ya but how much do the oil need prospects in the offseason? they cant replicate the flames because the oil, have youth, some sort of direction, and the sky's the limit with their talent. the flames the last few years were on the complete opposite path. old, miss managed, terribly coached, and full of bandaids. a 9th place finsih for the oil is a step in the right direction imo.

also really, peeps, to call the nucks a comedy troop i think is disrespecting their talent. the only comedy that is their team is their GM. he should be the butt of all jokes. Torts is a fantastic coach, and luongo has gone thru this ordeal with class. full marks to him. id love to see many of their players play for the flames and really the flames dont have any top 5 roster players that can touch the nucks top 5. to talk trash seems silly because the flmaes more than likely will be the butt of all jokes this season. they may get the record for fewest wins in a season...
- munky123

Ask the Oil faithful... I think anything short of 8th will be tough to justify... MacT was hired to get them in, not close along with the coaching changes...

Tortorella is a great coach and an ego maniac. Thats where the comedy is... So don't be so quick with the retort, learn to capitalize your sentences and read what the hell we are poking fun at...

edit... yes we are fully expecting to be the laughing stock of the league... that the difference with whats happened in Edmonton, with the "skys the limit" talent they assembled, they were expected to do better... We didn't get multiple #1 picks nor will we... it'll be slooooow and painful.

wrong
What kind of activities does the NCAA Eligibility Center review?
•Contracts with a professional team.
•Salary for participating in athletics.
•Prize money.
•Play with professionals.
•Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team.
•Benefits from an agent or prospective agent.
•Agreement to be represented by an agent.
•Delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition
- all mighty oil

Proves my point right there. They are started school and therefore cannot attend the tournament.

Proves my point right there. They are started school and therefore cannot attend the tournament.
- Talking_hockey1

Don't feed the monkeys... they just throw poop back at you...

I can't wait to see Torts with the Vancouver faithful. This will be classic... They just need to bring in Bryzgalov for the greatest comedy routine since the Three Stooges...
I think the trouble the Oil will have is leap frogging the "weaker" conference teams to make 8th. As much as I hate to say it, I see the Oil with the same fate the Flames have had, finishing 9th, 3 pts out and getting f-all in the off season...
- geta02it

Pretty much, but hoping it will only be for one year

I'm really hoping one of the Sedins calls him a douchebag on camera about half-way through the season
- BigDre

Seems like more of a Bieksa thing to do.

Pretty much, but hoping it will only be for one year
- BigDre

There is NO reason that shouldn't happen... Lundqvuist would help make that a reality

Ask the Oil faithful... I think anything short of 8th will be tough to justify... MacT was hired to get them in, not close along with the coaching changes...

Tortorella is a great coach and an ego maniac. Thats where the comedy is... So don't be so quick with the retort, learn to capitalize your sentences and read what the hell we are poking fun at...

edit... yes we are fully expecting to be the laughing stock of the league... that the difference with whats happened in Edmonton, with the "skys the limit" talent they assembled, they were expected to do better... We didn't get multiple #1 picks nor will we... it'll be slooooow and painful.
- geta02it

I think their poor finishes have been from poor managment and player managment. I think there can be some positives to take if they don't quite get in, add a few contracts off the books next season and a few bodies brought in will make next year more of the telling year if the process has beeen a success or not. If They don't make it this year its because the west is just that good. Just my view.

I missed took your comment, but with that because tone can't be cconveyed I wasn't trying to be a Richard. I won't capitalize when I'm on the comp if I don't want to. Theres enough of a police state around us in real life, to monitor my punctuation and grammar on the interweb shows ur petty. But you're right I was quick to retort. Dont take all anonymous peoples comments to heart I have been known to skim, but judging by your avatar you've been known to not get laid often, am I right?

Really, we're going to debate the rebuild start date again. Why don't we just say that Feaster moved his eye to the future 2 years ago. He started putting a bigger premium on picks and prospects at that time lkmely knowing that 2012-13 would be the last year of the old core.

Any good business judges and makes plans for current fiscal year as well as 2, 3, 5 and 10 year plans. To me, the rebuild stsrted whsn it was out with the old, in with the new; the transition point if you will.

Feaster did a good job in preparation for the rebuild.
- TandA4Flames

Well, take a second & think about it, R Regehr & Daymond Langkow were part of our core, no? They were the 1st ones moved, in the name of cap space but core members moved. We can split hairs & say that was just the prelude of a pending rebuild, but isn't the prelude & jettisoning core players for prospects not part of the rebuild? I agree, Iggy, JBO & Kipper & Tanguay is officially ground zero. I think the point Colin is making, is that ground zero was planned to the expiration of the major core contracts(Iggy & Kipper), but the journey to that point was preplanned, it just didn't happen by chance. Doesn't really matter, this year is going to be officially the 1st steps on the trail back to relevance.

I've already been making bets (not huge ones) that the Flames finish higher in the standing than the oilers this year.
- FL4MES

Now that was coffee spitting kinda funny. Follow sports much?

Well, take a second & think about it, R Regehr & Daymond Langkow were part of our core, no? They were the 1st ones moved, in the name of cap space but core members moved. We can split hairs & say that was just the prelude of a pending rebuild, but isn't the prelude & jettisoning core players for prospects not part of the rebuild? I agree, Iggy, JBO & Kipper & Tanguay is officially ground zero. I think the point Colin is making, is that ground zero was planned to the expiration of the major core contracts(Iggy & Kipper), but the journey to that point was preplanned, it just didn't happen by chance. Doesn't really matter, this year is going to be officially the 1st steps on the trail back to relevance.
- Kevin R

Not when you consider the return on those players. You dont trade Langkow for a late 20 something winger and you certainly don't add a 2nd round pick in the Regher deal if your thoughts are on rebuilding. Those players were moved, as you said, out of necessity. Feaster recognized the need to get younger and I believe he even said that, but those trades were of the 'retool' kind. Only when that didn't work did CGY decide they have to tear it down. Iggy, Jbo and Kipper are the 1st bricks. Cammi and likely Stempniak and Stajan are the next ones followed by Hudler and Wiman and possibly even Gio and GlenX over the next 2-3 years.

I agree with your last part about Colin's thinking but I kind of said something to that effect in my original comment. All teams are likely looking down the road and trying to figure where they will be. Some are better at it than others.