MacLean: Oilers will win cup in next 2-4 years

[howard_the_duck]

Well, it wouldn't be an offseason without an Oilers Stanley Cup prediction. A little surprising the source though. Put down the bottle, Ron.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/r...ston-matthews/

“They went over to the World Championship and played with Crosby, which is similar to Messier and Gretzky. Not that they needed any encouragement but those two Oilers flanked Mario Lemieux at the crucial moment of the Canada Cup in ’87. Now you have two Oilers flanking Sid to a gold. You watch Eberle take off. He’s already been great in international hockey, but I think this is going to be his year, Taylor Hall’s year."

“And Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse will fit in. Gimme a glass of wine or a beer, and I think in two years they win the Cup. That may be a little eager, but I don’t think more than four"

[Five-hole]

So glad the hype machine is in full swing again. The bigger they are ....

[Caged Great]

Suggested correction for the title: They will not pick 1st overall again in 2-4 years.

[Gaudfather]

Have some more kool-aid Ron!

[Phaneufenstein]

McLean's been drinking as evident by this quote:

Gimme a glass of wine or a beer, and I think in two years they win the Cup.

[dash_pinched]

Ron MacLean is no good.

[burn_this_city]

I hope the media keeps pumping their tires so the players think it's a foregone conclusion.

[Enoch Root]

They went over to the World Championship and played with Crosby, which is similar to Messier and Gretzky. Not that they needed any encouragement but those two Oilers flanked Mario Lemieux at the crucial moment of the Canada Cup in ’87

Umm, Gretzky was already the greatest player that ever lived, several seasons in. And Messier was already on the verge of being one of the greatest. They had already won 2 Stanley Cups and were one own-goal from owning 3.

Suggesting that the Canada Cup was some sort of launching pad for Gretzky and Messier is beyond laughable. One could argue that it was a launching pad for Mario though.

Then to extrapolate that last year's World Championships might be some sort of catalyst for similar greatness from Eberle and Hall is...

I can't even

[skudr248]

#### the oilers

[northcrunk]

Weird I thought Ron Mclean was pronounced 'irrelevent'. Seriously, someone may need to get Ron to AA asap.

[jg13]

Finish at the bottom of the west for the past 5+ years, add a 18 year old and sign a #3 defencemen and all of a sudden they're going to win a cup in 2-4 years?

Okay.

[Lord Carnage]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Umm, Gretzky was already the greatest player that ever lived, several seasons in. And Messier was already on the verge of being one of the greatest. They had already won 2 Stanley Cups and were one own-goal from owning 3.

Suggesting that the Canada Cup was some sort of launching pad for Gretzky and Messier is beyond laughable. One could argue that it was a launching pad for Mario though.

Then to extrapolate that last year's World Championships might be some sort of catalyst for similar greatness from Eberle and Hall is...

I can't even

I was reading it as though he were suggesting the Canada Cup was a launching pad for Mario when he was playing beside the best there was at the time...

Either way, I think Ron's had enough of the wine/beer already.

[Freeway]

Let them have a solid 82-game season first, THEN make predictions.

[Ozy_Flame]

See it's comments like this that make the rest of us all qualified to be on TV, making six figures and talking about hockey for a career.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnage

I was reading it as though he were suggesting the Canada Cup was a launching pad for Mario when he was playing beside the best there was at the time...

Either way, I think Ron's had enough of the wine/beer already.

Okay, yeah.

Either way, to attempt to extrapolate any comparison for Eberle and Hall at the WCs last year is, well, beneath Ron.

[Mony]

Think this is better for the Edmonton is no good thread instead of its own. I'm fine with grand predictions for Edmonton though, the bigger they are, the funnier it is when it doesn't come close to being true as always.

[Robbob]

Just for this I am going to take my coworker to the cleaners. I hate the Oiler hype when they have accomplished as much in the NHL as I have.

[codynw]

Only one? I thought it wasn't a question of "if" they win, but how many?

[HOWITZER]

I can't wrap my head around how pundits/writers always jump on the bandwagon to predict how the Oilers will win a cup after drafting a player with no NHL experience.

Yet they jump on every opportunity to knock down teams that inexplicably made the playoffs as a fluke saying there isn't any evidence to make it sustainable. So how does that not apply to the Oilers?

[Old Yeller]

Doug Maclean is an idio.... oh Ron said that? Well Doug Maclean is still an idiot.