Yesterday the Oilers did something that was expected: they traded one of our two most important current pieces to our team. I'm happy that Ales Hemsky is going to to stay (at least for the remainder of the season), but I'm not happy that Dustin is out in LA now (though it affords him a chance at another cup).
This is how my reaction went (all times are approximations):
12:30 PM: TSN announces trade.
12:31 PM: A colourful string of vocabulary exits my mouth.
12:32 PM: TSN announces the return.
12:33 PM: Another string of colourful vocabulary.
12:34 PM: I consider it, remember Teubert vaguely from a past World Juniors team and decide to look into it thinking, 'maybe this will be okay'.
12:38 PM: Yet another string of colourful vocabulary.
Why it Makes Sense:
In return the Oilers received Colton Teubert, a first round draft pick this year and a conditional third round draft pick next year. The Oilers are rebuilding, and have been for the past year and a half. The years prior to that can be chalked up to management being in denial about just how bad we were and what needed to be done. The trades for Visnovsky and the Khabibulin signing are good arguments for just how far into denial management was.
Now it's 2011 and management has fully embraced a rebuild. We sold and cut out our older players (if only for excess baggage from around the league) and drafted youngsters. It seems like we've been playing forever with an average age of the team that's below 25. This is a step in the right direction, and it certainly beats being in denial.
It makes sense if we weren't going to be able to sign him here in Edmonton at the end of his contract. Yes, he recently married an LA actress, but does that mean that he would've refused to play here? I doubt it, but it is possible. If management was getting a different signal from Dustin (mainly that he wasn't interested in signing here, or that he was looking for similar money or more money) than we were, then good one them for getting something in return for him, rather than waiting to lose him to free agency at the end of next season.
Why it Doesn't Make Sense:
Behold the Oilers! Come and watch us as we magically get younger year... After year.... After year...
Yes, we are rebuilding. Yes, this means we have to sell off our older players. Yes, it means we need to get some high draft picks for a couple-few years.
What it doesn't mean, however, is that we have to be perpetually awful. We've been out of the playoffs now for five years running. Because of Management's reluctance to face facts and embrace a rebuild we are only just now into our second year of rebuilding: that is three years of wasted time (especially when you consider the returns we were getting for the players we did trade - ghastly; and what we traded for players that we received - equally awful).
Dustin Penner was not at the end of his contract. He had another year tacked on. This is what is one of the most confusing parts of this deal: the Oilers had time. It's hard to say whether his value would've dropped by this time next year, but it's a chance I would've taken (as a non-GM-qualified observer).
Dustin Penner had a wide variety of skills: he was putting up 30 goal seasons and consistently in and around the top of the team for scoring; he played on the penalty kill and the power play, he was willing to go into tough areas, he had skill for playing in front of the net, he was a big body with soft hands, and when he decided that he was going to the net just about no one could prevent him from doing so. Did I mention he is still in his twenties?
Dustin Penner was not an older player. He was not a guy who was going to be nearing the end of his career when we, finally, were at the peak of our cycle. Dustin Penner is a guy that was, as I saw it, part of the nucleus of this team. From what I understand he had leadership qualities, was good in the room, and his sense of humour was the best I've seen in a hockey player since, well, I don't know when.
Hearing Dustin Penner say that he would have been willing to stay in Edmonton during the press conference was the least comforting part. You mean we could have signed him to an extension, had an extra year on the contract to do so, and yet we still only got Teubert (projected to be a career 4-5 guy), a first rounder in a weak draft year, and a conditional third rounder next year? My confidence (whatever was left) in Tambellini has left the building. We couldn't even get a roster player out of LA? One could say that we likely never even asked for one, or we weren't looking for one... That's almost worse in my mind, because it says that we're going to be stuck in this bottomfeeder rut for at least another year or two, and that's as long as we don't end up trading any more of our valuable players for picks.
Someone should probably let Tambo know that eventually you have to stop rebuilding. Eventually you have to have built a team that is capable of winning games consistently. Eventually we have to bloody well stand up and deliver. For most teams that year would've likely been next year. But our flight to the land of contenders has thusly been delayed... For at least a year.
And so I say goodbye to Dustin Penner. You're a good player, and I enjoyed watching you play (your interviews were also gold). There were a lot of people here in Edmonton who didn't appreciate you, and I'm sure that your value will become painfully obvious with you gone to LA. Enjoy the warm weather, and say hello to Smytty for us.
The LA Kings have got themselves at least one more temporary fan this offseason.
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