The only way they get out of the Lucic contract is a compliance buy out if the NHLPA opts out of the CBA after this season.
I don't get the sense that they're going to opt out though. There's been no war of word, or rumors of both sides stockpiling cash to get through a lockout/strike.
Also I just have this gut feeling that the NHLPA doesn't feel like going another round with Bettman and the owners.
Also if they opt out what are they going to negotiate, there are rumors that the early idea that the cap is going up again has been balanced by a rumor that the cap either won't go up or will go up slightly, so the owners would probably stand strong against the idea of giving up something major to get compliance buyouts.
I have a feeling that even if they opt out, compliance buyouts won't be discussed.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
I still think that team is better off trading McDavid and getting a kings fortune for him. The only people who don't realize this is Chia and the Oilers. That said, I wouldn't let Chia make that trade if I was the Oilers owners, that would turn out disastrous (but wonderful for the Flames of course!)
I still think that team is better off trading McDavid and getting a kings fortune for him. The only people who don't realize this is Chia and the Oilers. That said, I wouldn't let Chia make that trade if I was the Oilers owners, that would turn out disastrous (but wonderful for the Flames of course!)
To me, I agree, this Oil team is lacking so much talent that it seems that a free fall is going to happen.
Lets say that the Oilers finish in the Lottery and get a top 5 pick, that resets the timer on a cup win to 3 years because it will be hard for them to afford 2 highly paid players when that new shiny toy hits the end of his first contract.
The smart move if they win the lottery is to go full rebuild, trade McDavid for a package that improves their player depth across the board and gives them another first round pick at least.
I get that Oiler fans and media keep pushing McDavid as a Generational talent, and he probably is, but I still believe that he's a flawed generational player. For all of his gaudy stats, at the end of the day, he's a massive investment that's not paying real dividends in terms of winning. in four years, the Oilers are going to miss the playoffs in three of those years, and miss badly, on top of that his one exposure to the playoffs, he didn't light the war on fire.
If I could trade him, spread the wealth through my lineup, while fixing the big monster in the room which is cap problems, while picking up a new shiny toy that I can hold up to the dupes in Edmonton which allows me to reset the competitive clock long enough to do a proper rebuild.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
The game against Anaheim will be the very definition of a must win. If the Oilers pull out a win they are still right there in wild card territory. If they lose they are 6 points out and moving south at a formidable pace. I could see Chiarelli fired if they lose this game.
They arent in wild card territory though, they are in draft lotto territory. At a minimum you need 92 to make the playoffs. That’s 10 games over .500 to have a 50/50 chance at the post season.
That team isn’t going 22-13-6 even if they win tonight. They are done.
The problem is, whoever they draft this year in the top 10, that player will make the team and things will go as well as they have for all the other draftees. There is nothing that can be done to save that franchise other than katz going to prison so the NHL can do a complete purge of the organization.
The problem is, whoever they draft this year in the top 10, that player will make the team and things will go as well as they have for all the other draftees. There is nothing that can be done to save that franchise other than katz going to prison so the NHL can do a complete purge of the organization.
I don't see this as a problem other than for the poor draftee. Katz going to jail is not an impossible prediction. Based on nothing at all, I think he's shady.
McWinNow isnt waiting 2-4 years for the team to be competitive so the rebuild involves trading McDavid. So if you are going to go Nuclear you might as well trade this years and next years 1st and 2nds at the draft and anything in the craphole of a prospect pool on players to help now. You try for two years and then go to rebuild 4.0
The only difference is that you are taking one last shot with McJesus before you trade him. With 6 years left on his contract I don’t think you can get fair value for him. The trade you make today for him is the same as two years from now.
Also the picks made after the 1st round today won’t help before McTradeRequest demands out.
I don't see this as a problem other than for the poor draftee. Katz going to jail is not an impossible prediction. Based on nothing at all, I think he's shady.
The problem is they legitimately think they are good at developing players. The entire hockey ops side is corrupted. The culture issues start all the way at the top and have an effect on everything. Just look at the staff directory. You have a good chunk of the Oilers from the glory years employeed as well Gretzky's brother, Messier's brother, and who knows who else isn't there based on a connection rather than merit.
McWinNow isnt waiting 2-4 years for the team to be competitive so the rebuild involves trading McDavid. So if you are going to go Nuclear you might as well trade this years and next years 1st and 2nds at the draft and anything in the craphole of a prospect pool on players to help now. You try for two years and then go to rebuild 4.0
The only difference is that you are taking one last shot with McJesus before you trade him. With 6 years left on his contract I don’t think you can get fair value for him. The trade you make today for him is the same as two years from now.
Also the picks made after the 1st round today won’t help before McTradeRequest demands out.
If the team was just talent poor, I would absolutely agree with you. However this is a team that pretty much fell out of the tree and hit every branch on the way down.
Doing what you're talking about trading first and seconds might possibly not work because of the cap issue.
The bad contracts
Manning 2.250
Spooner 3.100
Draisaitl 8.50 I don't think its stunningly bad, but he's half the player he should be at that pay when he's not playing with McDavid.
Lucic 6.00.
None of those contracts are movable without paying to move them.
Next year they have 13 players under contract and about 13 million to spend. They are losing both goalies, and the ones that would make a difference, the Bob's or Varlimovs are going to be looking at 6 or 7 million or more.
They have the trifecta of problems, a bad farm and prospect system. An NHL roster with little to no strength. Two of their blueliners in Nurse and Larsson have been dreadful.
Just spending a 1st or second draft pick might address the short term, but will even further the team long terms and possibly kill their cap because teams aren't going to give up good cost controlled players that Edmonton needs for a mere first round draft pick unless its not protected, and Visually the Oilers can't take that risk.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Nah... i remember them trolling they year they made the playoffs and lost in the second round...they could not keep their mouths shut at the time.
Oilers imploding...badly... Hitch just lit into everyone at the 6:40 mark
Really a no lose proposition for the Flames the next two game. Wins versus Anahiem and SJ help our cause and pushes the Oilers away from the top end of the lottery...
If they lose, we get to listen to the 630 Ched call in show.
win/win
He says Nurse was the only guy to show up. Does this mean McDavid and Draisaitle have to stay to the end of the next practice and Nurse gets to leave early? You can see why Hitch probably should have stayed retired as you cannot pull these kind of stunts and expect an entire team buy-in. He's just made things worse.
If I was an Oiler fan and they brought back MacT I would try to firebomb Rogers arena. That would absolutely be the biggest kick to the junk of all time, and if I was McDavid I 100% ask for a trade. I truly believe that the McDavid camp privately told the Oilers that if their current management structure stayed the same they would not join the team and that's the reason they made those changes just before the draft. Going back to what they had before would borderline be an insult.
The Oilers need to clean out all the nepotism beneficiaries in their management, full stop. After that they need to hire a legit Preaident of Hockey Ops that is well respected from an NHL team to start hiring his own people. Stan Bownan, Ken Holland, Lou lamerilllo, Steve Yzerman, hell even Burke (some of the guys are unavailable I'm just outlining the type of person I would target. Someone with pedigree that had a track record of building a winner. They've thrown enough money at useless people not to throw money at someone hyper competent. You can build a winner in Edmonton, while the flames were struggling 1995-2004 the Oilers were icing playoff teams on a shoestring budget facing the same issues we were, but they were owned be EIG who look like geniuses now. The new POHO hires an up and coming GM like BT was and gets trained on the job. Try to sell McDavud on a rebuild done right with someone who knows what they're doing, if he's not down then trade him.
Maybe I'm in the minority on this but laughing at the Oilers has gotten old. That first game of the year was so fun and competitive I wish it could be like that every year with two teams high in the standings, it's never happened in my lifetime. Maybe the unhinged mega fans on hf are arrogant but all the Oiler buddies I have are good dudes that laugh at the team just as much as me. Katz is sewering that franchise.
Alex Petrovic is already -5 in three games. He's been on the ice for 67% of the goals the Oilers have surrendered since he's been acquired. Brandon Manning is -3. They have one assist combined.
Last edited by Resolute 14; 01-06-2019 at 10:21 AM.
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As much as we would love to see it, and it probably makes sense hockey wise, it doesn't make sense business wise to trade McDavid for Katz, and that's why I don't see him ever allowing that trade. I know someone who works for his company, and they all know Katz thinks the kid is worth about a billion dollars to him. So unless he goes full meltdown, I don't see Oilers ever trading McDavid until his final year of his contract.
