For cryin' out loud Leaf fans, all I was sayin' last week is that it looks like you guys are going after John Tavares. I honestly believe that is the PLAN. And to tell you the truth, I don't think it's a bad one. Not only do I believe it is Cliff Fletcher's PLAN, but he's given me no reason to believe otherwise based on his actions this offseason. A recipe for World War 3? Apparently. And let me say this: good times.

And good times for Shawn Horcoff, signing a six-year contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers that averages out to $5.5M per season. He has one year left on his current deal that will pay him $3.6M next season, so it amounts to a $1.9M raise.

This signing boils down to one thing: Kevin Lowe did not want history to repeat itself and wind up with another Ryan Smyth debacle on his hands. Truth be told, the Smyth episode was a debacle that landed the Oilers Robert Nilsson, but it was an unmitigated PR disaster that stretched over an entire season leading up to the trade, and it blew up in Lowe's face like a mushroom cloud at the deadline. Lowe admitted many times following the Smyth deal in February 2007 that he made a mistake, and in the case of Horcoff, he is clearly acting on that experience.

The parallels between the situations are many. Horcoff is, and Smyth was, a first-line player on the Oilers. And like Smyth, Horcoff plays the power play, and he kills penalties. In fact, Horcoff might just be the best penalty killer on the Oilers.

Horcoff's stock rose significantly last season when he made his all-star debut; likewise, Smyth's value certainly didn't decline when he made the trip to Dallas to represent Edmonton in 2007. And like Smyth, Horcoff is a product of the Oilers system -- selected 99th overall by Edmonton in 1998. Smyth didn't give himself the chance to play for one team his entire career, and Horcoff has. Come to think of it, maybe Horcs learned a little from the Smyth trade too.

But is Horcoff worth $5.5M? There is an argument to be made that he's not. But his versatility cannot be overlooked. $5.5M may, in fact, be a little high, but is a player of Horcoff's skill worth any less on the open market? Here's what some notable UFA forwards fetched this summer:

(average salaries)

Daymond Langkow 	 	$4.5M

Corey Perry 		$5.325M

Brian Rolston 		$5.0M

Niklas Hagman 		$3.0M

Michael Ryder 		$4.0M

Kristian Huselius 	$4.75M

Sean Avery 			$3.75M

And a point that cannot be overlooked: With this signing the Oilers now have Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, Lubomir Visnovsky, Sheldon Souray and Tom Gilbert locked up through 2012.



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