No, but you’re usually drunk enough to figure it out
- RafiDRW

Yes to the former, no to the latter.

Hes doing pretty dang well with the Avs right now, especially with how they are using him. Sure he can falter and look like a KHL bound player, but right now when put in the right situations he is looking good and clicking

He is getting the Sam Gagner treatment, contol his 5v5 time, used as a trigger man on the PP 2nd unit.

Hes being rebuilt and right now hes looking like a steal at 850k.
- DDM-Coga

he is doing ok in a no pressure situation. This is likely his last nhl chance. Good for him to wake up a little.

though as i said cant fault those teams from moving on imo.

you also leave my elite dumb big moose alone
- DDM-Coga

Is your Moose thriving because of Duchenes absence? The timing of Nathans ascension is awful convenient.

you also leave my elite dumb big moose alone
- DDM-Coga

No. We need elite

Okay. Thought you meant only Oilers players.

We could argue about Kessel since you’d never build a franchise with him as the center piece. Seguin and Hall you could.
- RafiDRW

It's hard to envision Kessel not ending up on the Hall of Fame, I don't have stats memorized, but I'd be surprised if he's not the third best winger of his generation after Kane and Ovechkin.

The problem is probably the Oilers owners. Theres said that it was them who wanted to draft Yak. Im not saying that it was a bad pick, but it was a bad pick for the Oilers. They had Hall, Eberle and RNH as highly touted offensive talents. Their best defensive "prospect" was a 22 year old Justin Schultz. In the 2012 draft, 8 of the top 10 picks was defensemen. Which means they probably could have traded down for a young decent defensemen and still get a good defensive draft pick.

Then they hire Chi Pet. Everything was going to turn around! The pingpong ball landed in their favour! Chia was gonna build a championship team again!

What where they thinking?

Now its to late, the damage is done. Lucic/Russel contracts is bullpoop. They have no scoring wingers and no assets to aquire someone. Not much any GM can do there anymore, they are committed to tha path Chia has put them on.

Also, I for one think the Draisatl contract is bad. Im all for paying for potential, but when you do that then you should get better value when that potential eventually pans out. That means Draisaitl has to be a 9.5-10m guy for it to be a good deal. Im not sure he is. If they bridged Drai for 2yr/8m could they not have gotten him signed long term in 2 years for 8.5 and at that point be sure what kind of player they where getting? I think so...

MB is just as bad aswell. As a Tampa fan it was pretty obvious that Drouin isnt a center and probably never will be. The same thing goes there - its too late for a rebuild. Price is signed, Weber is signed, Drouin is aquired as a "win-now" move. The pipeline of prospects is thin...

Toronto committed to a rebuild, but it came at a good time aswell. They shipped out Phanuef, Kessel and Clarkson then started reboot the prospectpool. That was 2 bad players on bad contracts that the old regim had signed years before. Kessels time in Ontario was all but done, everyone knew that. Are the Habs gonna ship Weber for 50cent on the dollar, and therefore making the Subban trade even worse? Are they gonna ship out Price for a crappy return?

Shortsighted and desperate moves make for bad results.

But the Habs firing their coach after 6 months is acceptable?
- mlindsay

Again with the false equivalencies. Once you fire the GM you gotta send the coach and they never should have brought him back for a second (or is it third?) go round anyways.

The problem is probably the Oilers owners. Theres said that it was them who wanted to draft Yak. Im not saying that it was a bad pick, but it was a bad pick for the Oilers. They had Hall, Eberle and RNH as highly touted offensive talents. Their best defensive "prospect" was a 22 year old Justin Schultz. In the 2012 draft, 8 of the top 10 picks was defensemen. Which means they probably could have traded down for a young decent defensemen and still get a good defensive draft pick.

Then they hire Chi Pet. Everything was going to turn around! The pingpong ball landed in their favour! Chia was gonna build a championship team again!

What where they thinking?

Now its to late, the damage is done. Lucic/Russel contracts is bullpoop. They have no scoring wingers and no assets to aquire someone. Not much any GM can do there anymore, they are committed to tha path Chia has put them on.

Also, I for one think the Draisatl contract is bad. Im all for paying for potential, but when you do that then you should get better value when that potential eventually pans out. That means Draisaitl has to be a 9.5-10m guy for it to be a good deal. Im not sure he is. If they bridged Drai for 2yr/8m could they not have gotten him signed long term in 2 years for 8.5 and at that point be sure what kind of player they where getting? I think so...

MB is just as bad aswell. As a Tampa fan it was pretty obvious that Drouin isnt a center and probably never will be. The same thing goes there - its too late for a rebuild. Price is signed, Weber is signed, Drouin is aquired as a "win-now" move. The pipeline of prospects is thin...

Toronto committed to a rebuild, but it came at a good time aswell. They shipped out Phanuef, Kessel and Clarkson then started reboot the prospectpool. That was 2 bad players on bad contracts that the old regim had signed years before. Kessels time in Ontario was all but done, everyone knew that. Are the Habs gonna ship Weber for 50cent on the dollar, and therefore making the Subban trade even worse? Are they gonna ship out Price for a crappy return?

Shortsighted and desperate moves make for bad results.
- Cloud

You're right that they're set on a path now, but there are always options.

It's hard to envision Kessel not ending up on the Hall of Fame, I don't have stats memorized, but I'd be surprised if he's not the third best winger of his generation after Kane and Ovechkin.
- james_tanner1

I dunno. Kane, Ovi, Zetterberg, Benn, Hall, Marchand are all players I would take over him in their early 20s. But he may end of HHoF.

How have the Sabres kept the status quo? New GM and coach this past off season.
- sskkoo1

Status Quo... as in not make changes to two HORRIBLE teams.

Again with the false equivalencies. Once you fire the GM you gotta send the coach and they never should have brought him back for a second (or is it third?) go round anyways.
- james_tanner1

"False Equivalencies"... and then you go on to say that when you fire a GM you "have to Fire the Coach" because... why exactly?
Oh right... because that is "how it's done" all the time.
Double talk much?

James Tanner: Time for Oilers and Canadiens to Fire their General Managers (and Coaches)
It's about half past too late already, but enough is enough.
- james_tanner1

The coyotes should also do the same

Better than your Habs alt, Xizord.
- RafiDRW

Better than Cogas alt AlfieSalad

Better than Cogas alt AlfieSalad
- smellmyfinger

Or Tanner’s sensnucksnocups

Status Quo... as in not make changes to two HORRIBLE teams.
- mlindsay

Again, when it comes to the Sabres, you can't say they've been staying with the status quo. They've brought in a new GM and coach this off season and then picked up, Pominville, Scandella, Antipin, Beaulieu, Pouliot, Josefson, Nolan, Tennyson. They've shipped out, Ennis, Foligno, gionta, Kouli

The entire team is different even if the results ended up being the same. Change has been made, results poor.

I think they're both doing just fine, Benning is no longer the biggest idiot in the league.....oh and Benning > Chayka

Again, when it comes to the Sabres, you can't say they've been staying with the status quo. They've brought in a new GM and coach this off season and then picked up, Pominville, Scandella, Antipin, Beaulieu, Pouliot, Josefson, Nolan, Tennyson. They've shipped out, Ennis, Foligno, gionta, Kouli

The entire team is different even if the results ended up being the same. Change has been made, results poor.
- sskkoo1

So whose shoulders does that land on if the changes made are garnering similar poor results... same can be said of Chayka in Arizona. He has had a few seasons of abysmal results and made many changes that have yet to pay off. Would the Habs have been better off letting Bergevin go after his first few suspect seasons? I'd say yes.

Yakupov was a bust and he got what he could. he was shopped all over and no takers. Cant get on the GM for that one imo.
- rinaldo

Yes you can. And some of it in the coach. Yak was scoring and playing well in McDavids wing and then he got injured. When he came back and they didn’t put him back on McDavids wing McLellan said” people are asking why we haven’t put Yak back on McDavids wing? Well we decided we like Jordan there better so we haven’t. And that’s that”

So they let his value deteriorate and gave him away for nothing then did the same with Ebs. Then they had to put Drai there and now he’s got a massive anchor contract he didn’t fully deserve. It all linked.

Yes you can. And some of it in the coach. Yak was scoring and playing well in McDavids wing and then he got injured. When he came back and they didn’t put him back on McDavids wing McLellan said” people are asking why we haven’t put Yak back on McDavids wing? Well we decided we like Jordan there better so we haven’t. And that’s that”

So they let his value deteriorate and gave him away for nothing then did the same with Ebs. Then they had to put Drai there and now he’s got a massive anchor contract he didn’t fully deserve. It all linked.
- Iggysbff

Plus his rookie season the kid did display his playmaking skill. I still think he is an excellent player who wasn't utilized properly by eakins.

Yes you can. And some of it in the coach. Yak was scoring and playing well in McDavids wing and then he got injured. When he came back and they didn’t put him back on McDavids wing McLellan said” people are asking why we haven’t put Yak back on McDavids wing? Well we decided we like Jordan there better so we haven’t. And that’s that”

So they let his value deteriorate and gave him away for nothing then did the same with Ebs. Then they had to put Drai there and now he’s got a massive anchor contract he didn’t fully deserve. It all linked.
- Iggysbff

Trade Drai for Yak. Problems solved and RNH for Perron. Winger problem solved.

Plus his rookie season the kid did display his playmaking skill. I still think he is an excellent player who wasn't utilized properly by eakins.
- SRam19

100%. I think Nelson was the best coach for the Oilers. Guy has very good vision for how to utilize his players.

Plus his rookie season the kid did display his playmaking skill. I still think he is an excellent player who wasn't utilized properly by eakins.
- SRam19

Or Tmac

Now I’m not saying you’re wrong Tanner, but in your blog you state the Oilers are cap strapped by Lucic’s contract, but at the same time you lament the moves of Eberle and Hall, who are currently making the exact same amount. Wouldn’t it be fair to say that the Oil would still had to have dealt one of Hall or Eberle or both, even if Lucic hadn’t been signed? How would one afford McDavid, Draisaitl and those two?

Don't sign Lucic or Russel. Pay Hall, trade Eberle for a 1st or two at the trade deadline to a contender? I dunno, there's like a thousand moves that would have been better than Eberle for Strome

Or Tmac
- Iggysbff

I Dont know y the seniors at your franchise kept employing him.

So whose shoulders does that land on if the changes made are garnering similar poor results... same can be said of Chayka in Arizona. He has had a few seasons of abysmal results and made many changes that have yet to pay off. Would the Habs have been better off letting Bergevin go after his first few suspect seasons? I'd say yes.
- mlindsay

There's a big difference between not seeing positive results after a few season and after 20 games.