im personally pretty amped on draisaitl. his skill set and size is exactly what the doctor ordered for us at 2c going forward.
but i think expectations need to be tempered for many reasons. not the least of which is that we have 3 more highly touted picks on our squad already, and at least 2 of them still have alot development needed after a couple of seasons.

i actually think that ALL of the possibles you mentioned might have some truth to them
- hugefemale dog77

If we do get a more defensive minded Center to start the season, I would have less and issue with LD starting the season here. Even if it's a "meh" player like Chris Kelly. Rather keep Arco on the 4th line RW spot until injuries inevitably pop up.

Where are you working these days ?


- Reveen

Non-Profit Organization... One of my coworkers just left on maternity leave, and starting tomorrow I have to do my job plus hers... They better hire someone asap or I'll (frank)ing lose it.

Basically my job is to help lazy a-holes who are looking to start-up businesses within St. John's... My coworkers job was to assist lazy a-holes find employment.

Pouliot is probably a better fit than Gagner was.
- Reveen

even with his consistency issues, i think pouliots style of game will be more helpful to us winning games than even a "bounce back" gagner couldve.

If we do get a more defensive minded Center to start the season, I would have less and issue with LD starting the season here. Even if it's a "meh" player like Chris Kelly. Rather keep Arco on the 4th line RW spot until injuries inevitably pop up.
- Jeropotato

well said

So here's the other thing I was thinking about rather than cleaning my shed today...

Is it just me, or are Oilers fans in general kind of "meh" about Draisaitl? They love for him is obviously not as strong as it was for Nuge, and I'm wondering why?
Is it because:
1. Nuge was a way better prospect?
2. Draisaitl might not have the BPA when we drafted him, don't want get too excited about him?
3.We are tired of expecting an 18 yo to make an impact?
4.Expectations of the team are higher and we don't have enough to insulate him in a year where we expect to compete?

Personally, I'm thinking #4...with a little bit of #3.
- Jeropotato

I think people are just more apathetic about it. The shine from a new draft pick is not as shiny as it was the past few years.

Pouliot is probably a better fit than Gagner was.
- Reveen

fair enough, but this leads to the gripe that MacT thinks that 3rd line wingers are more important than 2nd line centres, and given what happened with our centres last season, I don't have a lot of confidence in playing this season by ear.

Maybe we could try and grab a centre like Krueger out of Chicago who has 1 year left at 1.3. Not sure if Chi would trade him but he has a very good fo%.

Brodziak from Min, 1 year left on his contract too at 2.8.

Cullen from Nashville, 1 year left at 3.5 although they may not want to move him.

We could call up Ottawa and check to see if they're willing to move Legwand and his 2 year, 3 per contract. They would probably be interested in some pics and prospects at this point.

I would rather the Oilers get someone that only has a 1 or 2 year deal left and can act as a temp centre more than trying to find a long term piece that will cost us too much to get.

I was also looking at ufa's that are left, maybe some options still there too.

Michal Handzus
Andrei Loktionov
Scott Gomez

Not an easy task, may be easier to see what the guys we have are like come camp time and make a decision then.
- Horseguts

I like all those options. Like I eluded to in my previous post, maybe we should just abandon the notion of acquiring a 2C and just try for a 3C that isn't retarded offensively. Draisaitl with Perron and Purcell against weak competition and Poulliot ___?____ Yak against tougher 2nd line competion?

- laughs2907

this is frustration right here.

although im not on the "blame eakins" bandwagon; i do think he was in over his head abit and didnt realize how poor this squad was gonna be in so many areas

If we do get a more defensive minded Center to start the season, I would have less and issue with LD starting the season here. Even if it's a "meh" player like Chris Kelly. Rather keep Arco on the 4th line RW spot until injuries inevitably pop up.
- Jeropotato

That's what I've been saying. I feel like we need to make one more move to make up for our turnover at centre.

fair enough, but this leads to the gripe that MacT thinks that 3rd line wingers are more important than 2nd line centres, and given what happened with our centres last season, I don't have a lot of confidence in playing this season by ear.
- Morris

The problem is Gagner is hardly a 2nd line center

fair enough, but this leads to the gripe that MacT thinks that 3rd line wingers are more important than 2nd line centres, and given what happened with our centres last season, I don't have a lot of confidence in playing this season by ear.
- Morris

He does? I'm not sure his activities this summer suggest that's how he feels....maybe he had a trade for a 2C fall through?

this is frustration right here.

although im not on the "blame eakins" bandwagon; i do think he was in over his head abit and didnt realize how poor this squad was gonna be in so many areas
- hugefemale dog77

Even Mac-T made a comment about him underestimating how much work this team needed.

I like all those options. Like I eluded to in my previous post, maybe we should just abandon the notion of acquiring a 2C and just try for a 3C that isn't retarded offensively. Draisaitl with Perron and Purcell against weak competition and Poulliot ___?____ Yak against tougher 2nd line competion?
- Jeropotato

Exactly my thoughts too.

Even Mac-T made a comment about him underestimating how much work this team needed.
- Reveen

It has been the whole organization.

The farm team is coming along...but the Oilers need the guys from OKC to start arriving and filling spots, and this is not happening. And where Tambi was content to ride the sux, MAcT now needs to kick start the Oilers along.

There is no way the team wants to burn through the contracts that Hall, Ebs, Nuge etc.. and getting like they did with their ELCs. It is one thing to pay the top line 10Mish to learn and be on a bad team, it is another to pay them 18M and still be bad with no hope.

It's funny about guys like Arco being small.

When people defend Penner it's always like "well, he's big and strong. Even if he is lazy, he's still hard to knock off the puck".

Well from what I saw last year, Arco was easier to knock off the puck than most Oiler forwards, but the story with him is that he's better than guys bigger than him because of how hard he tries.

Sometimes I feel like people can be inconsistent about guys they have high hopes for. Don't get me wrong, I love a hard working player, but from what I can see the absolute best we could hope for out of Arco is a player like Cogliano, and despite us giving cogs away for nothing, it's not entirely clear he'd bring this oilers roster much closer to winning a cup.
- Morris

i was gonna highlight a few passages, but instead ill just say YES to all.


whether we got short changed on cogs or not, people have to remember the impact he has on a MUCH BETTER TEAM, with much less offensive output expected of him. arco could also be a semi impact player for us, but i dont think a front and center role in a vital position of need for us, is a recipe for success in terms of us winning more hockey games

It has been the whole organization.

The farm team is coming along...but the Oilers need the guys from OKC to start arriving and filling spots, and this is not happening. And where Tambi was content to ride the sux, MAcT now needs to kick start the Oilers along.

There is no way the team wants to burn through the contracts that Hall, Ebs, Nuge etc.. and getting like they did with their ELCs. It is one thing to pay the top line 10Mish to learn and be on a bad team, it is another to pay them 18M and still be bad with no hope.
- OilHorse

That was Tembellini.... Mac-T has made nice strides in the year he's been here.

Goalies - Fasth & Scriven

Defense - Fayne, Nikitin, Ference and Aulie

Forwards - Perron, Purcell, Pouliot, Hendricks, Gordon and Gazdic

The days of dithering are over for the Oilers...

fair enough, but this leads to the gripe that MacT thinks that 3rd line wingers are more important than 2nd line centres, and given what happened with our centres last season, I don't have a lot of confidence in playing this season by ear.
- Morris

i think mact valued size in our scoring forwards over what gagner could bring. regardless of position.

but there's no doubt gambling on the center depth we currently have is a huge risk.
might be that he did have a plan worked out and it fell through as jero mentioned.

That was Tembellini.... Mac-T has made nice strides in the year he's been here.

Goalies - Fasth & Scriven

Defense - Fayne, Nikitin, Ference and Aulie

Forwards - Perron, Purcell, Pouliot, Hendricks, Gordon and Gazdic

The days of dithering are over for the Oilers...
- Reveen

i just meant that it was a rebuild of the whole organization...and the farm team is fairly well stocked, and winning. Now the Oilers need some of those guys to graduate to the them to help them start winning also.

And yes, I agree, MacT has made a lot of moves in his first 12 months. I like to think that he has retooled the rebuild.

I look at the team and like to think that really this team is at that point where the process is at the final stages. The first line is built, the third and fourth are solid. A tweak on the 2nd is needed. The defense is looking positive, just the last remaining true top pair guy remaining.

I think that by the start of the 15-16 season, with a full year to develop, sign and trade for those last 2-3 pieces, this team is a team to beat in the west.

1 more year.

But this year the team needs to make serious strides up.

He does? I'm not sure his activities this summer suggest that's how he feels....maybe he had a trade for a 2C fall through?
- Jeropotato

maybe, but there was a time last offseason where Gagner was an RFA, Nuge was recovering from shoulder surgery, Horcoff was traded to Dallas, Belanger had been bought out, Arco wasn't really on the radar as an NHLer and Gordon hadn't been signed yet.

So if a GM is comfortable with having 0 centres on his roster, I just get the impression that he doesn't place that much of a premium on centres as the "rebuild narrative" suggests a GM might (making sure you've got strong centres and building on that).

I'm not going to argue we haven't improved. But it certainly seems like he's not that panicked, as I and many of the Oilogosphere is.

The problem is Gagner is hardly a 2nd line center
- Reveen

Bingo!!!

Gagner was terrible as a center. He wasn't good at face offs and was even worse defensively. With his offensive talent I look at him as more a 2nd line winger. But then you have to ask yourself would you play him ahead of these guys on the wing?
Hall, Eberle, Perron, Yak and now also Pouliot and Purcell? For me those 6 guys are ahead of Gagner.

i just meant that it was a rebuild of the whole organization...and the farm team is fairly well stocked, and winning. Now the Oilers need some of those guys to graduate to the them to help them start winning also.

And yes, I agree, MacT has made a lot of moves in his first 12 months. I like to think that he has retooled the rebuild.

I look at the team and like to think that really this team is at that point where the process is at the final stages. The first line is built, the third and fourth are solid. A tweak on the 2nd is needed. The defense is looking positive, just the last remaining true top pair guy remaining.

I think that by the start of the 15-16 season, with a full year to develop, sign and trade for those last 2-3 pieces, this team is a team to beat in the west.

1 more year.

But this year the team needs to make serious strides up.
- OilHorse

I think in the long term that this issue has been largely resolved with 2 Centers and 3 quality wingers. Whether Perron is in the long term plans largely has to do with Yak and LD. There is a good chance that those 2 players become major offensive weapons and all they will need is a wing man to do the dirty work . IF Perron is the long term fit, even better. Short term however, we need to add.

maybe, but there was a time last offseason where Gagner was an RFA, Nuge was recovering from shoulder surgery, Horcoff was traded to Dallas, Belanger had been bought out, Arco wasn't really on the radar as an NHLer and Gordon hadn't been signed yet.

So if a GM is comfortable with having 0 centres on his roster, I just get the impression that he doesn't place that much of a premium on centres as the "rebuild narrative" suggests a GM might (making sure you've got strong centres and building on that).

I'm not going to argue we haven't improved. But it certainly seems like he's not
- Morris[/b]that panicked, as I and many of the Oilogosphere is.

I think that's a good thing....it's how we avoid a boat anchor like Vinny Lecavalier under contract for a millennium.

Something tells me Mac T is working on a trade of some sort....and I am glad that he is taking his time, especially if it involves a roster player like ,

,Jeff Petry . Whomever he gets has to fit damn near perfectly both cap wise and for team need.

I think that's a good thing....it's how we avoid a boat anchor like Vinny Lecavalier under contract for a millennium.

Something tells me Mac T is working on a trade of some sort....and I am glad that he is taking his time, especially if it involves a roster player like ,

,Jeff Petry . Whomever he gets has to fit damn near perfectly both cap wise and for team need.
- Jeropotato

Sure, but if we're going into the year with no changes to our centres, I'm pretty sure we're (frank)ed.

Sure, but if we're going into the year with no changes to our centres, I'm pretty sure we're (frank)ed.
- Morris

Be patient. You can bet your bottom dollar that Mac T is not okay with the situation....and he eluded to having some time. Whether he can do it or not....you can bet your massive fat ass that he is working on it. We still haven't seen that mid summer trade Blockbuster trade yet, there is still time.

Be patient. You can bet your bottom dollar that Mac T is not okay with the situation....and he eluded to having some time. Whether he can do it or not....you can bet your massive fat ass that he is working on it. We still haven't seen that mid summer trade Blockbuster trade yet, there is still time.
- Jeropotato

Yeah MacT rushing out and grabbing someone that may not be a good fit here to please the hordes of pessimistic fans isn't a good idea. It's still July, lots of time still to figure out a plan of action.