Just when you thought the Edmonton Oilers were done going the offer sheet route this summer, they've struck again.
TSN reports the Oilers have tendered a five year, $21.5 million offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks forward Dustin Penner, a Group II (restricted) free agent.
Oilers GM Kevin Lowe made headlines earlier in July with a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet to Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek, which the Sabres promptly (and angrily) matched.
As of this writing there's no word yet from Ducks GM Brian Burke if he'll match the offer for Penner or not. Burke has one week from the time the offer was accepted by the Penner camp to decide if he'll match, otherwise Penner will become an Oiler. If Burke announces he won't match, Penner becomes an Oiler.
TSN reports last season was Penner's first full one in the NHL, scoring 29 goals and 45 points. Regardless of whether or not he becomes an Oiler, he's now guaranteed to earn $4.3 million per season, which is how it'll be counted against the cap no matter the distribution of the salary.
$4.3 million per is a lot of money to spend on a guy who's only played one full NHL season and it's a heckuva gamble on Lowe's part. While Penner definitely appears poised to become a power forward, it's possible that this could backfire on Lowe, just as the acquisition of Joffrey Lupul as part of the return for Chris Pronger did.
Lupul was coming off a 28-goal, 53-point performance in 2005-06 with the Ducks and big things were expected of him last season with the Oilers. Unfortunately, the hometown boy failed to rise to the occasion, and his woeful performance got him packaged with Jason Smith to Philadephia earlier this month.
It remains to be seen what Burke's reaction will be, but regardless of his decision, you can bet he won't be a happy camper. If you thought the Sabres management were spitting mad over Lowe's attempt to sign away Vanek, wait until you see Burke's reaction, for it'll be very surprising if he doesn't erupt.
I'll update this post further as more news about this comes in.
The way of the NHL future is evolution. If anything Burke will be happy because somebody has ditched the old ways and he now has free reign to do the same to another team including the oil. Will he match?. No he won't. Dustin will be in oil silks shortly. 4.3 per season could be a bargain after the next two seasons if he's consistent. Does this mean stoll is also worth 4.3 i'm wondering what other teams would pay for stoll.
Hey Ontario did we overpay here to. You seem to believe that all the oil's brass can do to land a player is to overpay. which i say to you is a bunch of malarkey.
Souray,Pitkanen,Penner and one more please. I knew we would have no holes to start the season. Keep em coming Kevin.
This was a foolish move. Not because Penner won't be a good player (he will- love his game) but because this now sets the bench for similar players going forward. If Penner is worth this much based on one full season, what becomes the price for othres? This sets the market artificially high. I don't ever want to hear Lowe cry about NHL economics again- ####.
The Ducks should not match this offer and let Penner go... This is not a smart move by Lowe, you can find a 45 point forward for a whole lot less and alot more proven in the NHL... I could see if Penner had been in the NHL for 3 or 4 seasons putting up 45 points consistently for each season then he might be worth it, and this would be a strong move by Lowe...
I am thinking that Lowe needs a little oil on his thinking sprocket...
Lowe had no choice. The Oilers need to overpay and take risks in order to compete. There is no way they get him as a free agent. This is the only way to get him.
I do not think the Ducks can match and maintain any financial flexibility to adjust the team mid season.
lesson of the story: Lowe should have happily overpaid for a proven quantity like Smyth.
What a clown. Can we safely say that Lowe is the worst GM in the League? All this does is further isolate him in GM Land. All he's doing is attempting to pilfer a player from another team in grotesque fashion. They really need a number one center and that must come via a trade or via the farm. He's upsetting Oilers fans by not addressing team needs. He's upsetting every other GM and fan by this obnoxious offer. Time he cashed out and went along his merry way. Thanks for playing.
If it's allowed i don't see why he shouldn't do it. I hope Gainey has the gutts to do the same. If you can't land them via free trades, why not go the other way. What? Did the flyer not over pay Briere? You guys make me laugh. I wonder how much Ryder is worth now. The whole NL System is badly built so it's not Lowe's fault.
hey ####....it seems that most people agree with me on Lowe's GM abilities....he crys that people are overpaying and then offers 4.3 for 45 points in one full season. Lets see if he turns out to the next Daigle, Jim Carey, or other forgetables. Granted he had a pretty good year....one year, his first year, if he plays like that every year, 4.3 is overpaying, if he gets better and better, then its a deal. Either way, Lowe is an #### and if you think this was smart, I don't know what to say about you....
Gentlemen do you think if he had 3-4 years under his belt you would get him at 4.3 per. I think not. Do i think he overpayed for Penner. Kevin is looking for a bonafide LW for the future. He has landed a good up and coming winger for 5 years at what could be a bargain. What if this player adds another 7 - 10 goals per season playing with Hemsky is it still overpaying. Going after RFA players is the wave of the future. You can no longer pay outrageous money to UFA's and ignore your own RFA players. This move is good for hockey as a whole. I personally applaud the oilers brass for the move. You will now see teams realize this is a part of the business and take the oilers lead. Small market clubs can now compete at every angle.
I'm not sure the ducks value Penner at the offer on the table. I do know we need a LW to play with Hemsky. I did not watch him play that much, but what i did see leads me to believe he is an up and coming forward with alot of size.
Are there any better LW on the market right now at 4.3 million/season with the potential of this guy.
I would have been upset to wager 2 first rnd picks and all the rest. We give up one 1st,2nd,3rd. You telling me that you would not want this size and potential on your club for that price.
Lowe the worst GM? what cloud did you fall off of Herman.The guy in my opinion is turning out to be one of the best.
(more to follow).
To me, it would make sense for Anaheim to walk away from this deal. They've drafted well, and would doubtless put the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounders they'd get from Edmonton to good use.
The Oilers, on the other hand, have not drafted especially well during Kevin Lowe's reign as GM. So Penner is probably better than anyone they would have drafted with those three picks anyway.
So, whether you think Kevin Lowe is a tool for doing this or not, it's still a reasonably good move on his part if you look at it from a strictly on-ice perspective. Still doesn't address Edmonton's need for a gamebreaking No. 1 center, though...
My friend from Ontario it didn't take you long to get onto your holy'er than thou persona now did it.
Kevin Lowe signs Chris Pronger 6.5/ 5 or 6 seasons
overpaying?
Trades for Spacek, and the other guy can't spell his name.
signs Peca one year
that season they go to the cup final.
Off season Pronger has family problems requests a trade. I have no problem with this by the way. If you don't do what's right for the family your a joke.
The Oilers trade him for
Joffrey lupul,Smid,and all the rest.
we acquire Sykora and other pieces. How can you replace Pronger. With all the injuries we have a bad season.
Trade the heart of the club away. As he said the worst phone call he had to make. Is Ryan Smyth worth 6 million plus/season. We win this trade
in return the team gets two players selected in the first round that went early due to positioning of Long Island. There are more stories and results here as well.
Off season acquisitons so far
Souray
Pitkanen (pitcannon as he is refferred to)
Penner
plus the other two guys that he went after.
and the yet to be made trade for a #1 center.
So When the Oilers start the season and once again December comes around and we lead the division with a 6 point pad you guys come around tell me how bad a GM we have. I'm not saying Stanley Cup but the future looks bright and Ontario better put on some shades.
CHF gets it. Why wouldn't Gainey go get a player through RFA. The GM's have been talking about it since the opportunity really came to light during the new CBA.
Spector i'm led to believe a club has had this option for a lot of years. Is this not true? are the oilers the only club to make attempts to acquire players in this fashion. I seem to remember a couple of instances where other clubs made pitches at players. What's your opinion of picking up players RFA this way. Do you agree with the practice or not.
So kings fan you would be against your club acquiring a player they see as a good fit to fill one of your many holes. No i don't so. You would probably applaud the move. Do you really think Kevin is the only one that will acquire players this way. You and Ontario need to wake up and pull your heads out of your backside and take a look around.
Indeed, this move by Lowe made more sense than the Vanek offer sheet. That was a case where Buffalo, already smarting from losing Drury and Briere, had the available cap space to match and the overwhelming need to do so, both from a competitive and a PR perspective.
Here, Lowe will force a conference rival to match and thereby weaken itself somewhere else on its roster, or else let a promising young player walk for futures. Sure, Burke will be mad. Tough. Business is business.
That said, Kevin Lowe should be prepared for teams to do the same to him in the future. And, when that happens, he should have the good grace to keep his mouth shut.
All you guys that say the only way Edmonton can get players is ?????
Who cares we don't want anyone who doesn't want to play for the Oilers any way. There are plenty of players who will want to come,play and experience what it's like to play for a sold out barn every night. Does Calgary sell out every game Ontario?.
This move didn't surprise me, but the amount of the contract sure did. Even if Selanne and Scott Niedermeyer both retire I don't think Burke should match the offer, especially with Bobby Ryan on the horizon. Penner is a good team player and would fit nicely in Edmonton, but 4 million a season? Sheesh!
Johnzo
Kevin won't need to say anything if it happens to him. He will ensure that the players the team wants to keep are always under contract. The rest will be deemed expendable. He initiated this you can't for a minute think he scared of backlash.
Next week you will see another small market club do the same thing if not it will happen this weekend.
Regardless how this offer sheet pans out, how would Oilers fans feel if Kevin Lowe went after a guy like Patrick Marleau? I mean if he gave up a sweet package to get him, then took his chances on re-signing him before he hits free agency.
I think it'd be more rational if this was Penner's third season where he increased his point totals every season and was either on his way or already wearing an "A" on his jersey. No doubt he's a good player who works hard on the ice and has scored clutch goals, but as an Oiler fan aren't you concerned that, although this could yield a decent reward, Lowe is taking a huge risk?
Ryan if he can come in and take the #1 spot they can have horcoff torres a defence man probably gilbert or staios and pick. We need a center for hemsky.
Kings fan 4eva
if he was in the league for 3 or 4 seasons putting up good #'s. Would it not be safe to say that you may pay more than 4.3/season for his calibre. Yes it is a gamble but if he can shore up the LW. He will be loved in Edmonton. 20-30 goals a season we stole him. Time will tell.
oilcountry - marleau is a second line center with one year remaining on his three year $12.5 million contact. due to his poor performance in the playoffs, some speculate he will be traded. however, unless the sharks either sign Forsberg or trade Marleau straight up for another second line center who can score 30 goals, they are unlikely to be able replace him and will not move him.
chfever4ever - it's not just guts that gainey needs, the player has to want to come to montreal as well. this is the tough part. but a gm with 15 years experience should be able to pull it off.
Folks our Oilers are never the most skilled team. They are built on speed, grit, excitement and hardwork everynight. If he can do all or most of this and put up decent #'s. The OIL FANS WILL TAKE TO HIM QUITE QUICKLY.
Marty Reasoner, Tarnstrom, Rolloson. Lately all the guys have been signed to Extensions. Staios, Moreau, Pisani, are examples. Funny no one wants to come here yet Vanek and Penner did/do, the young guys that you actually build around
Yeah, what Ryan7878 said. Quick! File for arbitration!
My immediate reaction was "Kevin Lowe, you something-of-the-not-so-nice-nature !" But once I rationalized it a bit, this is an incredibly convenient move. A history of mediocre drafting under Kevin Lowe, combined with geographical unpleasantries and the desire for creature comforts really hurts Edmonton's ability to lure players, despite their rich hockey history.
Supposing the Ducks let Penner fly, the Oilers get a scoring winger with good speed and size enough to play in his own zone. It's a risk because he's coming off his first full campaign, but at the same time you don't have to worry about pressure. The guy's got one of those big shiny rings we all envy. They don't give those away on the street corner, you know?
And Anaheim really won't be that pressed if they let him go. Yeah, they lose a very good player, but they've got a nice system with a few up-and-comers, not to mention 4 draft picks (two in the first round) to re-stock the cabinet or bolster the lineup down the road. There are a few questions, some of which may have been answered already:
*Is Scott Niedermayer done?
*Is Teemu Selanne done?
*Is Rob Niedermayer done?
There were talks of Rob retiring earlier in the off-season. Not sure what went down there. If Scott retires, does his salary count against the cap? I thought there was something to do with that and July 1 but I can't seem to remember ...
You guys are all way off. This isn't about improving the Oilers. This is about punishing (legally) a team that drafted well. Everybody with half a brain knows Penner isn't worth 4 plus mil a year. Heck we got Bertuzzi at 4.5 mil, as a Ducks season seat holder this move is di####able. Lowe (I mean Low) should be ashamed of himself. Oh sure all is fair in the new salary cap era but this move is not only stupid but meant to force the Ducks up to or over the salary cap. Which means they would have to sacrafice other talent in order to overpay Penner. Penner is finished in Anaheim I only hope he fails miserably in Edmonton, then and only then will justice be served.
I think what nobody realizes is that you almost have to over pay in RFA bidding. Lowe had to make it hard for Burke to justify the expense of resigning this guy. Same situation last month with Vanek. Offering a guy a figure that you know the other team can match comfortably is defeating the purpose. That being said, I don't think Penner is the guy to make that kind of offer to. Marleau maybe or someone with some more years of consistency
Ok folks
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY IN EDMONTON?
Are there really people out there that are as daft as my buddy Ontario.
Don't hate Ontario he's a flames fan and doesn't understand.HE RODE THE SHORT BUS TO SCHOOL
Uncalled for, OCR. Calm down some and use the big boy voice, lest Papa Spector comes in here with the ring-hand.
Think of it this way: the guys signing with Edmonton right now are gold-digging. They're certainly not coming to Edmonton for the location. It's all money talking.
Probin why would you wish ill will towards the player or Kevin he seen an opportunity to make a move on a player who will be no doubt a high sought after player next year. If anything you should be upset with your headoffice for allowing this type of acquisiton to take place. Burke overspends his budget puts himself in harms way and THE OILERS ARE TO BLAME. come on think about it.
Chass i'm just funning with Ontario he takes it to heart. Souray is from Edmonton could it actually be that he was glad to come home. Joffrey from Edmonton i wish he didn't have to leave but we had to give up something for Pitkanen. Joffrey not Kevins first choice guaranteed
The truth is still the truth OCR. This move was about pushing the Ducks over the salary cap. If you think Penner is worth 4 mil a year you need to put the bong down my friend. All I'm saying is if LOW wanted to play this game I hope he gets burned. Maybe your Oilers and your GM should learn to draft better instead of making obscene offer sheets and overpaying unproven players. Get a grip OCR. P.S. how did that Lupul, Smid deal work out. Oh yeah, LOW is real genius isn't he. My money says Burke makes the right call.
OH YEAH BABY! I've asking for this for weeks. This in my books doesn't make Lowe any better o####M. If Lowe isn't looking in the direction New Jersey to sign another RFA, then I say he's gotta target Stoll. Get him resigned to a 4-5 year contract.
If the Ducks don't match the offer then I say Edmonton will be a better team than they were last year. They've got a good back-up goalie in Garon. Garon is much better and Jussi and that will let Rolson play less and be better rested, and we won't have to worry about out backup goalie losing every other game for us.
The defense has been upgraded big time. Pitkanin and Souray both have good good size and scoring ability. Souray will have someone playing with him that wont make him as much of a defensive liability. We'll see better play from Smid and Green and that means that overall the guys on the blueline shouldn't be the main target of critisism.
The only question now is... can we score enough goals? Hemsky - Horcoff - Penner. Horcoff may have had a bad season last year and there's a lot of reasons why it might have happened, but he's still a pretty good face off guy and he works his but off every game. I think we'll see an increase in production from him. Hemsky's numbers should be better this year now that he's got better defensen playing behind him and a replacement for Smyth in Penner.
Sanderson - Stoll - Schremp
It's time for Rob Schremp to crack the line-up. All three of these guys can skate, Schremp is an insanely skilled stickhandler. He's got moves NHL goalies have NEVER seen. NEVER.
OK WHY DOES EVERYBODY THINK NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY FOR EDMONTON
Chris Pronger 6.5/season glad to come
i don't care about all the garbage that was thrown around with his departure. Family always first
did the brass overpay him.
The oilers have had some weird situations come onto them lately,but in no way can people actually believe nobody wants to play for them.
Yes Thadd you got your man. He will make a great improvement on the team.
Stoll will be given an extension unless there are questions about his head. Horcoff is no doubtr in my mind part of a package in a trade for a #1 center. We will need to offload some salary to make the pickup.
Probin the bottom line is BRIAN BURKE left himself open to this by putting the team in cap jeopardy. Bad for the Ducks brilliant for the OIlers. What if the shoe was on the other foot. Quit whining about the Kevin. Blame your headoffice.
AS for the Pronger trade what do you care you won the cup. I think oiler fans everywhere were happy with the salary space at the time and the two players you mention. Smid will be a solid D man in the league. Lupul could have had a nice career in Edmonton. Probin you'll have to do better than that if your going to try and hurt my feel bads.
Last edited by oilcountryredneck on July 26th at 4:32 PM.
Man, OCR, give it a rest. Everyone's just expressing their feelings. Hostilities are so unneccessary.
Like I said, it's not that people don't want to play in Edmonton. But you can bet if Anaheim offered him a $3m/year deal last week, he'd have taken it. That may well be the very edge of his value were he to have 3-4 more seasons of this caliber or better. Big-name players go to Edmonton for the money. No-name players go to Edmonton to prove themselves so someone else will give them a shot. How many career guys have the Oilers locked up, compared to teams with nicer weather, bigger shopping centers, and a generally family-friendly environment? Not to say Edmonton's not a nice place, but it's not LA, Phoenix, or Florida. You can at least accept that, right?
Thadd do you really think Rob is ready or would putting him in and hoping he can play to his expectations actually hurt the player. Remember what we did to Comrie. He was given unfair expectations by our fans as well. Ultimately ending in his departure. Although he never has added up to hockey early predictions.
The Oilers and his AHL squad think there are other players NHL ready to fill a spot or two on the third and fourth lines.
I think we should allow him to play a full year with Springfield where the team can continue to help this kid grow.
Thadd this is the first time in years where we actually have a farm team.
Chass i'm not saying anything about what other markets have to offer. Most everyone is slamming the oilers in one way or another and yes i don't like it. I also agree that you need to make a very intriguing offer to somebody who just won a cup with a very good team. If you plan to go after an RFA you will have to open the wallet. I hope BURKE can't match because he won't allow the team to be put in this predicament again,and the rest of the league will follow suit. No free rides for anyone thus small market clubs can compete in the BIG BOY world. Future UFA players will be given fair remuneration for their services. I also believe that the older players will not garner near as much in wages in the future.
As for the ducks does anyone feel sorry for them or any other club that spends to much and puts themselves in this situation.
Why does everyone think nobody wants to play in Edmonton?
Probably because they have to trade away their heart to get a good defenseman or they have to tender offer sheets for you players who haven't shown consistency yet. $7M for Vanek? Wow. Who wouldn't jump to play ANYWHERE if you're offering them that kind of money? $4.3M for Penner? You're giving him a truckload of money for POTENTIAL. Souray? If he was SO enamoured with the idea of playing for Edmonton, why didn't he sign July 1st and not wait until all the options for him dried up?
It's one thing to overpay for a Briere or a Drury, but to overpay for someone who hasn't shown any longevity so far? THAT's the mistake.
And what happens next year if Penner doesn't have a better season? Do they just give up on him like they did Lupul?
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.
