First off Ryan Smyth has been an Oiler for his entire career. He was drafted 6th overall in 1994 and was a regular on the club since the 95-96 season. Since then he has played over 760 games as an Oiler (another 68 in the playoffs) and scored 262 goals, 281 assists and 543 points during that time. He has also answered the call of his country every time he has been asked. Leading to his very popular nickname "Captain Canada". In 78 senior men's
international games, Smyth has scored 18 goals, 19 assists and 37 points. So he has had a very impressive career and is known as one of the grittiest, hard nosed players in the game. Not to mention that he terrorizes goaltenders night in and night out with his play in front of the net. So not only has he been a great player during his time in Edmonton, but many would argue that he has been the heart and soul of the franchise.There are a lot of positives that could come from trading Ryan Smyth if there is a likelihood that he isn't going to re-sign. The market for a player of Smyth's calibre is pretty good. It would not be surprising to receive a top end young prospect, a first round pick (maybe even 2) and another pick or two in a later round. Having said, that is there any way to put the value on a player who has given his heart and soul to an organization for over 12 years. Perhaps Kevin Lowe's sense of loyalty, combined with his determination to make the playoffs at all costs makes it somewhat unlikely that he would trade Smyth, unless he were to receive an unbelievable offer.
If the Oilers are to somehow get a deal done with Ryan Smyth before the trade deadline, then a lot of fans will be able to breath a sigh of relief knowing that the team's most popular player will finish out his career in Edmonton. The likelihood of a deal being reached before Feb. 27th does not seem like it will happen, since reports are that the two sides are still apart when it comes to the amount and length of term for the contract. The risk of not getting a new deal signed (from the Oilers perspective) is that on the open market there will likely be a team that is willing to overpay for a player like Smyth. There is virtually no way that the Oilers could afford to match an offer that was in the ballpark of 6 million dollars per year (which some team is very likely to offer). So unless Smyth is willing to sign a contract that is considerably closer to the 5 million dollar mark, then in all likelihood he would be gone at seasons end. So this is the quandary that the team finds themselves in:
1)They know that Smyth's heart is in Edmonton, but also that this is his one big chance (being in the prime of his career) to cash in financially.
2)They know that if they trade him they will get a good return in the deal, but the optics of trading (arguably) your franchise player won't sit well with the fans
3)If Smyth doesn't get signed by the trade deadline the Oilers run the risk of losing him altogether, meaning that he leaves and they'd have nothing to show for it.
So although it is somewhat a troubling issue for the Oilers and their fans, one would have to believe that when all is said and done Ryan Smyth will be an Oiler for the the long haul. Logic would dictate that when a player give his heart and soul to a city, the team and the fans, that somehow a deal can get done. Ryan Smyth has given everything that he can to the Oilers and it is very likely that the management of the team will reciprocate the same. The fact is Smyth wants to be an Oiler, the team wants him to be an Oiler and most definitely the fans want him to be an Oiler. So when you add it all up there isn't much doubt that some way, somehow Ryan Smyth will be an Oiler for life.....................................hopefully.
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