It's been a while since Mike Grier was an Edmonton Oiler; the Oilers sent him to Washington at the dawn of 2002 for draft picks (one was dealt to the Islanders, the other became Zack Stortini), but he's always been one of those players I'm glad to have watched. He originally came to Edmonton from St. Louis along with Curtis Joseph in exchange for draft picks.
Gritty, fearless, and blessed with a high pain threshold, one of the most bizarre things about Grier was his tendency to alternate good offensive seasons with bad ones.
- 1994-95: 29 goals (NCAA)
- 1995-96: 21 goals (NCAA)
- 1996-97: 15 goals
- 1997-98: 9 goals
- 1998-99: 20 goals
- 1999-00: 9 goals
- 2000-01: 20 goals
- 2001-02: 8 goals
- 2002-03: 15 goals
- 2003-04: 9 goals
- 2004-05: Did not play
- 2005-06: 7 goals
- 2006-07: 16 goals
- 2007-08: 9 goals
- 2008-09: 10 goals
It's a strange pattern; fifteen years of alternating goal patterns, broken only by the lockout until this year. I can't think of any reason for it other than coincidence.
In any case, Grier signed a one year contract with Buffalo yesterday. He's coming off a rough season that saw him play largely a fourth-line role (in addition to his penalty-killing duties) on a very decent team. Edmonton could have used his help when down a man, but there really isn't a spot for him on RW - Pisani, and ironically Stortini have those spots locked up.
All the best to him in Buffalo.