How much longer do you think the Oilers will be this bad for?

[GoFlamesGo1989]

I just feel bad for Oilers fans. At least the Flames lose competitively unlike the idiots up North. 3 first overall picks plus 2 high draft picks in MPS and Sam Gagner. Not to mention Justin Schultz. This whole organization is in deep trouble and is spiralling like a load of crap. Well they are the Coilers anyways so what more can you expect.

[Iggy Snipe]

The Oilers are going to be bad until they stop using their 1st round picks on huge pussies. They are a very skilled team, but they are extremely small and have a crap goalie. You won't win the Stanley Cup with out some size, I don't care how skilled you are.

Eberle- small (btw I like him)
Nugent Hopkins- tiny
Ganger- little b!tch
Hemsky- injury prone light weight
Yakapov- passy
Hall- passy
Horcoff- terrible over paid piece of crap
Dubynik- overpaid bag of bones. 7 mill over two years for a backup goalie


This is why the Oilers are bad and will continue to be bad until they put some size with their skill, and get a goalie who doesn't let muffins in from the red line(watch last nights highlights)

[nik-]

Originally Posted by GoFlamesGo1989

I just feel bad for Oilers fans. At least the Flames lose competitively unlike the idiots up North. 3 first overall picks plus 2 high draft picks in MPS and Sam Gagner. Not to mention Justin Schultz. This whole organization is in deep trouble and is spiralling like a load of crap. Well they are the Coilers anyways so what more can you expect.

[Tron_fdc]

The Oilers are a disgrace. I seriously think members of this board could do a better job running that team. It bottles my mind that they can be this bad, for this long, and right when I think they've hit the bottom of what is actually possible for a "professional" franchise, they reinvent their suckage.

4 franchise players and you're this bad? I would be standing on the steps of Rexall with a pitchfork and torch if I was one of their diehard fans. It's actually insulting to other teams and fans if they draft 1st overall again.....it's kind of like giving a blind guy a new car every time he crashes it into a wall.

[OILFAN #81]

They'll be bad as long as Lowe/Tambellini are in charge. Lowe should have been fired years ago. Tambellini should have been let go this past year. I'd personally fire both and the entire coaching staff.

I'd try out someone like Lindy Ruff as coach and he can pick his staff. As far as GM, not too sure who is available that I like but almost anything is better then what the current status is.

[jonesy]

It is Lowe more than any of the coaches they have had. I thought McTavish was a good coach. Lowe on the other hand seems like a major league dough-head.

[Rifleman]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

The new draft lottery rules should really be called the "Oilers" rule. Teams must be annoyed that the Oilers continue to be given the best opportunities at improving their future by purposefully failing. It must be a huge annoyance for GMs like David Poile, Lou Lamourillo, etc to see that their hard work is made worse by a Tambellini/Lowe duo who get rewarded for failure. I understand to keep the fan base in each market there must be hope for the future, but there needs to be a compelling reason to try and compete EACH and every season. It hurts the integrity of the league to have these Oiler like teams purposefully go for a higher draft pick.

I've always said, give the team that finishes highest and misses the playoffs the first pick. It's not something teams can "tank" for, and owners would hate losing out on millions just to have a chance at some kid that MIGHT help the team. And if you do end up with the first pick, you're already a team on the verge of making the playoffs. Second pick would go to the second highest non-playoff team and so on. Finishing last overall will net you the 14th pick (not bad) and reason to improve next year.

[schteve_d]

Living up in "Oil Country" I've had no choice but listen to incessant chirping every off -season about how good they are going to be next year since the Gagner and Cogliano days. That's what, six, seven years now? It's funny too since it seems the whole time I've been telling them why they won't succeed and in all that time my argument has never changed - they've had the same problems all along and none of them can see it.

"Next year, you watch, blah blah blah". And pretty much every year by this time they have all (thankfully) had no choice but to shut up.

[Biff]

At the very least, eliminate the possibility that any team can draft #1 overall in consecutive years, let alone 3 (or more) years running except via trade. I'd restrict consecutive top 3 picks if it were up to me, or even top 5. Make the #1 overall pick, or top 5 picks, something that you have to build responsibly around in order to fully leverage and you eliminate the problem of perpetual failure being rewarded.

[Weiser Wonder]

Originally Posted by Rifleman

I've always said, give the team that finishes highest and misses the playoffs the first pick. It's not something teams can "tank" for, and owners would hate losing out on millions just to have a chance at some kid that MIGHT help the team. And if you do end up with the first pick, you're already a team on the verge of making the playoffs. Second pick would go to the second highest non-playoff team and so on. Finishing last overall will net you the 14th pick (not bad) and reason to improve next year.

It's not really feasible because then there's no mechanism for bad teams to get better. They need to have some advantage in order to create parity or teams will see much longer downswings.

For example, let's say Kipper retires for next year and Iginla doesn't re-sign. Calgary is destined for 13-15th position in the conference and they would stay there for the foreseeable future unless they were able to get top talent through the draft.

Yes some teams do not take advantage of the high draft picks and continue to flounder but you can't really blame the draft lottery for that. Certainly giving good players to bad teams is a lot more likely to create parity than by motivating teams by giving the top draft pick to the best team outside of the playoffs. Teams are already motivated to win just by that competitive drive.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

The Oilers are a disgrace. I seriously think members of this board could do a better job running that team. It bottles my mind that they can be this bad, for this long, and right when I think they've hit the bottom of what is actually possible for a "professional" franchise, they reinvent their suckage.

4 franchise players and you're this bad? I would be standing on the steps of Rexall with a pitchfork and torch if I was one of their diehard fans. It's actually insulting to other teams and fans if they draft 1st overall again.....it's kind of like giving a blind guy a new car every time he crashes it into a wall.

lol! Perfect analogy.

Since we're on the topic...

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Sakari

They need to realize that they can't do what the Penguins did. RNH and Hall are not the Sidney Crosby and Malkin of this decade. And Dubnyk is surely not the Fleury that they need. They need to draft defenseman, two of them. Once they have a solid blue-line and some actual leadership they might get somewhere. Until then, I look forward to the battle of Alberta for x years to come.

I been saying this for years. everyone jumps on their bandwagon compares them with Chicago and Pittsburgh, but the problem is people only think this way cause of one thing in common. Top picks, but the problem is the top picks Edmonton got aren't near as good. Throw on top steal picks that both teams got. Letang, Goligoski, Kennedy were all 3rd round picks or later. Chicago drafted Byfuglien, Keith, Bolland, Versteeg, Crawford all past the first round as well. Throw on top good trades. Leddy for Barker, Goligoski for Neal. Tambellini has done nothing other then sitting at bottom and signing Schultz to improve this team. In the past I would say be patient but now I'm thinking it's time to fire Tambellini and Lowe. Not getting the job done

I also feel the core in Edmonton is very overrated

[Ezio]

They'll never be good. I've completely lost faith in every single guy in the franchise.

[TKB]

Originally Posted by Ezio

They'll never be good. I've completely lost faith in every single guy in the franchise.

Atleast we can take pleasure in knowing the flames are just as bad!

[VERVE]

Growing Pains

It has been a disappointing season thus far for the Oilers especially on this extra long road trip (9 games in about 3 weeks journey). The last leg of the trip is taking its toll on the team having been shut out in the last two games and getting spanked. Darn, I was hoping the Oilers would break the Hawks winning streak (this Sunday) and not the Avs...

A couple of you are correct to state the team is full of skill players in the top six but not much grit. I believe the oilers are easy to play against because they are not physical enough or hit much. The only guy that has more than 20 hits is Eager (but now may incl Mike Brown-BTW, love this guy’s heart and punching speed).

The top line is composed of young players and now learning to play both ends. They are the youngest team in the league. Last year, they were sheltered by mainly taking faceoffs in the offensive zones. RNH for some reason has not been the same as last year in the offensive side. One thing for sure, he has to add more mass perhaps a solid 10 pounds more. That will come with age-he is still 19. Teams are playing him tougher. He will adjust over time.

I believe when a team is not capitalizing on their chances at even strength, they should not be overly cute with their play-making. Meaning Hall should not be shooting between his legs to score mano-a-mano when you are that close to the net. It is a high percentage to fail shot. Or Eberle trying behind a blind back pass to Yakupov when he should have shot the puck at that close range. That is part of the Oilers’ growing pains right now when things are not working well, they are trying too much instead of making simple plays like the dump and chase. As of late, quite a number of plays have ended with Hall and Eberle.

For now, I don’t believe they will trade Hemsky, Smyth or Horcoff and perhaps Gagner too. Then again, desperate GMs do desperate things at trade deadline. They do need some veteran presence and Horcoff is their best leader who has been injured for a month or so now.

There are other tangibles that come into play as well, their D corp has talent but their defensive zone coverage at times has lapses (moreso lately) and better communication between the pairing dmen is lacking. When a young team like the Oilers struggle, their confidence fragile and obviously becomes contagious. Dubnyk has played well during the early stages of the season but now appears shaky and unsure in net.

I am not sure what the answer is but I would rather see them work through the pain of losses than make a rash decision like trading a top six.

They need more leadership from the vets. I was hoping Whitney was going to have a bounce back year and lead the D corp but he has been benched for 6 games already. Perhaps the Oilers will make only minor tweaks such as the latest addition of Mike Brown which makes the bottom 6 grittier but still the top 6 is not physical enough.

If they have 10-15 points more than last year, then it is a positive transition. If they are still in the same position as last year, then Tambellini may not be the GM next year. This is Tambellini’s team and as a result, I do not see Lowe being affected when it is down to crunch time.

Critics and hockey experts have mentioned numerous times that a rebuild such as the Oilers have undergone will be a 5 year process. The scorched-earth rebuild manifesto occurred in mid 2010 translating into a 2.5 years (with the lockout) into their current progression.

I still feel they have to stay the course and work through it as a team. For now, leave the core group in place but must add some more grit. For being the youngest team, they have a lot of great players to build around and a bright future. For now, they have to simplify the game and that means stop making that extra nice looking pass and fire at the net more and pray. Teams are now keying aggressively on the top line and the trio will have to work through it. I have confidence they will come out of this sooner than later and will not be in the bottom 3 in the league this year (I hope).

[jayswin]

lol

[GGG]

Pitts and Chicago were winning cups in year 3 of their first big draft picks. So the oilers are following the Islanders, and Columbus rebuild methods and not pitt and chicago. For how long?? I dont know. They should eventually get better just by luck. I think they are 2 years out from the playoffs but unless they make some drastic redistribution of there cap dollars toward the back end they will never be a cup team.

One thing I am interested in is whose playoff drought will be longer ours or the oilers. Were going for year 4 and oilers are going for year 7.

[Red John]

Pretty sure he predicted a playoff spot at the beginning of the year. And finishing ahead of the Flames.

Now it's just a "hope" that it isn't bottom 3.

The annual cycle of an Oilers fan. Only took six weeks this time. Thank you lockout!

[stang]

Pittsburg wasn't winning after 3 years like I've pointed out.

[$ven27]

The Oilers could've made this rebuild better if they chose players with some balance instead of going for with all forwards.

IMO this would have set them up better if they were smart:

Eberle - Seguin - Yakupov/xxxx

Galchenyuk/xxxx

Larsson - Schultz