Sounds like Regehr has re considered waiving his NMC to go to the Sabres, one he refused earlier, which may still lead to Ryan Smyth becoming a Flame after all, which leaves us back where we started.

I wonder if Reggie wanted to go to SJ, but reconsidered once SJ traded for Burns in the end

I understand that hockey is a business, and obviously there’s money and roster spots tied up in this, but business is also about sales and marketing. Think about how big a deal it is when guys like Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos come to town. Filling seats, keeping people interested, selling merchandise.

The Oilers have a great business (aka marketing & PR) move to make that will have fans buying new Smyth Vintage jerseys. They’ll have a key example to point at when people bring up the “nobody wants to go to Edmonton” line. They’ll have a great mea culpa moment when KLowe once again falls on the sword and claims it was a mistake to let him go, but he’s back now and all is well. And, they’ll have (arguably) the most beloved Oiler since Gretzky back in Edmonton carrying the flag of the Blue and Orange.

Now, think how bad it could be if he goes to Calgary. Now you’ve got the negative sentiment from a hardcore group of fans. You’ve got the stories out there about a respected veteran wanting to come back, but the Oilers couldn’t see past their own agenda to get it done (fuels the ‘management is a problem’ storyline). And, you’ve got the inevitable circus when Tambellini tries to lure ‘veteran leadership’ to the team in the very near future.

All I can say is that if this doesn’t get done, it will be the first time I’ll seriously question Tambellini’s “Plan” for this team…

It’s highly unlikely, though, that Lombardi’s work is done. In the conference call to discuss the Richards trade, Lombardi also disclosed that veteran winger Ryan Smyth has requested a trade and that the Kings are close to completing a deal.

Smyth is a native of Banff, Alberta, and sources have indicated that the NHL’s two Alberta-based teams, Edmonton and Calgary, have talked about a trade for Smyth.

“I talked to [Smyth] a couple times, and he was very clear that it had nothing to do with hockey, that it was strictly for his family, that he wanted to go home,” Lombardi said. “I’ve talked to one team a number of times, and they’ve been very forthright in trying to piece it together. I hope to have that wrapped up here in a day or two.”