Reddox May Go Runner-Runner
This is Liam Reddox. He had a very nice season and he’s having an even better off-season. For a prospect who is in the middle area of the depth charts to win a big league job, several players must get out of the way and the dominoes need to fall in a way that doesn’t allow the team to find more proven, experienced stopgap replacements.
Reddox did it all in the AHL in 07-08.PP, PK, checking line, scoring line, did it well across the board. Reddox went 65gp, 16-28-44, +10 for the season and he finished up at a point-per-game pace.
Coach Buchberger gushed about him and Kevin Prendergast said nice things too. “Liam finally understood towards the end of [last] year that it wasn’t the points that were important but reliability; if you’re reliable you get more ice time and that’s what he’s done this year. Even in his game with the Oilers he was reliable. He got the puck out and almost scored on the first shift of the game. He’s got confidence and Kelly’s showed a lot of confidence in him this year.”
Even with that, Reddox was so far down the depth chart entering the summer of 2008 that it would have been almost impossible for him to make the roster out of camp. Before the player movement got rolling in June, the depth chart looked like this at the NHL level:
- Dustin Penner
- Andrew Cogliano
- Raffi Torres
- Ethan Moreau
- Curtis Glencross
- Rob Schremp
- Liam Reddox
- Slava Trukhno
- JF Jacques (injured)
- Bryan Lerg
- Tim Sestito
Since then, the Oilers have acquired Erik Cole and Ryan Potulny, plus said goodbye to Raffi Torres and Curtis Glencross. Two of the locks for a roster spot leave, one lock returns. Reddox moves up the depth chart. Add in Ethan Moreau’s injury concerns and the fact that the player who is clearly on the same level as Reddox isn’t really an option should Moreau go down, and it’s looking pretty good for the kid. Even the extra forward they acquired (Potulny) is more shooter than energy guy with a history of penalty killing or an assistant coach in his corner.
Here, let’s list the 4 locks at left wing with their possible replacements in brackets:
- Cole (no one, really)
- Penner (ditto)
- Cogliano (Schremp, Potulny, Trukhno, Lerg)
- Moreau (Reddox, Jacques-injured, Sestito)
I think Reddox is in a nice position now. Oh sure, they may play Brodziak or Pouliot or even Stortini out of position if Moreau gets injured, but the point is Reddox is in the mix. Schremp’s competition for playing time should Cogliano (or someone from that line) slump is much stronger, in fact Potulny has some things that make him a stronger bet for the roster (experience, waivers) than either Schremp or Reddox.
The organization likes him, his AHL coach is moving up to the big club and the guy who is in front of him on the depth chart has played 20% of the schedule the last two seasons.
Nothing not to like about the kid based on last season.
I think we have another Pisani on our hands here. The kid finds good areas in the offensive end, his play last year dictates that he can play in his own end with some success. He doesn’t have much in terms of size but he still wins puck battles.
At 22, Pisani had 34 points (16 goals) in 36 games in College, Reddox had 44 points (16 goals) in 65 AHL games.
Desjardins gives Reddox 10-15 for 25 points in 82 NHL games. At 22, Desjardins would have given Pisani 11-14 for 25 points in 82 NHL games.
I’m just saying…
I like that we’re all just assuming Ethan Moreau is going to go down with a debilitating, season-long injury at some point.
Don’t understand your depth chart one bit.
From a brief glance, you’re missing Hemsky, Horcoff, Gagner and Nilsson.
He’s focusing solely on the LW’s in that depth chart (he’s got Cogs in their from the kid line, though you could probably put any one of the 3 in there).
Reddox is in a great position and if he were 5 inches and 40 pounds heavier he would be a lock.
dmfb, even if Moreau doesn’t go down how effective is he going to be after basically not playing for 2 years. If we get 75 games of an impactful Ethan Moreau I will be pleasantly surprised.
This is completely off-topic, but can someone explain to me why there aren’t multiple teams sending offer sheets to two of the three shark rfas?
Or might they be and we just aren’t hearing about it because Clowe and Ehrhoff aren’t accepting?
Ehrhoff signed a couple days ago.
3 years for around 3.1 per.
Clowe would be the perfect but I think the Sharks would match 2.6 million.
Reddox-Stortini-Brodziak?
The Ddoxtiniaks, a fierce tribe of puck-scalping muckers of the Alberta boreal forest, known to carry their sticks high and wear sharp blades on their feet.
Clowe would be the perfect but I think the Sharks would match 2.6 million.
$2,615,623 – $3,923,434 – 1st and 3rd round pick
Picks 26 and 78 aren’t worth as much as Clowe. Go for it.
Reddox has Buchy’s backing and Buchy has MacT’s ear and Moreau’s a season ending injury waiting to happen.
Another astute post by Lain.
I miss the days when he was pimping Lupul and talking about Smid’s offensive potential;)
But, Dennis, Smid does have offensive potential.
“Picks 26 and 78 aren’t worth as much as Clowe. Go for it.”
And risk reading how we traded Clowe for Denis Potvin for the next year?
I can’t believe anybody would have the audaity to wear Petr Klima’s 85. How dare he.
Good day,
OT – yeah, yeah. ;-p
To anyone who sees this in time…
Horcoff is going to discuss the Oilers off season on Stauffer’s show shortly after 5pm local.
http://www.theteam1260.com/
L8r
Louise
Louise…
Thanks
.
Very curious to see what he says… especially re: 1st unit PP, talking with Hossa and a long term contract.
And risk reading how we traded Clowe for Denis Potvin for the next year?
Good point. We better save up those middling draft picks.
dstaples: he does?
Is it just me, or does Stauffer have an unhealthy obsession with a team having a heavy weight?
“Good point. We better save up those middling draft picks.”
When nobody wants to sign in Edmonton it’s probably a good idea.
Signing Clowe to 1st and 3rd offer sheet money would essentially mean Cole is a 1 year rental as well.
Smid’s potential. Maybe when he is 27 or 28 he’ll put a few points on the board. He can handle the puck well enough on his own zone, his short passing skills are OK, but’s not much of a long bomb passer right now, and he’s a terrible shooter.
It’s not unheard of for a defender to come in and not put points up for many years, then find a bit of scoring touch as an older player.
For exampe, Sheldon Souray, who had 10, 8, 11, and 11 points in his first four NHL seasons. Didn’t have his first decent NHL season scoring wise until he was 27.
Staples:
Sheldon Souray also has a bionic wrist.
Ironically enough, being made of glass made him a more useful player.
Clowe would be the perfect but I think the Sharks would match 2.6 million.
$2,615,623 – $3,923,434 – 1st and 3rd round pick
So $2.6M, on the dot, would be less than that. So it would only be a 2nd and a 3rd, no?
Just a 2nd, d2k.