Will the recent injury to Kris Russell prompt the Blue Jackets to find a replacement? It's been reported that the 23 year old from Red Deer, Alberta will likely miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee. An mri will be conducted today and will give a better indication of what time frame they're working with.
It's no secret that the Columbus Blue Jackets have been trying to bolster their blue line but have come up short thus far. GM Scott Howson tried acquiring Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle to no avail. An offensive defense-men that can man the power play is on the top of their priority list.
This cues the Oilers recent announcement that Sheldon Souray will not be welcome to training camp. It has some wondering if a trade isn't already in the works. According to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, this is where the Jackets come in. At a 5.4 million cap hit for the next 2 years, Souray is certainly no bargain when it comes to teams who routinely push themselves against the salary cap. The beauty with Columbus' self imposed cap is that they are only concerned with actual numbers. For the next two seasons Souray will earn 4.5 million in real dollars and this might be a number that the owners are comfortable with. At the same time, if a trade were in play, the Blue Jackets will look to swap similar salaries.
Having recently acquired Ethan Moreau through waivers, can ex Oiler assistant GM Scott Howson do the Oilers another favour? I hold a realistic opinion and can not share the same enthusiasm as Ryan Rishaug. If a trade were to transpire, the likely component in a trade would see Mike Commodore included in a deal. At a 3.75 cap hit for the next 3 seasons Commodore is their highest paid defense-men. However, it defeats the purpose of filling in the void for injured Kriss Russell, as in this case Commodore would be the defense-men being replaced.
It has come to the point where a frustrated Tambellini will need to turn the page and move on to a new chapter by placing Souray on re-entry waivers. Any trade value Souray had is now completely non existent since the barring of Souray from training camp, and likely the season. With the Oilers swallowing half of Souray's salary, in re-entry waivers, it becomes a more attractive alternative and one that should garner attention.
I would think a bigger trade would be in the works if Columbus and Edmonton were to have a deal on the table. Think Nikita Filatov, a highly touted prospect who has burned his bridges in Columbus. Why can't the Oilers make an offer that would bring in both Commodore and Filatov? Say, Souray, Cogliano and a draft pick/prospect to top it off.
ReplyDeleteFilatov is off the table. The burnt bridges you speak of was a poor relationship between Nikita Filatov and Ken Hitchcock. The fact Ken Hitchcock is no longer the coach of the Columbus BlueJackets have now shone a brighter future for Filatov. I can't imagine Howson shipping Filatov off, one of his prized draft picks, any time soon. I would almost go as far as saying the Hitchcock firing is partly a result of his poor relations with the younger prospects.
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