Well there you go folks, I was wrong. All of you that took the time to tweet me were right on this one! Linus Omark has been cut, and placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. For Linus, this one isn’t on the coaches, isn’t on his opportunity, it’s on him. He failed to produce when the spot was there for the taking.
The Oilers announced the move this morning on their twitter feed.
In my article about a week ago where I made a case for Linus, I said that the chance was there, and that there was a roster spot waiting for Omark. I wasn’t lying, there is a spot on Edmonton’s roster in which he would fit in, and it’s in the top six too. All he had to do was have a good training camp and prove he could hang with this team.
Unfortunately for Linus, he didn’t perform in camp, and was largely unimpressive. He didn’t look good for the Oilers, and failed to really create anything for the team offensively. That’s Omark’s game, a skill game, and he couldn’t show it in training camp. That’s on him.
Dallas Eakins said it best this morning, he tried to do too much. In trying to do too much, he ended up doing next to nothing for the Oilers. His offense was nearly non-existent, and he won’t be making any team based off of his defensive game. Add in that Jesse Joensuu has had a monster training camp, and Ryan Hamilton has outperformed him too, and you get today’s result.
Omark had it right in front of him, but couldn’t perform when it mattered. For him, it might have been strike three with the Edmonton Oilers, in fact I’ll be stunned if it isn’t.
Linus will have to clear waivers, and part of me doesn’t think he will. There are teams out there that will take a flyer on a talented guy with a small contract. Teams like Nashville, Calgary, Phoenix, New Jersey and Florida are all praying to find some sort of cheap offense, and Linus might provide that for them. I’d wager he’s a part of another organization at this time tomorrow.
In the event he does clear waivers, he’ll join the Barons in Oklahoma City and most likely play on the team’s top line fighting for a call-up the rest of the season, and eventually a contract next July.
Omark didn’t perform in training camp and was out done by other players. As much as I was rooting for this kid, this was the right move for the hockey team.
QUICK NOTES!:
With Omark getting waived, this gives us another look at forwards Ryan Hamilton, Tyler Pitlick, Ryan Jones and Jesse Joensuu. I think Joensuu, who has had a very strong camp, is now pretty much a lock to make this roster. He brings size and has brought some skill to the table too thus far.
Tyler Pitlick looked awesome last night and will get another chance tonight to prove himself against New York. Pitlick has started looking like a real NHL player, and part of me wonders if there’s a real chance for him to make this roster. A strong game tonight could go a long, long way.
Ryan Hamilton has played well to this point too, and we know how much Dallas Eakins likes this guy. He’s a bigger body and plays with a lot of heart. He was a 30 goal scorer at the AHL level too, so we know he has some semblance of offensive talent. He’s had a good camp to this point, and I really believe he makes this team.
Interestingly enough, Ryan Jones has been the worst of this bunch. He still doesn’t look right recovering from his eye injury last season, and part of me wonders if he even makes the team. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Jones placed on waivers or traded for a late-round draft pick at this point. I like Jones, but he’s been a big camp disappointment thus far.
For the fourth line center spot, I think Will Acton has outplayed Anton Lander, and I suspect Acton makes the team. He’s gotten better as camp has wore on here, while Lander has kind of plateaued a little bit.
The Oilers host the Rangers at home tonight, the Oilers second to last pre-season game. I expect we see some cuts tomorrow and then the final round on Saturday following the pre-season finale in OKC against the Stars on Friday night.
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