Is Edmonton intentionally tanking?

[Scorponok]

At the very top, you have an old-boy's club who happened to be on a dynasty team that had the top two point getters in the history of the NHL and scored their way to several championships trying to replicate that same success by relying on scoring to fix all their woes.

You have several star players who were hyped due to their first overall status that are treated as celebrities in that backwards and inbred town and therefore are looking out only for themselves.

Then you have a coach who doesn't seem to get any respect from either the veterans or the kids, and can't install a decent defensive system to help out their abysmal ECHL-quality blueline.

I don't see them getting any better any time soon and if they somehow have a miracle season where everyone plays above their heads, they'll still only be a lower seeded team in a tough conference. The whole team is dysfunctional to the core and only a top-down cleaning of management, coaches and players will wipe away the trailer-park-like stank of absolute incompetence at the top and complete abject indifference from most of the players at ice level.

If I were owner here are the steps I'd take to correct the situation:

Fire Lowe. There are a lot of stories from former players about him being a completely classless individual who treats players like crap. Even if half of them weren't true, players will listen to other players. This single step would go a long way to alleviate some of the problems attracting free agent they've had and continue to have. Yeah, there's still the Edmonton thing about being the Siberia of the NHL, but not having Lowe in charge would at least get rid of one worry among players.

Bring in an experienced manager with a good track record on trades and free agent signings. They need someone who is part of the inner circle of NHL GMs who are the movers and shakers of the league. I think the Lowe/Burke feud really put the Edmonton organization on the outside of this circle, and as a result, Lowe is left out of a lot of the talks that other GMs are involved with, besides maybe Team Canada. If such a GM doesn't exist, hire one as a temp until the one you want becomes available, then pounce on them.

Bring in a veteran coach whom the players respect, and give the coach free reign as to who plays and who doesn't regardless of who was a first round pick and who wasn't. After a time of evaluation, get rid of ALL the players who aren't buying into the system and trade them for competent blueliners. No one should be safe.

A complete overhaul of team scouting and trying to figure out why none of their prospects outside the first rounds ever pan out. A complete top-down redressing of the farm team management might also be in order.

Build from the defense and goaltending on out first. Resign to the fact that the team will continue to suck for a few more years but still get to pick pretty high. But at least when the new picks come in, they'll at least be put into a team that has a decent defensive mindset and hopefully decent goaltending. The offense will come eventually, but defense and goaltending win championships, and the Oilers have been building @$$-backwards for more than half a decade.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by macrov

You put two top 3 defensemen on that team and have the forwards commit to a 2 way game and the team would be competing for a playoff spot (7-10 in the standings).

That is what Lowe, MacTavish and Katz believe too. That is also why they are so fixated on Ekblad. They honestly believe that between Ekblad, Nurse and Klefbom they will have those pieces in place. They also believe that Brossoit is a piece to their goaltending problems. The brain trust in Edmonton believe the pieces will be there after this next draft, and they may be right. If two of those three defensemen reach the level expected of them they will have two top pair defenders. The only thing they have to do after that is find a coach that can get through to their collection of forwards and convince them of playing a 200 foot game and supporting that defense. They do that, they should be able to get by with average goaltending and be able to challenge for the playoffs.

And yes, Edmonton is intentionally tanking.

[FlamesAddiction]

If they are intentionally tanking, then you would have to acknowledge that they are really good at something. Damned good.

I can't believe that KLown and Tipsy are that good.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Hockey Fan #751

I agree about the forwards, I think it's a pretty good group for the most part. I also think they're getting better at the defensive side.

Goaltending is below average, well below average, probably the worst in the NHL. Last season, the team goals-against for the Oilers was 2.71. This year it's 3.45. The second worst team in the NHL is the Islanders at 3.19 and Calgary is third worst at 3.10. That's how bad it is.

If the Oilers even matched their GAA from last year, they would have allowed 50 less goals. That's one less goal against per game almost.

The defence is also worst in the NHL. They have a 4-5 in Justin Schultz, a 4-5 in Jeff Petry and a 5-6 in Andrew Ference. Everyone else should be playing in the AHL.

The other problem for the Oilers is that they have zero prospects. Absolutely everyone on their farm team will be lucky to be a fourth line forward or third pairing defenceman. Plus, all their draft picks except maybe Darnell Nurse is projecting the same way. So the only way they can get better is if they move some of their top forwards for defence help.

Unfortunately for them, all that's going to do is shift their issues from defence to forward.

You look at the forwards they have: Eberle, Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Perron, Yakupov, Gagner, Hemsky. Hemsky will be gone at the deadline for a 2nd or 3rd rounder (probably a 3rd), Gagner will be gone at the draft for not a whole lot, maybe in exchange for a bad contract like Clarkson or maybe for an okay defenceman like Hjalmarsson.

Suddenly, there's not a whole lot of scoring firepower. You have the three kids and Perron having to carry the load for the entire team (Yakupov is a wild card).

Oilers are in a world of hurt. And no, they're not trying to lose.

GAA is a team stat. The Oilers goaltending hasn't been great but it's been no worse than the Flames. The difference is that the Flames try (sometimes succeed sometimes don't but they try) to play team defense and the Oilers don't. The Oilers forwards in particular are as a group are the biggest bunch of floaters in the league.

[Daradon]

I think they intentionally tanked for one or two of the years, but not in the beginning, and not this year.

They really are bad at managing a team, and I don't think the players they drafted ended up being as good as they were touted. So, the players and team in general are worse than a lot of people think.

As a few of people have mentioned, I wonder when the rest of the league (see analysts) will begin seeing just how bad it is up there. It's starting, but like a few have mentioned in other threads, I think many are staying quiet cause they don't want to look stupid for their previous comments.

[Eric Vail]

I can't believe that with the firestorm around Lowe and the team management that they would want to win some games and put all that to rest. It must be particularly humiliating to be trailing the Flames right now.

[$ven27]

No, they never did. They just are completely and utterly bad.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I can't believe that with the firestorm around Lowe and the team management that they would want to win some games and put all that to rest. It must be particularly humiliating to be trailing the Flames right now.

I've been hearing from Oilers fans since November that it was only a matter of time until the Oilers pass the Flames in the standings. We are now near the end of January they are 5 points back playing one game more than the Flames. The Sabres are actually only 3 points back with 4 games at hand so yes this must be very sobering times for Oilers fans.

The really sad thing is that if the team does go on say a 4 game winning streak their fans would pull the same 180 they always do and believe that the team finally turned the corner and greatness is on the horizon. They really are the most delusional, gullible fanbase in the league.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I've been hearing from Oilers fans since November that it was only a matter of time until the Oilers pass the Flames in the standings. We are now near the end of January they are 5 points back playing one game more than the Flames. The Sabres are actually only 3 points back with 4 games at hand so yes this must be very sobering times for Oilers fans.

The really sad thing is that if the team does go on say a 4 game winning streak their fans would pull the same 180 they always do and believe that the team finally turned the corner and greatness is on the horizon. They really are the most delusional, gullible fanbase in the league.

Well in all fairness there has been a shift. Sure the armchair fan still feels that way, but a lot of people who are decent on message boards are feeling that the only way to truly get better is to fix the problems at the top, and actually dread a winning streak for those reasons. I won't disagree it was like that, probably up until this year, but this year does have a noticeable (not big, but noticeable) amount of Edmonton fans questioning the direction of the team. Which makes sense, because it was common knowledge they should be on the move up by now. And they did seem to take a tiny step last year. This year may actually be their worst. Both in actual results, but wasted potential.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Well in all fairness there has been a shift. Sure the armchair fan still feels that way, but a lot of people who are decent on message boards are feeling that the only way to truly get better is to fix the problems at the top, and actually dread a winning streak for those reasons. I won't disagree it was like that, probably up until this year, but this year does have a noticeable (not big, but noticeable) amount of Edmonton fans questioning the direction of the team. Which makes sense, because it was common knowledge they should be on the move up by now. And they did seem to take a tiny step last year. This year may actually be their worst. Both in actual results, but wasted potential.

The fans have started to open their eyes to the real issues but it has taken them 4 years of finishing at the bottom of the standings to do so I'm not going to give them credit for being overly intelligent as a group. That said it still appears that the owner hasn't opened his eyes (and IMO embraces being part of the good old boys club) and until that happens it really doesn't matter what the fans think. If the fans continue to fill the building and fill Katz pockets I don't see big changes as he's doing everything possible to shield Lowe who is the biggest obstacle going forward to turning things around.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Anyone who thinks that merely firing Lowe is going to vault this mess of an organization into competitive hockey is fooling themselves.

True but you need to get someone competent at his level in order to start cleaning out the garbage in the organization. The need a full organizational review and hiring a few more ex-oilers is only going to make it worse.

[Robo]

Count me in as them intentionally tanking the compete level has been awful the last couple games

[St. Pats]

Their problems are not a mystery and they are doing nothing to address them. Or are doing only enough to look like they are doing something. Bringing in 3rd string goalies / bottom pair dmen. They have done their usual PR sell job and the seats ain't empty.

Meanwhile indeed they are in full out tank mode as they have been in for years.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The fans have started to open their eyes to the real issues but it has taken them 4 years of finishing at the bottom of the standings to do so I'm not going to give them credit for being overly intelligent as a group. That said it still appears that the owner hasn't opened his eyes (and IMO embraces being part of the good old boys club) and until that happens it really doesn't matter what the fans think. If the fans continue to fill the building and fill Katz pockets I don't see big changes as he's doing everything possible to shield Lowe who is the biggest obstacle going forward to turning things around.

Oh yeah, I wouldn't bet on big changes from the fanbase. Just defending a small minority.

Course, the fire Lowe movement is picking up steam. I guess we'll wait and see. Another sub 25 finish next year my be all it takes. On the flip side though, even a 17-24 finish with no playoffs would probably be seen as a big enough improvement, which it shouldn't be.

[ForeverFlameFan]

They just naturally suck..

[Huntingwhale]

I don't think they are intentionally tanking, but I believe management realizes they suck and are going with the flow (aka won't take the steps necessary to improve the team). The fact that MacT blatantly said in an interview a couple weeks ago about how good Ekblad would look on their blueline and how they needed a stud like him says a lot about their mentality. They might not come out and directly say it, but make no mistake, they are well aware that it's in their best interest to not improve immediately and to somehow snag that kid.

I hope if they do somehow get last place again, that the league takes a long hard look at them and somehow punishes them for it. It's hilarious to watch the Oilers fail year after year. But it makes a mockery of the draft when all other 29 teams know that they don't have a chance at a possible elite player...because Edmonton continues to suck balls. Teams that desperately need a star player like Calgary must be pulling their hair out of their heads knowing that they somehow have to compete with Edmonton's suckage to even have a chance at one of these guys.

Last year was supposed to be our year for a chance at #1 overall. And then Carolina, TB, Colorado and Florida come out of nowhere to outsuck us. They already had young players to build around. We had barely anything. Then this year, Buffalo and Edmonton, one of which was supposed to take the next step forward, will most likely impeded us from picking top 2. I don't mind Buffalo sucking because they already have a strong D corps and top end forwards should be their priority. But Edmonton will most likely snag Ekblad. If that happens, I hope the kid bombs and becomes the biggest bust since Stefan. It's frustrating as a Flames fan to have to deal with this at this moment in time.

[Daradon]

^^^ If he stays with the team, there is a good chance he will bomb.

[troutman]

No. The expectations of the fans, the media, the organization, was that they should be a playoff team now.

I don't think one-way forwards can be taught to play defensively all that often. You have to be wired mentally and physically to play that way. It's real hard thankless work.

[Yoho]

The ultimate karma would be the Flames winning the draft lottery and leap frogging the Oil for first overall. just to see Mac T's, or Lowe's face would be priceless. There would be no way to spin the utter failure.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I don't think their plan coming into this year was to tank, but once it was obvious that the team not only wasn't a playoff team but wasn't even good enough to fight for a playoff spot, the team went into Operation Shutdown. It really is embarassing, and well, its almost certainly happening again next year if they start down the same path.