The final aspect I want to discuss is the Oilers front office and their retention and acquisition of players. I won't bring back the Holloway and Broberg blunder as I’ve spoken of this to death. I will really focus on the past few months
The Loss of Cory Perry
I have no clue why they did not bring him back. I don’t know what occurred behind the scenes but he was an integral part to their regular season and playoff success. He can play on any line and is amazing in front of the net on the power play. Furthermore he’s feisty, drives the opposition nuts and will stand up for his teammates. This is the type of guy who helps you win a championship, hence him going to the finals with the Ducks, Habs, Lightning and Oilers. If he had no intention of coming back fine. But from what he has said, he wanted to stay. I don’t get it.
Trent Frederic 8 Year Deal
I like the player a lot and I have no issue with a 3.85 cap hit. He plays hard, fights, forechecks and does have some scoring prowess. No problem there. But 8 years? Why? This should have been a 3-4 year deal at most. Again, I don’t get it.
Noah Philp a healthy scratch
I really love his game. Tremendously smart and he was really starting to find his grove. On a team riddled with injuries you scratch a guy who has an amazing IQ and seems to mesh well with his linemates for three games.
Let him figure it out, especially with all the injuries. How about giving your player confidence for a change? (see Marty St-Louis Caufield strategy)
I loved Philp since he was called up last year with the McDavid injury. He never should have been sent back down when Connor came back. These guys are out to lunch. He should play 82 games. I don’t get it.
Isaac Howard Starting the Year in the NHL
I thought he had a great camp and I really like his skill set, especially his shot. But why bring him up to play limited minutes and send him down. I know injuries played a factor but there were other more logical options here. I either would have nabbed a fringe NHLer to fill the void or I would have brought up Quinn Hutson and kept him longer than two games. For Howard, I find it better for him to get reps in the AHL from the beginning to the end of the season and focus on that. Not face the disappointment of being sent down. Also, he was at times lost and outmuscled out there. from no fault of his own. They did not put him in a position to succeed. I don't get it.
Creativity
They need to start getting creative. Looking at some youngsters who may be ready to make the jump to the NHL and properly evaluate if they fit the system your team is playing. A guy like Adam Engstrom comes to mind as the Habs have a wealth of D. Heck, even a guy like Josh Anderson to man your fourth line, skate and throw some hits.
To their credit, the Roslovic signing (Jay T was right) is proving to be a good one. There are a lot of fast young players looking for a shot. They need to take a low risk chance on some in to improve the team's overall speed in the bottom six and the overall lineup. But that takes proper and competent player evaluation and I’m not sure if this is one of the organisation's strengths.
So, what do you all think despite my rage?