Quote:
Originally Posted by JackIsBack
There is no way Connor stays for this... if I was advising Connor, or his agent, I would request a meeting with the management, and if I liked what I heard, I’d advice Connor to give them an ultimatum to proceed with their plan and hold off on a request to be traded until the Summer 2020 where we’d evaluate their progress. If I didn’t like their plan, I’d advise him to request a trade this summer (2019).
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So that's part of the problem for sure, but it can't change the route the Oilers have to navigate in order to be successful. If Connor doesn't want to be there, trade him. hockey is still a team game, and a superstar makes it easier, but you still have to fill out the whole roster. But there is no room for half measures, and there is no way for them to improve in my opinion besides the draft. Because of the dire straights that they find themselves in, they are unable to attract players worth having that want to be there. They essentially need pieces that can't leave. There is no short term solution. They need to draft and develop while they are waiting on un-movable contracts to expire. Every trade they are able to make will leave them with less value then before they started, because the trade route would be from a position of weakness, unless they are willing to move out the untouchable high end players. And they can't take on salary in order to increase the value of the assets they recieved back because they are against the cap. Every trade below a blockbuster is literally a losing proposition.