Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
After three first overall picks the rebuild should be over--other teams that started their rebuild at the same time or one year later are further a head then us
Because the team in 2016 will be very different from the one we have now?
After three first overall picks the rebuild should be over--other teams that started their rebuild at the same time or one year later are further a head then us
the point the OP made was the oilers have to start winning now
my statement back up that point.
Top players are now on contracts were they are UFA when then end--if the oilers do not winning soon, the players will lose interest in staying around
current oiler players who will UFA's when their contract ends and their age
RNH-currently 20 (good) contract 7 years 27 UFA
Hall- Currently 21 contract expired 6 years 27 ufa
Eberle currently 24 five years 29 UFA
So just as Hall and RNH are reaching their prime they will be UFA and if the oiler not had 3 or 4 winning season--Do not see them sticking around
By giving them those contracts and not bridge contracts or 2 or 3 years--oilers have kicked the door open where winning is the only option
If Oilers fall early in the season, we will see wholesale trades of elite players.if this group cannot win you must bring in winners.
Hall is 22 now, will be 23 this season. RNH is 21, 22 in the spring. Along with Eberle, they are signed to exceeding cap-friendly deals that take them through the most productive years for NHL forwards (forward production usually peaks around 24-25). The window to win is sometime in the next six or seven years.
The Oilers should start win now. Young men must elevate their game to winning mode or the advantage of rebuilding will be missed. If we look at the team 2015-2016 Petry, Schultz and Yakopov need new contracts. Petry Schultz combination is 10M+ probably 11M. If we let Petry go we need to bring someone like Tyler Myers back 5,5M. Yakopov asks bridge deal or 6M.
If the core can be defined Schultz, Yakopov, RNH, Hall, Eberle and first paring defenseman it is roughly 35 M
Complementary pieces are Scrivens /Fast, Perron, Purcell, Marincin and Boyd. They all need contracts 2016 or they must be replaced by better players. They are joining to the group Ference, Pouliot, Fayne and Nikitin. I think that this group is 35 M. Some need to go and if entry level players are not able to replace them and be better the Oilers are in serious trouble. The team probably cannot add free agents and is up to salary cap in the summer 2016.
We must stop speaking about bright future. We must compete for play off spot now and do some damage in the playoffs in 2015-16.