After the Oilers embarrassing 3-1 home loss against the Phoenix Coyotes, I listened to the Oilers Radio post-game show...A conversation between Dan Tencer and Rob Brown. They spoke about the Oilers playing without intensity for 40 minutes. They spoke about the bad goals Dubnyk let in. They spoke about the Coyotes having better defense. They spoke about Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov being the only two guys who force the play. They even explained that the 'Yotes were a third-round playoff team last season, and therefore, they know how to win.

Nothing Tencer or Brown said was too horrible. I just don't happen to agree.

I was at the game, and I can tell you, the Oilers didn't lose because they lacked intensity. Yes, Dubnyk let in a pair of bad goals, but the offense needs to generate more than one goal per game to win. The Coyotes do have the better defense, but the Oilers have far more talent up front. Hall and Yakupov are absolute beauties, this is true. And yes, the Coyotes know how to win: By playing a dull, crippling, defense-only style. But none of this stuff actually explains what the actual problem is with the Oilers.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, because I might be the only one who gets it.

The Oilers have the wrong mix of players. They have too many guys with similar skills. The team is too small up front. The vets aren't good. Management moves at the speed of a turtle, always too late to respond to the needs of the team.

I read a really great blog this morning by John MacKinnon on the Edmonton Journal website. He states the Oilers have plenty of stars, but not a great supporting cast. I actually think the problem is a little deeper than that.

The Oilers top line is perfect: Hall/Nuge/Eberle should play the next 12-15 seasons together in Edmonton. Leave these guys alone.

The second line, the only "for sure" here is Nail Yakupov. Hall and Yakupov are fairly similar players: They are the catalyst on every line they play on. An energy player who knows how to make plays and score goals. Sam Gagner is talented enough to be on the 2nd line, but I'm thinking a better long-term option would be either Sasha Barkov or Sean Monahan taken from this year's draft. A big, physical center who has two-way skill. Gagner could easily be moved at the draft for a 1st round pick and a prospect, or for an "immediate" player.

Ales Hemsky needs to go too. Once again, a 1st and a prospect, or an immediate player. Hemsky has all sorts of skill, but the Oilers lose because they aren't physical and gritty enough. At least with Gagner I can argue that he's willing to do anything to help his team. Hemsky sometimes does, and sometimes doesn't.

The third line...Shawn Horcoff is fine as a 3rd line center, and I'm just going to ignore his salary from now on. The two wingers you need on a line with him next season are Magnus Paajarvi and Teemu Hartikainen. Two two-way wingers with size who can play physical if they want to.

As for the 4th line, this is more about addition by subtraction. Ryan Smyth can't play anymore, so he goes. Eric Belanger and Ben Eager have no role here. I liked what I saw of Jerred Smithson. If Anton Lander isn't NHL-ready next season, maybe re-signing Smithson is a temporary solution. Ryan Jones, Lennart Petrell and Mike Brown can be the three wingers who rotate in and out of the line-up on the 4th line.

The D continues to be a problem, but the solution is probably more a matter of time than us making a trade. I still think signing Mark Streit in the off-season has merit, but let's assume that's not an option. I think you'll see the Oilers Top 4 next season being Smid/Petry and Klefbom/JSchultz. The more I see of Mark Fistric, the more I think the Oilers should have dealt him at the deadline. Ryan Whitney can't play anymore either. So maybe your bottom pairing next season is some combination or Nick Schultz, Corey Potter, and someone brought in from elsewhere.

The Oilers don't lose games because they don't try enough; the Oilers lose games because they have the wrong mix of players. They are too small physically to beat teams like the Kings and Sharks, and they play too cheeky against teams who trap like the Wild and Coyotes. The entire game last night, I couldn't understand why the Oilers don't shoot more, and why they make things far more complicated than they need to. Dump puck in, chase puck, shoot puck, crash the net...By the time they figured that out yesterday, the Coyotes were up two goals. This happens over, and over, and over again whenever the Oilers play against a trap team.

Oilers management are in a situation here. They did nothing at the deadline, and will now pay a terrible price for their lack of vision. If the NHL Draft was held today, the Oilers would be picking 9th, and that's terrible. They need to be drafting 6th or higher. Philly is currently in the 6th spot, only four points back of the Oilers with nine games remaining. So with luck, they can go 5-4 and the Oilers can go 3-5 over their last eight. If you look at their opposition, 3-5 is completely possible. Heck 2-6 is possible. Wins against the Flames and Avalanche, but loses against the Ducks (x2), Canucks, Blackhawks, and Wild (x2).

It's time the players put their pride away, and do what's in the best long-term interests of the team. If management doesn't make some serious moves this off-season, I predict a riot.

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