Categories
Edmonton Oilers

Two Sides to an Even Coin

On Sunday, while at work, I was frantically looking for news on where impending NHL free agents had signed and was hoping to hear something like “the Oilers have signed Chris Drury” or something resembling that.I didn’t, but I heard Oilers news of a different kind. “The Edmonton Oilers have traded Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul to the Philedalphia Flyers for defenseman Joni Pittkanen and forward Goeff Sanderson, plus a 2009 3rd round draft choice,” was what the announcer on TSN was reporting. At first I was angry about my team trading away its captain and perhaps the toughest guy in the league for an unproven defender, who was -22 last season. But after composing my thoughts, and my tears, it wasn’t that bad. Kevin Lowe and Paul Holmgren have pulled off, in my mind, one of the most even trades in modern NHL history. The trade seems like a low-risk, high-reward deal for both teams. On Edmonton’s side, they managed to aquire their much-coveted puck-moving defenseman, although they did have to give up a guy with over 700 NHL games under his belt, and you can’t put a price on experience like that. They also gave away a bust from last year (Lupul), although from looking at the roster, it seems he wasn’t the only one. Philadelphia gave up a defensive eyesore to a team that was desperate for a puck-mover and an aging “has-been.” Philedalphia aquired some much-needed offensive punch and experience, and they only had to give up spare parts for that.

The deal gives Edmonton the puck-moving blue liner they have coveted since Chris Pronger bolted and a guy who is 8 years younger than Lupul yet contributed the same number of points as him (29) last season. Philedalphia recieves some much-needed offense and grit in Lupul and Smith. Both teams gave up on 23-year olds who are still maturing into their prime, and both traded away veteran has-beens who’s main job is to influence young players. Even if either of these players ends up being a bust, neither team can claim they got gipped. The Flyers were looking to unload Pitkannen and Lupul had fallen heavily out of favor in Edmonton. Both teams added by subtracting spare parts. They did each other a favor, while still thinking of their own needs. Lupul and Pitkannen will bounce back from sub-par seasons and Sanderson and Smith will chip in every now and then, but will provide lots of experience and leadership to two very young teams. In the NHL, trades that benefit both teams are few and far between, but Holmgren and Lowe seem to have pulled one-of-a kind deal. However, this doesn’t mean I don’t think he should be fired for what he did at the draft.

7 replies on “Two Sides to an Even Coin”

comments PLEASE BE HONEST!!!IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT MY ARTICLE, PLEASE TELL ME!!!IF YOU WANT IT DUMPED OR RATE IT AS POOR, PLEASE GIVE A REASON!!! thanks

I love hockey and I love the Oilers So I’ll vote to keep these as long as the writing is good, at least in the NHL section. But if you want the rest of community to vote these in, I suggest making them a little longer and expanding your thoughts. A simple trick would be to divide the paragraphs up. Of course, some people will see hockey in the tags and vote “don’t care” immediateley.

Also, the whole “tears” thing needs to go. Oil fans get too emotional over what will always be a business. Jason Smith leaving isn’t Gretzky leaving, or even Ryan Smyth or Chris Pronger (see a pattern?). He was minus a million for godsake. A good writer will always see the practical side of things. Remember the old saying, “there’s no cheering in the press box.”

yeah “There’s no cheering in the press box” unless you are the University of Georgia play-by-play announcer, Larry Munson. He refers to Georgia throughout the entire game as “we.” As a diehard Gator, I guess I’m required to hate him, but whatever.

thanks thanks–I appreciate those comments and will consider them in my next article

yeah college announcers are bad almost everywhere. Even pro ones too. Any local broadcaster hired by the team is just a cheerleader in a tie. Look at Rick Jeanarrete (sic) of the Sabres. He gets all weird in the pants every time Buffalo scores.

Spelling The article isn’t too bad.  I would personally like a little more information on the players which would also make it longer.  But are a few spelling errors, including Philadelphia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *