[FanIn80]

This is what I would like to see happen for the remainder of the season:

- Put Bennett in the #1 RW spot with Gaudreau and Monahan.
- Sit Hiller and don't put him in regardless of the circumstances.
- Lock the top four D as Giordano, Brodie, Hamilton and Nakladal. Mix and match as needed, but leave those four together until the final whistle in April.

Right now, there are things we know, and things we don't know:

Know
- Hiller is done.
- We need a legit #1 RW as part of our (young) core. (We have C, LW and LD/RD already.)
- Russel is not a top-four D anymore.

Don't know
- Do we already have a #1 RW in Bennett? He's got the skill, desire and energy to be an impact player on the top line, and his idol (Gilmour) played C/RW. Can he do the same?
- Do we have a G in our system that is NHL ready?
- Is Nakladal a top-four NHL D?

So here's the deal. The season is done. Even if we get hot enough to miraculously make it in, we're not going anywhere special once we get there. Let's do the smart thing for once. Let's start inventorying our cupboards. Go with the young goalies in our system that are healthy enough to play. Put Bennett up front with the big two and let it play out. Commit to Nakladal in the top-four and see what happens.

Imagine going into the off-season and not having to wonder about if we need a #1RW, or a top-for D or a G that can backup Ramo next year. Imagine actually knowing the answers to these questions because we allowed the only players in our organization who are close enough to fill those roles try out for them over almost a quarter of a season.

"We think Nakladal can move into the top-four" vs "Nakladal is/isn't a top-four D"
"We're gonna try Sam out on the wing next year" vs "Bennett is/isn't(yet?) able to be a #1 RW"
"We have a couple options for the G position" vs "Player x can play in this league, and he'll challenge Ramo next year for #1 status" or "We need an NHL goalie next season. Period."

Possible outcomes
- Everything bombs and we finish close to last overall and pick top-three in the draft.
- We get some pretty good answers and finish near the bottom and pick top-six in the draft.
- Everything works incredibly and we go on a huge exciting run to finish out the season, and suddenly we're in very good shape for next year. Screw the Oilers and their tanking ways!

I imagine there are holes all throughout my ideas, but these are my thoughts at the moment, regardless.