Is Edmonton intentionally tanking?

[CaptainCrunch]

I remember reading a few years ago when the Flames were as a team not going to make the playoffs but really fighting hard, I think it was in the young guns era.

At the tradeline the players had some hope that the management was going to at least get them some help so they could keep trying to get to the playoffs.

While at the deadline the Flames made some moves but they moved more talent out and didn't bring in any help and the Flames players left in the dressing room instantly lost their will be win and went down the tubes.

This has become such an epidemic in the Oilers locker room that they have embraced the owners philosophy that playing crappy is somehow helping this team.

There is also the point where a lot of the players are looking at how bad the Oilers are drafting and maybe how Nail isn't helping out and Nurse is pretty far away and even this years pick might be years away from helping and they've accepted that help isn't coming and this team is bound and determined in its strategy that if they come out of the gate at the start of the year and struggle that losing is ok.

The team really more then player changes needs a cultural shift to at least start this team on the way to respectability.

What the Oilers really need to do is make that bold move that Mac-T isn't going to do. They need to trade that first round draft choice for immediate established help. Not a prospect or a player with potential for down the road, but immediate help. I don't know what that deal is, but it has to be there.

The Oilers have to trade either Hall or RNH, first of all to try to rebalance the lineup, but second of all those two are the key members of the Oiler's locker room leadership and frankly Hopkins is brutal on the back check, and Hall looks like he's ready to give up and he's lazy in every aspect of his game but in the offensive zone.

You could trade Nail, but more then half of the players probably dislike him because of how he plays so it would be rewarding players for losing.

You could trade Eberle but it really wouldn't bring back as much as the other guys in terms of impact health.

The other thing that the Oilers really should do is take Schultz and take Nail and send them to OKC to work on their game and get them away from that environment, and also to show that the team is dedicated to improving their game and won't tolerate terrible play with no attention to detail.

I was at a coaches meeting last night and we were talking about a locker room split on our team and I proposed some pretty harsh measures to bring the team together or make them make a decision on whether this sport is for certain players or not.

One of the coaches looked at me funny and I gave him the analogy.

In the 80's when that baby fell down the well they spent days ##### footing around and digging up huge tracks of land. At some point you just have to throw a grenade down the well to see if the baby will fly out.

For the Oilers if the managers and owners and coaches were serious about fixing one of the biggest clusterflops that I've ever seen then its time to throw a grenade down the well that is the Oilers locker room and see if they can blow them into a new direction.

[Burner]

and TSN has them moving up to 26th overall in the Power Rankings - still believing its something special.....

[CaptainCrunch]

I would argue that if the Oil hadn't just drafted THN consensus number one but actually put some thought into their drafting then the fact that these were poor drafts would be irrelevant. Even in a poor draft its more then likely that the top 5 players each year are impact players.

If instead of drafting another flashy winger in 2012 they had drafted Galchenyuk or Murray They would have fixed two major holes in their lineup

Or if instead of drafting a another lazy one way midget in RNH they would have picked up Landeskog or Larson or even Couture

Now chances are if the Oilers had drafted Sequin instead of Hall they might have completely ruined the kid.

But you know what I mean, beyond the fact that the Oilers can't draft effectively beyond the number 1 pick, their strategy of drafting players based on toe dragging on Youtube has lead them to drafting basically the same players year after year while leaving holes in their lineup large enough for Rob Jeremy to get no sensation.

[Enoch Root]

Does a bear intentionally #### in the woods?

Does a leopard intentionally have spots?

Does a leach intentionally suck?

[Redliner]

tankiest tankers that ever tanked.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Burner

and TSN has them moving up to 26th overall in the Power Rankings - still believing its something special.....

IMO the media plays a small role in this. Although they have no control over the organization they have continued to fawn over the Oilers potential for years now. From the Pierre McGuires to the Adrian Daters of the world that think something special is going on there it's delivered false hope to the fans and maybe even the organization.

Even today you hear the Steve Simmonds and other media talk about the Flames like they are hot garbage yet the media seems to remain pretty optimistic about the Oilers. It just goes to show how far you can sell potential. The Oilers are worse than the Flames but are looked at as better because of their "potential". Hope is a lot easier to sell than reality.

[indes]

"If you're not first, you're last" seems to be the oilers motto

[LGA]

I can't wait for them to get another 3 first overalls in a row so that I can hear how my team couldn't possibly match up to the Oilers because they have so many 1st overalls.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

a lot of this goes in to unlucky draft years too, not that they deserve any credit for 3 straight first overall picks, but going back to 2000 1st overall picks they just picked the worst time to suck

If you were going through this list and were told you could pick any 3 year run of 1st overall picks to build your team around I think 2010-2012 would be the least desired


2013 Nathan MacKinnon
2012 Nail Yakupov
2011 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2010 Taylor Hall
2009 John Tavares
2008 Steven Stamkos
2007 Patrick Kane
2006 Erik Johnson
2005 Sidney Crosby
2004 Alexander Ovechkin
2003 Marc-Andre Fleury
2002 Rick Nash
2001 Ilya Kovalchuk

True, but you could also look at the #2's in those years (Seguin, Landeskog, and Murray) and conclude that the Oilers simply took the wrong player.

[Daradon]

Well, 2001-2003 is close, and the jury could still be out as the Oilers picks have just started their careers, but I agree with the sentiment. Most likely the worst three run in the group, and if not, then the second worst.

Still, you should have a playoff team, if not a cup contending team, with ANY three run of first overalls.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Komskies

True, but you could also look at the #2's in those years (Seguin, Landeskog, and Murray) and conclude that the Oilers simply took the wrong player.

Yeah but then you start going crazy on what-if scenarios. Diane's example is useful. As well I'm not entirely sure the Oilers did screw up anyway. Landeskog for sure, that one I agree with. But Hall/Seguin I'm seeing pretty equal right now, and Yakupov/Murray simply not enough data to even really make a guess. I will agree for building purposes the Oilers should have picked Murray, but if your talking about who will be the more valuable player to a non specific team, I don't think one can say right now.

[Ashasx]

Part of the reason why it appears the Oilers picked the three worst 1st overall players in the last dozen years or so is because they play for the Oilers.

I'm not so sure their development paths would have skewed so far if they played for different organizations.

[4oh3]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

a lot of this goes in to unlucky draft years too, not that they deserve any credit for 3 straight first overall picks, but going back to 2000 1st overall picks they just picked the worst time to suck

If you were going through this list and were told you could pick any 3 year run of 1st overall picks to build your team around I think 2010-2012 would be the least desired


2013Nathan MacKinnon
2012Nail Yakupov
2011Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2010Taylor Hall
2009John Tavares
2008Steven Stamkos
2007Patrick Kane
2006Erik Johnson
2005Sidney Crosby
2004Alexander Ovechkin
2003Marc-Andre Fleury
2002Rick Nash
2001Ilya Kovalchuk

Ovechlin Crosby and stamkos


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[jg13]

the answer is YES.

You don't trade NHLer Smid for AHLer Horak and project Brossoit if you're trying to win right now.

simple.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by 4oh3

Ovechlin Crosby and stamkos


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While I know you're being sarcastic, you also missed the point. You gotta pick in in a row. Not three in general.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Part of the reason why it appears the Oilers picked the three worst 1st overall players in the last dozen years or so is because they play for the Oilers.

I'm not so sure their development paths would have skewed so far if they played for different organizations.

Agreed. But we do what we can with the data we have. As it is in this universe, they're probably the worst.

But yeah, I think managements 'plan' and the coaching and development they have been getting, has made them at least a little worse than they should have been.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Komskies

True, but you could also look at the #2's in those years (Seguin, Landeskog, and Murray) and conclude that the Oilers simply took the wrong player.

I have changed on thinking they should have taken between Hall/Seguin

if Seguin had alleged 'character' issues with a team that had the veteran leadership and solid management Boston did what might have happened if he was in Edmonton?

[edn88]

I think suggesting the Oilers are tanking is flattering the Oilers. It suggest they are good enough to tank. As stated - terrible defense and as an extension, terrible goal tending. Bad player development, poor management, no vision etc are all part of the Oilers demise.

Plus if you were going to tank - wait until next year.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by edn88

Plus if you were going to tank - wait until next year.

They'll do the same thing next year when they are out of the playoffs before Christmas.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by jg13

the answer is YES.

You don't trade NHLer Smid for AHLer Horak and project Brossoit if you're trying to win right now.

simple.

Did they not trade Smid to get the room to sign Brez?