here are the bright spots to this year

[Jumptheshark]

with all this negativity flying around, I think we need some perspective or at least something to look at as a positive. For the past 4 or seasons or so the oilers were always one of the first team eliminated from playoff contention-- this season 8 teams were knocked or eliminated before the oilers and we are not bottom 5 in pts in the league (yeah I know the large amount of our fans who have fallen in love with high picks will find this more harmful than good) but both to me are small positives

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[frag2]

Honestly, all it takes now is 1 Oiler loss or a CBJ OTL/SOL and I believe we are out so not really a bright spot.

Coupled with another 2 losses and I think we're down to bottom 5.

I do think that if this was a 82 game season, we'd probably be a lot closer to the playoffs than most of us believe.

 

[Bangers]

Even though I'm p***ed about the MacT hiring, there are actually a lot of positives to take out of this season.

1) The team was pretty much what I thought it was going to be this season. Streaky and madly inconsistent, battled for the playoffs at one point, but just couldn't put it all together. I thought the team would finish in the 5-10 range, which is where it looks they will.

2) Hall has improved by leaps and bounds over last year.

3) Gagner has shown he's a legitimate 2nd line NHL C.

4) Tambellini was fired. In retrospect, he was the right GM for the rebuild (ie. patient), and he did a lot of good things (eg. rebuild the team's farm system), but it's clear that he wasn't going to be able to make the moves to move the team forward.

5) Magnus has improved a lot from last year.

6) The team got Smid signed to a reasonable deal.

7) Dubnyk showed that he can play at the NHL level. He may never turn out to be the star number 1 goalie most people want, but he's faced a lot of rubber this season and held his own. Now he just needs to work on his concentration and consistency.

8) The team is going to get another good young piece at the draft, or will (hopefully) get a decent return for the pick. The team is also going to have 2 2nd round picks, which gives them some ammunition if they are going to make moves at the draft.

9) Yakupov

10) Justin Schultz

11) The team (finally) had the balls to admit that neither Eager nor Hordichuk were NHL-caliber players and sent them to the minors.

12) Mike Brown was a decent acquisition.

13) Another year burned off Horcoff's contract.

14) The end of the Khabibulin/Peckham/Whitney era (adding ~ 8m in cap space)

15) Andy Sutton/Sheldon Souray contracts are off the book now (additional 3m in cap space)

 

[frag2]

The only thing that ticks me off is that we have only 2 scoring players this season, not even a full line. Watching the Leafs last night, they have at least 2 LINES that can do some damage. We barely have 1 [if you count Yakupov, then we have 1].

I think if Nuge and Ebs had played to the level of last year, we'd make it or at least 9th.

Hopefully, summer time, the team offloads most of the bottom 6. Beyond putrid.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Honestly had Eberle and RNH performed better offensively, we could've snuck into the playoffs this season.

Offseason priorities:
- Trade for/draft a defensively responsible, faceoff capable, preferably big/physical second line center (Berglund etc, Barkov/Monahan could become this)
- Sign a big second line winger (Horton etc, Paajarvi may develop into this)
- Sign some bottom 6 role players with some offensive upside (Bickell, Torres etc, can't be too hard)
- Trade for a top pairing PMD (Yandle etc, we should include Gagner in a package for this once we have the second line center)
- Bring in someone to mentor guys like Schultz/Klefbom (Scuderi etc)
* DO NOT trade Hall, RNH, or Yakupov under any circumstance, don't trade Eberle unless we're including him in a deal for a stud like OEL/Pietrangelo.
* Get rid of the dead weight. Addition by subtraction is without a doubt the most important way to improve this team: Hemsky, Smyth, Belanger, Whitney, and Potter all must go. I wouldn't mind losing Petrell, Smithson, Jones, Fistric, N Schultz, and Horcoff (we can keep him as a role player if we have the cap space and use the compliance buyout next offseason) either.

 

[Hockey Buddha]

Honestly had Eberle and RNH performed better offensively, we could've snuck into the playoffs this season.

Offseason priorities:
- Trade for/draft a defensively responsible, faceoff capable, preferably big/physical second line center (Berglund etc, Barkov/Monahan could become this)
- Sign a big second line winger (Horton etc, Paajarvi may develop into this)
- Sign some bottom 6 role players with some offensive upside (Bickell, Torres etc, can't be too hard)
- Trade for a top pairing PMD (Yandle etc, we should include Gagner in a package for this once we have the second line center)
- Bring in someone to mentor guys like Schultz/Klefbom (Scuderi etc)
* DO NOT trade Hall, RNH, or Yakupov under any circumstance, don't trade Eberle unless we're including him in a deal for a stud like OEL/Pietrangelo.
* Get rid of the dead weight. Addition by subtraction is without a doubt the most important way to improve this team: Hemsky, Smyth, Belanger, Whitney, and Potter all must go. I wouldn't mind losing Petrell, Smithson, Jones, Fistric, N Schultz, and Horcoff (we can keep him as a role player if we have the cap space and use the compliance buyout next offseason) either.

Hemsky, Eberle, and RNH all played through a lot of this abbreviated season with injuries.

The Oilers need to add 3-4 very physical forwards to match against other team's physical players and to lessen the injuries on our skilled forwards.

 

[CupofOil]

I know this is supposed to be a positive thread but to throw a little perspective in here.... This is a shortened season, who knows how far they would have fallen if this had been a full 82 game season so they could very well have been the first one eliminated over a full season. I'm just sayin....

Just to show that i'm not a total negative nancy. Hall has raised him game to close to elite level and is slowly transitioning to being one of the true team leaders. Dubnyk has improved a good deal, needs to play better in pressure situations though and Tambellini is gone (YAY!!!). Gagner has also shown some offensive improvement and Yakupov looks like a keeper.
That's pretty much all i've got. Lets get to work MacT.

 

[frag2]

Hemsky, Eberle, and RNH all played through a lot of this abbreviated season with injuries.

The Oilers need to add 3-4 very physical forwards to match against other team's physical players and to lessen the injuries on our skilled forwards.

Hemsky sucked because he just does...he sucks. He plays the same, with or without injuries. All world talent, 10c brain...maybe not even 10c

 

[Njoy Oilers]

Only bright spot I can think of, is the glare off Lowe's shiney noggin.

 

[Hockey Buddha]

Hemsky sucked because he just does...he sucks. He plays the same, with or without injuries. All world talent, 10c brain...maybe not even 10c

Hemsky's injury was later in the season than the kids. Although Hemsky was out-and-out amazing in the '06 playoffs, I agree that he hasn't really been as effective since. Mental lapses seem to be the issue with him. However, year upon year of losing might do that to a guy. I could be wrong, but I really think that when this team grows into itself, he'll be a different, more focused player. Having said that, my heart wouldn't be broken, if he were traded at this point, as we have two better options than him on RW going forward and have other team needs to fill.

 

[Everlasting]

I predicted a 25-23 spot, and that is were the Oilers are I never had any expectations for them to finnish higher than that becuse they were not any better than that on paper. I belive that next season we will see them finnish 20-15th spot, if they make some good trades. The year after that, they should be in the playoffs.

 

[Oiled up*]

1 loss tomorrow and Carolina, Nashville win we are 3rd from last iirc.

 

[Kulleroinen*]

I know one bright spot. We have a decent chance to win the first overall! Just imagine this face at draft lottery:

 

[Oiler66666]

Even though I'm p***ed about the MacT hiring, there are actually a lot of positives to take out of this season.

1) The team was pretty much what I thought it was going to be this season. Streaky and madly inconsistent, battled for the playoffs at one point, but just couldn't put it all together. I thought the team would finish in the 5-10 range, which is where it looks they will.

2) Hall has improved by leaps and bounds over last year.

3) Gagner has shown he's a legitimate 2nd line NHL C.

4) Tambellini was fired. In retrospect, he was the right GM for the rebuild (ie. patient), and he did a lot of good things (eg. rebuild the team's farm system), but it's clear that he wasn't going to be able to make the moves to move the team forward.

5) Magnus has improved a lot from last year.

6) The team got Smid signed to a reasonable deal.

7) Dubnyk showed that he can play at the NHL level. He may never turn out to be the star number 1 goalie most people want, but he's faced a lot of rubber this season and held his own. Now he just needs to work on his concentration and consistency.

8) The team is going to get another good young piece at the draft, or will (hopefully) get a decent return for the pick. The team is also going to have 2 2nd round picks, which gives them some ammunition if they are going to make moves at the draft.

9) Yakupov

10) Justin Schultz

11) The team (finally) had the balls to admit that neither Eager nor Hordichuk were NHL-caliber players and sent them to the minors.

12) Mike Brown was a decent acquisition.

13) Another year burned off Horcoff's contract.

14) The end of the Khabibulin/Peckham/Whitney era (adding ~ 8m in cap space)

15) Andy Sutton/Sheldon Souray contracts are off the book now (additional 3m in cap space)

Thanks...rarely post and this is pretty much everything I'd have to say except maybe in Hordi's case. Not that I disagree with sending him down but we had a year to test drive the player, told him we'd give him a chance and then did this. Doesn't look good on the Oil and there's been way too much of that with the current management. OK with the MacT hire or at least willing to give it a chance. The only thing I give Tambi points for is not doing anything TOO wrong. Love everything MacT has to say but ONLY if he makes the right moves. Time will tell.

Honestly had Eberle and RNH performed better offensively, we could've snuck into the playoffs this season.

Offseason priorities:
- Trade for/draft a defensively responsible, faceoff capable, preferably big/physical second line center (Berglund etc, Barkov/Monahan could become this)
- Sign a big second line winger (Horton etc, Paajarvi may develop into this)
- Sign some bottom 6 role players with some offensive upside (Bickell, Torres etc, can't be too hard)
- Trade for a top pairing PMD (Yandle etc, we should include Gagner in a package for this once we have the second line center)
- Bring in someone to mentor guys like Schultz/Klefbom (Scuderi etc)
* DO NOT trade Hall, RNH, or Yakupov under any circumstance, don't trade Eberle unless we're including him in a deal for a stud like OEL/Pietrangelo.
* Get rid of the dead weight. Addition by subtraction is without a doubt the most important way to improve this team: Hemsky, Smyth, Belanger, Whitney, and Potter all must go. I wouldn't mind losing Petrell, Smithson, Jones, Fistric, N Schultz, and Horcoff (we can keep him as a role player if we have the cap space and use the compliance buyout next offseason) either.

Again, pretty much everything I'd have to say except to emphasize only moving Gagner if the 2C gets filled somehow. Skilled, fairly durable and finally getting better. Sometimes wish we'd focus on what player's are rather than what they're not:

On Pace for 48GP 15G 23A 38PTS -7

 

[stratedge]

...and we are not bottom 5 in pts in the league

Not yet, but the standings only matter at the end of the season, and I have a hunch the Oilers WILL be bottom 5 by the end of the season. In fact I'm willing to bet on it by the way they are playing... I can't see them winning any more games this year, maybe 1 if they're lucky.

 

[frag2]

***Chicago has 1 less pt than us all last season in only 44 GP****

 

[dustrock]

Hall first Oiler since Weight in 2000-01 to average more than PPG.

 

[Lowe in Oil]

Even though I'm p***ed about the MacT hiring, there are actually a lot of positives to take out of this season.

1) The team was pretty much what I thought it was going to be this season. Streaky and madly inconsistent, battled for the playoffs at one point, but just couldn't put it all together. I thought the team would finish in the 5-10 range, which is where it looks they will.

2) Hall has improved by leaps and bounds over last year.

3) Gagner has shown he's a legitimate 2nd line NHL C.

4) Tambellini was fired. In retrospect, he was the right GM for the rebuild (ie. patient), and he did a lot of good things (eg. rebuild the team's farm system), but it's clear that he wasn't going to be able to make the moves to move the team forward.

5) Magnus has improved a lot from last year.

6) The team got Smid signed to a reasonable deal.

7) Dubnyk showed that he can play at the NHL level. He may never turn out to be the star number 1 goalie most people want, but he's faced a lot of rubber this season and held his own. Now he just needs to work on his concentration and consistency.

8) The team is going to get another good young piece at the draft, or will (hopefully) get a decent return for the pick. The team is also going to have 2 2nd round picks, which gives them some ammunition if they are going to make moves at the draft.

9) Yakupov

10) Justin Schultz

11) The team (finally) had the balls to admit that neither Eager nor Hordichuk were NHL-caliber players and sent them to the minors.

12) Mike Brown was a decent acquisition.

13) Another year burned off Horcoff's contract.

14) The end of the Khabibulin/Peckham/Whitney era (adding ~ 8m in cap space)

15) Andy Sutton/Sheldon Souray contracts are off the book now (additional 3m in cap space)

I sure hope MacT's impatience plays a role here and trades that pick, in a package perhaps, and gets a solid NHL defenseman or power-forward

 

[BowDangles]

I sure hope MacT's impatience plays a role here and trades that pick, in a package perhaps, and gets a solid NHL defenseman or power-forward

I agree. The difference a solid 23-25 minute a night defence man can make on a team is night and day. (Pronger on Edmonton)

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

***Chicago has 1 less pt than us all last season in only 44 GP****

Kinda puts things in perspective

 

[Moose Coleman]

Hemsky, Eberle, and RNH all played through a lot of this abbreviated season with injuries.

The Oilers need to add 3-4 very physical forwards to match against other team's physical players and to lessen the injuries on our skilled forwards.

None of the injuries to key players would have been prevented by more physicality in the lineup. Injuries happen, what matters is that you have sufficient depth to overcome them.

 

[Jumptheshark]

with all the lynching of Horcoff, Smyth and Hemsky-- if we look at the minute played for the players this year, we will see the kids have been getting more icetime this year then last year.

I wont say they got thrown to the wolves this year--but they have played more this year then last year

 

[Senor Catface]

***Chicago has 1 less pt than us all last season in only 44 GP****

Haha, funny. Yeah, we suck. But keep in mind Chicago is also having a historical season.

I mean, they're on pace for a record of 64-9-9. That's simply absurd.

 

[0ilerman]

Paajarvi Ganger and Yakupov are the bright spots for me this year. All have had better years than I expected, and showed an ability to step up and take pressure off the big 3

 

[CornKicker]

the bright spot this year is TAYLOR HALL

honorable mention to gagner and Yakupov is going to be special, he will slump next year and then take off and be the 2nd best player on this team for years.