The Blue

If we’re to accept Steve Tambellini’s scorched earth policy (which may mean cutting so close to the bone they trade Hemsky) one of the main items that will need to be addressed is the blue. Edmonton has the following signed men for 10-11:

1. Souray 5.4
2. Whitney 4.0
3. Gilbert 4.0
4. Smid 1.3
5. Chorney .942

Those are their 10-11 cap hits. Edmonton has one notable rfa (Theo Peckham, his cap hit a year ago was $600,000) and three ufa’s (Strudwick .700, Aaron Johnson and Dean Arsene .500). They also have a few AHL level players who may get a shot at the show in 10-11:

1. Alex Plante 1.075
2. Jeff Petry 1.000
3. Johan Motin .875

After that, the best prospect on defense in the system is Troy Hesketh based on my projections. So, if the Oilers are sending away Hemsky for a first round pick (plus other assets, possibly totalling 5 which I think may be code for something at a management level for the Oilers. Like “7″, or “61″) one imagines a defenseman might be the target.

It might even be a guy we know a little about in these parts.