Top Left Header
Header
NHL
Arrow Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Ligthning Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitas Winnipeg Jets
(Logo Source: NHL.com)
OHL
Arrow
WHL
Arrow
COLUMNISTS
Arrow
Title - Rob Soria
Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Oilers: Trading Smyth will benefit both the player and club
By Rob Soria
HometownHockey.ca

Oilers: Trading Smyth will benefit both the player and club
When TSN’s Insider Darren Dreger hinted at the very real possibility of the Edmonton Oilers moving Ryan Smyth prior to the NHL’s March 5th Trade Deadline, it seemed to almost catch many across Oil Country off-guard. While some fans may have been hoping for one more year of #94 in Oilers silks, the time has come for the two sides to finally part ways.
PHOTO CREDIT - EdmontonOilers.com

Edmonton - January 24, 2014 - When TSN’s Insider Darren Dreger hinted at the very real possibility of the Edmonton Oilers moving Ryan Smyth prior to the NHL’s March 5th Trade Deadline, it seemed to almost catch many across Oil Country off-guard.

While some may have felt the veteran winger had done enough to earn another contract from Craig MacTavish for the 2014-15 season, let’s be honest here, that was never going to be in the cards for the veteran winger.

The thirty-seven year old will always be a fan favourite but who’s kidding who.

The writing has been on the wall for much of the year but unlike most fans, Smyth isn’t blind to what has become blatantly obvious.

As much as this group has struggled, #94 has been relegated to fourth line duty when the team has been healthy and with more changes coming prior to the start of next season, the chances of the former sixth overall pick remaining in Edmonton are pretty much non-existent.

In all honesty, did some people actually believe the club had any intention of bringing Smyth back? While he has been far better during the first half of the Oilers current campaign, he was downright awful over his previous 80 or so games in Orange and Blue.

He is no longer a top six forward and he most certainly isn’t the type of player his general manager is looking to add to his bottom six forwards. I have little doubt MacT approached Smyth long ago about moving him to a contender and thankfully, Ryan appears to have taken his GM up on that offer.

Trading away the 1,240 game man won’t help Edmonton improve their roster in any way, as he likely has little to no trade value. That said, there will be more than a few teams that would be interested in adding a guy like Smytty for a playoff run in a limited role.

Craig MacTavish is fully aware of this and will do his very best to accommodate the long time Oiler in any way possible. In my mind, this organization owes it to the player to give him a chance to go out on top and conversely, I would say the player should give the organization every opportunity to cut ties in as quiet and unassuming manner as possible.

It has been one hell of a ride for the kid from Banff, Alberta but the time has come to close the book on that chapter of Oilers History and focus on what lies ahead. From here on out, this organization has to do whatever is necessary to improve the product on the ice and having Ryan Smyth around for another year would do nothing but delay that from actually taking place.

Follow Me on TwitterRob Soria is the Edmonton Oilers' correspondent for OurHometown.ca. Rob was born and raised in Edmonton and is the author of the Edmonton Oilers blog - OilDrop.ca. He has been a dedicated follower of the game and its history for years but his focus remains on his hometown Edmonton Oilers. If you have questions or wish to contact Rob, you can email him at rsoria@ourhometown.ca







Title - Story Count
3,472 Stories & Growing Daily...

To date HometownHockey.ca has posted a total of 3,472 hockey stories!

Be sure to check out our Columnists archives or, why not Contribute a Story yourself!

HometownHockey.ca offers a very generous revenue sharing opportunity for our Columnists. If you are interested in learning more details about writing for us, please send us an EMAIL.
PucksTrending Story
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio



Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow HometownHockey on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS




Title - More Headlines
Click on Photo or Story Title for more info
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio
Lasalle Vipers complete a 5-game winning streak with an epic win over the Leamington Flyers
Will Ice Hockey Compete with the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The most watched Spitfire games of all time
2021-22 Hometown Hockey NHL Playoff Pool
HometownHockey.ca News Database Last Updated:
Mar. 16, 2023 @ 11:05 AM EDT


Footer