This post comes after a fun comment made by Kevin Lowe in a recent interview with Dan Tencer. Here's David Staples rendition of it:If Schremp or fellow prospect Gilbert Brule have a great camp, it could mean a vet is out the door, Lowe said. "If these guys play really well we might have to move a veteran hockey player and we're not opposed to doing that at all."
Here are the Oilers current list of forwards with NHL experience, by games played:
Ethan Moreau: 710
Shawn Horcoff: 480
Erik Cole: 418
Ales Hemsky: 349
Fernando Pisani: 324
Dustin Penner: 183
Gilbert Brule: 146
Robert Nilsson: 128
Kyle Brodziak: 96
Zach Stortini: 95
Andrew Cogliano: 82
Sam Gagner: 79
Marc Pouliot: 78
Ryan Potulny: 44
Rob Schremp: 3
Liam Reddox: 1
Given that Lowe cites Gilbert Brule as a kid, let's use his 146 NHL games as a cutoff point. This leaves six players (six!) eligible for trade. Of these, I think it's reasonable to assume Shawn Horcoff (new contract), Erik Cole (just signed) and Ales Hemsky (ridiculous bargain contract) aren't going anywhere. That leaves Moreau, Pisani and Penner as possibilities.
My personal belief? Lowe's making stuff up. Of those three players, Moreau's the captain and has a unique (to this roster) skillset, Pisani really isn't replaceable, and Dustin Penner was a pain to acquire and it would look really bad to dump him.
If Lowe isn't making stuff up, it needs to be hoped that he's looking squarely at Ethan Moreau, because the possibilities stink.