TSN reports the Edmonton Oilers have dealt defenseman Jason Smith and forward Joffrey Lupul to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Joni Pitkanen, winger Geoff Sanderson and a third round pick in 2009.
Don’t expect this trade to go down well with Oilers fans, who aren’t sorry to see Lupul dealt and hoped GM Kevin Lowe would land Pitkanen, but probably not at the expense of Smith, the Oilers captain.
Sanderson is an aging winger whose best years are behind him, which makes this part of the deal even more questionable.
What could make this deal salvageable for the Oilers is if Pitkanen, a very good offensive blueliner who struggled defensively last season with the Flyers, can improve his defensive game in Edmonton and still post up solid offensive numbers.
Lowe had his eye on Pitkanen for some time, and desperately needed a puckmoving defenseman after dealing away Chris Pronger last year.
But moving Smith, however, may have been too steep a price, and Oilers fans will be praying that Lowe can redeem himself with a major UFA signing.
Pitkanen was headed for salary arbitration with the Flyers this summer but don’t expect Lowe to do the same.
As for the Flyers, they get a proven leader and defensive blueliner in Smith and a work-in-progress in Lupul, who appeared on the verge of greatness in 2005-06 but regressed last season with the Oilers, scoring only 16 goals.
Smith is a proven commodity but Lupul is a gamble. Still, if he rediscovers his scoring touch in Philly, away from the pressure of performing in front of the hometown crowd in Edmonton, the Flyers could be the winners of this deal.
Flyers fans are likely rejoicing, Oilers fans less so.
Well, Smith was good, but maybe it is time for a change. We have Smid and Greene, and Smid is going to be very good. Pitkanen can hopefully bounce back and provide the Oil with that puck moving defenceman. The Sanderson part is questionable though. It would have been nice if the Oilers had gotten Upshall instead.
Edmonton and Philly seem to make a trade every year. I think Lowe has Comcast Country on his speed dial. In this case, I'm quite glad he did. Had I known a player of Smith's caliber could be acquired for Pitkanen, I'd have favored trading him long ago. Philadelphia desperately needed a veteran defensive presence on the blueline, and boy did they get it here. And of course, I'd much rather take a chance on the potential upside of Lupul than the aging former flash of Sanderson. His chronic groin injuries of last season took away his smooth skating, which was just about all he had left. I'd imagine Pitkanen will develop into a pretty good player someday, but he's moving from one tough environment to another..and he's not a team guy from all I've read and heard, hopefully he figures that out and gets his head on right. This has been a big retooling day for Philly, and it's hard not to like what Holmgren is doing here.
Every move that Holmgren has made since replacing Bobby Clarke has been bold, but unquestionably made the team better... but moving Pitkanen at this stage of his career is really going to come back to haunt the Flyers' GM.
He will flourish in Edmonton on the fast ice and the up-tempo play. The Oilers are NOT getting another Niinimaa in this deal. Pitkanen will be a star.
supposedly the leafs and oilers had a deal that would allow the oilers to get darcy tucker and pavel kubina in exchange for lupul, raffi torres and a third rounder
i defiently think this would have been a better trade for the oilers and a great trade for the leafs
it fell through obviosly as this trade has resulted
Great work by Homer. They had to give Briere a monster deal - they had no choice - you can't go into the season with Carter, Richards, and Umberger your only centers.
Pitkanen has a ton of potential, but he was a malcontent and a cancer in the locker room. They're getting another young player with lots of potential in Lupul, and a solid veteran D-Man in Smith, something they also needed.
Their lineup will look something like this, and it's not bad...
This work great for both teams. Edmonton wanted Pitkanen and now they've got him. I didn't really want to get go of Lupul. I'm convinced that he'll put up great numbers next year. I hate to see Gator go, but Matt Greene is maturing and he's going to have to take on the job of being Edmonton's mean defenseman.
I dont know why KLowe wants to throw in his captain and leader for a washed up Sanderson who he could have gotten for nothing last year. He should have just put in a big offer sheet for Pitkanen as Holmgren has no cap room left to match after signing Briere. I hope the Oilers scouts are doing their homework right. If Pitkanen bombs Lowe should lose his job.
Good to finally see this long rumoured deal finally come to fruition. This may prove to be one of those swaps that works out well for both teams when you look at it five years down the road.
Jason Smith will be missed. Last year with the departure of Chris Pronger the captain took on too much to try and pick up the slack -- what we in Edmonton call "Lee Fogolin Syndrome" after another captain that tried to play beyond himself when things didn't go well -- and Gator looked pretty awful at times in the process. He'll bounce back in Philadelphia.
On the Edmonton blueline, Matt Greene is ready to fill Smith's shakes, the same way Kevin Lowe replaced his mentor Fogolin all those years ago.
I hate giving up on Joffrey Lupul after one year, but he was among the best of the tradeable assets, so it's no surprise he's on the move. I don't know if Philadelphia is his final stop, though, as he's got to play on the top two lines to be effective, and it's getting a little crowded in the City of Brotherly Love.
I've liked Joni Pitkanen since the 2002 draft, and I'm happy to finally have him in Oilers silks. (I would have been happier to have him here AND be mentored by Jason Smith, but...) And with the Oilers holding training camp in the NWT this fall, getting Hay River born Geoff Sanderson is a nice throw-in for the Yellowknife faithful.
I wrote last season that with all the young talent they've assembled, the Oilers blueline would look great in three years. It's a little weaker today, but that three-years-out D-corps looks even better now.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on July 2nd at 11:18 AM.
The Atlantic is going to be TOUGH this year. I would feel better if the Pens and Rangers hadn't reenforced as well as they have. Should be a good, tight race this year.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
