Contracts May Save A Few Oilers

from Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun, If it was as simple as the best guys win, Quinn hinted that some of last year’s players might not be this year’s players. “I’m watching how they play, do they compete?,” he said. “I know some of them have skill, I watch them in the morning, but some guys are really morning glories. They can dance and do all the pretty stuff in the morning skate, but when the other team comes in and you drop the puck, it changes.” In this day and age, however, cutting a veteran means moving a contract, and that takes place at the management level—coaches are almost bystanders in the selection process. As much as Quinn would like to believe his eyes and not his ears, his hands might be tied. “The selection does involve management, they have the last call all the time,” he said, admitting “there’s not a solid agreement on the 14 forwards.” Fernando Pisani and Marc Pouliot, coming off sub-par years, are on the limp while Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson haven’t stood out like everyone had hoped, but there are reputations, upsides and contracts to consider. more