[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

This decision isn't coming from Chia, this is Katz all the way.


Are the Oilers having revenue problems and need the playoff revenue?


Are they worried about season ticket sales and box renewals for next year?


Does two games of playoff revenue make any kind of difference?

This is actually a huge underreported factor

For Daryl Katz and his Edmonton Oilers franchise, this is a massively important business year and, suddenly, that’s the developing story behind the story of what’s going on with this once again nose-diving team.

Sunday, the Oilers traded three players and a draft choice and called up leading point-producer and goal-getter Joseph Gambardella from Bakersfield, hoping to get the attention of the team and find a short-term fix for an injury-riddled defence in almost total disarray and offence lacking secondary scoring before they flush a semi-successful start to the season away.


The moves are a reflection of the Oilers’ current crisis in the standings, brought on by a five-game losing streak. But there’s the potential to be a much bigger crisis than existed last year, when the team went from a 103-point season and Game 7 of the Pacific Division final to missing the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years.

It’s the third year of the team playing in Rogers Place, and what makes it a developing business crisis is that a significant number of suites and premium seating inventory and all the season tickets are up for renewal at the end of the year.

With the Alberta economy in the toilet, it’s the worst possible time for the Oilers to go back into the tank.