Oilers Sign Peckham, Danis, Keller

The Oilers continued their busy summer, inking unrestricted free agents Yann Danis and Ryan Keller to one-year deals today while at the same time re-upping defenseman Theo Peckham for another season.

All three signings are likely positives; Peckham had a strong rookie season and will have a role on the big club in 2011-12, while Danis and Keller will both be key cogs for Oklahoma.

I love the things Peckham says, including that gem above, found in Jim Matheson’s article on the signing. Peckham will earn $1.075 million next season on this one-year deal.

Peckham’s physical play gets all the attention, and undoubtedly it’s a strong point, but I have hopes that he can be more than a third-pairing ruffian. At times last season he was deployed on the tough-minutes pairing alongside Tom Gilbert, and while he was in over his head in that role last season, there are some signs he may be able to do it going forward. He performed spectacularly as the top shutdown option for some pretty bad Oilers’ AHL affiliates, and during those points in the season where he was asked to do less he had some success. Defensemen take forever to develop, and Peckham’s still young, so it isn’t like he’s running out of time.

I’ve got him as the seventh defenseman entering 2011-12, but I would be unsurprised to see him advance.

I haven’t seen dollar figures anywhere, but the Oilers’ signing of Yann Danis has been confirmed on the official site. He spent last season in the KHL, posting a reasonable 0.910 SV% over 31 games for Amur Khabarovsk, and has had solid stretches in the NHL prior to that. In 12 games for New Jersey in 2009-10 he posted a 0.923 SV% (including a remarkable 0.942 SV% run at even-strength) and the year before that played in 31 games as an emergency backstop for the Islanders. In that role he managed a 0.910 SV% overall and a 0.923 SV% at even-strength.

Lowetide calls this the Gerber signing for 2011-12, and I agree. Danis has a solid professional resume, and should be a fantastic fit as the number three goaltender in the Oilers’ organization. As with Gerber a year ago, there’s a decent case to be made that Danis might be able to run with a sufficient NHL opportunity.

Ryan Keller was most likely signed to perform the ‘tweener role for the club. He has scored 30+ goals each of the last two seasons in the AHL and was in the point-per-game range over two seasons in Finland. He also recorded 25 points in 23 games during the Calder Cup playoffs this spring. Keller made his NHL debut in 2009-10, playing six games for the Ottawa Senators.