Hitchcock calls out team.

[Goldenshark]

But they wouldn't have Steph Curry or Klay Thompson or Draymond Green if a GM did put their neck on the line to draft those guys.

If being rich and spending to the cap was all there was to it, the Oilers would be well off thanks to Moneypants Katz and several other NBA teams like the Clippers and Knicks would be great too.

Obviously it doesn't work like that, you still need a manager that steps up to the plate and delivers either through the draft or with shrewd moves or with or ideally both.

And really prior to signing Durant, the Warriors team that had already won a title and broken the all time record for wins, so it's not like they relied on the UFA market.

You cannot have a dumb ass GM who never wins a trade and drafts poorly and think it's going to work out. Again it's like that fat ass who thinks by trying different diet fads that something will work for them even though they refuse to cut their calorie intake.

I don’t think you understand how much pull Jerry West has in bringing in good players. If he got’s owners with deep pockets he’ll build you a dynasty. He did it with the Lakers for 30 years and now the Warriors. It was no surprise the Lakers tanked after Kobe retired and there was nobody there to keep bringing in good players like before in the 90’s when Magic retired and West got Kobe and Magic to replace him.

It takes owners willing to spend and smart GM’s to keep bringing in good players and making the club the “place to be.”

 

[Soundwave]

I don’t think you understand how much pull Jerry West has in bringing in good players. If he got’s owners with deep pockets he’ll build you a dynasty. He did it with the Lakers for 30 years and now the Warriors. It was no surprise the Lakers tanked after Kobe retired and there was nobody there to keep bringing in good players like before in the 90’s when Magic retired and West got Kobe and Magic to replace him.

It takes owners willing to spend and smart GM’s to keep bringing in good players and making the club the “place to be.”

Yeah but Jerry West doesn't magically make Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green into good picks. You have to have the gumption to step onto a stage and make the right pick and quite frankly apparently there were people inside the Warriors org that didn't want Curry or Thompson with those picks. And it's not like they did everything perfect (Harrison Barnes was a bad pick). But you have to step up and deliver some shrewd moves.

The Oilers under Chiarelli lost every single trade practically that he made, and he blew the highest profile 1st round picks he had (no.4 in 2016 and no.16 in 2015). Now I'll grant him the Puljujarvi pick is a bit of bad luck given that many other teams would've taken him but that's just it ... when you make so many mistakes you have no room for further errors like that.

And to top if off he bet it all on an aging forward in Lucic who has scored like 5 goals in a year and a half.

Like this shit has consequences, ok, you can't just hand wave this away and think it just goes away.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

I've had about enough of Hitch right now, sure his hiring gave us a shortlived 10 game bump but now that he's specifically criticizing McDavid and basically calling him lazy/selfish, he needs to go.

Time for Gulletsan to step up and get this team into the post season. Gulletsan is well known for rallying the Flames in 16-17 to dig themselves out of a slump and into the PO's.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I've had about enough of Hitch right now, sure his hiring gave us a shortlived 10 game bump but now that he's specifically criticizing McDavid and basically calling him lazy/selfish, he needs to go.

Time for Gulletsan to step up and get this team into the post season. Gulletsan is well known for rallying the Flames in 16-17 to dig themselves out of a slump and into the PO's.

From a roster or on-ice perspective, nothing is going to prevent the Oilers from their fate. Coaching isn't going to drag them into the playoffs. They lack a top end d-man talent to be their anchor and they don't have forward depth to win on a consistent basis. But really, everything on the ice is just a dress up to hide the fact that their front office blows chunks because their ownership doesn't know what a good hockey executive is and won't clean house. Lowe and MacTavish are the problems up top and it permeates to the positions below and into the dressing room. When they replace that stuff up top, the stuff below it has a chance of succeeding. Otherwise, they'll just make poor decisions after poor decisions with their GM's.

 

[Soundwave]

Well I mean look at Montreal.

Are they decent this year because of a "culture change"? No.

One year ago they were in the same position as the Oilers and Bergevin was on the same hot seat Chiarelli was on.

Bergevin went out and made two trades for Domi and Tatar which had brought about 100+ points to their roster this year.

Chiarelli went out and added Reider and Spooner who've brought like 10 points to the table. For the same money you could have had a sniper like Mike Hoffman who Ottawa had to trade for peanuts.

One GM stopped making excuses and just went out and made two good trades after making a few bad ones. The other GM bumbled again on his off-season moves for the 4th year in a row.

One team is doing better and one GM is off the hot seat while the other is fired. It must be magic/voodoo/culture tho.

 

[skuzzycuzz]

Well I mean look at Montreal.

Are they decent this year because of a "culture change"? No.

One year ago they were in the same position as the Oilers and Bergevin was on the same hot seat Chiarelli was on.

Bergevin went out and made two trades for Domi and Tatar which had brought about 100+ points to their roster this year.

Chiarelli went out and added Reider and Spooner who've brought like 10 points to the table. For the same money you could have had a sniper like Mike Hoffman who Ottawa had to trade for peanuts.

One GM stopped making excuses and just went out and made two good trades after making a few bad ones. The other GM bumbled again on his off-season moves for the 4th year in a row.

One team is doing better and one GM is off the hot seat while the other is fired. It must be magic/voodoo/culture tho.

That’s a good example! I personally believe though that the Canadiens are just having one of those good seasons. I do not think their success will continue long term and wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t even a playoff team next year. I’ll give them credit for how well they’re performing this year.

 

[Mez]

This team just doesnt give a fk...I really feel bad for Hitch.....It was his dream to coach here and now its a nightmare. When I watch them I see a team that truly believes they are trash so they give up incredibly easy. No fight, no emotion.

 

[Deedog99]

Another in the long line of oiler mistakes. Terrible coach.

 

[Deedog99]

Well I mean look at Montreal.

Are they decent this year because of a "culture change"? No.

One year ago they were in the same position as the Oilers and Bergevin was on the same hot seat Chiarelli was on.

Bergevin went out and made two trades for Domi and Tatar which had brought about 100+ points to their roster this year.

Chiarelli went out and added Reider and Spooner who've brought like 10 points to the table. For the same money you could have had a sniper like Mike Hoffman who Ottawa had to trade for peanuts.

One GM stopped making excuses and just went out and made two good trades after making a few bad ones. The other GM bumbled again on his off-season moves for the 4th year in a row.

One team is doing better and one GM is off the hot seat while the other is fired. It must be magic/voodoo/culture tho.

They have a goalie and a number 1 dman. 2 things the oil havent had in over 10 years.

 

[binop7]

That’s a good example! I personally believe though that the Canadiens are just having one of those good seasons. I do not think their success will continue long term and wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t even a playoff team next year. I’ll give them credit for how well they’re performing this year.

Weber on the oilers would be a big time difference maker. That #1D just makes life easier for all other defensemen

 

[Soundwave]

They have a goalie and a number 1 dman. 2 things the oil havent had in over 10 years.

Except Price was playing like hot ass through Christmas and Weber has been hurt for most of the year and they were still doing better than the Oilers and comfortably in a playoff spot.

Which just goes to show a GM can make a freaking difference. Domi and Tatar trades paid off huge for them and let them even weather a huge injury to Weber and crap play from Price (sub .900 save percentage for much of the year).

 

[Luigi Habs]

Weren’t they the same issues before and as a result they got rid of Hall and Eberle for peanuts?

 

[LeHab]

If there is an issue with a single or few players, it is a player issue. If there is an issue with most of the team, management/coaching is the problem.

 

[Kimota]

Could’ve been more honest and said something like “there’s only so much you can do with this roster”.

You can never say that cause the players are gonna sit on their asses and say "hey he's right, there's nothing we can do, we're not good enough so it's pointless to try".

 

[Soundwave]

The Oilers are basically the same team as the Avalanche except the Avs have better scoring off their blueline.

Both have pretty much the same record (55 pts vs 53 pts). I mean, really, they basically are where they should be, this is the team Chiarelli built, he bet the farm on size/"character" over skill and speed and it will take a couple of years for a new GM to undo that.

Multiple wave/multi-strike offence is the new name of the game in the NHL, one line teams like the Oilers and Avs are going to have problems. You can't be dangerous for only 22/60 minutes in the new NHL. Maybe that worked 10-15 years ago.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

The Oilers have been through how many coaches now? I'll grant them Eakins was a disaster but that excuse wanes a little when Tmac and Hitch still can't get your team to play. Hall only epitomizes this. He gets traded and posts the best hockey of his career. It's amazing how the Oilers can be this bad for so damn long.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I think it's deeper than that. Has any team had more busted prospects than Edmonton?

They haven't had as many really high draft picks, but Arizona would give Edmonton serious competition here.

Like on which team did Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux or Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin ever get put on where that was their level of help and had success with?

We didn't ever really see it demonstrated with Gretzky, but this is a great point. Even truly elite players have needed other pieces around them to get to the game's greatest heights. McDavid is putting up league-leading kind of numbers with basically a half dozen other NHL-caliber players on his roster; get him some freaking help, and who knows what he does.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I've had about enough of Hitch right now, sure his hiring gave us a shortlived 10 game bump but now that he's specifically criticizing McDavid and basically calling him lazy/selfish, he needs to go.

I missed where he specifically criticized McDavid and basically called him lazy/selfish, especially when on multiple occasions he's gone to great lengths to praise McDavid's intensity and dedication to the team. Can you point that criticism out for me and everyone else?

 

[shello]

Except Price was playing like hot ass through Christmas and Weber has been hurt for most of the year and they were still doing better than the Oilers and comfortably in a playoff spot.

Which just goes to show a GM can make a freaking difference. Domi and Tatar trades paid off huge for them and let them even weather a huge injury to Weber and crap play from Price (sub .900 save percentage for much of the year).

Montreal also has the cap space to make moves

 

[Soundwave]

Montreal also has the cap space to make moves

The Oilers had cap room to acquire Mike Hoffman. Chiarelli chose to spend 5 million on Spooner (in the AHL) and Reider instead (0 goals this year).

Despite all the screw ups he probably still has a job if he could pull a Hoffman deal off.

Like they say for goalies, at some point you have to make a f***ing save. Well for GMs at some point you have to win a damn trade.

Dude won one trade clearly in Patrick Maroon in 4 years and couldn't even keep him.

 

[Newsworthy]

???

 

[Brownies]

Could’ve been more honest and said something like “there’s only so much you can do with this roster”.

Claude Julien was getting closer and closer to saying something similar last year.

 

[CaptainCrunch67]

I've had about enough of Hitch right now, sure his hiring gave us a shortlived 10 game bump but now that he's specifically criticizing McDavid and basically calling him lazy/selfish, he needs to go.

Time for Gulletsan to step up and get this team into the post season. Gulletsan is well known for rallying the Flames in 16-17 to dig themselves out of a slump and into the PO's.

You know its Gully right? the guy was a absolute disaster as a coach with a clueless system, and a terrible ability to motivate players. At the end of the year in Calgary last year the Players pretty much rebelled on him. He's clueless

I don't like the Oilers, but I wouldn't wish him on any franchises fanbase. He was a disaster in Dallas, Vancouver and Calgary.

But he might be your only choice, I doubt that any head coach with a resume would want to go near that OBC and coach killing locker room.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

You know its Gully right? the guy was a absolute disaster as a coach with a clueless system, and a terrible ability to motivate players. At the end of the year in Calgary last year the Players pretty much rebelled on him. He's clueless

I don't like the Oilers, but I wouldn't wish him on any franchises fanbase. He was a disaster in Dallas, Vancouver and Calgary.

But he might be your only choice, I doubt that any head coach with a resume would want to go near that OBC and coach killing locker room.

Are you even an Oilers fan?? I can't remember all the details but Gulletsan basically tore the players a new one last year and threw his stick into the upper deck which resulted in a 10 game winning streak putting them back in a playoff spot before the players quit on him (it's a weak character team). We basically got a top caliber head coach for the price of an assitant (while Calgary still pays him head coach $$$!)!

 

[Todd from Leduc]

I missed where he specifically criticized McDavid and basically called him lazy/selfish, especially when on multiple occasions he's gone to great lengths to praise McDavid's intensity and dedication to the team. Can you point that criticism out for me and everyone else?

It was imply and opened up all sorts of criticism to McDavid which he doesn't need right now when it's his time to lead this team into the post season.

I should add that I've worked in all sorts of sports and industry and McDavid is by far the best leader I have ever seen.