The Oilers have made one helleva splash….offer sheet for Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres. It’s a 7 year, $50 million offer for Vanek who scored 43 goals last year (and 84 points).
The Oilers would have to give up FOUR first round draft picks. Damn, that’s crazy but to get this guy, maybe not so crazy after all?? But how can Buffalo not match this offer? They lost Drury and Briere to free agency. They must have a huge amount of space to accomondate this contract. I’d be surprised if Buffalo doesn’t match. But I like this move….aggressive and he’s going after the right player. Good move.
Update: Never mind. Buffalo has matched the offer. Next time Kevin, go after a team that is in cap trouble.
From the Edm Journal:
“You can’t blame the blame player, you can’t blame the agent,” said managing partner Larry Quinn. “It’s not doing the Edmonton Oilers any good to do what they did today. It’s not the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, preying on Buffalo. It’s the Edmonton Oilers.”
Yes cause this is the same as Philly’s offer sheet to Kessler. No, it’s not. Kessler was highballed, but Vanek was not. The rules are in place to make offers on restricted free agents. When a team cannot sign free agents, what else are they supposed to do? This is not wrong. It was not preying. The Oilers made a good move, but it didn’t work out.
Update: A good bit from the Big Dude at Sportsnet who defended KLowe’s move perfectly:
Spurned by free agents in search of a beach, and Michael Nylander in search of a backbone, K-Lowe was forced onto a road less traveled. It’s his job as a general manager to do whatever it takes to build a competitive hockey team, and what Lowe did Friday is show that he’s not afraid to go in the corners and get the puck to make something happen in order to win hockey games.
While I wasn’t crazy about the offer sheet idea, I was hoping it was Vanek if it was going to be attempted. My interest in Vanek was piqued since the Journal article a few months ago and later Spector’s thoughts on him as a possible RFA target.
Agree it wasn’t quite the same as the Kessler episode, the comments from Quinn are a little unsettling though.
I’ve been trying to stay positive and for the most part still am. Lately a scene from “Pretty Woman” keeps popping into my head where Julia Roberts’ character has these handfuls of cash but she gets snubbed in that dress shop. I then remind myself that it ended rather nicely for her. But it was only a movie sooooo…
RoliLover
Good analogy! LOL!
So are you trying to say the Oilers are a trashy hooker, willing to give it to anyone but no one wants them? Hmmm that sounds right. Yes be positive. The whore got her man and so shall the Oil.
I remain optimistic, or at least I’m trying to be! We need to start actually GETTING players … that’ll improve things!
Yikes. Is that really the impression I gave ??? I suppose I did leave myself open for that. But it couldn’t be further from the truth in case anyone thought that. Oilers are like a trashy hooker? No, of course not. Good decent human being? Yes.
The analogy was supposed to be more of a ‘sorry, don’t want your money based on my perception of you’ (Team Siberia?). It was just that scene not the the whole movie premise. Have I’ve backpeddled far enough?
Anyway it was a fleeting humorous thought for a short while there that I thought I’d share, that’s all.
RoliLover
Good backpeddling! lol