal and winning a semifinal. But Ralph Krueger did a great job over the time he was there." Switzerland ended up falling short in the gold medal game, but it was still their best showing in the tournament since 1935.
May 22 - 10:30 AM

The deadly tornado that tore through Oklahoma on Monday was only half a mile from the practice facility of the Oilers' AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City.

"All of our guys are safe and accounted for," said Barons general manager Bill Scott. "We’re good. Our guys live on the north side of the city or in the downtown area. Our staff was in the office downtown. Some of them live in Moore but all are accounted for." The storm absolutely devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, leveling houses for blocks at a time. Defenseman Alex Plante is one of the players who lives in Moore. "I’d come downtown for a dentist appointment and the family I was staying with in Moore, who adopted three Downs Syndrome kids, managed to get the kids out of their school before the lockdowns," said Plante, who also noted he didn't want to see the damage caused by the storm.
May 21 - 10:24 AM

Alex Hemsky will likely be dealt in the off-season according to The Edmonton Journal.

The injury-prone forward is quite the scorer when healthy but he has been anything but the last four seasons as he has missed 118 games in that span. "I don't think there's a market for him . . .I shouldn't say there's no market," said former NHL GM Craig Button, who now works for TSN. "But the salary cap is coming down to $64.3 million. He makes $5 million for one more year. Would the Oilers pick up half of that to trade him, 50-50 (with another team)? That would still free up $2.5 million in cap space for the Oilers. I don't know if they can get something tangible in return for Hemsky. Andrew Cogliano got the Oilers a second-round draft (pick). I don’t know if they can get that for Hemsky." Hemsky has struggled the last two seasons with 20 points in 38 games this season and 36 points in 69 games in 2011-12 but was a point-a-game player, or close to it, before that.
May 20 - 8:19 AM

The Oilers and Edmonton city council have completed the funding agreement on a new arena.

So ends the seven-year debate over the project. The team and city will now split the cost of the final $30 million needed to greenlight the project, which will be completed in time for the 2016-17 season and begin in the spring of 2014. The total cost, including the arena and surrounding infrastructure, will be $604.5 million. The Oilers will be on the hook for $161.5 million, the city $279 million and the remaining $125 million will come from a ticket tax. "The result today is a landmark agreement that enables our city to move forward in an enormously positive way," said Oilers owner Daryl Katz.
Source: TSN.ca
May 15 - 8:29 PM

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal speculates it's only 50-50 the Oilers will buy out captain Shawn Horcoff this summer.

Horcoff, who will be 35 before next season starts, is due to count $5.5 million against the cap the next two seasons and is coming off a 12-point, 31-game season. Young players like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle appear ready to take over the team's leadership mantle and it's hard to see Horcoff having a big enough role next year to justify that pay day. If Horcoff does end up as a free agent, we imagine he'd have a decent group of teams interested in adding him at a reduced cost.
May 14 - 9:55 AM

Martin Gernat, Travis Ewanyk and David Musil will report to Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City now that the Edmonton Oil Kings have been eliminated from the WHL playoffs.

The trio of Oilers prospects will try to help the Barons keep their playoff run going in the AHL. "I'm excited. It's a new experience for me, and I'll enjoy the time there," said Gernat, who was a fifth-round pick of Edmonton in 2011. "There are a lot of guys there, so I don't know if I will be able to play, but it'll be an experience to be there. New city and all new people there will be nice." They will join the team on Tuesday.
May 13 - 5:36 PM

Curtis Hamilton injured his knee during practice and will undergo surgery Tuesday.

Hamilton was the Oilers' second-round pick in 2010 and was playing with Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City at the time of the injury. Next season is the final season of his entry-level deal and it remains to be seen if the Oilers will sign him to another contract.
May 7 - 9:38 AM

Nail Yakupov was surprisingly not among the finalists for the Calder Trophy.

Most teams will cry foul at their prized rookies not being nominated for the Calder, but the Oilers may have the strongest case. Yakupov led all rookies with 17 goals and he tied Jonathan Huberdeau, who was named a finalist on Monday, for the most points with 31 in 48 games. 11 of his goals came in the month of April, so that might have played a part in his name being left off the final ballot.
May 6 - 6:04 PM

Jordan Eberle collected an assist, but it wasn't enough as Switzerland defeated Canada 3-2 (SO) in the 2013 World Hockey Championships.

Familiar name Martin Gerber helped the Swiss take that win. Normally it's Jonas Hiller making the Swiss a tougher out that expected, but he's going strong in the NHL playoffs this summer.
May 5 - 1:23 PM

Niko Hovinen, claimed by the Edmonton Oilers on waivers off the Philadelphia Flyers shortly after the NHL lockout season started when their farm team the Oklahoma City Barons were looking for help in net, has signed a one-year deal in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk.

The Metallurg team plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. For a point of reference, this is where Sergei Bobrovsky was born and where he played for four years before making his way to the NHL, in Philly, before he was traded to Columbus, before he became a Vezina trophy candidate. The 6’7″ Hovinen, 25, played 10 games in OKCity this past season, as Yann Danis’s backup.
May 4 - 10:28 AM

Nail Yakupov's 2012-13 campaign was certainly a long and winding one.

"It was a pretty tough year, possibly the toughest year of my life," said Yakupov. "After finishing in Sarnia, then I had the combine before the draft, then the draft, dealt with a lot of media, then rookie camp, half a season in KHL, the lockout and then the World Juniors were I didn’t feel that comfortable. Then coming here after a few months I started to feel pretty good. I feel like a million bucks now." Yakupov had 11 goals and 15 points in 14 April games. He had solid numbers this season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him take another step forward in 2013-14.
May 1 - 10:55 AM


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