Oilers call press conference for Friday 9am

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by Locke

He managed to shoehorn every corporate buzzword they teach MBAs into one 30 minute disaster of a presser.

Just listen to the words he says, they literally mean nothing. He rambled on and said absolutely nothing.

I cant imagine what some people must be thinking now. After watching that debacle of a press conference what Bettman or McDavid must be thinking.

Hopefully Edmonton doesn't win the draw for first pick. I can't imagine how McDavid would feel, being that talented and close to your dream, and having to worry about ending up in that black hole. It's awful.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

It's turned out how exactly? I don't see any more cups in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal, or Ottawa yet so what have any of you accomplished since the Oilers last made the finals in 2006? Oh yeah that's right ZERO. Hardware is what matters and no fan of any other Canadian team has any since we tore it down. The next Canadian team to win a cup will be the Oilers.

I'll take that bet. $500.00?

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Just finished listening to this "event." I'm ridiculously happy with the outcome.

In honour of Peter Loubardias, I have one word to describe it all: cognitive dissonance.

[Dagger]

Generally I'm all for stability within an organization, and that means standing by the coaching staff when things aren't going your way BUT generally said coaching staff has shown or given you something to believe in, be it past success or implementing a philosophy worth seeing out. Eakins has done neither of those things, and MacTavish is attaching himself to the hip of him. It's noble, but it seems like he's fastening himself to a deckchair on the Titanic.

How much better would this Oiler team be with a guy like Terry Murray behind the bench? He's not going to be the coach of the future per se, but he'd at least have the ship ocean ready instead of sputtering around in the harbour.

[chummer]

Bob Mackenzie on XM radio saying the Flames are light years ahead of the Oilers.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

Anyway, it also means, that you can't just look at the stats sheets I the NHL and not watch the games. Anyone that has watched the Flames and Oilers play, realize there is a reason for the discrepancy for records, and it's not luck for the Flames and bad luck for the Oilers. But a Toronto Star columnist who doesn't watch the games is only going to put the effort in to look at stats, not watch, and assume his conclusions are solid, even though he's using very directional data at best to make his conclusions.

How many people believe that columnist even watched five Flames or Oilers games this season? I would be very surprised if he saw a complete 60 minute Flames game. Just goes to show what a tool advanced stats have become for people to draw conclusions without seeing the proof with their own eyes. Haven't seen the Flames play once in 82 games but looking at advanced stats a geek can claim to tell us exactly how the Flames played all season and what type of team they were.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

Just finished listening to this "event." I'm ridiculously happy with the outcome.

In honour of Peter Loubardias, I have one word to describe it all: cognitive dissonance.

That was some kind of denial!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Exactly. Well said. It's like he's admitting that he can't make a trade. People can knock sutter's phaneuf trade all they want... He knew it needed to be done and he got what he could as soon as he could... Addition through subtraction cause his effect on the team needed to end. That was just after a 9 game losing streak for the flames.

It was controversial at the time and who knows what other deals could have been had but THAT was a bold move... Now, years later, looking at phaneuf with the leafs it feels like it was a good deal just to remove him from the core of the organization. You can see the same thing from guys like hall, eberle, yakupov, Shultz, etc. in Edmonton but they don't have the guts to do what EVERYONE knows should be done.

Originally Posted by Locke

Yeah, that was the other thing and maybe goes to Bingo's point about them being Narcissists.

"Making trades is hard."

Well, yeah, but when your team is the league's personal turd sandwich you're going to have to take it in the teeth on a few trades.

Addition by subtraction, get rid of players for whatever you can get, draft well, scout well and move along.

I wanted to expand on my point as well so I've included my previous post.

Sometimes you have to make trades that make you look like an idiot but you may have to do it anyways and their egos wont let them.

You have to evaluate trades on all of it's merits to determine if its a good move and some trades that look like a big crap burger on the surface of things have more merit than it appears.

I know we're not all enthused about the return for Phaneuf or Iginla or Bouwmeester, but there is so much more to those trades than just the assets in return. Theres cap space and the inevitable addition by subtraction.

The addition in the Iginla trade was just getting rid of him so the whole organization could turn the page and move on. Sometimes just getting rid of someone is a slam-dunk in and of itself.

Hypothetical:

Trade Taylor Hall right now. I firmly believe no one would be very impressed with the return.

But then the GM can walk into the dressing room and put the smoking gun down on the table and calmly tell his players to go out there, get to work and do their jobs, because if they dont theres more bullets where that one came from.

Would the Oilers then be a better team? I think so.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

In 2003 I was writing a blog covering the Oilers for thescore.ca when my email became filled with fan letters from Flames fans who didn't think they were as boring as I did. You sought me out I responded like the blades of steel champion I am. Yes I am real. Yes I hate Calgary. Yes I love Edmonton.

You are the biggest embarrassment to come out of Mulletville.

[Daradon]

Yup, just get an ounce of accountability in there somehow. Ideally it should be pretty much all management, but they should probably wait till the summer anyway to vet and get the best candidates.

But on the player level, ship someone big out just to get the players scared. Show them there has to be changes, show them they need to be accountable too. Shake it up for lack of a better word. Addition by subtraction, like you said.

[theinfinitejar]

Originally Posted by Locke

Hypothetical:

Trade Taylor Hall right now. I firmly believe no one would be very impressed with the return.

But then the GM can walk into the dressing room and put the smoking gun down on the table and calmly tell his players to go out there, get to work and do their jobs, because if they dont theres more bullets where that one came from.

Would the Oilers then be a better team? I think so.

It's Edmonton though, that's not a stick to them, it's a carrot. I think the team might actually break the 1974-1975 Washington Capitals record for fewest points in a season if that happened.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

Just finished listening to this "event." I'm ridiculously happy with the outcome.

In honour of Peter Loubardias, I have one word to describe it all: cognitive dissonance.

Wholesale Changes!! Wait....

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

People who believe in stats that much, IMO, know absolutely nothing about hockey, and typically haven't played the game at a high level...

One doesn't even have to play at a high level to have a valid opinion on the game, though that Polansky fool certainly has little knowledge or understanding of hockey. Or of advanced stats.

[kyuss275]

I didn't get to watch it live, but after reading and watching the highlights , it was pure gold. MacT contradicted himself and threw everybody under the bus. The cherry on top was the gif posted a couple pages back of Mr. Layhe (MacT ) driving drunk in the trailer park. That gif was priceless.

[Husky]

Fundamentally it comes down to player development and the Oilers have shown they are horrible at it. They've been a poor team post dynasty years at drafting and developing.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Locke

Yeah, that was the other thing and maybe goes to Bingo's point about them being Narcissists.

"Making trades is hard."

Well, yeah, but when your team is the league's personal turd sandwich you're going to have to take it in the teeth on a few trades.

Addition by subtraction, get rid of players for whatever you can get, draft well, scout well and move along.

You don't even have to take it in the teeth when you are in the Oilers position. But you do have to work harder to find bargain players that other teams undervalue or missed entirely. You know, guys like Josh Jooris or Joe Colborne or Kris Russell.

For that, you need competent scouting and management.

[albertGQ]

Was there any mention as to why Lowe wasn't there?

Did he make Mac T face the music on his own?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

One doesn't even have to play at a high level to have a valid opinion on the game, though that Polansky fool certainly has little knowledge or understanding of hockey. Or of advanced stats.

Hockey analysts HATE being wrong, and it goes both ways. When a team they predict will be bad does good, they come up with all kinds of reasons for why the team is still bad. When a team they predict should be good does bad, they will usually rip into the team more than others that are just as bad, but meeting their expectations.

It's why I take their predictions with a grain of salt. Most of the time they just take last season's results and tweak them slightly.

I had a stats prof in university that used to love showing how stats could be used to make anything look good if you start with your hypothesis and then look for numbers that support it.

[TjRhythmic]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Exactly. Well said. It's like he's admitting that he can't make a trade. People can knock sutter's phaneuf trade all they want... He knew it needed to be done and he got what he could as soon as he could... Addition through subtraction cause his effect on the team needed to end. That was just after a 9 game losing streak for the flames.

It was controversial at the time and who knows what other deals could have been had but THAT was a bold move... Now, years later, looking at phaneuf with the leafs it feels like it was a good deal just to remove him from the core of the organization. You can see the same thing from guys like hall, eberle, yakupov, Shultz, etc. in Edmonton but they don't have the guts to do what EVERYONE knows should be done.

People can rag on Garth Snow, and some of it warranted, but at least he has the balls to do something.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

Get your laughs in now kids because in a couple of years we'll be in a fancy new building watching a team compete for Stanley Cups, watching the 2016 NHL Allstar game, while enjoying a drink of the worlds finest while you guys will be watching your team of nobody's scrape out 8-10th place finishes (yay) in the oldest building in the league. While it may seem dark now in Edmonton it won't be long before you are pulling down the shades to try to shield yourself from the glare of the glory which will be arising from the ashes.

Lowe is that you?