[News] The Edmonton Oilers win the draft lottery and will select 1st overall

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I'd trade two of Hall, Eberle and Yakupov for defence and a legit goalie prospect as soon as today. Connor McDavid is an elite talent and I wouldn't worry at all about who he finds chemistry with, he'll find chemistry with alot of people.

If you're an Oilers fan you're praying they don't try to win with nothing but dynamic forwards. Unlike some I think having all those potential big contracts is doable, not easy but doable. You don't however, want all that money tied up in one area. Spread the big money around, get a goalie, get two quality guys on the backend.

Don't have a high end goalie or prospect.

Nurse is good, maybe top two? Not an elite guy on that pair though. They rave about Klefbom but he sits on the 2nd pairing. So that's it

Start shopping Eberle and one of Yakupov today. Gives you alot of options. Move Nugent-Hopkins or Draisatil to the wing at times if needed.

With McDavid fixing the Oilers is only a matter of not being a complete morons.

But.. Mactavish and Lowe are.

In reference to RNH and Draisaitl, I wasn't talking about chemistry, I was referring to finding out which one of them would make the better 2nd line C behind him.

It is a question of finding out a) how you are going to utilize McDavid, and then b) determine which one of the other two is more suited to taking on complementary roles.

It isn't just a 1st line, 2nd line thing... there are specific roles and needs, like PK, key defensive faceoffs, matchups against other teams.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

The oilers fan I was golfin with today acted like they won the Stanley cup when he heard this. He did say though, that now they can dump,hall, and maybe a few others, which was a good point.

I heard that too, also about it affecting coaching and other various personnel decisions which is again very Oilerish.

You can now trade one of Hall/Eberle/Etc? Pick a new head coach? Why? Because they got McDavid?

Thats just another fancy way of trading your cows for magic beans and restarting the perpetual rebuild.

McDavid has done nothing yet at least the guys they have can play, marginally as their quality is.

[acerbic_1]

Originally Posted by Gaudfather

When you watch this video the guy could not be less enthused about the prospect of going to the No Goods. I bet McDavid and his high priced advisors are all probably strategizing about how they can avoid being relegated to NoGood Gulag.

http:////www.tsn.ca/video/mcdavid-i-...-coat-1.260833

Serious cotton-mouth too poor bastage.

[shermanator]

Good column by Bruce Arthur on the Oilers winning the lottery.

But this is what happens when you fight on Edmonton’s turf. By the way, Oilers owner Darryl Katz, who has already played footsie with Seattle in a successful attempt to sucker Edmonton out of public funds for a new arena, is actively suing the Erie Otters and Sherry Bassin, the mentor of ... Connor McDavid. Ha, terrific.

Plus, did we mention they already won three lotteries? Ergo, the disappointment. As Coyotes co-owner Anthony Leblanc told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com, “(When I) realized it wasn’t us, I’m not going to lie, I’m like, ‘Holy crap, I hope it’s Buffalo.’ To find out it was Edmonton? That stung. That stung.” As Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said, “They’ve got some luck.”

Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray put it to reporters that he was disappointed for Sabres fans, and said “It’s not the disappointment in the player. It’s just the process for me.”

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey...il-arthur.html

[bucksmasher]

Still not worried about it because mcdavid cannot tend goal and be a 1-2 defence man while scoring all the goals.

[Simanium]

With the Oilers luck, Eichel will turn out to be a better player than McDavid anyways. As for their top picks, I'd much rather have Seguin, Landeskog and Ryan Murray, than Hall, RNH and Yakupov.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Non-issue.

If McDavid is the player he's hyped up to be he'll be doing so many National and North America wide endorsements that he won't have time for local stuff anyway.

The national deals will be there, but if you think there's no difference, I don't know what to say to you...

[Enoch Root]

All this talk of should they trade Hall, or should they trade Eberle, or everyone, or whatever, is all just the rubber hitting the road for what is the real issue:

Despite winning the lottery, you still have to build a team.

And the good news is that this stroke of luck will buy several more years in the lives of current Oiler management.

And EVERYTHING they have done in the last 5 9 25 years suggests that they are completely incapable of accomplishing that.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Not sure if I'm happy or sad. Happy because it will be amazing watching the Oilers continue to fail, even after landing McDavid, or if on the off chance he can overcome the Oilers suck and make them better, forever the only thing that they will be able to point to for their success was a fluke draw and getting a generational talent.

Sad, simply for Mc David.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

All this talk of should they trade Hall, or should they trade Eberle, or everyone, or whatever, is all just the rubber hitting the road for what is the real issue:

Despite winning the lottery, you still have to build a team.

And the good news is that this stroke of luck will buy several more years in the lives of current Oiler management.

And EVERYTHING they have done in the last 5 9 25 years suggests that they are completely incapable of accomplishing that.

Agree, its sort of what I was alluding to previously, this is what they've always done, they take the shiny new toy and ship out all of their other, older toys so that the new one can take centre-stage.

They still have atrocious goaltending, the worst defence in the league and a culture of perpetual failure.

One kid isnt going to fix all that.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

Not sure if I'm happy or sad. Happy because it will be amazing watching the Oilers continue to fail, even after landing McDavid, or if on the off chance he can overcome the Oilers suck and make them better, forever the only thing that they will be able to point to for their success was a fluke draw and getting a generational talent.

Sad, simply for Mc David.

I don't think anyone in Pittsburgh cares that Crosby was acquired by a fluke draw. I don't think Oilers fans will care either.

[Huntingwhale]

My take on the situation:

-As long as Lowe, Katz and MacT run this organization they aren't making any noise in the standings. McDavid might win them a couple games more in a 7-6 win, but depending on an 18 year old to turn around the entire culture of a franchise is just silly. Best prospect since Crosby or not, that's a lot to ask. But you can bet management is expecting that.

-UFAs still aren't going to sign. Winning attracts UFAs. Oilers do not win. Edmonton is #1 on the list of teams to not be traded to on every single NTC around the league. Oilers are going to have to relay on overpaying for crappy UFAs and trades.

-Where is the veteran leadership to guide McDavid? TBH Roy seems like a good fit. Can't really think of anyone else though.

-The BoA just got a whole lot more interesting. McDavid vs Bennett in the future. That is going to be epic.

-For the love of God Jesus, mods never EVER close another E=NG thread. We need that thread more then ever now.

-I'm not at all worried about the Oilers making the playoffs any day soon. That is years away IF Lowe is fired and a competent non-meddling management group is brought onboard. Not happening. Look at how hard bubble teams like the Sens and Flames had to scratch and claw to make the dance. Especially in the West. Do you honestly see that type of heart, determination, chemistry or ''magic'' to get a hard task like that done? The Oilers can't play D worth ####. Things aren't going to magically change with Connor on board. Oilers need a culture change from top to bottom. If they do it right, Connor can be the trigger that gets it started. But as long as Lowe is employed, nothing will change. Ever. The oilers future success doesn't depend on McDavid. It depends on Lowe being fired and competent management/coaching being brought in.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

I don't think anyone in Pittsburgh cares that Crosby was acquired by a fluke draw. I don't think Oilers fans will care either.

I don't think they will care either. But it will be funny.

[Matata]

I remember Gretzky saying how suffocating it was living in Edmonton and how he couldn't leave his apartment without starting a riot.

Yes, I'm feeling so salty about Edmonton getting the #1 pick that I'm wishing that he struggles with overcoming the psychological torture of playing their.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Do you not immediately test the market for Draisaitl if you're MacTavish?

Since the Oilers are close to the cap, I think it's a smart idea to keep good players on entry-level deals. A winning franchise can't have both Hall and Eberle, so I would move one of them.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Locke

Agree, its sort of what I was alluding to previously, this is what they've always done, they take the shiny new toy and ship out all of their other, older toys so that the new one can take centre-stage.

They still have atrocious goaltending, the worst defence in the league and a culture of perpetual failure.

One kid isnt going to fix all that.

One kid can't fix all that, but the great thing is that he can mask a lot of it!

The Oilers will still have inept management. But McDavid will probably help them enough that they won't feel the need to do anything about it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

Since the Oilers are close to the cap, I think it's a smart idea to keep good players on entry-level deals. A winning franchise can't have both Hall and Eberle, so I would move one of them.

See, there's your mistake.

[Locke]

Also, I think this is worth noting:

As troutman indicated earlier, every 1st overall pick negates a Stanley Cup, ergo the Oilers are down to 1 cup now.

And I fervently believe that they'll be down to zero well before they get up to 2. Have you seen that roster? McDavid or no McDavid that roster is hot garbage.

"With the 5th 1st overall selection in 7 years the Edmonton Oilers are proud to ruin the career of Austin Matthews! Come on down!"

[Tinordi]

What an embarrassment and disgrace.

[Hammertime]

I think you guys underestimate just how much McDavid will impact the Oilers. In his prime, he could be a 100+ point producing, game breaking centremen. His wingers, if they are to be Hall and Eberle, could also be skirting in similar territory as well. Not saying they will win cups, but they definitely will be contenders going forward as the Anaheim/Vancouver/LA teams fade-out over the next few years.

I'm just as depressed this morning as I was last night. The Oilers fumbled their way to getting a franchise changing player. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.