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Sometimes You're Right, Sometimes You're Wrong

June 30, 2013, 11:45 PM ET [420 Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
I am to Hockeybuzz what King Kong Bundy was to the WWF. Follow me on Twitter, unless you're too weak to stomach it: @rdcloutier

I'll start with the Darnell Nurse thing, because that's what I know you're all waiting for.

I was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

See, I can admit it. No big deal.

The pick only sorta makes sense. As I said before, the Oilers organizationally have plenty of D prospects. Nurse isn't going to play in the NHL next season, so he doesn't bring any immediate assistance to the team, either.

But obviously, the Oilers went with who they believed was the best prospect available, and that was Nurse.

Some of you are stupid, telling me at various points during the day that I hated Nurse. I never said that. What I said was, the Oilers prospect depth is terrible at forward, and should have used the pick on Valeri Nichushkin. I'm still not sure I'm wrong about this. Although, the way other teams avoided Nichushkin too, I can't help but wonder how bad the guy interviews. Obviously, he's got plenty of talent and size, but there must have been something off-putting about him. In saying I don't completely understand the Oilers picking Nurse, I'm not commenting...whatsoever...on Nurse the player.

I'm not sure of what to think of Nurse the Player, to be honest. I heard before the draft that he was perhaps the most overrated prospect. He's got size and toughness, and the Oilers need that, so we'll see how the pick works out five years from now.

And that's the end of me being apologetic.

I told you over the last few days that new Oilers GM Craig MacTavish wasn't going to do anything. I was right about that. The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was an absolute MacT horror show of epic proportions. This might down in history as one of the worst one day performances in Oilers history.

Why?

MacT made deals. Trading down. Sure, he got 100 draft picks out of it. Good luck if more than a couple ever get signed and play in the AHL...let alone the NHL. The trading down of the Oilers #37 pick was especially horrifying.

But here's why MacT sucked so bad: Cal Clutterbuck...Traded. Niederreiter...Traded. Bolland...Traded. McBain and Sekera...Traded. On, and on, and on. Wasn't MacT going into this weekend looking for immediate players? Was going to turn 2nd round picks, in particular, into immediate help?

I realize the Oilers completely screwed up the weekend when I heard that Bolland deal announced. The Oilers...easily...could have matched or bettered the deal. They didn't. Why? Because we needed more draft picks. Of course!

Buffalo absolutely fleeced the Hurricanes with the Sekera/McBain deal. You can't tell me the Oilers couldn't have offered up something better to the Hurricanes.

Clutterbuck and a pick for Niederreiter was also a horrifyingly bad deal, this time for the Wild. Clutterbuck is a 3rd line winger who can hit and do little else. Would have looked brill in Edmonton because we need someone who hits...But Niederreiter? Are you joking? You can't tell me the Oilers couldn't have beaten that deal to the Islanders.

On, and on, and on. What a horrifying day to be an Oilers fan. This team next season is going to be even worse than they were this season. Management has done NOTHING to help. As much as I'm hopeful about Dallas Eakins, he's got everything to prove to me first before I'm a fan.

And the saddest bit about today? The comments I was getting on Twitter from hoodwinked Oilers fans defending the continued mismanagement of the team. People do realize MacT and KLowe were promising big changes? A "Man of Action" remember? He's a Man of Acton, maybe. Hired him the other day. Acton and action aren't the same at all.

Fans leaping to the defense of Oilers management, just because a few members of the MSM are telling them to. It's sad. Don't you realize that you've been had?

Oh, and the Brayden Coburn deal died on the operating table. It's not coming back.


So what's a team to do after striking out at the draft? Answer? We'll be overpaying UFAs. It's either that, or the Oilers will do a big pile of nothing, which we're all use to by now. And the really tough news here is, the UFAs of interest all seem to be signing up before July 5th even happens. What's going to be left for the Oilers in a few days? Guys with some skill who will demand to be completely overpaid before they sign, or guys who have a fatal flaw? You know the type: We've signed them before. Hello, Ben Eager and Eric Belanger.

Here's a prediction for you after today...and I don't mind offering you this, because I don't mind being wrong sometimes: Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff will both be playing on the team in October.

Yep. Today went THAT bad. The Oilers didn't use their one set of decent movable assets (draft picks) to land immediate players, nor did they draft immediate players, nor will there be any decent UFAs to sign, or willing sign here. So the only option is to keep Ales Hemsky and to keep Shawn Horcoff, even though we all know how bad this is going to go. I'm so frustrated right now, you have no idea. What an awful, disappointing, pointless draft weekend for the Oilers.

The only smiles I had during the day? Roberto Luongo is furious and the Canucks could end up as goaltenderless as the Flyers are due to abominable management. Oh, and after Jay Feaster made a great first pick taking Sean Monahan, he completely threw away his two other 1st round picks. Is the Canadian Dollar worth so little that teams can't afford to hire decent management anymore?

I look forward to local media spinning this mess over the next few days. Please, enlighten me. How in the world did today's decisions make any sense?
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