You're MacT: What do you do now?

[stratedge]

Seriously, I love to armchair GM as much as the next guy, but I would hate to be in his shoes. Pretty much every move you could make is bad, and not making a move is even worse. This team is an absolute train wreck.

• Can't fire Eakins until he looks like at least half the coach of the guy you fired. This team has had too many coaches.
• Can't trade for a goalie; you got goaltending against NYI and you still lost.
• Can't trade Hall / Eberle / RNH, you just signed them to massive contracts and they mesh well together.
• Can't trade Yakupov, his value has hit a floor thanks to your coach.
• Can't trade Schultz in a package to get a well rounded #1 D that can help you now, because you don't have the cap room to take that on.
• Can't really trade in general, because everyone will be looking to take advantage of you while you're so obviously desperate.

Honestly I would like to hear serious suggestions of where this team can possibly go from here.

Personally, I think if there's an experienced and well qualified coach out there (who?) then you bite the bullet and fire Eakins, then charge into the dressing room and kick **** over while foaming as you yell about everyone's "last chance" in a desperate attempt to shock the room and save the season.

I'm not really mad at MacT because he did well in the off season acquisitions and the MPS trade was gold. But I do think he gambled huge and lost hard when he swapped our coach with 1 year experience for one with 0 years experience in a summer where lots of far better qualified coaches were available.

But actually, like I said, you can't fire Eakins. You just can't. Too soon after too many.

So trade some defensemen for some other defensemen? But you can't really trade.

My other idea:

Click to read more...

 

[ohheyhemsky]

I throw a grenade into the locker room, and dramatically look away while biting onto my closed fist.

 

[OilerTyler]

Resign and urge every other former-Oiler within the organization to do the same

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Remember when Lorne Michaels brought that terrible SNL cast into a 'dressing room' and set it on fire, deciding only to save Jon Lovitz?

That, but with Hall.

 

[Wheathead]

The mix is wrong with this club. Sure we're fast, but you have to maintain possession to make teams pay with your speed. Right now they're turning the puck over too much.

I honestly don't know what MacT can do. This team is a bunch of muffins and you can't trade a muffin for some beef.

 

[Paralyzer008]

I'd maybe do one move....

call up Ben Eager and send down Luke Gazdic or Mike Brown

that's basically all you can do right now lol

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Fire Smith, Buchberger.

Maybe ask Eakins if he wants to stay on as Assistant to run the offense (probably wouldn't), ask him to coach with an experienced guy for the rest of the year, and not get thrown to the dogs in his first year.

Bring back Huddy, hire Laviolette (no idea....he has experience?).

 

[Mr Forever]

Have a glass of whiskey, watch a movie, rub one out, go to bed.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

McDavid will turn our fortunes around.

 

[Soundwave]

To be honest at this point I'd do nothing.

Just let it ride, playoffs already look like basically a non-possibility.

Stick with Eakins, stick with the kids, let them play through it no matter how ugly it gets.

If there is a deal for one of Yakupov/Eberle that blows your socks off, then consider it, but otherwise at this point it's not smart to make a deal from a position of weakness.

Hope you get a difference maker from the draft and that Darnell Nurse's development is going well.

 

[bigguy13]

Have a glass of whiskey, watch a movie, rub one out, go to bed.

Thats funny ****....just like the Oilers

 

[McXLNC97]

McDavid will turn our fortunes around.

McDavid's not even eligible until 2015

 

[Perfect_Drug]

OH I GOT IT!

"Play bad for Ekblad!"

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

no, it's terri-putri-bad for ekblad.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Terribad for Ekblad!


SOLD!

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Trade Jordan Eberle.

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Fire Smith, Buchberger.

Maybe ask Eakins if he wants to stay on as Assistant to run the offense (probably wouldn't), ask him to coach with an experienced guy for the rest of the year, and not get thrown to the dogs in his first year.

Bring back Huddy, hire Laviolette (no idea....he has experience?).

Huddy is with the Jets, but I agree with everything you said. It's ugly. Really ugly. Laviolette is awful, but he brings "Olympic" pedigree.


...

There's always Operation Messier.

 

[IButtersI]

Hire Tambellini as a Executive Vice Weekend GM of Executive Hockey Operations

 

[bigguy13]

someone needs to make a video of KL's 6 stanley cup "I know something about winning," press conference and his ****** apology video and hack into the next home game oiler "Your Edmonton Oilers entrance videos" and embarass the hell out of Oiler Management and hear us chant "FIRE LOWE"

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Here's another thought

I don't care how well the back-end has played (it hasn't), why don't we use some of that vaunted depth and scratch a guy? Nick Schultz has been doing dick-all, Justin Schultz has been imbecilic in the defensive zone, Ladi Smid looks afraid of the puck...
Larsen? Garbagekov? Brad Hunt? Taylor Fedun?

 

[Faelko]

Punt

 

[Starbuds]

If I'm MacT I smile because I have a high paying job that I'll have as long as i want because of what I did 20+ years ago. Then I go tell Katz some stories from the good ol' days.

 

[tiger_80]

Yeah, no point making any moves now. They had to be done in the off-season. Play-offs are likely off limits anyway. Hopefully, the team shows signs of improvement in the next 10 games or so and starts putting some winning streaks. Move out whatever UFA you have at the trade deadline (Hemsky, N.Schultz, Belov, if not re-signed) and start building a more balanced team through trades and free agent signings in the off-season. Need a goal-tender, 1D, 2C, 2RW with size.

Trading chips: one of Eberle/Yakupov, J.Schultz, Gagner, Smid, Klefbom, 1st in 2014, 1st and 2nd in 2015.

Hall-RNH-1RW (whichever one of Yakupov/Eberle does not get traded).
Perron-2C-2RW
3LW-Gordon-Joenssu

4th line is less important--they can keep Gazdic and Acton for all i care, promote some AHL guys (Lander, Ewanyk, Kessy, Pitlick) or sign new guys.

Defense:

1D-Petry
Belov-Smid
Ference-Nurse

 

[Soundwave]

I think they should bring up Larsen. Might as well see what we've got there.

 

[dmtdvm]

I throw a grenade into the locker room, and dramatically look away while biting onto my closed fist.

Best line ever.