I still think he's a player.
- Boxcars: 35gp, 7-7-14
- Shots: 60
- Plus Minus: -4
- Corsi (Rel): -2.3 (9th among F's, DNQ)
- GF/GA ON: 15-19
- 5x5/60: 2.06 (3rd among F's, DNQ)
- 5x4/60: nil
- Quality of Competition: (5th toughest among F's, DNQ)
- Quality of Teammates: (13th best among F's, DNQ)
- FO %: 44.3% in 235 FO's
- Offensive Zone Start FO %: 51.0% (2nd easiest among F's, DNQ)
- Cap Hit: $825,000 (RFA this summer)
- What do these numbers tell us? Pouliot had a good half-season. He played in the worst possible situation (actually, Pisani's Qual of T/C was the most difficult on the club) but his plus minus and Corsi were pretty good all things considered. His excellent zone start needs to be factored in, but I think he showed enough to get an NHL job this fall. His EV scoring has improved if it is real.
- How could these numbers be better? The boxcars would improve if he could stay healthy. His 5x5/60 number was 3rd best on the club and he looked better than he ever has in the offensive zone during the season's final stretch. More of the same would be nice.
- Can he be a tough minutes player? He's building a resume, has been for some time but it is all fits and starts because of the injuries. His scouting report always suggested a more complete skill set and he's either had a nice run of luck during his NHL time or he's an actual player (when healthy). Pouliot's best run happened a couple of years ago when the Oilers were a lost cause and this spring he was close to being as good (and offensively he was better).
- Will the Oilers keep him? I have no idea. At this point there's no right answer, I'm a fan so here's hoping the guy gets one more chance from the team and grabs it. I don't think you can blame the organization if they choose to find a more established, less injury prone option though. Pouliot isn't a guy you can count on. He was fairly healthy in 08-09, if he could play 70 NHL games in a season the guy might find a home. Pouliot won the Brodziak job the day EDM made the deal with the Wild, I expect it is still available if he can pass the physical.
- Where will they use Pouliot? If they sign him, Pouliot should be able to help them on the 3-4 lines and the PK. If he was better in the FO circle he'd be a candidate to become the next Reasoner, a player the Oilers sorely miss (and have not replaced).
- Does anyone remember the "Carbonneau" conversation he had with MacT? Just a few of us. He's as healthy as Doug Risebrough, so the idea never gets momentum.
- How important is he to the organization? Nothing. The Oilers are free of Pouliot and the 2003 draft, the Prendergast firing establishes it. Edmonton could walk away from him, deal him or send him down during TC and lose him on waivers (or not) and no one is going to blink. I don't think he's a suspect, but he's not a prospect anymore. I bet someone will take a chance on him should the Oilers go another direction.
By The Numbers
- 07-08 5x5 per 60m: 1.55
- 08-09 5x5 per 60m: 1.67
- 09-10 5x5 per 60m: 2.06
By The Numbers
- 07-08 5x4 per 60m: 6.43
- 08-09 5x4 per 60m: 1.90
- 09-10 5x4 per 60m: 0.00
Performance in 2009-10: 35gp, 7-7-14 (.400)
Projected Role in 2010-11: If healthy, he's an NHL player
Another player where QualComp and Corsi-based QualComp vary wildly.
ReplyDeleteFiltering for Forwards with 30+ GP:
QualComp: 5th out of 15.
Corsi QualComp: 14th out of 15.
He also pulled points on 87% of the goals he was on ice for, if you regress him to 70% (a rough average for points per goal for a forward) he'd have a 5x5/60 of 1.67.
I like him well enough, but he doesn't seem to be any better than he ever was...
quain: I'm displeased with the Qual Comp this season. Gagner is the player I noticed it on, buddy played A LOT with Strudwick and Chorney to my eye and that wasn't reflected in the standings.
ReplyDeleteNext year I may list both.
I think 2 of Comrie, Potulny and Pouliot stick around. You need players like this that can fill in anywhere in the lineup in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who isn't a big fan of Pouliot, I'd keep him around one more year as an extra forward/4th line center. If he becomes anymore than that, then the hockey team isn't going to be very good.
ESPN reporting Jagr has apparently re-signed with his KHL team.
ReplyDeleteSo much for that then.
Certainly injury has played a factor in his development (or lack of). So to has been how he's been handled - remember, MacT was trying to convert him to wing where he struggled. He's a natural center and he played completely fish out of water on the flank.
ReplyDeleteI too think there's a player here (boxcars notwithstanding) and would like to see him come back on a value contract. But it would not shock me if he's gone next season either and I'd hate to see him produce elsewhere.
Interesting that you bring up the "Carbonneau" conversation because I think if he were to "accept" this, he could still have a good career - and to your larger point LT, the Oilers desperately need this.
His career is at a crossroads like several others.
Yay! NO jagr. Can't blame him. The KHL team is probably better run.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm digging in the interesting countrymen bin for Hemsky, what's your guy's thoughts on Svatos?
Oops,
ReplyDeleteNevermind he's slovak.
I have never and MAY never be a fan of this player just because he represents almost everything that has been wrong with Oilers management for what seems an eternity. Trade down in a deep draft and pass over better players. Receive piss poor compensation in the process. Trade away a player that could do what you're asking this one to do "better", and hand his position to annointed replacement because you can't assess talent worth a damn and are trying desperately to save face. The K(ra)P might have been flushed away but theres still more skid-marks than a runway at O'Hare left behind.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with Derrick, LT. This player is a major disappointment, and much of that disappointment is in what he represents - an arrogant organization that knows more than everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI find it amusing that the Oilers tried to convert a natural centre whose's shown some ability at the position and has some size to the wing.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time they keep a smallish centre who's strength is being a speedster (and could be used to that effect on the wing) and has been abysmal at his position at centre.
WTF were they thinking keeping Cogs at C and trying Poutine at the wing?
If Pouliot is a natural centre did Crosby play wing in junior?
ReplyDelete"I like him well enough, but he doesn't seem to be any better than he ever was."
ReplyDeleteHe made huge improvements by my eye. I've never been a fan but Pouliot was winning 75% of 50/50 battles this year and seemed much more willing to take a hit to keep the play going.
I thought he looked like a totally different player out there - one that is ready to embrace the garbage pail role.
From the EJ today:
ReplyDelete"Rick Olczyk, the Oilers' salary-cap guru, contract negotiator and another assistant GM, may take over Prendergast's role as the American Hockey League farm team boss in Oklahoma City."
The same guy that negotiated the Horcoff and Khabibulin deal is possibly getting more responsibility. Great.
ReplyDeleteHe made huge improvements by my eye. I've never been a fan but Pouliot was winning 75% of 50/50 battles this year and seemed much more willing to take a hit to keep the play going.
I thought he looked like a totally different player out there - one that is ready to embrace the garbage pail role.
Agree 100% with Traktor.
*notes on calendar
Injuries have plagued this young man, and this year he said "I'm not coming back until I'm ready", stayed out longer and played very well by eye.
He has size, his grit level is up, he is a RH C who can kill penalties, so of course OTC puts him on the wing.
The Oilers are finally going to get value from the 1st round of the 2003 draft, they better not fuck it up and let him go.
If JFFJ (aka. The Black Hole of all things Hockey avec twice surgeon-ed back) gets renewed and Poo walks I'm quitting on this team until OTC is gone.
The same guy that negotiated the Horcoff and Khabibulin deal is possibly getting more responsibility. Great.
ReplyDeleteHey, at least there's only so much you can do to screw up an ELC. That's a positive!
Schitzo: You'd think Olczyk couldn't screw-up an ELC, but leave it the Oilers brass to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. How about a fresh start eh?
ReplyDeleteHad Pouliot gone injury free through 2003 and 2004, we'd be having a completely different conversation about him right now. As in, how long term should the Oilers be looking at locking him up?
ReplyDeleteTurns out Linus Omark's contract has bonus clauses for the Hart, Art Ross, and somehow the Vezina. He has a 3.75 million cap hit.
ReplyDeleteaccording to the Journal, Ken Lowe, Sparky and Stafford, the venerable and long-serving training staff and equipment gurus are no more. The purge is actually happening. Dithers is no longer assessing, he is actually doing. I for one am frightened. I don't trsut Tambi yet, but we seem to be getting more and more signs that his second (or was it third?) hiring is legit. I mean come on, Tambi did just fire K-Lowe's brother...that says something, I'm just not sure what
ReplyDeleteWill the Oilers keep him? I have no idea. At this point there's no right answer, I'm a fan so here's hoping the guy gets one more chance from the team and grabs it.
ReplyDeleteWe should call this guy Marc "One More Chance" Pouliot. Every year he shows just barely enough to make us think he's a player who just needs some health and some luck to be a difference maker.
That said, I'm trying to remember the guy ever actually Being a difference maker. When I think back of this guy's career I can distinctly remember two brutal line changes (vs. DET and @ MTL) that cost us games, and I'm struggling to come up with a single example where he was the guy who did something special to win one for us. Has he ever been the first star of a game in his career? Has he ever scored a huge goal that pulled the fans out of their seats? Not that I can recall.
7 years after that 2003 draft he's all the way up to 21-32-53 which would be a subpar season for some of the guys picked around him, let alone a career total (176 GP). His +/- always hovers around even, he goes out there and looks like a hockey player most nights, but his range of performance is vanilla useful to vanilla useless. Or vanilla injured.
Fuck, I wish this guy had a dram of charisma.
The equipment staff?!!
ReplyDeleteWho's going to have to take a bullet for Lowe next, Joey Moss?
I have a difficult time understanding how the training staff are responsible for things like back, neck and shoulder surgeries. Sure, the team has lost a lot of man games to injury in recent years but how do you blame the training staff?
ReplyDeleteWill someone please explain to me how Sparky, the guy that takes care of the visiting team and trucks their equipment to the rink and helps set up for them, contributed to the club finishing dead last?
Kinda baffling if you ask me.
Has he ever been the first star of a game in his career? Has he ever scored a huge goal that pulled the fans out of their seats? Not that I can recall.
ReplyDeleteYou, sir, have clearly forgotten the famous penalty shot game in Toronto in 2007. He was a man possessed that night.
Like Isbister against Dallas that one time.
Sure, the team has lost a lot of man games to injury in recent years but how do you blame the training staff?
ReplyDeletePerhaps their efforts to control the spread of the flu in the dressing room were less than adequate.
Perhaps they were part of the problem with players returning from injury too soon.
Will someone please explain to me how Sparky, the guy that takes care of the visiting team and trucks their equipment to the rink and helps set up for them, contributed to the club finishing dead last?
Maybe its a part of the culture change.
Pure speculation, but what if Sparky won't shut up about how good Anderson was, and how the new crop of players just don't measure up?
It sounds like they are clearing out ties to the old regime.
There is still one guy left though....
I don't mind this.
We have all screamed for change, and now that its happening we can't be incredulous.
They have fired a Kevin.
They have fired a Lowe.
There is one more firing to go.
Yeah, I don't understand how the equipment guys can be responsible for much of anything one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteIf only my jersey would have been a little more crisp, I would have scored!
I mean, isn't this the equivalent of GM firing all the janitors and claiming the problem is solved?
Woodguy,
ReplyDeleteSeems like a bit of a stretch for me. I mean, maybe this and maybe that but what you post is supposition. Then again, I am sure there are things I don't know about either. But, on the surface, I fail to see the connection.
I am for change within the organization, as long as it is meaningful and purposeful. But change for the sake of change is foolish. Maybe we will hear more come out but Matty over at the Urinal is left shaking his head on this one. And he is more of an insider than either of us.
Apparently Souray shouldn't have singled out the training staff and equipment guys as being excellent. It was the kiss of death.
ReplyDeleteSchitzo,
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing.
You, sir, have clearly forgotten the famous penalty shot game in Toronto in 2007. He was a man possessed that night.
ReplyDeleteWith Dennis around, how could I forget. I do remember certain facts:
1) It was a road game, so nobody got pulled out of their seat.
2) Pouliot wasn't even the third star of that game, let alone the first.
3) We lost.
It's all right here.
Just clearing the way for Gary Roberts and his crew. Smart move by management.
ReplyDeleteJust clearing the way for Gary Roberts and his crew. Smart move by management.
ReplyDelete?
Apparently Souray shouldn't have singled out the training staff and equipment guys as being excellent. It was the kiss of death.
ReplyDeleteHah, gold.
So, Tambi is now trying to convince Katz that firing the fans is the only thing holding them back?
"?"
ReplyDeleteWishful thinking.
Surely "pubis thingy" injuries aren't recurring?
ReplyDeleteHe's gotten about every oddball injury out of the way, now he'll finally be healthy!
Wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteOh. Wasn't sure if you'd heard rumours.
I was at the penalty shot game. Pouliot was terrific that night, he centred Torres and Thoresen and they had a nice night.
ReplyDeleteAlso playing that night, in one of his last games as an Oiler - Smyth, who along with Horcoff and Hemsky kept whoever the Leafs sent out against them pinned in their end for pretty well every shift.
And Lupul who got pushed off the puck by fat drunken Jeff O'Neill.
Plus Red Kelly made an awesome Indian comment in an interview shown on the jumbotron.
Great night.
I was at the penalty shot game. Pouliot was terrific that night, he centred Torres and Thoresen and they had a nice night.
ReplyDeleteQuick, were you lifted out of your seat?!
I was lifted out of my seat - I was at the game too.
ReplyDeleteThis year's game was miserable.
They have fired a Kevin.
ReplyDeleteThey have fired a Lowe.
There is one more firing to go.
I'm sure you meant two more firings to go. And one of them starts with a Steve and ends in a Tambellini.
Spot the Loon,
ReplyDeleteEverything I wrote was pure speculation.
Really interested to see what the press release says.
I have never read a Jim Matheson piece like this one:
"The heart-and-soul Oilers may be reassigned within the organization, although there is some thought that Lowe, brother of team president Kevin Lowe, might not hang around."
He called them heart-and-soul Oilers? Jim must have a very good relationship with them for that one.
"It seems incomprehensible what role they had in the Oilers finishing 30th last season, but they were told Thursday that they wouldn’t have their positions any longer.
The Oilers led the league in man-games lost to injury this season but back surgeries to Nikolai Khabibulin and J.F. Jacques, shoulder surgery to Ales Hemsky and neck surgery to Ladislav Smid could hardly be blamed on him.
Also, Sheldon Souray broke his hand in a fight and suffered a concussion and there was a run of sickness and mononucleosis (Mike Comrie)."
Obviously Jim was close to these guys and is taking this personally.
Maybe we can finally get some reporting that is somewhat adversarial to management. Ha!
Interesting that Matty said "him" and not "them".
ReplyDeleteMaybe Ken Lowe stuck up for Prendergast and got the axe?
ReplyDeleteI was lifted out of my seat many times.
ReplyDeleteThis year's game there was no lifting at all. Hard to believe but that team which was just about to collapse completely was a hundred times better than this year's joke.
On the topic of Pouliot, his ES numbers have improved year over year. It would be ill-advised for the team to let him go when there's evidence that suggests he's still improving. Slot him in on the 4th line centre position with a chance for promotion to 3rd line and I can't see how the team goes wrong. This assumes that there's someone (decent) in the 3rd line position for him to fight with.
ReplyDeletePlus Red Kelly made an awesome Indian comment in an interview shown on the jumbotron.
ReplyDeleteWas it the F.B.I.comment? Because I saw the old timers play in Fort Mac once and old Red Kelly was doing the play by play. Referred to one of the old timers as a member of the FBI (Friggin Big Indian), in an arena half full of card carrying members of the same group. The place actually went really quiet for a few seconds before most people realized he was a senile old fart.
btw, I believe the player he referenced was Reggie Leach??
ReplyDeleteLosing Lowe's brother is a start. Now, get rid of that fucking useless Chad Moreau.
ReplyDelete"Yeah, I don't understand how the equipment guys can be responsible for much of anything one way or the other."
ReplyDeleteI love how some people have zero understanding.
Hunter:
ReplyDeleteSimon Bennett got Moreau's job last summer.
Hunter:
ReplyDeleteSimon Bennett got Moreau's job last summer.
I love how some people have zero understanding.
Anyway, I guess Tambellini's not fucking around. I mean, he's plainly gone batshit crazy, but at least he's not fucking around. I expect him to offer Ilya Byakin $3.5 million per year over four or five years this summer; it will at least have the virtue of entertainment compared to the Khabibulin signing.
ReplyDeleteI love how some people have zero understanding.
ReplyDeleteOk, hunter, please enlighten me. How is the guy who puts tape on sticks responsible for what we've seen in the last few years?
Gotta change the culture!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is classic scapegoating. Tambellini is the embarrassed department director who just shitcanned a couple of analysts because some heads needed to roll after another year of losses.
It's cool though guys, we'll trade Hemsky and get someone who can play first line minutes with Jacques. We'll be Cup contenders soon.
LT: I don't think you're helping 78 by assigning him a particularily shitty song either;)
ReplyDeleteBTW, it's like the old days here again this afternoon with Bruce talking about line changes and Pat about the 78 goal and Ty about the night Isbister was great.
Plus a poster named Clayton Magnet pops up on a day we're talking about racism.
I don't think it's a stretch that a trainer be fired when a team leads the league in man games lost but I have a hard time seeing how Sparky had to go.
Stafford's a guy I'm neutral on even though one time during an Oilers PPV cast they promised to show old Cup celebratory footage heretofore unseen and there was a video of Stafford and Messier drunkenly dancing together that absolutely slayed me.
It still kills me to think about it.
point form
ReplyDelete- agree with everything traktor said about pouliot. guy looked different this year.
- firings today: sometimes you just need to start fresh -- restaurants fire all their staff when a new manager starts, all the time. golf courses fire their greenskeeper all the time when winter burn is bad. 20 years is a long run. i think this story is getting too much play. it's likely the new guys will bring some enthusiasm though.
- TO signed that Finnish goalie.
Prendergast and the training staff were the last to go.
ReplyDeleteMacT and Huddy first.
Lowe lost final say two week ago.
And now everybody else who thinks of Lowe as boss is gone. No "but this is the way that we've always done things for the last 20 years".
The Oilers had a bloody flu epidemic run through their room that did not run through any other teams room. That is on the training and support
staff.
For years, most of the people were begging for the house to be cleaned out. Tambellini finally cleans house, the most of the same people are complaining that he did it.
Tambellini is entitled to his own guys. The scouting staff is on notice if they screw up the draft.
Aside: It is ridiculous to blame Olczyk for Horcoff's contract. That contract had to be approved by both Lowe and Katz.
UPDATE: Yahoo Sports' Dmitry Chesnokov tweets that Omsk GM Anatoly Bardin did not confirm that Jagr was re-signed. Chesnokov tweets: "Omsk's GM said it was too early to talk about Jagr re-signing with Avangard, but the club would want to do it before the Worlds." Perhaps Jagr is still a possibility in Edmonton.
ReplyDeletePouliot. I am so excited to see another year of him...only not. Why can't we find an NHLer to take this spot?
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can't understand is why Lowetide likes him. Then again, I had this ubiquitous lament for ice time for Jani Rita...so in the same vein...good luck to him.
I just once want him to crosscheck some a-hole like Matt Cooke in the face so I could be a fan too. Pouliot with a great faceoff % and some grit could have a long and happy career. As of right now though, I would take him behind the barn like Yeller.
In regards to the trainers....who knows...maybe they shared the crappy culture surrounding the team. We may never know a reason. Bryn Griffiths said it wouldn't be a popular move in the league with former players.
Guess what, who cares about former players. If they are signing here to hang out with Sparky and Barrie Stafford then we have bigger problems than I thought.
Aside: It is ridiculous to blame Olczyk for Horcoff's contract. That contract had to be approved by both Lowe and Katz.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Unless I'm sorely mistaken, Olczyk advises on the technical aspects of the cap; I don't think he's the one responsible for deciding what players are worth.
Call me crazy, but I'd really like to see Jagr sign here. If nothing else, I think it would make Hemmer happy and it would certainly give us a lot to talk about.
ReplyDeletePlus, Patrick Kane apparently got star-struck just seeing Jagr eating a sandwich at the Olympic cafeteria, so maybe he'd be a little less effective against us if he was actually had to play against the mullet man.
For years, most of the people were begging for the house to be cleaned out. Tambellini finally cleans house, the most of the same people are complaining that he did it.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people were hoping for the government to be cleaned out during the George Bush reign... do you think those people would've been satisfied if the undersecretary of agricultural was shitcanned?
//A lot of people were hoping for the government to be cleaned out during the George Bush reign... do you think those people would've been satisfied if the undersecretary of agricultural was shitcanned?//
ReplyDeleteMacT and Huddy gone.
Lowe final call gone. He is a club seat salesman now.
Prendergast gone.
Q.E.D.
And now everybody else who thinks of Lowe as boss is gone.
ReplyDeleteI think Godot nailed it.
The Oilers had a bloody flu epidemic run through their room that did not run through any other teams room. That is on the training and support
staff.
That may not be fair, but it's true.
A lot of people were hoping for the government to be cleaned out during the George Bush reign... do you think those people would've been satisfied if the undersecretary of agricultural was shitcanned?
Or the Minister of State (Status of Women), come to that. :|
Yes, and everyone was super excited when MacT/Huddy were fired, but nothing came of it except Tambellini getting the job for a second time and hiring a moron to coach. Then a horrific season occurs and the training staff gets shitcanned so people are complaining about why the guy at the top of the pyramid gets to keep his paycheck and his cushy chair. I couldn't give a shit if he, theoretically, no longer has a voice. I want him tossed out on his ass for being a failure.
ReplyDeleteAnd he can take his toadie with him so I don't have to listen to a third year of 'we're going to get tougher and JFJ is awesome!!!'
Oilman - similar, it was the night that they honoured the 67 Leafs, and partway through the game they got Armstrong and Kelly up on the big screen and they ask Armstrong a couple of questions and they they talk to Kelly and he rambles for a bit and then says "then George gets the puck and shoots it straight into the net just like a good Indian would shoot a bow and arrow" or some damn thing.
ReplyDeleteArmstrong just laughed but later during the Kiss Cam they showed him choking the shit out of Kelly in the luxury box while Bauer and the ghost of Terry Sawchuk tried to pry him off with their feeble old man arms.
BD,
ReplyDeleteWhat was the sparky/khabby connection you mentioned on Tyler's site?
Couldn't see it in the post...I am reading on a crackberry so I may have missed it.
Lowe hired Tambellini.
ReplyDeleteTambellini thinks JFJ is an NHL player and the Khabibulin signing was a good one.
Connect the dots and ask if Lowe wears the hire when Tambellini fails.
Stafford is on record saying "this was handled with class and dignity by the Oilers, and the changes are good thing"
ReplyDeleteThe Millard on the early Global news stated the Stafford will have a position to help Olyczk set up the new AHL franchise.
If you read what Brownlee about KP's replacement, he may have had the goods on this.
George B said...
ReplyDeleteThen again, I had this ubiquitous lament for ice time for Jani Rita...
I don't think this means what you think it means. But I think I know what you're saying.
As for Pouliot, I'd like to see if he's finally turned the corner, cause he sure looked different to me over the home stretch, and it shouldn't cost too much to find out.
Problem is pubitis can re-occur if not "seen to" properly. Hopefully, he's all clear.
Who the heck is goin to take care of Joey?
ReplyDeleteI hope in our mission to get tougher that the Oilers sign WHL free agent Randy McNaught. That guy is pretty scary.
ReplyDeleteNot that he needs taking care of, but you gotta think some stability there would be helpful to the guy.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read Hemsky saying he used to play LW.
That's where I've wanted him to play all along. Y'know, if we had a real RWer.
Woodguy - up at the top, the banner or tagline or whatever you call it, the top bar of the window.
ReplyDeleteNo worries about Joey, Tencer just tweeted that he's moving in with some guy called Lain Babcock, he's all set.
Buddy always lands on his feet.
it wouldn't bother me if Pouliot was gone next year! he reminds me of Nilsson....shows just enough to make sure you notice, then vanishes. although he showed some forward movement this year, i think his time is up!!
ReplyDelete