Edmonton is No Good Episode 4: New Rink, Same Stink

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by nobles_point

Who cares. The Oilers also are not going anywhere without a complete organizational enema. They will & have proven they can squander &/or marginalize talent. If he wants to stay their, go for it.

Once McD gets paid & the freebies are over, a flat cap & their brutal asset management will handcuff them while Lucic will be the anchor that keeps them treading water at best.

Oh I agree, and I don't necessarily like their chances of maintaining much long term success with their cap situation, it just gets tiresome reading about how great it will be when McDavid leaves them in the middle of his prime. I'd love to see that but it's not going to happen. He's an Oiler for life, and I say life because I know in 20 years when he's retired and the Oilers are a tire fire again their fans will be right there to remind us that once upon a time they had a great player play for them.

[oldschoolcalgary]

screw mcdavid...any other team, i'd cheer for him...but not the oilers

wish no success for anyone wearing that jersey.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Oh I agree, and I don't necessarily like their chances of maintaining much long term success with their cap situation, it just gets tiresome reading about how great it will be when McDavid leaves them in the middle of his prime. I'd love to see that but it's not going to happen. He's an Oiler for life, and I say life because I know in 20 years when he's retired and the Oilers are a tire fire again their fans will be right there to remind us that once upon a time they had a great player play for them.

I agree the chances are low, but his representatives also aren't stupid. He's throttling his earning potential if that team continues to be a bunch of middling morons. So far he's pulled them from a lottery team to a bubble team. If they collapse it will be epic.

Plus even if the chances are low, just think about how glorious it would be. I remember when they punted Ryan Smyth after he had his face kicked in for the franchise, and in the middd of the day I would just start laugjimg at how stupid it was. Edmonton negotiating from a position of weakness thinking it is in a position of strength. Lowe should have read Jack Handy, (I hate to tell you, but that's another weakness).

It'll be interesting if (probably when) they try & low ball
Mcdavid.

[McG]

remember when they didn't sign smyth, and the money that it would have cost was instead spent on dressing room improvements?

Besides that, any team that can trade Gretzky, can trade McDavid. If a monster contract comes in and the oilers can't or won't match...

[Eric Vail]

I think the Oilers have no choice but to pay McDavid whatever it takes to keep him through his restricted free agent years. They will have to match any offer sheet, as their fans would be livid if he were to leave.

Once McDavid reaches unrestricted free agency, he has full control. If the team hasn't been able to assemble a supporting case around him, and he is tired of being in a small, cold, depressed market when there are huge financial opportunities elsewhere for him outside of his hockey contract, then he will move on. I suspect, that like Gretzky, he will move on at that time.

I'd be very surprised if McDavid finishes his career in Edmonton. I suspect after this one, he'll have five more in Edmonton before he moves on.

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by McG

remember when they didn't sign smyth, and the money that it would have cost was instead spent on dressing room improvements?

Besides that, any team that can trade Gretzky, can trade McDavid. If a monster contract comes in and the oilers can't or won't match...

Not to disagree with you, but the contractual landscape for players was much different then. Gretzky was actually under a Personal Services Contract with Pocklington, and Pocklington received, if I recall, $10 Million personally in that trade. (media reports 15 million, I have a vague recollection it was 10, but that was a long time ago).

I had a copy of that contract in my hands in 1998 or 1999 for other reasons. I wanted to photocopy it to keep a copy so badly, but decided I shouldn't.

[GioforPM]

Like every superstar, McDavid will play his whole career with his initial team.

Of course, I'm not counting Orr, Howe, Iginla, Lafleur, Bourque, Bure, Chelios, Coffey, Messier, Dionne, Esposito, Roy, Hull, Hull, Jagr, MacInnis, Neidermayer, Selanne, Pronger...

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Like every superstar, McDavid will play his whole career with his initial team.

Of course, I'm not counting Orr, Howe, Iginla, Lafleur, Bourque, Bure, Chelios, Coffey, Messier, Dionne, Esposito, Roy, Hull, Hull, Jagr, MacInnis, Neidermayer, Selanne, Pronger...

I fully expect an 8 year deal this summer, which will be another 9 years in Edmonton. Then who knows after that.

But I think its a little disingenuous to use most of those players that played in a much different NHL landscape.

[calgaryred]

McDavid was made captain quickly to make the Oilers HIS team. It was all done to do whatever it takes to try and keep him up north. Edmonton knows it's going to be difficult to keep him and from the start are doing everything they can to embrace and do whatever it takes to keep him LONGTERM.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I fully expect an 8 year deal this summer, which will be another 9 years in Edmonton. Then who knows after that.

But I think its a little disingenuous to use most of those players that played in a much different NHL landscape.

The only "cheats" were, for me, Bourque and Dionne and maybe Iginla and Lafleur to an extent, in that they were traded at the end of a long career with one team. The rest either were traded for salary reasons or because they chose to go UFA (for money or whatever other reason). That landscape never changes.

Why would McDavid give up UFA years when IMO he can get a max deal without doing that?

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

The only "cheats" were, for me, Bourque and Dionne and maybe Iginla and Lafleur to an extent, in that they were traded at the end of a long career with one team. The rest either were traded for salary reasons or because they chose to go UFA (for money or whatever other reason). That landscape never changes.

Why would McDavid give up UFA years when IMO he can get a max deal without doing that?

There was no salary cap in those days. So you have rich teams throwing money at players that teams that couldn't afford so they know they couldn't match. Then they would be traded.

Again, I still think it will be an 8 year deal and then who knows after that. Could be traded, could be UFA, could re-sign.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Weitz

There was no salary cap in those days. So you have rich teams throwing money at players that teams that couldn't afford so they know they couldn't match. Then they would be traded.

Again, I still think it will be an 8 year deal and then who knows after that. Could be traded, could be UFA, could re-sign.

a. Cap or no, a UFA is a UFA. Yeah there's a limit to the amount of money you can throw at player, but max dollars in Edmonton v. max dollars in LA?

b. Why 8 years? That would be a huge concession on McDavid's part.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

a. Cap or no, a UFA is a UFA. Yeah there's a limit to the amount of money you can throw at player, but max dollars in Edmonton v. max dollars in LA?

b. Why 8 years? That would be a huge concession on McDavid's part.

A) Teams have their own players. How many teams (outside of the Carolinas and Arizonas of the world) will be able to throw huge money at McDavid? Without doing it via an offer sheet and crippling their team?

B) Same management team as Ekblad. I expect an 8 year deal announced sometime between July 1 and July 7 this summer.

[Atlantica]

This from the oiler (aka stinkstankstunk) HF Board:

"Nuge insists on playing center. He's a horrible center when you consider the hype around him. He'll just drag down McDavid IMO"

Here is the conversation in my head between RNH and Coach Crap (CC):

CC: " I am moving you to right wing tonight"

RNH: "But that will not work cuz I'm playing center"

CC: "You don't get to decide where you play"

RNH: "Oh ya? I wanted a baby furry rabbit for Christmas and I got one"

CC: "Oh, I see"

RNH: "And put me second line center and up my minutes while you are at it".

CC: " I'll check with Kevin Lowe but I see no issues"

[Gaudfather]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Like every superstar, McDavid will play his whole career with his initial team.

Of course, I'm not counting Orr, Howe, Iginla, Lafleur, Bourque, Bure, Chelios, Coffey, Messier, Dionne, Esposito, Roy, Hull, Hull, Jagr, MacInnis, Neidermayer, Selanne, Pronger...

Gretzky as well.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Like every superstar, McDavid will play his whole career with his initial team.

Of course, I'm not counting Orr, Howe, Iginla, Lafleur, Bourque, Bure, Chelios, Coffey, Messier, Dionne, Esposito, Roy, Hull, Hull, Jagr, MacInnis, Neidermayer, Selanne, Pronger...

You're talking of a different generation of players and mostly of a different era. And including guys like Iginla who clearly played all their best years for the same team.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Weitz

A) Teams have their own players. How many teams (outside of the Carolinas and Arizonas of the world) will be able to throw huge money at McDavid? Without doing it via an offer sheet and crippling their team?

B) Same management team as Ekblad. I expect an 8 year deal announced sometime between July 1 and July 7 this summer.

On your A, I would expect if you have an upcoming generational player UFA that there are teams who are going to close their windows and head to a rebuild with McDavid in the center. In other words they'll clear space for him and find a way.

On B, I very much doubt you see a McDavid deal this summer, if his agent is smart he presses it to at least next summer and puts the hammer down to get the best deal possible. Why would he throw away a huge bargaining chip.

[Vinny01]

As much as i will hate it I totally see McDavid signing an 8 year extension with the Oilers with the biggest second contract in league history since a cap on the term has been implemented

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Weitz

which will be another 9 years in Edmonton. .

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Itse

You're talking of a different generation of players and mostly of a different era. And including guys like Iginla who clearly played all their best years for the same team.

Yeah, I know and I said as much.

But to the extent money talks, there are a lot of parallels. If you are relying on team loyalty to keep McDavid past his earliest UFA year, good luck.