Quote:
Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois
Sure. Their incompetence was in doing nothing but sucking on purpose for 3-4 years and expecting a few high draft picks to magically flip a switch to turn the entire organization. It doesn't work.
Since the flames are embracing the same starting point as the oilers did, I hope they don't repeat the same mistake. But I am not saying they will.
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Also, the Oilers managed to pick some meh "top" players over those years (partly due to not so great draft years). Light, fragile forwards that are defensively subpar. But they could've easily picked others and would be in a far better place right now. Their drafting strategy in picking for top 6 talent/finesse over every other aspect was their downfall and has kept them in the gutter. Then they persisted to go in with the exact same mindset year after year, instead of addressing other things like size, grit, two-way play, and most importantly, defense, which is what's slowed down their rebuild to a crawl. Didn't address areas of real need, just took the most enticing purely offensive player available every time regardless of stature and other qualities/intangibles.
RNH Eberle and Hall (+Yaks, Gagner) aren't bad players at all, but they don't exactly fit different bills, and they're all pretty fragile.
I think it goes to show that WHO we draft will be vital to the success and speed of our rebuild. But obviously with Burke at the helm, I think our approach will be vastly different to the Oil.