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Post by CentreHice on Jan 8, 2010 20:38:47 GMT -5
TSNSheldon Souray is not looking to get out of Edmonton but it appears he may be willing to leave if the Oilers decide to become sellers.
According to the Edmonton Journal, Souray is willing to waive his no-trade clause to accommodate a deal to a team that 'makes sense' for him. The Oilers are currently last in the Western Conference, 16 points out of a playoff spot.
''I wouldn't at this point hold them back from doing anything that makes the team better,'' Souray told the Journal. ''I came here with a goal (to win). You hope to try to see it out. With where we are right now it's tough to say in the next three years if we're going to see that. If it does come to the point where they ask me (to approve a trade) I wouldn't hold the team back.''
Souray is a puck-moving defenceman and power play quarterback that would garner a healthy return from a team making a run at the Stanley Cup. The 33-year-old Alberta native has two year remaining on his current contract but his no-trade clause expires on July 1.
Souray's children live with their mother in California and travel to Edmonton for regular visits so a move to the West Coast could be in the offing. The Sharks are challenging for the league lead in points, making San Jose a logical option.
The surprising Los Angeles Kings and disappointing Anaheim Ducks are both on the playoff bubble and may be in the market for Souray by the trade deadline.
The report indicates neither Souray nor his agent have been given any indication the Oilers are interested in moving him.The ball has been served into Kevin Lowe's court. Kind of what many Toronto fans wanted a lot of Leafs (Sundin, especially) to do. Lift the NTC to get a large return to help the team rebuild. But, it still sounds selfish. He basically told his teammates and management that he came there to win, and now that the next THREE years look bleak, he would approve a trade "if it makes sense to him."
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Post by OopyDoopy on Jan 8, 2010 21:04:22 GMT -5
If a trade happens it will really give us a good idea as to what Bob lost by not trading Souray. I for one am both curious and apprehensive.
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Post by CentreHice on Jan 8, 2010 21:27:58 GMT -5
Yeah, it could give us a view of the quality/quantity of player(s)/pick(s) that Souray could've fetched back then.....but....
1. We were in a playoff race, and he was the main cog of a #1 PP.
2. At least through the media, Souray said Gainey should focus on Markov first...and gave every indication that he wanted to stay in Montreal.
While the same player is involved, it's not the same situation at all. If only Souray had tipped his true hand then.....
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Post by jkr on Jan 8, 2010 21:52:53 GMT -5
Yeah, it could give us a view of the quality/quantity of player(s)/pick(s) that Souray could've fetched back then.....but.... 1. We were in a playoff race, and he was the main cog of a #1 PP. 2. At least through the media, Souray said Gainey should focus on Markov first...and gave every indication that he wanted to stay in Montreal. While the same player is involved, it's not the same situation at all. If only Souray had tipped his true hand then..... Plus Gainey traded Rivet during that period as well. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2010 23:45:27 GMT -5
Souray was also offered a contract when he became UFA and opted to sign elsewhere. So...
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Post by blny on Jan 8, 2010 23:50:04 GMT -5
Apples and oranges to me. Souray was a pending UFA. With 2 years on his deal left, he's got more value now imo. A trade deadline bidding war can cause funny things to happen, but given that he's more than a rental this year, unlike his last year in Montreal, I think he's worth more now.
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Post by Anardil1 on Jan 9, 2010 2:40:08 GMT -5
I see that the rats are now preparing to abandon ship. Shelly should learn to  . |
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Post by CentreHice on Jan 9, 2010 9:20:22 GMT -5
I see that the rats are now preparing to abandon ship. Shelly should learn to . Well, there's certainly ZERO loyalty. The message to the fans is: "Look, if I stay with my big shot and big contract, we're going nohwere for the next three years (because the rest of the team isn't that good)....so if you want to capitalize on my value (i.e. send me to a contender)....so that you can improve your team, I'd be open to it." The gesture seems "selfless"...but there's a lot of "selfish" in it as well. |
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Post by blny on Jan 9, 2010 12:16:42 GMT -5
To me it's only selfish if he went to management and said "I want out". He has a NTC, so he's not looking to leave per say. There's no doubt the Oil have been a disappointment this season, and their best forward is gone for the year. If mgt have said let's sell off some pieces and get as high a pick as possible to go with what look to be studs in Eberle and MPS, well I'd have to say go for it. Souray would attract a lot of attention.
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Post by CentreHice on Jan 9, 2010 13:25:21 GMT -5
But he's certainly giving them lots of warning and time to work it, isn't he?  |
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Post by clear observer on Jan 9, 2010 13:51:32 GMT -5
"Souray is a puck-moving defenceman..."
He is...since when??
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Post by Andrew on Jan 9, 2010 14:27:15 GMT -5
I see that the rats are now preparing to abandon ship. Shelly should learn to . Well, there's certainly ZERO loyalty. The message to the fans is: "Look, if I stay with my big shot and big contract, we're going nohwere for the next three years (because the rest of the team isn't that good)....so if you want to capitalize on my value (i.e. send me to a contender)....so that you can improve your team, I'd be open to it." The gesture seems "selfless"...but there's a lot of "selfish" in it as well. The Oilers fans that I know would all be happy to get what they can for Souray, while the team continues its "fall for Hall". In hindsight, there isn't much that Souray brings to the table for 6M, that Bergeron doesn't for $750K. I would have said that Souray brings more leadership, but making it public that he'd jump ship on the Oilers has me questioning that idea. I'm glad that Gainey didn't resign him, and am not bitter about Gainey losing him for nothing. Like JKR said, Gainey mitigated his losses by getting great return for Rivet. |
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Post by OopyDoopy on Jan 9, 2010 14:40:02 GMT -5
Apples and oranges to me. Souray was a pending UFA. With 2 years on his deal left, he's got more value now imo. A trade deadline bidding war can cause funny things to happen, but given that he's more than a rental this year, unlike his last year in Montreal, I think he's worth more now. While sure Souray has a couple years left on his contract for me that actually limits his worth, a trading partner will have to have cap space for the next 2 years. Who usually spends at the trade deadline, the contenders. Who usually is up against the cap, the contenders. I think Souray is a very hard sell with the amount and length of his contract. Plus Gainey traded Rivet during that period as well. If Rivet back then could get you a 1st and George how could Souray not get you more? While the same player is involved, it's not the same situation at all. If only Souray had tipped his true hand then..... Yes the situation is different but I think it is different in that Bob would have gotten more than the Oilers will now. Souray said Gainey should focus on Markov first I also think by Souray saying to focus on Markov that should have raised a red flag, he is either saying no worries I am staying or don't waste your time on me I am leaving. There was also all the personal issues back then which should have also raised a red flag. But it all comes down to Management not doing the work during the season to maintain or at least capitalize on assets. I know hindsight is 20/20 blah blah blah, prepared management doesn't need hindsight they are proactive not reactive. |
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Post by blny on Jan 9, 2010 16:39:04 GMT -5
But he's certainly giving them lots of warning and time to work it, isn't he? Would you rather he waited till the end of Feb?  Without researching, I don't know how this came up. Was he asked if he'd welcome a trade? Did he bring it up? oopy, that's a valid point. Given Sheldon's supposed desire to be close to his children I don't think a top flight contender is necessarily where he'd want to go. That is, it may not be the determining factor. I think it's fairly certain he wants to remain in the Western Conference. |
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Post by seventeen on Jan 9, 2010 17:43:56 GMT -5
Yes the situation is different but I think it is different in that Bob would have gotten more than the Oilers will now. The two key facts are that Souray is not a pending UFA at this point, which would make him more or less valuable depending on his contract appeal to a prospective team, and he's 2 years older than he was then. It's really hard to figure what the OIlers will get for him in a trade, though I am convinced Gainey would have gotten more than a first rounder and a 6-7 defenseman (which is what Gorges was at the time, though he's worth more now). In hindsight keeping Souray was one of Gainey's moves that didn't work out well (no playoffs, no asset return), and I appreciate that some of us were clamoring to trade him, but another equal or larger number were saying to keep him for the playoff run. It reminds me of the Indianapolis Colts coach, who benched his starters in Game 15 in order to rest them for the playoffs giving up the chance at a perfect season. I think that will come back to haunt him, though he made the move will all the best of intentions. Athletes aren't programmed to lose and when you reduce their chances of winning they respond poorly. Gainey may have been feeling that way and didn't want to hurt the team's chances of making the playoffs. My thinking was different in that I didn't think our chances would be any worse (Souray wasn't playing all that well in our end and only his slapshot was benefiting us). We had Streit to take over that point position on the PP. If we make the playoffs, without Souray, we're just as far ahead and we have some additional draft choices. If we don't make the playoffs, we might have ended up further down the standings and with a better draft choice, and certainly no worse, but we have several more assets at our disposal. I was more logical and analytical, Gainey moved more from emotion. It turned out it would have been better to trade Souray, but who knew that at the time? |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jan 9, 2010 18:39:38 GMT -5
The way it reads it's like Souray is trying to do the club a favour. What a guy!
Cheers.
;D
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Post by CentreHice on Jan 10, 2010 2:00:56 GMT -5
But he's certainly giving them lots of warning and time to work it, isn't he? Would you rather he waited till the end of Feb? I wouldn't rather he did anything....just reacting to what he did say......and he's given plenty of notice. Get on the phone, Kevin! The way it reads it's like Souray is trying to do the club a favour. What a guy! Cheers. ;D Bingo.....IMO. |
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Post by CentreHice on Jan 10, 2010 2:11:23 GMT -5
while the team continues its "fall for Hall". "Fall for Hall". Great phrase....albeit a sad reality. Are Edmonton fans really calling it that...or did you coin it? |
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Post by jkr on Jan 10, 2010 9:59:32 GMT -5
while the team continues its "fall for Hall". "Fall for Hall". Great phrase....albeit a sad reality. Are Edmonton fans really calling it that...or did you coin it? I was just looking at their schedule. They had a five game win streak at the beginning of December but have now lost 11 of their last 12. Their only win in that stretch coming against the Leafs. They are now only 6 points ahead of Carolina. |
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Post by blny on Jan 10, 2010 10:24:19 GMT -5
They only had 2 forwards doing much of anything - Hemsky and Penner. Alex is gone for the year. Their young forwards (Gagner, Cogliano, Nilsson, Brule, etc) haven't stepped up.
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Post by Andrew on Jan 10, 2010 14:23:04 GMT -5
while the team continues its "fall for Hall". "Fall for Hall". Great phrase....albeit a sad reality. Are Edmonton fans really calling it that...or did you coin it? Can't claim credit for that one. Saw it on an Oiler fan friend's status update on Facebook. |
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Post by Cranky on Jan 10, 2010 20:36:22 GMT -5
I'm thinking Obey for Souray, even up. Oh yeah, and their first pick.
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Post by Polarice on Jan 25, 2010 7:37:08 GMT -5
I heard yesterday that Souray listed Montreal as one of his 6 teams, the other being LA, SJ, Boston, Vancouver and NYR.
I would take him if Edmonton would take Mara straight up for him...it would be nice to add his shot and toughness to the back end.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jan 25, 2010 9:07:56 GMT -5
I heard yesterday that Souray listed Montreal as one of his 6 teams, the other being LA, SJ, Boston, Vancouver and NYR. I would take him if Edmonton would take Mara straight up for him...it would be nice to add his shot and toughness to the back end. The more I read about this story the more I want to stay away from Sheldon. He brings some great elements to the table, a rocket of a point shot, toughness and a willingness to drop the gloves; all very necessary, all very good things that we can use. However, first he figures he's doing the club a favour by saying he'll leave and secondly he's 'gone out of his way' now to provide the Oilers with a list of clubs he'd play for, just in case. I don't know folks. Souray isn't the best defensive defenseman in the game and he does bring a lot of good things to the party as well. However, my question is ... if he's willing to bail on the Oilers when their ship is going down, will he do the same to us? Food for thought. Cheers. |
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Post by Polarice on Jan 25, 2010 9:11:58 GMT -5
I heard yesterday that Souray listed Montreal as one of his 6 teams, the other being LA, SJ, Boston, Vancouver and NYR. I would take him if Edmonton would take Mara straight up for him...it would be nice to add his shot and toughness to the back end. The more I read about this story the more I want to stay away from Sheldon. He brings some great elements to the table, a rocket of a point shot, toughness and a willingness to drop the gloves; all very necessary, all very good things that we can use. However, first he figures he's doing the club a favour by saying he'll leave and secondly he's 'gone out of his way' now to provide the Oilers with a list of clubs he'd play for, just in case. I don't know folks. Souray isn't the best defensive defenseman in the game and he does bring a lot of good things to the party as well. However, my question is ... if he's willing to bail on the Oilers when their ship is going down, will he do the same to us? Food for thought. Cheers. From what they are saying is that the club asked him if he would be interested in lifting his no trade...as for wanting him on our team....he's better than Mara, and he's only making a million or more. Not sure if he only has one or two years left though. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jan 25, 2010 9:39:01 GMT -5
The more I read about this story the more I want to stay away from Sheldon. He brings some great elements to the table, a rocket of a point shot, toughness and a willingness to drop the gloves; all very necessary, all very good things that we can use. However, first he figures he's doing the club a favour by saying he'll leave and secondly he's 'gone out of his way' now to provide the Oilers with a list of clubs he'd play for, just in case. I don't know folks. Souray isn't the best defensive defenseman in the game and he does bring a lot of good things to the party as well. However, my question is ... if he's willing to bail on the Oilers when their ship is going down, will he do the same to us? Food for thought. Cheers. From what they are saying is that the club asked him if he would be interested in lifting his no trade...as for wanting him on our team....he's better than Mara, and he's only making a million or more. Not sure if he only has one or two years left though. Thanks Reap. Never knew that the club actually came out and asked him. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall reading that in the thread. Cheers. |
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Post by Polarice on Jan 25, 2010 10:28:34 GMT -5
Thanks Reap. Never knew that the club actually came out and asked him. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall reading that in the thread. Cheers. Not sure if it was in the article...I seen it on TV...either Hockey Central Saturday night....or the Hot Stove...I don't remember which. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jan 25, 2010 10:54:44 GMT -5
Thanks Reap. Never knew that the club actually came out and asked him. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall reading that in the thread. Cheers. Not sure if it was in the article...I seen it on TV...either Hockey Central Saturday night....or the Hot Stove...I don't remember which. No worries Reap. Here's a story I found. Maybe this was the case all along and Souray's statements were the only parts of the story published. Wouldn't be the first time. slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Edmonton/2010/01/24/12596761.htmlHe cites family matters as a factor in his decision to move. I don't know how going east would help his family if they're all located in the west. Would be interesting to find out the price tag. Cheers. |
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Post by Polarice on Jan 25, 2010 11:12:06 GMT -5
Thanks Dis!! This is pretty close to what I heard.
“It’s everything. I would like to be on a good team, or at least in a good situation for myself,” Souray said. “It’s no secret that my family is as important as the game for me. It’s important to be able to see them and make sure that’s it’s easy on the kids. With two young kids it’s tough.
“Even with one kid, when I was playing in Montreal in the east, it was like a 10- or 12-hour travel days for a three-year-old. That’s a lot to do every month or every couple of weeks. There are reasons that I chose to come to Edmonton.”
Its sounds like he wants to say in the west, I'm not sure why they would include 3 Eastern teams out of the 6 that he would play for, especially when he's saying he'd want to play on a winning team. Boston, Montreal and New York are not guaranteed to be in the playoffs this year.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 12, 2010 10:44:55 GMT -5
'I want a trade'April 12, 2010 sportsnet.ca EDMONTON — Another big name player wants out of Edmonton, as Sheldon Souray on Sunday uttered those four words that have come to haunt the Oilers franchise: "I want a trade." "I do," Souray repeated, sounding a little disappointed at the admission. "Yes, I do want a trade." If this isn’t rock bottom for the Edmonton Oilers, an organization that never recovered from Chris Pronger’s trade demand in the summer of ‘06, it’s hard to fathom things getting any worse. The Oilers finished dead last in the National Hockey League this season. Its American Hockey League farm team finished dead last in that league. The NHL regular season ended on the weekend with Edmonton being dominated by Los Angeles, amazingly winning 4-3 in a shootout despite being outshot 55-16. On Sunday they rolled over, giving up 45 more shots in a 7-2 loss at Anaheim. Another 100-shot weekend, another franchise-type player who signed as a free agent in Edmonton, but has had enough with the organization. "It’s not a players thing. It’s not a fans thing or a city thing. It’s a management thing," Souray said. "They’ve given up on me, and it’s a two-way street. "I don’t talk to anyone (in management) and I don’t expect to when I check out of here," said Souray, who still has two seasons left on the five-year, $27 million deal then-GM Kevin Lowe signed him to in the summer of 2007. "I don’t really need to talk to them. There isn’t anything to say. "Management has soured on me, and I’ve soured on them," he continued. "The fans are great, they’ve accepted me here, I see the jerseys in the stands. I couldn’t have pictured a more opposite vision of what my experience here would be like. What the organization here would be like, overall." Souray grew up in northeastern Alberta as an Oilers fan, has family in the city, and signed with Edmonton because he loved the buzz of the 2006 Stanley Cup run. He is one of those increasingly rare players who prefers to play in a hockey-mad Canadian city, as opposed to being able to live anonymously in any number of American markets. "I feel now that, when I signed here, I probably was as blinded by their great past as (the Oilers) are," Souray said. "People will question me, that they overpaid me … that it was a bad decision to sign me. But I can tell you this: I turned down more money in other places." His experience in Edmonton began on the wrong foot for Souray when he arrived at his first training camp nursing a shoulder injury. "I wasn’t even ready to play when I came here, but it was like, ‘We signed you, you go out and play.’ I hadn’t been cleared to play yet, but I was being questioned by the organization:‘When are you going to be able to play?’ "I go out, play six games, and I get hurt." Souray said it wasn’t the training staff applying the pressure; it was "management." He fought Vancouver’s Byron Ritchie in Game 6 of the 2007-08 season and re-injured his shoulder, missing the next 55 games. "I got challenged by management on the very first day of my first training camp. The very first day," he said. "They said, ‘When are you going to play?’ I said, ‘I have a six month (shoulder) injury and I’m at five months.’ But I played. "I’ve had the experience of playing in great organizations (in New Jersey and Montreal), and experienced a vastly different approach to things like that. I was a captain in Montreal. I never had my character questioned there, or in New Jersey. I feel that’s all I’ve had since I’ve been here.’" Fast forward to this season. Souray missed 16 games with a concussion after being upended into the corner boards by Jarome Iginla on Oct. 8. His season ended Jan. 30 in Calgary when he fought Iginla, breaking a bone in his hand. Souray had surgery, then was re-admitted to hospital when he got a painful infection in his hand. Though Oilers trainer Ken Lowe was exceptional in keeping daily tabs on Souray’s medical progress, Souray said he never once heard from GM Steve Tambellini. Not even a courtesy call from the GM, who did not respond to a request to speak with sportsnet.ca Sunday evening. "Maybe they think I’m a black sheep," Souray said. "But it’s not about me — it wouldn’t matter who it happened to. You’d think someone would want to check on the asset, wouldn’t you? "The Oilers always prided themselves in being a family. Whatever happened to that? I haven’t talked to (Tambellini) since mid-January." Tambellini will be actively peddling Souray this summer, something he couldn’t do at the trade deadline because of the hand injury. Souray would welcome a trade, but realizes he may have to open the season in Edmonton if Tambellini can’t find a satisfactory deal. "I still have two years left on my contract. I made a commitment to come here when other guys wouldn’t," he said. "But you talk about Prongs (Chris Pronger) and guys like that, and it should raise an eyebrow when players who leave town are skipping out with a smile on their face." www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/04/12/souray_request/
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