It's time to get back at the grindstone now that the Olympics are finished. The good guys won and Gold is coming home, and on that same flight back to Canada will be Kevin Lowe. For as much of a shock as it will be for us to turn from that Canadian Defense to the sad sack group in Edmonton, it will be even worse for Lowe.
He may have lost the magic or vision that saw build effective Bluelines while he was a GM but even he cant come away from Sochi thinking the Oilers have anything close to a top pairing defender. I anticipate that with Canada winning as it did (on the backs of Weber, Doughty, and Keith) the focus returns back to where it belongs and away from red herrings like size up front.
Right before the Olympic break the names in the trade rumours were Gagner for King/Clifford. If those reports were close to accurate then its obvious Edmonton convinced themselves they needed to get bigger at all costs. Hopefully a couple weeks away from it all brought some perspective, because the Oilers need Kyle Clifford like they need a hole in the head.
Dont get me wrong, size in the top 6 is definitely desired but there should be a loud alarm that sounds over Kingsway when MacT and company discuss a trade that isnt bringing back a defenseman. After all, that was the lesson Canada taught at these Olympics: Defense wins championships.
The high powered offensive players are great, but its all about structure and strength on the backend. That's what is so scary about Edmonton's rebuild. The best young Oiler defensemen are all so inexperienced or unproven.
The Oilers cant go back in time and draft fewer Coke machines and more stud defensemen so that just leaves the trade market.
So has Lowe come back with the right focus for his club? We should find out soon.
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