Interesting proposition, but......at some point you have to start building a winning attitude in the organization, where it's no longer acceptable to just lose and think that someday it will all get better....the idea that the team will be fortunate enough to look up one day and say "we're ready to win" is reliant upon all the projected pieces staying healthy and invested in the Oilers program, and sometimes players get tired of finishing their seasons in April and seeing all the guys they played with in juniors or college fighting for the Cup....

The Oilers clearly have the talent, but.....does the management team have the right stuff to build it into a power house organization ? It will be interesting to watch.
- jkaflagg

I think you will see the Oilers make a jump in the standings this season.

I can't agree this is different since I have been saying this for months. I don't agree the team will be tanking the season though. I think the team has to drop the dead weight (Belanger, Eager, Hordichuck, Plante, Potter, Whitney, Khabby, Omark, Hemsky...) that they can and the team will still be a playoff contender. I don't agree with the fact that these guys are too young to win.

I don't like their goal tending but the team has a good shot at bottom 8. As good as any if they want it.

I would add trying to lose Schultz contract if we could. Not just because we got a new and improved one but he is simply not worth that type of money on this type of team. I am not convinced he plays THAT much better than our other dmen to warrant the extra 2+ mill a year. I think you could package him up with some players to a team like nashville who is looking for a veteren dman and some forwards and get back a decent pick or a prospect. There are many options there such as Anahiem, St.Louis, Tampa, Florida and a few other teams...

The oilers aren't the only team pretending to be in love with their current roster but they are one of the only teams that have almost enough players to have a home and an away team.

I can't agree this is different since I have been saying this for months. I don't agree the team will be tanking the season though. I think the team has to drop the dead weight (Belanger, Eager, Hordichuck, Plante, Potter, Whitney, Khabby, Omark, Hemsky...) that they can and the team will still be a playoff contender. I don't agree with the fact that these guys are too young to win.

I don't like their goal tending but the team has a good shot at bottom 8. As good as any if they want it.

I would add trying to lose Schultz contract if we could. Not just because we got a new and improved one but he is simply not worth that type of money on this type of team. I am not convinced he plays THAT much better than our other dmen to warrant the extra 2+ mill a year. I think you could package him up with some players to a team like nashville who is looking for a veteren dman and some forwards and get back a decent pick or a prospect. There are many options there such as Anahiem, St.Louis, Tampa, Florida and a few other teams...

The oilers aren't the only team pretending to be in love with their current roster but they are one of the only teams that have almost enough players to have a home and an away team.
- bsteinley

Where to begin with this amount of wrongness...

Dead Weight does not include: Belanger (as much as many think different), Hemsky, Whitney, Plante (wasn't he the AHL allstar, Top Dman), Eager...

NShultz is a very solid Defensive Dman. He is also a leader. When he was traded the Minnesota locker room was sad to see him go. The atmosphere in the Oiler locker room was purged of locker room cancers, btu I do not think the problem is gone. That room needs positive influences like NSchultz.

Nice to have you back, I'm placing my wager on <2 days before the next bannination.
- ShooterMcGavin