QUICK HITS

• Larsen was sent to the minors likely due to the salary cap. The Oilers need to declare their 23-man roster today, but you can’t put a player on LTIR until tomorrow. So that means the Oilers won’t get any cap relief from Gagner’s $4.8 million cap hit until Tuesday. After tomorrow the Oilers don’t play again until Saturday so they don’t have to recall anyone right away.
   
• Denis Grebeshkov is getting closer to returning, but he wasn’t on the ice with the Oilers this morning. He skated afterwards with Curtis Hamilton. If Eakins wants to carry a 7th D-man then Larsen is the obvious recall, but if Grebeshkov gets cleared this week he’ll likely be on the roster.
   
• Luke Gadzic isn’t as big as Steve MacIntyre, but he’s more than willing to fight as often, and Gadzic has proven to be more productive at the AHL level. Gadzik had 9 goals and 17 points in 2011 and 12 goals and 23 points in 2012. He wasn’t claimed for his offence, but his puck skills are a bit better than MacIntyre.
   
• No official word on MacIntyre, but it sounds like he will be out at least six weeks.
   
• Ryan Hamilton might get recalled at some point, and when he does we’ll see if he has the footspeed to contribute at the NHL level. That is the only thing holding him back at this point.
   
• I’ve said and written for months that I thought Andrew Ference should be the next captain. He knows what it takes to win, is a proven professional and he won’t be afraid to speak his mind. This team needed a new leader, and I didn’t think it would be wise to throw more pressure on the shoulders of Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle. Their time to be a captain will come, but I like Eakins’ choice.  
   
The lines for opening night will be as follows:
Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
Perron-Arcobello-Eberle
Joensuu-Gordon-Yakupov
Eager/Gazdic-Acton-Brown
Ference-J.Schultz
Smid-Petry
N.Schultz-Belov
Dubnyk

MESSIER: ON CAPTAIN AND DRESSING ROOM

Mark Messier is in town for a charity event in Sylvan Lake on Thursday, but he came in early to visit with Craig MacTavish and Kevin Lowe.
Messier spent some time talking about the arena project he is involved in New York. Currently they have one arena for every 1.2 million kids, so it is very difficult for kids to play hockey after 12 years of age. It is expensive and includes lots of travel. Messier and his group are currently in the final stages of getting a 9-rink facility approved. He’s giving back to the city of New York who gave a lot to him. Good on him.
Messier also was asked about Dallas Eakins changing the pictures and aura of the dressing room. 

I am completely okay with it, and I couldn’t agree with it more. As a former Oiler and an alumnus I think it is very important for the players to feel that it is their time, it is their responsibility to make their own stories, write their own stories, make their own legacies, and not play in the shadows of teams and players that have gone before them. The only way you can do that is to make it their room, make it their team and make it their mission. 

It is not disrespecting the players, teams and the times we had here. It is simply their time and it was smart for the coach to make them aware of that. It puts more of an onus on the players here, and not to look over their shoulders of what has gone on in the past, and I think that pressure is good for them. The honeymoon is over for this group and many of them are entering the prime of their careers. I think the players themselves probably feel more ownership of what happens on the ice because of the change. 

He also was asked about Ference being the captain. 

It is a big responsibility. The players need a galvanizing figure to rally around. That player has to have the experience to live 25 lives, not just one. It isn’t easy. It depends what you expect from a 21-year-old captain. If you are looking for a sophisticated player who has a lot of water under the bridge and really understands the nuances of the game and the leadership aspect, I think that is a lot to ask or a young player. 

For me personally, unless there is a real void of leadership on the team, I would prefer that a player of that age be given more time to find his own way through the league and learn more. When the need for him to step into the role, then I believe he’d be more prepared to handle that role. 

 Makes sense to me, and I suspect you will see Hall wearing an "A" this season. 
RECENTLY BY JASON GREGOR   
• CHERISH YOUR FATHER
• GDB -1: FINAL IMPRESSIONS
• NURSE HEADING TO JUNIOR
• GDB -2: PLAYERS WILL DECIDE WHO MAKES THE TEAM
• GDB -3: OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
• CAMP THOUGHTS AND LINES
• CHEERING FOR A NEW TEAM