Edmonton Oilers News

Restricted free agent Thomas Vanek has signed US$50-million, seven-year offer sheet with the Edmonton Oilers, his agent said Friday. The Sabres have seven days either to match the offer and keep Vanek or could take four first round draft picks as compensation. The Sabres have scheduled an afternoon news conference with managing partner Larry Quinn and general manager Darcy Regier at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. ``It's not a surprise,'' agent Stephen Bartlett said. ``I've been saying for a ...

Petr Nedved is heading back to Edmonton. The Oilers claimed the 35-year-old centre off waivers Tuesday from the Philadelphia Flyers. It was the third time this season Nedved had been placed on waivers. Nedved played for the Oilers at the end of the 2003-04 season and made a good impression with the team. ``We liked the way he played for us last time he was here,'' Oilers GM Kevin Lowe ...

Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth is out indefinitely after suffering a fractured thumb in Saturday night's 4-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Smyth played only two shifts in the first period before suffering the injury. He was wearing a cast after the game, but the team said surgery likely won't be required. ``I couldn't move my thumb,'' Smyth said after the game. ``I had no movement at all. I thought maybe it was dislocated or something. ``I ...

This won't be the first time Chris Pronger returns to play a former team but it will surely be the most anticipated. The 32-year-old star defenceman, now with Anaheim, plays in Edmonton on Tuesday for the first time since requesting to leave the Oilers after last season. He'll likely be booed all night. Even during Friday night's win over Chicago, Edmonton fans booed when it was announced that the Oilers' ...

Marc-Andre Bergeron won the speed drill, Petr Sykora was the most accurate shooter and Joffrey Lupul was best in the shootout during the Edmonton Oilers' skills contests Sunday. More than 15,000 _ a record for the annual event _ streamed into Rexall Place to watch. Bergeron blazed around the ice surface in 14.392 seconds. He also won the hardest shot competition with a 103.5 miles-an-hour rocket. Sykora picked apart four ...

The Edmonton Oilers have signed veteran defenceman Steve Staios to a US$10.8-million, four-year contract extension which runs through the 2010-11 season. Staios will earn $2.9 million in each of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, $2.8 million in 2009-10 and $2.2 million in 2010-11. ``There is nowhere else I want to play,'' said Staios. ``I have had two chances at free agency since I've been here and I passed them up ...

The Edmonton Oilers have signed veteran defenceman Steve Staios to a four-year contract extension which runs through the 2010-11 season. ``Steve exemplifies what it means to be an Edmonton Oiler and we couldn't be happier with this long-term extension,'' Oilers GM Kevin Lowe said in a statement. ``He is one of those players who leads by example and will do everything it takes to accomplish the task at hand.'' Staios, ...

The Edmonton Oilers assigned winger Alexei Mikhnov to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League on Saturday. Mikhnov, the Oilers' first choice in the 2000 draft, made his NHL debut with Edmonton in a 5-2 win versus the Phoenix Coyotes on Oct. 23. He was scoreless over four minutes 21 seconds of ice time in his only game to date this season. Mikhnov joined the Oilers this season after playing the last nine seasons in Russia. His ...

Petr Sykora and Joffrey Lupul scored on breakaways exactly two minutes apart late in the third period to pace the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Just minutes after Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk scored on a brilliant individual effort to knot the game at 1, the Oilers cued the comeback. First Sykora beat Red Wings starter Dominik Hasek stick-side on a breakaway, and then exactly two minutes later Lupul blazed ...

Two goals on their first two shots of the game proved to be all the Edmonton Oilers needed as they slipped past the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 Tuesday night. Ethan Moreau blasted a slapshot from the point over the shoulder of Canucks starter Dany Sabourin just 51 seconds in, scoring on Edmonton's first shot of the game. Two minutes later, the Oilers made it two-for-two when rookie Patrick Thoresen slipped a shot past Sabourin that the Vancouver goalie would probably ...

Russian club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the NHL, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. The lawsuit essentially claims that Andrei Taratukhin of the Flames and Alexei Mikhnov of the Oilers are under contract with Yaroslavl for the 2006-07 season and should not be allowed to play for any other club in the world. It asked the federal court for a temporary injunction ...

He scored the game's winning goal, but defenceman Sami Salo was dishing out a lot of credit to the Vancouver forwards for their strong defensive play following the Canucks 2-1 NHL win over the Edmonton Oilers Monday night. The Canucks threw a blanket over the Oilers high-power offence, limiting Edmonton to just 18 shots. The Vancouver forwards did a good job of slowing down the speedy Edmonton attackers and taking away scoring chances. ``All the forwards did an ...

Petr Sykora and Ryan Smyth each scored twice and the Edmonton Oilers cracked Colorado's stellar special teams defence in a 4-3 win over the Avalanche on Saturday night. Smyth deflected Jason Smith's shot from the right point past Jose Theodore for his second goal, breaking a 2-2 tie just 20 seconds into the third period. Less than four minutes later, Sykora's wrist shot from the slot dribbled between Theodore's pads. Colorado pulled to 4-3 when Milan Hejduk ...

Ryan Smyth grew up idolizing Wayne Gretzky and now he's broken one of his records. The veteran winger scored a natural hat trick in a span of 2:01 early in the third period to cue an Edmonton Oilers comeback in a 6-4 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The hurried hat trick broke Gretzky's Oiler record for fastest three goals of 2:18 and also pushed Smyth over the 500 point mark in his NHL ...

Stephane Yelle scored the tying goal and assisted on Marcus Nilson's game winner as the Calgary Flames edged the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Saturday night, earning a split of their season-opening home-and-home series. Nilson's winner came with 48 seconds left in the second period. From behind the net, Alex Tanguay centred a pass to Yelle, whose shot from the slot was stopped by Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Nilson buried the rebound for his first of the season, giving head ...

Raffi Torres scored on an overtime power play Saturday night to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the final NHL pre-season game for both teams. The Oilers enjoyed a 4-on-3 advantage after Vancouver winger Matt Cooke took a costly double minor at the end of the third period. Torres was alone when he took a centring pass from Shawn Horcoff and had an open ...