Edmonton Oilers (NHL 11, Be A GM)

[Psyblast]

A new sheriff in town in Edmonton
A new, ambitious GM takes the reigns, promises to return the Oilers to glory

EDMONTON, AB - It's been four distant years since the Edmonton Oilers embarked on a magical Cinderella run that ended in heartbreak in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Since then, the Oilers have seen their roster almost completely turn over, and with the exodus they have fallen into the cellar of the NHL. The bright side of that is a slow but steady collection of extremely promising young talent. The beginning of a very solid nucleus can be seen on the Oilers' roster in the form of 20 year old Jordan Eberle, 19 year old Magnus Pääjärvi, 20 year old Sam Gagner, 20 year old Colten Teubert (acquired from the LA Kings in the Dustin Penner trade), and of course, 18 year old phenom Taylor Hall, the franchise's foundation player for the future.

But now, there's going to be a new man calling the shots in the Edmonton front office, as the Oilers have made a change in leadership at the general manager position essentially on the eve of the NHL Draft. Steve Tambellini has been let go, and in his place, Edmonton President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe has tapped Brian Kudron to lead the Oilers into the future.

Kudron is a relative unknown to the everyday fan, but he's built quite a reputation for his charisma and decision-making in his assistant role in the front office of the Detroit Red Wings. He becomes the youngest general manager in the National Hockey League, and with that youth comes a brashness that he hopes will energize the entire organization.

"This place, it's one of the sacred grounds of hockey," Kudron said at his introductory press conference. "Growing up, I had to put up with my Red Wings being stonewalled in the late 1980s by the dynasty Oilers, and throughout the years, as I've made my way through the system, I've been able to observe venues around the league, and Edmonton is second to none. Even when we've fallen on hard times here lately, the fans never stop coming, because this is a special, special place, and the wonderful fans of Edmonton deserve a winner. And I'm going to give it to them, no matter what it takes."

Although the enthusiasm is definitely something Oiler fans can attach themselves to, one aspect of Kudron's approach to hockey may give the fanbase in central Alberta pause. Given his deep connections to the Red Wings organization and his time spent as an assistant in the Detroit front office, Kudron has developed an affinity for the European style of play the Red Wings have deployed the last 20 years en route to four Stanley Cups. That's always a source of a certain amount of trepidation among the Canadian fanbases in the NHL. The majority of hockey fans north of the border not only cherish hockey as their own, they believe it should be played a certain way, and the emphasis on skill and finesse in Detroit is the opposite of the bruising physical style Canadian fans generally prefer.

"I'm well aware of the stigma Detroit's style of hockey has in Canada," Kudron said at the press conference. "All throughout the years, the Red Wings were viewed as too 'soft' and too 'European' to win in the playoffs. Everybody always assumed the increased physicality of the postseason would ultimately win out over the skill of the Red Wings - until 2008 when Detroit won their 4th Cup in 11 years. I'm pretty confident that the great fans of Edmonton won't be complaining too much about the style of play or the nationality of the players if the championships start rolling in like I expect them to."

His own words spell out his plan: Edmonton's new GM plans to inject a European flavor into the Oilers' roster and slowly adjust their style to mirror what the Red Wings have used for the past 20 years. In fact, the rumors behind the scenes says that Kudron isn't focused on the upcoming draft at all, instead planning to use those draft picks as trade bait for young, talented prospects already in farm systems in the NHL. Also, unconfirmed reports say that the new general manager has already begun the process of increasing Edmonton's scouting in Europe, especially the Nordic countries of Sweden and Finland, and also Russia.

The future appears to be bright for the Oilers, as Kudron clearly has a plan in place to bring the Oilers back amongst the NHL's elite.

[Razor18]

Nice, enjoyed your last one, no doubt I'll like this one.

[Psyblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by Razor18

Nice, enjoyed your last one, no doubt I'll like this one.

Thanks. I'm really excited about this one, it'll be a totally different approach than my Kings one where I traded whatever prospects and picks I needed to to acquire veterans I thought could help right away - essentially a "win now" mentality. Totally opposite with the Oilers; should be fun.

Thanks for following.

[Razor18]

Yeah no doubt it's fun to try and stack a team and make that special run, but at the same time it is fun to mix it up and try to build a team. Best of luck to you, as I have had a few Edmonton dynasties (not posted on here) and never solved the goalie issue lol.

[Psyblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by Razor18

I have had a few Edmonton dynasties (not posted on here) and never solved the goalie issue lol.

Already got a plan to try and fix that.

[Psyblast]

Kudron hits the ground running
New Edmonton GM spends Draft Day 2010 wheeling and dealing

June 23, 2010

EDMONTON, AB - New Oilers general manager Brian Kudron was very open about every single draft pick the Oilers had in this draft being on the trading block. Privately, he had a plan to "draft" prospects from other teams by using the draft picks from this year's draft as trading ammo.

And he executed that plan to the extreme, as the Oilers made four separate trades on draft day that saw them trade away eight of the 10 draft picks they had in this draft, including the #1 overall pick.

And in return, the Oilers acquired three very promising prospects, and absolutely loaded up for the 2011 Draft, which in itself may be part of a bigger plan.

It all started right away, as the Oilers were on the clock with the first overall pick, but they never had any intention in using it to actually draft someone. They were busy hammering out the final details of a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes that sent the 2010 #1 overall pick, along with one of Edmonton's two 2010 2nd round picks, and veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray to the desert in exchange for Phoenix's 2011 1st round pick, and the prize jewel that Kudron coveted the most: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the 18 year old Swedish defenseman taken 6th overall by the Coyotes in the 2009 Draft.

And that was just the beginning. From the moment Kudron arrived in Edmonton, he told others in the front office that he wasn't happy with Edmonton's goaltending situation. Nikolai Khabibulin is in the twilight of his career, and Kudron has allegedly said he isn't impressed with Devan Dubnyk as the future of the franchise between the pipes for the Oilers. So he continued his policy of "drafting" prospects already in the NHL via trading of Edmonton's draft picks. And in doing so, he acquired not one, but two very, very promising young goaltenders.

Shortly after the stunning trade with the Coyotes, the Oilers were at it again right away, this time finalizing a deal with the Florida Panthers that sends Devan Dubnyk and the 2011 1st round pick the Oilers acquired from Los Angeles (in the Dustin Penner trade) to the Panthers in exchange for Florida's 2nd round pick in 2011 and 20 year old goaltender Jacob Markström. The 6'4 Swedish goalie was drafted 31st overall in the 2008 Draft by the Panthers.

After that, the Oilers made another move for a goalie with enormous potential. Edmonton sent defenseman Ladislav Smid and their 3rd and 4th round picks in this draft to Nashville in exchange for Nashville's 2011 2nd round pick and 22 year old goalie Anders Lindbäck. Lindbäck is a towering goalie at 6'6, and is believed to be a gem the Predators unearthed when they drafted him in the 7th round of the 2008 draft, 247th overall.

The Oilers did participate in this draft, as they had the first pick in both the 2nd and 7th rounds, using both picks to draft Swedish defenseman - 5'11, 171-pound, 18 year old Lars Lundin out of Drummondville in the QMJHL, and the hulking 6'4, 239-pound, 20 year old Jesper Åkerlund out of the Swedish Elite League.

One final trade the Oilers made was sending their 5th round pick and all three of their 6th rounders in this draft to the New York Islanders in exchange for their 1st round pick in next year's draft.

Afterward, the new Oilers GM was grinning from ear to ear.

"This is the first step, I think," Kudron said. "I'm so, so excited about the moves we made today, and the players we acquired. We got younger, we got more cap room, and I believe we have the nucleus of a Stanley Cup Champion on our roster now. We acquired two goalies who both have the potential to blossom into superstars in the NHL. We acquired a defenseman we think will eventually be one of the very best in the game. And we drafted a pair of very promising young defenders who play the game differently; Lars is a more offensive-oriented defenseman with good speed and skill, while Spencer is better defensively and more physical."

Meanwhile, the future holds something even more dazzling for the Oilers and their fans, as the result of Kudron's moves has left Edmonton with an amazing three picks in BOTH the 1st and 2nd round next year. Nobody in the Oilers' front office will admit it, of course, but the rumor is that, on the chance that the Oilers improve this upcoming season and don't get the #1 pick overall in next year's draft, they have stockpiled all these picks in order to trade up and draft Swedish phenom Adam Larsson, who is already drawing comparisons to Nicklas Lidstrom.

Trade summaries:

Edmonton gets:
- D Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- 2011 1st round pick (Phoenix)

Phoenix gets:
- D Sheldon Souray
- 2010 1st round pick (Edmonton)
- 2010 2nd round pick (Edmonton, via Nashville)

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Edmonton gets:
- G Jacob Markström
- 2011 2nd round pick (Florida)

Florida gets:
- G Devan Dubnyk
- 2011 1st round pick (Edmonton, via Los Angeles)

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Edmonton gets:
- G Anders Lindbäck
- 2011 2nd round pick (Nashville)

Nashville gets:
- D Ladislav Smid
- 2010 3rd round pick (Edmonton)
- 2010 4th round pick (Edmonton)

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Edmonton gets:
- 2011 1st round pick (NYI)

New York Islanders get:
- 2010 5th round pick (Edmonton)
- 2010 6th round pick (Edmonton)
- 2010 6th round pick (Edmonton, via Anaheim)
- 2010 6th round pick (Edmonton, via Ottawa)

[NYwRiter94]

This should be very interesting. With the way you plowed through your last chise, it won't take long to see how these young players progress.

When's your best estimate for a cup run?

[Razor18]

I like the moves, except be wary that Markstrom takes a bit to develop, unless of course you are throwing him right in as the start on the Oilers, he takes a while down in the A.