News Article: Edmonton Oilers: Wait and See at 2C

[Cloned]

It can easily change in an instant, but... Draisaitl hasn't signed yet.

So either management is trying to acquire another C and is dead-set on waiting to see how Drai performs in TC before signing him, or they just want to make it LOOK that way.

 

[Up the Irons]

I'm shocked at the volume of people that disagree with this sentiment. Funny how most agreed when he was hired that it was a questionable move but they'd be on board for the time being only if he could have this team competing for a playoff spot in two seasons. The first few days he was hired we heard a lot of "If this team isn't a competitive team in two years it will be time for both him and Lowe to go." We saw what happened in year one and nobody expects this team to make the playoffs this year. Not hearing any of this talk now so yeah, definitely, the reset button has been hit.

hmmm. that's true. IDK, maybe Mact has done just enough to make us believe. His additions this year give cause for hope. I, for one, want to see how this plays out. If they suck again, and he folds the season early, I would expect many to call for his head.

Alot is riding on the team having a decent start. When you think about it, this season's first half may very well have all of Eakins', Mact's and Lowe's jobs on the line.

 

[Taylor26]

I really like the oilers young players RNH, Hall, Eberle yet the West is still so deep I don't even know if my Wild will make it to the playoffs. You oiler fans just need to give it a bit more time. Whens the last time you were in the cup finals 05'. It takes small markets 5-7 years to rebuild and you don't have the luck like pittsberg had with Crosby and Malkin in top picks. However Pittsburg also drafted Fluery and Jordan Staal with top 3 picks. Nurse looks ok and Draisitl looks pretty good to.

 

[Stoneman89]

I really like the oilers young players RNH, Hall, Eberle yet the West is still so deep I don't even know if my Wild will make it to the playoffs. You oiler fans just need to give it a bit more time. Whens the last time you were in the cup finals 05'. It takes small markets 5-7 years to rebuild and you don't have the luck like pittsberg had with Crosby and Malkin in top picks. However Pittsburg also drafted Fluery and Jordan Staal with top 3 picks. Nurse looks ok and Draisitl looks pretty good to.

I hear what you're saying about the 5-7 years for full development and then the results come, and am in agreement somewhat. But what makes it all the more frustrating for Oiler fans, is all the prior years of suckage we have had to endure (freak '06 cup run excepted), which makes another year or so almost unbearable.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I really like the oilers young players RNH, Hall, Eberle yet the West is still so deep I don't even know if my Wild will make it to the playoffs. You oiler fans just need to give it a bit more time. Whens the last time you were in the cup finals 05'. It takes small markets 5-7 years to rebuild and you don't have the luck like pittsberg had with Crosby and Malkin in top picks. However Pittsburg also drafted Fluery and Jordan Staal with top 3 picks. Nurse looks ok and Draisitl looks pretty good to.

That's the problem. It's been 5-7 years, and last season could possibly be the worst one yet.

And now, 5-7 years later, we have no 2C, no legitimate top-pairing d-man, and no proven starting goalie. By the sounds of that, it's as if we should be in about Year 2 or 3 of these 5-7 years.

 

[Dorian2]

That's the problem. It's been 5-7 years, and last season could possibly be the worst one yet.

And now, 5-7 years later, we have no 2C, no legitimate top-pairing d-man, and no proven starting goalie. By the sounds of that, it's as if we should be in about Year 2 or 3 of these 5-7 years.

Heh...you can minus 3 or 4 years thanks to the exceptional job that Tambo has done for the team.

Unfortunately, we are basically in year 2 of the rebuild thanks to the waste of time that is no longer here.

 

[McArthur]

That's the problem. It's been 5-7 years, and last season could possibly be the worst one yet.

And now, 5-7 years later, we have no 2C, no legitimate top-pairing d-man, and no proven starting goalie. By the sounds of that, it's as if we should be in about Year 2 or 3 of these 5-7 years.

could be worse. we could have no proven 1A LW(Hall). but I think its safe to say that he's proven that. the year before last we had a guy that proved to be a 1A RW...(Eberle) And I'm sure he's not done rounding out his game. Then we got another guy who is a proven 2A C(RNH), and he is far from rounding out his game. Perron was a stud in his first season, playing with guys having a hard time carrying the play. So if this was all we had, we still have better than some other teams out there. and 3/4 of those guys are under contract for 5-7 more years... I know it sucks, and yes we have been patient. but. Making no/little moves with franchise players will stock the cupboard with so much depth, it will be the depth that makes the franchise a perennial powerhouse.

 

[Beerfish]

I'm shocked at the volume of people that disagree with this sentiment. Funny how most agreed when he was hired that it was a questionable move but they'd be on board for the time being only if he could have this team competing for a playoff spot in two seasons. The first few days he was hired we heard a lot of "If this team isn't a competitive team in two years it will be time for both him and Lowe to go." We saw what happened in year one and nobody expects this team to make the playoffs this year. Not hearing any of this talk now so yeah, definitely, the reset button has been hit.

Which is a hilarious joke. Even mact the day he was hired bellowed about all the things he was going to do how bold he was going to be and how he was impatient. To this point there is no difference between mact and what tamob did.

 

[Beerfish]

I really like the oilers young players RNH, Hall, Eberle yet the West is still so deep I don't even know if my Wild will make it to the playoffs. You oiler fans just need to give it a bit more time. Whens the last time you were in the cup finals 05'. It takes small markets 5-7 years to rebuild and you don't have the luck like pittsberg had with Crosby and Malkin in top picks. However Pittsburg also drafted Fluery and Jordan Staal with top 3 picks. Nurse looks ok and Draisitl looks pretty good to.

5 years from 2006 cup year was 2011, its almost 2015. The team was so horrid last year that we dumb fans and dumb media will lap up any improvement. 5th last instead of 3rd last! Progress!

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

5 years from 2006 cup year was 2011, its almost 2015. The team was so horrid last year that we dumb fans and dumb media will lap up any improvement. 5th last instead of 3rd last! Progress!

Believe it or not the inept management that we still have today believed we were competitive enough, and the first 2 seasons since the cup run weren't even part of the rebuild. They were just horrible was all.

 

[rboomercat90]

Which is a hilarious joke. Even mact the day he was hired bellowed about all the things he was going to do how bold he was going to be and how he was impatient. To this point there is no difference between mact and what tamob did.

There is a difference. The insignificant pieces Tamby brought in here were, for the most part, cheap. The guys Mac T has been bringing in here aren't. Mactavish has spent close to the cap and yet he hasn't addressed the major holes this team has.

 

[dobiezeke*]

Which is a hilarious joke. Even mact the day he was hired bellowed about all the things he was going to do how bold he was going to be and how he was impatient. To this point there is no difference between mact and what tamob did.

Dubnyk, Gagner, Horcoff, Schultz, MPV...gone. Perron, Pouliot, Nikitin, Purcell, Fayne, Scrivens, Fasth...in. Not sure how even with your blinders you don't see that MacT has done more in one year than Tambo did in his career with the Oilers.

Not saying this team is a playoff dynamo, but at least it is starting to look like it might be competitive down the line.

 

[Raab]

Dubnyk, Gagner, Horcoff, Schultz, MPV...gone. Perron, Pouliot, Nikitin, Purcell, Fayne, Scrivens, Fasth...in. Not sure how even with your blinders you don't see that MacT has done more in one year than Tambo did in his career with the Oilers.

Not saying this team is a playoff dynamo, but at least it is starting to look like it might be competitive down the line.

Both lists are a whole lot of meh. Anyone thinking we'll be any better then bottom 8 needs to give there heads a shake. We'll be lucky if were not picking top 5 with this group. MacT is useless just like Tambo was. Hopefully the whole management team gets canned and we can get a real GM like Nill. Actually I'm still pissed we didn't get Nill in the first place.

 

[Mr Positive]

There is a difference. The insignificant pieces Tamby brought in here were, for the most part, cheap. The guys Mac T has been bringing in here aren't. Mactavish has spent close to the cap and yet he hasn't addressed the major holes this team has.

we have over 8 million of space. We still have to re-sign Schultz but we'll still have a ton of space. We'll have to re-sign Yakupov next season, and Perron the following season, but the cap is projected to rise every season. Our contracts are timed well too, with no long term commitments other than Pouliot's deal, and his contract expires just as we have to re-sign Eberle.

So I don't see the problem with MacT's efforts to get established talents rather than cheap projects. I'm not seeing the danger you're worried about.

 

[dobiezeke*]

Both lists are a whole lot of meh. Anyone thinking we'll be any better then bottom 8 needs to give there heads a shake. We'll be lucky if were not picking top 5 with this group. MacT is useless just like Tambo was. Hopefully the whole management team gets canned and we can get a real GM like Nill. Actually I'm still pissed we didn't get Nill in the first place.

Thanks for responding and missing the point...post was about whether Mact had done less than Tambo.

Your love of Nill shows your colors...

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Thanks for responding and missing the point...post was about whether Mact had done less than Tambo.

Your love of Nill shows your colors...

No kidding, this clown probably even likes Dean Lombardi! What a dummie.

 

[oilinblood]

There is a difference. The insignificant pieces Tamby brought in here were, for the most part, cheap. The guys Mac T has been bringing in here aren't. Mactavish has spent close to the cap and yet he hasn't addressed the major holes this team has.

I see things much differently. I see three solid sets of wingers who can score...and versatility within that group to play different types of games to match different opponents. I see a fourth line of Gordon and Hendricks that can handle the big draws and tough dzone matches. I see a centre position that is still better than last year. I see goaltending that is in a different universe than last year. I see a defense that added Nikitin and one of my "WANTS" from my UFA list in Fayne...and has klefbom and nurse a year older and marincin a year wiser.

Even as people look at our center position...we had the same centres last year except we had one guy who made a decent winger but was never a good centre in Gagner that is now gone. We drafted a supreme talent natural Centre with a two way game who has never played with talent. Arco has a one year and one chance left opportunity to prove he belongs as either our depth forward with hendricks and gordon on line four or has can steal line two. Hendricks did well at pivot last year and history shows he can be solid two way in that position. Boyd gordon, before the oilers rushed rnh and gagner back was doing better than arco at finding the back of the net and setting up linemates. The option to split up hendricks and Gordon is always there.

I am normally a peesimist but this roster is much better and much more versatile.

If Eakins cant play competitive hockey with this team as is...he needs to be fired.

I said it last year... IF MACT DOES NOT FIRE EAKINS IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF HIM NOT WANTING TO LOOK BAD FOR THE HIRING, NOR IS IT TO ACCEPT A LEARNING CURVE, NOR IS IT FEAR OF FIRING YET ANOTHER COACH...IT IS A CLEAR SIGN MACT WAS STATING HE COULD NOT JUDGE THE COACH BASED ON THE ROSTER HE WAS GIVEN.

This year MacT has built a team and knowing MacT he isnt putting his phone away. If fifteen games in or even ten games in...the wheels seem off the track MacT will drop the blade and Eakins head will roll.

 

[CupofOil]

we have over 8 million of space. We still have to re-sign Schultz but we'll still have a ton of space. We'll have to re-sign Yakupov next season, and Perron the following season, but the cap is projected to rise every season. Our contracts are timed well too, with no long term commitments other than Pouliot's deal, and his contract expires just as we have to re-sign Eberle.

So I don't see the problem with MacT's efforts to get established talents rather than cheap projects. I'm not seeing the danger you're worried about.

With Schultz and Draisaitl signed, the Oilers are going to have 3-4M of cap space MAX so it's basically a cap team.

When you have the worst center depth in the league, no top pairing defenseman (can any other team make that claim?) and questionable goaltending as a cap team, that's a big problem.
Generally cap teams should be at least somewhat competitive and at least should be battling for a playoff spot. The best that we can hope from this club is that they finish out of the bottom 10 and quite frankly, that's pushing it a bit.

I see MacT being no different than Tambo other than being more proactive in attempting to get things done. I do like some of the acquisitions that MacT made but i also liked some of Tambo's acquisitions. What they both have in common is that they hired underqualified coaches who were in over their head, waited too long to get value for some of their better players (Souray, Visnovsky with Tambo, Gagner, Hemsky (although that's more of a Tambo screw up) and now Petry it seems with MacT) and went into the season with multiple huge question marks at important positions.

I understand that MacT has been handcuffed a bit due to the horrible reputation of this organization making Edmonton a tough selljob and the lack of expendable trade assets at his disposal but i don't understand why he gets credit for accomplishing basically nothing while Tambo is known as the guy who sewered the franchise and was Mr. Incompetent. The team has gonw nowhere under both of them and in fact, had the worst season of all under MacT. I couldn't even bare to watch most of the games last season, felt like i was watching with a gun to my head as if I had no choice.

Time will tell and the team has to get better at some point you would think but what MacT has done thus far doesn't inspire me with a ton of confidence. For some of the good he has done (Perron, Fayne, Gordon, Scrivens, dumping of some dead weight), he has done just as much bad (bold talk without the credentials to back it up, rookie head coach while forcing him to keep MacT's 2 friends as assistants, Doobie-Barbie, the Gagner situation, failure to address #2C for 2 straight years, the Pouliot contract although that remains to be seen).

 

[Beerfish]

Dubnyk, Gagner, Horcoff, Schultz, MPV...gone. Perron, Pouliot, Nikitin, Purcell, Fayne, Scrivens, Fasth...in. Not sure how even with your blinders you don't see that MacT has done more in one year than Tambo did in his career with the Oilers.

Not saying this team is a playoff dynamo, but at least it is starting to look like it might be competitive down the line.

What was the oilers record last year, simple question.

I'd ask the same blinders question to you. He made a host of Tambo like moves last year and the team sewered. Wake me up when this team actually achieves something because MacT 100% showed he was a rookie gm ill prepared for the job in many of his moves last year.

 

[Up the Irons]

With Schultz and Draisaitl signed, the Oilers are going to have 3-4M of cap space MAX so it's basically a cap team.

When you have the worst center depth in the league, no top pairing defenseman (can any other team make that claim?) and questionable goaltending as a cap team, that's a big problem.
Generally cap teams should be at least somewhat competitive and at least should be battling for a playoff spot. The best that we can hope from this club is that they finish out of the bottom 10 and quite frankly, that's pushing it a bit.

I see MacT being no different than Tambo other than being more proactive in attempting to get things done. I do like some of the acquisitions that MacT made but i also liked some of Tambo's acquisitions. What they both have in common is that they hired underqualified coaches who were in over their head, waited too long to get value for some of their better players (Souray, Visnovsky with Tambo, Gagner, Hemsky (although that's more of a Tambo screw up) and now Petry it seems with MacT) and went into the season with multiple huge question marks at important positions.

I understand that MacT has been handcuffed a bit due to the horrible reputation of this organization making Edmonton a tough selljob and the lack of expendable trade assets at his disposal but i don't understand why he gets credit for accomplishing basically nothing while Tambo is known as the guy who sewered the franchise and was Mr. Incompetent. The team has gonw nowhere under both of them and in fact, had the worst season of all under MacT. I couldn't even bare to watch most of the games last season, felt like i was watching with a gun to my head as if I had no choice.

Time will tell and the team has to get better at some point you would think but what MacT has done thus far doesn't inspire me with a ton of confidence. For some of the good he has done (Perron, Fayne, Gordon, Scrivens, dumping of some dead weight), he has done just as much bad (bold talk without the credentials to back it up, rookie head coach while forcing him to keep MacT's 2 friends as assistants, Doobie-Barbie, the Gagner situation, failure to address #2C for 2 straight years, the Pouliot contract although that remains to be seen).

Somewhat agree. MacT is at least trying to improve. All Tambo is sign really cheap bums, or do nothing. Mact's not addressing certain holes has more to do with the the trade being unavailable (is Derek Roy really an upgrade on Arco?). His biggest mistake was Eakins, but that might still work out. And if it doesn't, you skid him and let Ramsey take over.

 

[Moose Coleman]

With Schultz and Draisaitl signed, the Oilers are going to have 3-4M of cap space MAX so it's basically a cap team.

$3-4M would move the Oilers from 21st in spending to around 13-14. Middle of the pack.

When you have the worst center depth in the league, no top pairing defenseman (can any other team make that claim?) and questionable goaltending as a cap team, that's a big problem.
Generally cap teams should be at least somewhat competitive and at least should be battling for a playoff spot. The best that we can hope from this club is that they finish out of the bottom 10 and quite frankly, that's pushing it a bit.

They aren't a cap team. If they are, then "cap team" means at least half the teams ion the league, so its kind of a meaningless designation.

I see MacT being no different than Tambo other than being more proactive in attempting to get things done. I do like some of the acquisitions that MacT made but i also liked some of Tambo's acquisitions. What they both have in common is that they hired underqualified coaches who were in over their head, waited too long to get value for some of their better players (Souray, Visnovsky with Tambo, Gagner, Hemsky (although that's more of a Tambo screw up) and now Petry it seems with MacT) and went into the season with multiple huge question marks at important positions.

Except MacT actually seems to understand the team's needs, something Tambo never did. He hasn't been able to fill them all, but he's made more progress (on paper) on the goaltending and the defense and the forward depth than Tambo did in five years.

I understand that MacT has been handcuffed a bit due to the horrible reputation of this organization making Edmonton a tough selljob and the lack of expendable trade assets at his disposal but i don't understand why he gets credit for accomplishing basically nothing while Tambo is known as the guy who sewered the franchise and was Mr. Incompetent.

Because Tambo's incompetence did sewer the franchise, while MacT has had just one season of work to dig the team out of the deep hole his predecessor dug.

Time will tell and the team has to get better at some point you would think but what MacT has done thus far doesn't inspire me with a ton of confidence. For some of the good he has done (Perron, Fayne, Gordon, Scrivens, dumping of some dead weight), he has done just as much bad (bold talk without the credentials to back it up, rookie head coach while forcing him to keep MacT's 2 friends as assistants, Doobie-Barbie, the Gagner situation, failure to address #2C for 2 straight years, the Pouliot contract although that remains to be seen).

Funny though: if you look at the mistakes he's made, he's shown a lot of awareness that they were mistakes and worked to correct them. He canned the assistants. He overhauled the goaltending. He got a warm body for Gagner (something most posters did not think possible). He was in on a number of the UFA C's, can't force anyone to play where they don't want to.

I don't expect perfection from a GM. I do expect them to at least have a handle on the team's needs and an ability and willingness to recognize their own mistakes and fix them. MacT seems to have those traits and that's a good thing.

 

[CupofOil]

$3-4M would move the Oilers from 21st in spending to around 13-14. Middle of the pack.

Sure but i bet that most of those teams that are spending close to the cap have better rosters or at the very least an NHL level #2/#3 center and/or top pairing Dman.

They aren't a cap team. If they are, then "cap team" means at least half the teams ion the league, so its kind of a meaningless designation.

They are close enough to the cap and considering all the money spent, the roster should look better.

Except MacT actually seems to understand the team's needs, something Tambo never did. He hasn't been able to fill them all, but he's made more progress (on paper) on the goaltending and the defense and the forward depth than Tambo did in five years.

Identifying and executing makes a big difference.
He has now had 2 full seasons to address the center depth and has made it worse. The defense depth looks better but it's still a bunch of middling veterans and unproven prospects although i do quite like the Fayne acquisition. The group is also soft as can be.

The goaltending remains to be seen. I like the goalies but they are still relatively unproven, both of them so it's still a question mark as far as i'm concerned.
He has identified some needs but has failed to execute on some fronts, i still can't get over the fact that Arcobello and Draisaitl are the only competition for the middle center spots. It's inexplicable that MacT didn't create any competition for those spots to date.

Because Tambo's incompetence did sewer the franchise, while MacT has had just one season of work to dig the team out of the deep hole his predecessor dug.

He has had two seasons to dig the team out. Last season was arguably worse than any of the Tambo years, worst IMO and I see some slight improvement accross the board. Can they even dig out of the bottom 5 this season? It's sad that we are even discussing bottom 5 possibilities still.

Funny though: if you look at the mistakes he's made, he's shown a lot of awareness that they were mistakes and worked to correct them. He canned the assistants. He overhauled the goaltending. He got a warm body for Gagner (something most posters did not think possible). He was in on a number of the UFA C's, can't force anyone to play where they don't want to.

I don't expect perfection from a GM. I do expect them to at least have a handle on the team's needs and an ability and willingness to recognize their own mistakes and fix them. MacT seems to have those traits and that's a good thing.

He corrected the mistakes AFTER the season was sewered last season.
Is he going to wait until this season is sewered to bring in an NHL level #2/#3 center or is this another development and evaluation year?

I don't expect perfection from him but i would like to see one season, just ONE where the Oilers don't have the worst depth in the league at any position.
First it was the defense and goaltending, now it's center and even the defense and goaltending has a bunch of question marks. Outside of wing depth, is there any position that the Oilers are even middle of the pack leaguewide? At least on paper, center, defense and goaltending all rank comfortably in the bottom 10 still with center depth being the worst in the league.

I also want to add that i know this isn't an easy job. Edmonton has a long way to go to dig out of the bad reputation that it has (mainly due to management incompetence, and i'm not talking about Tambo, look much higher), but it's his job to make this franchise a winner and from what i see, they aren't much better off than they were in the Tambo years.
Maybe i'm just used to disappointment and it has made me jaded but i'm in "i'll believe it when i see it" mode. I expect the worst until I start to see better and to me, the roster doesn't really inspire much confidence. Lots of talent (unproven talent mainly) but can they finally come together as a TEAM? Who the hell knows?

 

[Moose Coleman]

Sure but i bet that most of those teams that are spending close to the cap have better rosters or at the very least an NHL level #2/#3 center and/or top pairing Dman.

They are close enough to the cap and considering all the money spent, the roster should look better.

Like Toronto, Washington, Philly, or Carolina?

I'm not sure where you're going with this: should the Oilers cheap out or spend more?

Identifying and executing makes a big difference.
He has now had 2 full seasons to address the center depth and has made it worse. The defense depth looks better but it's still a bunch of middling veterans and unproven prospects although i do quite like the Fayne acquisition. The group is also soft as can be.

D: Again, not sure what you expect at this stage. No one is giving away top pairing D-men. Seems to me they're going with a defense in depth approach in lieu of having that go-to guy. Not sure what other choice they had.

The goaltending remains to be seen. I like the goalies but they are still relatively unproven, both of them so it's still a question mark as far as i'm concerned.

I'm not that concerned. Track records mean little with goalies (even DD was tracking decently before he imploded). Chances are good of getting at least league average goaltending out of that tandem, which itself would be an improvement.

He has identified some needs but has failed to execute on some fronts, i still can't get over the fact that Arcobello and Draisaitl are the only competition for the middle center spots. It's inexplicable that MacT didn't create any competition for those spots to date.

Top six centres that can play both ends of the ice are one of the rarest commodities, so I can't fault him for not delivering there. Would have preferred one of the many possible stopgaps, but it didn't seem like any were interested in coming here. What can you do?

He has had two seasons to dig the team out. Last season was arguably worse than any of the Tambo years, worst IMO and I see some slight improvement accross the board. Can they even dig out of the bottom 5 this season? It's sad that we are even discussing bottom 5 possibilities still.

Two off seasons, one of which isn't even halfway done.

Problem with comparing this year's to last is they're very different teams. There's nine guys on the current roster by my count who weren't here on opening night last season. That's basically half the roster.

He corrected the mistakes AFTER the season was sewered last season.

Which is still bette rthan not correcting them at all, which is what Tambo would have done.

Is he going to wait until this season is sewered to bring in an NHL level #2/#3 center or is this another development and evaluation year?

I'm still not clear on where this guy is supposed to come from and what you'd be comfortable giving up to get him.

I don't expect perfection from him but i would like to see one season, just ONE where the Oilers don't have the worst depth in the league at any position.
First it was the defense and goaltending, now it's center and even the defense and goaltending has a bunch of question marks. Outside of wing depth, is there any position that the Oilers are even middle of the pack leaguewide? At least on paper, center, defense and goaltending all rank comfortably in the bottom 10 still with center depth being the worst in the league.

That's a reflection on Tambo. We should be seeing many of those holes being filled by picks from that era by now. But there's nothing there.

I also want to add that i know this isn't an easy job. Edmonton has a long way to go to dig out of the bad reputation that it has (mainly due to management incompetence, and i'm not talking about Tambo, look much higher), but it's his job to make this franchise a winner and from what i see, they aren't much better off than they were in the Tambo years.

IMO, on paper, the current lineup is better than almost anything we saw in the Tambo years. Holes and all.

 

[Oilfan2]

Both lists are a whole lot of meh. Anyone thinking we'll be any better then bottom 8 needs to give there heads a shake. We'll be lucky if were not picking top 5 with this group. MacT is useless just like Tambo was. Hopefully the whole management team gets canned and we can get a real GM like Nill. Actually I'm still pissed we didn't get Nill in the first place.

Yeah wish we had a $5m x 40 year old defenceman and Horcoff again...

 

[Soundwave]

Tambellini was given a mandate to "tank", lets not kid ourselves otherwise.

Though he probably is a mediocre GM anyway (Vancouver passed on him multiple times, but he's good enough to get hired here I guess).

I don't see anything that leads me to believe Mac T is anything too special either though. Jim Nill would've been a better hire.