Pitkanen re-signs with Hurricanes

From TSN:

A day after being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Erik Cole, restricted free agent Joni Pitkanen has signed a three-year contract.

The club announced on Wednesday, that the 24-year old defenceman signed a deal worth $12 million over the three seasons.

The deal will pay Pitkanen $3.5 million in 2008-09, $4 million in 2009-10 and $4.5 million in 2010-11.

Read the entire story here.

This was about what Pitkanen was rumored to be asking for from the Oilers. In today's marketplace, Pitkanen is certainly worth an average of $4 million per season.

Oilers trade Pitkanen to Hurricanes for Cole

From TSN:

The Oilers have traded hard-hitting left winger Raffi Torres to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for 21-year-old centre Gilbert Brule, and sent defenceman Joni Pitkanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for winger Erik Cole.

Read the report from TSN here.

This deal has been rumored for almost a year now. The fact is, this trade fits both teams' needs. Pitkanen is a talented, smooth-skating, young defenseman who is going to a team who needs just that.

On the other hand, Cole is an up-and-down winger who is fast, hard-working and good defensively. His speedy and willingness to head to the net give him the ability to score 40+ goals, however, his hands are more in the 30 goal range.

This is one of those trades that helps both teams. The Oilers are shoring up their top-six forwards, as the Hurricanes shore up their top four defense corps.

The Edmonton take on the Visnovsky trade

From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:

"Although it's tough to see good players and good people move on, we feel we've made a step towards improving our overall offence," general manager Kevin Lowe said in statement released by the team. "(Visnovsky) has been one of the premier offensive defencemen over the past five years."

Read the short article here.

From Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun:

In making this deal, Lowe telegraphed another - acquiring Visnovsky means Pitkanen is about to become part of a package deal for a forward.

Read the entire article here.

From Jonathan at Copper & Blue:

What does this do to the Oilers defense? The first thing I'd like to point out is that the Oilers have made the correct choice in the Smid vs. Greene choice for the bottom pairing, since in addition to his higher upside and younger age, Smid's already a better player. Secondly, the obvious answer is that Joni Pitkanen is on his way out of town, because there simply isn't room for 4 defensemen in the 4M+ range. As nice as it is to imagine that the Oilers have Sheldon Souray on the way out, it just isn't happening, and Tom Gilbert just signed a long-term deal, so Pitkanen's out, likely for a top-6 forward with grit. My guess would be Erik Cole, but there are other possibilities. It's too bad, really; Pitkanen's a better player than we've seen to date.

Read his entire entry here.

There you have it. I have to admit, I am somewhat surprised by this deal. With Souray having a contract that no one will take on, the Oilers have a lot of money locked up in him and Visnovsky. Also, with this trade most definitely comes the inevitable trade of Joni Pitkanen. If Pitkanen is traded for another higher salaried player, then I think the Oilers will have taken on too much money. Keeping Pitkanen, who is younger and has more prime years, and trading for a scoring winger (I guess that wasn't possible) may have been the preferred route.

Oilers not taking Pitkanen or Stoll to arbitration

From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:

In the end, the Edmonton Oilers elected to submit qualifying offers to centre Jarret Stoll and defenceman Joni Pitkanen, their two key restricted free agents.

They could have taken one or both to arbitration, which would have prevented opposing clubs from submitting offer sheets when the free-agent market opens on Tuesday.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Oilers clearly aren't too concerned about either of these players getting offer sheets. I don't expect either one to sign on with another team. If the Oilers are having trouble signing Stoll and Pitkanen, I could see one or both being moved in a trade. However, if they decide they want both back, it is probably for the better that they decided not to take either player to arbitration. Arbitration is generally a bad thing for team/player relations.

NHL Morning Papers: Special Pre-Draft Edition

Here are the morning papers from the Northwest Division:

• Who the Flames will take is anyone's guess, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald. If the Flames trade Alex Tanguay, who is going to line-up on left wing for the Flames next season?
• Kevin Lowe says he would bet on Joni Pitkanen being on the Oilers next season. That being said, the Oilers sure aren't short on trade offers right now, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• The Avalanche don't pick until number 50, writes Adrian Dater. Meanwhile, Mike Chambers tells readers that Joe Colborne could be the University of Denver's first first round pick.
• The Wild needs to get its drafting back to pre-2003 levels, writes Michael Russo. In contract talks, Brian Rolston and the Wild may not be as close as they originally appeared.
• The Canucks could trade one or both Sedins this weekend, writes Ed Willes. Mike Gillis doesn't expect to trade up at this year's draft.

Should the Oilers sacrifice defense for offense?

From Allan Mitchell of Lowetide:

One of the things about the Edmonton Oilers in summer through the 00's is that they seem to spend these months attempting to acquire top drawer talent without regard for balance. In the summer of 2005-06 they addressed all kinds of areas but left the goaltending somewhat unproven. The following summer they moved Chris Pronger and never really addressed the blueline in terms of veteran talent. Last summer they moved in assets but still lacked balance on liftoff (blueline once again lacked experience, lots of question marks up front).

The names being rumored (Jason Spezza, Erik Cole) are coming from some legit sources (Brownlee, Stauffer, Matheson) and would certainly improve this team up front for 08-09. However, the name most mentioned going the other way is Joni Pitkanen.

And that brings the balance question back into the picture. Although Tom Gilbert and Denis Grebeshkov moved past Ladislav Smid and Matt Greene and into the top 4 in 07-08, does that mean the Oilers can rely on them? Considering the other two defenders are Sheldon Souray and Steve Staios, does that give this team enough top 4D options? Wouldn't the depth chart look much better with Pitkanen among the top 4 and perhaps Souray on the third pairing? The Edmonton Oilers appear convinced that a scoring forward for the top 2 lines is more important than having 5 legit defenders outside of the Smid-Greene tandem that is still trying to gain traction at the NHL
level.

Read the entire entry here.

Mitchell presents an interesting question. I am a fan of Joni Pitkanen but in the right package for an impact forward, I would probably not hesitate to make the move. The Oilers would still have many serviceable defensemen to fill his spot, plus a couple of their youngsters (Chorney and Petry) are on the way in the next year or two. Without a top scoring prospect coming through the system, I'd probably pull the trigger for that impact forward.

Don't be too quick to write-off Joni Pitkanen

From the Edmonton Journal:

"I think he can be a star ... you can see the potential he has, the icetime he gets. He never wants to come off, and the way he can skate," said Oilers assistant coach Charlie Huddy, who looks after the blue-liners. "I think he's only scratched the surface. His offence will come ... the creativity will come out. You'd like to see him take the puck to the net more, the way he can skate."

Here is the entire article.

No fans like obsessing more over their players than Oilers fans. Pitkanen just seems to be their favorite player to analyze and analyze and analyze some more. I have to admit, I am a Pitkanen fan. The young Finnish defenseman has tons of talent, is a terrific skater and logs big minutes on the back-end. This is one time the Oilers fans have to be patient and remember he is only 24.

I do have one question for Oilers fans: Would you trade Pitkanen straight up for Michael Cammalleri?

A look at the Oilers heading into the off-season

From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:

"Otherwise, GM Kevin Lowe should be commended for the way he’s run this show. Yes, he took a beating from many of his colleagues throughout the NHL, but look at what’s left after the dust settled.

The Oilers have loads of potential. They’ll have $8M to $10M to spend on free agents this summer."

Here is the full analysis of the Oilers from Puck-Rakers.

Portzline provides readers with a fair amount of information on a team that he does not cover exclusively. I do not agree with him that they "need" to re-sign Pitkanen and Stoll, because I could see them trading those players and getting something (a scoring winger?) much needed in return. Nonetheless, Portzline nails the most important point when he states that for all of the criticism Kevin Lowe received late last summer, his team looks pretty, pretty, pretty good heading into the 2008/09 season and beyond.

Lupul on the trading block?

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: "The Flyers' season has only been over for 10 days and already Joffrey Lupul's name is popping up as possible trade bait to get more speed on the back-end, certainly an achilles heel for Philadelphia. If not Fort Saskatchewan's Lupul, then it's Fort McMurray's Scottie Upshall. Both had good playoffs for the Flyers, with Lupul eliminating the Washington Capitals in Game 7 in overtime in the first playoff round and Upshall being a general pest with some offensive touch."

Here is the full article courtesy of the Edmonton Journal.

It wouldn't be the spring without a Joffrey Lupul rumor. That being said, Matheson is one of the most connected writers in North America and when he writes a rumor there is most certainly some substance to it. In fact, trading Lupul for some back-end help makes sense for the Flyers. Maybe the Oilers are interested? They have a young mobile defenseman named Joni Pitkanen who is reportedly on the block.... (I kid, I kid).

Update: Jonathan over at Copper & Blue also had Pitkanen come to mind. It just makes too much sense...

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Rene Fasel will run unopposed for another term as IIHF President.
2. Fabian Brunstrom is in Dallas checking out the Stars.
3. Darren Dreger with a theory as to why overtimes aren't lasting very long.
4. A preview of Group A from the World Hockey Championships.
5. The weekly Junior Report.
6. An in-depth look at the draft eligible Michael Del Zotto.
7. Ian Winwood of the Guardian blogs on the disparate paths of the Red Wings and Avs.
8. Tony Gallagher calls this year's playoffs "the best in years".
9. Mike Sielski tells Flyers fans to stop whining.
10. Check out this video from the Onion.
11. An update on Darren McCarty's resurgence.
12. 10 good candidates for the Hall of Fame.
13. Adam Proteau blames the Game 3 loss on Tom Renney.
14. A good roundup of pre-WHL draft news. Its the 1993's that will be picked this year.
15. Elliotte Friedman thinks the Canadiens have to stick with Carey Price.
16. The Oilers and Joni Pitkanen have yet to open negotiations.
17. Team Canada hopes to break the curse of the host team.
18. A follow up to the Avery story and the fumbling of said story by the NY Daily News.
19. Eric Duhatschek comments on the World Championships coming to Canada.
20. Check out the Dallas Stars' zamboni.
21. In other injury news, the Penguins' Maxime Talbot may be out with a broken foot.
22. Michael Farber of SI discusses the differences between Zetterberg and Foote.
23. Jacques Demers credits Brett Hull for keeping the Stars loose.
24. Jim Kelley's musings on the playoffs.
25.The Alternative NHL Awards.

NHL Morning Papers--Western Conference (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the Central Division morning papers:

• The Predators got a terrific relief performance from Chris Mason last night and with two more victories, they will be in the playoffs. The Predators did get a little bit lucky after the referees made an iffy call in the third period.
• The Blues blew a 3-0 lead on home-ice last night and were defeated 4-3 by the Predators in overtime, writes Jeremy Rutherford.
• Red Wings winger Johan Franzen has been named the third star of the NHL for the month of March. In injury news, it appears that Kris Draper will be lost to the Red Wings until the beginning of the playoffs.
• It looks like David Vyborny is going to exit the Columbus scene quietly at season's end and Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch thinks that is wrong. Tom Reed of the Dispatch has a touching story about a Nationwide Arena employee.
• Hawks rookie Jonathan Toews does not want the season to end, writes Chris Kuc. If the Blackhawks want to make the playoffs, they'll need to win all three of their remaining games and get some help too.

Here are the Pacific Division morning papers:

• Joe Thornton recorded his 300th point as a Shark last night in his team's fairly easy 5-2 victory over the lowly Kings. Evgeni Nabokov will not get a shot at the NHL's win record for one season because Brian Boucher is slated to start Thursday's game at Los Angeles.
• According to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, Sergei Zubov may not be ready for the start of the playoffs. Meanwhile, coach Dave Tippett is not too concerned about starting the playoffs on the road.
• The Ducks got Ryan Carter back at practice on Tuesday, writes Al Balderas.
• Recently signed Coyotes prospect Kyle Turris is going to make his NHL debut on Thursday versus Dallas.

**There were no L.A. Kings articles this morning**

Here are the Northwest Division morning papers:

• The Wild need a win in one of their last two games to get Jacques Lemaire his 500th career NHL victory as a head coach. If the Wild beat the Flames on Thursday, the team may give some of its veterans a little time off prior to the playoffs.
• The Flames recorded a huge victory last night over the desperate Oilers in Edmonton. Last night's victory was more sweet for the Flames in that they eliminated the Oilers from playoff contention. Oilers coach Craig MacTavish thinks Robyn Regehr has gotten away with some dirty hits throughout the season.
• The Oilers run to the playoffs stopped last night versus Calgary, writes Joanne Ireland. Oilers defenseman Joni Pitkanen was diagnosed with a strained groin after Saturday's game against the Flames but he was not going to miss Tuesday's rematch. The dream is done for Edmonton, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• The Canucks blew a 2-0 lead at home, and got no help from the out-of-town scoreboard to put their playoff chances in peril. The Canucks just could not match the Avalanche in all aspects of the game, writes Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province.
• The Avalanche clinched a playoff birth last night with a 4-2 win at Vancouver. Avalanche youngster David Jones was ecstatic to be able to play at GM Place last night in Vancouver.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com