I love the Edmonton Oilers. I loathe the way this team is managed.

I don't get it. I really don't. Yes, the Oilers are a single point out of a playoff spot, and yes, they have all the momentum right now. There are 13 games remaining in the season, and if they go 8-4-1 or better over that time, they'll make the playoffs for sure. Can they play that well though? Well, they'll beat what's left of the Calgary Flames tonight, so make the remaining 12 games 7-4-1. Not impossible, but also not likely, as they'll need to face the much-superior Ducks three times, the Canucks twice, the Hawks once, and the Kings once. Oh, and Minnie twice; a team they never ever beat. Over the last 13 games, I believe they Oilers will be lucky to finish 6-5-2, and that probably leaves them in ninth place.

I'm not trying to be negative here; just realistic. The Oilers have accomplished something significant this season: They don't stink anymore. It's clear the rebuild plan is working, and the team is perhaps only a few player upgrades and a season away from being a playoff team.

Obviously, changes are going to occur over the summer. Where I get confused is, if Oilers management had a chance to make some of those changes now, why didn't they?

The Washington Capitals gave away Filip Forsberg today. You can't tell me Martin Erat is better than some of the options the Oilers could have offered up to Washington for Forsberg. Think about the long-term goal here in Edmonton. The TSN panel during the trade deadline show spent several minutes laughing at Jay Feaster, and so they should have been. Feaster mentioned that the Flames haven't went "full rebuild" because a full rebuild isn't necessary. The plan in Calgary, apparently, is to retool for next season, and to get right back in the hunt. Feaster keeps proving over and over and over how he's the biggest moron in the NHL. Full rebuilds work and teams need to do them to get back on top.

So when I hear a team like Washington has given away a prospect the quality of Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat, when the Oilers could have offered a better player (Ales Hemsky), I begin to lose my mind a bit. Think about the long-term implications of acquiring a prospect the quality of Forsberg: He's the big winger for the Top 6 the Oilers are craving. It's been said 1,000 times Hemsky likely won't be here anymore after this summer because the Oilers have too many of the same type of wingers. One smaller skilled guy needs to be replaced by someone with beef. Hemsky for Forsberg was a SOLUTION to a roster issue. Where the hell was Oilers management?

Which brings me to Ryan Whitney. Tambellini said post-trade deadline that the Oilers need Whitney because of his skill as a puck-mover. Sure, he can make a decent pass out of his own zone. He also can't skate anymore, he's streaky, and he's injury prone. If the Oilers re-sign this guy, they're dumb. So why keep him? And why avoid making a deal to bring in someone who could fit into the long-term future if possible?

There were a number of moments like this throughout the day. The Oilers seem to be very impressed with their ninth place position in the standings, and don't want to risk it. I say the team still needs to sort out five or six players before the team that can start winning will be in place. Days like today offered an opportunity for Oilers management to find one or two of the missing pieces. Instead of doing it, they took the day off and went neon bowling.

So now that management has wasted a chance to help the team immediately, or find the few missing pieces still existing for the future, the Oilers better make the playoffs this season or the management team is going to look stupid. If only I had a nickel for every time they have.

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