You know, a lot of people post on here how they hate Clouts and that he should not be the Oilers bloggers, yet they keep on coming back to read. They are the real bozo's of this site. Clouts blogs with his emotions, sometimes they don't make sense, but they are entertaining. So all you sex experts should back off, relax and take this site for what it is, a RUMOUR AND ENTERTAINMENT SITE.
- pj50

Hey, I've been reading but haven't been posting cause it feels like I've said everything I have to say a million times. Noticed Clouts taking poop in his comments section again and figured I'd go on the record saying that when he wants to talk hockey, IMO he is usually better than the talking heads who make six figures and get access to info directly from the team/players. Weird that people here have made him one of the most successful and widely-read Oilers writers yet give him zero respect. ??? I am confused.

...that doesn't mean I always agree with every point he makes, but I can disagree with someone without needing to call him an idiot, and if I think he's an idiot, chances are I won't waste my time disagreeing with him, because telling someone they're an idiot doesn't help them not be an idiot, it just makes them dislike you. And it's kind of hard to fault them for that. If I had a case of incurable idiocy, I'd hate to have my nose rubbed in it.

If management took Lazar over Lindholm (assuming he was still around), I would catch every rabbit in my neighbourhood and strangle them one by one. That pick would epitomize the retardation we've dealt with over the past number of years! Thankfully, I don't see them being THAT dumb.
- MaximumBone

You should come to Victoria and go to UVic and strangle the rabbits there. Might take a couple months, but it make a bigger statement.

Hey, I've been reading but haven't been posting cause it feels like I've said everything I have to say a million times. Noticed Clouts taking poop in his comments section again and figured I'd go on the record saying that when he wants to talk hockey, IMO he is usually better than the talking heads who make six figures and get access to info directly from the team/players. Weird that people here have made him one of the most successful and widely-read Oilers writers yet give him zero respect. ??? I am confused.

...that doesn't mean I always agree with every point he makes, but I can disagree with someone without needing to call him an idiot, and if I think he's an idiot, chances are I won't waste my time disagreeing with him, because telling someone they're an idiot doesn't help them not be an idiot, it just makes them dislike you. And it's kind of hard to fault them for that. If I had a case of incurable idiocy, I'd hate to have my nose rubbed in it.
- thefullnelson

1)If one of them deserves it IMO it's Schultz. Yaks is very much a work in progress - I like the kid, but his game needs work. Schultz has been good offensively but what blows me away is that in his rookie season he's literally in the top 10 league for minutes played (1st line minutes for half the season in the AHL, then 1st line minutes for half the season in the NHL). Such an accomplishment. However, no one is going to really care about Edmonton until we start threatening for Cups. No Calder for us.

2)Dubnyk is my favourite Oiler, and I finally made that decision during that Phoenix game. His game also needs a bit of work, but the biggest change that needs to be made is the team in front of him getting better in their own zone. The only things we're doing well in our zone are blocking shots, giving him good looks most of the time, and clearing rebounds. And that's a big improvement over the last couple of years!

3)Ryan Smyth getting old and slow makes me very sad. I wonder if he gets into the old boys club? Some meaningless title like Advisor to the President of Hockey Operations? (first piece of advice - you were a massive jerk for trading me over $100k. Richard.) Or bring him in as a specialist coach of some sort to teach our prospects how to battle along the boards, stand in front of the net, and score in double overtime after getting your teeth knocked out.

I just realized this is probably gonna get long so I'll break it up.

Hey, I've been reading but haven't been posting cause it feels like I've said everything I have to say a million times. Noticed Clouts taking poop in his comments section again and figured I'd go on the record saying that when he wants to talk hockey, IMO he is usually better than the talking heads who make six figures and get access to info directly from the team/players. Weird that people here have made him one of the most successful and widely-read Oilers writers yet give him zero respect. ??? I am confused.

...that doesn't mean I always agree with every point he makes, but I can disagree with someone without needing to call him an idiot, and if I think he's an idiot, chances are I won't waste my time disagreeing with him, because telling someone they're an idiot doesn't help them not be an idiot, it just makes them dislike you. And it's kind of hard to fault them for that. If I had a case of incurable idiocy, I'd hate to have my nose rubbed in it.
- thefullnelson

I hear ya.
I also feel like I've said everything a few times over. Now I just try to entertain myself and give my two cents when I feel like it.

As for cloutier, he brings a lot of it on himself, intentionally I believe. His flip flopping is mostly for reaction from the posters, and his troll blogs are definitely for reaction (not positive reaction)
A lot of his ideas, such as draft picks and prospects over established players just seems over the top at this stage of the rebuild and it rubs the fans the wrong way.

Overall I am happy with the regularity of the blogs, just not always the quality and content. Mostly I am here for the boards as they arw almost always entertaining, and Clouts is partly to thank for that. It could always be worse, we could have Garth as our blogger.

O'Reilly's salary next season is 6.5M thanks to CGY. If you want to have to qualify him as an RFA with at least 6.5M on a team with the likes of Yak and RNH and Schultz. There'd be a couple huge contracts. Also ROR has been sh1t this year. As has most of the avs roster though.

4)Holy CRAP Hall is getting good!

5)I want Edmonton to lose every game of the season (I'm thinking about the next ten years and if we draft a miniMoose our odds of challenging for 10 Cups in a row go a long way up) so roleplayers trying extra hard to show their worth... alarms me. The time to kick ass was two months ago. Now is the time to turtle.

6)The question with Gagner is how much money does he have to leave on the table to be an Oiler? Even if we draft a miniMoose, he very likely won't be better than Gagner next year. I like Gagner. A lot. Could we give him a 1-year contract at a large overpayment (say, 6M or whatever we can afford) with a gentleman's agreement that after that he resigns at 4 years 3 Mil? Drafting miniMoose and keeping Gagner just means we gotta have 3 scoring lines. I'm cool with that.

More to come. I talk too much.

If management took Lazar over Lindholm (assuming he was still around), I would catch every rabbit in my neighbourhood and strangle them one by one. That pick would epitomize the retardation we've dealt with over the past number of years! Thankfully, I don't see them being THAT dumb.
- MaximumBone

Lindholm'll be gone by 6 or 7. He won't make it to 9. Darnell Nurse or Ristolainen'll be where EDM drafts.

Hall hasn't been Consistent all year long. Gagner has.
- Oilers4Life14

how many points does gagner have in his last 10? 2?

Lindholm'll be gone by 6 or 7. He won't make it to 9. Darnell Nurse or Ristolainen'll be where EDM drafts.
- TheNugeIsHuge

Everyone will be available when the Oilers pick. Don't you know, Tambo doesn't lose lotteries.

Richard Cloutier: 10 Reasons to Continue Following the Oilers this Season
- Maxbone

This blog started good but ran out of gas...

- There's no ideal spot to draft in any longer. It's about the standings, not about the draft.
- Gagner probably won't be traded. Shea Weber certainly won't be traded. Ryan O'Reily can't be traded for another 11 months. I would suggest they might have a tricky time dealing Hemmer at the draft.
-No point in dealing Gagner only to bring in Gagner-like players in Bozak and/or Weiss. If you really think the Oil need a bigger, more two-way centre, Bozak and Weiss are not the answer.

7)I don't have enough information to make informed opinions about the draft yet. I want miniMoose in the first round and I want a goaltender with upside in the second round and after that I want the Best Goddamn Player Available! If we end up with a surplus of small, skilled players (you know, like we have now) then we will deal some of them, at a moderate overpayment, for skilled big players from other teams. Players like Lucic and Getzlaf are rarely available, but players like Clowe and Stafford can usually be had if you're willing to mildly overpay.

8)No. No giving up the first round pick unless it's in a trade that has everyone laughing at the other GM. OEM, Price, or Seguin for the 1st round straight up, that kind of thing. It will never happen, so no. This is our last donkeyblowing year and our prospect depth is total crap (except on D). Teams that win Cups have depth at all positions, both for when injuries strike and so that they can deal for the exact roleplayer they need at the deadline. We need this draft.

Holy crap I talk a lot!

9)I've really come to believe that Tambellini is just another guy at the table whose opinion matter less than the Glory Years Alumni. Sacking Tambi is just a PR move - there will be no meaningful change in the way the Oilers operate until Lowe and (unfortunately) MacTavish are moved as well, along with anyone else not named Joey Moss who was a member of the Oilers in the Dynasty Years.

10)Lynch mobs. Torches. Pitchforks. Effigies that are... disturbingly lifelike. "They aren't actually burning Lowe, are they? ...I'm surprisingly OK with that!"

...and I'm spent.

You should come to Victoria and go to UVic and strangle the rabbits there. Might take a couple months, but it make a bigger statement.
- abware

VIU will suffice We've got a couple hundred here!

This blog started good but ran out of gas...

- There's no ideal spot to draft in any longer. It's about the standings, not about the draft.
- Gagner probably won't be traded. Shea Weber certainly won't be traded. Ryan O'Reily can't be traded for another 11 months. I would suggest they might have a tricky time dealing Hemmer at the draft.
-No point in dealing Gagner only to bring in Gagner-like players in Bozak and/or Weiss. If you really think the Oil need a bigger, more two-way centre, Bozak and Weiss are not the answer.
- Morris

EDM's gotta have a huge UFA year if they wanna make the playoffs next year. Don't know if he has much gas left, but they'd need to sign like Streit and someone like O'byrne to replace whitney. Then someone like Stalberg or Raymond to replace Jones. Jonesy's gotta go.

I hear ya.
I also feel like I've said everything a few times over. Now I just try to entertain myself and give my two cents when I feel like it.

As for cloutier, he brings a lot of it on himself, intentionally I believe. His flip flopping is mostly for reaction from the posters, and his troll blogs are definitely for reaction (not positive reaction)
A lot of his ideas, such as draft picks and prospects over established players just seems over the top at this stage of the rebuild and it rubs the fans the wrong way.

Overall I am happy with the regularity of the blogs, just not always the quality and content. Mostly I am here for the boards as they arw almost always entertaining, and Clouts is partly to thank for that. It could always be worse, we could have Garth as our blogger.
- abware

...yeah. After spending the past couple months blogging about the Oilers I appreciate the difficulties he faces in trying to generate fresh content every day. It gets so I feel like I've already said everything relevant I have to say, and he's been at it more years than I have months so it must be harder for him.

Personally I won't resort to troll tactics... I'd rather try to say something constructive than wave a red flag in front of a fool. That said, he's being paid to write something every day, and that is hard. I'd have to repeat myself a lot or write about things that aren't hockey related or write junk I don't believe or miss my deadlines. Maybe that will change as/if I improve as a writer...

Anyways, if you read a blog entitled "The Canucks are the Dirtiest Team in Hockey" or "This IS the Oilers' Year" or "Oilers to Trade for Ovechkin", then leave a scathing comment or three because ZOMGWTF SOMEONE IS WRONG ON THE INTERNET OMGBLAUGH... you are actually paying the man for pissing you off. And encouraging him to do it again. And encouraging others to emulate him.

Hockey fans (should) know about Not Poking The Bear. Hockeybuzz readers (should) know about Not Feeding The Troll.

Lindholm'll be gone by 6 or 7. He won't make it to 9. Darnell Nurse or Ristolainen'll be where EDM drafts.
- TheNugeIsHuge

That's what everyone said about Forsberg last year, too, and look what happened to him. There's a good chance he could still be around so long as our pick remains in the 6-10 range. If he's there, I'd take him over Zadorov. He's great and has potential spewing out of his shathole, but he seems like a boom/bust guy. With the experiences this team has had with the likes of Teubert and Plante, I'm staying away from drafting a shutdown D in the 1st round. If one of the top C's drops to us, I'd grab him in a heartbeat. We've got a good group of D prospects with top-4 potential; we need C depth.

That OR we trade the pick for a mobile top-4 Dman.

EDM's gotta have a huge UFA year if they wanna make the playoffs next year. Don't know if he has much gas left, but they'd need to sign like Streit and someone like O'byrne to replace whitney. Then someone like Stalberg or Raymond to replace Jones. Jonesy's gotta go.
- TheNugeIsHuge

ufa market aint that great tho..
especially for defencemen.

streit would help, but how much? and more importantly, at what price?

raymond doesnt crash enough. hes a decent player (and really good some nights) but im not sure hes the answer over jones. stalberg aint bad

i think any huge moves tambs makes will have to be made thru trades if possible. we need at least one real impact player, especially on the backend.
at that point, the small upgrades will be what's needed.

bickell, stalberg etc can help, but those are secondary moves to a true impact guy.

I said the exact same thing.
- abware

It's true though... It hurts to vote for a Flame over an Oiler, but its gots ta be dunnnn.

Maybe they'll win the rest of the games.

Who the (frank) wants O'Reilly his contract is awful. Avs should have let Calgary take him then they would have had 2 of the top 3 picks! Trade the 1st overall to the Panthers for their 1st rounder and a 2nd asset then draft MacKinnon AND Drouin?

EDM's gotta have a huge UFA year if they wanna make the playoffs next year. Don't know if he has much gas left, but they'd need to sign like Streit and someone like O'byrne to replace whitney. Then someone like Stalberg or Raymond to replace Jones. Jonesy's gotta go.
- TheNugeIsHuge

You know what? I feel like dreaming today! My ideal offseason consists of:

- Resigning Gagner (4-4.5 mill, 4 yrs), PRV (1.25-1.75 mill 2 yrs), Khabby (900k), Smithson (800K, 1 yr), and Petrell (900k-1 mill, 2 yrs) along with a few of our pending RFA prospects.

- Advanced signing Nuge (5- 5.5 mill, 5 or 6 yrs)

- Compliance buyouts on Belanger (-1.75 mill) and perhaps even Hemsky (-5 mill). Let's face it; there are very few teams- if any- who can/would take on Hemsky's cap hit this coming season with the cap going down. If we really want to move on, this is the way to do so.

These moves would leaves our cap payroll at around around $54 million. With $10 million cap space remaining to fill 2 bottom-6 forward slots, one top-4 dman slot, and a backup goaltender. I'd try to sign:

- One of Viktor Stalberg (2.5-2.75 mill, 2 or 3 yrs), Bryan Bickell (2- 2.25 mill, 2 or 3 yrs), or Chad Larose (2- 2.25 mill, 2 or 3 yrs).

- Dainus Zubrus (2- 2.25 mill, for 2 yrs).

- A few depth signings like adding Chris Summers (850k 2-way, 1 yr), Trevor Smith (650k 2-way, 2 yrs), and another or two.

- One of Sergei Gonchar (4-4.5 mill, 1 yr), or Rob Scuderi (3-3.5 mill, 2 yrs). Scuderi seems more likely considering that A.) there aren't rumours of him retiring and B.) he seems to like going to young, up-n-coming teams to help them win (Pittsburgh, LA).

At those contracts, their combined total maxes out at $9.75 million leaving the team almost at cap. If a trade needs to be made at any point during the season, one of Smyth, Zubrus, Gonchar/ Scuderi, or Horcoff could mysteriously get "injured" and be put onto IR to free up some cap space!

This is all assuming there isn't some dumbshat GM who decides to drive up the prices on UFA's by signing a guy like Clarkson to something ridiculous like $5 million over 6 years...

What I'm saying is this scenario will never happen

It's a good thing you're a dreamer Cloutier because no top UFA is coming to Deadmonton, I don't care how good of a team you & the rest of the blind losers in Deadmonton think.

Hemsky for a 5th round pick, that sounds about right.

Oh, yes you mentioned Weber...
for
Yakupov, Klefbom plus 1st rounders in 2013 & 2014.

Thanks for coming out!!
- newmy

Kudos to you for managing to use "deadmonton" twice in a pretty short post. You are smrt.

You should come to Victoria and go to UVic and strangle the rabbits there. Might take a couple months, but it make a bigger statement.
- abware

Thought they already got rid of those...RIP.