Crazy Oiler offers, Bruin doings, Kingly D and more

If Oilers GM Kevin Lowe isn't careful with those fat offer sheets he's going to wildly overpay for a wildly overrated player. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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It may be the sleepiest time of year in the NHL, but the good ol' electronic mailman still has tired dogs from delivering all your questions and comments. Let's get to some about recent developments:

What is Kevin Lowe doing? First he tries to raid the Sabres for Thomas Vanek, and now he's at it again with an offer sheet for Dustin Penner. Doesn't he realize the damage his renegade approach is doing to the game? I hope Bryan Burke matches his offer and then pounces on the first opportunity to screw Edmonton out of one of its restricted free agents.
-- Grant Hill, Buffalo

Not really sure what's behind all the angst over these offer sheets. They're a tool that was negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement and a legitimate team-building option for all 30 franchises. I give Lowe credit for having the guts to do whatever he can to make the Oilers better, because their success, not the financial health of the league and his competition, is his motivation.

Still, I'm not sold on throwing that kind of deal at Penner. Unlike Vanek he's no blue-chipper, and at 25 he has just one decent NHL season (29-16-45) on his resume. And he was a major disappointment during the Ducks' Stanley Cup run. Maybe he'd thrive in Edmonton, but he has the potential to be a major and -- at five years, $21.5 million -- very costly bust.

Considering the addition of free agent Todd Bertuzzi and the possible promotion of prospect Bobby Ryan, the Ducks have some talent on the right wing. They might be wise to let the Oilers have Penner. If that's the way they go, they'll receive a first-, second- and third-round pick as compensation. Given Edmonton's potential for flaming out (and the fact that it's a very deep draft year), that might be the smart play for the Ducks and Burke.

What do you think of the whole John Tavares thing? I know he's good, but is there really any chance the NHL will change the rules and make him eligible for next year's draft instead of making him wait until 2009?
-- J. Prescott, Toronto

I'd bet on Lindsay Lohan staying sober and Michael Vick becoming a spokesman for PETA before I put any money on Tavares being made available for the 2008 entry draft.

There's no denying that Tavares is a special talent. Last season he smashed one of Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring records on the way to being named the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Year. He did it all before getting his driver's license. He looks like a franchise-altering talent and, from speaking with a couple of people with whom he has done business, he's an incredibly mature, grounded kid. If anyone is worth bending the rules for, it's probably Tavares.

But ... as anxious as the NHL is to see Tavares working his magic professionally, the league understands the impact of the precedent it would be setting. Do it for him, and the next wunderkind -- who might not be as well prepared -- will expect the same treatment. And he might be even younger. It wasn't that long ago that Eric Lindros was described as NHL-ready when he was 15. He might have been, but it's hard to imagine that he would have been better off for entering the league that early.

An exemption is a no-win situation. While Tavares is likely stuck for another two years in a league that he's quickly outgrowing, the time spent maturing both physically and emotionally will ensure that he's better prepared for the NHL when he becomes eligible.

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