Oilers Sign Josh Green

With just three spots left on their 50-man reserve list, of course the Oilers have signed Josh Green! I'll be honest and say that my first reaction at seeing this news was laughter. The Oilers are bringing Josh Green back? Thirty-three year-old Josh Green? Really? They sure are! I haven't seen any financial terms, but we do know that it's a two-way deal, and with the recent run of forward signings, it seems likely that Green will spend most of 2011-12 with the Barons.

So what does Josh Green do well? Well, he's a big left-winger who plays a physical game, and in his last NHL run with the Vancouver Canucks he had a regular role on the penalty kill when he was able to get into the lineup (2:32 per game in 57 games in 2006-07). So if he makes an appearance with the Oilers, that's probably what we can expect. At the AHL level, he's got enough skill to score a little too. In his AHL career, he's got 227 points in 335 regular season games, including 98 goals. Last season, he had 15 goals and 31 assists in 69 games. So there's some surprising quality here.

And what does the roster look like? Let's take a look at all of the players that are likely destined for Oklahoma City:

Petrell - House - Tyrvainen
Hartikainen - Lander - Arcobello
Green - O'Marra - Pitlick
Tremblay - Kytnar - Rajala
Hamilton - VandeVelde - Cornet - Abney - Lord

Chorney - Plante
Helmer - Potter
Marincin - Teubert
Motin - Fedun

Roy

That's a lot of bodies. Guys like Pitlick, Hamilton, and Marincin may well end up getting sent back to junior, and if they don't, a few of these players are going to be starting the year in Stockton. Cameron Abney is an easy call, but after that, the decisions get much more difficult. Then again, maybe one of these guys could be the back-up goalie.