Richard Cloutier: Who's to Blame for the Situation in Edmonton?

First!!! I think alot of people are calling for the boys club to end and I really think that would be a really good thing. Tambellini dosent impress me in his interviews, seems like a moron.

I stand by my idea of sending Hemsky and Smid for Okposo and Streit. Its a realistic "hockey trade" that gives both teams what they need. NYI needs a shutdown guy and could use Hemmer on the top line. Oilers get size in Okposo and Puck Moving D in Streit.

Richard Cloutier: Who's to Blame for the Situation in Edmonton?
- Maxbone

Joey Moss

Fans also like to believe they are more knowledgable than they are.

Take that, combined with managements plan which fans have no knowledge of and it's the perfect storm.

It's difficult for fanatics (fans) to accept anything that doesn't match their belief of how a team should be built. In the case of Edmonton fans they've been patient but patience is running thin which makes it difficult to accept it may be a number of years before the Oilers are ready to compete at the top levels. I think this is why fans are becoming more accepting of the thought of trading one or more of the building blocks to shore up weaker areas of the team.

Building a team and creating prospect depth takes years. The Oilers simply need more time to add players to the system and fully evaluate the progress and potential of the current youngsters. There isn't a blue print which outlines a step by step process to winning a championship. If there were teams like Vancouver might have actually won a cup. That's isn't meant as a knock against Vancouver I have simply used them as an example that championships and competitive rosters are harder to acquire than it looks.

As long as the Oilers players continue to develop and the management continues to draft BPA rather than need they will continue to get better as a team. Many will disagree with the BPA strategy opting instead to fill needs however all that does is add less talented players. BPA, develop them then you can trade surplus for needs or simply sign free agents.

Anyway Edmonton has always had an engaged fan base. Unlike some markets the fans in Edmonton have high expectations that haven't been met the last six seasons. While Tencer may not deserve the twitter onslaught it goes with the territory and currently defending the Oilers management team is going to draw negative attention and lots of it. It also doesn't help that he's really more of a team spokesman than an actual reporter. The Oilers have always dealt harshly with those media individuals that attack the team. Sir Rodney, John Short, Tencer.......they've all treated the Oilers gently over the years.

As for your participation as the Oilers blogger you get your share of undeserved negativity as well. Certain posters here don't offer anything legitimate in opposition of your views or blog ideas. They simply want to attack people and they seem to believe being aggressive in an anonymous forum lends credibility to their view. It doesn't. It just makes them look like bumholes. There are also those that believe the opinion they express is fact and they don't seem to understand there's more than one way to build a team. In short, everyone has an opinion, and civility, manners and basic respect have been long forgotten.

So you keep up the blogs. I don't always agree with you but I appreciate the effort you put in here. I should also point out that if we all agreed we wouldn't have anything to discuss.

First!!! I think alot of people are calling for the boys club to end and I really think that would be a really good thing. Tambellini dosent impress me in his interviews, seems like a moron.

I stand by my idea of sending Hemsky and Smid for Okposo and Streit. Its a realistic "hockey trade" that gives both teams what they need. NYI needs a shutdown guy and could use Hemmer on the top line. Oilers get size in Okposo and Puck Moving D in Streit.
- iamwatchhockey

Tambellini may not impress you but he certainly isn't a Moron. One of the common mistakes made by General Managers is to make change for changes sake. All the fans sit around and propose trades like its a simple thing to accomplish. Does anyone really think Tambellini wouldn't make a trade if it benefited the team?

trades are far more difficult to accomplish than fans seem to realize. It takes two willing parties and both parties have to feel the trade improves their team. The deal also has to fit financially and within the long term plan.

It may be realistic in your view but that doesn't mean it is realistic. Personally I don't like the trade but that's just my opinion.

Like I keep saying, Krueger. Hard to point it all at one guy because it's pretty much just the whole (frank)ing management that is too blame. But if I had to choose one individual it'd be Kruegs, sorry.

We need a coach that will send his message through their heads and who will actually make these kids cry on their knees and bench them for not putting up 100% effort every shift or a guy who is just a smart coach overall and knows the game well and has a game plan that works. Krueger is neither of these and thats the problem.

I praise him for playing the kids more than Renny and his ability to create magic on the PP and PK but thats all he is, a special teams coach. If you look at the way the Oilers breakout and set up the play in the offensive zone, its horendus. Every move is always a turnover and the way the Oilers play, Krugers coaching shows. You can have a team of superstars but you cant have a blind person teach them how to create plays. Blind leading the blind. It doesnt always matter who's on your team, its more of who's leading it. I mean look at all this potential and promise us Oiler fans have been receiving but have we seen results? No. Have we had a good, experienced coach to lead the way? No.

Another thing I see as a problem is work ethic. All the players should model their game after Ryan Jones. Work hard EVERY shift, battle for the puck, and play your heart out till the game is done. This is why I want a Torts so these kids will get disciplined and get scared into playing better, because they dont care and they know if they fail under Krueger, he'll just baby them and let it go.

What do I think the Oilers should do?
Keep Krueger as an assistant coach and special teams specialist and hire an experienced coach who has the right message and has the ability to send it through their (frank)ing heads. Hire Lindy Ruff while he's still (frank)ing there!

Hemsky could very easily be fixed in our roster as well, he's having a great season, and at times when nobody else is going to the net or putting together things, hemsky pulls off some great chances! only if he had a person to put in some of his rebounds. What we need is to trade one of the kids (yaks probably) and bring in the pieces we need, maybe even gagner as his price would never be higher.. now i know trading yakupov isn't something you just do like that, but i just want to point out that i don't think we can go ahead and say hall, ebs, Nuge, yak, pajaarvi, harti, klefbom aren't going anywhere, guess what other than gagner, they are the best bet us providing us the missing piece! so if we need to upgrade on size in top 6, we need to give up Yakupov, to get a star, or pajaarvi to get a decent top 6 with size, even though he himself is molding into one! but regardless i would even trade klefbom for the right trade!! just don't keep mentioning in every single blog of yours the untradables, cuz there is no such thing, you only want to sell the players who have the highest value at this point of time!!

Just get a coach that will make them start caring about winning cause they dont give a rats ass. Heartless, lazy, effortless, stupid, whatever you wanna call it, they just dont care about winning and thats the problem.

Kruger lets them get away with too much and they pay no penalty. Pathetic. 3-0 loss because of no effort is UNACCEPTABLE so why do nothing. Torts would bash these lazy losers. Thats why we need a guy like him so he can get these kids off their ass and start performing.

Im tired of watching these high potential players just skate around and not even care about the game. I hate the Canucks but I find them more entertaining to watch because they actually play to win and play with heart and passion. Im sick of this (frank)ing bullpoop... Show up and perform your heart out! I wish I got paid millions to do nothing.

We should've hired Carlyle. Not that i think kreuger is to blame, but carlyle wouldve been great. As of right now, id take Brian Burke as our gm and president if it meant getting rid of Kevin lowe's useless ability to run a hockey team. BRIAN EFFIN BURKE. Thats how sick of kevin lowe i am. At least burke has balls. if there are any oiler PR boys who scan these hockeybuzz forums, please pass the message to Lowe that he has been inadequate for some time and if Katz was a good owner he would have fired you.

Cloutier, I think your readership is too high for oiler PR to ignore, please add a daily segment to your blogs as to why Lowe should be fired. Everytime you tweet, put #firelowe. I am bestowing this duty on you and therefore it must be done. Yes you can wear a cape if you like.

I agree with everything you said except the pasta part. I'm sure you know everything there is to know about pasta.

I think the key point you are missing here Richard, yes, we have at least 10 holes that needed to be filled, and the reason we have those holes is because of the management and their bad decisions over the last 6 years.

Others keep saying that trades take time etc, but then, we have needed another decent center (with size) and a top 4 defense man for nearly 6 years now, and yet the management keeps finding the wrong people even if they bother to get one. Halpern was available for free, a actual center that would be better than Belanger and Smyth, but...

They have changed the players, fired 4 coaches, replaced even the training staff, and yet the results speak for themselves. It is their incompetence that got this team in this position, and they should have paid the price years ago.

This old boy network has to be taken out behind the woodshed like a chicken to get it's head chopped off.

Richard Cloutier: Who's to Blame for the Situation in Edmonton?
- Maxbone

Right on the money Clouts! The fans have endured the longest stretch of this rebuild. How the team positions themselves over the next year through trades, signings and drafts will determine whos heads will roll.....and they know it

First!!! I think alot of people are calling for the boys club to end and I really think that would be a really good thing. Tambellini dosent impress me in his interviews, seems like a moron.

I stand by my idea of sending Hemsky and Smid for Okposo and Streit. Its a realistic "hockey trade" that gives both teams what they need. NYI needs a shutdown guy and could use Hemmer on the top line. Oilers get size in Okposo and Puck Moving D in Streit.
- iamwatchhockey

that is def an interesting trade that makes sense for both sides.....
at least its not the 1 sided trades Clouts proposes..

Oilers are young and talented, just need to add size and grinders, which could be added in FA

Tambellini is not a moron, you have a lot of talent and young chips, and GM's have to be patient, or else they would get fired if they make a horrible trade. He has built the team thru draft, and just waiting for players to gain NHL experience and $$$ to come off books. Like some one said, it takes 2 GM's to make a trade, plus no one make a trade just to make one.....
My team has the same problem, and the fan base feels the same way as you guys, but reality is, the future looks DAMN GOOD......

Fire Lowe!

Hire Howson...

Richard Cloutier: Who's to Blame for the Situation in Edmonton?
- Maxbone

You

lol, what a joke this all is.

EDM beats Columbus and the media and fans thing they'll win the cup.
EDM loses to St. Louis and everyone freaks out.

WHat are we? Habs Fans? get a grip. St Louis is a great team.

I want my mommy.

I want my mommy.
- robin_steele264

There's gotta be a joke response here somewhere -------- nope, don't see it.

I saw nothing last night that would have me hit the panick button. St Louis just out played Edmonton last night. Aside from a couple errors (in which St Louis capitalized from) I thought the Oil played a decent game. They just couldn't break down that tight defensive play the Blues have in spades. No worries here. They will be good to go in the next game.

Fire Lowe!

Hire Howson...
- Deisty

already did

No matter how we spin this, we sucked!

Positives: Yakupov is sick. PRV: was flying to no avail, and the rest of our kids were just shut down and it was much too frustrating for them. That D core that St. Louis has, is probably the best in the league. SOOOO GOOOOD

If St. Louis had some form of silky all world skill in their top 6 they would be incredible. Stick hossa and kane on the blues and they win the Cup this year. Backes, in my opinion, would be one of the only upgrades at 2C in the entire league, over Gags.(obviously Malkin and J.Staal would be great, as well) He's an absolute beast and a great leader.

Shattenkirk, Jackman, Pietrangelo... I'd do dirty things to have just one of these guys playing with J. Schultz next season. Preferably Pietrangelo.

Cup final prediction Boston vs St. Louis.

Backes vs Lucic. Terrifying battle of Power

I saw nothing last night that would have me hit the panick button. St Louis just out played Edmonton last night. Aside from a couple errors (in which St Louis capitalized from) I thought the Oil played a decent game. They just couldn't break down that tight defensive play the Blues have in spades. No worries here. They will be good to go in the next game.
- marty11

I hope some fans of teams who are higher up in the standings come in here and explain to us how to build a winner.

I hope some fans of teams who are higher up in the standings come in here and explain to us how to build a winner.
- robin_steele264

Send them personal invites.