Oilers will miss Pitkanen

From John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal:

He also had a reputation for fragility and for being a bit of a loner, an introvert, which can make it difficult to fit in, especially in a tight locker room like the Oilers.

Still, he’s a big-time talent and just 24 years old, a guy who ate up minutes, skated with ridiculous ease and posseses high-end skill.

I’ll miss the guy and, sooner or later, I think the Oilers will, too.

Meanwhile, Lubomir Visnovsky, who will turn 32 before the 2008-09 season opens, will earn $7 million this season, the first year of his five-year contract.

Read more from Sweatsox here.

I can see the Pitkanen argument from both sides. But I think everyone agrees on one thing, and that’s that Visnovsky’s 2007/08 better not have been a sign of his imminent decline.