Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe is wasting little time in the off-season getting his restricted free agents under contract before July 1st.
Last Friday Lowe re-signed defenseman Tom Gilbert and forward Robert Nilsson to contract extensions, and on Monday he struck again, re-signing defenseman Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year extension believed worth around $1.5 million.
Grebeshkov reportedly wanted to sign a one-year contract to see how things work out next season before committing to a longer deal.
The Oilers are his third NHL team, having had short tenures with the LA Kings and NY Islanders, but this was his first full NHL season, which proved to be a good one for the 24-year-old, seeing action in 71 games and posting 18 points, respectable totals for a defenseman.
Lowe has said that the speed in which he’s re-signed some of his RFAs isn’t tied to the possibility of a rival team signing one of them away with an offer sheet, as he successfully did with Dustin Penner last summer.
Perhaps, but I’m willing to hazard a guess that it’s very much on Lowe’s mind, as he incurred the wrath of rival GMs last summer for signing Penner to an offer sheet and attempting to do the same with Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek, even though he was within his right to do so under the CBA.
It’s been suggested by some pundits that the Oilers best RFA players could be targets for offer sheets this summer, which would certainly explain why Lowe appears in a hurry to get those players under contract before this summer.
With Grebeshkov, Gilbert and Nilsson now re-signed, Lowe is expected to turn his attention to getting Joni Pitkanen and Jarret Stoll under contract.
Good to have Grebeshkov under contract for another year, and at only a modest bump in salary, to boot. After a rough start in the early part of the season he played solidly, if unspectacularly. Frankly, I would have been surprised if Grebeshkov had been signed longer than a couple of years -- as it stands the deal is only a one-year extension -- given the stockpile of defensive talent available on the farm.
With Souray another two years away before his no-trade clause expires, and assuming the Oilers re-up Pitkanen, Grebeshkov could be the odd man out if the Oilers want to promote anybody up to the big club's blueline next season, so a short term for Grebeshkov keeps everybody's options open.
And Lowe seems to be working on all the small fish, so while I'd love to see Pitkanen or Stoll as the next to sign on the dotted line, I wouldn't be surprised to see Glencross or Reasoner back in the fold first.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on April 15th at 7:55 AM.
It's a little hard for me to look into the heart and soul of a person from 2,000 miles away (not that it's any easier to get a read from across the room), but admitting that limitation, Grebeshkov just doesn't strike me as the stereotypical Russian misfit.
Grebeshkov spent three years in the North America, shuttling between Los Angeles / Manchester and Long Island / Bridgeport and picking up 33 NHL games along the way. Then when Ted Nolan made it clear Grebeshkov wasn't going to fit into his NYI system, Grebeshkov instead went back home (and frankly, I don't blame him). Now with a proper NHL season under his belt last season in Edmonton and proving he can play in the league, Grebeshkov is at a career crossroads.
With the Oilers, there is a degree of uncertainty on the blueline as to where Grebeshkov best fits in. Gilbert, Pitkanen and Souray give you three offensive-minded defensemen. Greene, Smid and Staios give you three big strong stay-at-home guys. If the defensive corps can stay healthy (quite a challenge based on the last couple of seasons), Grebeshkov stands to be the odd man out. Add into the mix some blue-ribbon kids in the pipeline like Theo Peckham and Taylor Chorney who should be up with the team in a season or two, and you're going to have a logjam on the back-end. (Not that I'm complaining -- there are far worse problems!)
*** Continued ***
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on April 15th at 11:18 AM.
Pending the Oilers moving a defenseman (or having a full sickbay for the third season in a row), Denis Grebeshkov looks to be this season's #### Tarnstrom, albeit a younger version with a degree of upside: too talented to sit in the pressbox, not talented enough to push the other guys out of the way.
I like the kid, but he's going to have to show a lot more moxie if he's going to convince the coaching staff that he play ahead of anyone in that top six.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on April 15th at 11:20 AM.
Wow so that's what.. around 44 million now? I say Kevin Lowe has been doing quite well here.
Matt: What do you think should happen with Stoll? He had such a bad season that I don't think we could get anywhere near his worth via trade. What do you think the Oil will re-sign him for? And if he gets an offer sheet from another sheet at what amount should Edmonton decline to match the offer?
1) Matt: To correct the record- Grebeshkov left the Isles to go back to Russia when they didn't guarentee him an NHL roster spot BEFORE he earned one. It had nothing to do with 'Nolan's system'.
2) If Denis comes back to Edmonton next fall and fails to crack their defense we are just saying he's MORE likely to bolt back to Russia than play anymore in the AHL
3) You are correct no one can look into his heart or soul, but one CAN look at his past actions to predict future actions
Last edited by fauxrumors5 on April 16th at 4:52 AM.
I don't know if the record needs correcting. Ted Nolan was signed as Islander coach on June 8, 2006. Grebeshkov (whom the Islanders acquired from the Kings in March 2006) attempted to negotiate a one-way deal that summer after three years of bouncing between the NHL and the AHL. (Not an unreasonable request for a player at that point in his career, and it's the price you pay if you want to keep a prized asset.) Grebeshkov and the Islanders couldn't come to terms because Nolan wouldn't commit to playing him and Snow wouldn't commit to paying him. Long Island's loss became Edmonton's gain. (The Islanders gave up on Robert Nilsson because Nolan wouldn't play him, either, again to Edmonton's gain. Media reports have Garth Snow putting some heat on Nolan to play Jeff Tambellini before his departure creates a prospect exodus hat-trick.)
Moreover, if Grebeshkov proves to be the odd man out in Edmonton, why does that make it MORE likely he'll bolt for Russia? Grebeshkov proved he's an NHL-calibre defenseman last season. In a 30 team NHL there are more than a few clubs who would pick him up in a trade.
It may be a quibble on my part, but to me when you use the phrase "bolt back to Russia" it describes players who walk out on their NHL contracts, or leave their AHL teams mid-season because they don't like playing in the North American minors. Grebeshkov did three years in the minor league trenches, and was between contracts when he signed for that season in Russia.
When the Oilers acquired his rights, Grebeshkov came back to North America for essentially entry level money (less than he was making in Yaroslavl, by the way). His new one year contract is pretty reasonable by current NHL standards.
I could be wrong, but from all appearances Denis Grebeshkov seems to be a stand-up guy who sincerely wants to play in the NHL. Knowing the Oilers organization, if things don't work out in Edmonton they would give him that chance elsewhere before he'd have to pack up and leave in the dead of night.
What to do about Jarret Stoll is the $64,000 question, isn't it?
If I had my way, I'd like the Oilers to re-sign him. It was a bad season last year, no argument, but I think the concussion from 2006-07 lingered, and his confidence and timing just weren't there. After an injury-free 2007-08 season and with another summer of rest and recovery, I believe he can bounce back.
Trading Stoll is a no-win prospect. You won't get anywhere near his value coming back in a deal. Worse, if he recovers and goes on to a fine career elsewhere (a la Boyd Devereux) you look like a fool for giving up on him.
The risk is that next summer Stoll will be a UFA. Under normal circumstances THIS is the summer that you'd lock him up long-term. But I don't see Stoll agreeing to a multi-year deal while his stock is so low, nor the Oilers entertaining that amount of contractual risk.
If I had to wager the mortgage money, I expect Stoll will re-sign a one year deal with the Oilers for around the same amount of his current contract ($2.2 million). Before the end of the season, assuming he bounces back, he and the Oilers will negotiate something more long-term and he'll be re-upped in Edmonton silks long before hitting the open market.
Now, how about fielding this question for me: What do you do about Raffi Torres?
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on April 16th at 10:13 AM.
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.
