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Guest4178
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 Posted - 11/08/2010 : 16:24:05
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When Kevin Lowe extended the 7-year $50 million offer sheet for then 23-year-old Thomas Vanek over three years ago, it appeared to be a bold (and desperate) move. Good thing for the Oilers that Buffalo chose to match the offer sheet! While Thomas Vanek is a pretty good player, he has not developed into the superstar the Oilers (or the Sabres) hoped.
Signing Thomas Vanek would have cost the Oilers four first round draft picks, and three of those picks turned out to be pretty good players (Eberle, Paajarvi, Hall), and with the fourth pick in 2011 likely to be a top 10 pick, the Oilers would have given up another good prospect.
While there's no guarantee (in fact, it's unlikely) that the Oilers would have finished in the same spot each of the past three seasons with Vanek in their line-up, don't forget that they used the Vanek dollars to sign Dustin Penner, and while Penner does not have the same stats as Vanek the past three seasons, Penner did outscore Vanek last season.
As an Oiler fan, I'm glad the Oilers didn't sign Vanek, and I bet there are some people in Buffalo who regret keeping him. Buffalo wouldn't have necessarily picked (or been in a position to pick) the same players as the Oilers did with their last three #1 draft picks, but it's possible Buffalo would have won the Taylor Hall sweepstakes in the 2010 draft!
Hindsight is easy though, but I do remember a lot of Oiler fans (and hockey fans) who commented that Lowe was giving up too much for Thomas Vanek, and that was foresight (at the time), not hindsight!
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Guest7909
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Posted - 11/15/2010 : 23:49:56
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why are you pickin on him?? hes a very good player and every team should be glad to have him..
He has incredible talent and his own unique style.. why doesn't he get more respect?? i don't understand that.. |
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Guest3846
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Posted - 11/16/2010 : 10:06:18
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| I live around the corner from buffalo and get to about 15 home games a year. And if you compare the money that he makes to his skill and drive on the ice, it is pretty easy to say he is well over paid and certainly not work the price that I pay. Guys like Roy, Stafford and Pominville is what I like to see every night. If he wants to be the lazy no back check guys he is, at least put the puck in the net. |
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sahis34
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
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Posted - 11/16/2010 : 14:54:50
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if we got vanek we wouldn't have goten hall eberle or paarjarvi. you can't say where we would've finished
Go OILERS Go!!! |
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Thomas Vanek Was Almost An Oiler 
