Yeesh.

Ugly backlash from the masses about my Dustin Penner blog. Seriously. Emails. Phone calls. People chewing me out. Fugly. I hate stuff like that. Hey, I'm some random guy who does this for fun, remember? No one takes me seriously, including myself. If I ever ran for election, only half my family would vote for me.

I'll clarify my last blog a bit, because admittedly, sometimes what I think and what I project while writing a blog doesn't completely match.

Penner
I'll set this blog up the same way I did last: Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer and blogger Tyler Dellow had a conversation on the radio today regarding Penner's quality. Dellow is a stat-head, and according to his numbers, Dustin Penner isn't nearly as bad of a player as many think he is.

Of course, you all know how I feel about advanced stats. I evaluate players by watching them play. Stats are for people with calculators and too much spare time.

I used the word "hate" in my last blog. As is, MacT hated Penner and Penner hated MacT. I said he wouldn't come back and play here. Well, I didn't say he "never" would. I said I highly doubt it, and that's correct: I highly doubt it. I can't see MacT signing him, nor can I see Penner getting along with fitness-freak Dallas Eakins.

But let's back up...One issue at a time:

1. When I said MacT hated Penner, what I should have said is, they didn't have a great coach/player relationship a few years ago. Penner was sent away for a reason. As a person, Penner was well liked in the room by his teammates. I have no idea what MacT thinks of Penner the Person. As the coach, it was obvious MacT didn't like Penner the Player. Penner appeared to make him nuts, because he was brutally inconsistent.

2. Penner was angry when he was dealt because of personal reasons that I won't get into. It's not exactly a secret or anything. The timing of the deal was very bad for him personally. When I said Penner wouldn't come back to the Oilers, I was basing that on an interview I saw between Penner and Gene Principe on SportsNet after the deal. Maybe a year later. Principe asked Penner if he regretted signing the offer sheet, and if he'd do it again if he had the chance. Penner said nothing and gave Principe the, "I told you not to ask me that," face. In my world, Penner's silence spoke volumes. Obviously, he regretted coming. And just as obviously was his negative feelings towards the franchise.


Time heals wounds, and the Oilers are in a bind.

MacT promised bold moves, and what he has delivered so far is a very Shawn Horcoff-type center in Boyd Gordon (younger, meaner player who has less offense and a smaller cap hit), an old but good defenseman in Andrew Ference, and a draft pick in Darnell Nurse that isn't sexy. Nurse perhaps was the best player available, but most Oilers fans were expecting a power forward or a major trade. Neither happened. What they got was a guy who could be the next Pronger, or could be a bust. Drafting D comes with risk. It's gonna take three to five years to know for sure.

Most Oilers fans I've spoken to are mildly disappointed at the current state of affairs. Almost no one thinks MacT has done anything close to bold.

He needs to correct it.

Or at the very least, he needs to put together a solid team that makes the playoffs. Oilers fans are not going to let him live this down if we're drafting 7th overall this time next season.

I was told that Jaromir Jagr is not coming to Edmonton. I was told Mason Raymond is not an option. Mikhail Grabovski is too busy on his honeymoon to sign a new contract, and Brenden Morrow must be asking for something the Oilers won't give him, or they would have signed him already. Free agency, as far as the Oilers are concerned, is over.

Or is it?

Penner is now an option. As much as it makes almost zero sense from a historical perspective, and as much as there's a strong possibility Penner and the organization have a personality conflict, Penner is an option. Not a very good one, but it is what it is. When you depend on charity to get ahead, you take what you can get.

The truth of the matter is, the Oilers aren't good enough up front, and they likely have one defenseman too many. Between an Ales Hemsky trade that must occur, and the extra D man situation, Oilers management can likely work their way to a solution to the 2nd line LW question. I think how it translates is, Hemsky gets dealt for a 2nd round pick and a quality prospect, and then those assets plus a defenseman are moved to acquire a legit LW for the 2nd line. Or you could see the Oilers move different picks and/or prospects, plus a defenseman. Much depends on just how good the player is they want to acquire.

Someday when I'm bored, I'll look at NHL rosters in the hopes of figuring out just what winger the Oilers can go out and find. Someone like Chris Stewart would be ideal, but if you're the Blues, would you deal him? Likely not. The Oilers are going to pay and pay big for someone of quality.

If MacT is unable/unwilling to give up a decent player at some point in the process for the purpose of making a deal for a real, actual, immediate quality player, we very well could see Penner in the blue and orange again. Regardless if either sides like each other. Desperation changes everything.

You can all now get off my ass, please.

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