Pisani Signs with Chicago
Ryan Rishaug is reporting that Fernando Pisani has signed a one-year one-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Although this means that Pisani will not be an Oiler-for-life, and makes Ben's farewell official, I couldn't be happier for Fernando. It's really too bad the Hawks moved Marty Reasoner along. It would have been fun to see two-thirds of the "RPM" line reunited.
almost 2 years ago
Scott Reynolds
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Hrm. Oilers let Pisani go, Hawks take Pisani on. Which organization is the one that built the defending Cup champions again? I’m struggling to remember.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 2:54 PM MDT reply actions
What about “complete rebuild” do you not understand?
There is no point to keeping an old role player. They have to find a younger player able to fill that role long term. Tambellini has chosen the competition route to fill role positions. Reddox, Ondrus, Jones, Stewart, Vande Velde, McDonald, O’Marra, and if none of them can do it, you try another cheap young guy until you do.
Pisani should be with a contender. He found a perfect spot.
I guess I’m confused by the part where having a bunch of young players getting torn apart into bloody chunks as they’re thrown into situations they are hopelessly unready for will turn them into really excellent hockey players.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 3:41 PM MDT up reply actions
i like the visual of, say, Datsyuk skating around the ice with a Katana, literally slaughtering baby Oilers with this look on his face:
by Passive Voice on Aug 18, 2010 5:34 PM MDT up reply actions
Ales Hemsky would literally never play again.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 5:38 PM MDT up reply actions
Reddox, Jones, Ondrus, Stewart, Brule, Cogliano, Stortini, Jacques, O’Marra, McDonald….which of these your players is not at least in their 4th year. Why do these guys need hand-holding? What damage is done throwing them to the wolves? If they have a future, it is in a Pisani role. We’re rebuilding. Let’s find a young guy who can do the job. If they can’t, Tambellini has learnt he doesn’t have to offer them contracts next year.
Nobody is expecting Hall or Eberle or Paajarvi is going to fill the Pisani role. They will be protected.
Terrible, bad, terrible, really terrible, no conception of defense, bad, good, terrible, terrible, terrible.
That’s the problem with that list.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 6:04 PM MDT up reply actions
No one is claiming they are proven. But when you are REBUILDING, there is no point signing a 30-something guy who won’t be around to do the job in three years.
You begin sifting through all your own young players to see if there is anyone who will do what it takes to grab an available NHL job, and then other teams young players if none of your young guys are smart and motivated enough to grab it.
It is an entirely different process on a team desparate to make the playoffs. Then you try signing a proven guy.
Most proven guys would get demoralized because the Oilers are still going to be doing a lot of losing. You want young hungry unproven guys fighting for those role positions on a rebuilding club.
The last thing you want is a old guy looking for one or two more years of pay cheques.
But we know what those guys are already. We know exactly what they are, and I don’t think any of us are impressed.
Hockey is like everything else. You don’t learn when you’re overwhelmed, when you’re miserable, when you’re getting your guts kicked out onto the pavement every time you try to do your job. There is a point in signing an effective veteran when you’re rebuilding: he lets you dip the kids into the pool slowly instead of just chucking them in the deep end. He provides an influence, that old Crash Davis affect.
I don’t really believe all this rebuilding nonsense anyway. There’s a post in this, I think, but in a salary cap world what the hell is this rebuilding shit? You could have gone out on July 1 and signed ten solid NHL players, a couple of whom are stars, no problem if you had the cap room. Meanwhile, your draft picks are going unrestricted just as they’re hitting their primes. What does rebuilding even mean anymore?
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 7:58 PM MDT up reply actions
… Jacques, O’Marra… Tambellini has learnt he doesn’t have to offer them contracts next year.
That’s brutal cherry-picking on my part, but it did make me laugh. I tend to agree with Ben that we’d be better off with fewer rookies (I’d like to start the year with two on the roster), at least one more established vet (Pisani as an example), and a lot less chaff being discussed as NHL possibilities (some of the guys on your list are kind of awful). If the choice is Jacques or Pisani at the same price, I’ve got to think that a rebuilding team benefits more from the mentor than the pile of suck.
by Scott Reynolds on Aug 18, 2010 6:28 PM MDT up reply actions
But you never know, maybe Jean-Francois will suddenly learn what a hockey puck looks like after going -60 next season. Rebuild!
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 6:32 PM MDT up reply actions
To be fair, there’s a pretty big difference between players you want on a contender and players you want on a rebuilder.
For instance, a contending team wants player that are good at hockey, and a rebuilding team wants Steve MacIntyre so we can get more sweet, sweet first overall draft picks.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 3:36 PM MDT up reply actions
But don’t you think that is the unspoken strategy here? I’m not arguing it’s the best strategy available, but tanking certainly seems to be on the cards in Oilers HQ.
But then why Foster rather than Peckham? Why Vandermeer rather than O’Sullivan? Why Giroux rather than Reddox? It doesn’t make sense. I almost sense a theme I will be returning to at 6:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time tomorrow morning.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 10:09 PM MDT up reply actions
I’m happy for Fernando, and especially that he ended up with a cup contender.
Hopefully the Oil will put together a video tribute for his first return to Edmonton. In my humble opinion he’s quite worthy of one, surely more than the recently departed captain.
ps: Although I wholeheartedly agree with Adam, this doesn’t explain why more hasn’t been done to uncover a suitable replacement for this season. Hell, a replacement for Pouliot hasn’t even been found yet.
I’d be more inclined to expect newspaper articles on how Fernando urged Chris Pronger to demand a trade and dislocated Shawn Horcoff’s shoulder with Jarret Stoll’s head.
by Benjamin Massey on Aug 18, 2010 3:37 PM MDT up reply actions
Nice shot. :D
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
by Bruce McCurdy on Aug 18, 2010 4:55 PM MDT up reply actions
I’m amazed any team gave him a contract.
Not only was he bad when he played, but it’s completely impossible for him to claim medical fitness with the unfortunate disease that he has.
It does conceivably open the door for Chicago to try and move one of their other bottom six guys who are making more money, but that doesn’t seem worth the risk.
I’m still trying to figure out how Chicago can afford $1.5 MM on Nick F. Boynton.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
by Bruce McCurdy on Aug 18, 2010 4:56 PM MDT up reply actions
Thanks. The report I saw on TV was obviously inaccurate. He did make $1.5 MM last year, maybe that’s what they meant, although it’s not what they said.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
by Bruce McCurdy on Aug 19, 2010 12:22 AM MDT up reply actions
I remember that being reported on TSN actually. I heard $1.5M and seemed unbelievable, so I checked capgeek, and sure enough, it was unbelievable for a reason.
by Scott Reynolds on Aug 19, 2010 12:36 AM MDT up reply actions
It’s not much of a risk if Chicago’s got money to spend. If Pisani is healthy, they do great since he’s likely to be excellent value at the league minimum. If he’s hurt, then on to LTIR he goes, and they can use his cap space on the call-up.
by Scott Reynolds on Aug 18, 2010 5:36 PM MDT up reply actions
Ifthey wanted to spend the money that’s true. It’s starting to look like they’ll start the year about 3M under the salary cap and redirect some funds into their AHL team.
by Scott Reynolds on Aug 18, 2010 7:06 PM MDT up reply actions
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