Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
Did they seriously try a cross-ice pass in their own zone with an empty net to try and spring McDavid?
You'd have to be high to think that would work.  |
The biggest problem is that in the past Oiler players have ignored their coach and gone into business for themselves, they did that with Eakins, they did that with Renney and Krueger. You also have a coach right now that since the mid point of last year has pointed out that he can't get a full effort out of his team.
No coach teaches his players to do long cross ice pressures in their own end no matter what, but there they were trying to feed the savior because he tapped his stick.
We all know that its likely that right now the coach of that team is McDavid, last year we saw it with the get him the puck so he can win trophies, and it looks like they've continued that strategy.
Its likely that T-Mac is going to be fired by the end of that 10 games to open the season when they get beaten into the turf with the only thing to show is slow motion video clips of the Connor tapping players on the shoulder.
Even though its customary for coaches to either not talk to the press or say nice things about a franchise and his players after termination, you get a feeling that T-Mac would be biting his tongue.
Its more then just a bad core with a lack of wingers, good defensemen, a rotten bottom 6, and a goalie that looks like he's shell shocked.
I would theorize that this core and the leadership elements are rotten.
So now the Oilers have a problem, no matter the coach, they have to work with a franchise player. That's not easy, they might even have to work with a frustrated franchise player. What are you going to say to him "Hey Connor how about a backcheck?", "Yo Connor its not all about you man", "Man you potato head quit telling me how to coach".
The Oilers have another problem, they have precious few good assets, and for the most part their good assets with the exception of Nurse are over paid. RNH overpaid, Draisaitl over paid. On top of that their other terrible players are overpaid, and then on top of that, they don't have much help coming from the farm. Poolparty, Bouchard, Yamamoto and maybe Bear represent the height of their prospect pool, and Bouchard looks like the best of them which is no shame but he's not NHL ready.
So on those truthful honest nights, when Chia is sitting at home evaluating this team, he has to know what a messs this team is. He has to know that the coach is the first to go to protect his butt. But at the end of the game, if the Oilers start terrible which it looks like they are and you fire that coach, and realize that you have to take a few years to rebuid. How do you go to your savior and say that the meat of his career is going to be with a rebuilding terrible team.
If Connor shrugs his shoulders and says whatever its a character issue. If Connor says "Just get me the puck and I'll make us look competitive" do you commit him to a mental institution? If he says "Trade me right now" do you accommodate him before the demand goes public and ruins his value.
To me with the Oilers, if you're going to rebuild then rebuild, go nuclear option 1, trade Connor after game 10, find the best package of high end picks, prospects and young entry level contract players to really kick off your reboot, while at the same time addressing the chemistry issues of that team. Find a deal for Draisaitl, he's not a line driving center, he's a 8.5 million dollar complimentary winger. For god sakes trade RNH, he's part of the leadership group, shake up the core.
Now if I'm Katz, today I'm sitting at my desk staring at the young "Actress" on my cheap leather couch and looking at the leadership group of Lowe, MacT, Chia, Mess, Gretzky and Nicholson and even though I'm (As Katz) a huge fan of these guys, they're all bungling incompetent idiots and its time to put them out to pasture and no, I'm not going to promote from within.
We talk about the rot being deep, but with the Oilers the rot is deep rooted and overwhelming.
Its time to "Let go" (See what I did there) that core, that management team and that coach and just admit the failure that is the Oilers, blow it up, and start over.
Because not even another number 1 pick can save the Oilers
Nothing can.