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The Return of Propaganda!

June 14, 2012, 8:44 PM ET [319 Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
I was listening to Oilers Now today, and experienced high levels of anger/rage/frustration at what I was hearing. For those who don't know what Oilers Now is, it's a daily noon hour radio show in Edmonton focusing on the Oilers and the NHL. I don't listen to it as much as I'd like to (work gets in the way), but I catch it about once per week. If you want know anything about the team, Oilers Now is the best source of information.

Host Bob Stauffer is the most connected media guy when it comes to the Oilers, and in a way it's intentional that he is. He works for the team. Because he works for the team, and he's always around players, coaches and management, he has significant inside knowledge and information. In past...and I'm not sure if this is intentional or not...Stauffer has hinted at things that may happen with the team a week or two before they occur. When he starts "hinting", if you want to call it that, he's almost 100% accurate.

At best? He completely understands the mindset of management, and can make tremendously accurate educated guesses at what they are about to do. At worst? He intentionally introduces information slowly and gradually to the public as a way of helping manage public reaction and/or any potential backlash against the team. I don't know if it's part of his job description or not, but he more-or-less is the person who manages the image of the organization in the eyes of the public. If Kevin Lowe or Steve Tambellini did interviews where they said actual stuff, not just obscure, manicured, nonsensical gibberish, they wouldn't require Stauffer to be the voice of the team.

So back to today's show, which I unfortunately listened to. Maybe it would be easier to explain if I just broke down the messages I heard over, and over, and over...during the two hour show.

1. Yakupov is not as good of a prospect as people think. Even though every single draft service has him rated first, and he's been rated first in this draft class for two years, there are scouts out there who don't think he's the top prospect. Apparently.

2. And even if Yakupov is the top prospect, teams should fear drafting him, mostly because he's Russian. At one point, the conversation wandered into a complete nonsensical rant about how an NHL lockout this summer could lead to Yakupov signing in the KHL, and if he signs there, he might never come back. It went so far as to suggest that massive amounts of money, including money from the Russian government, could be thrown at Yakupov to make him play in Russia instead of North America until after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

3. There were questions about Yakupov's skill level, dedication to North American, injury history...Stauffer and friends basically dug up, invented, and suggested every conceivable reason why drafting Yakupov is a bad idea. At one point, Stauffer and a guest were discussing Yakupov being drafted perhaps 4th or worse, because if Edmonton passes, Columbus is going to pass (Russian Factor) and everyone knows Montreal wants a big center, so they wouldn't take Yakupov either.

Stop. Just stop. You're killing me. Stop turning Yakupov and Russian players into villains. Wake up. Yakupov came to North America for Junior because he wants to play in the best league in the world. He's shown complete dedication to a future in the NHL, and says he loves the idea of becoming an Edmonton Oiler and playing in Canada. If you know anything about the kid, you also know he's a person of strong faith and he's very serious and intentional in his actions. If Yakupov says he wants to play in Canada, I believe him. As much as he's a great talent, he's also is a solid person. His want to win a Stanley Cup is as big as his desire to handle himself in a mature and responsible way. This isn't Alex Semin we're talking about.

Of course, whenever you cut someone to shreds, you have to lift someone else up. The hero? The player the Oilers should take instead? Defenseman Ryan Murray.

I won't go into a big rant about why teams should draft forwards over defensemen in the Top 5 spots at the draft. Look up Jason Gregor's numerous blogs on the subject. He used real math (something I have no knowledge of) to show how successful Top 5 drafted forwards have been over the last 10 years compared to defensemen drafted in the Top 5. But that in itself isn't a comment about Murray.

What do we know about Ryan Murray? We've been told the same thing about him for over a year now. Steady. Dependable. Mature beyond his years. A leader. Good, not great, at both ends of the rink. He likely doesn't have the skill level needed to become a #1 defenseman, but he's a solid #2 guy. If the Oilers used the 1st overall pick on Murray, what they'd get is a player capable of stepping into the NHL immediately. He'd be able to play Top 4 minutes. He'd make the team better. But is he a Taylor Hall or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins level talent? No. No one has ever put him on that level. He's more of a Cam Fowler. I like Cam Fowler, but I wouldn't have drafted him ahead of Hall or Tyler Seguin, would you?

I've been thinking about today's propaganda rant on Oilers Now, and I'm still trying to understand what the point was. Are members of the Edmonton-area media trying to turn this into a two horse race just to make it interesting? Are local media-types so fed up with the Oilers terrible D that they're willing to risk taking a D man 1st overall, even though the stats tell us taking forwards works out better? Is Stauffer just doing PR work for the team, seeing how fans would react if someone other than Yakupov is drafted (keep in mind recent polls suggest about 70% of Oilers fans want to see the team take Yakupov). Or is Stauffer up to something else...is he just getting out the message to other teams that the 1st overall pick could be dealt for the right price? Keep in mind Oilers management said recently that they have yet to receive on serious offer worth considering for the 1st overall pick.

There was a specific agenda behind today's show. It completely lacked objectivity towards Yakupov for a reason. Only Stauffer himself knows why that is.

I'll tell you my thoughts...First, let me say my hate for how Oilers management do business grows more and more every day. A few weeks ago, management had Oilers fans absolutely jacked up about Yakupov. On June 22, if the Oilers don't draft Nail, fans are going to go crazy on Oilers management. It's management's fault if it happens, too. You don't hype the hell out of the guy and then walk away from him.

In recent days, I've heard more and more stories of potential coaches for the Oilers being hired first by other teams. Today's story was Perry Pearn being hired by Winnipeg. It's almost like Oilers management are trying to ensure every Head Coach option is hired first so we're stuck with Brent Sutter. Everyone knows Oilers fans loathe the idea of hiring Sutter, but he's been management's guy for months. Instead of screwing with fan's brains and emotions, just hire the guy if he's your guy.

I wish Oilers management were straight up and honest, but with Lowe and Tambellini, it isn't going to happen. I hope Craig MacTavish brings sanity and class back to this horribly misguided franchise.

Back to Yakupov...Look, if you aren't going to draft Nail, trade down. You can't tell me a team like Anaheim or Minnesota wouldn't offer up at least something of value. According to what I've been hearing over the last few days, the draft is going to go down a little differently than I first thought. Apparently, the Jackets are very high on Filip Forsberg and they'll take him at #2. Montreal wants Alex Galchenyuk at #3. Neither team is interested in trading up.

The Islanders could be interested in trading up, but likely not. If Yakupov goes #1, Forsberg at #2 and Galchenyuk at #3, the Islanders can have any defenseman they want at #4, which is great news for them (a team starving for D). Let's say Murray goes at #4. I'm not sure why the Leafs would want to draft another defenseman, and I don't see why they'd want to move up for Yakupov when what they really need is a big center. So the Leafs will draft at #5, and they'll pick between Mikhail Grigorenko or Radek Faksa. Leafs fans seem to be hoping for Grigorenko, but I think Burke will take Faksa instead.

So if the idea is for the Oilers to take a defenseman, the two teams you're looking at for a legitimate trading-down scenario are the Anaheim Ducks at #6 and the Minnesota Wild at #7. I wouldn't go any deeper than those two teams because, most likely, Murray, Griffin Reinhart and Morgan Rielly will all be gone by pick #7.

If I was the Oilers, I'd draft 1st overall and take Nail Yakupov, because he's clearly the top prospect. You just can't ignore a talent like that.

But if the plan is to get a defenseman, see which out of Anaheim or Minnesota is offering the best deal, and trade down. Get some immediate talent to help the Oilers stop sucking.

For example, from Anaheim...What about Cam Fowler? Or if they won't part with him, how about Devante Smith-Pelly and/or Emerson Etem? Or from Minnie...Cal Clutterbuck. The Oilers desperately need a Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck is not enough, so make them throw in Oscar Klefbom's buddy Jonas Brodin. Could you imagine the future Oilers with a Klefbom/Brodin D pairing? Fabulous.

Whatever.

One thing is very clear here, friends: Something extremely weird is going on with the Oilers organization. The coach hiring is an embarrassing disaster at this point. Weird message floating around about that too. I've heard Brent Sutter hasn't been interviewed yet, but Marc Crawford and Todd Nelson have. Who saw the Craig MacTavish hiring coming? No one. I don't even think Tambellini knew that was about to happen. In player news, there was talk that Ryan Smyth wasn't being brought back, but the hiring of MacT completely changes that. The oddest UFA names are starting to pop up and be suggested...

And Oilers Now? All of the hinting Stauffer was doing today has me thinking either the Oilers are going to draft Murray, or they're going to pull off a massive deal during the draft that could see them moving down, or moving the pick completely. The one thing that wasn't spoken about today? My belief (and I know I'm not alone in thinking this) that the player the Oilers actually want to walk away from the draft with...is Griffin Reinhart. The Oilers love this kid.
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