EDMONTON – In the end, Sheldon Souray was asking for something that Steve Tambellini simply could not deliver.
With a history of injuries, a birth certificate that reads 34 years of age, a $5.5-million cap hit for two more years and a bitter feud with Oilers management on his resume, Tambellini peddled Souray to 29 other National Hockey League general managers since April with no success.
So the resolution came on Wednesday, when teams had to name their final 23-man rosters to start the season. Souray was assigned to the American Hockey League, and loaned by the Oilers to Washington’s farm team in Hershey.
Did Tambellini ever have a genuine fish on the line to make a trade?
"A couple of discussions, but nothing close that really made sense to the Oilers," the GM said on Wednesday. "You’re looking for value. It just wasn’t there at this time. We had to make a decision to move on now, with our 23-man roster."
In fact, Tambellini had been shopping Souray since well before April, when the big defenceman demanded a trade in a sportsnet.ca article.
"It was an ask that has been there from the player for … well over a year and a half," Tambellini said of Souray’s trade demand. "We’ve done our best to find something that works for now."
Why not just send him to the Oilers top farm club in Oklahoma City?
In meetings with the Oilers front office staff and ownership, Tambellini decided that the player they did not want around any of their young rookies in Edmonton shouldn’t be in the same dressing room as their prospects on the farm either.
So the Oilers made a deal with the Capitals AHL affiliate, and gave Souray the ol’ Hershey kiss-off.
The move takes Souray’s $5.4-million cap hit off of Edmonton’s books as the 2010-11 season begins, though they are still on the hook for his $4.5 million salary. Money was not a major factor in making the decision, Tambellini said.
"(Oilers owner) Daryl Katz has been extremely consistent with his message of, ‘You do what you have to do, what’s best for the organization.’ There have been numerous things that have changed with this organization in the past six months, on the ice and off the ice," the GM said.
Should Tambellini find a trading partner for Souray this season, the Elk Point, Alb. native will have to pass through re-entry waivers before the Oilers can trade him. If picked up on re-entry waivers, the Oilers and the team that selects him will split the remaining two years on his contract.
Another possibility is that the Oilers leave Souray in the AHL until the end of the 2010-11 season. At that point re-entry waivers no longer apply, and with just one year left on his contract, Tambellini could perhaps realize a decent return in a Souray trade.
In the meantime, said Tambellini, "If someone expresses interest, I’ll listen."
Souray could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
