You sir are an idiot and not a troll.

If we could package that 1st from Pittsburgh and Yakupov and get a good player/package from a cash strapped team I would be ecstatic.
- Dangles13

Thanks. Haha.

They should do that for Yandle, and they should then flip their 2016 first for a goaile - maybe Gibson from Anaheim - and then when they draft Eichel, they'll be golden.

MacT does a lot of things right (trading for Perron, goalie trades looked good at the time(for everybody), Fayne, Pouliot, drafting style has improved(size on D and up middle oriented), Smid trade, actual prospects on the farm, dumped Horcoff).

Done a lot of things wrong (Nikitin, not addressing C, not addressing D enough, rushing Leon, letting coach take the fall for incomplete roster).

Can't say he's a terrible GM. Definitely no genius

You sir are an idiot and not a troll.

If we could package that 1st from Pittsburgh and Yakupov and get a good player/package from a cash strapped team I would be ecstatic.
- Dangles13

Yep, Henderson has him beat as a blogger hands down.

Worse you got it from the Edmonton Journal
- Frank.Grimes

Hey. Whatever you read no matter the source, is somehow the oilers screwing with Draisaitl.

Thanks for the good points, I mean it. I however, respectfully disagree. The Oilers will draft Eichel (most likely) and win a cup within 3 years.
- James_Tanner

Thanks. Haha.

They should do that for Yandle, and they should then flip their 2016 first for a goaile - maybe Gibson from Anaheim - and then when they draft Eichel, they'll be golden.
- James_Tanner

I like Gibson but I'd feel more comfortable with a more experienced goalie. I'd still rather have McDavid than Eichel as well.

Well we shouldn't try to fix our roster holes with NHL players and we shouldn't try to fix them with draft picks because it's unfair to the other teams if we suck and it's unfair if try to get better.
- Dangles13

What are they doing signing that quality top 4 shutdown Dman?! What are they doing overpaying for a big, physical 2way winger they've needed for years?

- LeftCoaster

This guy is on the Bong!

Thanks for the good points, I mean it. I however, respectfully disagree. The Oilers will draft Eichel (most likely) and win a cup within 3 years.
- James_Tanner

I hope the oilers beat the bottom 10 in 3 years. Might be unrealistic of me

MacT does a lot of things right (trading for Perron, goalie trades looked good at the time(for everybody), Fayne, Pouliot, drafting style has improved(size on D and up middle oriented), Smid trade, actual prospects on the farm, dumped Horcoff).

Done a lot of things wrong (Nikitin, not addressing C, not addressing D enough, rushing Leon, letting coach take the fall for incomplete roster).

Can't say he's a terrible GM. Definitely no genius
- TheNugeIsHuge

Might you even say he's a inexperienced GM?

Best line of the day!

"You sir are an idiot and not a troll." LMFAO

I like Gibson but I'd feel more comfortable with a more experienced goalie. I'd still rather have McDavid than Eichel as well.
- Dangles13

Well, I am sure everyone would, but if you finish last, you only have a 20% chance of winning the lottery, but can only move down one spot, thus they'd have an 80% chance of getting Eichel.

- LeftCoaster

Laugh all you want man, what exactly do you think a team with Eichel-RNH-Draisiatl up the middle is going to do besides win?

Laugh all you want man, what exactly do you think a team with Eichel-RNH-Draisiatl up the middle is going to do besides win?
- James_Tanner

Lose?

Well, I am sure everyone would, but if you finish last, you only have a 20% chance of winning the lottery, but can only move down one spot, thus they'd have an 80% chance of getting Eichel.
- James_Tanner

If there is one thing Edmonton can win it's a draft lottery.

If there is one thing Edmonton can win it's a draft lottery.


- Dangles13

Well once tambo left so did the draft victories

Well once tambo left so did the draft victories
- saskoil21

Most likely all coincidence.

MacT is neither an idiot nor a genius. He's a career hockey man who is still learning how to be an NHL GM.
I said it when he was hired that the Oil needed experience at the GM position and MacT proved it. He hires a non-NHL coach. Then he declares that he'll be trading Hemsky and making a bold move. He did too much talking and came to regret it, having to stage a presser saying he & Hemmer made up and are looking forward to the start of the season---right.
Remember his statement a few months after he was hired to the effect that he never thought that making trades would be so hard? That's his inexperience shining through.
The combo of a rookie GM & Coach put the Oilers back 2 years, IMO.
Throughout all this, MacT never discloses what his plan actually is, except that he's not going to move his "core", which is another mistake. If Gretzky can be traded, then no one is immune from being traded.
This organization is a mess. Lowe hires MacT then declares that this is MacT's team now, trying to insulate himself from any responsibility for future team failures. Lame.

Katz needs to get rid of Lowe, MacT and revamp the entire scouting staff and put $ into hiring seasoned, proven scouts away from other successful teams.

Yes patience is required, but so is confidence that the right people are in place within the organization. Patience alone is not the solution to the woes that affect the Oil.

Laugh all you want man, what exactly do you think a team with Eichel-RNH-Draisiatl up the middle is going to do besides win?
- James_Tanner

There's no guarantee they'll draft Eichel, lets deal with what we know not what we assume. Rarely does an 18 year old player come in and set the NHL on fire for one, secondly, I think MacKinnon is better than Eichel and look at how well Colorado is doing with their center depth….it's a process that includes a lot of parts.

MacT is neither an idiot nor a genius. He's a career hockey man who is still learning how to be an NHL GM.
I said it when he was hired that the Oil needed experience at the GM position and MacT proved it. He hires a non-NHL coach. Then he declares that he'll be trading Hemsky and making a bold move. He did too much talking and came to regret it, having to stage a presser saying he & Hemmer made up and are looking forward to the start of the season---right.
Remember his statement a few months after he was hired to the effect that he never thought that making trades would be so hard? That's his inexperience shining through.
The combo of a rookie GM & Coach put the Oilers back 2 years, IMO.
Throughout all this, MacT never discloses what his plan actually is, except that he's not going to move his "core", which is another mistake. If Gretzky can be traded, then no one is immune from being traded.
This organization is a mess. Lowe hires MacT then declares that this is MacT's team
now, trying to insulate himself from any responsibility for future team failures. Lame.

Katz needs to get rid of Lowe, MacT and revamp the entire scouting staff and put $ into hiring seasoned, proven scouts away from other successful teams.
Yes patience is required, but so is confidence that the right people are in place within the organization. Patience alone is not the solution to the woes that affect the Oil.
- haymac

Wow! Somebody finally gets it!

But what is the point of that? Nothing he could get comes even close to the quality of player he'll draft in the summer.
- James_Tanner

You're overvaluing 1sts in the 25-30 range. Getting a future solid 3rd liner at that point is decent.

Now that you guys actually have a late 1st... any interest in Coburn for it?

Now that you guys actually have a late 1st... any interest in Coburn for it?
- hereticpride

Yes I would do it. What would you give up for the 1st overall pick?

If this blog is an intentional troll, then I herald you as a bigger genius than MacT, because you know how to succeed at your craft better than he does.

Now, if you are in any way being serious with your assessment of this franchise, then I have to call you out for being wrong on all accounts. You are using blind assumptions and retroactive thinking (hindsight is 20/20) to defend what is indefensibly a gong show. You are looking back at countless faulty decisions and saying they were all done on purpose to make the team bad. So basically you are accusing this franchise of corruption. The management of this team 100% thought they would have a championship team after they got Hall, RNH, & Eberle. When that failed, they 100% thought Yakupov would be the final piece to this seemingly never ending puzzle. When he turned out to be another incorrect target, they decided to pull a rope-a-dope on the fans, bring in MacT, and then preach patience.

Give me a break. The patience WAS shown during the 3 1st overall pick years. You can't sit back now and pretend that never happened and say, "oh well give MacT some time he just got here." Screw that! Who cares if he just got here, the organization has failed through the whole process. Changing one person doesn't negate all that. You claim this fiasco is a genius plan? Well please explain how Buffalo and Calgary are far superior teams than the Oilers, when both of these teams are legitimately in years 1 & 2 respectively of their rebuild process, and Oilers are on year 5 or 6, being generous. The funny thing is, your blog would make a lot more sense if you said this about Buffalo rather than Edmonton. Buffalo actually stripped the team bare and LEGIT is trying to tank a year, but they can't! Why? Because they have a team concept and a system that leads to slow but sure success. And they drafted players in the first round and beyond that fit their needs.

As for your assumptions in this blog, I want to challenge you to a gentleman's wager:

Thanks for the good points, I mean it. I however, respectfully disagree. The Oilers will draft Eichel (most likely) and win a cup within 3 years.

You posted this so you must stand by it now. If they even make the Stanley Cup Finals in the next 3 seasons (not even win) I will come to this blog every week for an entire year and make a very positive comment about one of your blogs, your blogging skills, and your talent as a blogger. If you are incorrect, you must post this comment at the bottom of every blog you write for a full year.

Do we have a deal?

I'll explain to you why you are wrong, just in case you want to save face and back out now. But if you stand by your words, let's make the bet.

You are wrong because:

1. You assume that drafting another skilled forward is going to change the dynamic of this team, even though their needs are on defence and goaltending.

2. You assume MacT brought in Scrivens/Fasth to purposely tank, when everyone else knows he actually thought they would be a good 1A and 1B option.

3. He won't be able to find a starting goaltender and/or a first-pairing duo of defencemen in the next year or two, which are the bare essentials of what they would need to actually win a cup, like you predict.

4. You assume Eichel or McDavid are equal to Crosby, therefore guaranteeing the Oilers have followed the Pittsburgh model and on the way to a cup, when in fact that is far from proven (see MacKinnon) and Oilers still lack every other comparable role player that led to that cup for Pitt, including but not limited to, a starting goaltender.

MacT is a genius.. Lol!!!
He was a moron when he played hockey (duuhh helmets are stoopid), he was fired for being a terrible coach and he's doing a horrible job as the gm.

As a gm he is expected to make trades. If he's finding it difficult and he's over his head then he's not the right man for the job.

Perron needed to go so trading was def the right move. Getting a 1st was better than nothing but an OK move at best. I'm sure he could have done a package deal w Perron + prospect for a top 4 dman or upgrade in goal. If he ends up trading the 1st for one of the above then he's smarter than I thought... But why the Oilers need another 1st makes no sense and is far from genius.

I can't believe you called MacT a genius. Doesn't make you sound very intelligent.