Darth Vitale
Dark Matter
Pens fan coming in peace. I totally get why you guys are frustrated and angry but from an outside perspcetive there is some serious panic-trade-suggestion stuff going on in this thread.
By panic I don't mean to suggest the team shouldn't be more competitive at this point (it should) but I agree with the above. You don't build around just McDavid; that's insane. There are some good parts worth keeping.
McJesus, Hall, and Draisitl should all be kept on the offensive side, not least reason for which long term Hall and Draisaitl are going to be tougher players than guys like Eberle and RNH from my limited viewing.
Defensively you definitely hang on to Klefbom and hope he heals up fully. Nurse I think you get him out of the NHL until you have some veteran presence on the D corps to surround him. It's your defense that is the most putrid aspect of the team and some soft elements in general. If it were me I'd move Eberle, Schultz, a 1st rounder maybe, and possibly RNH if the return was high to shore up that defense with legitimate NHL blueliners. Guys who can hang around for 4 or 5 years and make your team actually difficult to play against. From there you start filling out the forward corp with some good two-way guys that have some edge to their game. Even if not that talented, as long as they can skate and play with heart your team is going to be way better than it is now.
The Oilers are about as tough as a wet napkin right now. I don't think it's the coach either. I think it's the overall team makeup.
