The Next Jason Smith

Now, not that Ethan Moreau is a bad captain: but the last time it seemed that the Oilers had captains that had a commanding presence was when we had Doug Weight and Jason Smith. Though one led by contributing offensively the other led by snuffing out the opposition's offense. One would dance past the opposition on his way into the scoring areas and one would demolish his opponents when they entered the scoring areas.

The number one thing in common?

When they stopped to talk - everyone listened.

Whether it was a media misquote or Moreau mismanaging his own words, Moreau has been involved with a few mental gaffaws when it comes to interviews. Sure, nobody is perfect and people in the spotlight aren't either. But sometimes it is better to say nothing than the wrong thing. What I want to know is which is the actual problem: is it because Moreau is not shown enough respect as a captain when he talks... or whether he doesn't command enough respect to be called a team captain in the first place? What do you think?

And speaking of Jason Smith... who is in line to be his replacement on this team? Ladislav Smid ... or Theo Peckham? Could both develop accordingly? What if the Smid trade rumours are true?

"That Guy"

This season the Oilers lacked heart and identity. Usually I like to think they stem from "That Guy", and for the Oilers the last "That Guy" they had was Jason Smith. Jason Smith was one of the toughest sob's ever, including player 2008 playoffs with 2 dislocated shoulders. Since his tenure in Edmonton ended the Oilers have not been able to replace his back-end presence. We had Matt Greene who was looking to become "That Guy" however we traded him to acquire Lubomir Visnovsky. Smid also could be "That Guy" if the Oilers manage to keep him around long enough.

This offseason, I hope the Oilers can manage to find that guy. One guy I really hope the Oilers make a push for is Greg Zanon. Coming off a season where he made 0.736 million, Zanon had 237 Blocked Shots (3rd in the league) and ended the season with a +8 rating and with a minimal 38 PIM's. Zanon isn't the biggest guy at 5.11 and 201 but he could very well be "That Guy" for the Oilers next season at a good price.

Another guy who's already built a reputation is Mike Komisarek, he's a bigger fellow at 6.4 and 245 pounds. He blocked 207 shots this season (4th in the league) and had 191 hits vs. Zanons 154. Komisarek is alot edgier when it comes to the gritty stuff and ended the season with 121 PIMs. He's also willing to drop the gloves, but got his ass handed to him twice by Milan Lucic. Komisareks price range is probably gonna be closer to the 4 million mark and with the Oilers budget for the following season being tight I don't expect him to be an Oiler, however if the cap space became availabe by say moving Gilbert, I think the Oilers should place a bid for Komisarek.