I’d call this move a shuffling of deckchairs on the Titanic but I don’t know that Tarnstrom quite rises to that level of significance. I mean, you have to think that those deckchairs were used during the few days that the Titanic actually stayed afloat; the Oilers signed Tarnstrom on July 1; by July 2, Joni Pitkanen was on board and on July 11, Sheldon Souray was an Oiler. By the time that the good ship Oiler took to the seas of the of the 2007-08 season, Tarnstrom was effectively the fourth option for the point on the Oilers PP, after Souray, Pitkanen and Stoll. Maybe if the Titanic had barrels in which they burned money on its deck, there’d be an appropriate analogy to make but otherwise, the analogy just isn’t there.
WIth that being said, this might be one of those rare deals that’s beneficial to both sides. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the trades that Lowe made in 2006, with the Oilers assuming the position of the Blackhawks and Penguins, happy to get back a fringy prospect type in exchange for a contract that is costing them money with no return. I like the move from the Jackets’ perspective because the cost wasn’t very high and it addresses a black hole for them: a second defenceman who can play on the PP. While the Jackets PP is actually half respectable, the only defenceman who they’ve got within shouting distance of respectable at it is Ron Hainsey; I can see a legitimate reason to think that Tarnstrom will slide into an area of weakness and make them better.
From the Oilers perspective, the most interesting thing about Curtis Glencross is the degree to which the Jackets have outshot their opposition when he’s on the ice - they’re about +10 at ES/60. I’m a bit leery of that - he looks like he’s played a fair amount with Sergei Fedorov against nobodies but considering that this deal is a win for the Oilers in the cash savings alone, he seems like a pretty spectacularly decent return. He was a +4 playing for teams with lousy goaltending in the AHL in 2006-07. Considering that Edmonton desperately needs guys who can solidify the bottom of the lineup who don’t make much money, the outshooting numbers in Columbus and the fact that they control him for another three years, I’m inclined to look at this as a net plus.
Even if Tarnstrom wasn’t relevant enough in Edmonton to qualify as a deck chair.
Update: As was pointed out in the comments, Glencross is 25 years old. If you’re 25 or older, have played more than three professional seasons and fewer than 80 NHL games, you become a UFA. Edmonton has 28 games remaining this year and Glencross has 45 career NHL games. The only way he’s not a UFA at the end of the year is if he plays all 28 of those games, plus another 7 in the playoffs. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that that won’t happen in Edmonton.
Isn’t he playing for Yaroslavl? Oh wait, did you say Tjarnqvist?
Funny you said that…I was thinking about that this afternoon. They’re basically interchangeable veteranish types, neither of whom was able to break into the lineup enough to be worth the money.
I would suspect that Tarnstrom will do well in Columbus. He’ll get more PP time there, as MacTavish prefers shooters to puck movers at the back. And he should push Kris Russell into the pressbox and get the primo offensive icetime that this rookie has been frittering away for Hitchcock. I suspect that development time is over for this season in Columbus, at least so long as CBJ stay in the playoff hunt.
I like this deal. The problem is, I think I like this deal waaayyyy out of proportion to how good a deal it is. It just has the feel of the kind of deal that, unlike virtually every other one Lowe has made since the 05-06 Finals run, won’t haunt us forever if it doesn’t work out at all. That’s a nice feeling.
Well, they got something for Tarnstrom, which is more then I expected. Of course Dick was used incorrectly both of his times here. I’m sure he’ll do quite well under Hitchcock.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again - damn I wish Hitchcock or Murray had been on those 80s Oilers’ clubs.
As for Glencross, well the kid is a legitimate bottom sixer and he has some size and grit apparently, not to mention more goals then a whole lot of the Oilers.
On another note, will we see Stoll using a good old Sherwood on Monday? MacT was pissed off last night.
On another note, will we see Stoll using a good old Sherwood on Monday? MacT was pissed off last night
God, I hope so. MacT has a right to be pissed, Stoll’s got 8 goals….wanna bet his stick has broken more than 8 times in prime scoring areas? Add that to the breaks in the defensive zone, and those sticks are costing way more than the extra bit of velocity they’re giving.
Does he have that many? Actually to paraphrase MacT he said “if the guy had 25 goals that would be one thing but he doesn’t”.
Sounds like someone’s patience is wearing thin with Mr. R. Hunter.
I am pretty sure he is a UFA at the end of the year, due to not having played enough games.
wanna bet his stick has broken more than 8 times in prime scoring areas?
Like the shootout in Washington? MacT isn’t the only one who’s had a bellyful of Stoll’s fucking sticks breaking like so much kindling. I thought this composite shit was supposed to be strong???
I’m surprised that the sticks were to blame for so long. Everyone else in the league can play an entire game without splintering 32 sticks.
It’s obviously not the stick.
I think Tarnstrom does fuck all in Columbus and fades into the European mists after season’s end.
I would suspect that Tarnstrom will do well in Columbus. He’ll get more PP time there, as MacTavish prefers shooters to puck movers at the back.
I think Tarnstrom does fuck all in Columbus and fades into the European mists after season’s end.
I’m in the middle on this one. I am certain Tarnstrom will do better in Columbus. For starters, he’s a powerplay specialist, and Hitchcock will actually deploy him as one. In 174 GP in Pittsburgh Tarnstrom scored 28 goals, 19 of them on the PP, and I think his assist distribution was fairly similar. Whereas in Edmonton in 51 GP over two years (plus 12 playoff games) he never scored a single PPG, scoring just 2 goals in total.
The guy was kinda star-crossed here, the first time Oilers acquitred him they picked up Spacek later the same day, and the second time they picked up Pitkanen the next day. So he was pretty much redundant within 24 hours, both times. Meanwhile, last year when Oil could’ve used him — Pronger, Spacek, ultimately Bergeron all gone, Staios the top scoring D with 17 lousy points — they left him in Europe. Very starnge personnel management to say the least.
All that said, I think I agree with Bank Shot that his shelf life is limited. PP specialist or not, that career -81 in just 287 GP suggests the guy can’t really cut it at evens. At age 33 there’s not much upside; it’ll be interesting to see what Hitch can wring out of him down the stretch.
Tarnstrom is a fringe NHL player at best and will be very hard pressed to stay in the league much longer. The caliber of the young players coming out of major junior and to a lesser degree the collage ranks will push players like him over to europe, unless there is an economic advantage for keeping him around.
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