Stoll plays the waiting game

From Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun:

Stoll also knows he’s on the backburner in contract negotiations with Edmonton, well aware that he has virtually no leverage in the discussions, coming off the bad year and all. Just another element in a pride-denting summer.

“As for negotiations and talks, there hasn’t been much going on,” he said. “They took care of some guys they had to take care of early on and now they’re trying to figure out what they want for the team, whether I’m in the picture or not. We’ll hope, wait and see.”

The ironic part in all this is that the one thing working in Stoll’s favour if he wants to stay in Edmonton is that he played so poorly in Edmonton last year. The Oilers aren’t going to get much for him now, with his value near its lowest, but there is a chance he could snap out of the tentative style that got him into this fix and rediscover the form that made him such a key ingredient two years ago. If that happens, Jarret Stoll (2007-08) for Jarret Stoll (2005-06) could turn out to be the best trade they make all summer.

Read the entire article here.

I’ll let Oiler bloggers argue this one out but I have to say I am extremely impressed with how classy Stoll is handling all the rumors of his exit and any criticism he receives. While he struggles mightily on the ice sometimes, especially at even strength, he always works hard on and off the ice. The example he sets for the younger players on the team should not be overlooked.